On the Menu

Meet some of the chefs who are reshaping the culinary landscape.

by

St. Louis is experiencing a restaurant golden age of sorts, and even the coasts are taking notice. Food & Wine proclaimed St. Louis among the top “32 Places To Go (And Eat) in 2019,” extolling praises on Vicia, Savage, and Cinder House. Our city’s chefs are also consistently nominated for James Beard Awards.

At the same time, chefs are rolling out creative cuisine after getting their start with food trucks and pop-ups. Entrepreneurs are taking real risks, experimenting with concepts that are entirely new to St. Louis: a cat café, a coffee-meets-flower shop, a potsticker-themed restaurant, a burger joint made of shipping containers…

St. Louis cuisine is on-trend too. The tide’s come in with a wave of new poke shops. And while long known for our beer—USA Today recently ranked us “Best Beer City”—our drink menu is still expanding, with craft breweries opening at a rapid rate and microdistilleries gathering steam as well.

Shortly before opening the acclaimed Billie-Jean, a sophisticated space with black walls, ebony paneling, and eye-catching modern art, restaurateur Zoë Robinson hinted that it will have “that Studio 54 feel, sexy and intriguing.”

At one time, East Coast critics might have described the new restaurant as a “New York–style space.” Now, they might call it what it is: a St. Louis–style space.

Every Great Chef Has a Story to Tell

Qui Tran left Vietnam as a baby, survived polio, and started working in his mother’s restaurant at age 8.

“We went where the U.S. government sent us and ended up in St. Louis,” he says. “We had no idea where we were going—they could have sent us to Iowa. We were just trying to get away, from death. I was 3 when we got here.”

In the mid-’80s, his family opened Mai Lee, the metro area’s first Vietnamese restaurant, on a whim (“mainly because there wasn’t one,” shrugs Tran). “It was pretty quiet for us until [the late St. Louis Post-Dispatch dining critic] Joe Pollack—who’d never had the cuisine before—talked us up in a review in the late ’80s. After that review, a line went out the door, and it’s been busy ever since.” Even today, his mother continues to work at the restaurant. “She won’t leave the place,” Tran quips. “We’re both there six days a week.”

Both Tran and his mother understand that the restaurant owner can be a driving force. “The owner creates the soul of a restaurant, what distinguishes the independents from the chain places,” he says. “A good owner brings a uniqueness, a warmth… The staff picks up and emulates the hospitality vibe, which is what turns an everyday restaurant into a great restaurant.”

The same could be said of Tran’s own venture. In 2017, three decades after his mother opened her restaurant, he decided to branch out with his own concept, Nudo House. He spent three years researching and refining, even seeking guidance from ramen master Shigetoshi “Jack” Nakamura. “Noodle-making is an art,” Tran explains, “and ramen noodles are more involved than spaghetti or lo mein.” He and chef Marie-Anne Velasco expanded the menu to include Mai Lee faves and St. Louis-based specials, including the 3-1-Pho, named for St. Louis’ area code. (“We’re all from St. Louis,” Tran quips. “It was catchy—why not?”) The interior includes a social media wall, murals of traditional Japanese artwork by local tattoo artist Brad Fink, and a lantern with the word “ramen” written in Japanese at the counter.

“That’s what I hope it says anyway,” Tran jokes. “For all I know, it says ‘sushi.’ Or some swear word.”

Turns out Tran knew what he was doing. From opening day, lines stretched out the door. Nudo House’s pho eventually ended up on the cover of Food & Wine magazine. Tran recently opened a second location on the burgeoning east side of the Delmar Loop.

Tran sees St. Louis’ dining scene continuing to grow, especially as the startup scene expands. “Eighty-five percent of our restaurant clientele lives here, which limits what we can and should do,” he said in 2017. “As we grow as a city, as the techies move here, that will change.”

Already, it’s happening, with more progressive concepts in the works. City Foundry is slated to open in 2020 with a food hall similar to those in Atlanta, New York, and beyond. At the same time, food trucks continue to provide a springboard for some of the city’s most popular concepts: Guerrilla Street Food, Seoul Taco, Balkan Treat Box…In fact, Bon Appétit recently nominated Balkan Treat Box, alongside Savage, as one of America’s best new restaurants.

“I never in a million years thought we’d receive this [level of recognition],” Balkan Treat Box co-owner Loyrn Nalic told SLM in September. “I’m not a classically trained chef. To go from being a single mom to marrying a great man and opening a restaurant that shines a light on his [culinary heritage] in this great city…it’s been incredible to see it embraced. People like it, and they’re coming back. Our city is so supportive of the restaurant scene, and we’re so grateful for it.”

Tran echoes the sentiment: “St. Louis had been building culinary momentum for the past several decades. Once a city gets on the board, more people start to notice. That’s what’s happening.”

Refining the Craft

Some would say it was Gerard Craft who helped St. Louis first get on the board, drawing national attention.

Just five years ago, Craft became the first St. Louis chef to take home the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest.

His original restaurant, Niche, opened in a humble Benton Park storefront in 2005 and quickly become the most buzzed-about place in town, serving creative dishes once considered novelty and elevating expectations. Craft and his staff—who’d go on to themselves transform the dining scene, opening such hot spots as Planter’s House and Elmwood—would explain the culinary magic to guests. But Niche was just the first step. Brasserie, perfectly embodying the everyday French fare and atmosphere of its namesake, followed in the Central West End. Then, next door, Taste, with candlelit tables, creative cocktails, and a speakeasy-style vibe. Next, Pastaria marked a departure, with a soaring ceiling and a more easy-going atmosphere that welcomed all ages.

As SLM dining critic Dave Lowry noted, “For St. Louisans, Pastaria is among those restaurants that define our region and something of our personality: unpretentious and celebrated. It’s a place where families and couples convene comfortably, one where we can complain about the waits—and simultaneously adore them.”

Craft would eventually go on to open Sardella, serving brunch and dinner next door to Pastaria, and Cinder House, the Four Seasons restaurant with dishes inspired by the Brazilian nanny who kickstarted the chef’s love of food.

So when he was asked, in May 2015, whether winning such a prestigious culinary honor would ratchet up the pressure for Niche Food Group, he replied, “Not really. The award is validation for what we’ve done—but we’ve always had big plans. We’re always pushing, regardless. I definitely would like to see more Beard awards in St. Louis.”

It didn’t take long. After being a finalist twice before, Craft’s friend Kevin Nashan, the owner of Sidney Street Café and Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co., took home the honor. Accepting his award at a black-tie gala in Chicago, the ever-humble chef said he “wanted to thank St. Louis.”

In fact, he already had. On the heels of Craft taking home the award, Nashan had organized a get-together at Peacemaker with some of the city’s top chefs and scribes. There was a lot of handshaking, hugging, and pats on the back. There were memorable stories and jokes. There was no tweeting, Instagramming, or social-media distractions from a gathering of folks who live and breathe social media. It was a proud moment, with many of the people responsible for elevating the local dining scene—from Pappy’s to Farmhaus, Cleveland-Heath to Annie Gunn’s—assembled to commemorate the chef whose award provided arguably its biggest boost of all.

And St. Louis was just getting started.

Natural Growth

Before moving here, in 2015, native St. Louisan Michael Gallina and his wife, Tara, worked at upstate New York’s acclaimed Blue Hill at Stone Barns, which presents proteins and vegetables in new ways. Michael also did a stint at the similarly forage-focused Fäviken in Sweden.

Michael recalled his time in Sweden, harvesting vegetables for that night’s service. “That’s where I got my first sense of the concept of ‘vegetable-forward,’ where I learned it was possible to celebrate vegetables in ways I’d never thought of before,” he said. “Because the winter was long and rough, we learned the value of preserving vegetables, pickling them, aging them in beef fat, curing and aging meats.”

Stone Barns also offered memorable lessons. “We worked one day per week on a farm and the other four in the restaurant,” Tara recalled. “Visit a deer farm and watch how the family uses the animal, right down to making jewelry with the antlers, and it opens your eyes. We had research assignments; we learned all about sustainability. That apprenticeship was the most transformative moment of my life. It was utopian there. It felt like graduate school much more than a job.”

The Gallinas brought what they’d learned to St. Louis. They believed locals were ready to embrace the concept—though it still needed refining. So they spent almost a year doing pop-up dining events. “We were impressed with how open-minded people were,” Tara recalled. “We never published a single menu ahead of time. People were excited about the surprise element.”

Eventually, after growing anticipation, they announced plans for their restaurant, Vicia, in the Cortex Innovation Community. Designed by Sasha Malinich (who also designed several of Craft’s and Nashan’s restaurants), the Nordic-influenced atmosphere is composed of a glass-enclosed kitchen, a stone bar, bleached-oak tables, and ebonized-black ash chairs. As with Blue Hill, the staff engages with customers and with the ingredients, from farm to plate, and the menu changes sometimes daily. Ingredients are prepared and presented in unexpected ways, with a wood fire being the secret behind many of the dishes.

And the reception? Bon Appétit, USA Today, and Esquire named Vicia one of the nation’s best new restaurants in 2017. The following year, Food & Wine declared Michael one of the country’s best new chefs. In 2019, he was named a James Beard Award finalist. “I’m proud of our team at Vicia and humbled by how supportive the city, and especially our guests, have been since we opened,” he said.

Then, last November, the Gallinas embarked on a new adventure: Winslow’s Table. Situated inside a former neighborhood market in University City that for years housed the beloved Winslow’s Home, the restaurant is predicated on feedback from customers of its predecessor while instilling the DNA of Vicia.

“There’s an identity with our brand in terms of quality of produce and attention to detail, the hospitality being a big part of that,” Tara told SLM in November. “This was an opportunity that we felt was once-in-a-lifetime… If we were going to do one more thing, this made sense.”

Taking Center Stage

At the same time that the Gallinas were introducing St. Louis to Vicia’s progressive menu, another Blue Hill alum was pushing the envelope. Logan Ely hosted a year-long, cutting-edge pop-up series (think such ingredients as ants), Square1 Project, before moving forward with a brick-and-mortar of his own inside a former grocery store in Fox Park. He created a restaurant with an 18-seat communal table and the kitchen in front, effectively putting the chef front and center.

“Like Square1, Savage is an opportunity for me to learn and grow,” he said shortly before opening Savage in 2018. “From the layout to the menu, it represents my best answers to all of the issues and obstacles of doing a nightly tasting menu.”

Guests choose from several set menus: a larger menu of 12 to 15 courses and at least two smaller menus of five to seven courses. As SLM dining critic Dave Lowry put it, “Ely flirts with your palate. This is less a meal than a series of sensations. Flavors and textures ricochet and bounce.”

Likewise, just a few miles away, chef Rob Connoley puts on his own culinary show of sorts at Bulrush. Like Ely and the Gallinas, there’s again an emphasis on fresh, foraged ingredients. In fact, Connoley wrote the book on it, literally: Acorns & Cattails: A Modern Foraging Cookbook of Forest, Farm & Field. Another book on display in the dining room, a faded copy of The Shepherd of the Hills, hints at the restaurant’s theme of elevated Ozark-inspired fare, a unique concept in St. Louis. (Like the aforementioned chefs, the James Beard-nominated chef also first hosted a series of pop-up dinners, including a 30-minute speed-dining experience and another featuring only black-colored foods.)

Beyond a more casual bar area, an open kitchen surrounded by 24 seats hides behind wood slats meant to evoke the Ozark hills. It’s there that Connoley creates such minor masterpieces as a simple-but-elegant Gulf Coast oyster with a briny “potlikker” foam, paw paw caviar, and an oyster leaf garnish.

There’s often a story behind the dishes. “Our menu is taken from the period in the Ozarks between 1820 and 1870,” Connoley announces before the seven-course tasting.

The humble chef might not admit it, but the story of how Connoley—and other adventurous chefs like him—reached such a point is equally inspiring.

A Family Affair

At one time, dining out with the family meant animatronic mice and stuffed-crust pizza. In recent years, however, local restaurateurs have brought a certain sophistication to the kid-friendly establishment.

Pastaria was the first place in town to generate an extra table turn. Beginning at 5 p.m., the restaurant is often full of young families with kids. At Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria, there’s modern art on the walls, upbeat music on the speakers, and Cool Hand Luke on the big screen, yet the kids are right at home, with butter noodles so good, Mom and Dad will want to share. Pi Pizzeria is the same, with a hip atmosphere and craft beers—but a laidback vibe and slices of apple “pi” for dessert.

Beyond pizza joints are other lively spots where parents and kids can unwind. The patio at Billy G’s is a perfect example. Parents will appreciate the alfresco bar and sprawling cabanas; tykes will embrace the kids’ menu and coloring sheets. Three Kings Public House, too, offers an extensive beer menu and quality food—and the entrées on the kids’ menu come with a cookie.

Then there’s breakfast. Few places are more family-friendly than Rooster where black-and-white roosters drawn by youngsters hang on the walls, and The Shack, where the barnwood walls are covered in colorful scribbles. Webster’s The Clover and The Bee (from the owners of the acclaimed and perpetually packed Olive + Oak next door), with its whimsical floral mural, specializes in “food that is fresh, casual, and simple yet sophisticated.” It’s a philosophy that Russell’s on Macklind echoes with its freshly baked sweets and sandwiches.

At Half & Half, chef and co-owner Mike Randolph regularly offers seasonal specials to accompany the popular blueberry pancakes and acclaimed coffee program. Randolph also recently opened a new casual-dining concept: Original J’s, serving Tex-Mex and barbecue near downtown Clayton.

Finally, there are the crowd favorites. Pappy’s Smokehouse is a perpetual crowd-pleaser. The Boathouse in Forest Park, where kids obsessively watch the ducks and dogs, has benefited from a recent makeover. In Kirkwood, Mission Taco Joint is planning its seventh and largest location, including a retro-style arcade. And the colorful Fountain on Locust continues to serve up both ice cream martinis and the $1 World’s Smallest Ice Cream Cone.

Yes, nowadays, parents and kids can have their dessert and eat it, too.

Beyond the Dish

These chefs and restaurateurs are elevating the dining scene.

David Kirkland: Having built a following at Café Osage, the former DJ opened a catering company and music-inspired restaurant, Turn, inside .ZACK in Midtown. There, he turns out breakfast and lunch options (labeled Side A and Side B, respectively, on the menu), as well as reasonably priced dinners, in a space with a record-lined wall.

Mike Johnson: Johnson’s lively, family-friendly restaurants are among St. Louis’ most popular. Sugarfire Smoke House has rapidly expanded in recent years, with locations across the metro region. Lines often form for burgers and shakes at Hi-Pointe Drive-In. And at The Boathouse in Forest Park, Johnson’s rolled out new dishes and events.

Ben Poremba: The stylish restaurateur has helped transform Botanical Heights, with the acclaimed Elaia (in a rehabbed brick home) and Olio (in a former gas station). Nearby, Nixta serves elevated Mexican cuisine and has garnered acclaim from the likes of Bon Appétit. And in Maplewood, Poremba serves Moroccan fare and craft cocktails at The Benevolent King.

Natasha Bahrami: After immigrating here from Iran, Bahrami’s parents introduced Persian cuisine to St. Louis by opening Café Natasha’s in 1983. Over the years, Bahrami has watched the international dining options expand along South Grand and added The Gin Room, replete with a new patio bar. Bahrami, also known as The Gin Girl, is also an ambassador for the spirit, speaking at seminars across the U.S.

Caryn Dugan: Also known as STLVegGirl, the vegan enthusiast recently opened The Center for Plant-based Living in Kirkwood, hosting cooking classes, educational programming, meal-prep classes, and team-building.

Zoe Robinson: Along charming Wydown Boulevard, Robinson has created a triple threat of alluring restaurants, with Bar Les Freres, I Fratellini, and Billie-Jean. Having found a way to stay at the forefront of St. Louis’ dining scene for years, the savvy restaurateur appeared in Vogue in 2018.

Dave and Kara Bailey: The prolific restaurateurs have opened a string of creative concepts—Baileys’ Chocolate Bar, Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar, Rooster’s two locations, Small Batch, Baileys’ Range, and POP—with their latest being a barbecue concept, Knockout BBQ, at Rooster on South Grand.

Rick Lewis: After making his mark at Quincy Street Bistro and Southern, the affable chef opened Grace Meat + Three in the former Sweetie Pie’s space in The Grove. This fall, he added a late-night, Southern-inspired street food concept in the adjacent space, Grace Chicken + Fish.

Nick Bognar: At indo, Bognar focuses on Southeast Asian cuisine and expands the popular omakase dinners that brought him local acclaim (and a spot on the James Beard semifinalist list for Rising Star Chef of the Year) at Nippon Tei in Ballwin.

Sign up for the Recap, St. Louis Magazine's email overview of the week's top stories.
Or, check out all of our newsletters.