What will a flip of the calendar bring to the local food scene? I don’t have a crystal ball, but I do know that I’m tired of an egg on top of everything, pork belly in everything and kale on the side of everything. I don’t want them to go away entirely; I just don’t want them to be so in my face.
So what’s ‘in’ for 2014? Just like your financial adviser, I’ll preface this with the disclaimer that past performance is not an indicator of future results. That said, here are my predictions for the St. Louis dining scene in 2014:
1. St. Louis will continue to attract and retain more chefs from outside the area. Kelly English is no longer commuting between The Gateway City and Memphis, Tenn. Unfortunately, we lost English recently when the nationally acclaimed chef had to close down his steakhouse and vacate the space at Harrah’s St. Louis Casino and Hotel to make room for Hollywood Casino and its steakhouse concept, Final Cut.
However, in 2013 we attracted talented Nick Martinkovic (pictured) from Roberta’s in Brooklyn, NY, when he agreed to take the exec chef position at Central Table Food Hall. Martinkovic recently left that post – but not town. This month, he’ll take over the kitchen at Blood & Sand, and he’s bringing along sous chef David Rosenfeld, who came with him from Roberta’s. “I didn’t think I would dig St. Louis as much as I do,” Martinkovic said. One major reason why: the culinary community has welcomed him with open arms.
Wil and Lisa Fernandez-Cruz are another case in point. The couple relocated to St. Louis for culinary positions at The Restaurant at The Cheshire. They left those jobs but stayed in town. He’s the exec chef at Winslow’s Home; she’s exec pastry chef for the Gamlin brother’s various restaurants. Being a friendly city benefits us all.
{A whiskey cocktail and whiskey flights at Gamlin Whiskey House}
2. Whiskey bars won’t all survive. In terms of newer whiskey-focused bars, Hendricks BBQ opened in St. Charles in August 2012. The bar initially focused on moonshine but has since grown its whiskey stash as a whole. Some 14 months later, Gamlin Whiskey House joined the scene in the CWE. And the last few weeks have seen the addition of three more whiskey bars: The Whiskey Ring on Cherokee Street, Mike McLaughlin’s Blind Tiger in Maplewood and Dave Bailey‘s Small Batch in Midtown. Maybe whiskey is like barbecue, and there can never be enough joints, but I’m skeptical. Or maybe it’s because I want a gin house to open up.
{Brussel sprouts salad at Tree House}
3. Look for more all-veg restaurants with sophisticated plates. The Small Batch concept is curious – whiskey plus a vegetarian food menu – but this one just might work. That’s because St. Louis doesn’t have a very large selection of 100-percent vegetarian restaurants that offer bistro fare or better. And by that, I mean ones that aren’t ethnic restaurants, but instead prepare composed dishes inspired by a myriad of global flavors. Tree House, which opened, in late spring is attempting to do just that in the South Grand neighborhood, but there seem to be enough vegetarians and vegans in this Midwestern city who would welcome more upscale, all-vegetarian restaurants.
{From left, Planter’s House co-owners Ted Charak, Jamie and Ted Kilgore}
4. There’s enough booze, just not enough trained bartenders. By mid-summer, some of this city’s most talented bartenders were no longer part of the day-to-day stir-and-shake scene. Ted and Jamie Kilgore were busy planning Planter’s House. Sanctuaria‘s Matt Seiter left the cocktailian haven in The Grove. Mission Taco Joint‘s Joel Clark took a hiatus from margarita-making at a bar that was constantly three-deep or more. And Matt Obermark, likewise, called it quits for a bit after the closing of Salt. (You can find him at newly opened Planter’s House.) These veteran bartenders have trained numerous up-and-comers, which we need, especially since more restaurants are ramping up their beverage programs and need to fill slots behind the stick with capable people. Looking for a job? It’s a good time to be a bartender.
5. Illinois and St. Charles are spots to watch. Eyes on Illinois have been focused on Edwardsville for the last few years with 2013 seeing a number of St. Louis-owned restaurants add a location in that town. But have you looked at Belleville lately? There are currently more than 20 restaurants and bars in the downtown area alone, with many locally owned and a mix of established places and some new arrivals. That’s a recipe for cooking up a city with a distinct dining flavor.
And what about that other river? St. Charles County is action-packed. In downtown St. Charles, Hendricks BBQ and Prasino (pictured) are of a caliber high enough that they attract residents from across the bridge in St. Louis county and city. In Cottleville, places like Stone Soup Cottage and VB Chocolate Bar have likewise created concepts special enough to likewise bring in more than locals. O’Fallon, St. Peters… As the population in St. Charles County continues to grow, its residents will be looking for dining options. Will those be indies or chains? That is the question.
-whiskey drinks and Planter’s House photo by Michelle Volansky; Tree House and Prasino photos by Jonathan Gayman
This article appears in January 2014.