What started just over three decades ago as a lunch and dinner spot offering meals for nearby brewery workers has evolved into a place to enjoy dinner and a cocktail. Frazer’s Restaurant and Lounge in Benton Park has become a staple not only for the neighborhood, but for the city.
In 1992, chef and proprietor Frazer Cameron opened the restaurant, which was originally called Frazer’s Traveling Brown Bag. During those early days, Cameron served both lunch and dinner at his restaurant, although the bulk of his business in the very beginning came from lunch to-go orders for workers at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery.
Over the years, the eatery has grown, both in terms of space, with Cameron renovating the original restaurant when previous tenants next door moved out, and in the establishment’s offerings. Although the space, name and menu has changed throughout the years, some of the eatery’s signature items remain, along with the owner’s commitment to offer guests a good meal.
Cameron grew up on the West Coast and started working in restaurants as a teen and held several positions within the industry prior to opening Frazer’s. After moving around for work, he settled in St. Louis and started to think about his future.
“I felt I had a transient lifestyle, and that’s OK when you’re young, but you can’t really look forward to much of a future when you’re living like that,” he recalled.
Cameron knew he wouldn’t be able to create the kind of life he wanted without making some kind of change, so he made a deal with himself: If he didn’t open a restaurant by the time he was 40, he’d explore returning to college to gain the skills needed to move into a different industry.
As it would turn out, expanding his education wouldn’t be the way he’d get the change he was looking to create. When he saw that the previous restaurant tenant went out of business, he put his plan in motion and Frazer’s moved in. By the time everything was finalized and the eatery opened, Cameron had accomplished his goal of working for himself and opened the restaurant’s doors just before his 41st birthday.
“I had a lot of blue-plate specials in the beginning,” he said of the menu.
When he was getting started, the food selections would largely rotate based on a list of specials that Cameron would work through, and over time, he returned to the items his customers really liked. Although not everything has carried over from those early days, there are dishes that have retained their popularity throughout the years.
One such item is salmon Frazer, a dish that Cameron said some regulars order every time they visit the restaurant. The dish combines a baked salmon fillet topped with horseradish, chopped pecans and breadcrumbs, served atop Dijon mustard cream sauce, and a side of red beans and rice.
The meatloaf, which is a recipe that has evolved over time, is still as popular now as it was 30 years ago. Other selections that customers love to order are any of the rotating pasta specials and cioppino, a seafood stew made with mussels, clams, shrimp, fresh fish and squid, all simmered together in a rich tomato broth, red wine and seasonings.
For dessert, the menu includes creme brulee, a flourless chocolate torte and key lime pie, and the latter is a customer favorite.
And since a beverage can only make an already delicious meal that much more enjoyable, Frazer’s offers an eclectic cocktail program, led by bar manager Terry Oliver, who Cameron calls the “creative force” behind the drink menu. The list ranges from takes on classics to inventive beverages, however, the Who Goes There may be the drink the eatery is best known for, perhaps because the cocktail is delivered with a theatrical presentation. If you order it, expect your server to walk through the establishment wrapped in a cloak, carrying a wooden walking staff, along with the drink, which is nestled inside an antique-style lantern, all while calling out “Who goes there?” as they make their way toward you.
“The cocktail program is unique and original and offers drinks that are more like what you would find in New York, Chicago or Los Angeles,” Cameron said.
Even though the restaurant offers fine dining cuisine, its environment can be described as casual, and the establishment welcomes guests in attire ranging from black tie to shorts. The goal is to provide each guest with attentive service in an inviting atmosphere that features an aesthetic that is filled with warm lighting, exposed brick and wood accents.
“I want people to feel really good when they leave my restaurant,” Cameron said. “I want people to feel at home, like they’re coming to my house.”
1811 Pestalozzi St., 314.773.8646, frazersgoodeats.com
