“The best debut of 2024, Esca dazzles with coal-powered cooking, brushing brawny steaks and delicate fruits alike with fire, smoke, and embers. The dishes are elemental, steeped in Mediterranean sun. Crackling-skinned chicken in its silky jus. Branzino with an olive-pistachio tapenade like a briny breeze from the sea. Esca risks cliché to find new magic in old favorites, revitalizing hamachi crudo with the snap of almonds, beef tartare with lighter, sweeter veal.”
Read more about Esca here.
Where • 5095 Delmar Boulevard • 314-365-2686; bengelina.com/esca • Dinner Tuesday-Sunday (closed Monday) • $$$-$$$$
Dining and Cooking