LAFAYETTE SQUARE/SOULARD
The Bellwether
The main dining room at the Bellwether (1419 Carroll Street, 314-380-3086) is downright sexy with luxe velvet seating, brocade tapestries and Moroccan-inspired hanging lanterns. It might put you in the mood for indulgence, which is perfect, because you'll never want to stop eating Chef Thomas Futrell's dishes. Here, the humble pork steak gets elevated to fine dining as Futrell cooks the meat sous vide for 18 hours and finishes it off on the grill to make a mouthwatering, succulent feast. It's served with a German potato salad and topped off with a sweet and tangy Carolina barbecue sauce. Also on offer is a list of delectable-sounding cocktails. Order one for yourself or your date and see where the night takes you. $$$. Open daily from 5 to 9 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for brunch Saturday and Sunday. Outdoor patio.
Hamilton's Urban Steakhouse and Bourbon Bar
Hamilton's (2101 Chouteau Avenue, 314-241-2333) is a high-caliber steakhouse, but it has a cozy, neighborhood feel to it — the sort of place you'd go with business partners to celebrate closing a deal rather than the pretentious place you'd take a new client to seal it. Still, the menu hews to the template, with a show-stopping dry-aged ribeye and a terrific Kansas City strip. Unlike the corporate steakhouse chains, Hamilton's includes your choice of side dish with each steak. Get the roasted-garlic mashed potatoes. When the juice and rendered fat of that ribeye mingle with these garlic-laden beauties, you hear the angels sing. $$$. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Jack Nolen's
For some top-notch smash burgers, look no further than Jack Nolen's (2501 South Ninth Street), which serves the crispy-on-the-edge, melty-in-the-middle patties on potato buns. It is clear that owner Jim Grindstaff has been studying burgers for a while — even blogging about them — and has perfected a blend of chuck, short rib and brisket to create a quintessential burger patty. You can stack it up with a triple cheeseburger or get it spicy with a firecracker burger complete with jalapeño relish. Not into meat? Check out the pesto grilled cheese or plant-based chicken nuggets. Or just order the fries, which are meals in their own right. We recommend the Bluetine Fries, a play on Canadian-style poutine. These are still covered with brown gravy, but instead of cheese curds, you get blue cheese crumbles on top. The no-frills Soulard establishment doesn't have a phone, but you can still order takeout online or dine in person. $. Closed Mondays. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
John D. McGurk's Irish Pub and Garden
For 44 years, John D. McGurk's (1200 Russell Boulevard, 314-776-8309) has been giving local bargoers an authentic taste of Ireland in the midst of St. Louis' French quarter. Dimly lit and filled with exposed brick and dark wood, McGurk's sprawling interior offers the preeminent place to experience a pint this side of the Emerald Isle — unless it's a lovely autumn day, in which case you should enjoy that pint next to the fountain in the stunning courtyard. It's no wonder Esquire named McGurk's one of the best bars in America. A full menu of stick-to-your-ribs food offerings pairs perfectly with the environment. $-$$. Gigantic patio. Open Tuesday through Sunday.
Planter's House
Planter's House (1000 Mississippi Avenue, 314-696-2603) is St. Louis' temple to the cocktail. Together with his wife and fellow bartender Jamie Kilgore and their partner Ted Charak, acclaimed mixologist Ted Kilgore has parlayed his expertise into the gold standard for bars in St. Louis: friendly staff serving up absolutely terrific cocktails in two of the handsomest rooms in town. The kitchen, captained by chef Sam Boettler, makes it possible to go to Planter's House for a dinner of coffee- and peppercorn-rubbed rack of lamb or seared trout and leave satisfied even without having a cocktail. But this is Planter's House; why on earth would you want to do that? $$. Patio. Opens at 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Polite Society
At Polite Society's (1923 Park Avenue, 314-325-2553) attractive bar and dining space, you'll feel like an invited guest in someone's stylish Lafayette Square home. The menu has as much to offer someone looking for a cocktail and quick bite as someone looking for a multi-course dinner. Add to the mix a thoughtful beverage list and servers who provide easy hospitality and, well, let's just say that if the world was more like Polite Society, we'd all be the happier for it. $$$. Open daily for dinner, with brunch Saturday and Sunday.
Tucker's Place
In its four decades in business, Tucker's Place (2117 South 12th Street, 314-772-5977) has grown to three locations, but the Soulard original is a particularly huge draw for its affordable steaks in an unpretentious and historic setting. Diners can expect choices from filets, sirloins and strips, and unlike the national chains, Tucker's includes a dinner salad, baked potato and even dinner rolls along with your cut of meat. The lemon-pepper salad dressing is so famous, people buy it by the bottle. $$-$$$. Opens weekdays at 11 a.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 4 p.m. Patio.
The Wood Shack
Chef Chris Delgado has imbued his quick-service restaurant with the sort of swagger typically reserved for more upscale establishments. From a cozy space on a tree-lined Soulard street, he's smoking his own meats and serving top-notch sandwiches including the Soulard Primer, a prime-rib sandwich that puts to shame every roast-beef sandwich that came before it. Meanwhile, the Wood Shack's (1862 South 10th Street, 314-833-4770) Three Cheesy Pigs is a pork-lover's dream, pairing peppery, thick-sliced bacon with pulled pork and smoked ham on a French baguette with luscious comte cheese, pickled okra and pungent Champagne mustard. The standout side is the mac and cheese, a velvety concoction of corkscrew noodles and three-cheese sauce, its richness cut with crushed black peppercorns. $. Open daily. Limited seating inside; picnic tables out front.
