Tin Mill Restaurant, Hermann
May 2025
The historic Hermann Mill, formerly an 1840s grain elevator, mill and icehouse, now houses the Tin Mill Restaurant. Intricately tied to the town’s agriculture, the mill produced White Pearl Flour and Lucky Hard Wheat Flour. The Dierberg family of Saint Louis renovated the mill in 2007 and have been instrumental in Hermann’s preservation for many years.
Blueprints of the building hang on the restaurant’s back wall. Original wood flooring and beams add a rustic vibe. Centered in the dining area, the grain elevator shaft soars seven stories above the basement. An attached icehouse, now Celebration Hall, accommodates large dinner parties, weddings, conferences and private events.
“Our seasonal menu offers German-American comfort food with several Italian dishes added this winter,” says general manager Justin Lieser. “Chef Stewart Barteau joined us last March and previously worked at some notable St. Louis restaurants.”
Wines from Dierberg vineyards in Hermann and Santa Barbara, California influence every dish, even the vegetables. Four beers on tap are crafted by the traditional German method at Tin Mill Brewery just across the street. Cocktails feature spirits from local Black Shire Distillery, also a Dierberg enterprise. Five wine flights and a beer flight offer samplings.
“We have the luxury of using wine from our vineyard just eight miles away,” says Lieser. “Our labels include estate wines and reserve blends as well as blends from the Dierberg’s Missouri and California wineries.”
For starters, my husband and I ordered the Bavarian soft pretzel to dip in house made beer cheese. The wurstteller plate showcased two German sausages made by local Swiss Meats. Scratch sweet and spicy mustards complimented the hearty sausages.
Our three dinner entrees incorporated house made sauces, gravies and sides. The boneless whiskey barbecue chicken arrived grilled and topped with tangy barbecue sauce that featured Black Shire Distillery whiskey. A tender 10-ounce strip steak drizzled with Norton onion butter included mashed potatoes and broccoli. Our favorite, and the most popular entrée, was hand-tenderized and lightly breaded schnitzel. Thin and crispy encrusted pork tenderloin with dill gravy accompanied sides of traditional red cabbage sauerkraut and warm German potato salad.
Service was attentive. We lingered over dessert that included crème Brulé, bread pudding and apple strudel beignets à la mode. The beignets perfectly capped off our hearty meal. Four pastry-filled rolls came stuffed with a homemade, but not-overly-sweet, apple filling.
Visit TinMillSteakHouse.com for more information.
Blueprints of the building hang on the restaurant’s back wall. Original wood flooring and beams add a rustic vibe. Centered in the dining area, the grain elevator shaft soars seven stories above the basement. An attached icehouse, now Celebration Hall, accommodates large dinner parties, weddings, conferences and private events.
“Our seasonal menu offers German-American comfort food with several Italian dishes added this winter,” says general manager Justin Lieser. “Chef Stewart Barteau joined us last March and previously worked at some notable St. Louis restaurants.”
“We have the luxury of using wine from our vineyard just eight miles away,” says Lieser. “Our labels include estate wines and reserve blends as well as blends from the Dierberg’s Missouri and California wineries.”
For starters, my husband and I ordered the Bavarian soft pretzel to dip in house made beer cheese. The wurstteller plate showcased two German sausages made by local Swiss Meats. Scratch sweet and spicy mustards complimented the hearty sausages.
Our three dinner entrees incorporated house made sauces, gravies and sides. The boneless whiskey barbecue chicken arrived grilled and topped with tangy barbecue sauce that featured Black Shire Distillery whiskey. A tender 10-ounce strip steak drizzled with Norton onion butter included mashed potatoes and broccoli. Our favorite, and the most popular entrée, was hand-tenderized and lightly breaded schnitzel. Thin and crispy encrusted pork tenderloin with dill gravy accompanied sides of traditional red cabbage sauerkraut and warm German potato salad.
Service was attentive. We lingered over dessert that included crème Brulé, bread pudding and apple strudel beignets à la mode. The beignets perfectly capped off our hearty meal. Four pastry-filled rolls came stuffed with a homemade, but not-overly-sweet, apple filling.
Visit TinMillSteakHouse.com for more information.
The Landmark, Lowry City
February 2025
Two-piece chicken dinners come with mashed potatoes dolloped with scratch brown or white gravy and a yeast roll. Customers choose two homemade sides such as creamy potato salad, pickled beets, crispy coleslaw or that day’s dessert salad. It’s a bargain by any standards at $10.50 or $11.50 for all white meat. Price aside, my husband declared it the best fried chicken he has eaten. I agreed. Landmark’s crispy golden crust envelopes moist and tender meat.
“We fry by hand and don’t cut corners,” says owner and entrepreneur John Foster. “On Fridays, I cut up 50 whole chickens for Sunday.”
Less than a mile off Highway 13 and just north of Osceola Cheese Company, The Landmark serves as a community gathering place serving breakfast and lunch. A beehive of activity, locals and waitresses greet each other with hellos and hugs. Likewise, my husband and I were warmly welcomed. Service started the minute we were seated at the blue Formica table.
“I grew up in this community and love it here,” says Foster, “I enjoy being the place where people come to eat and see their friends.”
Although open for years, Foster bought The Landmark at the beginning of 2023. Now age 27, he started at the restaurant as a 16-year-old dishwasher, waiter and weekend cook before attending community college. He cooks alongside his staff and bakes his yeast rolls and desserts starting at 4:45 each morning. Savannah, restaurant manager and 15-year employee, mother hens the staff.
Throughout the week, except when closed on Mondays, homemade biscuits and gravy for breakfast draw regulars. Lunch specials, posted daily on Facebook, might feature ham and beans or fried catfish. Menu staples range from pot roast with brown gravy, meatloaf and sandwiches.
Foster enjoys the art of pie making. Desserts rotate daily, often selling out. Sundays, he makes 10 pies, a cobbler and a cheesecake. For $2.75 and $3.25 respectively, we tried coconut cream, banana cream and yummy blackberry cobbler. Whole pies, ordered ahead, sell for $12 to $14.
“What I enjoy most as a small business owner is being of service to my community and my employees,” said Foster.
For more information, look up The Landmark Restaurant Lowry City on Facebook.
Romero's, Weston
November 2024
“We were a bit overwhelmed by the response,” says Ben. “Everyone loved our food, and the townspeople were coming out to the orchard just to eat. That’s when Lily and I decided to open something more permanent in downtown.”
Last October, Romero’s opened on the corner of Main Street serving recipes inspired by Ben’s mother and grandmother and his early years in Tijuana and Chihuahua, Mexico. They revamped the 1800 brick building’s main floor for the dining area, added a professional kitchen upstairs and moved into the basement apartment.
Ben’s specialties include the street tacos and burritos. His secret lies with the meats he buys from Kansas City, Kansas grocery, Bonito Michoacán, plus his marinades. Shredded pork, carne asada from skirt steak and chicken are grilled on cast iron adding depth and flavor. Except for the flour tortillas, entrees are gluten free.
My husband and I decided on our choice of meat for the street tacos and burrito and ordered the quesabirria, which is a one-day-a-week special announced on Facebook that continually sells out. Traditionally, this dish incorporates shredded lamb, but Ben uses wagyu beef from Kansas City Cattle Company. A six-inch white corn tortilla, soaked in beef juice, is generously layered with shredded beef and cheese, folded in half and grilled. This crispy-melty delight reminds of authentic street food at its best and comes served with a dipping sauce of beef juice, cilantro, onion and lime.
Chips are thin white corn tortillas fried daily. Salsas, also made daily, include pico, green tomatillo, hot red with arbol chilis and popular creamy green salsa of roasted jalapenos in oil and salt. Margaritas lean to the sour side. Their newest addition is a mango-chili margarita infused with mango and red chili puree and rimmed with tajin—a blend of dried chile peppers, dehydrated lime and sea salt.
Lily bakes stellar desserts including traditional tres leches cake. Creamy and light, it’s Ben’s grandmother’s recipe. Topped with homemade whipped cream and strawberries, it makes a noteworthy finish.
“Whenever I bake tres leches cake, I let our Facebook followers know,” says Lily. “It’s usually sold out by 2 p.m.”
For more information, visit Facebook.com/p/Romeros-100095404157943.
Green Dirt on Oak, Kansas City
August 2024
Hoffman’s journey has been anything but linear. A move from Seattle in 1996 landed her family in Weston’s rolling hills. A former academic physician and microbiologist, her career trajectory ventured into sheep farming and creating specialty sheep cheeses. As the demand for Green Dirt’s cheese grew, it stretched her production capacity in Weston. One month into the pandemic, French chef Oskar Arévalo volunteered as a cheesemaker’s apprentice and quickly became head cheesemaker, but he dreamed of opening a fine dining experience.
Finally, in 2021 Hoffman bought the two-story building on the corner of 16th and Oak. A two-and-a-half-year rehab transformed the interior. The warm, yet industrial, vibe showcases exposed brick, pine floors and skyline views.
On a lively Sunday evening, my husband and I started our meal with the Monger’s Choice cheese board, we scooped up pungent woolly rind, creamy fresh cheese capped with local honey and mild, nutty prairie tomme cheese onto house sourdough. Next, shareable plates came laden with savory cheese croquettes, perfectly crisped on the outside with melted goodness inside; citrus-poached beets topped with feta and zucchini tempura dipped in sheep yogurt (reminiscent of Greek-style yogurt) with a hint of sumac.
Lamb was a must, although the grass-fed hanger steak and local pork chop tempted. A generous portion of the farm’s lamb chops—butchered in-house—arrived medium rare juxtaposed over mild tahini and black garlic vinegar, worthy of being slathered on every bite. The standout lamburger, juicy and tender, was created entirely in-house from the ground lamb to brined pickles, American-style sheep cheese and soft brioche-like bun. Our evening ended with Green Dirt cheesecake, a light whipped sheep cheese on a graham crust edged with spiced apples. Libations spanned an adventurous wine list, local beer, mocktails and creative cocktails like the top-selling fig jam Old Fashioned.
Don’t miss the rooftop patio for downtown panoramas or appetizers and drinks. The first floor houses the coffee and cheese retail shop and café serving late breakfast, lunch and cheese hour from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. plus weekend brunch.
For more information, visit GreenDirtFarm.com/oak.
1932 Reserve, Osage Beach
May 2024
Until two years ago, executive chef Scott Romano worked alongside Michelin-star and James Beard award-winning chef Charlie Palmer. Romano ran Palmer’s restaurants and lived in Sonoma County. After the last round of California fires, Romano and his wife moved back to her roots in the Ozarks where he has merged his culinary prowess with Spears’ team.
Spears, who grew up in Kansas City, had great memories of time spent at the lake. After playing professional soccer, he worked for chef-driven restaurants in San Diego’s luxury boutique hotels. Desiring to be closer to his roots, Spears and his family moved back to the Midwest and opened 1932 Reserve.
“We’re an upscale-casual restaurant with elevated food right on the water but with the feel of a Kansas City or St. Louis establishment,” says Spears.
On a Tuesday night, my husband and I dined in the circa 1932 building completed one year after the construction of Bagnell Dam. Located at the 17.5-mile marker, diners can pull right up to the dock and sit on the expansive deck overlooking the water. Inside, concrete floors and exposed ceilings lend an industrial vibe. The centerpiece bar displays lanterns salvaged from the original building, once the Ozark’s first lakeside lodging. Today, luxury vacation lofts lie above the restaurant.
We scooped up bold chorizo-chipotle sauce with the signature PEI mussels and golden fries. Sesame cauliflower fritti, encased in a crispy panko-sesame crust, came plated in a pool of finger-licking, chili-ginger sauce garnished with kimchi.
Flaky sea bass, pan-seared to perfection, was accompanied by artichokes, asparagus and fingerling potatoes atop a divine basil beurre Blanc sauce. Fork-tender, the hand-cut filet came with rosemary mashed potatoes, cauliflower puree and a robust red wine reduction. The two-day, brined pork chop with chorizo and cheddar smashed potatoes was accompanied by a delicious pecan-smoked bacon cream. Savory whipped bacon butter complimented corn bread garnished with jalapeno pickled green beans.
Desserts ranged from ooey-gooey butter cake to carrot cake and decadent s’mores cake. The bar serves more than 200 whiskey labels, several hundred wines and beer on tap. Hand-crafted cocktails included their Blackberry Bramble, so popular it’s on tap.
Visit 1932Reserve.com for more information.