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What restaurant will you visit after being vaccinated? – Cindy B., University City
It’s no secret that restaurant goers have been longing for the return of some sense of dining normalcy. Many haven't dined indoors for exactly a year now. The advent of warmer weather has everyone champing at the bit, and as more and more people get vaccinated, collective confidence builds.
Like most dining patrons, I do have a running list of places that I want to visit. Among them, two are what will surely be this year’s brightest stars: the new Tony’s in Clayton and, a stone’s throw away, Casa Don Alfonso, located inside The Ritz Carlton–St. Louis. Then there's The Lucky Accomplice, where I have yet to experience the indoor vibe of chef-owner Logan Ely’s super-cool, six-month-old restaurant in Fox Park. On the short list of “when their dining rooms reopen”: Little Fox, Elmwood, Bulrush, and an omakase dinner at indo. I'm also planning an extended stay on the patio at Bar Les Freres (when the restaurant reopens), replaying the events of the past year while sipping a Soixante Quinze and savoring a split lobster tail, one the best appetizers in town.
We also asked the rest of SLM’s dining team where they might be headed:
Pat Eby: I’ll revisit The Tenderloin Room when it reopens, as much for the experience as for the food. I'd sit under that stained-glass ceiling and chat with bar man Ray "Godfather" Edwards over a perfect Manhattan before dinner. I'd sink into a banquette and wait for the flourish of a menu, then listen for that soft gurgle of expertly poured wine, the sizzle of the steak, the low voices in the room. Afterward, I'll enjoy walking out to the lobby and maybe taking a stroll through the plaza and stopping by the fountain. On the more affordable end, give me a Saturday breakfast at Dave’s Diner on South Lindbergh as I take in the chatter of regulars telling stories, the rattle of plates, the telltale clang of spatula on steel grill, and that first bite of over-easy egg sopped up with wheat toast. It's nothing fancy, but it's familiar and comforting.
Cheryl Baehr: Without a doubt, Stone Soup Cottage. Chef Carl McConnell did an incredible job translating the Stone Soup experience to the at-home diner with the restaurant's Cottage to Carriage delivery service this past year, but there is no substitute for sitting inside that stunning dining room and having him hand-deliver every delicious course, talking to you as if you are the only person in the room. And maybe, if you are lucky, he'll crack open a bottle of Dominus and sit with you as you linger over dessert, regaling you with stories of flying over the Arctic Circle on a penguin sight-seeing tour when he was a private chef. You can't box up that sort of experience, no matter how good you are.
Bill Burge: On March 11, 2020, my family ate at The Pat Connolly Tavern before I took my daughter to a concert at Sheldon Concert Hall. I'd kind of gotten a crush on Pat's after going there for the burger article because they were so sweet to my family and, on that night, there was a lot of nervousness in the air. I remember saying it would be the last time we'd go anywhere for a while. Pat's has continued to do it right during the pandemic with their Pat-i-o, and though that's not something we've felt like doing with a 2-year-old, we've gotten a lot of curbside fried chicken from Pat's along the way–even on March 11 to celebrate our Pande-versary. Despite what people would think, I actually don't look forward to fine dining at all. Pat's will be the first place we'll dine when it's back because we know that when Joe [co-owner Joe Jovanovich] and his staff are ready, it'll be safe to return to dining out.
Ann Lemons Pollack: Look for me at Louie, where I’d be happy with almost anything on the menu or the wine list. I plan to make up for a missed New Year’s Eve at the old Tony’s by going to the new Tony’s, where it’ll be scallops with truffles, lobster albanello with a little pasta, and chocolate cake with house-made banana ice cream, preceded by a champagne cocktail. I'm also looking forward to pork shank or osso bucco at LoRusso's, street tacos and menudo on Cherokee Street, and banh xeo and mango with sticky rice at Mai Lee.
Emily Wasserman: I've really missed dining at Farmhaus this past year. My boyfriend and I would go there for special occasions or just when we wanted to treat ourselves. When I go back, I want to order almost everything and make sure to include their pasta, cocktails, and dessert.
Holly Fann: For me, it'll be Shakespeare’s Pizza, as I’ll be receiving my second shot in Columbia, Missouri. After I return to St Louis, I will beeline it to Soup Dumplings STL for “soupies,” as I call them. In the before times, I ate there almost every week, sometimes multiple times. Their kitchen became a home away from home for me. If I was feeling low, soupies were the perfect comfort food. If I was happy and wanted a little treat, soupies felt like a celebration. There was always a reason for soup dumplings, and eating at Soup Dumplings STL felt like normalcy to me. I already know what I'm going to order when I visit, and I can’t wait.
Dave Lowry: Anis Hyderabad House is to the considerable West County Indian-American population what Beffa’s was for the downtown crowd for so many years. It’s a noontime gathering spot not just for lunch but for business discussions and socializing; on a good day, you can pick out at least half a dozen dialects and languages while standing in line to order. It’s cafeteria-style. The menu’s intimidating if you’re not used to Indian food, mostly Hyderabadi specialties, so lots of rice, naan, and more meats than you’ll find in other Indian regional cuisines. There are curries of poultry, goat, lamb, and seafood. Biryani lack the oiliness that you’ll find in a lot of place; it has a light taste and texture. The food’s not Indian haute cuisine—it’s premade and ladled up when you order. Even so, it’s so brilliantly, explosively aromatic and intensely flavored, it challenges a lot of more formal Indian eateries. And you’re going to walk out with leftovers after spending, in most cases, less than $10. If you’re in the mood for a light snack, reshmi tikka chicken kabobs will do the trick. For something more substantial, nawabi chicken is a smooth, creamy gravy with the tastes of onions and cashews that’s rich and filling. Qubani ka meetha is an apricot pudding, one that features a delectable sweetness reflecting the Arabic contributions to Hyderabadi cuisine. The dinner menu is more extensive and expensive (with weekend specials that feature some Indian dishes you won’t see anywhere else in town), and while it’s enjoyable, what we miss so much are the lunches. The crowds, the food, and those multiple big-screen TVs where cricket matches play endlessly. That’s what we’ve missed: Life without being able to sit down to a civilized meal of Indian food that isn’t takeout has been annoying; life without being able to enjoy it while watching cricket has been worse. The Asia Cup starts this June. Bangladesh has a good shot, and so does England. With any luck, we’re going to scoot into an empty seat and listen to the chatter in Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, and other languages and tuck into a platter of tikka masala with a circle of hot, fragrant naan, and watch some of the Cup.
What's your go-to restaurant going to be? Add it in the comments section below.
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