Black Walnut Bistro, Hermann

By Elizabeth Hey

Pasta aficionados will find much to love at Black Walnut Bistro where Nick and Brittany Renfroe whip up noodles on a daily basis. Hand-made egg fettucine and spaghetti serve as the cornerstone for their dishes that incorporate a variety of from-scratch sauces and toppings.

Situated on Hermann’s quaint main thoroughfare, the couple opened the restaurant in 2011, naming it after Missouri’s state nut. With few exceptions, every dish and sauce is made from scratch. Brittany, who studied textile apparel at the University of Missouri, designed the red and black interior and cooks side-by-side with Nick. Most weeks Nick’s grandmother comes in and whips up her caramel apple cake.

“While at MU, I studied abroad in Florence,” says Nick. “That summer, I made my first pasta and fell in love with the food, so I studied at the French Culinary Institute in New York City after college and dreamed of opening my own restaurant.”

On a chilly evening, my husband and I began our meal with a hand-crafted white caramel apple sangria. Besides the signature sangrias, there’s a thoughtful selection of local and domestic wine, plus craft beers from St. Louis and beyond. For starters, we ordered the smoky-sweet tomato bisque garnished with pork belly croutons and shredded asiago. Crisp, panko-breaded zucchini spears came plated with a tasty lemon aioli dip and didn’t last long.

Pasta dishes ranged from a twist on traditional spaghetti and meatballs to chicken carbonara and popular lobster-shrimp fettuccine in parmesan cream champagne sauce. The impressive spaghetti and ribeye steak meatballs paired well with the plum tomato marinara and fresh basil—the plump meatballs were cooked sous-vide and finished on the grill for a seared outer crust. An entire meal can be made from the menu’s satisfying mac n’ cheese variations—spinach and artichoke, buffalo chicken or bacon and mushroom. Hand-cut aged steaks offered another option, but we had come for pasta.

Noteworthy sides included hand-cut cajun fries. Par-fried, or double fried, to order, they’re finished at high temperature for extra crispiness. Maple bacon Brussels sprouts are quartered and flash fried, then drizzled with warm maple bacon vinaigrette—sure to please the most skeptical veggie eaters.

Desserts change daily, and selection is limited compared to the extensive menu. But after filling up on pasta, no one seems to notice. We shared the decadent banana bread pudding drizzled with brandy butterscotch sauce. After a few bites, we boxed the rest of the generous portion to enjoy another day.

For more information, visit
facebook.com/BlackWalnutBistro.