Review: Byrd & Barrel in St. Louis

Byrd & Barrel swooped onto the scene in September 2015 and has been laying fresh fried chicken on South Jefferson ever since. Proud of its neighborhood and local sourcing, the restaurant offers carryout as well as indoor and patio seating with consistently excellent service. If you’ve been scratching around for something different, Byrd & Barrel has your lunch hour covered.

Banh Mi
The banh mi was the best thing I had. Crisp pickled carrots and cucumber complemented soft chicken liver while jalapeno slices cut through for a bright umami bite. Contained in a baguette, it was exactly the right size for lunch. Don’t let fried liver scare you off; the complete package is more than the sum of its parts.

Mother Clucker
The Mother Clucker combined local high- and low-brow flavors for a funky take on a traditional spicy chicken sandwich. Fried chicken sandwiches can be texturally one-note, but here Red Hot Riplets broke up the monotony and kept things crunchy, while Provel cheese sauce glued the whole stack together.

Pickle Plate
Byrd & Barrel deserves as much respect for its pickle game as its chicken. The pickle plate starter is a selection of its finest. On my visit, it included classic bread-and-butter, Kool-Aid dill pickles, and kimchi, each completely distinct. The kimchi, made with cauliflower stems, deserves special attention; it could have been a snack all on its own. Try these for a break from all the fried food.

Nugz
This lunchtime classic won’t disappoint. White or dark meat nuggets are soaked in buttermilk, then floured and fried. Nugz can be ordered in five, 10 or 20 pieces – five were a healthy portion, so don’t go overboard. And don’t ignore the sauces, even though you have to pay for them; all are house-made and come in generous portions (Two were more than enough for a five-piece order.). The ranch was a step up from the average, and the peppadew aioli is a must-try. Nugz are what’s up.

Starter RoundUp
Besides the pickle plate, three starters deserve your attention: chicken skins (because greasy is good and General Tso sauce is, too), the roasted cauliflower (as a delivery method for the accompanying salsa verde and peppadew aioli, which were good enough to eat alone) and the South Side poutine with the mushroom gravy (a pile of everything you want).

Good Sips
If you’re down for a lunch beer, B&B has you covered with around 50 cans and one local tap. It’s one of the only places in St. Louis to find Hamm’s besides Quik-Trip. If you must stay sober, take your pick of Vess cans (but go for the black cherry).

The Downside
Seating is a real issue. If it gets busy, you’ll get to know your neighbors a little too well. The tables are beautiful pieces by local woodworker Mwanzi, but they’re awkwardly wide and constantly sticky. The rest of the seating is on stools at narrow bars. I really wanted to try the MO Roots salad and Tickled Pickle (a hot dog-stuffed pickle fried like a corndog), but they were perpetually out of both. I can sympathize with seasonal ingredients, but a pickle?

Byrd & Barrel
3422 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314.875.9998, byrdandbarrel.com