Olive + Oak is slated to open this weekend in Old Webster at 102 W. Lockwood. We like this place a lot, already, for the following reasons:
1. Pedigree – Co-owner Mark Hinkle (right), a St. Louis native and one of the most popular and respected people on the local restaurant scene, is a former GM at Chicago’s Gibson Restaurant Group (Gibson’s Bar & Steakhouse, Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House, Quartino, LUXBAR). After moving back to St. Louis, he reached out to Joe Buck (a frequent Gibson’s customer) and was offered the GM job at Joe Buck’s downtown. Hinkle was the inaugural head honcho at McCormick & Schmick’s in Des Peres and most recently, the GM at Annie Gunn’s before making the decision to steer his own ship.
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Joining him is exec chef Jesse Mendica (the former exec sous chef at AG’s), Kevin Pellegrino (from AG’s and most recently, Five Bistro), and Joe Biondo (BC’s Kitchen). Hinkle says of Mendica: “If you’ve dined at Annie Gunn’s during the last 15 years, Jesse played a big part in your meal.”
We call that pedigree—for diners, it’s reassurance.
2. Provisions – Mendica’s menu, not surprisingly, is reminiscent of Annie Gunn’s. There’s a pot pie and a prime aged strip; a pan-roasted catfish and a pan-seared black bass; and try to decide between The Cheese (Tulip Tree Trillium triple crème, roasted pears, walnuts) and The Dip (roasted lamb, Fleur de La Vallee goat cheese, lamb jus).
3. Price Points – Customers can spend a little ($12 for the O+O Burger) or a lot ($52 for a Prime Cowboy Ribeye). Same goes for the wine list. Hinkle, who curates the 125-bottle selection, has priced the majority in the “Tuesday night affordable” range. There are some “special occasion big boys” on the list as well.
4. Premise – Owners Mark Hinkle and Greg Ortyl share a common bond. Both of their sons (Oliver and Oakes) were born with congenital heart defects, and both died at a young age. The men met through The Children’s Heart Foundation, an organization created to fund research for congenital heart defects. Both partners founded organizations (Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation and Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation) to honor their sons and fund further research. As we noted in this month’s Q&A with Hinkle, the restaurant—Olive + Oak—refers to two trees that live to a great age. And to two young boys, who never had that opportunity.
5. Props – The operative word at Olive + Oak is cool. Think five (not 50!) shades of gray. Tufted banquettes in dusty blue; bar seats in royal. Burly, old wood tabletops. A stick tree with copper-etched olive and oak leaves will surely pique interest. As will the wall and a half of B+W family photos. And two hearts – one fashioned in red neon, the other in live edge oak—symbolism that won’t be lost on anyone.
Olive + Oak
102 W. Lockwood
Old Webster
314-736-1370
Initial hours:
Mon – Sat: 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Sun: 4 p.m. – 9 p.m.
(Late night and happy hour menu at a later date)
