Tony's Restaurant - St. Louis, Missouri

Tony's Restaurant

Ask anyone in St. Louis, the concierge at your hotel, the bellman, the valet, the guy you are having a meeting with, for the name of the "Best Restaurant" in St. Louis and nine times out of ten they will mention Tony's Restaurant. Conveniently located downtown near the major hotels, the federal courthouse and Busch Stadium, Tony's is tailor made for business people on an expense account. Apparently Conde Naste magazine agrees having named Tony's the "best" italian restaurant IN THE COUNTRY (I am not sure what year this occured, it might have been 1962), Mobil and AAA have given this place 4 and 5 diamond designations respectively. Tony's is old school. They have been around since 1947. They finish every course tableside. With great expectations and high hopes I made a reservation for one last week when I found myself stuck in St. Louis on a Thursday night. Armed with my new iphone and without a jacket for dinner i confirmed that Tony's had recently relaxed its dress code and men were no longer required to wear jacket and tie during the week. I was excited. I have had miserable meals in St. Louis in the past at Dan Dierdorf's steak house and was hopeful that Tony's would be something special. Having had time to reflect on my meal I only have one question to ask the venerable reviewers at Conde Naste Magazine, AAA and the Mobil guide. What, exactly, were you smoking?

The "Best" Italian Restaurant in the country? Maybe if that country were Lizbekistan, Bergonia or the Principality of Freedonia, otherwise this restaurant wouldnt make the top 10 best Italian Restaurants in Chicago, New York or probably St. Louis for that matter. The place was tired, the food was average and the service was dreadfully overbearing and impersonal. Table side finishing? Try table side reheatting over a sterno can.

I will confess that i didnt look at the menu other then to notice the tasting menu for two, and ask if they could do it for one. They could so I let them suprise me and the courses began. I apologize for the iphone pictures, they are the best that i have.

Antipasto of Smoked Salmon, Mascarpone cheese and Asparagus with Belgian Endive


Absolutely average starter that appeared to have been preassembled and left in the walk-in until it was brought to the tableside prep area to be finished by placing it on my plate. I have had better salmon almost everywhere. This dish was shameful.

Penne, Lobster and Shrimp


If there was lobster in this dish it was hidden behind protons and electrons. The shrimp were mealy. Finished tableside by heating the whole mess up in a saute pan. Awful.

Tenderloin of Beef, Foie Gras, Port Wine Demi Glaze


The best thing that I have to say about this dish is that they actually served it medium-rare as ordered. There was nothing wrong with the steak per se, just boring. Not even the foie gras could save this ensemble.

Sauteed Spinach


Swimming in garlic and oil. If you like lots of garlic and oil its a home run. I prefer to taste the spinach with my garlic and oil so I was less then pleased.

Assorted Cheeses, Fresh Fruit


I was dissapointed that they served two domestic cows mik cheeses. Wouldn't the country's best Italian restaurant try something creative for a cheese course. Might I suggest something crazy like a cheese from Italy?

Chocolate Cake and Marscapone Ice Cream


Dry chocolate cake. The ice cream was ok but nothing outstanding.

Peiti Fors


Delicious (also not house made)

Since i was alone I will only briefly comment on the service and pacing of the meal. I would have prefered getting the courses a little more quickly as I was not engaged in stimulating conversation with fellow diners. They definitely paced the meal as if I was dining with companions. The tableside finishing of each course was an outdated joke. All of the courses would have been better off if composed and presented plated from the kitchen. At one time this might have been special but currently comes off a gimmick. It is no wonder that very few restaurants do this anymore. I'll save my desire to enjoy a table side prep for my next trip to Benihana.

The tasting menu for two is $210 with wine pairings and $180 without. They were kind enough to make it for one in my case, however this might have been an exception to their rule as we needed the manager's ok. Considering that the bill was $120 including tax and tip for one without wine this meal was no bargain. I am not exagerating the mediocrity of this meal. If you are in St. Louis and are tempted to eat at Tony's run, dont walk, any place else.

Tony's Restaurant
410 Market St
St. Louis, Mo 63102
314-231-7007

Tony's is the type of place where there are bound to be dissenting opinions. While it once was a five star (the only restaurant in Missouri at the time to have received five stars). It has for many years now been a four star, which is well deserved given the sculpture-adorned dining room, well-dressed and well-rehearsed serving team and tableside preparations which create one of the most formal dining options in St. Louis.

I personally like Tony's, but I do admit that the menu is rather straightforward (and maybe even boring) with few unique or creative choices. I've only been over the past several years, but my wife states that the menu has largely remained unchanged over the past twenty years (when most of the aforementioned accolades were given). In particular I would suggest that the tasting menu (which doesn't change) showcases some of the more mundane menu items offered.

That being said, there are many things on the menu that are worth ordering. Many (all?) of their pastas are house made and nearly always perfectly cooked. The lobster albanello is a dish that I believe was created at Tony's, consisting of chunks of lobster and mushrooms cooked in a sherry cream sauce, which is quite good if you're into insanely rich lobster dishes. The quality of the steaks and chops are also consistently high.

I would wholeheartedly agree that Tony's is not the best restaurant in St. Louis. It may not even be the best Italian restaurant in the city, although comparing it the numerous red sauce American/Italian restaurants on "The Hill" would be apples to oranges. Instead, Tony's is a destination restaurant for people in St. Louis who want to go out for that special event. There aren't many formal dining options in the city, and Tony's holds esteem among locals (many who have never even been) as THE place for big occasions. As we all know, oftentimes that special night will be special because you went to Tony's, not because the food at Tony's knocked your socks off. And I think the people at Tony's know that and do their best to oblige. So at Tony's, while the food isn't always the star, it never gets in the way of allowing the whole experience to be special. And as such, the food is probably only as good as it needs to be (which to me is still pretty darn good).

gus wrote:While it once was a five star (the only restaurant in Missouri at the time to have received five stars). It has for many years now been a four star...

They are still AAA 5 diamond rated, according to the plaque on the wall at the entrance.

Tony's reminds me of Nick's Fishmarket here in Chicago. I used to love Nick's, which at one time was a truly great restaurant in the Loop, but is now a caricature of its former self catering to conventioners and other business folks on an expense account. I ordered the tasting menu at Tony's because I figured that any restaurant that offers one is trying to showcase what they do best. Now looking at the menu there are any number of dishes that I am sure I would have enjoyed more. I cannot recommend the food, or much else at Tony's, because what I was offered was mediocre at best.

Hi,

I consider Trattoria Marcella to be a better Italian restaurant in St. Louis.

And you don't have to put up with the coldly distant and obsequious service. They can really be annoying, replacing your butter knife at the exact angle after every use.

The last time I was there, the port wine demi-glace was thickened with arrowroot. Much of the food was lamentable. Yes the pasta was top notch and some dishes were remarkable as were the wines, but on the whole, it just was not fun nor was it a culinary treat.

Tim

Man, that's something. We visited Trattoria Marcella last year, only one visit sure, but I summed up the experience thus:

Maybe Italian food in St. Louis really isn’t that good. The meal was squarely okay. Not particularly objectionable, but not memorable either.

Funny thing is, we briefly considered a trip to Tony's on that St. Louis visit, but were put off by the expense + frequent reports of mediocrity like those here.