Food & Drink

The A-List Awards 2020

Food & Drink

This story appears in our 2020 A-List feature.

WINDOW SHOPPING

Grace Backyard BBQ

When Rick and Elisa Lewis opened Grace Chicken + Fish, running the side business out of a side window at Grace Meat + Three, they didn’t know it would be a harbinger of how they’d operate during the pandemic. When the dining room was forced to close, they asked the landlord for permission to install a second window, this one in the front of the business, to launch Grace Backyard BBQ. In mid-May, when the dining room reopened, the Lewis’ crew stayed busy (and safe) by working the windows. “We’ve even considered putting in a third,” says Rick. 4270 Manchester.

THE BEAT GOES ON

New Concepts

Despite COVID-19’s crippling effects on the restaurant industry, hip spinoffs (by former A-Listers) will emerge in 2020. Check out Chicken Out, a fried chicken sandwich joint from the Sugarfire Smoke House group. Lazy Tiger, a bar-focused concept from the Yellowbelly/Retreat Gastropub team, arrives this summer, as does The Lucky Accomplice, a spinoff of Savage. In the CWE, the Italian-leaning “evolved concept” Edera is planned for the former Scape space later this summer, and 801 Grille, a more casual version of 801 Chophouse, is coming to Frontenac later this fall.

UPSCALE DINNER DELIVERIES

At-Home Fine Dining

On Easter and Mother’s Day, many restaurants delivered holiday extravaganzas to St. Louis homes. Two of them provide over-the-top splurges on a regular basis. Blood & Sand offers rotating Feasts for Two, including a $140 four-courser with two bottles of wine and cocktails. And Stone Soup Cottage’s $150 all-inclusive Cottage to Carriage meals arrive with linen napkins/napkin rings, a candle, and stemware.

IT’S IN THE BAG

To-Go Cocktails

A COVID-reactive maneuver that helped replace some restaurants’ lost profitability: to-go alcohol, notably premade cocktails. Elmwood batches its in wax-sealed bottles. Salt + Smoke offers barrel-aged cocktails in 32-ounce glass decanters, and Pastaria sells its in plastic gelato pints. And at Cobalt Smoke & Sea, cleverly named cocktails are packaged in pouches, like juice boxes for grownups.

ITALIAN IMPORT

Noto’s Wayne Sieve & Kendele Noto Sieve

This couple fell in love with Italy—and brought it back with them. After operating a trailer serving up Neapolitan pizza, they converted Kendele’s family’s bakery into Noto Italian Restaurant. Raves poured in for the couple’s strict adherence to authenticity—the ingredients, technique, the 1,000-degree oven—all as Italian as a wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano. And in mid-May, after the stay-at-home orders were lifted, they continued with curbside pickup, which they’d learned to embrace as well. 5105 Westwood.

DOUBLE R BRISKET PLATTER

BEAST Butcher & Block

Marvelous things come from the six smokers, none more amazing than a brisket of Snake River Farm’s Wagyu beef. Co-owner David Sandusky keeps things local when possible, but he insists that this American Northwest beef is unparalleled. Taste that oak-smoked brisket, with a side of potato salad and beans cooked in pork drippings, and you’ll agree. 4156 Manchester.

GIVE-BACK GIVEAWAY

Una Vida Tequila

When the COVID-19 pandemic idled the community’s restaurant workers, the young owners of Una Vida Tequila did not have money to donate to the cause, but, as they said, “we had the goods.” So they hand-delivered free bottles of tequila to laid-off workers of age. About 700 bottles were given away by the so-called “Tequila Fairies” before the regional requests stopped in mid-May.

WHOLESALE CHANGES

Customer-Direct Wholesalers

When restaurant orders slowed to a trickle during the stay-at-home orders, several local meat and produce wholesalers pivoted by selling to customers directly. Some, such as Sunfarm Produce, Ole Tyme Produce, Kern Meat Co., and Kuna Foodservice, have arranged for products to be picked up curbside at their warehouses. Meanwhile, Bridgeton-based Fabulous Fish offers new menus weekly and delivers restaurant-quality seafood directly to homes at prices just above wholesale. 2427 N. 9th; 3840 Millstone, St. Charles; 2225 Cherokee; 704 Kuna Industrial Court, Dupo, Illinois; 13560 NW Industrial.

CHEF-INSPIRED CONCEPT

Nomad

It might not be a surprise when an accomplished fine-dining chef dials things back and launches a globally inspired sandwich shop, but it’s rare for the menu to be all hits, no misses. At Nomad, chef/owner Tommy “Salami” Andrew serves up a killer grass-fed beef burger, curried chicken salad, a smashed porkburger, Tommy’s (memorable) pastrami, salsiccia arancini, and a 10-ounce meatball that somehow fits on a brioche bun. 1221 Tamm.

SMART IDEA

Rocket Bowls

Eric Heckman of Tani Sushi Bistro fame opened Rocket Bowls in Greenville, Illinois, just before the state’s shelter-in-place order took effect, but even that couldn’t stop the new place’s meteoric rise. Located on the town square in the new Greenville Smart Center, a hub for university students, businesses, and startups, Heckman switched to pickup and delivery for Rocket Bowls’ fast-casual lineup of nine flavor-packed bowls (most served with seasoned rice and sautéed broccoli or green beans), which draw on various global influences—Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Hawaiian, Mexican. Heckman says incorporating the newest speed and convenience technology will pay dividends as he expands, to St. Louis and then beyond, when he franchises the rocket-hot concept. 102 S. Second.

CAN O’ STAN 

Urban Chestnut’s #6 Classic American Lager

In a city that loves its baseball, a limited-edition beer gets no better than #6 Classic American Lager, named in honor of Stan “The Man” Musial, No. 6 on his jersey and No. 1 in fans’ hearts. We tip our collective Cardinal cap to Urban Chestnut for crafting a beer similar to what a local light lager would have tasted like in 1920, when Musial was born, and releasing it a century later.

DIY PHO

DD Mau

Eating this pho as takeout might just be more enjoyable than having it at the restaurant. That succulent broth in a tub of chewy noodles, bean sprouts, and pungent basil—along with meatballs, brisket, and a separate bag of steak—are clamshelled in Styrofoam. Consider reheating it all the next morning for a classic Vietnamese breakfast. 11982 Dorsett.

CHEF COUPLE

Little Fox’s Mowgli and Craig Rivard

After cooking at acclaimed restaurants in New York and private kitchens in London, the culinary couple brought what they’ve learned to Little Fox, the masterfully delectable eatery that they opened in Fox Park last December. The restaurant is convivial and creative, a fabulous addition to the St. Louis dining scene. 2800 Shenandoah.

DINING DESTINATION

9 Mile Garden

After much anticipation, the state’s first food truck garden is slated to open July 3. Situated less than 10 minutes east of Grant’s Farm, the Affton site includes a rotating lineup of 30 food trucks; a selection of draft beer, wine, and cocktails; as well as movies, music, and more. At a time when alfresco dining is particularly popular, it’s a timely idea. 9375 Gravois.

TEMPURA SOFT SHELL CRAB

Akar

That tempura-crusted crab poses atop a tangy scarlet slurry of Malaysian chili sauce flecked with fresh corn and a sprinkling of crunchy emerald saltwort. It’s an innovative take on a Singaporean classic; the combination of textures and explosive tastes takes the seasonal delicacy to a whole new level. 7641 Wydown.

RAISING KANE

Citizen Kane’s Market Place

After the COVID-19 outbreak, many restaurants began selling premade items and groceries. By that time, Citizen Kane’s Market Place, which opened last December, had already earned a loyal following among many who’d never set foot in Frank Kane’s legendary Kirkwood steakhouse next door. The Market Place is a one-stop-shop for the accoutrements necessary to enjoy the Kane’s experience at home. It stocks the restaurant’s three signature steaks (and rubs), plus sauces, salad dressings, sides, desserts, and even a memorable chicken salad. 127 W. Clinton.