St. Louis Restaurants 2012

[felizchik2]

This is a bit last minute but we will be in St. Louis this weekend and was wondering where to eat. I will try anything once but my bf is a chef and a bit more particular. We will be there Saturday to Monday. Any suggestions will be helpful. Thanks

[CafeteriaFraiche]

I definitely agree with the Shaved Duck recommendation. It also has a sister restaurant named The Scottish Arms, a nice semi-hidden treasure...Think less pub and more bistro. Also they have an unbelievable scotch whiskey selection.

[nsxtasy]

Take a look at the recommendations in this discussion:

Foodie from Chicago Coming To STL....need restaurant recommendations ? - www.chow.com/topics/852329

[hill food]

and do remember we are a bit parochial - meaning a lot of places have odd Sunday and Monday hours. call ahead.

[felizchik2]

Cool Thanks!

[brownhound]

Well you're not likely to find anything the level of Keller, Boulud, etc. in St. Louis, but that sort of goes without saying.

The place that at least tries at that level is Niche, which is close to downtown (about 30 - 40 minute drive away). It's the most innovative or creative higher end place in town, but I'm on the record as having been disappointed by its final execution. If you want to spend some $ on creativity, I'd suggest it, however. Other fine dining establishments are a little more safe (Sydney Street, Five) or simple (Farmhaus, Home Wine Kitchen). None of these places are bad and you just might prefer the end product, but don't try to be as creative as Niche, I have found.

In general, I find St. Louis to be a very decent middle to lower-middle kind of town. That's why you see a lot of support for its bbq places, which are a little cleaner and nicer than some towns' bbq: Pappy's and Bogart's Smokehouse are the two most discussed, and I like Shaved Duck. You'll also do well with higher end pizza here, such as The Good Pie, Pi, Dewey's, Kate's, etc.; low end St. Louis style pizza is not something I'd recommend, but is certainly a local specialty.

At a slightly higher level, you can find a lot of local favorites referenced in threads here. None of them are particularly innovative or all that different from what you're likely to find in your home town. But if you want to eat, you're likely to be satisfied.

[ddfry3]

It will help us to know more about where you will be staying, likes, etc. to get more focused answers. The restaurants I would recommend are spread out over more than a few miles.

[felizchik2]

We will be staying at the Doubletree Hotel St. Louis/Westport and we will have a car. We consider ourselves foodies. My bf follows the working of Thomas Keller, Grant Achatz, Charlie Trotter, Daniel Boulud, ect very closely. We are adventurous and will try anything once. Hope this is a little more helpful