Timothy's restaurant opening in Creve Coeur later this month

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Courtesy Timothy's

Curried mussels with sourdough

The name, Timothy’s the Restaurant, came about by “addition, subtraction, and much debate,” says co-owner Tim Metz. “We didn’t like 'elevated comfort food'; we didn’t like the word 'upscale.'”

So Metz and co-owner Sean Olson, who also run Pickles Deli, came up with Timothy’s Elevated Dining. They then walked that back after razzing from close friends, who asked, "Will we be eating on a platform or up on a pedestal or maybe inside an elevator?"

So the name became simply Timothy’s informally and Timothy’s The Restaurant officially, so as not to confuse it with another retail business.

The Atmosphere

Located in the former Olive Street Café space (12710 Olive) in Creve Coeur, the two-room space seats 45 in the dining room, 40 in the bar, and 30 on the patio, which is clearly visible to passersby.

Courtesy Timothy's

The burnt-orange tufted leather booths, a prominent design element at Balaban's and then Herbie's, will live on at Timothy's.

Guests will note interior walls painted a deep blue with gray called cyberspace, a color repeated on the dining-room ceiling. Wood strip flooring replaces a harsher, brassier ceramic tile. The burnt-orange leather booths will conjure memories: Having been a fixture at Balaban’s in the Central West End, they were procured from Herbie’s during a recent remodel. Two dimly lit, 400-bottle wine coolers reside in the dining room. The overall effect is soothing and welcoming, a vibe echoed by Metz himself, who greets guests from his food expo post located behind the bar.

Courtesy Timothy's

Restaurant decoration and artwork often come about slowly and organically, as is the case at Timothy’s, but a head start was provided, once again by the original Balaban’s, a place that Metz frequented. “For years, when customers drank wine at those orange booths, it was a tradition to throw the corks into the void behind them. When they took the booths out, the corks filled two giant trash bags—and I have them,” Metz boasts. “We decided to mount them behind our bar." The collection, which Metz says represents hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of wine, fills the entire wall.

The Menu

The style of cuisine is similar to the path that other chefs have recently taken: familiarity.

“The menu is a mirror of the things I like to cook, that I’m good at cooking,” Metz says, with many of the dishes inspired while traveling. Tweaked and adapted for restaurant use by sous chef Will Mabrey (former kitchen manager at Yolklore and sous at Herbie’s), selections range from a grilled Caesar salad using petite hearts of romaine (“denser than the standard variety, so they better stand up to grilling,” explains Metz) to cheesy tater tots, made with grated potatoes and fontina cheese, served with bacon aioli and Mabrey’s house-made “ketchup,” a memorable misnomer that includes coriander, cumin, mustard seed, and harissa. Other starters include smoked pimento deviled eggs, curried mussels, and chimichurri-marinated lollipop lamb chops served with mint yogurt sauce.

Courtesy Timothy's

The dozen entrées could have been plucked from Metz’s favorite bistro: airline chicken with mushroom pan jus, cauliflower purée, and broccolini; smoked paprika-dusted scallops served over smashed edamame; truffled mac and cheese (lobster optional); several steaks; pastas made in house; and a burger with fontina cheese and tomato onion jam.

Vegan and vegetarian offerings include a ratatouille, risottos, and a favorite of Metz’s, house-made soba noodles in a tomato broth emulsion with grilled vegetables and vegan Italian sausage.

But the signature item will likely be the lobster pot pie, a high-tier comfort food dish made with shallots, peas, tarragon, a touch of cream, cream sherry, and chunks of lobster claw meat, its lusty aroma released by piercing the puff pastry shell. Look for it as an appetizer, and possibly in entrée size as well.

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Courtesy Timothy's

Lobster pot pie

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Courtesy Timothy's

Grilled hearts of romaine Caesar salad

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Courtesy Timothy's

Brussels sprouts salad

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Courtesy Timothy's

Scallops over smashed edamame with turmeric corn broth

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The Team

After working at the legendary 2 Cents Plain in St. Louis’ Gaslight Square for 17 years (an industry eternity), Metz opened Pickle’s Deli with Olson in the Central West End in 2007, followed by a location downtown.

The seventh of nine kids, Metz was the one who ended up in the kitchen alongside his mom, cooking scratch meals—“breakfast, lunch, and dinner”—for his siblings. Later on, he remembers working three jobs and relaxing by cooking at home on his day off, eventually opening the deli with Olsen. But as Pickle’s approached its 15^th birthday (and Metz his 50^th), the pandemic months rekindled his desire to open a restaurant and planted the seeds to open Timothy’s.

At a time when there's a general lack of floor personnel across the dining industry, the subject of service in restaurants has become a point of discussion, with some patrons opining that table service may become a luxury—the new fine dining. “Good for us, or we’re absolutely insane for even attempting it,” Metz jokes, knowing that the situation is well in hand, with restaurant veteran and service professional Steven Manns (an alum of Savor, Fleming’s, Polite Society, and longtime captain at Herbie’s) watching over the front of the house.

As with many recent restaurants, the staff will be laden with family and friends. (“Nieces are cocktailing; nephews are bussing—family’s a lifesaver,” says Metz). Manns has tapped friends with experience to prepare and finish dishes table-side. “Potentially, the sky’s the limit, service-wise,” he says.

When Timothy's opens later this month, the restaurant will initially be open for dinner only from Tuesday through Saturday, but Metz is already getting requests from the neighborhood for expanded hours. “What I’m hearing is, 'What you’re doing is great, but what we really need is a breakfast place—and a lunch place,' so we’ll see.

“Between my recipes, Will’s skills, Steven’s standards for service, and Sean’s knowledge of restaurant management, we knew this was a great marriage," says Metz. "We’re confident that we’re doing the right thing in the right place at the right time.”