Will a members-only restaurant and bar concept work in St. Louis? All eyes will be on Blood & Sand this Saturday when doors are unlocked for the grand opening. While some might brush off the idea of paying to get into the downtown venue, those who do shell out the $15 monthly membership fee for TJ Vytlacil (pictured) and Adam Frager’s new spot will be happy to know that what awaits inside is pretty darn affordable.
For the bar menu, executive chef Chris Bork has created a thoughtful selection of nine nibbles (How ’bout some truffled tater tots?) that run between $2 (for curried nuts) and $6 (for scallop ceviche or country ham). Prices on the dinner menu start at $4 for soup, with most small plates ranging between $8 and $10. Of those, English muffin and lox with house-made mascarpone cheese is on our must-try list, as is the broccoli and goat cheese agnolotti (crescent-shaped ravioli) in a pecan broth. While entrées max at $30 for prime rib, you can also fill up on a $12 burger made with grass-fed beef, onion jam, pea shoots and Missouri cheese, served with a side of fries. For dessert, Prosecco jelly with peaches and mint caught our eye, as did French toast with bananas and Nutella.
On the drink side, Vytlacil revealed that most of the 150 wines available are priced under $50 per bottle while cocktails range from $7 to $12. Blood & Sand has three cocktail menus: A Blood & Sand menu featuring variations of this cocktail classically made using Scotch, orange juice, sweet vermouth and cherry brandy; a beer cocktail menu (Blood & Sand will only be using canned and bottled beer; nothing on draft.); and a specialty cocktail list featuring a dozen or so original creations by Vytlacil. The doors open at Blood & Sand this Saturday at 1500 St. Charles Ave., at 5 p.m.
This article appears in Sep 1-30, 2011.