The new counter-service restaurant from the Balkan Treat Box team is housed in the same building as Rolling Ridge Nursery with its own suitably plant-filled space. Start with the wood-fired Bosnian coffee, an intensely flavored brew resulting from boiling coffee grounds in small copper pots. Espresso drinks are also available, including the chocolate- and coconut-accented cupavac latte.
On the don’t-miss list is the cilbir, Telva’s take on Turkish eggs: Warm garlic yogurt and gently cooked eggs make for a rich base, a tomato-chile brown butter sauce adds a little acid for balance, and a flurry of herbs provides a fresh finish. It’s a thoughtful dish, served with Telva’s buttered, toasted somun. The avocado toast was similarly layered with flavor, from thin ribbons of cucumber, roasted tomato, kalamata olives and avocado to salty feta, tzatziki and a nutty sesame crunch garnish.
Telva also impresses with deft pastry offerings like the sesame-oat-coconut cookie, with a delicately crisp texture, or the unforgettable baklava, generously packed with roasted nuts, flaky pastry dough and ajda, a sweet Bosnian syrup.
60 N. Gore Ave., Suite A, Webster Groves, 314.395.2760, telvastl.com
This article appears in February 2024.