The 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis penguins have been known to go places. It's not uncommon to find the bright orange, roughly three-foot-tall plastic sculptures basking in the floral glory of the hotel's stunning Fallen Fruit staircase, or marveling at the massive, 18,000-pound water-filled orb that greets guests in the main lobby. Often, the penguins end up in the billiards room, upstairs in one of the converted basketball courts that now boasts an art gallery or lounging by the hotel's Locust Street Athletic and Swim Club pool. Every now and then, they end up in a guest room (I don't want to know). On the night of my visit, one was tucked under the right arm of a lady en route to an upstairs yoga class. It's said that one once even left the building thanks to a drunk guest who returned the statue 12 hours later, realizing the theft was a felony.
However, the most exciting place the penguins end up is inside Idol Wolf (1528 Locust Street, 314-325-0360), the stunning Spanish restaurant on the hotel's main floor. It's a magnificent space, obscured from the lobby by a veil of woven, brown-leather straps attached from a half-wall to the ceiling. Past this sculptural tapestry, the dining room reveals itself in all of its sepia-toned splendor. Reddish-brown glazed tiles cover column-like portions of the walls; the other portions are wood-paneled and hung with whimsical, portrait-style artwork. The low blush-colored, arched plaster ceiling creates an intimate, cave-like vibe, while moody floral upholstered banquettes and deep-blue fabric chairs provide seating around a mix of butcher block and marble tables.
What makes Idol Wolf the penguins' most joyous spot, though, is not the incredible decor. It's the handiwork of executive chef Matthew Daughaday and his team of longtime culinary colleagues, who have created not simply a magical restaurant but the dining destination that downtown St. Louis needed.
Anyone who has followed Daughaday's career over the last decade-plus knows well that he was the right person to deliver this restaurant. After getting his start with Marc Del Pietro at Luciano's, Daughaday caught serious buzz in the culinary scene thanks to his turn as sous chef at Niche and, eventually, as executive chef at Taste by Niche. Daughaday left Taste to open his own restaurant, the gone-but-not-forgotten Reeds American Table, which had an acclaimed four-year run, then went on to Juniper with John Perkins.
While Daughaday inherited the Spanish concept from the 21c team, he was given complete creative freedom to take it where he best saw fit. This resulted in a menu that, while undoubtedly Spanish oriented, takes its cues from the experiences he's had in some of St. Louis' most exciting kitchens. The beef-cheek empanada, for instance, harkens back to one of his most beloved dishes at Reeds. Here, flawlessly seasoned, succulent meat the texture of the slowest-cooked pot roast is stuffed into a flaky half-moon-shaped shell. The meat's natural juices provide all the sauce you need, though it's difficult to refrain from dipping them in the verdant mojo verde and smoky mojo rojo sauces that accompany the dish.
Pan con tomate, one of the menu's bocaditos, or "small snackables," is perfection of the form. Here, rustic, almost jam-like tomato pulp is slathered atop garlic-accented Union Loafers bread. It's a simple, glorious pleasure made more decadent by thin slices of a silken serrano jam that we opted to add to the dish.
Idol Wolf's paella, which easily feeds three people, nails the form's traditional texture. Here, plump-grained bomba rice is cooked in a skillet so that the top gets an almost creamy texture like risotto while the bottom crisps up like Persian tahdig. Squid, mussels and grilled shrimp accent the saffron- and paprika-kissed dish, which is brightened by accompanying candied lemons and citrus-scented finishing salt. Another of the restaurant's larger dishes, the pork chop, is a delight in itself, but the plate's scene-stealers are the mouthwatering n'duja braised beans that are at once bright, rich and earthy. I could have made an entire meal out of this seemingly humble side.
But then I would have missed Idol Wolf's two most thrilling dishes. The chorizo-roasted hen of the woods, stacked atop a creamy masa cake, has become the restaurant's most popular dish — for good reason. The meaty mushrooms are accented in spicy-smoky chorizo seasoning and finished with chorizo butter that you want to lap up with a spoon. A smoked aioli finishes the dish and adds to the earthy complexity.
I might have declared chorizo to be the evening's king of spiced pork were it not for the mind-blowing sobrasada toast, which pairs thick slices of Union Loafer's bread with velvety whipped goat cheese, a honey glaze and dollops of the dish's namesake Spanish sausage, which is like a paprika- and garlic-spiced meat jam. Eating this masterpiece sent me into such a reverie, it took a moment to realize that one of those bright orange penguins had somehow made its way to the edge of my table and was now standing alongside me as if he was going to swipe the last bite out of my hand.
I wouldn't have blamed him. If I was a 21c penguin, I too would be lurking inside Idol Wolf, waiting to shoot my shot for a bite of that toast.
Open Sun.-Thurs. 5-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 5-11 p.m.
Subscribe to Riverfront Times newsletters. Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
