STC Eats - Prasino

originally-written date: 12/31

Three for three on restaurants located on the same street for the STC Eats series, but when the food is good and close to home why go somewhere else? Prasino is a place I had rarely ever gone to until last year. My girlfriend and I went there on our first date last year, and went back for our anniversary this year (and one more time for some apps) and it’s become one of our favorite spots in St. Charles.

Prasino - St. Charles

Located: Streets of St. Charles

1520 S 5th St #110, St Charles, MO 63303

Hours: Closed Monday, 11 am - 10 pm Tues-Fri, 8 am - 11 pm Sat, 8 am - 9 pm Sun.

We’ve had the full Prasino experience as far as seating and menu, except for sitting right at the bar, which seems to be a popular choice as well. We’ve sat at the bar tables for appetizers and bar bites, in the dining room for the dinner menu, in the wine room for brunch - you name it. I don’t consider it quite as “fine-dining” as a place like Napoli III, but the dining room certainly is a fancy setting. We like the versatility and how the two rooms have different vibes for the type of night you’re going for. 

The Drinks

Prasino is known for their wine, and for good reason. Everywhere you sit you can see the extensive arsenal of wines they have available, and we shared a bottle of chardonnay on our first date (I’m not a wine guy, hard to evaluate, but I liked it). For brunch, they have excellent coffee. The waiter asked me if I like my coffee strong or with cream/sugar, and whether I liked it hot or cold. Shortly after telling him he came back with an awesome Iced Coffee with espresso and it was perfect for me. (We were also a fan of their Bloody Mary). For dinner drinks, I like their Bourbon Smash quite a bit, not too strong.  The House Old Fashioned was also very good - Buffalo Trace and Old Grand Dad Bourbon.  She was a huge fan of the seasonal Limoncello Spritz, which wasn’t too sweet, similar to the Aperol Spritz she loves, just more citrusy. 

The Food

Starting with Brunch to keep things in order - this is probably my favorite brunch spot in St. Charles.  It’s weekend only and is served until 3 pm, but it’s worth the limited availability.  We always see plates of French toast and pancakes going out that look great, but we’re savory > sweet when it comes to breakfast (most of the time). We did have a daily special Cinnamon Roll and it was incredible - gooey, sweet but not too sugary, and served hot. They have 5 types of omelettes that are very different offering a good variety. Our favorite is the Austin Texas - jalapeno corn biscuits, thick bacon, chorizo gravy, cilantro, and eggs your way (highly recommend over-medium). It’s smoky, a little spicy, fresh, good texture, and hearty. We also tried another special which was Chorizo Breakfast Nachos, which had eggs your way, avocado, chorizo and cheese - they were amazing. We also recommend upgrading to Truffle Potatoes for your side - worth it. 

They have a separate lunch menu, but there is a lot of crossover from the lunch to the dinner options.  They do have a Shaved Steak Sandwich and a Smoked Salmon & Everything Bagel sandwich which are only available at lunch (brunch too for the bagel).

Moving on to the Bar Bites menu, which begins at 3 pm to close, available in the bar or on the patio everyday.  This menu is more limited but has no shortage of great options, and is more affordable than the full dinner menu.  The Slow Roasted Pork Nachos are fantastic, it comes with salsa verde and beer cheese and lots of carnitas. We tried the Blackened Hummus as well which was packed with flavor and served with really good pita. They have 2 sushi rolls available on this menu (cheaper than any other rolls on the dinner menu) which are the Mexican Roll and Crunchy Shrimp and Salmon. They also have a steak burger, two types of tacos, sliders, and pork belly as entrees, not to mention a few more appetizers. We recently tried the Tenderloin Sliders and they were easily a top-5 dish we've tried here.

And finally, the dinner menu. This menu begins at 5 pm and has many more options, including a section of flatbreads, more sushi rolls (any day but Sunday), and a wood fire grilled selection.  We love the Margherita Faltbread, which has pesto, mozz, tomato and basil.  The Crispy Shrimp starter is probably my favorite thing on the menu - crispy fried shrimp covered in their house buffalo and a bleu cheese mousse (and I don’t even like blue cheese - it’s still unbelievably good). We’ve tried both the Shrimp and Blackened Grouper tacos, which are good but I wasn’t a huge fan of their tortillas.  The Killer Dragon Roll (shrimp tempura, crab, cucumber, unagi, avocado, dragon sauce) and The Sunset roll (shrimp tempura, blue crab, avocado, tuna, salmon, unagi sauce, spicy mayo, tempura crunch, red tobiko, sprouts) are our favorite sushi - the Sunset especially. The star entree we’ve tried is in the “hands-on” section, The Hangar Steak Sandwich.  I’m not a huge steak guy, but this steak was cooked perfectly and wasn’t overly chewy.  It’s dressed with bleu cheese, crispy onions, arugula, roasted red peppers, all on a fantastic focaccia. Only available at dinner and a must-try. 

There aren’t many places in St. Charles as versatile as Prasino, while remaining a super nice establishment.  They excel at brunch, appetizers, sushi, tacos, entrees, sandwiches, salads, wines, drinks both alcoholic and non, flatbreads, etc.  They also have a really good Happy Hour with drink and starter deals,  so it can be very affordable if done right.  I love the fact that we were able to go there one day for a really nice anniversary dinner in a calm, romantic setting in the dining room; then we’re able to go back a few nights later to split an appetizer and sushi roll in the bar room for a more affordable price during Happy Hour.  Plus, the staff is super friendly and relatively quick, even on a busy night.

Restaurant Rating

8.9/10