THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Grateful Inn

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED The Grateful Inn Restaurant Review:

Uh...a bar with no deep fryer? That’s right, at least when Greg Perez, a longtime St. Louis chef and restaurant auteur, is at the helm. Grilled chicken wings with Asian spicing and potato-portobello burritos are part of what Perez calls “picnic food,” on a menu that is increasingly more hospitable to vegetarians. The bar itself, in the up-and-coming Maplewood strip, is Ikea modern, with large doses of classic rock thrown in (an homage to Perez' longtime appreciation of The Grateful Dead). Regulars come in to converse at the bar or on the deck in back. A few wait for their favorite local band to crank up; most leave room for the band's followers who take their places, order a round of sandwiches like pork loin with five-spice powder or pizzas with herbs. Everyone appreciates desserts like strawberries and pound cake with a jolt of Bonny Doon's memorable framboise drizzled over it. This is one of a group of St. Louis venues that are marketing themselves as smoke-free.