Three Sixty's new chef Rick Kazmer has reworked the menu—and it's just as committed to good food and local produce

Three Sixty remains one of St. Louis’ top draws, even seven years into its existence on the top floor of Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark. The rooftop restaurant and bar may be best known for the stunning view it offers of the city, including the Arch and Mississippi, but longtime executive chef Rex Hale also departed Three Sixty six months ago, leaving a legacy of commitment to quality food and local produce.

Hale’s successor, Rick Kazmer, took the reins at Three Sixty two months ago and set about refreshing the menu. “There are some familiar things from before, but I was lucky enough to get a couple of really good sous chefs in here,” Kazmer said. “I really wanted to put it to them to help out with the menu, to be invested in what we’re doing. We all came with some ideas and saw what worked.”

Kazmer told SLM that with so much competition in the city’s restaurant scene, the Three Sixty team recognizes the necessity of changing up the venue’s food and drink offerings. However, that doesn’t mean a break with Hale’s farm-to-table approach. Kazmer, most recently executive chef at Cleveland-Heath in Edwardsville, Illinois, is similarly committed to seeking opportunities to champion the best local producers and their offerings.

“The idea is to not overcomplicate things too much,” Kazmer said. “If you have something really nice, just let it shine.” The chef used one of his new menu items  to make his point. The Stracciatella (pictured above) made with mozzarella from Marcoot Jersey Creamery in Greenville, Illinois, “is just too good on its own. You obviously have to do something with it—otherwise why are people going to buy it—but you have to let it be itself.”

Kazmer developed an interest in cooking at a young age, working in restaurants through college and saving to send himself to the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley. A stint at acclaimed Napa restaurant Farmstead schooled him in the principles of the farm-to-table movement. “That was the extreme end of farm-to-table,” Kazmer said. “When the restaurant opened, 100 percent of our beef was from our own cattle, probably 80 to 90 percent of the fruit and vegetables were from the farm. Probably the only thing that didn’t come from within 100 miles of the restaurant was our dried pasta, which we imported. Everything else was either from Sonoma or right there in Napa.”

The chef said that the majority of his dishes are intended for sharing, and the presentation suggests as much. For example, the steak of the day (pictured above) is cut into pieces rather than served whole. The new menu draws on influences from across the world, from the U.S. and Mexico to India and Italy.

One highlight is the pan-seared scallops (pictured above) cooked with garam masala, served in walnut milk alongside roasted cauliflower and squash puree, with a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds. The slightly spicy Indonesian-style fried rice, topped with a fried egg (see lead image), is proving popular, Kazmer said. It’s equally suitable for sharing or as a filling, standalone meal.

A number of dishes showcase excellent meats from local suppliers. The Nduja pizza (pictured above) features Salume Beddu’s spicy Nduja sausage, alongside that Marcoot mozzarella mentioned earlier. Meanwhile, Volpi on The Hill supplies the meat for the Mortadella sandwich, which also includes sharp aged Provolone, banana peppers, and Three Sixty’s pizza base as the bread.

Three Sixty’s new executive chef also has fun riffing on American dishes and snacks. The Cajun Dill House Fries were inspired by Louisiana brand Zapp’s potato chips...and they’re delicious. Dip fried jalapeño-and-scallion crackers into Kazmer’s take on pimento cheese (pictured above). Burgers in higher-end restaurants can be a mixed bag, but the 360 Smash Burger (pictured below) is one of the better ones, combining two beef short rib patties, Marcoot aged cheddar, pickled cauliflower, onion, and Kazmer’s “fancy sauce” on an English muffin.

Kazmer is optimistic about the prospects for farm-to-table cooking in the St. Louis area. “Every year it gets a little better, with the idea of restaurants and the food community coming a little more into the public eye,” Kazmer said. “There are different people opening up small farms over on the Illinois side. It’s definitely more difficult here than Napa Valley, but it’s a lot easier than it used to be.”

The drink list also underlines Three Sixty’s support for local producers, with brews from the likes of Six Mile Bridge, Perennial, and Civil Life, among others. Make plans—or excuses—for repeat visits, just to try all of Three Sixty’s seasonal cocktails. They're the work of Kyle Mathis, who oversees bar programs for all of Lodging Hospitality Management’s properties, including the restaurants at The Cheshire, Westport Social, and a number of forthcoming Union Station projects.

Mathis flavors the nose and taste of these drinks with flavors and spices of the season, and pretty much any choice is the right one. However, for a couple of standouts: the Cider Wishes, Cava Dreams (pictured above) combines Courvoisier VS and spiced cider syrup with a smoky hit from 12-year-old Bowmore, topped with a dash of sparkling Cava; the Don Tom (pictured below)—made with tequila and gin, lime, and salted blood orange cordial—is like a punchier margarita.