Short Orders

[ST. LOUIS STANDARDS]

Written by CHERYL BAEHR

When Pam Neal looks back at the old photographs from when her grandparents opened Al’s Restaurant, she is overwhelmed by just how different the riverfront was in those days. Back then, in , you could find as many horses as people on the Landing and its environs, the dirt roads and cobblestone tailormade for their clopping hooves as they helped move people around the neighborhood. However, even more striking than the infrastructure changes, Neal can’t help but marvel at how much energy there was in the area. At the time, the riverfront was the city’s commercial center, a vibrant hub of people and businesses — a far cry from the scene today.

“Back then, the riverfront looked so different than it does now,” Neal says. “It was thriving and bustling. There were so many cargo boats and steamboats and all of that. It really was the hub — where St. Louis grew out of, and its beginning. My grandparents were in the thick of things that started the growth of the entire city.” he riverfront’s buzzing commercial activity is what brought her grandfather, Albert Borroni, do n to its streets in the first place. A soda truck driver who had immigrated to St. Louis from Milan, Italy, with his wife, Louise, Borroni found himself making deliveries in the area almost daily. One of his stops was an old sugar warehouse — one of many that used to populate the riverfront — that also served as a dry goods shop and saloon. Over time, he got to know the warehouse’s owner, then- ire Chief ulius ogel, and would sometimes go there with Louise. One day, the three got to talking about ho ogel anted to retire, and a lightbulb went off in Louise’s head.

“She thought, ‘This is perfect’; she had some brothers and sisters who maybe weren’t quite as ambitious as her, so this seemed like a great thing to take it over and employ her family members,” Neal says. “Plus, the business was downstairs and there was a living area upstairs, so they would have a home too.”

The Borronis had no plans to change up the business they acquired, but Louise’s cooking made keeping things the same impossible. Upstairs, in the residential kitchen, she would cook for friends and neighbors who would stop by in the morning to play cards over a cup of coffee. Her egg sandwiches became famous in the neighborhood, and as word spread, she’d get people coming by just to enjoy her food. In fact, there were so many hungry guests showing up on her doorstep that Louise decided to start offering meals at the saloon. Over time, she built a steam table, and turned the lace into a bona fide cafeteria

“It was so popular at lunch,” Neal says. “It was a large cafeteria with whole hams, roast beef, turkeys, pastas and salads. It was a thriving business. Railroad en-

gineers would stop the train right there in front of the restaurant, come in and have lunch, get back on the trains and go on with the rest of their route. They were serving hundreds and hundreds of lunches a day.”

That lunch business turned into early dinner business, and continued that way for years. Along the way, the restaurant became one of the city’s most famous places to dine, and celebrities who were in town performing at the Muny or other theaters would make sure to stop in for a bite to eat, with Albert driving them to and from their hotels. That popularity continued even after Albert passed away, with Louise holding down the fort as the main chef and proprietor — a distinction that made her one of the first if not the very first omen business o ners in town.

“She loved going to the symphony and the Muny, but in the restaurant business, you work 24/7 and can’t ever get away,” Neal says. “One day, she wanted to go so badly that she walked up to a woman washing dishes and said, ‘You know, I think I can teach you to cook and be a good chef.’ She trained her and was so happy because she could finally sneak off for a bit. It elevated the woman to a higher position, and I think it’s so great she chose to train a woman instead of a man. She ended up being the main chef for 65 years, and it’s her son who is our main chef today.”

That decades-long throughline is what makes Al’s so unique, even if there have been significant changes to the restaurant over the years. The most notable happened as the result of a tragedy that occurred in 1960 when the St. Louis Bag Company building next door caught fire one anuary morning and toppled onto Al’s. Though some of the main walls remained intact, the incident caused extensive damage and prompted Neal’s father, l r , to think through what he wanted the next iteration of the restaurant to be. Running the restaurant after the death of his mother, the younger Al decided to rebuild as a more fine-dining-style establishment, getting rid of the steam tables, cutting out lunches and turning it into the elegant affair that it remains today.

Neal’s father made sure to not change the place too much, though. Despite having to renovate most of the restaurant following the building collapse, several key features remain, including the cobblestones from the riverfront, an actual gangplank from a riverboat, a mural painted by a man who was a set designer for the Muny, and woodwork hand-carved by monks that gives the bar a riverboat feel. Two years ago, that historic preservation as o cially recognized by the City of St. Louis when Al’s was designated as one of the area’s 130 landmarks.

Neal feels honored to carry forth that legacy, and feels that she has an obligation to both her grandparents and the City of St. Louis to keep such an iconic establishment thriving after all these years. She wishes she could say the same for the riverfront in general. When she thinks back on the area’s many different heydays — from the bustling days of the steamboats to the 1980s and ’90s nighttime energy of the Landing — she can’t help but feel down about the current state of affairs. However, what gives her hope is the handful of business owners who are putting in the effort to make the area a destination again; because her family has been around long enough to see the ebbs and o s of activity, she is optimistic that the riverfront will reclaim some of its former glory — and she is eager for Al’s to be a part of it for generations to come.

“One of the reasons to keep on through all these generations is that, for a city to thrive, you really need diverse offerings to attract people,” Neal says. “There are new restaurants that are prettier and glitzier and fancier than us some people come in and don’t like the way we look, because we maintain the integrity and history. We’ve redone things, and it’s not ancient, but they want shiny. The overwhelming amount of people appreciate the feel and history, though. It adds to the landscape and vibrancy of the city. You need places like us and new trendy s ots, too hey all fit in ith the others to make things interesting and not the same, and create the unique experiences that people equate with St. Louis.” n

Written by CHERYL BAEHR

St. Louis has a new destination for globally inspired European cuisine in the again-bustling Grand Center Arts District. Commonwealth (634 North Grand Boulevard, 314-4053399), a new restaurant brought to life by executive chef Scottie Corrigan, opened this month inside the boutique Angad Arts Hotel, promising an inspired culinary experience like no other in town.

Commonwealth replaces Grand Tavern, the restaurant that previously occu ied the first- oor dining space of the hotel. Though its location might tempt diners to think of it as simply a hotel restaurant, chef Corrigan is eager to dispel that conception and is confident the food and drinks ill speak for themselves to that effect.

“You can’t get anything else like this in St. Louis,” Corrigan says. “The hotel is one-of-a-kind, so we wrapped the concept around that. We’ve been given full creative freedom and believe this should be a memorable experience whether you come for date night or a business meeting e definitely ant to be put on the map.”

Together with sous chef Sierra Eaves, Corrigan has worked hard to create a menu that will provide the level of dining experience to make Commonwealth a destination unto itself. Drawing inspiration from the avors found throughout the British Commonwealth, the restaurant traces culinary in uences to different countries on such continents as Africa, Asia and the Americas — and the acific slands he result of this effort is a menu that is divided into three different sections or the able, Beginnings, and “Mains) consisting of a variety of dishes, ranging from foie gras to confit duck ragout, and from roasted chicken breast masala to tandoori duck.

Corrigan and Eaves put that same level of thoughtfulness into creating Commonwealth’s dessert menu, including the restaurant’s signature sweet offering, the Starry Night. This stunning dessert, which is sure to be one of the city’s most sought-after sweet treats, consists of a chocolate torte base topped with chocolate creme patisserie, blueberry gelée set in a tempered chocolate shell and topped with a iridescent mirror glaze.

Leading the bar is industry veteran James Cassidy, who has created a cocktail list meant to pair with the food. Look for spins of classic drinks, such at the New World ashion and Black imlet, as ell as his o n creations, like the Berry Sour and London Fog.

“We want the cocktails to be as inventive as the food,” Cassidy says. t just makes for a better meal

The stunning setting, reimagined from the Grand Tavern days, has a vintage, art deco vibe with marble tabletops, plush sage-green chairs and semi-circle booths, a black marble bar and peacockblue walls. The restaurant will also serve as an art gallery, showcasing the work of local artists; the current exhibition is dedicated to the concept of time and history.

Commonwealth is now open Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to m and riday and aturday from 4 to 11 p.m. The restaurant also serves breakfast daily from 7 to 11 a.m. n

[ACCOLADES]

Written by CHERYL BAEHR

After a year and a half defined by challenges, uncertainty and, at times, utter distress, Craig and Mowgli Rivard have reason to celebrate. Little Fox (2800 Shenandoah Avenue, 314-553-9456), the Fox Park eatery the husband-and-wife team opened together in December of 2019, has been named to the prestigious New York Times Restaurant List for 2021.

“Through all of this you get really good at having unexpected things happen,” Mowgli Rivard laughs. “It’s nice when they go in this direction.”

The New York Times published the annual restaurant list on October 12, placing Little Fox among “the 50 most vibrant and delicious restaurants of 2021.” According to the paper, the selected restaurants “reflect the rich mosaic of American dining,” representing both old and new restaurants from a variety of culinary traditions.

In making its claim for Little Fox to be among those 50 spots, author Brett Anderson describes the restaurant as being heir to the tradition of the great “corner bistro that punches above its weight,” noting that Craig Rivard’s cooking leaves you “convinced he’s making wise choices with the best ingredients he can find.”

For the Rivards, the honor is particularly satisfying because it shows that they were successful in translating their vision for Little Fox into reality.

“We wanted to be a modern neighborhood restaurant, and as short as the write-up was, it was clear that they got it,” Mowgli Rivard says. “That’s the most exciting part — knowing you put something out there and were successful in getting across what you wanted to be.”

Though the couple are thrilled about what the honor means for their restaurant, they are also excited about how it reflects on St. Louis. In Mowgli Rivard’s mind, they share the nod with their fellow hospitality professionals who all do their part to make the city’s restaurant scene so ascendent.

“This just adds to St. Louis getting more and more known for its restaurants,” she says. “That’s exciting for everyone.” n

Little Fox is one of the country’s most exciting restaurants, says the New York Times. | MABEL SUEN

Written by CHERYL BAEHR

Things are heating up for Joel Anderson’s hot-sauce brand Anderson & Son Pepper Co. The locally based company released its latest offering, Granny’s Myth, last week, promising spice enthusiasts a unique experience sure to tingle the taste buds.

“This one is vinegar-based with Granny Smith apples, jalapeños, garlic, onions, cilantro, cumin, sea salt and cinnamon,” Anderson says. “It has a little bit of tartness, but the cumin and cinnamon really warm it up a bit — if you didn’t know they were there, you probably wouldn’t pick up on it. It’s just a warm, backof-the-tongue spice. The cilantro really comes out, giving it some freshness. It’s really versatile; like all of our stuff, I think it’s really great on everything.”

Granny’s Myth is the fourth product Anderson has brought to market since launching Anderson & Son Pepper Co. a little over

a year ago is first label, on’t Touch the Baby, was met with so much success that he decided to go all-in on the company, drawing upon his sauce-making prowess and background in advertising to create a bona fide hot sauce brand. Not long after, he created another variety, Baby addy Chi otle ru e, and a dry seasoning blend called Reaper Ranch. He has also been actively building his brand through collaborations with several restaurants around to n, including i- ointe riveIn and Pie Guy, as well as one with PBR, which resulted in him selling 420 bottles online in 30 minutes.

“I’ve been doing these a lot because I feel like it’s a great way for me to get my name and brand out there,” Anderson says. “Now, though, I’m excited to focus on what I need to do for the business to expand, which is expand my lineup.”

For now, he’s still making every batch of sauce and seasoning blend himself out of a commissary kitchen at the culinary incubator STL Foodworks. Though he understands a co-packer may become necessary sometime in the future, he hopes to be handson in the process as long as he can and is working on scaling things slowly.

“My goal for this year is to get into more retailers and farmers’ markets and do more collaborations and things that grow the brand,” Anderson says. “It’s been really fun, and this fills me ith energy for the future. There’s always something coming next, which is fun.” n