Photo by Pat Eby
The Clover and the Bee
When the Clover and the Bee opened in late 2017, it garnered attention mainly as the daytime counterpart to Olive + Oak, the Webster Groves blockbuster from owner Mark Hinkle and chef Jesse Mendica. Over the past year, the Clover and the Bee has also become one of St. Louis' more intriguing Italian restaurants. At dinner, chef Mike Risk can find new life in old-school veal Parmesan (a whopping bone-in chop over a tomato-basil fonduta) and gnocchi (served late last year with arugula, butternut squash and smoked pork belly in a cider-rosemary cream). Risk's Italian cooking will gain a new showcase later in 2020, when it moves from the Clover and the Bee into the current home of Olive + Oak, which is in turn moving to a new space nearby.
Hours: Breakfast and lunch daily, dinner Wednesday-Sunday
Last year's ranking: Rest of the Best
Opened: 2017