The Tavern Kitchen and Bar

Hello Again,

We've been out of town, plus since we've returned, we haven't been hitting restaurants that I would recommend to you. However, today we went to THE TAVERN KITCHEN AND BAR which has been getting a lot of media attention, so we decided to check it out.

It's located at 2961 Dougherty Ferry Road in Valley Park, and for all you folks in U City, Clayton, Ladue, and points West, it is just one exit south of Manchester Road on I-270, not far at all, and well worth the trip.

The chef is Justin Haifley, a St Louis guy who has worked for Roy Yamaguchi's Hawaiian fusion restaurants for ten years and also has cooked for Tommy Hilfiger, Jay-Z and Beyonce, among others. He has returned to help create a place that is attractive and interesting.

We went for one of our Friday lunches and had a very good meal and we intend to try it again soon for dinner.

There's an open kitchen in the dining room so you can watch your food being prepared. We snagged a couple of seats looking directly into the kitchen and found the experience one we'd like to repeat.

My husband had the OAK BLT which was a more than generous sandwich with double cut bacon, regular bacon, tomato, arugula and peppercorn aioli served with really yummy french fries for $12. Believe me, it could easily serve two people.

I had the ARUGULA MARKET SALAD, also generous, with grilled sirloin, tiny tomatoes, Buffalo mozzarella, and sunflower seeds $14.  It was really delicious.

For dessert we tried the house specialty MAPLE CINNAMON DOUGHNUTS with WHIPPED CREAM CHEESE SAUCE SPRINKLED WITH BACON. Do try it-the bacon adds an element of saltiness to the sweet that is just yummy.

We will definitely go back to try more of Chef Haifley's creations.

The Tavern Kitchen and Bar
2961 Dougherty Ferry Rd
St Louis, MO 63122
636-825-0600
tavernstl.com