Post-Dispatch file photo
Quincy Street Bistro
You can enjoy Quincy Street Bistro on several different levels. It’s a south city neighborhood tavern, a place where you can chase your buffalo-chicken dip or cheeseburger with the house’s preferred drink, a Busch tallboy chased with moonshine and a pickleback. It’s a Southern joint, with exemplary fried chicken, chicken-fried steak and blackened catfish. Most importantly, for the purposes of the STL 100, it’s the playground of one of St. Louis’ most talented young chefs, Rick Lewis. The Post-Dispatch’s 2013 Chef of the Year and a 2014 semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star Chef of the Year award, Lewis has created something wholly new by bringing together his higher-end training (LoRusso’s Cucina, Monarch), a farm-to-table ethic (from his own garden even) and a strong St. Louis identity (the aforementioned buffalo-chicken dip, toasted ravioli with hog’s head meat). Regulars know to look at the daily specials for the most exciting dishes and a glimpse at how wide open Lewis’ and Quincy Street’s futures are. UPDATE: Rick Lewis left Quincy Street Bistro in March 2015 to open Southern, featuring sandwiches and Nashville-style hot fried chicken. Sous chef Chris Tirone took over Quincy Street Bistro's kitchen, and the menu remains essentially the same.