Bon Appétit nominates Balkan Treat Box, Savage for Best New Restaurants list

Editor's Note: This article was updated at 12:55 p.m. Sept. 10 with comments from Loryn Nalic. 

A cutting-edge fine dining destination and a fast-casual favorite have received national recognition. Savage Restaurant and Balkan Treat Box both made Bon Appétit’s annual list of 50 nominees for Best New Restaurants.

“It was definitely a surprise,” said Savage chef-owner Logan Ely. “It’s a privilege to be in the Top 50. I’m really proud of my team. We’re just going to keep doing our thing.”

Savage opened in Fox Park in September 2018 and made Sauce’s Best New Restaurants list in 2018. Savage features multicourse tasting menus highlighting Ely’s unique take on ingredients prepared in unconventional ways.

Balkan Treat Box chef and co-owner Loryn Nalic said she and co-owner Edo Nalic were beyond excited. 

“We didn’t know this was something that could happen to a restaurant like ours. Edo  and I were high-fiving and jumping around," she said. 

Nalic said community support helped garner national attention. “This is what happens when people support each other," she said.

The Nalics started Balkan Treat Box as a food truck in 2017 and made Sauce’s Best New Restaurants list that same year. It transitioned to a brick-and-mortar in Webster Groves in early 2019.

The 10 finalists for Best New Restaurant 2019 will be announced on Monday, Sept. 17. Nixta took the No. 9 spot on BA’s Top 10 Best New Restaurants in America list in 2017. 

Matt Sorrell is a staff writer at Sauce Magazine.