A complete remodel of a former neighborhood bar, this is now an attractive sports bar with tasty, home-cooked meals, mostly Bosnian-style. The owners are part of the family that started the popular Bosnian restaurant Grbic nearby. This is a project of the younger generation, and that shows in the hip interiors (exposed brick; large, U-shaped bar; and high-top tables). The food, too, is a departure—albeit not a total abandonment—of their native cuisine.
We started with the Dipping Board ($9), which offered three spreads and a nice pile of ustipci, or fried bread. The bread puffs looked like irregular doughnut holes, but chewier and without the sweetness. They were delicious. The spreads offered a window into Bosnian flavors. The ajvar was a fragrant, roasted red pepper mix; the kajmak, a creamy blend of feta and butter; the mushroom, a duxelles mixed with cream.
The Grbic Salad ($8) is typical of Balkan cuisine in its emphasis on cucumber and tomatoes rather than greens. The cubed, fresh produce was tossed with a simple oil and vinegar dressing and served as a refreshing starter. A Veggie Flatbread ($9) also had a refreshing element, as it was primarily baby greens on a thin crust spread with ajvar, a roasted red pepper spread.
There’s a small menu of big plates. Each comes with a starch and vegetable, and prices are $11 to $18. There also are a few hefty sandwiches. My Chuck Roast Sandwich ($13) was an eastern European slant on the traditional roast beef French dip. This one had shredded, slow-cooked beef chuck, piled with caramelized onions and mushrooms, all on a wide hoagie bun. A slice of smoky provolone was melted on there, too, but somewhat lost in the jambalaya of everything else. There also was a well-strained dipping jus that came from the meat’s slow-cooking process. House-made potato chips were the accompaniment, presented creatively on a skewer.
Also very appetizing was the Crab Burger ($14), a thick crab patty, deep fried and served on a big round bun with shaved cucumbers and carrots, red onions and a fire-roasted red pepper spread. It had red pepper flakes for heat and a wonderful outer crispness. Good crab flavor, too. The skewer of potato chips accompanied this as well.
Among the big plates, Kings Kabob ($14) was very good, consisting of tender and moist chicken chunks (light and dark) lined on a skewer with red onions and zucchini. All had been glazed with sweet chili sauce (not very Bosnian, but very tasty!). Rice under the skewer was slightly peppery and dotted with shaved carrots and slivered red pepper. The Trout ($18) was a hefty serving of well-seasoned whole fish, served over the same rice. The seasoning was likely the Balkan ‘Vegeta,’ a mix of dried veggies, spices, salt and usually flavor enhancers.
For dessert, Krempita is reminiscent of confections from Greece, which is near Bosnia. It’s a Bosnian ‘Napoleon.’ Whipped cream and a lemon vanilla custard are piled between two layers of puff pasty. The pastry parts—sugary and very crisp—were more akin to the Jewish ‘kichel’ than to phyllo dough or the traditional eclair puff pastry. The dessert was good, big enough to share and drizzled with strawberry coulis. The Dessert Dipping Board ($10) included bread balls (ustipci) rolled in cinnamon sugar and served with three sauces: vanilla cream, strawberry and a chocolate-vanilla swirl. Very tasty, mostly thanks to those yummy dough balls.
amuse bouche
the scene | Completely remodeled neighborhood eatery
the chef | Senada Grbic
the prices | $6-$10 starters, $10-$13 sandwiches, $11-$14 entrees
the favorites | Dipping Board, Chuck Roast Sandwich, Kings Kabob
5800 gravois ave. | 314.899.9898
Pictured: King’s Kabob, skewer of chicken and seasonal vegetables over rice
Photos: Bill Barrett
