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Which St. Louis restaurants personalize menus for special occasions, such as birthdays? —Delesha G., St. Louis
Most of us have attended lunches or dinners with a curated—and sometimes highly personalized—menu. In general, I believe that restaurants should go to any reasonable means to assure that a dining experience, especially a special occasion, is memorable.
In most cases, it’s easily accomplished, a small detail that can make a big difference. Restaurants often allow a party to customize the table, adding flowers or other accoutrements. Requesting an exclusive menu is no different.
Generally, any restaurant that prints a daily menu or lists a “tasting menu” online can accomplish the task. The host preselects the dishes and beverage pairings, in addition to requesting a personalized message. It’s best to contact the restaurant well ahead of the event to see what it can or cannot do. (This can even be done on the reservation form.)
The following restaurants can or will do some form of a personalized menu:
- 801 Restaurants (801 Chophouse, 801 Fish, 801 Local)
- Acero
- Elaia
- Farmhaus
- Olive + Oak
- Peno
- Sidney Street Café
- The Capital Grille
- The Crossing
- Tony’s
- Vicia
"Yes, we'll do that if asked," says Farmhaus chef-owner Kevin Willmann. "We rarely say no to anything!"
Mark Hinkle, co-owner of Olive + Oak, says, “We have quite a few guests who arrange personalized experiences for special occasions. Most often, it would be a chef’s tasting menu with wine, beer, or cocktail pairings, but honestly the sky is the limit. We love the opportunity to do something unique and special.”
At Vicia, guest relations manager Kyle Langhurst says, “We truly enjoy the special touches that personalize experiences for guests. Whether it be a surprise champagne toast on arrival or designing a souvenir menu with handwritten notes signed by the chefs, we are always eager to enhance someone's evening in a way that feels special to them. Our chefs will also prepare small celebratory treats for all guests, always presented with a candle.”
Geoffrey Dill, managing partner at The Capital Grille in Clayton, says, “We can create menus. We can decorate the table and personalize a card signed by entire staff. We offer a champagne toast [for those who drink], and a celebration platter for dessert. We also have a really cool app where we can take a photo, and the guest can add several different filters and frames. We have the ability to print the photo and present it in a Capital Grille custom frame.”
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