Post-Dispatch file photo
Sidney Street Café
Calling Kevin Nashan the chef and owner of Sidney Street Café is technically true but doesn’t feel broad enough — and not simply because he has since opened the Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co. and, as of last year, its satellite in Tulsa, Okla. Nashan took over the already-established Sidney Street in 2003. In the 16 years since, he has fashioned the restaurant in his own vision, from the modern cuisine to the produce grown on the property. And the kitchen, led by executive chef Bob Zugmaier, continues to turn out elegant, forward-thinking dishes, like an unlikely but successful winter juxtaposition of snapper in a chorizo nage. But Sidney Street feels bigger than that. It’s a place where you can bring someone who wants a fine meal but doesn’t know or care that Nashan has won the prestigious James Beard Award for “Best Chef: Midwest.” Nashan is a chef and owner and also a steward of food and community.
Hours: Dinner Tuesday-Saturday (closed Sunday-Monday)
Last year's ranking: No. 4
Opened: 1985