Review: Lona's Lil Eats in St. Louis

Lona’s Lil Eats’ li’l counter inside Soulard Farmers Market sprouted into a full-grown Fox Park eatery with more menu choices and all the humble charm of the original. Diners here eat Asian-inspired dishes directly off paper-lined cafeteria trays and leave feeling content.

Two Apps to Try
Lona’s spring rolls are stubby torpedoes of glass noodles, shredded veggies and your choice of meat, served with the best peanut dipping sauce – made with house-roasted peanuts, lime juice, ginger, garlic and spices – that has ever passed these lips. The potsticker-like house-made dumplings convey both a pleasant chew and crunchy char from the skillet. They’re filled with a succulent mix of steak, mushrooms and herbs, and served with a mouth-puckering sesame dipping sauce that’s equal parts salty, sour and spicy. A vegan mushroom-only version is available, too.

The Littlest of the Lil Eats
The deeper you dive into this menu, the more rewarding it gets. The spicy cucumber salad raises you up in gentle warmth before lowering you down, its complex profile of chile paste, garlic, cilantro and other ingredients delivered via slices of snappy Persian cucumber. The lime-ginger cabbage salad, which also employs that delicious peanut sauce, elevates coleslaw from its otherwise moribund status. The middling Village Bamboo Stew may be the rare whiff here. Any textural possibilities for the dish were squandered in a mush of greens and funky aroma from the pickled bamboo.

You Call the Shots
The conceit of Lona’s menu – that you build your own entree by choosing from various wraps, meats, fillers and sauces – works well, especially when you’ve scoped out your favorites after a visit or two. First, choose your enclosure device: a giant rice-paper wrap, flour tortilla or plate. For protein, choose from grilled chicken, pulled turkey, grilled steak, sauteed shrimp or tender nuggets of mildly spiced stir-fried tofu. Then, pick your filler: cold or stir-fried glass noodles, jasmine rice, chopped salad or stir-fried red Thai rice. My favorite? I mad-libbed grilled steak with the nutty, sticky red Thai rice inside a spring roll wrap with that peanut sauce. In fact, among the five house-made sauces, there isn’t a weak choice in the bunch. Besides the peanut and sesame sauces, there’s Lona-Q, the house’s barbecue-esque sauce similar to a sweet, thick teriyaki; a tangy smoked vinaigrette that tastes like a cousin to French dressing; and lemon grass pesto, a dynamite fusion of Asian and Italian flavors.

Mrs. T
The restaurant’s impressive selection of hot teas is imported from co-owner Lona Powers’ family and friends in China and served in a groovy two-chambered teapot. The heirloom green tea is complex and bitter. The iced green tea is mild, woody and tannic. Budweiser and craft beers are available, as are red and white wines, local Ski sodas and house-made tea-infused punches.

The Maddening Crowd
Word is spreading that Lona’s food is as delicious as it is healthy, and crowds are flocking there. The wait is rarely a concern, though, as the counter service keeps business moving – and if there is a line, you might just need the time to figure out your order, anyway.

The Takeaway
Repeated visits to Lona’s are worth the trip, since the make-your-own entree concept encourages you to quest for your favorite combo. Enjoy the journey. This mom-and-pop kitchen has a knack for clever sauces, skillful spicing and filling eats.