Photo by Roberto Rodriguez
Blood & Sand
Adam Frager and TJ Vytlacil’s private restaurant and bar repays the cost of membership with gracious service, excellent cocktails and smart modern fare, from the fun (the famous truffled tater tots) to the funky (fried chicken feet with a tangy, spicy sambal sauce) to the disarmingly delicate (this past winter’s rabbit terrine layered with phyllo over a carrot puree). The kitchen’s consistency is especially impressive as 2014 began with Nicholas Martinkovic taking over for inaugural chef Chris Bork and ended with sous chef David Rosenfeld succeeding Martinkovic. The egalitarian spirit of the STL 100 keeps members-only Blood & Sand out of the Top 25. A public restaurant of its quality would make it with ease.