Sado, Sauce’s No.3 Best New Restaurant of 2023, serves as a highlight reel of chef-owner Nick Bognar’s career. From his start at Nippon Tei, his mother Ann Bognar’s late, beloved West County restaurant, to his multiple accolades from the James Beard Foundation, Food & Wine, and GQ, we can scarcely think of another restaurateur that has elevated the culture and palates of St. Louis diners more. Although Sado offers delicately fried tempura and mouth-watering A5 Wagyu beef, fish is the main attraction. The restaurant is best experienced at the eight-seat sushi bar, where you can watch magic happening behind the counter. Bognar’s reputation for pushing sushi beyond the standard issue is on full display, including his unrivaled in-house process for dry-aging fish. Each piece of nigiri is treated as unique, popping with bright flavors and sweet-savory balance. You can’t help but think, “Oh, this is what sushi is supposed to taste like?” The robata yaki section of the menu highlights dry-aged selections like Japanese seabream and Atlantic salmon, grilled to crisp perfection on the binchotan grill using only Japanese oak charcoal. In addition, Bognar recently debuted his new concept Pavilion at Sado, which is certainly worth a visit.
5201 Shaw Ave., St. Louis, 314.390.2883, sado-stl.com
The Sauce 75 is a photomosaic of the best in St. Louis dining. This list is a celebration of the diverse skills, techniques and culinary traditions that meet across our region. In sum, it tells a story about where St. Louis has been, where it is now and where it’s going next. Many great and good St. Louis restaurants have not made the cut. (Seventy-five is a lot fewer than you think!) Restaurants are constantly growing and evolving and go through ups and downs. Newly opened restaurants can take time to find their feet: There are a few exciting new places we’re cheering for, but which we feel haven’t yet fully hit their stride. Read the entire list here.
This article appears in December 2024.