Frontenac Grill

Several years ago I went here with my parents because they had a groupon. I couldn’t believe how cheesy the décor was. It seemed as though it had been time warped from the 80s. We ordered a pizza and describing it as greesy would be an understatement. The chef must have dumped the leftover greese from the fryer all over the pizza. The massive pool of grease under the pizza made the bp oil spill seem insignificant. When the waiter offered to box up the pizza I thought he was joking. Unfortunately he wasn’t. Coincidentally I broke out in acne immediately after eating the horrible pizza. Needless to say I won’t be returning to this establishment.

College chum and I went again with a Groupon. Somehow, everything wasn’t as spectacular as it was for our last dinner. Denny was our server again. He did a splendid job of reviewing the Groupon components: appetizer to share, beverages and entrees.
We opted for the shrimp scampi for appetizer. We were both concerned that the description made it sound like an entire entrée with the shrimp sitting on angel hair pasta. Well, as Denny explained, the pasta was a small bed. But it was still too much pasta for us to eat as an appetizer. The shrimp were well-​grilled and butterflied nicely. A good, solid taste.
Entrees:
My dining partner got the Papperdelle again, but asked for the goat cheese on the side and ditched the radicchio.
The sauce was a little skimpy and thin. The grilled tenderloin, while cooked to her specifications, was in really big pieces that had to be cut up. I think if you’re serving a dish like that, the meat should be in bite-​sized pieces.
BUT, when she added the on-​the-​side goat cheese, the broth thickened up nicely, and she enjoyed it. Aside from having to cut all the pieces of meat. I don’t remember it was like this on our last meal.
I got the grilled Alaskan salmon topped with artichoke, sun-​dried tomatoes with a red onion and caper relish. The salmon was grilled well, very tasty and moist. The other components were sporadic with more red onion than either sun-​dried tomato or capers. I believe I saw (and ate) one little caper.
My dish came with garlic mashed potatoes or spaghetti (olive oil, red or white sauce — I chose white) and a zucchini-​squash-​red onion medley. It’s really an entire meal for $ 19. And it’s nice that sides are included (two, to boot) with the entrée.
The spaghetti white sauce was flavorful, and the vegetable medley was well-​seasoned and not over-​cooked.
We did get the lovely bread basket of yeasty, doughy pretzel rolls, which were fabulous. I took two home.
We both left with wonderful to-​go vessels. Mine’s probably a hefty dinner for tomorrow. Hers is probably a nice-​portioned lunch, with a nap après.
What I don’t get is how the Groupon is apportioned. We were allowed $ 13 for an appetizer (ours was $ 12), $ 7 apiece for two beverages (which we got) and $ 23 apiece for entrees.
Her entrée cost $ 18. Mine cost $ 19. That’s $ 37 for an allowance of $ 46. So we should have had an extra $ 10 (add $ 1 for the appetizer differential).
But when we got an extra glass of wine (not both of us) for $ 7, it didn’t balance against the leftover money from the appetizer and entrees.
It did last time. It didn’t this time. I don’t understand how it works.

We went later on a Saturday night to enjoy some music. Frontenac Grill was a pleasant surprise — it had nice live music, a great malbec by the glass and good dancing energy! It is a nice date night. Based on the other reviews, I’d come for drinks only.

Celebrated my 30^th birthday dinner on a Thursday night. I was very pleased with the seating accommodations for 15 people; I was able to watch the band and be comfortable without feeling like we were in the way.
Everyone’s food came out at the same time and everyone seemed to be happy with their food order. My food was pretty good, I did have to add additional seasoning to the Stuffed Chicken Breast.
Overall, this is a nice place for drinks, listening to a live band and great for large groups. My only issue was that my food portion didn’t seem to be enough for a growing young lady. After eating my entrée, I was still hungry and I’m only 140 lbs. Maybe I had a huge appetite that day, but normally the entrée should fill me up.

Came in after a movie for a late dinner. Was terribly disappointed in what turned out to be overpriced, highly indifferent food worthy of a Restaurant Impossible intervention. salty stale tortillas were overused. the black beans were cold. the rice was dried out and cold. the Tilapia tacos featured overcooked and cold fish stuffed in doubled up salty stale taco shells. $ 12.95 for indigestion? I think not.

I just had the best pizza since I arrived to Saint Louis!
It was Chicago style– perfect pan crust, oozing Mozzerella, with pepperoni, sausage, bacon, mushrooms and green peppers covered with tomatoes.
We also had the Chicken Fettucini– perfectly done pasta in a creamy garlic sauce with nicely charred chicken on top.
We almost forgot to ask for the bread. (Thanks for the tip-​Patt C) Warm Rosemary and Pretzel rolls served with butter.
Great service. Clean.
It lost a star for the whole Coco’s gone Rat Pack defunct casino vibe!

This place is SO cheesy. It’s like they tried to be a New York or Chicago style jazz bar and lounge, but they greatly missed the mark. It’s got a huge front-​of-​house bar, lots of tables and booths, and a mirrored bard in the back. It’s just gaudy. I was hoping that the food would make up for the décor, but it didn’t.
To start, we ordered Calamari, followed by two small house salads. I was hesitant to try the Calamari, but it was surprisingly tasty. It was crispy and light, but we did have to ask for lemon because it needed a little bit of a citrus kick. The best part of the meal was by far our house salads. We ordered the salads with oil and vinegar and it was a great choice. The lettuce was clearly fresh (not bagged) and the roped Provel paired with the crunchy croutons was a tasty combination. The entrees however, were slightly disappointing.
Jon ordered the fish tacos. I tasted a small piece of the fish right when the server delivered it, and I was greatly disappointed to realize that it was merely a frozen fish filet that had been placed in a tortilla. A freshly pan seared Tilapia filet, or even a hand battered fresh Cod filet would have been much, much better.
My pizza was very good, but it was covered in so much grease that I had to blot it with several cocktail napkins before I could even think of eating it.
Our server was very nice and very attentive with the drink refills (Jon drinks a ton of water) but bread was not delivered to our table until we asked for it, and our lunch ended up being two hours long because everything took so long to get to our table. I really don’t think we’ll be back, unless it’s to pick up two house salads To-​Go.

Menu choices are very expensive. I enjoyed my experience and will be back soon.

ZERO STARS, okay, a Half Star. Ignored by wait staff, chastised by «manager». Will NEVER return!!! Manager accused us of abusing the frequent pizza buyer card only to find out that his bartender signed the card, not us! Never even apologized. Been buying pizzas takeout since they opened, the pizza is good, but after this abuse, I’d rather by a pizza from St. Louis’s favorite-IMO’s. this place won’t get one more penny out of us. Wish Mike was still with us, he’d never treat his customers like this-​RIP, Mike. They are running your place into the ground. My advice, go somewhere else where you are treated like a customer, not a number. Oh, one more thing-​we usually ate take-​out pizza because the décor looks like a cross between an Italian bordello and a funeral parlor!

A terrific meal from start to finish. We arrived quite early on a Saturday night, a good hour or so before the place started to fill up. The first thing you will notice upon entry is the distinct 1940’s Vegas club style they have so perfectly emulated. It is not hard to imagine the likes of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra– whose portraits lovingly adorn several of the walls– dining in the back corner or enjoying a drink (or three) at either one of the bars. The dining area is very pleasing to the eye; crimson walls complemented by richly textured, dark brown wood paneling, every surface polished to a sheen, glowing softly in the dimmed light. Despite opening their doors in the fall of last year, the place still looks as if the grand opening was last week. True to the original name of the restaurant (Ol’ Blue Eyes), a big band themed soundtrack plays gracefully over the loudspeaker, further setting the tone for the evening. An important part of the dining experience at any upper tier Italian restaurant is the atmosphere, and I am happy to report The Frontenac Grill’s throwback to the past is a resounding success.
Our waiter started us with a round of the house caesar, topped off with a generous helping of their homemade croutons– to die for (how often do you hear that said about croutons?) The bread served alongside the salad was hot, doughy, and plentiful. To be honest, I would have left a happy man if the meal had ended here.
Our entrees– fettuccine alfredo with chicken, salmon on angel hair pasta, and the house pork chops– arrived around twenty minutes later. The fettuccine was rich, succulent and perfectly portioned, as was the salmon on angel hair. The pork chops were perfectly seasoned and unbelievably tender. As a bonus, they came with a side of spaghetti and pesto, which was every bit as delicious as the fettuccine and angel hair. We finished our meals with great zeal, our palettes and our bellies satisfied.
I had heard wonderful things about the chocolate fritters– supposedly the chef’s signature dish– and though my appetite had been fully satiated, I simply could not resist their allure. Our waiter (who was excellent, by the way) was simply too persuasive. I have no regrets. They were superb. An order consists of six lightly powdered, unassuming dough balls. The first bite, however, is a revelation– an explosion of chocolate and mocha erupting like a volcano in your mouth. Before you know it, the plate is empty and you are longing for more. A visit to Frontenac Grill is not complete without an order of the chocolate mocha fritters. I might go so far as to say they are the best dessert I have had at any restaurant.
By the time we left, the bar and the floor had filled up nicely. I’m glad to see The Frontenac Grill enjoying so much success. They deserve it. The service, food, and the atmosphere came together seamlessly for a wonderful dining experience. I look forward to future visits– of which, I am sure, there will be many.

First time visit on 5−4−12 for a birthday party and to see Theo Peoples perform. Was immediately unimpressed with the waitstaff who seemed flustered and one flat out said he didn’t want 37 different checks. WHAT?! That goodness the food was great — I highly recommend the crab beignets — nice and crispy outside and creamy crabmeat inside! Prices not bad, either. Will for sure go back because Frontenac Grill has a pretty decent live entertainment lineup. but probably will sit at the bar so as not to crate too much confusion for the servers.

Great eggplant parm and vegetarian pizza
Bands are fun too

I had an excellent experience, Chef Timney made a personal appearance to our table to make sure everyone was satisfied! And we were! The St Louis pizza (aka Talaynas) was out of this world! And Chef Timney’s special pasta of the day was superb! I want to go back for lunch and see the lighrter options… I would definitely do it again. Friendly staff!

I really was hoping this place would have good food at a fair price with good service. The server was nice… the rest… meh.

I had very high hopes, but was not at all impressed. We went for an early dinner and I was so looking forward to the chicken spedini appetizer. I ordered it right away and could not wait to try it! The presentation was extremely plain, but if it’s delicious I can get over a marginal presentation. The taste was also very bland. The chicken was dry and just not at all what I expected.
For dinner, we split a St. Louis Style Pizza and it was good.
The service was slow and the place was almost empty. I cannot imagine why the service was so slow. The server was polite, but very inattentive and we had to ask for more water, drinks, etc.
I doubt that I will be back any time soon.

Never been to Frontenac Grill before — it is the old Cocos on Lindbergh Blvd. at Conway Road — just North of Highway 40.
Went with my partner and my parents for dinner. No sandwich items available for dinner. Rather disappointing. Did end up ordering the St. Louis style thin pizza — sausage and onion. VERY VERY VERY GOOD!!! I would get this again on my next trip! The pizza was REALLY good!
Dinner salads were plenty in size and the house dressing was delicious. Also you get warm homemade rolls at your table — these were delicious too!
My next trip will be for lunch — they offer sandwiches and are at a lower price point.
Would recommend it, but not worthy of five stars.
Steve

I met a buddy there for drinks tonight and had a great experience (at the bar). I found the ambiance outstanding with excellent lighting, great Sinatra music, and an open, comfortable dining area. I sat at the bar and was impressed with the bar service and very attracitve bartenders/​waitstaff. I loved the bar itself as it was easy to sit at the bar with a comfortable front edge (too many bars have the angled edge at the front lip, making it hard to «belly up» to the bar). My friend ordered three pizzas, two St. Louis style and one, New York style.excellent. Not greasy, delicious crust, and fresh ingredients. Big Fan!
The manager stopped by and listened to my obnoxious suggestions. The owner was also at the bar… he’s gotta work at his personality and I suggest he stay in the kitchen.
I will be back and will make suggestions to my friends too!

Went later on a Friday night. Some initial confusion regarding seating and variable service, but the pizza and pasta were excellent. Subtle live music. Older clientele. Overall a very good experience.

Man. This place hasn’t been reviewed yet? And I am only giving two stars?
Dang.
Went here today with my department from work for holiday lunch. There were about 10 of us. The server asked us what we wanted to drink and acted very confident as she was taking our order without writing it down. Sure enough, she had the drink orders all kind of confused. For me personally, I had ordered a regular Pepsi. She tried to give me a tea first and then brought me my Pepsi which ended up being diet. I didn’t even bother complaining.
For food, I ordered the pizza/​salad lunch special. Now it said they served Talayna’s pizza which I like and Talayna’s salad as well. The salad was decent but it was a pretty small portion. They gave quite a big «slice» of pizza which was actually three small slices. I could see it was greasy and I used a napkin to soak some from the top. I was able to eat the smallest of the three and I took one bite of the next slice and had to stop. This pizza was DROWNING in grease. I mean, there was a literal puddle of orange grease under the pizza which mean that the crust was soaked with it and which also meant immediate cardiac arrest if I would eat any more.
It was terrible. Had this been something I was paying for, I most definitely would have complained. It wasn’t even edible.
The server asked if I wanted it boxed up and I declined. I never decline pizza. Never. But did she ask why I failed to eat most of the pizza or why I didn’t want to take the rest home? Nope.
Other comments from my dining companions:
1. the burger was too thick… and not in a good way
2. the clam chowder wasn’t very good
3. one coworker ordered the spaghetti which was to come with a large meatball… he had to ask for his meatball
4. a couple coworkers ordered cappuccinos and they were described as tasting like hot liquid creamer (no coffee taste)
Not a very good experience. I don’t foresee ever going back. My stomach is queasy just thinking of that pooled up orange grease. Ugh.
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Edited to add: of course after I wrote this legitimate and unbiased review, a couple others sprang up which were 5 star reviews from people who have never reviewed anything else. Clearly not legitimate.