Local Eats

SALVE OSTERIA

By Mabel Suen

In St. Louis’ Tower Grove East neighborhood, Salve Osteria has succeeded Cafe Natasha (which closed this spring following matriarch Hamishe Bahrami’s retirement), heralding a new era of Italian-, Spanish- and Mediterraneaninspired shareable plates alongside the thoughtful beverage program anchored by its renowned resident bar, The Gin Room.

The restaurant comes from Cafe Natasha’s namesake, Natasha Bahrami, known as The Gin Girl, partnering with her husband, Michael Fricker, and chef Matt Wynn.

“It’s been so wonderful to be able to take this new step in our lives after a celebratory farewell, with one door closing and another opening,” Natasha says. “We’ve had such an embrace, not only from our ‘forevers,’ who really came to support us in this new endeavor, but also from new guests that we hope to make our Salve ‘forevers.’”

Fricker, who also owns neighboring retailer Grand Spirits Bottle Co., identifies salve as an Italian greeting essentially meaning “welcome.”

“It comes from a Latin phrase commonly used in Rome to say ‘hello’ and to ‘be well,’” he says. “It’s our way of saying welcome to new and old friends.”

With Salve, the trio hopes to foster a community dining experience, featuring “harvest-centric” elevated food influenced by central Italian, southern Spanish and North African cuisine.

“Natasha and I have always been in love with European drinking and eating culture – going out with a bunch of friends, sitting for a while and ordering the entire menu with aperitivos to start, wine and cocktails throughout the experience and digestivos when you finish,” Fricker says. “The entire idea is for the menu to be fully guest experience-driven, so everyone can sit for a while and have the best time possible.”

Wynn’s seasonal, vegetable-forward menu boasts mainstays like bacon-fat carrots with mustard, shallots, bacon and blue cheese crema, as well as the Salve Caesar with grilled napa cabbage, miso bagnacauda, scallions and Parmesan. Another highlight from the small-plates menu, lamb arancini comprises date agrodolce, yogurt, lamb sausage and herbs.

Handmade pasta options include pappardelle with mushroom ragù and mascarpone, while entrées include roasted harissa-spiced chicken with yogurt, fregolaSarda and herbs. Olives, cheese boards and charcuterie are also available, as well as desserts.

Aperitivo and digestivo carts enable refreshments to be customized tableside, and tables in front of the restaurant – dubbed “Aperol Alley,” after the famed Italian bitter aperitif – offer a more casual spot for boulevardiers to start their evening with a libation. The Gin Room’s full beverage menu features variegated spritzes and cocktails, as well as draft and bottled beer and a robust natural wine list. A separate garden bar on the greenery-enrobed patio offers a variety of colorful herb-, fruit- and vegetable-focused cocktails.

“One thing we never want to change is how deeply we want to welcome our guests and make them feel comfortable,” Bahrami says. “It’s almost like a hug from an old friend – familiar, yet entirely new.” ln Salve Osteria, 3200 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314-771-3411, salveosteria.com