When Wild Horse Grill opened off Long Road 13 years ago, it was one of few fine-dining restaurants in what at the time was considered very far West County. Now the area has grown up around Long Road, and Wild Horse Grill has taken things up a notch.
Hiring former Niche sous chef Ray Carpenter last year, the restaurant has moved in the direction of more innovative dishes, local food producers and the trendy sous vide (under vacuum) method of cooking. He’s created a menu that offers subtle and unexpected pairings like celery root puree and candied bacon with scallops and lemon pistachio vinaigrette with smoked trout.
The starters, especially, were memorable. Smoked Salmon Crudo ($8) came as a tower of house-smoked salmon layered with lime-green Tobiko caviar, celery and red onions cut so fine I could barely make out what they were. It was a classic and delicious combination, with dollops of crème fraiche on the plate replacing the usual sour cream.
Then the Poached Pear Salad ($7), a time-honored combination of bleu cheese, pear, nuts and greens, was art on a plate. The sliced pears were fanned out next to the greens, and the crumbled bleu cheese sat next to a smattering of wonderfully candied pistachios, a variation on the traditional walnuts. A light mustard vinaigrette complemented the flavors.
Smoked Trout Salad ($10) was another starting dish that spanned the flavor spectrum, with a pretty array of ingredients lined up in little piles on a long platter: diced red onion, chopped egg, fried capers, grape tomatoes and delicious house-smoked trout. It had a very appealing flavor that avoided the overly smoky taste so often found in smoked trout.
The main dishes reflect Wild Horse Grill’s identity as primarily a steakhouse, or at least a meat-and-potatoes kind of place. Half the entrees are red meat, and judging from what was going to nearby tables, people come here for that. The menu describes steaks as Black Angus, aged a minimum of 28 days. My 12oz. Center Cut Dry Aged Strip ($39) was excellent, served au naturel, with salt, pepper and a little herb butter on top. It came with lobster mac ‘n’ cheese: very tasty with nice bits of lobster dotting the creamy dish (also available a la carte).
But I’d have to say the stand-out dish was Day Boat Scallops ($25), diver-caught, beautifully seared top and bottom, and sitting on creamy white celery puree and lime-green herb puree, both packed with flavor. Diced apples added crunch and a sugary element that was surprisingly good with the seafood.
Also memorable was Roast Amish Chicken ($21), a crisp-skinned airline breast so wonderfully salted and peppered, moist and flavorful, that I wished it would never end. The sides, too, were delicious: whipped buttery potatoes and a long candied carrot cut into chunks—nice presentation.
If I had a complaint, though, it would be about the rectangular plates, which stubbornly twist and turn when you cut the meat! Also, the dining chairs have lost their firmness. New chef, new menu—time for new seating.
[chef chat]>>ray carpenter
PEDIGREE | Le Cordon Bleu, not Paris or London though
FAVORITE INGREDIENT | Jalapeno and different spicy peppers
FAVORITE RESTAURANT | Man, there are so many good restaurants around, I just had a great meal at The Libertine
MOST MEMORABLE DINING EXPERIENCE | Without a doubt, Chef’s Table, Eleven Madison Park, New York
GUILTY PLEASURE | Real fruit popsicles, I eat them year-round
[amuse bouche]
THE SCENE | Lodge-like fine dining
THE CHEF | Ray Carpenter
THE PRICES | $4 to $14 starters; $18 to $39
THE FAVORITES | Smoked Trout Salad, Day Boat Scallops, Roast Amish Chicken, Smoked Salmon Crudo, Poached Pear Salad
By Jonathan Carli
Photos by Bill Barrett
