Photo by Cristina M. Fletes (Post-Dispatch)
Reeds American Table
When I reviewed Reeds American Table at the end of 2015, I was thrilled with some dishes — especially the burger with tallow aioli and an appetizer of braised beef-cheek meat with a foie-gras cream and oven-dried tomatoes on focaccia — but the entrees generally left me cold. When I returned this winter, however, I found the entire menu displaying the same creativity and technical skill that had made chef-owner Matthew Daughaday a rising star at Gerard Craft’s Taste. Touches like plump golden raisins and a bracing herbal two-fer of parsley and mint transformed the lamb sugo from hearty winter pasta into a promise of spring’s return. Orange, pistachio and tarragon worked as unexpected but exactly right complements to perfectly cooked Arctic char. The wine program from beverage director Andrey Ivanov remains the most forward-thinking in St. Louis.
Hours: Dinner daily, brunch Saturday-Sunday (closed Tuesday)
Last year's ranking: unranked
Opened: 2015
Must order: Braised beef cheek ($13)