New Restaurant Wednesday: Winslow's Home

Nestled on a tree-lined street in the St. Louis suburb of University City sits a two-story, non-descript brick building housing one of St. Louis’ “must try” restaurants, Winslow's Home.

U. City is best known for the Delmar Loop and its eclectic and diverse restaurant, bar, and shopping scene. The “Loop”, as locals call it, is home to such St. Louis staples as the Riverfront Times, Vintage Vinyl, and Fitz's.

But drive just a few miles west of the busy, gritty Loop and the atmosphere changes entirely. Gone are the fluorescent lights advertising the latest art house films playing at the Tivoli. Silenced is the din created by the clanging silverware from the sidewalk diners. And hushed is the background buzz created by the people who live, eat, and shop here. All of the energy of the Loop is replaced by a sedate residential neighborhood with wide sidewalks and historic homes.

I’d wanted to try Winslow’s Home for months, reading the rave reviews about this restaurant in the New York Times, Midwest Living, and Feast Magazine and hearing from my friends who already tried it and loved it. Prior to our Twilight movie marathon, Ruthie and I headed to Winslow’s Home on a bright and sunny Saturday afternoon. The restaurant was busy and the line to the counter was long. Think I was stuck in line bored to tears? Think again.

Winslow’s Home first opened as a general store in 1924 and current owners Randy Lipton and Ann Sheehan Lipton pay homage to the original concept with shelves, tables and corkboard walls selling everything from cooking utensils, kitchen accessories and weird little books like eat tweet. In the market for some 100% Kosher soap? They sell it. What about a Bananagram? They’ve got it. Looking for a bottle of wine to go with your white cheddar, fontina, and herb butter grilled cheese sandwich? They have a 500 bottle Wine Room for you to peruse.

Locally grown, organic, and sustainability are words thrown about the restaurant industry these days with few restaurants actually putting these words into action. If the fact that Winslow’s Home has earned accolades from St. Louis Magazine, Sauce Magazine and the RFT weren’t enough, they also know the food they serve. Sitting on four chemical-free acres in Augusta, Missouri is Winslow’s Farm. As quoted on their website, “Living sustainably is not just a trend to us, it is a way of life.”

We only had time to sample their blueberry pie, tea, and iced mocha, but I’ll definitely be back. After all, Home is where the...award-winning, Missouri-raised, grass-fed beef is.

Ruthie enjoying a hot cup of tea at Winslow's Home.

{All photos taken with my iphone, using the Instagram app and the 1977 filter.}