Black Mountain Is St. Louis’ Favorite New ‘Non-Pretentious Wine Bar'

Anyone that spent real time at the West End Grill and Pub (a.k.a. WEGAP) will walk into Black Mountain Wine House (a.k.a. blk mtn) with strong first impressions. Already, only a month into service, co-owner and proprietor Joe Baker has been fielding feedback, and it's ranged widely. Some of the diehard neighborhood regulars have been, let's be honest, a bit cool to the changes; that's inevitable. Also true: Plenty have been impressed with the multiple changes that have occurred inside the two-room space at 354-356 North Boyle Avenue.

Consider this writer in the latter number. Black Mountain features one of the boldest transitions of a barroom/dining room in St. Louis in quite some time, featuring a total reinvention of the two linked storefronts, with a food and beverage menu that precisely splits the difference between: elegant and casual, hip and homey, rustic and urban. Along with partner Tyler Maganzini (who operates the original, sister location of Black Mountain Wine House in Brooklyn, New York), Baker's touches are found all over the place at this new Central West End venture.

Baker curates the wine program as a time-tested, multi-city veteran of wine bars across the country. He's helped construct the actual, physical space, including carpentry work on several of the venue's notable features, such as sliding wood doors that separate the business' two rooms. He's overseeing the build-out of a wine shop, as well, which will open just as soon as the bar and restaurant have found their legs. Based on an early visit, it shouldn't take too long. Already, the service is dialed in, the kitchen's putting out superior fare and the beverage program is both smart and deceptively simple.

As an example of that: Instead of mixing drinks from behind a bar, customers will receive their liquor, a mixer and ice separately, a play on the old idea of set-ups.

"You get to be the bartender," Baker says. "Mix it however you like it mixed."

If you read that as glib: don't. Baker and his small staff are focusing on instilling deep knowledge but presenting that information in a relaxed manner, befitting a place that wants to become known as "a non-pretentious wine bar." It currently offers in the neighborhood of 20 wines — all served by the bottle or by the glass — with an emphasis on single varietals, rather than blends.

Baker figures that the shop will offer some of the same curatorial touches with an overall nod to accessibility. While the pricing at the bar will reflect a desire to give bang for the buck, the upcoming shop is all about depth and breadth in offerings. Natural wines, which we've noted as a growing trend in St. Louis, will be represented. But they'll only be a component, not the totality.

"I say this without sounding snooty, I hope," Baker says. "This place will never hang a shingle on only one thing. We're not going to be a national wine shop or a conventional wine shop. We like wine. There's a lot of wine in the world. We'll be non-discriminating."

Baker's bar currently offers wine, of course, plus those spirits and a small beer list of 8 to 10 titles. This part of the business he built with regional and local purveyors in mind, atop the template established at the original Black Mountain. Much of the original space's food is mirrored in the Central West End location's food menu. That said, there's a hood in the St. Louis kitchen, which allows the staff to broaden offerings. The Canadian-native Baker points to the poutine, for example, as a fun, new touch for the St. Louis location.

Shareable plates, boards and lighter fare are all highlighted on the menu, which can broadly be defined as "comfort food." That vibe accurately reflects the antiques-and-reclaimed-woods feel of Black Mountain's two rooms, too. We'll note that the future wine shop also offers a six-to-eight top table, which is the only reserved space in the house; the others are available as first-come, first-seated.

As of press time, the hours look like this, though tweaks may come: The kitchen is open from 3 to 11 p.m. Monday to Friday, noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday. The bar is open during those hours, with possible later service if there's an audience for drinks. As with WEGAP, the space also serves the patrons of the conjoined Gaslight Theater, though concessions were made to keep the audience separated with the addition of a micro-bar.

Though there are no overt allusions to Gaslight Square inside Black Mountain, the legendary entertainment district was found just around the corner. Still, Black Mountain's singular style has neatly tied itself to the spirit of that long-gone place.

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