This tavern is the breakout venture of mixologist Ted Kilgore, the bartender St. Louisans from all over town came to watch at Taste by Niche. Its name is a paean to an old grand St. Louis hotel from the 19th century, and the space, at the end of Lafayette Square, has a very appealing retro ambiance.
The main draw here is Kilgore’s cocktail creations, drinks like Smoking Apples (Peat Monster scotch, Laird’s BIB apple brandy, aperol, vermouth maple bitters and baked apple bitters). That’s why it’s even more impressive to be able to say every dish I tasted was superior. The blend and balance of seasonings, combined with the skill of execution, yields outstanding food.
A special of the day, simply called Roast Chicken ($16), is a good example. It came as a leg and thigh, liberally salted and peppered and flash-fried without breading. The meat inside was deliciously flavorful and moist. It, like most foods here, was locally sourced and free-range. Also on the plate was a puree of tamarind spiced with cardamom, diced Granny Smith apples and thin slivers of fresh ginger, giving the entire dish a character I would call ‘fragrant.’ It had some bite and plenty of interest, but the natural goodness of the chicken and its sealed-in juices were allowed to shine.
That said, some dining partners found the food here salty and most agreed you need to order several items to leave full. Mussel Stew ($17), listed under the entrée header ‘Satiate,’ was a bowlful of excellent bivalves swimming in “green curry coconut milk,” a lightly spicy, salty, coconut-y (and excellent) broth that could be soaked up with an accompanying slab of sweet cornbread. It was excellent all around, but it’s going to take a lot more to satiate.
The ‘Nosh’ part of the menu has nine fun nibbles to go along with your juleps, slings and Negronis. You can go small—flavored popcorns or pickles—or hearty: fingerling and pork gravy poutine (known as a day-after curative), rarebit or fried lamb bullocks. On the meatier side, Chicken Wings ($12) came as three plump drummies and a couple of bony wings roasted with fresh hay to impart an earthy quality. Flash frying yielded deliciously crisp, lightly fried skin dotted with sage. For dipping: lemon truffle sauce added an outstanding flavor that underscored the earthy quality overall.
On the lighter side, Wild Mushrooms ($8) amazed us with their flavor: seared enoki, shiitake, white and grey oyster, and Hen of the Woods mushrooms came tossed with truffle oil, lemon, thyme and garlic.
The Wahoo special, a fuller dish, but also a costlier one at $24, had three sizable fillets beautifully browned with a light crust and tangy grapefruit gremolata, all sitting atop carrot ginger puree. These flavor-enhancers were milder than they sound and, again, allowed the natural flavor of the fish to shine.
Lamb Loin ($19), a single loin chop, but a thick one, was nicely grilled and served with ‘smoked potato salad,’ a hot mix of scrumptious potato wedges tossed in ‘lamb butter vinaigrette,’ rich lamb fat and tart vinegar.
Gooey Butter Cake ($8) was divine and possibly the sweetest, most confection-like cake I’ve ever set teeth into. It had a cookie crust, chewy soft center, and a glaze of bourbon-laced currants and orange zest.
[amuse bouche]
THE SCENE | Very cool, modern-day saloon
THE CHEF | Bradley Hoffmann
THE PRICES | $10 specialty drinks, $4 to $12 ‘noshes,’ $14 to $18 entrees
THE FAVORITES | Chicken Wings, Lamb Loin, Gooey Butter Cake, Wahoo, Wild Mushrooms, Mussel Stew, Roast Chicken
[ chef chat ]>> bradley hoffmann
PEDIGREE | L’Ecole Culinaire
FAVORITE INGREDIENT | Guajillo chiles
FAVORITE RESTAURANT | The Scottish Arms
FAVORITE COOKBOOK | Family Meal by Ferran Adria
MOST MEMORABLE DINING EXPERIENCE | At Blood and Sand: Every dish was spot-on, and the flavors were extremely well-balanced
GUILTY PLEASURE FOOD | Gooey butter cake
1000 Mississippi Ave | 314.696.2603
Photo by Bill Barrett