eFlyer - eTested

Scape Restaurant

by Ron Bernthal

48 Maryland Plaza
St. Louis, MO 63108
tel 314 361 7227

Maryland Plaza, in St. Louis’ fashionable Central West End, is a restored and gentrified historic section of the city that now seems more European than Midwestern. During the past few years, many urban planners and restaurant designers mimicked Italian piazzas and bistro-style eateries in cities such as Omaha, Sarasota and Minneapolis. I should not have been surprised then at the Mediterranean feel of the lush, tree-lined street outside of Scape, a two-year-old St. Louis restaurant that has been getting rave reviews in the local press.   

On an early summer evening, with the Missouri heat and humidity still lingering over the river city, I chose a window table in the air-conditioned first-floor dining room, overlooking the sidewalk patio where some patrons had settled down, many with dogs and children in tow, under large umbrella-covered tables. 

The street and plaza outside — with a stone fountain throwing water across its edges, sidewalk cafes attracting couples and WiFi addicts and giant oak trees spreading their dark green limbs across the landscape — were livelier than the restaurant’s interior, but I enjoyed the soft, golden wall lighting, the copper-topped tables and the huge vase of fresh flowers occupying the center of the room.  It was cool and quiet and my window seat offered great people-watching opportunities.

Despite a menu filled with eclectic choices, I stayed somewhat simple, ordering the Scape salad, a mixture of romaine, salami, olives and ricotta salata, which arrived fresh and chilled. I was completely satisfied by a deep bowl (not the usual shallow saucer) of extra-virgin olive oil, topped with shaved parmesan, a basket of warm baguette slices and a glass of white wine, until my dinner was brought to the table by Chef Eric Kelly —  the former Executive Chef at Wolfgang Puck’s Grand Café in Orlando and a St. Louis Magazine’s “Best Chef in St. Louis” award winner. I had noticed the young and amiable chef attending to other tables as well, and the pan-seared, sesame-crusted, yellow fin tuna, with bean-sprout snap pea stir-fry and wasabi pepper sauce he served me was an excellent choice.

Scape has a second-floor dining room, where a wedding rehearsal dinner was taking place the night I visited, but any noise and tumult from private parties and corporate functions does not seep through into the first-floor bar and dining room.  The outdoor European Courtyard, behind the restaurant, is a nice idea, but sits in the shadow of a concrete parking garage and is not particularly attractive for private functions.  The restaurant itself, however, with its bistro-style dining room and bar, and front patio on the plaza, offers excellent cuisine and ambience for business lunches or leisurely dinners.

Score: 4/5