The small but lively restaurant that opened in the center of downtown Maplewood is ambitious. The chef-owner is Matt Daughaday, a veteran of Niche and Taste. The huge staff, called ‘the team,’ is mentioned on the menu, from servers to kitchen staff, in recognition of each person’s unique contributions.
Also ambitious is the food: American classic/comfort cuisine, with an emphasis on the quality of what goes into a meal: fingerling potatoes, English peas, slivers of fresh fennel, ginger-laced ice cream. But chef Daughaday doesn’t just talk the talk. He has the skill to turn exceptional ingredients into memorable meals.
Roasted Pork Loin ($20), for example, offered juicy slices of meat deliciously spiced with what tasted like five-spice powder: faintly reminiscent of mace, clove and anise, but only enough to pique the taste buds and enhance the pork, not overwhelm it. The accompanying fried rice was a balanced blend with firm English peas, crunchy bits of house-made bacon and tiny diced green onion and carrot, tossed in soy sauce. It was rich in oil flavor but not the least bit oily or greasy.
A small plate of Curry Mussels ($12), too, illustrated a balance of flavors. The broth was sweet with coconut milk, but complex with green curry paste, lemongrass and spicy hot red Thai chili flakes. It came with two pieces of grilled Texas toast to sop up the broth. Even a palate teaser of Baetje Farms Coeur de la Creme cheese ($6) exhibited the reverence for food I admire about places like this. A small wedge of the creamy goat cheese came nestled in edible flowers, with mandoline-sliced fresh fennel at one end of the tray and artisan fruit jam at the other. We wiped the platter clean.
Stellar were two other small plates. Shaved Kale ($11) came lightly dressed in lemon juice and with sour dried cherries, toasted pumpkin seeds and tiny cubed butternut squash. Roasted Cauliflower ($8) consisted of appetizingly browned florets piled atop cauliflower puree dosed with curry powder and herby gremolata.
The standout dish had to be the Steelhead Trout ($20), which came skin-side up, the skin generously buttered and irresistibly crisped. It sat on a delicious creamy and salty risotto peppered with shiitake mushrooms. Also on the plate were roasted Brussels sprouts, fruit chutney and bitter-tangy mizuna leaves.
Dessert ended the meal on a well-deserved high note. We had Apple-Date Crisp ($8), which again spotlighted fine ingredients prepared with skill. Roasted apple slices were flavored with ginger, doused with caramelized sugar and topped with butter-toasted oats. A tiny scoop of ginger ice cream oozed its cold creaminess into the warm cobbler in a glorious tribute to the fall harvest.
amuse bouche
the scene | Fine dining neighborhood spot
the chef | Matt Daughaday
the prices | $9-$12 starters, $16-$20 entrees
the favorites | Coeur de la Creme cheese plate, Curry Mussels, Roasted Pork Loin, Apple-Date Crisp, Roasted Cauliflower, Shaved Kale Salad, Chicken Pot Pie, Steelhead Trout
chef chat » owner matthew daughaday
pedigree | I started off working for chef Marc Del Pietro, then I went to CAL Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Back in St. Louis, I worked at Niche with chef Gerard Craft.
favorite ingredient | Mushrooms
favorite cookbook | Bar Tartine by Cortney Burns
favorite st. louis restaurant | Niche
most memorable meal | Christmas dinner with the whole family
guilty pleasure food | Candy—I have a sweet tooth.
7322 manchester road | 314.899.9821
Photos: Bill Barrett
