Review: Vino Nadoz Wine Bar & Cafe in Richmond Heights

Vino Nadoz Wine Bar & Cafe, 16 The Boulevard, Richmond Heights, 314.726.0400, vinonadozwinebar.com

The guy at the next table stares at the massive double pork chop presented to him on a slab of wood. Across the way, a couple digs into a ramekin of pork rillette, spreading the rich, rustic pâté on crostini. Me? I opted for the pasta of the day, the one with house-made Italian sausage. You have to love a restaurant that institutes its own pork week for no other reason than because it can. But with Chris DiMercurio designing the menu, it only makes sense. DiMercurio took over the kitchen at Vino Nadoz Wine Bar in May by way of the pork-centric Taste by Niche. Clearly, the porcine influence is still fresh in the young chef’s mind.

Vino Nadoz is the latest entry in Steve and Kathy Becker’s family of eateries. Their business model includes a successful catering company and two bakery-cafes: one next door to the bistro in The Boulevard in Richmond Heights, and one in the Coronado Ballroom building they own, across from Saint Louis University. (Nadoz, by the way, is pronounced NAH-doze, as in “CoroNADO’S.”) For such a young operation (It opened in March 2011.), Vino Nadoz has had a number of chefs cycle through the kitchen, including a brief stint by Amy Zupanci after she closed her fondly remembered restaurant Fond in Edwardsville, Ill.

Outside, the patio looks onto The Boulevard, a short strip of upscale shops and chain restaurants so contrived that I halfway expected a floodlight to fall from the sky, à la The Truman Show, alerting me that it’s all a big movie set manufactured to feel like Main Street USA. Stay here long enough and you, too, will mindlessly hum the endless ’50s and ’60s pop songs emanating from the outdoor speakers hidden along the promenade. Inside, there is respite: coolly contemporary, almost Zen-like surroundings outfitted with bamboo panels, subtle lighting and sleek wine racks behind the long butcher-block bar.

As wine bars go, Vino Nadoz’s selection is thoughtful, affordable and varied enough to keep you interested in the 30 wines offered by the glass, bottle and, yes, for purchase to take home at a reduced price. A rotation of local brews is well represented on draft, ranging from 4 Hands, Urban Chestnut and Perennial to Schlafly and O’Fallon. And no bistro would survive today without a modern array of specialty cocktails. The ones here fit right into current trends: boozy and retro with a modern twist.

The menu is a compact and well-curated assortment of small plates, salads, focaccia pizzas, entrees and desserts. Produce and meats are locally sourced as much as possible, with providing farms listed on the wall-sized chalkboard. That pasta of the day, the one with Italian sausage made in-house, consisted of slender strands of house-made fettuccine tossed with Swiss chard and thin slices of Braeburn apples. The only binder came from the liquid rendered from sauteeing the greens, fruit and loose meat mixed with a bit of starchy pasta water. Every flavor – tart, spicy, bitter, salty, even a bit of sweetness – married into a fragrant little mound of chewy happiness. Come fall, I hope to find this dish again.

There are other entrees, or Signature Plates as they’re listed on the menu. Roasted chicken is a bistro staple. Here, it’s a leg-thigh portion and half a breast dry-rubbed with herbs and salt and then pan-roasted, the skin crackling under the knife, the juicy meat yielding to the fork. Underneath is sauteed Swiss chard and sweet-and-savory corn bread to round out the dish. The horseradish-encrusted beef tenderloin was pan-seared to medium-rare but lacked even the slightest hint of the root’s kicky pungency. The accompanying potato-leek hash was flavorful but suffered from quite a few undercooked taters.

As a small plate, the cider-braised pork belly is a good starter, with its crispy edges and tangy flavor from the cider and preserved lemon. A purée of English peas, field greens and goat cheese add another layer of texture and sweetness. Salads are given special attention. For the roasted asparagus salad, white and green stalks are arranged box-like, the middle area filled with peppery arugula, tossed with lemon vinaigrette, and topped with a poached egg and bits of crispy prosciutto. That farm egg provided the creamy, dense yellow richness that comes only from a slow simmer in an immersion circulator. The summer salad, one of the most satisfying I’ve encountered, combined tender greens with summer peaches, chopped dried cherries, fruity Sungold tomatoes and radishes tossed in a tart cherry vinaigrette. The addition of Missouri black walnuts imparted the intense nuttiness that come only from our state’s variety. Pizzas, about a nine-inch round, are made on cushiony soft focaccia crust and served on bamboo cutting boards. The vegetarian Mediterranean was colorful and flavorful, topped with roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, pepperoncini and feta. The best part? Baba ghanoush was the sauce.

Desserts range from the elegant – Christopher Elbow chocolates with a glass of cabernet – to the whimsical – deconstructed s’mores with house-made marshmallow and graham cracker dust. There’s local Serendipity ice cream, but the kitchen makes it own versions, including a delicious bourbon-and-pancetta ice cream made with pork fat-infused bourbon and topped with crispy pork bits.

Word has it that the double pork chop will reappear on the menu sometime later this month. After seeing how quickly that guy demolished his chop, I for one plan on reappearing, even if it’s not pork week.

Where
Vino Nadoz Wine Bar & Cafe, 16 The Boulevard, Richmond Heights, 314.726.0400, vinonadozwinebar.com

When
Tue. To Thu. – 4 to 10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. – 4 p.m. to midnight

Don’t Miss Dishs
House-made pastas, pan-roasted chicken, roasted asparagus salad

Vibe
Clean lines, subdued lighting, the quiet alternative to the nearby chain restaurants.

Entree Prices
$11 to $17.50