We tried this urban Saint Louis Restaurant on a Sunday for a late brunch, enjoying eggs served baked and over hard. Their use of local, farm raised chicken eggs and produce was impressive. We enjoyed getting a glimpse of one of their farms and green houses across from the restaurant, as well as viewing their garden supplies, produce and plants in their adjacent store. It was a restaurant we had long wanted to check out so enjoyed the adventure of trying a place clearly devoted to growing and using their own local produce.
Overall experience ★★★
Food ★★★
We ordered eggs baked with spinach and a side salad, along with eggs cooked over hard topping locally harvested fresh squash, with a side of fruit. While the fruit was not organic, it was fresh and tasty. All of the food had a nice, enticing presentation. They did not have any gluten free bread, but did willingly substitute fruit for the side breads usually served with the over hard egg dish.
We also ordered a tea, which came with cream as we requested. Stevia and raw sugar were available on the table which was nice, along with artificial sweeteners (not healthy!). I generally carry my own stevia packets for when I am out, if needed.
Both of the egg entree’s where fairly mild, which we find to be a common trend in a lot of these more natural oriented restaurants. The cheese in the baked eggs brought out some of the stronger flavors and the over hard eggs tasted sweeter with the natural sugars in the vegetables. Everything tasted delicious and fresh and we enjoyed knowing that much of the food was locally sourced!
Tried and True Favorites:
- Herb and Goat Cheese Omelet
- French Onion Soup
- Osage Scramble
Quality ★★★
The food is focused on being locally grown and sourced. It is commendable that they have their own gardens where most of the vegetable and herbs are harvested. Eggs are also largely sourced from their local farm, where our waiter advised us the chickens have adequate room to forage. They also use a variety of other local sourced food, including Good Earth Egg Company and Wind Crest Dairy for their yogurt. The cows do not appear to be pastured from the video we watched, but small farms avoid the worst practices in the dairy industry by larger corporate farmers.
Olive oil is used for cooking, but no filtration is used for the water. Olive oil is a safe, good oil for cooking at moderate heat levels.
The waiter advised that the farm avoids use of pesticides when possible, but does use chemicals when necessary. They attempt to use organic produce when they can.
We were also told that the restaurant has a strong policy of composting.
Atmosphere ★★★★
The location of the restaurant is next to a garden/gift store and across from it’s local farm. When the weather is warmer, diners are able to eat outdoors among plants. The restaurant had large windows allowing for lots of light, along with pretty upholstered seating and chairs. There was a modern, outdoors, garden feel to the restaurant, which was refreshing. It was very simple and clean looking with white walls, chairs and wooden tables.
Service ★★★
The service was good, but not outstanding. The waiter did try to answer some of our questions, but did not seem to know all of the answers we were seeking without checking with someone first. He was fairly friendly and patient with us. We understand the challenge that this may present, especially when a restaurant is at a peak time for serving customers. The restaurant was fairly crowded when we came and the service was good for the crowded conditions. We had to wait a while for our check and were not asked if we needed anything else or if our food was okay. However, our food did arrive fairly promptly and we did enjoy the taste and quality.
Price $$
The menu items ranged from 10 to 15 dollars, which seemed reasonable for the nice atmosphere and locally grown, good quality produce.
Location
The restaurant is located near the Central West End.
Address: 4605 Olive, Saint Louis, MO 63108; 314-454-6868
For more information, including interesting details on the history of the family farm and the restaurant’s origins, along with information on the garden, gardening supplies available and changing menu items served visit the website here: Cafe Osage
