juniper

dear juniper,

you guys are on fire right now. my last two meals there have been the kind of gut-busting, coma-inducing dinners that make diners euphoric. when i ate there just the other week, it was a completely different menu than earlier this summer, but it looks like parts of it are going to be changing again soon. so enjoy looking at pictures offoodyou aren’t going to be able to eat for a year.

underwhelmed at juniper. take my recommendation ... do not spend your money or time at this restaurant.

this was our second visit to juniper. the first visit was shortly after their opening and was chaotic (on a saturday night) but generally ok (as i attributed this to them still "learning the ropes and getting their processes in order"). very interesting menu and concept which i felt deserved a second visit.

was i wrong.

we returned on a weeknight and told it would be a one hour wait (despite the fact that when we arrived only half the tables were full). after a nearly 45 minute wait, we were seated and served. 3 of the 5 people in our party enjoyed their dinners (catfish) while the remaining 2 had the worst fried chicken. it was terribly overpriced (2 pieces of dark meat) and even more overcooked. how can a restaurant with a "southern comfort food" concept not be able to properly cook fried chicken?

to add insult to injury, the owner stopped by our table and introduced himself to our party (he seemed like a nice guy). we told him we were celebrating 2 birthdays that evening, and that 2 people in our party were in the restaurant business. after hearing of this, he offered to send some "extra things" out to our table (which we thought was a kind gesture). he clearly forgot ... since there was no acknowledgement or follow-up to our table the remainder of the night.

when i spend $160 at a restaurant, i expect consistent (if not exceptional)foodquality and good customer relations. unfortunately, i felt we didn't receive either.

there are plenty of other restaurants where i know i can get both. juniper is not one of them.

juniper fills a niche that's not very well represented in st. louis. upscale, approachable, southern cuisine. not being from the south, it's hard for me to judge how "authentic" thefoodis in terms of its origins. however, goodfoodis good food. juniper exudes warmth - from the atmosphere to the heartyfoodto the service. that night, the first thing the greeter at the door asked me was my name... and i just didn't get the impression she was looking for a reservation. maybe she was, but it was nice personable way to start the night. i'm sad that perkins and his crew won't be doing any more underground dinners, but with that background i have no doubt that juniper's menu will constantly evolve, innovate (an absolute necessity around these parts) and a result, succeed.

my initial impression of a good man is hard to find was simply that i need to eat less. be warned, most items on the menu are pretty filling - but it was hard for me to pass up on certain dishes because most of the them are interesting enough that you don't want to miss out on something. and though i tried about 80% of the menu, i still find myself now wishing i'd tried more - which is always a positive thing. i think purely from afoodstandpoint i preferred the offerings at le coq, but the fact that i wanted to try so much of the menu speaks to how creative many of the dishes are. a good man is hard to find is open for less than two weeks - i'd make your reservations now before this pop-up makes an exit.