Mojo Tapas Restaurant & Bar, Saint Louis

A veteran of the restaurant industry for 25 years, chef and owner Eric Erhard has brought the globe’s expansive palate to his very first kitchen at Mojo Tapas Restaurant & Bar, where he cooks what he describes in a video interview as “contemporary eclectic cuisine.” Sauce magazine warned its readers that Mojo “may just put a spell on you,” noting its hard-cider-steamed mussels as a don’t-miss dish. With similar praise, Alive magazine marked as an editor’s pick the basil, lemon, and white rum that intoxicate Mojo’s signature mojito, which might be enjoyed along South Grand Boulevard on the sidewalk patio, regarded as Alive’s “best place to perch.” Both publications praised the lamb slider that Erhard dollops with apricot mustard patiently shucked from a Fig Newton. The diverse food menu and drink selections mixed with housemade simple syrups fuel a lively, modern atmosphere under ornate ceiling tiles or over them on a rooftop patio.