This place has an appealing urban vibe that comes from its hip, stylish menu—exclusive artisanal foods with exotic Asian flavors—and its cool ambience. The latter could be described as ‘Cherokee vintage sushi counter’—even though there’s no sushi. The place gets its name from a large old ‘Vista’ sign above the open kitchen that the owners just happened to acquire.
Chef-owner Chris Bork was most recently the chef at Blood & Sand, a private dining club downtown that specializes in wowing members with cool eats. He’s brought that sensibility to his own tiny spot, where he gets inventive under the guise of a simple ramen joint. To be sure, part of the menu consists of ramen offerings, but the other two-thirds (at least) is composed of things like pork ribs with ‘crab caramel’ and smoked scallop with pickled watermelon rind—hardly ramen fare.
That’s what makes it so fun. After a couple of visits there, I advise tasting both the ramen and the small plates—as many as your stomach/wallet can accommodate. If it’s offered, get the Warm Corn Pudding ($8), which, in actuality, is two mini cornbread loaves topped with small tomatoes, smoked corn kernels and corn dashi, a Japanese cooking stock. This will be the moistest cornbread you’ve ever tasted, not to mention the most interesting, with smoky flavors blending into a buttery creaminess.
The Vista ramen bowl ($13) is probably the most ‘basic,’ offering the traditional noodles, pork broth, nori, poached egg and slab of pork belly (chashu). That said, nothing about the ramen here can be called basic. Bork has elevated the Japanese mainstay, accentuating flavors into future cravings. For one thing, his broth is clearly a labor of love and time. Pork bones have to be fussed over and simmered overnight to yield this kind of flavor.
Then he’s brought out a strong strain of sesame and ginger to complement the noodles—and these are amazing in their own right. Made fresh locally, they have wonderful flavor and texture. The slab of pork was tasty, what there was of it (it can have lots of fat), and the sous vide egg added protein.
A couple of starters—Kimchi Pancakes ($7) and Smoked Scallop ($12) were less impressive. The pancakes were fine, three silver dollars topped with cole slaw and scallion curls, but I expected something bolder in flavor than prosaic coleslaw; the menu promised hoisin sauce, but it wasn’t prominent enough. As for the scallop, it literally was one scallop cut into sections and dotted around the plate with tiny cubes of watermelon and honeydew and a tangy vinaigrette dressing—not enough food for the price, despite the bits of excellent pickled watermelon rind.
We also tried the Pozole and Veggie ramen bowls ($14 and $11), both with excellent results. The veggie, in particular, had loads of flavor from pickled radish and turnip, as well as forest mushrooms and “coconut schmaltz.”
A dessert of Poached Peaches ($7) was just ho-hum as a combo of shortbread, macerated peaches, basil bits and champagne sorbet. The Paw Paw Bread ($8) also was rather bland—a tea bread made with local fruit. The accompanying grape jam and peanut butter ice cream added
some interest.
chef chat» chris bork
culinary pedigree | Westminster Kingsway College in London
favorite ingredient | Sweet corn
favorite cookbook | Est Est Est Cookbook by Donovan Cooke and Philippa Sibley-Cooke
favorite st. louis restaurant | Fork & Stix
most memorable dining experience | The French Laundry
guilty pleasure | Anything chocolate
amuse bouche
the scene | Small urban noodle bar with gourmet eats
the prices | $11-$16 ramen bowls, $7-$12 small plates
the chef/owner | Chris Bork
the favorites | Warm Corn Pudding, Vista Ramen Bowl, Veggie Ramen Bowl, Korean Fried Chicken
2609 cherokee st. | 314. 797.8250
Photos: Bill Barrett
