You may have heard of Entre, an underground restaurant started in 2008; Juniper is its successor. Owner John Perkins has graduated into a real, bricks and mortar place, and just like with Entre, he’s made eating there quite an experience.
First, there is something cozy and appealing about the space. Wooden butcher tables, plank floors, exposed brick, folk art, flour sack napkins, Depression-era spirituals and other little touches make a meal here feel a little like you’re on the set of O Brother Where Art Thou. The menu calls itself ‘classic Southern cooking,’ but along with comfort foods like fried chicken, collard greens and grits, Juniper mixes it up by adding quirky touches. There’s bacon-bourbon ice cream, Andouille corn dogs and sous vide eggs.
While you might not like the idea of paying for a bread basket ($9 full, $5 half), this one is worth it: Southern biscuits, cornbread, hush puppies and popovers are all house-made and real crowd pleasers.
Shrimp ‘n’ Grits ($18) comes as creamy grits with a little bit of grainy texture and tender and sweet shrimp in “a secret Southern barbecue sauce.” Each element is delicious. Pork ‘n’ Beans ($19) is all about down-home favorites like collard greens, smoky beans and crusty pork belly. The chunk of lard-laced pork comes dry-roasted, and the greens are infused with maple syrup. The accompanying baked Sea Island Red Peas were crusty and smoky; it’s hard to top a fork heaped with some of each together.
Judging from how often I saw this dish flying out of the kitchen, Fried Chicken ($18) must be the house specialty. Crispy and just the right amount of greasy, there’s nothing funky about this dish—just good ole’ Southern frying. On the plate were smashed, skin-on potatoes and flavorful sautéed green beans dotted with slivered red onions.
A similarly crunchy coating, this one made with Zapp’s potato chips, is on the Zapp’s Crusted Catfish ($19). And this plate had some serious Southern sides: crabmeat salad, red cabbage slaw and sweet potato puree, all delicious.
Don’t miss the Black Walnut Praline ice cream if it’s offered. Black walnut is a quintessentially Missouri crop—and its earthy flavor can be overwhelming, but this dessert balanced that pungency with its house-made creaminess.
[chef chat]>>john perkins
PEDIGREE | Stints at various restaurants, when five years ago I was in theology grad school, but decided I wanted to cook. I started underground restaurants, which progressed into this restaurant.
FAVORITE INGREDIENT | Black walnuts, beets, Brussels sprouts, sorghum molasses
FAVORITE LOCAL RESTAURANT | The Vine on South Grand
FAVORITE COOKBOOK | Cooking by Hand by Paul Bertolli and The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller
MOST MEMORABLE MEAL | With friends in Seattle, at a restaurant called How To Cook A Wolf. There were 12 courses and nothing seemed to matter except the food.
[amuse bouche]
THE SCENE | Appealing retro Southern restaurant and bar
THE CHEF | John Perkins
THE PRICES | $3 to $14 starters, $18 and $19 entrees
THE FAVORITES | Bread Basket, Shrimp & Grits, Pork ‘n’ Beans, Black Walnut Praline Ice Cream, Fried Chicken, Zapp’s Crusted Catfish
Photos by Bill Barrett
