15 St. Louis Restaurants Our Critic Is Raving About This Spring

Sultan Mediterranean Restauran
(84200 Manchester Avenue, 314-390-2020)

Your first clue that Sultan is something special comes courtesy of its dolmas. It's not that their presence is novel; you can find rice-stuffed grape leaves at just about any Mediterranean restaurant. Usually, though, they are basic and often even from a can, plopped next to some shawarma as an afterthought. To liken Sultan's dolmas to such a mass-produced product, however, would be like comparing A5 Wagyu beef to a sirloin from Ponderosa. Here, the grape leaves serve as a delicate wrapper for flawlessly cooked rice, fresh herbs and lentils that are bound together with just a touch of spice-perfumed tomato sauce. The heaping platter also includes halved red and white onions, eggplant and zucchini, all stuffed with the same delectable filling.

Photo credit: Mabel Suen

The matriarch responsible for Sultan's exceptional dolmas is Jenar Mohammed, who owns the three-month-old restaurant with her husband, Akram Saeed. A talented home cook, Mohammed dazzled her family with her interpretations of traditional Kurdish recipes well before they fled Iraq in the 1980s. The family was granted refugee status and landed in St. Louis, where they recently opened Sultan. And at this restaurant, even the hummus plate and falafel are special, elevating the humble chickpea to a thing of beauty. The former is velvety, spiked with rich tahini and brightened with a flourish of sumac; the latter equally impresses with its crisp, brown exterior and an almost fluffy, couscous-like texture. These are not simply rehashes of common dishes; Mohammed prepares them as if it's the first time anyone has done so.

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Photo credit: Mabel Suen

Frisco Barroom
(8110 Big Bend Boulevard, Webster Groves; 314-455-1090)

Frisco Barroom created a menu that never ventures from being accessible but is still interesting. A simple pretzel is the perfect blend of chewy and soft, properly salted and buttery, and paired with beer-cheese sauce that might as well be the nectar of the gods. The beer-infused cheese has a slight tang to cut through the richness, but not so much that it takes away from its velvety texture. It's perfection of the form.

Photo credit: Mabel Suen

The chicken wings at Frisco Barroom are equally riveting. The plump wings and drummies are succulent and gently kissed with smoke; black-peppery seasoning fuses with their caramelized skin. You might be tempted to skip any condiments, but the Peruvian dipping sauce, which tastes like a verdant, cilantro-spiked ranch, is too good to pass up.

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Photo credit: Mabel Suen

Mike's Hot Dogs
(7403 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314-449-6919)

Mike's Hot Dogs' "St. Louis" dog is a messy, over-the-top homage to the Gateway City. A large Angus beef dog is smothered in molten Provel, bacon pieces and caramelized onions. By itself that might be too rich, but chef Mike Eagen mitigates the fat with halved grape tomatoes, sport peppers and a dash of celery salt. It's a delightful mess. The "Volcano," another wild concoction, features the same beef dog, though this time it is split down the center and charred on the outside, giving it a more robust, meaty taste. It could be a heat bomb of a dish, with layer upon layer of spicy toppings including jalapeños, hot sauce, peppered bacon, sport peppers and jalapeño aioli.

Photo credit: Mabel Suen

Though the name might lead you to believe otherwise, Mike's Hot Dogs is much more than a sausage shop. Eagan's outstanding burgers are plumper versions of griddle-style patties, but they still get that beautiful crispness around the edge. Customers here are treated to a beautiful, juice-and-condiment-dripping-down-your-wrists mess of a burger, the ooze coming from greasy patties, gooey American cheese and caramelized onions that taste like they've been simmered in gravy.

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Photo credit: Mabel Suen

Thai Table
(7293 Olive Boulevard, University City; 314-776-9225)

Thai Table's pad Thai is just one delight in a parade of dishes that will make you rethink Thai food. Som tum, the popular green-papaya salad, is positively electric. Thin slices of the fruit are paired with shredded carrots and grape tomatoes, then tossed in tamarind, lime and Thai chiles. Do not let the fruity base of the salad fool you; this som tum is searing hot, but so bright and flavorful it lights up the palate. It's like fireworks going off in your mouth.

Photo credit: Mabel Suen

Thai Table's "Summer Rolls" are equally thrilling. Crisp shredded vegetables and silken vermicelli noodles are stuffed into a rice-paper wrapper. On their own, they are outstanding, but the accompanying dipping sauce makes them transcendent. Though delicate in texture, the condiment's chile and cilantro-forward flavor is mighty. Verdant, tart and fiery, it lights up the mouth from the tip of the tongue to the back of the throat.

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Photo credit: Mabel Suen

58 Hundred
(5800 Southwest Avenue; 314-279-5799)

One of 58 Hundred's standout dishes are their Brussels-sprouts tacos. This dish pairs charred vegetables with toasted almonds, giving the tacos a satisfying contrast of textures. Pickled red onions and lime crema electrify the deeply savory sprouts, making each bite a symphony of brightness, bitterness, crunch and softness. It's not simply a quality non-meat option; it's one of the best things the restaurant offers.

Photo credit: Mabel Suen

The Buffalo-fried-shrimp starter is another example of 58hundred at its best. The shrimp is soaked in hot sauce before cooking so it absorbs all of the intense, vinegary heat. The shellfish is then coated in a delicate breading that is heavily flecked with black pepper. Buttermilk ranch and shaved slices of celery garnish the bottom of the dish, offering a cooling contrast to the shrimp's deceptively fiery punch.

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Photo credit: Mabel Suen

Savage
(2655 Ann Avenue; 314-354-8488)

Walking into Savage, you immediately recognize that you are in a dining room different than any other in St. Louis — because it's not a dining room at all. The restaurant is almost entirely one big chef's table; guests sit at grey upholstered stools surrounding a black-topped, three-sided bar. It's as if chef Logan Ely, who is the restaurant's sole cook, is on stage, his painstaking preparations a sort of dinner theater. You can order a few à la carte bar snacks if you get to dinner early. But other than that, Savage offers just one set menu; guests choose either a five-course small bites package, or a six- or twelve-course tasting menu.

Photo credit: Mabel Suen

Once you've decided what route to take and make your server at Savage aware of any allergies or aversions, you surrender to the experience. There's a dreamlike feel evident from the very first course, a beet chicharron that looks like some sort of vibrant red sea plant rippling in the water, frozen in time. Fermented potato puree, spiked with Roquefort penicillium (the mold strain used to make blue cheese), accompanies the beet chip, offering a creamy funk that appears complex even while it provides the comfort of chips and dip.

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Photo credit: Mabel Suen

The River Lillie
(1435 Salisbury Street; 314-833-4335)

River Lillie's Southern-inflected food is the epitome of daytime comfort. For breakfast, they to the classics, and they do them exceptionally well. Fluffy biscuits are smothered in peppery, sausage-laden gravy that is rich without being overly thick. Those same biscuits serve as the base for a delightful breakfast sandwich. Scrambled eggs, cooked so that they are still creamy, are piled onto the biscuit with molten American cheese and bacon. At less than $4, including smothered potatoes and a drink, it's one of the best breakfast deals around.

Photo credit: Mabel Suen

The River Lillie's pancakes are perfection of the form. Slightly sweet and fluffy, the hotcakes crisp up around the edges like a crepe. Though they need nothing but warm syrup and butter, the blueberry version is utterly dazzling. These are unquestionably some of the best pancakes in town thanks to the innumerable blueberries folded into the batter, giving each bite a juicy pop of warm fruit. They're breathtaking.

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Photo credit: Mabel Suen

Nippon Tei
(14025 Manchester Road, Ballwin; 636-386-8999)

Nippon Tei's Gyoza, the ubiquitous dumpling dish, is unlike any other version in town. Their wrappers paper-thin and crisped so that they form little fried crunchy bits around the edges. Inside, minced pork and chicken are enlivened with fried garlic and scallions, giving each bite a pungent kick. They're exquisite golden-fried wonders, as are the tempura prawns, which feature tender shellfish coated in a light-as-air batter. Aioli made with shiso, an herbaceous, leafy plant, adds a verdant note.

Photo credit: Mabel Suen

Nippon Tei's spicy tuna roll places the beautiful, jewel-toned fish center stage, with the chile oil, subtly sweet chile-garlic sauce and tempura crunchies playing supporting rolls. A "Zen Maki" pairs spicy crab with salmon sashimi and salmon roe, the richness undercut by preserved lemon. Another highlight is the "Sake San" roll, which takes the sashimi salmon and salmon roe of the "Zen Maki" and wraps it around a center of spicy salmon skin. This not only deepens the salmon flavor but also adds a welcome crunch that is enhanced by lightly torching the roll.

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Photo credit: Mabel Suen

Liliana's Italian Kitchen
(11836 Tesson Ferry Road; 314-729-1800)

Anyone who has dined at an old-fashioned Italian-American restaurant — whether Rossino's or anywhere else — knows that scent: a mix of garlic, dough and the powdered Parmesan cheese that comes in shakers. That intoxicating siren song of scent at Liliana's Italian Kitchen is a precursor for what's to come, which really ought to begin with an order of cheese garlic bread. The sesame-seed-flecked crusty Italian bread is dipped into a concoction of melted butter, garlic and Parmesan, and covered in mozzarella cheese before it's placed in the oven. The result is a cheesy, butter-saturated wonder, the epitome of comfort.

Photo credit: Mabel Suen

Housemade meatballs are equally dazzling. The tender, garlic-studded spheres of beef may not be quite as big as a baseball, but they aren't far off. They're paired with a rich tomato sauce that is decidedly less acidic than what is typically served at local red-sauce joints. If you haven't devoured your garlic bread before the meatballs arrive, you can use it to make a sauce-soaked mini-meatball sub. What more do you want out of life?

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Photo credit: Mabel Suen

Han Lao
(1250 Strassner Drive, Brentwood; 314-932-1354)

Han Lao's other appetizers include light-as-air shrimp chips, imbued with a subtle sea flavor, and blue crab Rangoon, which reimagines the ubiquitous Chinese takeout staple as an elegant finger food. Rich crab (yes, real crab) is enveloped in silken cream cheese, then folded into a wonton wrapper fashioned into the shape of an egg roll. The sweet, shellfish-infused goo becomes a rich liquid after it's fried, a pleasurable experience that will make you order a second round before the first one is finished.

Photo credit: Mabel Suen

If the crab Rangoon offers the luxurious richness of hot cream cheese, the Lao sausages provide the fatty indulgence of pure pork. Chantharasy gets the texture just right on these beauties; the outside casing is so delicate that, when cooked, it crisps up and glistens like chicken skin fresh out of the fryer. Inside, the meat and fat are coarsely ground, almost falling apart as you bite into them.

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Photo credit: Mabel Suen