Timothy’s now open in Creve Coeur

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Photo by George Mahe

When Pickles Deli co-owners Tim Metz and Sean Olson were discussing the logistics of a full-service “fine casual” dining restaurant—what came to be the recently opened Timothy's in Creve Coeur (12710 Olive)—their goal was to counter the many times that they “dropped hundreds of dollars on an average restaurant experience,” Metz says.

Photo by George Mahe

So they kept the size of the new restaurant relatively small (85 seats inside), assembled a short menu of reasonably priced, familiar dishes with short cooking times (“a mirror of the things I like to cook that I’m good at cooking,” Metz says), and hired Will Mabrey (former kitchen manager at Yolklore and sous chef at Herbie’s).

Appetizers include a riff on the universally loved tater tot (stuffed with fontina cheese with Mabrey’s Indian-influenced ketchup on the side) and mussels in a light curry broth. A practically mandatory item is Metz’s lobster pot pie, made with shallots, peas, tarragon, a touch of cream, cream sherry, and chunks of lobster claw meat. (The aroma released by piercing the puff pastry shell alone is worth the $20.)

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Photo by George Mahe

The 10-entrée list includes lollipop lamb chops with chimichurri; scallops atop edamame purée with summer corn and corn broth; and a burger topped with pimiento cheese, crispy onions, and Dijon mayo.

Most notable is the beef option. At Timothy's, the center cut of the top loin (also known as a baseball steak) is billed simply as “filet of sirloin.” The 8-ounce steak (pictured above) looks identical to a tenderloin filet but has the texture and flavor of sirloin. In an era of sticker-shock steak prices on restaurant menus—and especially considering the included sides (choice of potato and asparagus with lobster hollandaise)—the $32 price is a bargain.  

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Courtesy Timothy's

Courtesy Timothy's

Another dessert favorite, apple bread pudding with bourbon vanilla cream topped with candied bacon

Timothy's solves the common "sorry, no room" dessert conundrum with carrot cake fritters (pictured above), a trio of three-bite morsels, each underlain with cream-cheese frosting. (To prevent a polite surrender, a couple should agree at the outset to divvy up that third fritter.)

And as a nifty aside, menu favorites are tallied up by likes and presented on the website as "most liked items," eliminating a frequent question often asked a server (at this writing, lobster pot pie was leading the pack).

The interior includes both a dining room and bar area, the latter boasting burnt orange leather booths that saw years of service at Balaban’s and then Herbie’s. Tables are dressed in black with white napkins. Much of the wall and ceiling space is painted a deep blue-gray called cyberspace, which is appropriate since the chandeliers resemble asterisms in stellar constellations.

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Photos by George Mahe/Timothy's

But the most notable (and, dare we say, most welcome) aspect at Timothy’s is the service component. At a time when the service component at many restaurants has largely taken a hit due to a pandemic-fueled labor shortage, Timothy's is a standout.

Restaurant veteran Steven Manns (an alum of Savor and Polite Society, as well as longtime captain at Herbie’s) recruited a handful of fellow service professionals to work the floor, and the difference is palpable. As Metz told SLM earlier, the staff is laden with family and friends. (“Nieces are cocktailing; nephews are bussing—family’s a lifesaver,” says Metz).

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Photo by George Mahe

Tim Metz working at the pass at Timothy's. Above is a wall of sound absorbing wine corks.

Both Metz and Olson work the deli locations during the day and then meet at Timothy’s at night. Metz runs the pass, Olson works the door, and Manns oversees and aids the service staff. As Metz told SLM before the doors opened, “We knew this was a great marriage."

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Photo by George Mahe