Switch List opens downtown in Hotel Indigo

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Photo by Iain Shaw

Located downtown, on the corner of Olive and Broadway, Switch List is the restaurant at the newly opened 88-room Hotel Indigo. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, in addition to offering an excellent happy hour on weekdays. 

The namesake is the document that railroad engineers used to route train cars to their final destination. “We're kind of riffing on that idea of energy and connection,” says Kyle Little, Hotel Indigo’s food and beverage director. “We’re your neighborhood dining car.”

Little says that drawing on the surrounding locality for inspiration is a trademark of all Hotel Indigo locations around the U.S., both in terms of design and food-and-drink offerings. The hotel’s design features nods to the nearby Federal Reserve, and the mid-century modern vibe evokes one of that movement’s foremost exponents, Eero Saarinen, who, of course, gave St. Louis its most revered modern landmark.

One mural features an elephant, a recurring motif throughout the hotel. It’s a reference to the Eads Bridge and the elephant whose famous crossing in 1874 was held up as proof that the newly completed structure was safe and secure. “They call this the elephant in the room,” Little quips.

In terms of food, Little says the priority is to put the spotlight on local ingredients. “We're looking to make sure that 80 percent of our menu ingredients come from 90 miles within this particular hotel,” he says. “It’s really going to be inspired by that sense of place.”

Leading the kitchen is chef de cuisine Lamarr Powell, newly arrived in St. Louis from Florida. “He’s really taken this menu and run with it and provided a lot of really great dishes that I think our neighborhood is already really responding to,” says Little.

The all-day menu offers a variety of “handhelds,” ranging from $10–$15. These sandwiches and burgers for casual dining include a BLT, veggie burger, and the Switch List Burger. Little says a favorite is the Media Noche Classic Cuban, based on an award-winning recipe created by Brian Agoncillo, Hotel Indigo's Tampa-based chef. "I'm a sucker for the Cuban,” Little says. “I'm totally embracing my inner fat kid.”

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Photo by Iain Shaw

If you started out 2020 by resolving to eat more vegetables, Switch List is a fine place to do so. There are platters of fried cauliflower and crispy Brussels sprouts, each of which are $10, generously portioned, and extremely shareable. The Brussels sprouts are served with golden raisins, shallots, and bacon in a miso caramel sauce. “It’s comfort food with an interesting twist,” Little says. The cauliflower is tempura-battered (in corn starch and Sprite) with a pickled jalapeño aioli.

Other shareable dishes include the mac 'n' cheese made with gooey gruyere, flatbreads, pork sliders, and the Butcher Platter cheese-and-charcuterie board. The menu also offers numerous salads, including Cobb, roasted beet, and Caesar options.

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Photo by Iain Shaw

The entrees, ranging from $25–$32, are knockout meals centered around hearty meat and fish. They’re also elevated by sides and sauces whose flavors compete for diners' admiration. The roasted half chicken is served with root vegetables and a pistachio apricot glaze, the New York strip steak with sweet potato puree and a tangy sauce. The chili-glazed branzino comes with a delicious goat cheese and olive polenta.

Photo by Iain Shaw

The regular drink offerings include a selection of craft beers from St. Louis and across the country, as well as cocktails created by mixologist Lexi Bean. Non-alcoholic options include kombucha and Kaldi’s nitro coffee.

Bean’s career has included stints at Gamlin Whiskey House, The Libertine, and The Preston, where she also worked with Little. Among her favorites on the cocktail list is the Bitter Delight, made with campari, triple sec, grapefruit, and Prosecco. Bean describes it as “a little bit lighter of a negroni that you can have at brunch.”

Each of the cocktails are $12, with some of the highlights including the Double D and the Red Baron. The Double D is a bourbon-based riff on the tequila cocktail Don’s Delight, made with bourbon, amaretto, amaro, egg white, and Meletti. The Red Baron incorporates the smoky aroma of mezcal into an unexpectedly light, fruity drink containing Cocchi Americano Rosa, lemon, and peach. (Insider tip: Ask for the off-menu gin-based egg white cocktail as well.)

The happy hour offers excellent value, with domestic beers and well drinks for $4, as well as a $5 draft cocktail and red and white wines on tap for the same price. Happy hour runs 3–7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Switch List also offers breakfast daily, including pancakes, cinnamon French toast, egg dishes, omelets, and breakfast sandwiches. Little says the restaurant may offer an all-day Sunday brunch in the future as well.

Meanwhile, Hotel Indigo’s rooftop bar, named Eero’s Penthouse, after the designer of the Arch, is scheduled to open in late March. Bean says the drink list options may include a build-your-own Manhattan as well as a “trust your bartender” option. As for the name of the bar? 

“It’s inspired by that idea of 'What would it be like if you were having a cocktail party in Mr. Saarinen’s living room?'” Little says. “Mid-century modern, swinging ‘60s, punchbowl cocktails, excellent craft cocktails, elevated canapes for the food.”