The old saw that the higher the floor on which a restaurant is perched, the less reliable the food, may be losing some of its edge. We lost a lot of our skepticism after a visit to Everest in Chicago a year ago and even more after a lunch downtown at Point of View.
On the 30th floor of the Laclede Gas Building at 8th and Locust streets, it’s in the former premises of the Media Club. The L-shaped room faces south and east, with lots of window tables for your viewing pleasure. The sights include the site of the last Busch Stadium to house a World Series winner and the barren area where Ballpark Village is scheduled to rise at about the time Moby Dick swims up the Mississippi River.
Despite the carpeting and white tablecloths, Point of View is really quite casual. If one wasn’t aware it’s a project of the long-established Patty Long Catering, who run venues like Meriwether’s in the History Museum and the 9th Street Abbey, one might think it was one of those "Hey, kids, let’s open a restaurant!" things.
Nope. Definitely nope. There’s a hostess, our server was very professional and knew the menu well. Used silver was replaced quietly, not ceremoniously put on the table with a series of flushes, and special credit for that.
A spinach-mushroom quesadilla from the starters section of the menu was a full circle of gooey goodness. It easily could serve as an entree, and apparently often does, from what the server said. The fresh salsa with it had sufficient mango and was far less spicy-hot than might have been expected from the menu’s mention of habanero peppers.
Half a dozen salads, and the same number of sandwiches, including one that’s easy to endorse: the chicken salad, chunky and not over-celeried, with nice pieces of almond, all lightly bound with a creamy dressing rather than mayonnaise.
Meatloaf fanciers need to drop what they’re doing and come to the table. The loaf here is excellent, a tender, juicy (and thick) slice laid upon a piece of good bread, blessed with brown gravy, and then a strewing of tobacco onions, those thinly slivered deep fried ones. It was good enough we can forgive the cold little dice of potatoes that came alongside.
Desserts are things like apple brown betty, but you’ll have to explore that on your own.
Point of View
720 Olive St.
314-421-5941
www.pattylongcatering.com/pov_restaurant.htm
Credit cards: All major
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: No
Entrees: $11
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I would have to say my wife and I had one of the worst meals we have ever had at the Valentine’s dinner special held at the Pont of View. Both dinners tasted as if they were warmed over for a second leftover meal. So very disappointing.