If anyone has a pulse on where to eat in St. Louis right now, it’s Loryn Nalic. The chef-owner behind Webster Groves hotspots Balkan Treat Box and Telva at the Ridge has quietly built a résumé that reads like a drumroll, with six straight James Beard Award semifinalist nods and back-to-back appearances as a finalist, including this year, with winners set to be announced June 15 in Chicago. “It’s one of those things that when you walk around the restaurant it becomes a conversation starter you didn’t know you needed,” she said of the recognition. “It’s always surprising every time. I’m super grateful.” In between expanding Balkan Treat Box to seven-day service and refining what’s next for both concepts, Nalic still finds time to support her industry brethren. Below, she shares her favorite St. Louis restaurants.
Afghan Kabob House
“It’s comforting, consistent and delicious, and the owners are just very kind, sweet people.”
3500 Watson Road, St. Louis, afghankabobhouse.co
Brasserie
“It’s classic and comforting, and I go there when I want to feel sophisticated.”
4580 Laclede Ave., St. Louis, brasseriebyniche.com
Chicken Scratch
“We go there when I want a complete, nourishing meal. I get their rice bowl; it’s delicious and fresh and composed so well with lots of vegetables. Edo [Nalic] loves the chicken tenders; they’re the best ones anywhere, in my opinion. We were having a morale issue at the restaurant, so I called [chef-owner] Nate [Hereford] and asked for 25 chicken tenders and turned everybody’s day around. It was awesome – they went from melancholy to being happy they got a chicken tender; that’s the power of those tendies.”
Multiple locations, chxscratchstl.com
Little Fox
“Those Korean-style short ribs are an appetizer, but I wish they were an entree. Apparently they have to do a lot of guest education with that dish because most people think of braised short rib, but these are chewy and on the bone – they’re incredible. Pro tip: Get two orders.”
2800 Shenandoah Ave., St. Louis, littlefoxstl.com
Louie
“I think they’re known as a restaurant that is for occasions, but really it makes you feel like Cheers, where you go in and it doesn’t matter if you’re there for an occasion or not. It’s always a warm, welcoming place, and they do a fantastic job with the food.”
706 DeMun Ave., Clayton, louiedemun.com
Mai Lee
“I eat the most frequently at Mai Lee. I kind of have to lump it with Nudo House; on the days one is closed, I’ll eat at the other one. It’s classic St. Louis comfort food and has been around as one of the longstanding restaurants in the area. I’ve been going there for years.”
8396 Musick Memorial Drive, Brentwood, maileestl.com
Nathaniel Reid Bakery
“Nathaniel Reid is an outstanding bakery. I go to get pastries, but I don’t think enough people understand how good his sandwiches are and that they should get lunch from there or even grab them for dinner later. Turkey is my favorite and Edo loves the roast beef; I can eat that sandwich weekly.”
11243 Manchester Road, Kirkwood, nrbakery.com
Press Pizza & Pasta
“Press is gonna blow up at some point – not that they haven’t already, but not enough people know about it. If they were in a high-traffic area, they wouldn’t know what hit them. I call Logan [Ely] the Willy Wonka of food, which is what I want to be. He’s a genius and his food is delicious, and I love him as a person too.”
2509 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, press-stl.com
Olive + Oak
“This is a neighborhood family spot for us. If we’re dining out as a family, that’s where we go. I feel like Jesse [Mendica Risk] is the queen of vegetables; she does such a great job, I could order just from the vegetable section. We like to go on a weeknight and belly up to the bar.”
216 W. Lockwood Ave., Webster Groves, oliveandoak.oohosp.com
O+O Pizza
“First of all, it’s in my neighborhood, so we go often. It’s fun to watch Mikey [Risk] just change all the iterations on the menu. I love to go see all the new stuff he’s doing. He’s so inspired, and his food is consistently delicious.”
102 W. Lockwood Ave., Webster Groves, oandopizza.oohosp.com
Original Shawarma House
“I don’t get out there very often, but when I go to MidEast Market, I’ll go. The beef shawarma is delicious. They’re really hardworking people, and I think we’ll be seeing more from them in the coming years. It’s exciting to watch them grow.”
14560 Manchester Road, Suite 29, Ballwin, original-shawarma-house.com
TIE-BREAKER:
Pappy’s Smokehouse and The Stellar Hog
“At Pappy’s, I’m part of the family, so there are certain dishes on that menu that are part of my genetic makeup. And, I worked with Alex [Cupp] at Stellar Hog, and he’s doing such great things with barbecue and pushing it forward; it’s actually stellar.”
Pappy’s Smokehouse, 3106 Olive St., St. Louis, pappyssmokehouse.com; 5623 Leona St., St. Louis, thestellarhog.com
