After taking home three awards at Rodeo Uncorked! Roundup and Best Bites Competition — second place in Outstanding Showmanship, second place in Popular Choice and first place in Trailblazing Appetizer/Entrée — we made it a priority to stop by Davis Street at Hermann Park this week to see what it’s all about.
Davis Street is a newcomer to the local restaurant scene; its grand opening took place in December. The kitchen is under the direction of executive chef Javani King, who began his career in the catering world. King is a graduate of Culinary Institute LeNotre and has put his knowledge of international cooking techniques to use. The menu at Davis Street combines classic Southern American dishes with an international twist.
The restaurant’s interior is modern, with sleek black table tops, geometric patterns and pops of bright neon green. It’s both casual enough for after-work happy hour and formal enough for a serious business meeting.
The menu prices are on the high side, but the restaurant is faithful to its Southern roots with large portion sizes. Of course we began with the crispy Thai shrimp ($18, photo above), the winning dish that was served at Best Bites last Sunday evening. Four jumbo fried shrimp are coated in a sweet chili sauce, drizzled with a soy glaze and served with two dipping sauces. Our preference of the two was the house-made sriracha aoili, which was sweet and rich, balancing well with the gorgeous fried shrimp.
We followed with the cayenne maple glazed duck ($28, photo above) and the crispy red snapper ($32, photo below). The former, a dressier version of chicken and waffles, is served with two crispy pan-seared duck legs, four wild rice-and-cheddar waffle wedges and a side of cayenne maple syrup. The duck was moist, the waffles savory and a watermelon-and-mint side salad contributed a welcome bite of freshness.
Red snapper filet is served atop a Cajun-style black bean-corn macque choux and drizzled with the house-made sriracha aoili. The fish is coated in blackening seasoning and pan-fried.; the crumbles of Mexican cheese on top are a salty, creamy finish. You may first think you can’t possibly eat the entire fillet because the size is intimidating, but you will. You will.
Finally, brownie waffle s’mores ($8, photo below) is the must-try dessert. It is as decadent as it sounds — four waffle brownies (think a lighter, less-dense version of a brownie) are topped with fired marshmallow fluff, white chocolate chips, chocolate sauce and raspberries, served with a side of vanilla bean ice cream. Again, we ate it all.
Davis Street at Hermann Park, 5925 Almeda, 844-328-4778, davisstreet.com