By Sarah B. Smith
Together, they represent more than 70 years of culinary history in St. Louis’ chic and diverse Central West End (CWE). Notwithstanding changing tastes, and market conditions, these three distinctive restaurants have evolved with their neighborhood and have more than stood the test of time. This month, Commerce spoke with the owners of three of CWE’s culinary fixtures to see what keeps them in “St. Louis’ slice of Paris,” and we get their recommendation on their own favorites for someone coming to
St. Louis for the first time.
Mengesha Yohannes and his brothers just celebrated 25 years in the Central West End for their restaurant Bar Italia. “It is the most cosmopolitan, lively neighborhood in the City,” says Yohannes. “It has an international flair.” Cuisine at Bar Italia is authentic Italian and the atmosphere is equally authentic—with one of the best el fresco dining areas in the City. Bar Italia opens at
11:30 a.m. and doesn’t close until about
1:30 a.m. “In the café tradition, we are there whenever you need us,” says Yohannes.
And what would the owner recommend to someone coming to St. Louis for the first time? “The recipe that has been requested the most is “pollo agro dolce.” Once people have it, it’s the kind of thing they become attached to. You really can’t get anything like it anywhere else.” Inspired from a medieval Venetian recipe, the citrus, clove and mint marinated chicken breast is sautéed with onions, mushrooms, bell pepper, pine nuts, raisins with a sweet-sour balsamic reduction sauce. The dish is served with seasonal vegetables—usually grown on one of the several local farms that Yohannes has scouted.
For an appetizer, Yohannes suggests their pear salad, served with greens, gorgonzola cheese, spiced pumpkin seeds and an olive oil and white balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
His dessert recommendation is the panna cotta—a lighter version of crème brule, served with a glaze on top of fruit or espresso.
And wine—Yohannes suggests a glass of Valsaia, a nicely balanced blend of cabernet spiced with raisiny Amarone.
Karen Duffy opened Duffs 36 years ago. The best part of being in the CWE for her? “We’re part of the neighborhood. We’ve experienced four generations of customers,” says Duffy. “It has been terrific to see all those families grow up, come back with their babies. That is the highlight.”
And when they come back, they find a friendly wait staff, comfortable dining rooms featuring the work of local artists and an outdoor café situated beneath a canopy of trees on Euclid.
Duffy recommends their pepper steak, a ten-ounce center cut sirloin steak rolled in peppercorns, charbroiled and served with a brandy mustard cream sauce. For dessert? Peppermint pie, which includes homemade peppermint ice cream in a chocolate cookie crust chocolate, topped with meringue and hot fudge.
Wild Flower has been in the CWE for 13 years. Initially opened by Tracy Czarnec as a café, serving sandwiches and pizza, the restaurant has grown into a fine dining establishment in the neighborhood. “We’ve been able to evolve with our guests and their food habits, which has been nice,” says co-owner Philip Czarnec. “We have well respected chefs and that has been a great appeal to the folks in the neighborhood.” Some of the owner’s favorites? For a dinner entrée, Czarnec recommends the bison hanger steak, char grilled with a touch of red wine bordelaise. His recommendation for dessert is pot-de-crème, dense chocolate custard, spiced with ancho pepper to amplify the chocolate.
For a special appetizer, Czarnec suggests their stuffed figs. These prochutto wrapped figs, stuffed with gorgonzola cheese with an orange dijon glaze are so popular that customers will not only have them as an appetizer, but also after their meal, order some to take home. His choice of wine would be a Crios Cabernet.
Looking back at the history of these three long standing West End eateries, not only do they continue to provide distinctive dining in St. Louis, but they have been anchors for urban revitalization and new distinctive places and restaurants such as St. Louis Chess Club, Liluma, Crepes Etc., Companion Bakery, Eau Bistro, Scape, and the new Bissinger’s, just to name a few.
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TalkingPOINTS
Bar Italia
13 Maryland Plaza
St. Louis, MO 63108
(314) 361-7010
(314) 494-7721 (events and parties)
www.baritaliastl.com
hours:
Tuesday–Sunday:
11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
The bar is open until 1:30 a.m.
Closed Monday
Duffs
392 N. Euclid Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63108
(314) 361-0522
www.dineatduffs.com
hours:
Tuesday–Sunday:
11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Brunch–Saturday and Sunday:
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Closed Monday
Wild Flower Restaurant
4590 Laclede Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63108
(314) 367-9888
www.wildflowerdining.com
hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday:
11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday, Saturday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Sunday: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Closed Tuesday
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