6 seasonal ramps specials to try at St. Louis restaurants now

With a seasonality generally limited to April through June, those familiar with ramps know that the wild onions can be hard to come by. Known for their full-bodied flavor that falls somewhere between onion and garlic, ramps are a springtime favorite among the culinary-inclined. Here are some of the area restaurants featuring the elusive plant on their menus right now.

Ramp and quark dumplings // The Lucky Accomplice
Fox Park bar and restaurant The Lucky Accomplice pairs ramp with quark in its ramp and quark dumplings, which are served alongside a pistachio pesto, preserved celery root and herbs.
2501 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314.354.6100, theluckyaccomplice.com

Blistered asparagus // Bowood by Niche
The team at Gerard Craft’s Bowood by Niche heads out to area parks and farms and forages for ramps themselves before bringing them back to the Bowood kitchen for use. Head chef Dakota Williams has incorporated the ramps into a variety of dishes on Bowood’s rotating dinner and brunch menu this season in the form of ramp-infused oils, pesto, kimchi and pasta. The most recent feature on its rotating prix-fixe dinner menu includes locally foraged ramp that is first dry-charred and then pickled before accompanying pistachio atop blistered asparagus.
Bowood by Niche, 4605 Olive St., St. Louis, 314.454.6868, bowoodbyniche.com

Springtime pizza // Pastaria
Another Gerard Craft joint, Pastaria, incorporates ramps into a light but flavorful ramp and pistachio pesto. The limited-edition pesto tops the Italian eatery’s specialty springtime pizza along with Volpi mortadella, pecorino and extra-virgin olive oil.
7734 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.862.6603, eatpastaria.com

Morel pappardelle and morel pizza // Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria
Ramp fans will be delighted to find the wild onion present in two dishes on Katie’s current menu – both the morel pappardelle and the morel pizza. The pappardelle includes roasted morel mushrooms, ramp, taleggio fonduta and mushroom jus all topped with an aged balsamic. The morel pizza includes fontina, taleggio, morel mushrooms and ramps, also topped with an aged balsamic.
9568 Manchester Road, Rock Hill, 314.942.6555; 14171 Clayton Road, Town & Country 636.220.3238, katiespizzaandpasta.com

Crispy potato bite and creamy rice // Vicia
Vicia, Midtown’s New American hotspot, showcases ramp in two dishes on its three-course Chef’s Selection Farmers Feast menu, the first being a crispy potato bite topped with whipped ricotta, pickled ramps and coppa, and the second of which includes creamy Missouri basmati rice, onion puree, ramp greens and Parmesan.
4260 Forest Park Ave., St. Louis, 314.553.9239, viciarestaurant.com

Turkey club // Winslow’s Table
Vicia’s sister restaurant Winslow’s Table similarly takes advantage of the in-season ramp plant in its turkey club, which features Buttonwood Farms roasted turkey, bacon, Gruyere, lettuce and tomato, all topped with a ramp aioli and sandwiched between two slices of honey wheat toast.
7213 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314.725.7559, winslowstable.com