Everyone needs a lunch place, even if it's dinner time. And St. Louis has a lot of little neighborhood spots that attract mostly regulars, but strangers, too. We always enjoy finding such places, whether locally or on the road. What we want is food that's better than average, pleasant service and some good people watching. Décor isn't a big deal; indeed, the lack of it contributes to that ineffable thing called atmosphere. (Admit it: Doesn't too much of an effort to be cute affect your judgment?)
Cafe Affton Sports Grill & Bar sits quietly on a stretch of Gravois beyond the wilds of River des Peres. Plenty of televisions, of course, but the crowd seems more mixed than in an average sports bar, with visitors who range from multi-generational families to solo diners with newspapers. No audio from the televisions, so the noise level isn't unreasonable, a thoughtful consideration. But on the other hand, some non-smokers may have problems; the non-smoking area is at the back of the dining room, and the ventilation isn't quite enough.
In many cases, service at neighborhood restaurants can be lackluster, or at least erratic. We certainly didn't find that here. Servers were young, good-natured, energetic but still patient enough to make sure they had the entire order before they flew off. All in all, they were pretty darn good.
Yes, chicken wings on the appetizer list, including the "trashed" style found in some places in this corner of town, which does not mean served with a pile of various things like nachos grande. They're cooked, doused in the hot sauce and then re-fried. Not so spicy as some, but the texture is nice, tender inside, chewy on the outside, and a lot less messy to eat than those from the dribble-down-the-arm school. Fried mushrooms were a nice surprise, seemingly freshly breaded, juicy inside, very well drained, piping hot and served with a creamy horseradish sauce we'd like to see offered with french fries. Our chicken quesadilla was properly hot and crispy-gooey with a good but not excessive amount of seasoning, Who knew that provel cheese would cozy up to a tortilla? And the house-made pretzel nuggets were surprisingly tasty, also arriving warm, chewy, good with or without their cheese drip.
If the great conversation opener in St. Louis is “Where did you go to high school?” Cafe Affton brings things to a new, and rather amusing, level. Every sandwich, including the 10 hamburger variations, is named for a school. A Lutheran South Cafe Gerber, which is a variation of grilled ham and cheese? How about a CBC bacon cheeseburger? Even grade schools aren't neglected. Try a St. Catherine Laboure pork tenderloin. At least the St. Joan of Arc club is oven-roasted turkey rather than flame-grilled. The St. Dominic Cheddar, like all the burgers, is a 10-ounce patty. All burgers are well-done unless the diner specifies otherwise, and we neglected to say anything. Nevertheless, it wasn't cooked to dryness, and the soft cheddar spread and skinny fried onion rings on top went well with its beefiness. The Kirkwood Pioneer BBQ Pulled Pork sandwich was reasonably smoky, with a tomato-based sauce that tasted of molasses, a little gooey, but not bad for a kitchen that does not specialize in barbecue, a generous serving that really called for a fork rather than being picked up with both hands. The housemade potato chips surprised us by being room temperature to slightly chilled, dimming any potential charm.
Cleveland High Brioche Bread Pudding arrived warm, rather dense, raisins here and there, and a lightly brandied sauce. Pleasant, but unremarkable.
Cafe Affton does weekend breakfast, sit down rather than buffet. Nightly specials, happy hour specials, all sorts of things to keep the regulars happy, and they certainly seem to be.
Cafe Affton Sports Grill & Bar
8715 Gravois, Affton
314-457-8000
Lunch & Dinner daily, Breakfast Sat.-Sun
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Poor
Smoking: Yes
Sandwiches & Entrees: $7-$18
Comments
3 responses
I love chicken wings so much. Your post has officially decided my dinner plans! I think I’ll go to Native New Yorker here in Phoenix. Cheers~
I’m one of those regulars…just ate there last night! You must go back and try the house salad with house dressing (anchovy-based). So good!
Be careful, bartenders and owners have a long history of padding bills at this place.