part of st. louis’ bowood neighborhood, café osage occupies a quarter of the garden-store at 4605 olive street, and despite service that can kindly be called “clueless” the breakfast/lunch concept shows well thanks to housemade fare featuring mostly organic ingredients and several items made from fruits and vegetables grown on-site.
open from 7:00am until 2:00pm on weekdays, and letting employees sleep in an hour later on weekends, it is from an unpaved lot next door that guests access the front door after passing by outdoor gardens, the dining area located up a few stairs where hostesses stand to confirm reservations.
allowing also for walk-ins, though seats were largely accounted for by nine o’clock on a rainy sunday, it was after perusing both specials and an all-day menu that a young server arrived, the question as to whether he was hung-over or just lazy never answered as the majority of his time was spent lollygagging at the pass rather than tending to tasks like refills or presenting plates that even saw him state “your french toast will be out soon” approximately ten minutes after it had already been eaten.
fair priced for the ingredient quality, chef scott davis taking inspiration from the osage orange trees which surround bowood farms, brunch began with three-bite biscuits sandwiching ricotta cheese and a small drizzle of honey, the buttermilk prominent throughout flaky layers that could be further adjusted to guests’ tastes with housemade raspberry jelly.
waiting only a few minutes more for the aforementioned french toast, all while trying to ignore the incessant banter of two twenty-somethings within earshot, fans of the breakfast staple will be excited to know café osage’s brioche comes thick-cut with lots if custard and a good seer, while citrus, syrup and housemade granola add complexity matched by the thick frosting atop a particularly aromatic slice of carrot cake.