juniper

my husband and i went to juniper last night for his birthday dinner. our cocktails were both fantastic and so was the breadbasket. he got the quail for his entree which was delicious! i had the fried chicken which was, not as good. my sides were yummy, but the chicken needed some flavor. we both absolutely loved the atmosphere along with the great service. we will definitely be back to try some of the othermenuitems and specialty cocktails.

we had to wait for a table despite a reservation. we heard this restaurant had great food. it was okay, not great. at 8:15 they were out of at least threemenuitems (appetizers and sides). two of us had the fried chicken. comments were "there's a lot of it," "it's very heavily breaded," and "it's served very hot." the "angel biscuits" were one of the miamenuitems and remained a mystery; the buttermilk biscuit substitute was cold, dry and crumbly. the cornbread was the best southern-style (not sweet) cornbread i've ever had, but didn't compensate for the other shortcomings. the deviled eggs were unremarkable and the fried pickles weren't as good as the ones at fitz's. the pickles were bread-and-butter rather than dill, and the batter was falling off even before they reached the table. the "market plate" of the evening was a "vegetarian" special consisting of sliced tomatoes, spinach and cheese. at most restaurants it would have been a side dish at best. service was friendly and attentive. the mixed drinks were inventive and interesting.

because cornbread. and frog legs. and fried chicken.. i am so frustrated with the negative user reviews of juniper, and frankly, it seems as though i dined at a different restaurant. i've been to juniper multiple times, and i love it. when friends come in from out of town, it's always a go-to place on my dinner list. my servers have been friendly and attentive {and have made great food/drink recs}; the atmosphere is one of the best in st. louis; and themenuis unique and fun. the space and themenugive off sort of a hipster brooklyn meets nashville vibe... another reviewer wrote that juniper, "fills a niche that's not very well represented in st. louis...upscale, approachable, southern cuisine." i totally agree and would add "trendy" to the list, in the best sense. some recommendations...the breadbasket {the cornbread is the best in town}, the mac & cheese {you can workout tomorrow; it'll be worth it}, and anything involving frog legs or fried chicken {because...come on, where else are you going to eat frog legs?}. for cocktails, go with the presbyterian and/or anything they're creating using the old school bottled sodas they serve. go getcha some.

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 differentmenuthan earlier this summer, but it looks like parts of it are going to be changing again soon. so enjoy looking at pictures of food you 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 interestingmenuand 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) food quality 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.

sneaked into jupiter around 10 pm last night and expected a lighter dinner crowd at the late hour but we were wrong! the place was still packed, which i totally understand now. from the flaming pentecostal cocktail to the chicken and waffles, everything was great! as odd as it sounds, the bread plate was one of the best parts of the meal too. hopefully they plan to change up themenuoften so we have an excuse to go again and again! loved it!

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" the food is in terms of its origins. however, good food is good food. juniper exudes warmth - from the atmosphere to the hearty food to 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'smenuwill constantly evolve, innovate (an absolute necessity around these parts) and a result, succeed.

hmmm. finally made it out to juniper this past weekend - the evening started with some disappointment. i had made a reservation for 2 and my designated table was by the large window, facing outside (nice view of boyle st.). my problem was it was less than 30 degrees outside, and that area was quite chilly. i had to leave my down jacket on for the entire meal. our seats were also vintage stools, which were interesting pieces, but they were extremely uncomfortable and had no back. i asked the hostess to re-seat us, and she did try, but the best option was in the middle of a communal table, which is an option that doesn't sit well with me as every word of your conversation is made available to all surrounding you. so i was quite disappointed to stay at our frigid, original seat. in the hostess defense, she was very friendly and tried to accommodate. and the kitchen did send out 2 complimentary deviled eggs, which were amazing! the filling tasting of bacon and a delightful smoky flavor - very enjoyable.
started off with the full bread basket, which was delicious! had the buttermilk biscuit, angel biscuit, cornbread, hushpuppies, and there was one other, the name is failing me. they were all baked to a perfect consistency, and came with sorghum butter and apple butter. delish! i would go back just for this!
i had the chicken and waffles, which was ok. the chicken was quite greasy (but what do you expect from fried chicken?) and i really didn't get much meat from it. the waffles were spongy, but had a nice syrup/peanut butter sauce that helped me take a few bites. overall, i just didn't like this dish compared to times i've had it elsewhere in the past.
my friend had the catfish with sweet potato puree - this was delicious! lightly-battered catfish that had no evidence of "fishy taste" and was perfect in that it didn't give you that heavy, deep-fried, thick batter taste. really enjoyed this dish. we also had the pickled beets which were delightful!
i would definitely try this place again, they had other items on themenui would be interested to try - however, i hear there is a change coming to theirmenuthis next week. i will definitely be checking out the newmenuand what it has to offer.

my initial impression of a good man is hard to find was simply that i need to eat less. be warned, most items on themenuare 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 a food standpoint i preferred the offerings at le coq, but the fact that i wanted to try so much of themenuspeaks 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.