Sauce restaurant critic Michael Renner's top 5 dishes of 2015

By Michael Renner // December 30, 2015

Editor's note: Reeds American Table, Público, and J. McArthur's have closed.

Sauce restaurant critic Michael Renner has tasted his fair share of St. Louis cuisine. All year, he shared his thoughts on New and Notable restaurants. Here, he shares his top five dishes of 2015:

5. Dumplings at Private Kitchen
 Nibble around the edges of the steamed pork dumplings, sip the rich stock and plot how to get more.

cluckin' hot fried chicken at southern // photo by jonathan gayman

4. Cluckin' Hot Fried Chicken at Southern
Four-alarm, “cluckin’ hot” Nashville-style chicken triggers all the pain and pleasure centers with fire and a hint of sweetness. All other fried chicken is milquetoast in comparison.

lamb sugo at reeds american table // photo by jonathan gayman

3. Lamb Sugo at Reeds American Table
Thick and meaty lamb sugo, amped up with orange zest and mint, sticks to ruffled creste rigate noodles and to your ribs on a cold night.

whole fish at público // photo by jonathan gayman

2. Whole fish at Público
Whole, head-on yellowtail snapper was stuffed with scallion, bay leaf, jalapeno, lemon and lime and roasted in the wood-fueled oven. It comes with house-made tortillas so you can share with the table. Don’t.

And the No. 1 dish of the year...

Cast-iron seared scallops at J. McArthur's
Cast-iron skillet-seared diver scallops are good enough. Float them in smoked corn bisque with Brussels sprouts, pea shoots and bacon, and you have the best dish of the year.