Review: Small Batch in St. Louis

It’s hard not to dismiss a whiskey bar featuring entirely vegetarian fare as someone’s idea of a joke. A stout tumbler of bourbon and a medium-rare steak just seem to naturally work together. Why break up such a happy pair?

But that kind of thinking is nowhere near my mind on a Saturday night at Small Batch, after quaffing a trio of whiskeys and many forkfuls of carbonara loaded with smoked mushrooms and roasted cauliflower. A crazy idea stops being crazy when it actually works – even for the most dedicated carnivores.

How to please meat-lovers at a vegetarian joint?

Step one: Get them good and liquored up. Gin is great. Vodka can certainly make for a good night. But whiskey (in case you haven’t noticed) is having a bit of a moment – Small Batch being the Midtown epicenter of the rage. The first six pages of Small Batch’s menu are dedicated entirely to the brown stuff – the majority are bourbons, plus some Irish and Scottish varieties and homegrown heroes, StilL 630 and Pinckney Bend. Each bottle is whimsically described on the user-friendly menu. For example, Noah’s Mill, a 114.3-proof Kentucky bourbon is, according to the menu, “Redolent of jr. high swim team: chlorine & chewy chocolate granola bars.” With dozens of bottles to choose from, this place fosters kid-in-a-candy-store excitement for whiskey drinkers who seek pours from unfamiliar distilleries. Suggested move: Order a whiskey flight: a trio of short pours served with a dressing station of ice cubes and fresh water.

Cocktail-wise, whiskey fans should stick to tried-and-true standards like the House Manhattan, an Old-Fashioned or a Sazerac, all of which can be prepared with any whiskey from the menu. Whereas these are potent and true to form, other cocktails, such as the rickey or Sour Patch, are watered-down wastes of good liquor. Be warned that the bar staff moves a little slow during peak hours.

Step two: Woo them with attractive surroundings. Local restaurateurs and bar owners would do well to take a page out of this sophisticated space. Small Batch’s soaring ceiling, mezzanine seating and large windows and mirrors beautifully marry modern elegance with the aesthetic of a 1930s downtown cocktail lounge. It’s dark. It’s loud. And it’s downright sexy with crowds of couples and young singles lost in laughter as they sip from shining glasses of booze.

Step three: Draft a food menu of plates that are still recognizable for the meat-lover. This isn’t your soy-based, birdseed salad bar. Patrons chow down on oversized bowls of house-made pasta like the pomodoro, featuring thick rigatoni noodles smothered in a robust roasted tomato sauce with Kalamata olives, crunchy walnuts, fresh basil and an Asiago-fontina cheese blend. Another standout was the buttery gnocchi mixed with pine nuts, arugula and oven-roasted tomatoes. Follow that up with a fresh tumbler of bourbon and a plate of bread pudding soaked in whiskey caramel sauce, and if your reluctant carnivores are still unsatisfied, they might be a lost cause.

This is not to say Small Batch is without issues. The mushroom eggrolls with red wine fig sauce, along with the tofu green curry with snap peas, lacked both flavor and substance. While the whiskey and beer lists are stellar, the wine menu is sparse with by-the-glass options, which evidently haven’t been sampled by the servers, who proved clueless about what was available. This lack of familiarity also held true for the whiskey. Unless you get a hold of one of the busy barkeeps, don’t expect much insight from the floor staff.

It’s easy to roll your eyes at Small Batch being little more than a pet project, but restaurateur Dave Bailey has something solid in the making. The space is enchanting; the kitchen excels in fresh pasta dishes; and the well-stocked bar is adept in making classic whiskey cocktails, which, although slow coming at times, prove worth the wait.