St Louis: Olio, Rooster, Bridge Tap House and Wine Bar
view from my room at the Westin in downtown St Louis
Last week I had a work trip to St Louis and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the meals I experienced while there! I haven’t been to St Louis in years (probably 20?!?) and can’t say that I’ve ever read anything about their food scene or restaurants. I didn’t spend much time researching beforehand, but a quick tweet a couple of days before my visit rendered some good suggestions.
Gregorio’s Rx at Olio: white rum, honey, ginger, mint, lemon
First meal upon arrival was dinner on a Saturday night at Olio in a neighborhood called McRee Town. When I looked on the map, it didn’t seem too far away from my hotel. Of course, when you have a cab driver that has NO CLUE where he is going and asks you to be the navigator for a city you know absolutely nothing about….then yeah, it could take a few minutes.
A couple of wrong turns later (seriously, when I said turn right, he turned left. Worst cab driver ever. St Louis desperately needs UBER), we finally arrived safe and sound to the destination.
And after that cab ordeal I was ready for a cocktail! Thank goodness Olio has incredible ones. This is the kind of spot that I would frequent very, very often simply for cocktails and patio time if I lived in St Louis.
Olio’s Roasted Cauliflower dressed in tehini with madras curry and capers
Not only were the cocktails fantastic, but the food was great too. Plus it was my favorite style of dining – small plates. My dining companion and I started at the bar with cocktails and hummus (with chopped nuts and smoked paprika) before moving out into the gorgeous night air on the patio.
Baby octopus salad with chickpeas and edamame at Olio
That’s when the feast began: roasted cauliflower with tehini and madras curry; burrata with black pepper, ajwain seeds and maple syrup; scallop ceviche; moroccan shredded carrot salad dressed in harissa and perfumed with orange blossom water. So many flavors!
Olio patio at night (from their FB page)
Olio
1634 Tower Grove Ave
St Louis, MO 63110
(314) 932-1088
Rooster (photo courtesy of their FB page)
After looking at the online menu, I went into Rooster thinking I was going to order a crepe. Crepes are their specialty, and they offer an extensive variety of breakfast crepes, savory crepes and sweet crepes. Yet, once seated, I found myself drawn to the “scrambles”, and one in particular.
Rooster breakfast scramble: eggs, potatoes, spinach, goat cheese, onions and tomato jam
I am not sorry that I didn’t order a crepe. This scramble was incredible. I don’t normally care for potatoes in much of anything, but I loved how these were thinly sliced and created almost a crust on the bottom of the dish. And that tomato jam? There isn’t an adjective that can adequately describe how I feel about it. Just wow.
Rooster
1104 Locust St
St Louis, MO 63101
(314) 241-8118
Cheese and charcuterie at Bridge Tap House and Wine Bar, St Louis
I went to Bridge Tap House and Wine Bar having no idea that it was part of the same restaurant group that owns Rooster. So basically I began and ended my day with tomato jam. Yes, Bridge also has tomato jam on their menu, and it’s the same tomato jam I had at Rooster for breakfast.
This time we got it as a side on our cheese and charcuterie board. My dining companions on this particular evening were not with me at breakfast, so it was fun to see their reaction after tasting it for the first time. They both felt exactly as I did – amazing.
Bridge Tap House smoked duck tacos
In fact, the entire meal was amazing. We were all blown away by how great everything was. We started with smoked paprika and sea salt popcorn, then moved on to the cheese board you see in the first pic. After that it was a flurry of small plates – roasted poblano and tomato mac & cheese; smoked duck tacos with jicama slaw, sesame cream and cilantro; braised pork belly on spicy polenta cakes with apple-fennel slaw and honey; squash stuffed with spinach, artichokes, goat cheese and asiago.
Gorgonzola bacon bread pudding at Bridge Tap House and Wine Bar
Then last– the dish featured in the worst, most out of focus photo I’ve probably ever taken — the Gorgonzola Bacon Bread Pudding. I didn’t care how awful this picture was, I simply had to include it in the post because it was breathtakingly incredible. Gotta, gotta, gotta try to make this myself! Just heavenly.
Bridge Tap House and Wine Bar
1004 Locust St
St Louis, MO 63101
(314) 241-8141
So glad you enjoyed your time in St. Louis! There are definitely a lot of great restaurants here!
Thanks Liz. We had a great time!
Looks like some solid finds. My St. Louis trips (two in past few years) have been guy trips for baseball, so we’ve dined at places that specialize in beer, not so much good food. Glad to read some good options I can consider for the future.
Definitely check out Bridge Tap House on your next guys’ trip – they have an awesome beer selection!
Yum, yum, yum. My cousin in Memphis and I go on extended weekends together with our husbands a couple times a year, and seeing as we did distilleries in Kentucky last time, I’m thinking breweries in St. Louis is our next theme.
Great idea! It’s a boring (not scenic) drive there but I’m sure it’ll pass quickly with other passengers along for the ride. Going it alone…not so much ;-)
I was in St. Louis earlier this summer and also ate at Rooster. I did have a crepe and it was one of the best things I’ve eaten in a long time. It will be my first stop next time!
Since we didn’t have time the other night…what was in that tomato jam? I added onions and cloves of garlic to mine (which cooked for almost four hours) and I really think they (and the char from the last step) really made it top notch (recipe judges’ tastes notwithstanding): http://lesleyeats.com/2013/08/12/oven-roasted-tomato-jam-with-savory-sundried-tomato-cornmeal-scones/
Not sure exactly, but I have a feeling it had onions cooked down, and probably a little garlic too. It was a tad spicy and a little sweet, so probably some sugar or brown sugar, vinegar, some sort of pepper, cumin, ginger, maybe even curry??
Beth I am going to St. Louis this weekend (baseball trip) and I think Bridge Tap House is now on the list of places to eat.
I think you’ll love it. Great beer selection, wine selection and awesome food! Have fun!