Courtesy of Balkan Treat Box
Loryn Nalic of Balkan Treat Box and Nate Hereford, chef collaborators for the first installment of the Good Magic dinner series.
Recently named one the top 50 nominees of Bon Appétit’s annual “America’s Best New Restaurants” issue, chef-owner Loryn Nalic has announced that Balkan Treat Box (8103 Big Bend) will host a new limited dinner series, called Good Magic.
“Good Magic is kind of my mantra,” Nalic said in a release. “You’ll hear me say, ‘Spread good magic or share good magic.’ Magic to me means doing something that seems impossible."
Since opening in February 2019, the husband-and-wife team’s brick-and-mortar location of their former food truck has been met with undying praise for Bosnian dishes such as Lahmacun (a Turkish-style flatbread), Pljeskavica (also called the “Balkan burger”), and boat-shaped pide (the restaurant’s signature dish). But until now, the Webster Groves eatery was only open for lunch Wednesday through Sunday (but available for private events at other times).
The series pairs Nalic’s global cuisines and cooking styles with a different St. Louis chef for each event. Up first is a collab between Nalic and chef Nate Hereford, the former executive chef of Niche, at 6 p.m. on Monday, September 23. Tickets are $80 (including gratuity and tax) and include a five-course meal with craft cocktails, local beer, and wines.
With Nalic's emphasis on Balkan cuisine, the first dinner will spotlight its influence "on Eastern Europe from the Black Sea to Russia" and offer such dishes as lamb served family-style with bread, crispy rice, and vegetables shish kabobs, as well as a course featuring herring.
“I really appreciate the way that she thinks about food and culture,” Hereford, a frequent helper in Balkan's kitchen, said, adding that, for the dinner, the two chefs will push each other to “come up with some delicious and fun food.”
Future dinners will be announced through the restaurant's social media.
