This year, we're bringing you a guide to restaurants we love throughout the region's many neighborhoods. These favorite spots have cemented their legacies and are joined by many new spots that are destined to become classics. These, and all the restaurants in our guide, were curated by RFT Restaurant Critic Cheryl Baehr. Read on to discover many of the great places to eat in St. Charles County and the Metro East, and then check out her introduction as well as her picks for St. Louis city and St. Louis County.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY
Bella Vino Wine Bar & Tapas
Set in a historic home just off the cobblestone streets of Old Town St. Charles, Bella Vino Wine Bar & Tapas (325 South Main Street, St. Charles; 636-724-3434) charms diners with its cozy atmosphere, which includes both exposed brick and a fireplace. The menu is an eclectic array of Spanish-style small plates, such as chorizo-stuffed dates, fried calamari and spicy pork and beef meatballs. Bella Vino also offers several pastas and flatbreads; try the excellent seafood risotto for something different. Desserts are made in-house, and the gooey butter cake is a standout. $$$. Patio. Opens Tuesday through Thursday at 4:30 p.m., Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. Closed Monday.
Jalea
On Main Street St. Charles you can get a taste of Peru at Jalea (323 North Main Street, St. Charles; 314-303-0144). Many may only know one Peruvian dish, ceviche, and yes, the citrusy seafood melange is on the menu. But Jalea can do more to transport you, offering Peruvian nonalcoholic beverages, such as a fermented barley drink; tiradito, a sashimi-style ceviche with a rotating selection of fish; or jalea, a fried seafood dish that includes flounder, shrimp and calamari and comes with plantain chips. $$-$$$. Open Wednesday through Friday 5 to 9 p.m., and Saturday noon to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m.
Loaded
For the past five years, Brandon Holzhueter and Brad Merten have approached just about every dish they encounter with one simple question: Can this be turned into a nacho? It wasn't just a thought experiment. The pair were engaged in some serious business, testing the limits of the form so they could launch their restaurant Loaded (1450 Beale Street #130, St. Charles; 636-202-0841), which expands and elevates the snack-time staple from chips and cheese to just about whatever your heart desires. Though a restaurant built entirely around nachos might sound gimmicky, Holzhueter and Merten have nailed the tone, thanks to thoughtful offerings created with the same level of care you'd find at an upscale dining establishment. From toasted ravioli to crab Rangoon to gyros to Philly cheesesteaks to jerk chicken, Loaded proves that when it comes to nachos, if you can imagine it, you can do it. $-$$. Open Sunday through Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Noto
During a trip to the Amalfi Coast, Kendele and Wayne Sieve fell in love with Neapolitan pizza and returned home determined to recreate the classic pies. That passion became a popular food truck that morphed into Noto (5105 Westwood Drive, St. Peters; 636-317-1143), the only restaurant in the area to serve pizza certified by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana. Noto also serves south Italian aperitivo (pre-appetizer small bites), starters, salads, pastas and mains, as well as excellent desserts, like otherworldly tiramisu, that draw on Kendele's extensive experience as a pastry chef. But that pizza — one bite of Noto's leopard-spotted crust with its excellent pull and chew transports diners straight to Naples. $$$-$$$$. Open Wednesday to Saturday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Prasino
A bastion of eco chic in the middle of the streets of St. Charles, Prasino (1520 South Fifth Street, St. Charles; 636-277-0202) offers hormone- and antibiotic-free meats, sustainable seafood and organic produce. The ambitious menu changes seasonally and offers everything from sushi to tacos to a pork steak smothered in Fitz's Root Beer barbecue sauce. Drinks boast a farm-to-bar philosophy as well, though the bar is better known as the place to see and be seen in the St. Charles area. $-$$$. Opens weekdays at 11 a.m. and weekends at 8 a.m.
Tony's on Main Street
St. Charles mainstay Tony's on Main Street (132 North Main Street, St. Charles; 636-940-1960) is equal parts steakhouse and Italian restaurant — the sort of place where you can get a juicy, perfectly cooked ribeye with a side of fettuccine and an order of cheese garlic bread. For years, this Main Street spot has been welcoming in crowds for its grilled meats — some of the best in the area — topped with a signature steak butter that's so good, they sell it by the container. Located inside a dark, wood-adorned historic storefront, Tony's on Main is the undisputed place for steaks in St. Charles County. $$-$$$. Open Tuesday to Thursday 4 to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 3 to 10:30 p.m., and Sunday 4 to 8:30 p.m.
METRO EAST
Bakers & Hale
Chef Kelsi Baker Walden, a veteran of 360, Basso and Boundary, opened this spot with her former boss and mentor, acclaimed chef Rex Hale. He's since shifted to a consulting role, but his touch lives on in the "American comfort food" menu at this farm-to-table spot. Reasonably priced options at Bakers & Hale (7120 Montclaire Avenue, Godfrey, Illinois; 618-433-9748) include tacos, pizzas and sandwiches, as well as creative small plates for sharing. An expert cocktail list and solid choices for both local beer on tap and wine by the glass add to the fun. $$. Patio. Opens at 11 a.m. daily. Closed Tuesday.
BEAST Craft BBQ
Is the best barbecue in St. Louis actually in Belleville? When the RFT's critic raised that question in 2015, it may have felt like heresy, but in the years since, as St. Louis food lovers have steadily made pilgrimages east to see for themselves, the theory has gained numerous converts. At BEAST (20 South Belt W, Belleville, Illinois; 618-257-9000), David Sandusky is running a casual, counter-service smokehouse with exacting standards and only the finest products — Compart Farms' Duroc pork, Wagyu beef from Snake River Farms. The result: a pork steak that's become the standard upon which all other pork steaks are judged, transcendent pork belly and brisket so good you simply can't stop eating it. "I want to be the best in the nation," Sandusky says. It's not out of the question. Beer and wine only. $$. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Cleveland-Heath
Founders Jennifer Cleveland and Ed Heath are no longer at their namesake restaurant, but the food remains stellar, from the best cheddar biscuits you've ever had to a succulent pork chop as juicy and flavorful as a dry-aged steak. Oh, and the steak (served with cheddar-mashed potatoes and glistening with marrow butter) is pretty sweet, too. Don't let the unpretentious vibe fool you: Like the food, the service and attention to detail at Cleveland-Heath (106 North Main Street, Edwardsville, Illinois; 618-307-4830) are top-notch. No reservations; prepare to wait. $$$. Opens at 11 a.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday.
Fast Eddie's Bon Air
Fast Eddie's (1530 East Fourth Street, Alton, Illinois; 618-462-5532) may or may not be, as one of its brochures boasts, the "No. 1 volume bar in the world." Nonetheless, this 80-year-old, 400-seat institution is almost always packed. Here you can get filling, if not elaborate, meals for just a couple of bucks as long as you're willing to buy a drink while you're there and retrieve your own meal from the counter. The menu has a total of seven items, the most expensive being a beef-tenderloin kebab called a Big Elwood on a Stick, topping out at a whopping $5.99. The half-pound Fat Eddie hamburger is a steal at $3.99. Live music keeps things noisy. 21 and older. $. Huge patio. Open 11 a.m. to midnight daily.
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