By day, Dr. Melda Dolan can be found at St. Louis University Hospital, where she has worked as a cardiologist for more than 20 years. Now, Dolan has added a night shift to her schedule. But she’s not at SLU – she’s running Picasso’s Bistro in Chesterfield.
The restaurant, located at 138 Chesterfield Towne Center, was formerly Trattoria Branica, the third of restaurateur Sam Kacar’s Italian eateries in the metro area. The space recently changed hands and Dolan, as the new owner, has changed the restaurant’s name, décor and menu.
Picasso’s Bistro, which transitioned officially on Friday of last week, focuses more broadly on Mediterranean cuisine than the strict Italian fare of Trattoria Branica. The menu includes apps and salads, as well as chicken, seafood, steak, veal, pork and pasta entrées. Many of the items are Dolan’s own creations. Although not a trained chef, Dolan grew up in Istanbul in a family where everyone cooks, sparking her love for the kitchen. “I have been cooking for the last 30 years of my life. I do not use cookbooks; I just create,” she said.
Dolan hopes that Picasso’s Bistro can be another outlet for her medical mission, that of instilling lifestyle changes and fighting obesity. Thus, the restaurant focuses on serving heart-healthy Mediterranean fare using only fresh – never canned – ingredients such as olive oil instead of butter and fresh, house-made bread. Among the dishes that Dolan touts is her roasted eggplant served with tomato, garlic and olive oil, as well as plates that spotlight rarely used fish such as delicate sea bream and branzino. Dolan also hopes to use the restaurant to teach classes in healthy cooking to heart patients, expectant mothers and others trying to improve their eating habits.
Those looking to check out Picasso’s Bistro can find extra excitement during Easter brunch, when the restaurant will be offering a chocolate egg hunt for the little ones; Mother’s Day brunch, where the women of the day will receive a $10 gift certificate to be used on a future date; and on Friday and Saturday evenings (and Wednesdays beginning in May), when live music will fill this vibrant space where the décor now reflects the abstract style of the famous Spanish painter after whom the restaurant is named.
This article appears in April 2011.