The 32 Essential St. Louis Restaurants

"St. Louis kitchens are populated with dozens of competent young chefs who have graduated from restaurants in the Niche Food Group, owned by James Beard winner Gerard Craft. When the beloved Cafe Osage and its bountiful quarter-acre farm closed in 2020, the city let out a collective wail of lament. But Craft stepped in and in 2021 reopened the restaurant as Bowood by Niche, naming Dakota Williams as chef. The walls of the dining room are covered in windows that let in tons of natural light, which enhances the feeling of renewal in Williams’s flavorful, plant-forward breakfast and lunch menu. Some of the restorative dishes include the chili fried tofu sandwich with pickled cucumbers and green goddess dressing and a butter lettuce salad composed of trout, lemon vinaigrette, and herbs. In keeping with the Osage tradition, Bowood sells a gorgeous selection of houseplants on the nursery side of the space." - Holly Fann