Some meals stick with you a little longer than others. Lately, that’s meant mushroom lasagna at Sur Lie, an enormous pork chop at Baia and a very good lemon drop at The Clydesdale. Here’s what we ordered, what we loved and why we think you should check these places out.
Sur Lie
We’ve loved Little Fox for years, so we were pretty excited to see owners Craig and Mowgli Rivard open Sur Lie just across the street. The wine-led bistro feels distinct from its sister restaurant, with a cute, lively dining room lined with bottles and a menu that leans into European bistro cooking without getting too precious about it. On a packed Friday night, the place was buzzing, and while the cocktails and wine are certainly worth exploring, the food was the real standout.
The Big Leafy Salad is simple but exceptionally fresh, with crisp lettuce, soft herbs, aged cheddar shaved almost impossibly thin, crispy slightly charred croutons and a light tarragon vinaigrette. The Chicken Wings are dry-brined and coated in such a flavorful dry rub that they hardly need their accompanying mint yogurt and Calabrian hot sauce, though the two sauces mixed together make a great bite.
The Mushroom Lasagna might have been our favorite, with fresh pasta, crisp edges and just enough sauce to let the noodles shine. The Petite Steak au Poivre, a tender dry-aged beef tenderloin served with crispy fries and aioli, hits that lowbrow-highbrow sweet spot.
The cocktails are good too. We especially liked the vegetal, potent Green Negroni, while the Long Time Listener, a sweeter whiskey-and-Cognac riff on a Manhattan, drinks almost like an Old-Fashioned. Finish with the Savarin, a yeasted rum cake topped with peaches, and enjoy this fun new neighborhood hangout.
2805 Shenandoah Ave., St. Louis, surliestl.com
Baia
We’re pretty obsessed with Good Hospitality Group, so it’s no surprise that we were excited to get into Baia, the group’s Italian restaurant just down the street from Good Company, Aperi, Malo and Chico Bueno. The space is small and energetic, with an open kitchen, funky blues and jammy guitar on the speakers and colorful artwork by Holly Henn covering the walls. But as much as we loved the room, the food is what really won us over.
The fried artichoke arrives ridiculously crispy over chili aioli with speck and a shower of pecorino Calabrese, while the seared scallops are a particularly memorable take, served over corn purée with fried corn and herb oil, with pickled radicchio on the side for a bright counterpoint. The combination of sweet corn, tender scallops and tangy radicchio is seriously delicious.
The Cappellacci is another standout, with handmade pasta stuffed with meat and served with salsiccia, caponata, brown butter, sage, raisins and red pepper. It’s savory, a little spicy and exactly the kind of handmade-pasta situation we want to keep coming back for.
Then there’s the massive 18-ounce pork chop, which is sliced for you and served with an incredibly crisp herb breadcrumb crust, plus dressed arugula with a light citrus vinaigrette. It’s exceptionally tender and easily one of the best pork chops we’ve had in a while.
The cocktails hold their own too. We especially liked the well-balanced Malavita and Milano Frizzante, but they’ve got a nice list of wine and NA offerings.
4199 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, baiastl.com
The Clydesdale
We’re always happy to see a downtown restaurant doing well, and Ballpark Village continues to add some genuinely impressive concepts. The Clydesdale is especially notable because it marks chef-owner Kevin Nashan’s first new St. Louis restaurant since he opened Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co. in 2014. After more than a decade, Nashan said the opportunity felt right. “It had been a while since I opened a new restaurant, but this felt like the right opportunity,” he said. “We have a great team; we are surrounded by other strong local restaurants down on Clark Avenue.”
The space is polished and expansive, with indoor and outdoor seating that works for everything from a pregame meal to happy hour or a full dinner. That versatility is exactly what Nashan had in mind. “We wanted it to be a place where you can grab a great burger before a game, settle in for dinner or just spend time with friends,” he said.
Start with the Limoncello Drop, which was a sophisticated update on an old college days staple and honestly one of the best lemon drops we’ve ever had. The Tropical Paradise, made with banana-infused Plantation O.F.T.D. overproof rum, pineapple, cream of coconut, lime and Angostura bitters, is also solid – fresh and fruity and markedly less sweet that the lemon drop.
For food, the smoked trout dip is rich but surprisingly mild, served with crispy fried saltines, while the Pei Mussels come in a flavorful green curry with onions. The mafaldine was our favorite entrée, with spicy Italian sausage, sweet peppers, fresh mozzarella and basil tossed with house-made pasta. The macaroni & cheese is also seriously creamy and satisfying.
For Nashan, the early response has been encouraging, with diners already making The Clydesdale part of their downtown routines. We’re glad to see it becoming part of that mix too.
601 Clark Ave., St. Louis, stlballparkvillage.com/Eat-and-Drink/the-clydesdale
This article appears in October 2026.
