This is an interesting place, a Creole diner. It occupies one of the prettiest spots in the area, the lobby of an elegant old apartment building on Union Boulevard. The interior is dominated by a big bar, the walls are cornflower yellow and the natural architecture of the room—ornate pillars and mullioned French doors—lends itself to an eatery with personality. The patio out front is attractive, with a bird’s eye view of bustling Union Boulevard and the pretty homes across the street in a gated CWE neighborhood.
The menu is a cross between casual diner and New Orleans Creole. There’s plenty of fried foods, crawfish, rice (dirty and white), and corn fritters. Prices are affordable, and dishes are generous. The man behind the menu is Anthony Ellerson Jr., a young entrepreneur who ran a much smaller spot on DeBaliviere Avenue before transitioning to this fancier, more grown-up eatery. He’s been on Union for about 18 months, and judging from the crowds one weeknight, the place is a favorite with students and the folks living up and down the block in the CWE apartments.
A starter of Cyn City ($10) offered a glimpse of what was to come: spicy seafood over rice. About seven nice-sized shrimp were liberally seasoned with blackening spices, piled onto white rice and doused with etouffe sauce, a thickened gravy with bits of green and red peppers, celery, onions and plenty of pleasant flavor.
Another starter, Captain Dee’s ($12), offered three different fish cakes, deep fried, and mostly yummy. The varieties were crab, shrimp and salmon, with the first two more to my liking, as the salmon was a little fishier. They were breaded and well-drained, although I soon exceeded my fried-food quotient for the day when a tilapia po’ boy arrived ($9).
This was quite good, with a thick cornmeal crust and plenty of flaky white fish inside. The bun was just right—toasted French baguette—and so were the accompaniments of shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and creamy remoulade sauce, all making a remarkably satisfying meal on a sandwich. A side of Corn Fritters was the best $3.50 I ever spent. These were delicious sweet kernels of yellow corn coated with batter, almost like a pop of dessert in the middle of your meal.
A couple of combo plates were filling and flavorful, although the sauces tended to run together in terms of being similar to one another. The SBR ($9), Sausage, Beans & Rice, was good, with meaty kidney beans and sausage dotting white rice. There was plenty of heat in there, even though you couldn’t see it. The Seafood Gumbo ($12) was my personal favorite, as it was teeming with goodies: chorizo, Andouille, crab, crawfish, shrimp and veggies, in particular some very well-prepared okra that lent its stamp of Creole authenticity to the dish.
The Jambalaya ($10) and Etouffee ($11) tasted like variations of the gumbo, but then Creole flavors are pretty distinctive and they were the defining ingredient in every dish. The shrimp and grits here, called The Kitchen Sink ($15) is over-the-top rich, so be forewarned. It’s got all the requisite meats—seafood and andouille, which is good—but the grits are super cheesy, making it hard to really appreciate the seafood under all that cheese.
For dessert, if you can think about it after all this food, there’s Snickers Cheesecake or funnel fries. What the heck, just go for it.
[amuse bouche]
the scene | Diner-style Creole spot
the chef | Anthony Ellerson Jr.
the prices | $8-$12 starters, $7-$11 sandwiches, $9-$15 entrees
the favorites | Corn Fritters, Seafood Gumbo, House Salad, Cyn City, Tilapia Po’ Boy
[chef chat] » anthony ellerson jr.
culinary pedigree | Self-taught
favorite ingredient | Smoked paprika
favorite st. louis restaurant | Blues City Deli
most memorable dining experience | Eating sauerkraut and bratwurst from street vendors in Germany
guilty pleasure food | I only eat breakfast food
255 union blvd. | 314.454.1551
Photos: Bill Barrett
