Describe St. Louis in 3 words.
Authentic, comfortable, and fun.
What’s a perfect day in St. Louis like for you?
Grab a Strange Donut; eat breakfast at Rooster or the Four Seasons; have lunch at Gioia’s Deli; dinner at Brasserie or Louie; late movie at the High Point; and then ice cream from Clementine’s. In between, I’d meet with St. Louis’s best designers and restaurateurs to talk about crafting furniture for more fun and fantastic restaurants!
Out of all the St. Louis iconic dishes, which is your favorite?
I love the Gooey Butter Cake donuts from Strange Donuts. The St. Paul Sandwich is also one of my favs. It’s so weird and delicious. The best one is from Chinese Express on Clayton Ave. next to the Cheshire.
You spend your days lifting humongous slabs of wood. Where’s your favorite place to refuel in the evening?
It’s a tie between Brasserie and Louie. Both places make me feel so welcome and loved. They really take care of you there. And the food is out of this world.
If you’ve got a friend in from out of town, where are you taking them to sell them on St. Louis?
So many choices! We just had friends visit us from DC, and we centered their visit around where we live in Richmond Heights so that we could mostly walk everywhere, so that’s what I am going to do here:
They will stay at the Cheshire, which has a great vibe and is perfectly located. We walk down to the Kaldi’s on Demun for breakfast, then we hit Forest Park for a hike, the art museum, the zoo, maybe a paddle boat ride. We walk – or take the trolley! — over to U City for lunch at Seoul Taco, Mission Taco, or Fork and Stix.
After lunch, we Uber downtown to the Arch for a walk around the grounds and a visit to the top. Then we head over to City Museum – even if there are no kids! Then, a quick stop at Schlafly Tap Room for a late afternoon beer. Back to the Cheshire to freshen up, then drinks in the Fox and Hounds. After drinks we walk down Demun again and have dinner at Louie. I think we’d be wiped out after that.
How can people see your tables and learn more about what you do?
I am proud to say that I’ve done tables, bars, and other items for so many great places here in St. Louis, including Sardella, Taste, Porano, Louie, The Block, Hugo’s Pizza, Bridge, Rooster, Gioia’s, Strange Donuts, the Four Seasons, Reed’s American Table, Vitality Bowls, Schlafly, Shake Shack, Tiny bar and many more. And you can always visit my website to learn more: www.stinewoodworking.com.
