Illustration by Joel Kimmel
Considering St. Louis consumes the most barbecue sauce per capita of any U.S. city, it’s no surprise that barbecue has remained one of our region’s hottest dining trends in recent years. What’s more surprising is that during the past year, the genre has been turned on its ear not once but twice on a single block in the Delmar Loop.
Years ago, when I was visiting my sister in L.A., she introduced me to Korean barbecue and the concept of tabletop grilling. Having craved bulgogi ever since, I was thrilled when David Choi announced that he’d be opening Seoul Q beside the equally addictive Seoul Taco. It was a bold move, rolling out a completely different dining concept under the same roof.
Then, just a few months later, another restaurateur followed suit. After moving The Good Pie from midtown to the Loop, Mike Randolph declared that he’d be opening Público, a Latin American–inspired gastropub complete with its own wood-fired spit, next door. Fueled by Missouri oak, the restaurant’s enormous hearth grills meats to perfection and provides a certain campfire-style charm. Besides serving up unparalleled baby octopus and al pastor tacos, Público regularly rolls out meat-centric specials. For instance, its recent Hog Days of Summer series included a veritable pork plethora: shoulder carnitas, plaintain noquis, smoked belly–wrapped pork loin…
And at press time, the perpetually busy Randolph was reinventing The Good Pie’s former space as Randolfi’s, a concept he’s described as “Buca di Beppo but with a few crisp edges.” Asked why he felt it was necessary to overhaul the entire restaurant and not just the menu, Randolph explains, “Restaurants are perishable commodities.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by chef Gerard Craft. A day after winning a James Beard Award, he said of the honor, “It fills your restaurants, temporarily. But you have to remember that many of the award-winning restaurants fade away; they’re not around anymore… We’ll continue to challenge ourselves, every day, by constantly asking, ‘Is this good enough? Could it be better?’”
It’s a testament to St. Louis’ innovative, risk-taking chefs that our dining scene is constantly evolving—even with something as simple as barbecue.
