baba gnoush Archives - Good Food St. Louis

I join old friends and fellow foodies Alex and Kathy Primm for a recent lunch at Olio.

There’s nothing more satisfying than good food prepared with gusto in a Ben Poremba restaurant: Olio, Elaia, Nixta, or Benevolent King. With two sets of out-of-town visitors recently, I headed one evening to Benevolent King for dinner and a few days later to Olio for lunch.

The food photos below tell the story. The intriguing dishes are the real deal with spices of the Mediterranean region guaranteed to tantalize the taste buds and bring you back for more.

Chef Ben Poremba on the roof of his recently acquired buildings across from Olio. The corner space houses AO&Co, his new specialty market and tea and coffee shop. Hmm . . . I wonder if the imaginative chef is thinking about terrace dining on the roof?? How about it, Ben?

Whether his kitchen domain is a refurbished gas station (Olio), or the 2nd floor of an old, brick, row house (Elaia), a one-time horse stable (Nixta), or a hole-in-the-wall-size space in Maplewood (Benevolent King), Poremba knows how to excite the palate,

Mediterranean Feast

Taim, hummus with marinated local mushrooms, almonds, harissa served with warm pita bread.

Marinated Beets with cashew dukkah, whipped quark cheese, and raspberries

Arais, lamb-stuffed pita, with gruyere, harissa,and tzatziki sauce

Sinnia, chicken kefta meat balls with pickled onions, tomatoes, and tahini.

Lamb Balls with smoked tomato sauce, ras el hanout (spice blend), and couscous at Benevolent King.

Benevolent King’s Baba Ganoush with pea sprouts, pistachios, and falafel.

Returning home, I often pull out my Yotam Ottolenghi cookbooks to see if I can find something similar to what I’ve eaten that I could serve at the farm. But most often I leave the Mediterranean-style cooking to Ben and associates. Though my grandson, Austin, does have a flair for flinging North African spices about the kitchen, roasting vegetables, and concocting tasty sauces.