Photo credit Christina Lane
Last week, Josh Charles, one of the more progressive and artistic chefs in town, clocked in as the new executive chef at Blood & Sand, the acclaimed members-only restaurant in downtown St. Louis. Charles had run the kitchen at Element for the past 18 months. Kitchen veteran Tudor Seserman, Element’s chef de cuisine, takes over for Charles (“a seamless changeover,” Charles says, given their similar philosophies and cooking styles).
At Element, Charles inherited a menu known for its exotic proteins (such as elk brisket). It was a menu that he called “a little too weird for the average guy,” so he simplified it to appeal to Element’s broad customer base without sacrificing his trademark high level of technique.
At Blood & Sand, the customer base is more consistent and skews toward the gastronome (we used to call them “foodies”), a clientele that Charles (former chef de cuisine at Elaia and Olio) is accustomed to servicing. “At Blood & Sand, I can be as creative as I can possibly be,” he says. “I’m free to explore areas that just weren’t appropriate at Element."
When Blood & Sand debuted in 2011, some St. Louisans questioned its old-school rules and members-only policy. That attitude changed six months later, when Blood & Sand reached its target of 650 full-time members, years ahead of schedule, receiving plaudits from dining critics along the way. Late last year, in order to focus on Brigade Society, a restaurant point of sale system that they created, Blood & Sand founders Adam Frager and T.J. Vytlacil sold the restaurant to longtime customer Tim Murphy.
Blood & Sand dues are $15 per month, a fee that Charles says allows the kitchen and bar staff “to completely dial in to what we’re doing, which can only benefit the members.” (Prospective members are encouraged to make a one-time reservation to check out the experience first hand.)
The current menu will remain in effect until February 14, at which point it will undergo a month-long transformation. “My goal and Tim’s is to introduce any boundary-pushing items in small-plate form,” Charles says, “balancing them with larger plates that are still elevated but more traditional and toned down. No one wants to gamble $20 to $40 on an unfamiliar entrée.”
That said, the duo will encourage diners to experiment: “One of Tim’s taglines for Blood & Sand is everything you never knew you loved,” Charles says. “And I agree. It’s fulfilling to get customers dialed into foods that were previously out of their comfort zone.”
One of the chef’s aforementioned small plates is orecchiette (an ear-shaped pasta) with braised pig ears in a spicy tomato sauce. Asked why that particular part of the pig makes so few menu appearances, Charles said it's because so few cooks know how (or dare) to properly prepare them. His technique is to cook them low and slow with aromatics before chopping them fine. After initially describing the dish as “slightly chewy but with a crunch,” he added a description that sounded more appealing: “refined bacon bits.”
Josh Charles
Another edgy small-plate offering will be black garlic gougères, which will likely be stuffed with egg salad. Pushing the dessert envelope is Thai tea panna cotta (pictured above), Charles’ take on bubble tea, with green tea tapioca pearls, vanilla whipped cream, and candied lemon zest. The concoction arrives in a beautifully mottled bowl.
Josh Charles
Then there’s a beet macaron (pictured at right), filled with Cambozola cheese, which Charles describes as “a first bite or a pre-dessert.”
“My goal is to present little tastes throughout the meal,” he says. “As I see it, one of the perks of a restaurant like this is knowing that dinner will be an experience. Providing fun and unexpected little detours is one way we’ll do that.”
There is one constant that will not be tinkered with, though: the tater tots. They've been a crowd favorite since day one. “No matter how many menus I create," Charles says, "those tater tots will stay.”
