By Sarah B. Smith
Having had
many enjoyable meals at King Louie's, I walked into Revival anticipating
a re-creation of the former establishment. In fact, while the
surroundings and ambiance of the former restaurant are still there,
the menu is both different and distinctive.
"One
of the challenges is to reintroduce the space to people in a different
context, and to celebrate the notion that we are a completely
new and different type of business," says chef/owner Cary
McDowell. McDowell, along with partners Charlie and Carolyn Downs,
and General Manager Andrew Patania, embarked on this challenge
with a straight forward approach. "We want to make a profound
effort here to keep things simple and comfortable—dressed
down in a way. Things are not contrivedÑjust the purity
and simplicity of good home cooking."
McDowell grew
up in the south and moved to St. Louis ten years ago to help open
the Crossing in Clayton. He has worked at several restaurants
since then, and most recently served as regional executive chef
in the midwest for Wolfgang Puck. McDowell reports feeling a kinship
to the former King Louie's space. It is where he met his wife
Holly. "It's got a good soul," says McDowell of the
restaurant. "It lends itself to people feeling at home here."
McDowell's
menu displays his southern roots. One of the most popular dishes
is the stewed rabbit ($16) that is served with four cheese ravioli.
Their braised lamb ($18) is slow cooked and served with roasted
fennel with buttered noodles that are made in-house. It was a
wonderful selection. Other popular dinner entrees include the
slow-cooked beef short ribs with sweet potatoes and a very tasty
steamed mussels with
G&W sausage.
McDowell has
put a lot of thought into his flavor combinations and textures.
From luncheon items, such as Revival's turkey sandwich, to the
home-style meatloaf, he hopes to make people feel comfortable
and satisfied. Not one to sit still with his creations, McDowell
continues to take things that are often viewed as ordinary and
highlight features to come up with something unique to serve to
diners. Anyone for a tomato jam, mozzarella and argula pizza made
in their wood burning pizza oven?
McDowell doesn't
intend for his entree portions to be large—he wants to encourage
his diners to pass around the platesÑfamily style. Sides
are available for $4 and include such southern favorites as Southern
collard greens with "pot liquor." Starters (priced from
$5 to $7) such as fried oysters and steak tar tare are created
with the same handcrafted pride as the rest of the menu.
Andrew Patania,
general manager and resident "wine geek" has sought
for the wine and spirits program to mirror what the restaurant
has done with their food. They feature an affordable, broad range
of wine selections, with a growing array of half bottles, which
Patania hopes will encourage patrons to explore new choices.
The desserts
are simply fabulous. "What Cary and I were trying to capture
is retro dessertsÑdesserts our mothers and grandmothers
made. Nothing fancy. Just straightforward, simple, tasty food,"
says Carolyn Downs, pastry chef and partner. Downs' dessert menu
includes such home-style favorites as red velvet cake and Derby
pie with bourbon pecan ice cream and buttermilk pound cake—each
priced at $7.
A special
treat for customers like me who have a hard time deciding on just
one dessert, are the snacksÑsmall sized portions priced
at just $2 that invite the diner to splurge. I tasted the lavender
shortbread and Revival's doughnuts—beignets served in a brown
paper bag. Both were wonderful. Other old-fashioned favorites
that were tempting included hard fudge, bourbon balls and sugared
popcorn (think the kettle corn strands on a Christmas tree).
Downs is justifiably
proud of her creations. "I think this is my best menu. It
includes all of my favorite things in one spot. I have had a lot
of fun with it."
So unless you want to catch a plane to Atlanta for Southern style cooking, you can drop by 39th and Chouteau to satisfy your down home Southern yearnings.
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TalkingPOINTS
Revival
39th and Chouteau
St. Louis, MO
(314) 771-3939
www.revivalstl.com
Hours:
Lunch
Tuesday Ð Friday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Dinner:
Tuesday Ð Thursday: 5 to 10 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 5 to 11 p.m. |
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