Listen Now: ‘Arch Eats’: Ben Poremba’s big plans for 2024
The St. Louis dining community had barely processed the news that Ben Poremba was moving three of his famed Bengelina restaurants—Elaia, Olio, and Nixta—to the Delmar Maker District when he doubled down and announced that two more—Esca and Florentin—would also be built along the half-mile stretch of Delmar Boulevard between Union and Kingshighway.
Find the best food in St. Louis
Subscribe to the St. Louis Dining In and Dining Out newsletters to stay up-to-date on the local restaurant and culinary scene.
Esca (5095 Delmar) leads off Poremba’s quintet.The coastal Mediterranean grill and bar debuts March 19 with a wine-tasting event with winemaker Davila Gianfreda of Antica Masseria Jorche. A soft opening, with the full bar and an abridged food menu, is slated for March 21–23, followed by the official opening on March 26. (Reservations are available here.)
The restaurant’s name comes from a Catalan fire-roasted vegetable dish called escalivada, but because Esca is home to St. Louis’ only Josper charcoal oven and adjustable coal-fired grill, its secondary meanings (“kindling” and “bait”) are also apropos.
Then there are the interior’s details: charred wood Shou Sugi Ban wall cladding, sheets of oxidized black stainless steel that jacket the bar top and pass counter, Gucci tiger print wallpaper in the vestibule and barstools covered in Gucci fabric—sure to appear on Insta reels.
Handsome mid-20th century chandeliers, French gueridon bistro tables, and rustic schoolhouse chairs give way to a massive British farmhouse service table mid-room, a busy home to bread, wine, plates, and accompaniments to the sharable dishes, which include brandade (made with smoky, coal-fired potatoes), oysters (served in large, colorful, ice-filled Ortiz tuna cans, with a charcoal-infused oil mignonette), as well as coal-grilled fish and côte de boeuf.
One must-get is a giant fregolotta-style shortbread cookie, served whole on butcher paper with zabaglione sauce for dipping, then broken into pieces by a staffer with a few raps of a spoon. The tableside-service touches, along with the exposed kitchen and centralized service area, are emblematic of the Delmar Maker District, a literal term that highlights “the element of the make,” according to Poremba. “Guests will be exposed to it in every project we do here.”
This article has been updated from an earlier version.
