Photo by Holly Fann
Bommarito's green peppercorn-rubbed veal chop, Marsala jus, three cheese risotto, wild mushrooms, and roasted radish
Photo by Holly Fann
Bommarito's pan roasted grouper with summer tomato-corn ragu and corn shoots
On a sweltering Monday evening, the dining room at Peno in Clayton was filled to capacity. Guests were seated around tables topped with white tablecloths and fresh flowers. The restaurant filled with the sounds of lively conversation, wine glasses clinking, forks scraping sauce off china plates, and bursts of laughter. When the evening's guest chef, Vince Bommarito Jr.—who worked alongside his father, the late Vince Bommarito, Sr., at the legendary Tony’s for more than 35 years—stepped out of the kitchen for a moment, the room of appreciative patrons broke into applause.
Photo by Holly Fann
Greg Perez, Vince Bommarito, Jr.
Bommarito was there to kick off the St. Louis Classics: Chef Series of dinners organized by Peno chef/owner Pepe Kehm, who wanted to pay tribute to some of the city's culinary legends. The series was meant to highlight St. Louis chefs who were "cooking before bloggers, social media, and foodies even existed,” Bommarito quips. Kehm coaxed some of the most notable chefs back for a one night–only gig to cook some of the dishes that made them (and their restaurants) famous. After launching in mid-July, the series is set to continue for one Monday per month through December. (The August event featured Greg Perez, who wooed St. Louis diners with strange and adventurous concepts such as small plates and tapas at Big Sky Cafe, Painted Plates, and Blue Water Grill.)
Photo by Holly Fann
One of Perez' dishes included sliced veal loin, caramelized onion, rice and sweet corn salad, goat cheese, roasted red pepper and asparagus, cornmeal pancake, 10-year Iberico ham, aged Manchego, with whipped olive oil and local honey
The response to the chef series has been overwhelming, with tickets selling out in less than 10 minutes for the previous dinners. The four- to five-course dinners are $125 per person (including gratuity, though not tax or beverage). The events will be held indoors at Peno and are limited to 37 guests. Larger parties can be accommodated and are welcome.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Carney's Kids Foundation, a local charity founded by radio personality John Carney, who hosts The Carney Show with Julie Buck on KTRS 550 AM.
SLM dining contributor Ann Lemons Pollack will also be in house to chat about restaurants past and present. Copies of her two recent books, Lost Restaurants of St. Louis and Iconic Restaurants of St. Louis, will also be available.
Tickets will be released online at noon approximately 10–12 days before each event, and Peno's website will be updated with future release dates. At the moment, the remaining lineup is as follows below.
Eddie Neill | September 13
Tickets go on sale September 5 at noon
A successful St. Louis restaurateur for more than 30 years, Neill co-owns Café Provencal (alongside John Schreiner) and continues to be a sought-after restaurant and menu consultant. Neill previously worked at (or owned) Malmaison, Eddie’s Steak and Chop, T. P. Neill’s, and The Dubliner. For the dinner series, he plans to create a romantic celebration of French dishes from that magical era of cooking when traditional, Escoffier preparations were being reinterpreted by chefs such as himself. Neill plans to use modern techniques and ingredients but with a reverence for classic French cuisine. His menu includes an amuse-gueule, as well as six courses, including Terrine d'aubergine, Gallantine du Canard, Carré d'agneau, and Tarte aux Poires.
Mike Holmes | October 18
Holmes is an early Café Balaban alumnus and served as head chef and proprietor at The Pitted Olive, one of the city's best under-the-radar restaurants. Holmes also worked at Whitaker's Bistro, Balaban's, Fedora Café, and the St. Louis Country Club. Today, he works at The Smokehouse Market. Holmes will be serving favorites from the dining room menu at Balaban’s.
Brian Young | November 15
Young worked at Café Balaban for 18 years before starting his own catering company, Catering Plus, where he served as chef, salesperson, and event planner. Currently, he's catering director for Pure Catering, a preferred caterer at seven metro area venues. He previously worked at (or owned) Balaban’s, Tango Grill, Catering Plus, Steven Becker Fine Dining, and Bryan Events. Young will be serving favorites from the bistro menu at Balaban’s.
Lisa Slay | December 6
A member of the legendary Slay family of restaurateurs, Lisa Slay was executive chef at Remy's Wine Kitchen for more than 20 years. She's currently part of the chef team at Catering St. Louis and previously worked at her brother David's restaurant, La Veranda.
