Editor’s note: J. McArthur’s An American Kitchen has closed.
Opening a restaurant isn’t easy. Each year, hundreds give it a shot – and not everyone succeeds. Some, however, aren’t just surviving; they’re killing it. In the last year, we ate our way through newly opened restaurants from Alton to Ballwin, compiling a list of places that serve the food and drinks we can’t get out of our heads. They bring something different and exciting to the scene – and they do it damn well. While technical excellence was a must, the service and ambiance also had to win us over. Office debates nearly came to fisticuffs, but at last we agreed on St. Louis’ 11 best new restaurants of 2015. Clear your schedule and book your reservations; you’ve got a lot of eating to do.
Removed from the glittery lights of the Central West End and Clayton, friendly J. McArthur’s An American Kitchen is a neighborhood restaurant emphasizing local, seasonal ingredients. The warm, comfortable interior will make you feel like a regular on the first visit, and once patio weather returns, you may never leave.
Chef-owner Ben McArthur’s menu reads like a geography textbook of local farms: pork from Geisert Farms, potatoes from Harvey Yoder Family Farm, pea shoots from Claverach Farm and locally foraged greens from Double Star Farms. But McArthur isn’t just hopping on a trend or trying a gimmick. Chef can cook.
The seared diver scallops are consistently cooked to tender, buttery perfection. These sea jewels sit in a dreamy smoked bisque that rotates with the seasons. This summer it was corn, but now the dish is served with smoked butternut squash bisque, Brussels sprouts, tender pieces of confit butternut squash, Geisert Farms bacon and a sage-butternut squash seed pesto. Even the street tacos are no slackers, featuring rich, braised pork belly, Double Star cabbage slaw, crumbly cotija cheese and guacamole. This summer’s accompanying chimichurri was recently replaced by a smoked chile and sorghum barbecue sauce.
Dishes turn over or change due to availability of seasonal ingredients – a sign of true farm-to-table commitment. If you see a ravioli special, snap it up because McArthur knows his way around house-made pasta. And snap fast, as menu items can vary week-to-week, not just season-to-season. “We pretty much get our produce lists Monday and Tuesday,” McArthur said. “And that’s how we know what we’re going to do for the rest of the week.”
Why mess with all our favorite dishes chasing local farm produce? “It’s better food; it tastes better,” McArthur said. It could be as simple as that, but for the proud owner of a family restaurant, it’s also about relationships. “The relationships we’re going to make (at local farms) will last a lot longer than with commercial suppliers,” he said. As patrons, we look forward to a long-lasting relationship with McArthur’s, too.
Is J. McArthur’s An American Kitchen your favorite new restaurant of 2015? Click here to vote for this farm-to-table restaurant in the People’s Choice Facebook contest!
This article appears in December 2015.