Looking for dinner at an hour later than most of our fellow St. Louisans is something we often find ourselves doing. Both of us spent many years working rather late, and we're comfortable with dinner at 8, or 9, or even 10. It's a search that is difficult enough in the main part of the city, but when we get to the farther suburbs, we're usually left with nothing beyond drive-through windows. And while White Castle is a tasty indulgence, that's usually not what we really want.
What we do want shouldn't be too difficult, we think. We'd like food that's not from a microwave, a place to eat sitting down, whether it's at a table or a bar, and someone to bring the food to us. Seems fairly simple. We'd like to be able to hear our own conversation, but don't mind a television set, or several. And, following our usual policy, we'd prefer that it be locally owned.
Evening movie screenings at the Galaxy 14 in Chesterfield usually leave us ready for a late dinner. That stretch of Chesterfield Airport Road has plenty of restaurants, but at that hour, what few places were open seemed to be mostly chains. But there was the newest location of Syberg's, with an encouraging number of cars in the parking lot, even after 10 p.m.
Over a couple of visits, we've hit the appetizer list pretty heavily and tried a couple of sandwiches, and were pleasantly surprised. The onion rings, for instance, were thin, lightly battered, very crisp and delightfully grease-free. So were the housemade potato chips that accompanied the sandwiches. We're not sure what impulse made us order potstickers (curiosity, probably, or in support for international cooperation) but they, too, were greaseless, with a ginger-laced meaty filling.
Syberg's is known as a wing house, selling their house sauce by the bottle. These wings were large and meaty, crisp but not dry. We tried the buffalo wings and the ones with the house sauce, a creamy-looking orange with serious mustard. We liked the buffaloes but were even happier with the house sauce and its sinus-clearing heat. And then there were the Sygoons, taking the crab rangoon idea (which, by the way, seems to have originated in St. Louis at the old Trader Vic's, when Dubois Chen was working magic) and using chicken instead, and seasoning the mixture with some of the Syberg's wing sauce. Absolutely irresistible, whether with or without the sweet chili sauce served alongside.
Syberg's serves a more-than-acceptable reuben on marble rye, with a sauce that's a tangy version of Russian dressing. An ooey-gooey grilled cheese sandwich with bacon had just the right combination of crisp, chewy and creamy. The potato chips we talked about are available as one of the options for sides.
Sometimes late at nights, kitchens lose their edge. That didn't happen here, and neither did the servers, who were pleasant, zippy, and knew their menu well. Plenty of beer; wine is just a polite gesture. The kitchen is open until 11:45 p.m. during the week, “sometimes longer,” says the staff, and midnight on weekends. Alas, their website is badly out of date.
Syberg's Chesterfield
17392 Chesterfield Airport Rd., Chesterfield
636-532-7600
Lunch and Dinner daily
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: Yes
Sandwiches & Entrees: $7-$22
Comments
One response
Hubby and I are also often in Chesterfield valley late and looking for a locally owned place to sit and eat. We noticed Sybergs, but hadn’t given them a try. It may be time to change that! Thanks for the recommendation. BTW, have you tried the Mediterranian Grill west of Long Rd? Only open till 9, but oh so good!