Salt

After a career that has included stops at popular St. Louis restaurants the Shaved Duck and Eclipse, chef Wes Johnson finally has a restaurant of his own. It was the worth the wait. The menu features rustic, ingredient-driven fare with more than a hint of playfulness. Some dishes, like a lovely seared scallop in a cracked-mustard sauce, are served inside Mason jars. Johnson loves duck fat as a cooking medium: The duck-fat frites are a crowd-pleasing starter or side, and the chicken fried in duck fat is a knockout dish.