St. Lou's Assembly- Meat 'n Three

I'm quite surprised that a thread on this place hasn't blossomed yet. I'm a fan.

I was scratching my head when I first heard the address, east of the expressway on Lake? But cruising northbound on 90/94 provided that a-ha moment when I could not have possibly ignored the giant primary yellow mural on the side of the building. Oh that place! That little frumpy brown-brick dive right off the exit ramp at Lake.

I'm digging the retro 60s/70s looks that are coming into style these days, I'm thinking the fern-y porn set of Heavy Feather and the harvest-yellow and burnt-orange hex tile at Dove's. St. Lou's looks like they merely deep cleaned whatever that frumpy dive was in its previous life, drop ceiling tiles, lacquered brick and all. I also love their graphic design, that yellow, the tiny typeface with anecdotal quips about Finkleman's meatpacker grandfather.

My first visit was early in. It was packed on a Friday lunch and it seemed as though they were still getting their sea-legs on how to manage cafeteria-style service. Counterproductive to the steam-table format, the line is populated by dinner-plate sized dishes of each offering that are hustled to and from the kitchen by a clusterfuck of easily a dozen food runners. Big troughs would make the assembly line move efficiently. But I appreciate their commitment to keeping the food moving and fresh. And on a more laid back dinner service on my repeat visit, things were operating much more smoothly.

The food?



Its like comfort food that most of us around here are capable of pulling off at home. And I mean that as a compliment. On a busy, freezing early spring afternoon, it was exactly what the doctor ordered, rib-sticking and soulful. That fried chicken, despite their attempts to expedite the hot-holding process, still had the heat-lamp-sog of your favorite soul-food-line rendition. It maintained enough crunch it its crags, but I'm somebody who likes it cold by the light of the fridge. The mildly seasoned breading let the slight gaminess of what must be a yard-strutting bird and an assertive brine shine through. For dinner on my second visit I opted for prime rib, carved right in front of me on the line. A thin cut, but still an ample size. With all them sides, it seems impossible to leave this place any shy of stuffed.

The sides are where its at. I loved the smashed potatoes, just like the best griddled breakfast version, crisped up edges yielding starchy interiors. Especially dipped in a rosemary-scented gravy and doused in house hot sauce. I gotta say though, I experienced inverse consistency issues with this dish and another side. On trip #1 the green beans were served green and crispy in what you would not expect from a "casserole" though were still delicious bathed in a mushroom béchamel topped with crispy onions. On trip #2, the beans were served properly cooked-to-death grey/green but the spuds lacked much crunch. They have a way with leafy greens here, kale cooked down all sweet and sticky and ginger-y bok choy straight out of the Cantonese playbook.

Likely a result of its address, prices here exceed what you'd expect from a down- home cafeteria and you could do this stuff for pennies at home (though it would take you all day). But this is really good comfort food. The short beer list is fun and diverse and my Penrose Devoir washed down perfectly the gamy chicken. Add this to the growing list of tasty chef-casual spots in bustling neighborhoods I frequent.

St. Lou's Assembly
664 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60661
(312) 600-0600

From the pictures I've seen, this restaurant looks like it could substitute for a set on a Wes Anderson film. I wonder if we'll find Bill Murray dining here?

That being said, the menu looks great and having already sampled the cocktails at Moneygun next door, I'm looking forward to eating at St. Lou's soon. They are also now serving brunch on weekends according to their Facebook.

Here's an ABC7 Chicago segment on the shaved prime rib sandwich served next door at Moneygun (they share the same kitchen as St. Lou's Assembly):

http://abc7chicago.com/food/cool-classi ... p/1293490/

I had a late lunch here the week they opened. Short story, I liked it very much. While not normally a kale fan I figured what the heck. This is not PETA kale - it's merely a delivery vehicle for a 1-2 punch of vinegar and bacon. Probably one of the richest "greens" I've had in a while. The asparagus was OK, being a little too thin for my liking, but it wasn't cooked to mush as is all too common in a cafeteria-style setup. The mac & cheese was "in-between" - not the over the top super-rich variety seen in some places nor the minimalist box-variety-style seen in others, made better by a liberal addition of the vinegar-based hot sauce that's on every table (I forgot to bring my own on this visit). The entree, though, was stellar. At first when they put the oven-roasted salmon on my plate I thought the portion a little small - but then once I began to eat it I realized it was just the right size, especially when joined with the 3 sides (and did I mention how rich that kale is?). I hate when fish gets overcooked and there was no worry of that here as this was buttery soft and tasty with a terrific mouth-feel. Before I was finished I was feeling full but it all tasted so good together I couldn't stop. I also have to say the iced tea (unsweetened) was very good - so often today restaurants serve up some unbelievably weak tea but this actually tasted like tea.

Now that the weather shows promise of leveling back to some extended periods of mildness I look forward to making some more visits to sample other options.

My one thought, and I'll mention it next time I'm there, is that to match the overall meat & 3 experience I recall growing up down south there should also be a dinner roll. I'm not asking for house-baked bread here, mind you, but a basic high-volume institutional tear-off dinner roll; it's just part of the package that I recall.

Really happy to read some positive reports. I haven't been in for more than a quick beverage but I loved the space -- and the fact that Mickey Neely (formerly at Scofflaw) is very involved in the kitchen gives me great optimism that the food is going to be excellent.

I did spend some time at MoneyGun (the attached bar just to the east) and thought it was a particularly outstanding bar experience.

=R=

I had lunch here the week it opened and had the opposite reaction. The sides were all cooler than room temperature and the meat (chicken pot pie) was OK but not worth the price.

The service was wonderful and each person I interacted with very kind. Hope they do well and my visit was an aberration!

Let me preface this report by saying that Arnold's in Nashville is in my top five favorite restaurants in the USA, which may be a hint where this report is going. Or I was at least quite excited upon hearing of a meat n' three opening. Excitement enhanced, when, pre-this thread launching, I popped in one day to check. Everything looked good and it looked like the food I would make, I mean my CSA just gave me a load of bok choy too. The initial positive reports were the last straw in urging my visit.

And now, I'm not so sure if I'd return. That the fried chicken was rushed from the fryer, giving me two under-cooked pieces was at least forgivable, an error of execution, but its lack of flavor? I've never felt the need to salt fried chicken before. Overall, all the sides lacked flavor; they were just piles on the plate, nothing that registered in the mouth. I expected to like this place. Instead, I was really turned off by the quality of the cooking.

One more minor quibble. Not only have I recently eaten at Valois, which produces such a more enjoyable experience despite such inferior materials, but they ensure your happiness with a big biscuit-ish thing. Your meat n' three should really come with some form of bread, a square of cornbread, a yeast roll, something. No?--whoops, just noticed Kman made the same point!