There’s a great deal of logic in thinking that a good bakery – a good bread bakery – should be able to deliver good pizza. Jim Lahey, the New Yorker who gave us the wonderful no-knead bread, for instance, has Co., a restaurant featuring his bread and his pizzas. And St. Louis has Union Loafers.
Loafers is now doing pizza-only dinners four nights a week. Oh, there are a couple of salads and appetizers available, but this is all about the pizza. And well it should be.
These are big guys, 18 inches across. The menu warns that at peak times, it may take 30-45 minutes to receive a pie, so perhaps one of those salads is in order. The fact is, I’d return just for the Caesar salad. It’s the best I’ve had in a long time, the creamy dressing punched up with the tang of lemon with just a hint of heat but without a marked increase in acidity. Instead of croutons, there are crunchy bread crumbs of the quality that one would expect from a spot that’s deeply serious about bread. This dish is really a don’t-miss.
An Italian salad adds garbanzo beans, shaved fennel, pickled pepper and fior di latte, that mozzarella-ish cheese to the greens, all tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette. It’s generously dressed but not dripping with excess, and the sweet notes of the balsamico don’t run roughshod over the vegetables. Both salads are available as half orders.
At a place like this, no one would expect the extraordinarily thin crust that marks St. Louis-style pizza. What we’re served is of moderate thickness, a fine chew and the sort of edge that it’s hard to put down in dietary virtue. Marinara sauce, a buttermilk dressing and olive oil are available for dunking if that’s needed, but it seems superfluous.
Of the tomato-based pies, which are four of the six offerings, the pepperoni was generously strewn with slices, and its light heat was enhanced with a dose of Calabrian chile flakes over the sauce. Not incendiary, but perhaps not for small children or the heat-averse.
Spinach pizza? Sure. Spinach and cheese often work well together, and when Union Loafers puts large pieces of thick-cut bacon on top, there’s absolutely nothing to lose. It’s a wonderful combination, particularly because the bacon was nothing short of stunning. The combination of the smokiness with the spinach was first-rate. As to cheese – one of my friends who has spent a lot of time in Switzerland was eating a slice and said, “This is fondue cheese! What’s on here?” The menu says mozzarella and parmesan, not usually found in fondue, but it’s certainly nicely cheesy. The pie is a real winner.
I got so carried away with the mushroom pie that I accidentally put it up as my Facebook profile picture. It got more comments than my usual one...don’t know what that says, but the pie is serious mushrooms, lots of them, different kinds chopped and sauteed. The kitchen tosses rings of pickled shallots on, and it’s easy to taste the fresh oregano without it being overwhelming. A swell take on what might be a mundane option.
No desserts on the menu but interesting wine and beer. And remarkably pleasant service. It’s good weather for sitting outside, too.
You may proceed.
Union Loafers
1629 Tower Grove Ave
314-833-6111
Lunch Wed.-Sun., Dinner Wed.-Sat., bread Wed-Sun until they’re sold out.
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Difficult
Smoking: No
Pizzas: $17-$25
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