Newstead Tower Public House
Newstead Tower Public House, one of the many eating spots popping up in the Grove neighborhood as if we still were enjoying spring, tells guests that it’s a gastropub, and includes a menu note dating the expression to London in 1991. The menu is brief, with three entrees, four sandwiches, and similar numbers of salads and appetizers, along with a daily special or two. The room is almost elegant in its spareness, but that means the noise level rises quickly, even when the room is less than half full, good for an aura of jollity but bad for those who want to converse.
On the other hand, there are several televisions, often turned to new or old soccer matches–we were treated to the FA Cup match, circa 2006, on an evening when the Cardinals (whose games take a certain precedence over soccer, we were assured) were recovering from an afternoon loss.
As a pub, there’s a large selection of beer on draft, with a variety of imports joining the locals.
Labeling itself a gastropub and telling us that the food is above and beyond the world of jalapeno poppers, the Tower sets its food standard a few notches higher, so we had no hesitation trying the day’s soup, which was described as cold beet. The shocking-pink cold borscht of New York delicatessens is one of hot weather’s pleasures, and with that in mind, we said yes to the soup for a starter. What arrived was beet-red, rather than pink, with creme fraiche streaks across the surface, but despite the intense color, it lacked enough of the earthy flavor of the vegetable, perking up only when a fair amount of the slightly acid cream came along in a spoonful. A snoozer.
On the other hand, the mussel appetizer was excellent, the broth laced with white wine and just a nudge of rosemary, an herb we haven’t found with mussels before but are glad to meet. A freshly-toasted slice of bread and a generous slather of garlicky aioli completed the dish.
Even a gastropub’s hamburger needs to meet high standards, and Newstead Tower’s is certainly up to 
snuff, with high-quality meat carefully cooked. A very respectable burger, enhanced by a slice of pickle that was obviously house-made. It might have been crisper, but it certainly tasted good. Fish and chips involved two reasonable-sized pieces of fish in a crunchy batter, tasty but a little greasy. More remarkable, however, were the outstanding potatoes. "Shoestring potatoes" is really what they ought to be called, because each strand of potato was no larger than a shoestring, and a relatively thin one at that, far skinnier than the spuds that usually bear the name. Fresh and hot and yummy, they and the watercress salad that came on the platter were the highlights of the dish. But we couldn’t quite figure out the sauce. It wasn’t tartar sauce, and it wasn’t aioli–not any appreciable garlic. Maybe a mayo, a la the Belgian way to serve fries?
Dessert was an apricot-blueberry tart with blackberry ice cream, with tangy, big-flavor fruit. The tart had been refrigerated, and the crust was soggy, the inevitable consequence of refrigeration, but that’s understandable. The scoop of house-made blackberry ice cream, however, was so hard it could have been used as a weapon, the cold obliterating much, if not all of the flavor. On another visit, the ice cream was much better, and it arrived with a scoop of peach ice cream and one of chocolate on the same plate for a delicious combination of flavors.
Pleasant, helpful service throughout the meal was the one consistent item; guests who choose carefully can eat well.
Newstead Tower Public House
4353 Manchester Ave.
314-535-7771
Lunch & Dinner Tues.-Fri.
Credit cards: All major
Wheelchair access: Poor
Smoking: No
Entrees: $10-$18
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