Olive & Oak and Perennial on Lockwood
OLIVE & OAK AND PERENNIAL ON LOCKWOOD EAT WELL
We have to say that Webster Groves is one of the top suburbs in St. Louis when it comes to supporting locally owned restaurants. There are some long time independents - The Block, Cyranos, CJ Muggs and Webers Front Row to name a few, however, with the opening of Olive & Oak the trend for this area has exploded. We have visited several of the restaurants which we will review another time, but today we give our thoughts on two of our favorites - Olive & Oak and Perennial on Lockwood.
Olive & Oak opened its doors in 2016 bringing together two families who had shared great tragedy. They named the restaurant after their lost sons Oliver and Oakes. This is such a heartwarming story, and the owners took that experience and poured themselves into their new restaurant adventure. The restaurant is sophisticated yet lively, the food is fresh and inspiring, and the atmosphere is always uplifting. It was an immediate hit and reservations for peak times are always weeks out. We had visited the original restaurant a couple times. We go early, sit at the bar, and had thoroughly enjoyed everything we had ordered - food and drinks combined. Previously we have had the Charred Octopus, Gnocchi, the Cowboy Ribeye and Dover Sole, just to name a few dishes. In 2020 during the pandemic, O&O decided to expand and move down the block and join with Perennial, a local microbrew, creating a space which allows for just about any situation you would like - fine dining, outdoor dining, a micro brewery and an event space. We recently tried both of these locations and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
On our recent visit to Olive & Oak we went early (as usual) and got seats at the socially distanced bar. On this occasion we shared the lamb chops paired with couscous, feta, peppers and mint. The chops were seared to perfection and the ingredients complimented the lamb perfectly. As far as cocktails, we started with our usual old fashioned and finished up with a shot of Blantons, which was served with their signature stamped ice cube. On a side note - this then prompted us to buy special cube trays so we could attempt to make our own clear cubes. We have had some success and maybe as we get better we will even have a stamp made to put our initials on - who knows where it will go in the future. But the clear ice cubes at Olive & Oak are pretty awesome. And although we did not sit there this time, their outside patio looks to add a fun seating area for an even more relaxing atmosphere.
On the backside of Olive & Oak sits Perennial on Lockwood. The whole property is an old car dealership, not sure the brand, but that would be fun to know. Olive and Oak utilizes the old showroom and office space while Perennial is located where the old auto shop operated. Perennial is a local small batch brewery in St. Louis focusing on local, seasonal and organic ingredients. The location “on Lockwood” brings a microbrew to Webster Groves while also adding a fun place to hang-out. They have a great outdoor patio and the indoor space includes tables, a long shared high top and a long wooden bar. The drink list is long as they offer quite a few of Perennial’s beers (on tap and in cans), as well as cocktails and also some wines - something for everyone. The food menu is small consisting of Shareables, Salads, Plates and Sandwiches but not your typical bar-fare food. We tried 3 items and all were tasty, perfectly presented and worth going back for. The shareable we ordered was the Whipped Feta. This is a perfect appetizer paired with bread from Union Loafers Bakery. We loved this dish and it can easily be shared with 2-3 people. The honey gives a slight sweetness and the roasted tomato topping gives not only color but an added dimension of flavor. The Fish and Chips were extremely crispy and the haddock was fresh and very flaky. It is served with skinny fries - always my favorite - however these are fried in beef fat that takes it to a new level for sure. Not really being tartar sauce fans we really enjoyed the dill aioli that accompanied the fish. For dessert we couldn’t refuse the Apple Crisp with walnuts and vanilla ice cream. Was a nice finish to our meal. Whether sitting outside or inside, this is a place we will be back to often.
These 2 restaurants are great additions to the area. It should be noted that Clover & Bee down the street is owned by Olive & Oak and is a wonderful place for breakfast, lunch or coffee. You will not be disappointed when visiting there. This group has also added O&O Pizza in the old Olive & Oak location. It features some of the great Italian dinner dishes from Clover & Bee as well as their own signature pizzas. We have not been there yet but we plan to soon and will let you know how we liked it.
