Sneak Peek: Five Reasons To Love Olive + Oak in Webster Groves

Mark Hinkle's inaugural restaurant opens this weekend in Old Webster.

by George Mahe

January 25, 2016

9:52 AM

1 of 10

Photo credit Rick Forrestal

Hama Hama Clams — with red potato in smoked Benton's Bacon tomato broth

2 of 10

Photo credit Rick Forrestal

White quartz bartop + white subway tile back bar

3 of 10

Photo credit Rick Forrestal

A reflection: black + white photos of family and friends

4 of 10

Photo credit Rick Forrestal

Chef Pellegrino, happy as a clam

5 of 10

Photo credit Rick Forrestal

Oysters are served on the half-shell or Rockefeller-style

6 of 10

Photo credit Rick Forrestal

The Cheese — Tulip Tree Trillium Triple Creme, pickled pears, walnuts, German rye

7 of 10

Fun in a mug: Fitz's orange pop + Clementine's Madagascar Vanilla ice cream

8 of 10

Photo credit Rick Forrestal

O + O Fries = fried russett potato wedges with malt vinegar aioli

9 of 10

Photo credit Rick Forrestal

Mixologist Chelsea Little created the cocktail list at O + O.

10 of 10

Photo credit Rick Forrestal

Little's cocktails all have numerical designations: the #25 contains rum, Madeira, spiced ice, star anise, and Pineau de Charentes (a lesser-known, regional French aperitif).

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:

Photo credit Rick Forrestal

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.

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.

Photo credit Rick Forrestal

Chefs Kevin Pellegrino, Jesse Mendica, Joe Biondo

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).

Photo credit Rick Forrestal

P + E Shrimp is a propos at O + O, served with charred lemon. (Spices from Maryland's J. O Spice Company.)

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.