Novella Wine Bar is a hidden gem in South St. Louis
The restaurant pairs Balkan food with rarely seen regional wines.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Bosnian satarash and a charcuterie platter
The evolution of Balkan cuisine in St. Louis has been one of the more intriguing food stories of recent years. Much of that region’s heartier common fare—rough country breads and grilled meats—has become familiar to diners. But far more delicate and upscale offerings of the region come from the kitchen of Novella Wine Bar, an unpretentious but remarkable eatery on South Kingshighway that brings an elevated and sophisticated experience with the cuisine of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, and other parts of the Balkans.
The Balkans is a region where East really does meet West, where ingredients from dozens of cultures have found their way into the food. The cuisine is an edible history, stretching back centuries.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Start your meal off with the dates: plump, egg-sized, stuffed with Gorgonzola, swathed in bacon, and roasted. The extravagant dessert-like appetizer is typical of the selections at this small, inviting place.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Smoked meats are a hallmark of Bosnian fare. Novello’s Balkan Platter shows you why. Suho meso is salt-cured beef, slowly rendered delicate and tender by wood smoke, that’s sliced into dark caramel–colored leaves and arranged alongside a salami-type sausage, cheese, and crackers. The platter easily serves two.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Bosnian satarash is a blend of artichoke hearts, tomato, onion, and red bell pepper, cooked into a chunky casserole that’s scooped up on slices of rustic bread—a kind of aromatic bruschetta. There’s almost no seasoning, nothing to distract from the pureness of the vegetables—the sweetness of the peppers, the piquancy of the artichokes—reduced with olive oil to their essence.
A local Bosnian bakery supplies the bread, which comes with almost every dish. You can order an exquisitely simple French baguette with a salty olive oil–based dip. Match it with Novella’s Caprese salad, which is large enough to split, and you’ll have all the makings of a light dinner—just add wine.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Order by the glass, or you can buy a bottle if you’re getting takeout. Homer (the Greek, not the Simpson) wrote glowingly about Balkan wines. Covering nearly a whole wall, the stock at Novella is impressive yet mysterious for most oenophiles. Many of them will likely remind you of a pinot noir; others are more like Beaujolais. We’re talking wines you’ve probably never heard of: Grasevina Daruvar, with the color and aroma of late summer hay. (Hint: get a bottle—or six—to enjoy with your Thanksgiving turkey.) The Korlat cabernet sauvignon’s tannins complement that charcuterie plate. Romanian Fetească grapes have roots—literally—in the same soil for the past 6,000 years.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Co-owner Dijana Groth is effortlessly gracious, endlessly knowledgeable, and eager to introduce a whole new world of taste. Ask her recommendation to match your meal.
On the subject of pairings, putting seafood and cheese together is tricky—it can seem like breaking some kind of universe-binding law—but Novella’s rendition of a classic Greek shrimp Mediterraneo shows how well it can work. Curls of shrimp are baked in a sweet, fresh tomato sauce with crumbles of feta on top, so the cheese gets just slightly crisped. It tastes like summer at the seashore.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Not all is “authentic.” Novella takes some wonderful excursions into creativity. The cohort of fans of the barbecue chicken flatbread is growing. The pizza-like presentation is worthy of the acclaim. Shredded chicken atop a rustic flatbread is drizzled with a sauce rendered from an Argentinian Malbec and topped with cheese. Rich and packed with flavor, the dish is one to share. Palenta štapići—polenta fries—is common from Slovenia to Turkey, but no place overseas serves the fries with Novella’s chipotle sauce.
There’s a constantly rotating roster of desserts, based on the whims of the kitchen: Nutella crêpes, tiramisu, a whipped cream–topped hot chocolate mug… And if you’ve been pining for a dessert glass of Podrum Pevac quince brandy, Novella has you covered. (Pevac is also an artist: Her landscapes, displayed in the restaurant, are particularly appealing, but don’t miss the tiny window just outside the restrooms, a miniature that’s captivating and fun.)
Eating food that would have been on the tables in ancient Constantinople, that Magyars would have recognized—along with dishes that were conjured up the very day you’re having them—is fascinating and thought-provoking. At Novella, it’s also delicious.
