Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
The stack salad at Napoli III
MORE: Fresh tomatoes
Remember when you tasted your last real tomato in, oh, say mid-September? After that, tomatoes started tasting like a spongy slice of Styrofoam. Well, they still don’t taste like they do in July, dripping and ruby red, eaten over the kitchen sink to catch the juices that splurt out gloriously. But compared to the limp, pale rings of vegetal mediocrity we got for three seasons in the past, the quality of fresh tomatoes has really upped the game, from fast-food outlets to fine-dining establishments. The exquisite stack salad at Napoli III, for instance, included a tomato that tasted of July, even though we ate it in October.
LESS: "Protein"
Not protein itself but the word “protein,” as in being asked, “What protein would you like?” when you’re ordering some dish with a choice of meats, fish, or poultry. Calling it “protein” sounds like you’re conducting a science experiment. (“What say along with the protein element, we double the carbohydrates and see what happens, waiter?”) Yes, it takes a bit more time for your server to ask, “Shrimp, chicken, or beef?” But at least you won’t have the feeling that tonight’s special could be something like Soylent Green.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Mixed grill feat. beef, lamb, and chicken kabobs from Sultan Mediterranean Restaurant in the Grove.
MORE: Middle Eastern spices
Za’atar, Ras al hanout, Ajowan, Baharat, Urfa biber. These are just a handful of the Middle Eastern spices that we saw on menus in St. Louis this past year. Places like Ranoush, Sultan Mediterranean Restaurant, and The Benevolent King have added a whole souk’s worth of tastes to the dining scene, and even places that aren’t specifically “Middle Eastern” are experimenting with them. We need more of that.
LESS: Mile-high burgers
Here’s a clue, restaurants: If the burger you’re serving requires a lighted beacon on top to alert any planes as to a potential hazard in navigation, then it’s too tall. Stacking the entire contents of a brunch buffet between the buns creates problems not only for those of us trying to eat them, but also gives nightmares to architects. For all non-anaconda diners, yawning one’s jaws around these burger beasts is like biting into a basketball. Further, the catsup-stained catastrophes that result from tectonic failures are not exactly flattering to our suave image. If you want to sell a burger with enough calories to sustain an Everest expedition, fine. Just try making them not taller but wider.
MORE: Appreciation for prices
Yes, inflation has been a bit of a problem of late. And by “a bit,” we’re talking morning cereal the price of foie gras and bananas sold on a layaway plan. While the cost of a restaurant meal has jumped, it’s pretty amazing how little so many of those restaurants have hoisted their prices. Maybe we pay more attention to this, given our profession, but we see places as upscale as Tony’s and Casa Don Alfonso, as well as those as modest as Pita Plus and Sweet Spot Café, reining in prices. It’s obvious they’re working hard to keep costs down, and we’d do well to appreciate that more.
LESS: Deconstructed foods
“Tonight, Chef is presenting deconstructed chocolate chip cookies. It’s a pile of flour, a stick of butter, a mound of sugar, and a cup of chocolate morsels. Yes, it’s a reimagining of the classic dessert.”
"See these six quarters? Reimagine them as your deconstructed tip.”
Courtesy of Kimchi Guys
Kimchi Guy's wings tossed in Spicy Original sauce
MORE: Korean fried chicken
Maepda is, technically, translated from Korean to mean “spicy.” But it carries a connotation that describes a sweet undercurrent to the fire. That perfectly captures the taste of yangnyeom chicken that’s been popular elsewhere in the United States and has finally hit it big here. Credible Seoul soul food awaits at Chicken Seven, Kimchi Guys, and Fire Chicken, among other spots.
LESS: Verbose coffee orders
Ordering a cup of the stuff should not be complicated. Yeah, you’re quite the coffee connoisseur. And yes, you have a larger Italian vocabulary than a Roma native. Coffee, however, should not be a chemistry project.
MORE: Quality wine lists
In the tsunami of cocktails currently inundating the dining and social scene, it’s easy to overlook the undertow of wines that have hit the beaches of St. Louis dining. Acero, Annie Gunn's, Blood & Sand, The Crossing, Robust, Truffles, Westchester, and a dozen other restaurants offer first-class wine lists. Not that it’s ever been bad, but the selection, vintages, and varieties that show up on local menus is welcome and constantly enjoyable, even if we’re just perusing the lists and imagining what it would be like to have ‘em pop the cork on that Meursault Premiere Cru with our cheese plate.
LESS: Craft catsup
Our editor will doubtless render it “ketchup,” but it is catsup, damn it. While we almost never use it, when we do, we want it out of the Heinz bottle. And unless we’re lunching with Cousin Eddie, we don’t want any handcrafted artisanal kind. There are some things that just don’t need to be artisanal or crafted or bespoke, and catsup is one of ‘em.
MORE: Whole fish
The increasing appearance of more whole fish on plates in St. Louis restaurants has been terrifically rewarding of late. Among the most memorable recent meals involving the wholly mackerel were 801 Fish, El Guanaco, Farmhaus, and Oceano Bistro. Aside from getting the skeevots about that branzino giving you the stink eye, the tender cheeks on so many fish are choice morsels, and we’ve happily dug into a lot of totem piscis this year.
LESS: "Bone broth"
Remember “broth?” So last week. We’re into “bone broth” now, which is broth, made with bones—which is always how broth has been made.
MORE: Patience
While St. Louisans are pretty easy-going and characteristically polite, we saw a lot of graciousness on the part of dining patrons in 2022, during a time when restaurants faced myriad challenges: staff shortages, supply-chain issues, inflation... There is every expectation that will continue into 2023.
