STL = Setting Trends Louis-style
If you haven’t been to our fair city (a nod to our beloved St. Louis Cardinals with 11 World Series championship and 19 National League pennants), we think you’re missing out. As our cherished Arch completes renovations with a new visitor’s center and museum reopening this summer, St. Louis’ restaurant scene has more than kept up. We’ve always known that St. Louis is home to some pretty fabulous restaurants, but it appears the rest of the country is learning that too.
St. Louis Headline-Making Food
Tasting Table recently lauded St. Louis as “the Midwest city to beat right now.” And Eater proclaimed the city as the home of one of the best new restaurants in America (more on that below). Some of our particular favorites are featured in these articles and include:
Vicia –one of the “top 12 best new restaurants of the year,” veg-forward Vicia is worth making the trip to St. Louis if that’s all you do when you’re here. Created by married alums of acclaimed Blue Hill at Stone Barns (NYC), Vicia’s menu centers around vegetables sourced from Midwestern farmers but also includes proteins as well. Standouts include the Purple Top Turnip Tacos featuring either mushrooms or pork topped with oyster mushrooms, salsa verde, crushed beans, kale, and a carrot hot sauce. The Swiss Chard Polenta Tamales have us saying ole’ and for dessert, the Parsnip Ice Cream sandwich showcases a chocolate chip and oat cookie.
Clementine’s Naughty and Nice Creamery – The name alone hooks you, but the ice cream is a home run. Boasting both an ice cream cart and truck for those off-site parties and events, this Lafayette Square darling is famous for its spirits, local brews and boozy creations using a patent-pending process that marries cream and wine. The “Naughty” Flavors include a Banana Rum with Salted Butterscotch Caramel while the “Nice Flavors” have STL-fav Gooey Butter Cake or the more unique Manchego with Truffles and Honey featuring local Woodside Honey and real cheese and black truffle. And if you’re hitting a Cardinals’ game, Clementine’s Sundae at the Ballpark is worth queuing up for. Benefiting the team’s charity, Cardinals Care, the sundae takes a scoop of Midnight Pleasures (chocolate ice cream with three kinds of Kenyan fair-trade chocolates) and Madagascar Vanilla and tops them with cracker-jacks, chocolate covered peanuts, a Molasses Puff, whipped cream, strawberry sauce and a cherry. What’s a Molasses Puff? A local delight from STL chocolatier Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate.
Nathaniel Reid Bakery – Come to St. Louis for one of the country’s pre-eminent pastry chefs. Leave with an unexpected love for creative European pastries like no other. For breakfast, start with the Kouign-Amann (pronounced Queen-Ah-mahw) which is part croissant, part cake, and mostly heaven. This French specialty is Breton born and has layers of butter, sugar, and pastry dough. Historically made into a cake, savvy bakers like Reid are making it individual sized to take advantage of all the luscious caramelization that occurs during baking. Stay for lunch and have a prosciutto sandwich built on a French baguette with gruyere and cornichons. And don’t leave without a couple of macarons in amazing flavors like salted caramel, poppy flower, hazelnut praline or earl gray ganache.
Our Favorite St. Louis Restaurants
St. Louis is home for Nikken Foods USA but it’s also home for many on our team. Our city is known for its many neighborhoods and the locals keep to the favorites near home. Here are some of our neighborhood spots that keep us going back for more and more (and more).
With an eye towards the unstuffy, Gerard Craft is an award-winning James Beard and homegrown STL chef bent on creating dining spots that are cozy and kid friendly. From the pizza and pasta spot, Pastaria to the brunch and dinner focused, Sardella, these are the restaurants that families frequent and where friends linger over a great meal. If you’re visiting the Arch or taking in a Cardinals’ game, you must try Craft’s Porano for their build-your-own pasta bowls which make the perfect comfort food. Next for Chef Craft is the wood-fired centric, Cinder House, in the Four Seasons St. Louis Hotel coming in August 2018.
Got steak on your mind? Family owned Kreis Steakhouse and a Midwest favorite, 801 Chophouse are our top picks for old school steakhouses. While the steaks are top-notch at both restaurants, we love the Boursin Mashed potatoes and roasted Brussel sprouts with toasted walnuts, orange zest, and garlic at 801 Chophouse. And don’t leave Kreis’without a piece of the family recipe Apple Strudel.
If seafood is more your thing, then don’t skip Peacemaker Lobster & Crab for some of the best seafood St. Louis has to offer. Chef Kevin Nashan promises coastal seafood and some amazing twists on classics like the Lobster Frito Pie or Buffalo Crawfish poor boys. You won’t be crabby after you leave. Nearby is Sidney Street Café that’s a uniquely international experience featuring the flavors of Chef Nashan’s culinary past. We especially love the Sweetbread Tostada with white bean escabeche and pickled jalapeno.
Finally, if you’re in the Central West End, make a stop at the Retreat Gastropub for a house crafted cocktail with a clever name like the Dinosaur Museum or Tan Lines. And follow it up with either the Veggie Sandwich featuring red and golden beets, feta spread, artichoke and shaved brussels sprouts slaw or a bowl of the braised short rib gnocchi with butternut squash, pickled radish and pine nuts. You can’t miss this one.
And you also can’t miss with our real food ingredients. Whether you’re looking to add umami or solve a formulation challenge, we can help find the consumer-friendly solution you need.
