Truffles: Ladue's Finest Dining Experience

Each week, the Ladue-Frontenac Patch will examine businesses within the community. This is the first installment, and we will start with family-owned Truffles in the Clay Price Shopping Center at Clayton and Price in Ladue.

The Truffles Restaurant, in the eastern most corner of the Clay Price Center has been in the Charles Cella family since opening in 1999. There have been several theme changes to the fine dining experience.

Today, the restaurant is under the ownership of Cella’s daughter Harriet Marshall and her brothers John and Louis.

The ownership relationship is pretty much “hands off.” Marshall has put the trust of management and day-to-day operations in the hands of general manager Alex Jovanovic and chef Brandon Benack.

The duo are in their third spot together. They worked for the world-famed Emeril’s and Delmonico’s fine dining in New Orleans, then relocated together to Antigua following Hurricane Katrina and now they are re-united in St. Louis.

This is the exchange between Patch and the day-to-day management.

What is the style of Truffles these days.

We are not pretentious. We present ourselves as an American style restaurant,” said chef Benack. “Some call us a neighborhood gem,” said Jovanovic.

Style and taste and attention to detail is what Truffles wants to be noted for these days.

“We are getting a lot of repeat customers who want to come back and taste a lot of different things on our menu,” said the G.M. “We wanted to be noted all over Ladue and all over St. Louis,” he contends.

This is how the chef sees it: “Our number one priority is our guest. Its all about the guest and service,” he said.

So they call it the Truffles experience.

“Yes. Everyone on our team is important,” saids the chef, counting everyone from the dishwasher in back of the house to servers and matre'd up front.

If your menu is American, do you deviate from that.

“Indeed yes. Some nights we have special tasting menus where we feature an Asian or African dining experience, said Jovanovic.

“That way, those in the kitchen can inspire themselves,” said Benack.

“Nothing is an after thought here,” said Jovanovic. “Yes, you can get a hamburger on the menu, but it will be the finest cut of prime beef. Everything here is about flavor and attention to detail. We have a wedge salad that everyone talks about.”

What is it like working in fine dining.

Benack explained. “It can be like playing in the NBA. Fifteen years can seem like 20 years. After all, some days we are putting in 16 and 18 hours.

Word is, Truffles is going back to open for lunches.

“We will offer a menu and service so people can eat and get back to work, or linger for three hours like they did before. We did this because people have requested we re-open for lunch,” claimed the chef.

The lunch menu will include hand-crafted sandwiches on a variety of fresh breads; a variety of salads and burgers and some tasting items too.

How would you describe the cost level of Truffles.

“You definitely don’t have to spend your salary to enjoy a dining experience here,” said Jovanovic. “Our repeat customers know that.”

Quick drill--Chef’s favorite five:

• New Orleans style barbecue shrimp

• Plaquemines Parish oysters (hard to get)

• Crab cakes

• Foiegras (duck’s liver)

• Dried age meat specials

• Honorable mention: Dover Sole

Hours of operation:

Dining Room: Tuesday-Thursday,5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and open until 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Bar open 3 p.m. until one hour after the dining room closes.

Closed Sundays and Mondays.

All major credit cards accepted.
Reservations: 314-567-9100.

Next Business Buzz: NutriFormance of Frontenac.