Café Osage

I cannot believe that I’ve been living in St. Louis all these years and have been missing out on this little gem in my neighborhood.  Café Osage is a breakfast/brunch/lunch cafe attached to a nursery garden owned by Bowood Farms and located right in the central west end.

Upon entering the nursery, I was transported to a beautiful garden filled with many varieties of flowers, herbs, and countless other plants.  The idea of placing a cafe in the middle of this garden oasis is nothing short of genius.  We came on a warm Saturday afternoon and enjoyed a nice leisurely lunch at the outside portion of the cafe, which faces a fountain as well as the rest of the garden courtyard.  

The feel of the cafe is very European and tricks you into thinking you’ve escaped St. Louis for a little bit.  However, the best part of this place is its focus on and dedication to local foods.  Not only is their menu seasonal, but many of the greens and veggies are grown on the garden premises.  I was also happy to learn that the nursery and farm are family owned, and much of the meat they serve comes from their Clarksville, Missouri location.  It seems like they focus on raising grass fed bison, which is never administered hormones, steroids, or antibiotics.  This place is an excellent example of the type of local farming I am more than happy to support and one of these days I hope to make a trip out to their Clarksville location as well. 

The food was also fresh and delicious.  I got the Brie, L, T, which was Nueske bacon, melted brie cheese, tomato marmalade and arugula (I got spinach instead) on a whole wheat crostini.  

brie, l, t...

 

The bacon and melted brie can certainly speak for themselves.  The tomato marmalade was also very satisfying on the taste buds but hit a sweeter fruitier note. The spinach was a nice light toping, and I’m sure if arugula is your sort of thing it would adequately serve a similar purpose.  The sandwich came with a side of very tasty dijon roast potatoes.  

I also sampled the tuna sandwich, another great choice, made with a nice chunk of tuna steak and not boring old canned tuna. 

tuna sandwich

 

not quite a cafe con leche, but close enough...

 

This is without a doubt my new favorite cafe and I will be coming back.  I was ecstatic to learn they have an afternoon tea menu as well with cute high tea sandwiches and sweets, which Im dying to try.  You should also check out their webpage and calendar for community events…I think over the summers they also do tours of their rooftop gardens which would be super cool.