ST. LOUIS — Tempus in The Grove will offer limited sidewalk seating for the first time Wednesday. Those tables will be first come, first serve and food continues to be to-go. Dana Dean spoke with the chef-operator about the menu and the status on indoor dining.
Tempus opened six months ago with a take-out menu that's still going strong thanks to James Beard Semi-Finalist and nationally recognized seasoned chef, Ben Grupe.
Grupe said, "The goal of Tempus was not to open take-out. Take-out wasn't even part of our program but we adapted and we put a lot of thoughtfulness and energy behind what is take-out."
The dining room has yet to open, all dependent on having enough employees.
He said, "There are a lot of staffing shortages through our industry, specifically in the culinary industry."
Photos of the interior have yet to be revealed, but you can expect something different from your typical casual fine dining spot.
Just listen to his description.
Grupe said, "Think of a traditional hospitality service, but with rock and roll and hip hop."
Until they have enough staff to open the dining room, the takeout dinner menu, including cocktails, beer and wine, is designed specifically for an at home experience. Meaning dishes hold up well in a travel container.
He said, "It's been very exhilarating and exciting and challenging."
The flavors of the menu take you all over the world. Grupe doesn’t limit himself to a certain style of cuisine. The cucumber salad gets marinated in a ginger chili sauce, and starts off the meal with a kick. Another appetizer is the smoked potatoes, served with charred onion dip. It’s darker than barbeque sauce and is so tasty that it should probably be bottled up and sold. And we haven’t even gotten to the entrees yet.
A vegetarian entrée on the menu at the moment is the roasted cauliflower with basmati rice. It’s bursting with flavor. For the meatlover, one of the dishes that Grupe is serving up is so St. Louis. But it’s not your typical pork steak.
“We're not barbequing it. We do use BBQ rub or spice but it's cooked a low temp and finish it on stove top to get a sear on it. Then you have polenta, pickled and wilted ramps with preserved goose berries,” he said.
And for dessert, you won't find anything too sweet. All choices on the dessert menu have a savory side like the carrot cake with pickled carrots on top. Then there’s the s’mores, but not like the ones you make around the campfire. Grupe’s are served with pickled spruce tips, which is the new growth of spruce trees. And after your meal, you’ll be served a miso chocolate chip cookie. Because everything here has a twist to it, something unexpected.
Tempus is located at 4370 Manchester Avenue. They are offering contactless takeout Wednesday through Saturday 4:30 p.m.- 9:00 p.m.