Schlafly is a darling of hometown brewing, and both its spots have an aura of community you don’t find everywhere. At the Maplewood Bottleworks location, part of that ambiance comes from hosting a popular farmers market, and from the restaurant’s emphasis on all things local.
Now entering its 12th year, the Bottleworks restaurant changes dishes to reflect the area’s seasonal products. The menu lists locally sourced meats, like Meramec Bison Ranch meatballs and Rensing Farms bacon. And while the place is definitely casual and filled with families at dinnertime, the food is considerably more evolved than you’d find in most pizza-and-sandwich places.
A Deviled Eggs ($8) starter was flavorful, the eggs laced with hot sauce to yield a mild bite, and topped with bacon and blue cheese. Oven-Baked Goat Cheese ($9.25) offered two large mounds of soft, spreadable cheese (from Heartland Dairy) swimming in a delicious tomato sauce that was slightly chunky and sweet.
The standout starter was a bowl of Pen Cove mussels in Thai coconut broth ($15). The bivalves were meatier than most, and the milky broth was a good foil, with its subtle peppery bite. But some of the mussels should have been better scrubbed, as they still retained a bit of ‘beard,’ requiring us to clean them at the table!
A Smoked Turkey Club ($10.25) was practically a work of art with its milky-white house-smoked fowl nestled between avocado, thick-cut bacon and toasted Pugliese bread. It came with creamy thyme mayo and choice of side, which for me was potato wedges. Do not miss these thick, long, browned potatoes dusted with herbs and spices. All the ingredients mixed for an explosion of flavor.
Also wonderful was the Grass-Fed Pot Roast ($16.75), a hearty winter dish. Three thick slabs of fairly lean meat sat in pan juices with creamy smashed red potatoes and still-crisp roasted carrots. It was the picture of comfort food. The flavor was good, and the buttery potatoes and gravy helped soften the beef, since pot roast has little marbling.
A fish special, Red Snapper with Charred Butter ($24), was excellent, if on the small side. The tender fillet was perched on a bed of cannellini beans and flash-fried kale, creating an interplay of textures between the beans’ firmness and the kale’s crunchiness. The dish was well-flavored with earthy sage. My complaint, though, is that servers should divulge the cost of off-the-menu specials like this. Diners should know what they’re spending, even if they don’t want to ask. The Blackened Catfish ($15.50), one smallish fillet, came in a beautiful presentation amid a pool of soupy red beans, with some rice nearby to sop up the gravy. Wish there had been more.
Don’t miss the Sticky Toffee Pudding ($7.50), a house specialty. The thick block of moist date cake comes sticky with buttery, creamy caramel and a mound of whipped cream nearby. It has a fragrant, brown-sugary flavor and light texture.
[amuse bouche]
the scene | Hip, family-friendly brewery restaurant
the chef | Matt Bessler
the prices | $7.50 to $13 starters, $9 to $10.50 sandwiches, $14 to $17.50 entrees
the favorites | Smoked Turkey Club, Blackened Catfish, Red Snapper with Charred Lemon Butter, Grass-Fed Pot Roast, Sticky Toffee Pudding
[chef chat] » matt bessler
pedigree | Forest Park Community College
favorite ingredient | Pork
favorite st. louis restaurant | Banh Miso, a Vietnamese restaurant in South City
favorite cookbook | Thomas Keller’s books
most memorable dining experience | Sidney Street Cafe many years ago. It was the first time I had tasted food cooked at a higher level, and at that moment I knew I wanted to become a chef.
guilty pleasure | Late-night sweets
7260 southwest ave. | 314.647.2589
Photos: Bill Barrett
