1. Clementine’s Creamery: 1637 S. 18th St., St. Louis, 314.858.6100, clementinescreamery.com
Owner Tamara Keefe has peddled her rich ice creams to dozens of St. Louis-area restaurants since last fall, and now customers can snatch up “naughty” (alcohol-infused) and “nice” (non-alcoholic) creations any time at the petite shop in Lafayette Square. A rotating selection of 24 ice creams is made ultra-creamy thanks to a high 16- to 18-percent butterfat content. Try flavors like Manchego with Truffles and Honey (featuring local label Woodside) or Salted Crack Caramel swirled with house-made caramel and chocolate-covered cracker candy. Chocoholics can indulge in the luxurious (and surprisingly vegan) Coconut Chocolate Fudge made with Patric chocolate. Order your scoops in a house-made waffle cone (pictured) or, for a sophisticated sundae, get a waffle bowl and top your selection with house hot fudge lightly spiced with cumin and cinnamon.
2. Elijah P.’s: 401 Piasa St., Alton, 618.433.8445, elijahps.com
Alton has stepped up its restaurant game in recent months, and the newest addition to the roster is Elijah P.’s, serving up creative burgers, hearty appetizers and plenty of suds. The massive space boasts more than 200 seats between the large dining room, bar and spacious outdoor pavilion. Chef Jarvis Putnam helms the kitchen, creating a menu of approachable dishes like potato croquettes studded with ham and Parmigiano-Reggiano, breaded with crushed potato chips and served with house-made ranch dressing. Burgers make up the core of Elijah P.’s entrees (order the BaconJamBrie), but generously sized appetizers like littleneck clams (pictured) swimming in a fragrant broth of chorizo, white wine, tequila, clam juice and garlic can easily serve as a meal. Among the 60 draft brews and 40 bottled varieties, look for Alton breweries Templar and Old Bakery Beer, heavy hitters from The Lou like 4 Hands and Urban Chestnut, and numerous other standout beers from the Midwest.
3. Tiny Bar: 1008 Locust St., St. Louis, 314.800.7218, tinybarstl.com
This diminutive downtown cocktail bar squeezes in 10 seats – and that’s if three people don’t mind getting cozy on the couch. With real estate at a premium, quality trumps quantity behind the bar. The cocktail menu, created by Planter’s House co-owner Ted Charak, shakes up classic cocktails like martinis and Manhattans, as well as a few originals. The 1/8th Cocktail, an eight-part sipper that’s fruity and rum-forward, was made in tribute to Eddie Gaedel, the dwarf with a brief baseball career as No. 1/8 for the St. Louis Browns. Five rotating local draft brews are also available, as well as glass pours of exactly one red, white, rosé and sparkling wine. Petite patrons, note the 5-Foot Special: a 25-percent discount for those shorter than 60 inches.
4. Kingside Diner: 4651 Maryland Ave., St. Louis, 314.454.3957, kingsidediner.com
Traditional diner fare gets the royal treatment at Kingside Diner. Located next to Saint Louis Chess Club, the chess-themed daily eatery features fare fit for a king but sold at plebeian prices. If breakfast is on your mind any time of day, order the Kingside Slinger, which piles pulled pork, chorizo chili and fried eggs atop crispy hash browns. Those who waver between waffles and French toast don’t have to choose with Waffled French Toast, brioche that bathes for a day in French toast batter before getting pressed in the waffle iron. For lunch, try the Trout and Greens Salad, or dig into the Thanksgiving All Year sandwich (pictured), which combines the flavors of the best food holiday into one giant sammie.
-Clementine’s photo by Meera Nagarajan, all others by Michelle Volansky
This article appears in June 2015.