Photo by Laurie Skrivan (Post-Dispatch)
Polite Society
Thomas Futrell’s unshowy but exacting and flavor-forward cooking at Polite Society continues to impress. Signature dishes like shrimp and grits (an appetizer), the pork osso buco and the bistro steak with foyot sauce anchor the menu, but Futrell changes dishes with some frequency. My visit in the late fall of 2018 featured a bowl of hearty cioppino and a bruschetta topped with braised beef and chile-laced ricotta. The cocktail program has improved since the restaurant’s 2017 debut, with greater balance in the flavors of the specialty drinks. Polite Society is a premier example of a vanishing breed: a modern neighborhood bistro worth a trip from elsewhere.
Hours: Dinner daily, lunch Monday-Friday, brunch Saturday-Sunday
Last year's ranking: Rest of the Best
Opened: 2017