Riddle’s Penultimate was locavore before the word was invented. And now that Andy Ayers has turned the restaurant over to his daughter KT, locally-sourced ingredients have become even more numerous since he has become a middle man between producers and users of regional foods. It’s a natural evolution of the laid-back style of the restaurant, which has been a cornerstone of the Delmar Loop for several decades. And for those unfamiliar with Riddle’s, we always bring up their wine list, large and interesting (probably the best Missouri list in the city), with plenty of options for those who want just a glass rather than a whole bottle.
Food and wine are the major focus, followed closely by local music. Decor is...uh...unprepossessing. In fact, we hope that when the economy perks up, there’ll be some redecorating; things, especially in the rear dining room, are looking distinctly tired. The front, with the bar and musicians, is distinctly smoky, but there’s a festive feeing from folks enjoying themselves. In the back, the crowd in the bi-level dining room is as diverse as anyplace we know.
The servers are all young. Ayers’s societal interests, always paramount, have at times included some employees who seemed slightly overwhelmed by their job responsibilities, but our most recent visits showed a staff that was considerably more alert.
Appetizers here always are alluring, and we’re sure some folks make a meal of them. There are also several sandwiches available. But mostly we can’t resist the entrees, which come with a salad or soup. Nevertheless, we relished a dish of mushroom caps stuffed with crawfish in a rich, sherry-laced cream sauce whose unctuousness is offset by a sharp hit of cayenne. And if the shiitake mushrooms are available, they’re stunning, sliced and served in their garlicky juices; the problem there is that they are seasonal. The menu is updated every day (and so is the website), so there’s always something new.
The house salad, generously sized and properly fresh, may be best with a gingery vinaigrette dressing, but there are several options in that department. Soups are always reliable; we sampled two, a tomato-basil bisque so rich with flavor it was almost sweet, and a cold zucchini soup, from an Armenian recipe, thick and tart from yogurt, intriguingly flavored, and good enough to satisfy a diner who’s no fan of zucchini.
Reading the menu is a joyous experience, with many favorites described in Andy’s charming prose. We often are lured by new options, so only now have we found time to try a permanent dish, chicken Major Grey. Every skinless, boneless breast of chicken should be as lucky as this one, which came from Ashley Farms. A fast saute is followed by a flash of flaming brandy. That’s followed by a sour cream sauce filled with pureed mango chutney named for the major and just a touch of the St. Louis Herb Society’s curry powder. Set on a mixture of rices and sprinkled with green onions, it’s downright succulent. What the menu terms Jamaican pork loin is from a Missouri pork co-op, marinated in dark rum and jerk-type spices, then grilled and served with a spicy molasses glaze. This was slightly past perfect, tender but not sufficiently moist, and topped with a meager handful of sweet potato chips. Side dishes come from a list of options. Our beets had a tart orange glaze, and the eggplant was diced with celery, onions and tomatoes in a saute that tasted almost curried.
Desserts? This is definitely a pie and ice cream house. Both are made in-house, a habit of long standing. They were sold out of blueberry pie (sighs from Joe), but a raspberry cream tart, the berries standing over a dense cream cheese filling, satisfied – although we know refrigerators are rough on even the best pie crust. Honey-almond ice cream was just the thing on the side. And the house cheesecake was dense, with a thick sour cream layer on top, plenty of graham cracker crust below.
We drank a properly chilled rose that was a perfect match for the mushroom caps and a Spanish Grenache with the pork and chicken. Tasty additions to the meal.
The first time Joe wrote about Riddle’s, Andy Ayers was making pizza and other good thing on Natural Bridge, not far from the UMSL campus; when he moved to U. City, he adopted the Penultimate tag and Joe asked why. "This is going to be my next-to-last restaurant," replied the philologically accurate Ayers.
We can wait.
Riddle’s Penultimate Café & Wine Bar
6307 Delmar Blvd., University City
314-725-6985
Dinner Tues.-Sun.
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Fair
Smoking: Yes
Entrees: $13-$30
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