We were always fans of Parker's Table when it was on Maryland, so it shouldn't have taken me so long to drop by its new iteration just south of Clayton Road.
There's still the same charming mixture of drinkables, interesting, un-cliched wines and beers, and edibles. Much of Jonathan Parker's stock comes from Italy, so it's no surprise to find fine balsamic vinegars and tuna fillets carefully preserved in olive oil. The artisanal pasta is there, but now it's available in bulk, good news for those cooking in smaller quantities. (I was pleased to see fregola, the ball-shaped pasta that's so good in vegetarian soups and as a base for grilled fish or meat.) A few unusual books await, including a restaurant guide to Venice, which I suspect may be the only such of its kind, at least in the US.
All this is fun, and it's hard to resist picking up an individual bite of an Italian chocolate, but there's more than meets the eye at first glance. This circa-1927 former post office has been remodeled to include a kitchen, not so surprising, but an amazing, flexible setup for all kinds of events, wine tastings, of course, but there's the potential for lots of different functions. Walls, not those plastic-looking things in hotel conference rooms, but apparently substantial partitions, move. Sofas and chairs and tables are discovered. There's even a turntable and vinyl LPs. Investigating the space is a little like falling down the rabbit hole.
The first visit can be tricky. I thought I knew the area right around St. Mary's Hospital quite well, but the new construction threw me off. However, the line on their card that reads "right behind Tip-Top" is the clue. It's a short block behind Tip-Top Cleaners. Street parking.
Parker's Table
7118 Oakland Ave, Richmond Heights
314-645-2050
Open Mon.-Sat.