This family-owned restaurant has four other spots, all in Pennsylvania. It came to the Gateway City through family ties, which brought the small chain here about a year ago. The menu is extensive and varied, from lots of flatbreads and sandwiches to a wide selection of seafood entrees and a handful of meat/chicken/pasta dinners.
It’s easy to dismiss a restaurant that has multiple locations in other places as tending to be prefab in its food preparation, but the food here was interesting and very flavorful. In fact, the dishes shared one key attribute in common: intense flavors. The Curried Mussels ($12), for example, were superb as a spicy Thai dish of coconut milk and red curry, the bivalves caked with toasted coconut and slivers of basil and cilantro. The flavors were strong, but worked very well together, especially once we used the toasted and oiled French bread wedges on the plate to cut the heat.
Similarly, the Roasted Beet Salad ($6) had a vinegary herb balsamic dressing over a massive plate of field greens. And the amount of caramelized walnuts and roasted beets was impressive for the price tag. It was a little overdressed for my taste, but still good. A Happy Hour order of Seared Tuna Tacos ($8) was fine, even with the tuna seared more medium than rare. The flavors were good—Asian-inspired, with black and white sesame seeds and soy dressing—and the soft flour shell was impeccably fresh.
The entrees also were distinctly flavored and generously portioned. Wild Mushroom Chicken ($18) included three medallions of breast meat covered in a light-colored gravy with chunky wild mushrooms. It was delicious in the way only a cream sauce can be when paired with a protein. The entree came with shaved vegetables, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts and zucchini. It also comes with a choice of sides, which in my case was mashed potatoes to maximize that yummy gravy. One snafu: the potatoes came lukewarm, not hot.
A fish dish, Lightly Crusted Atlantic Cod ($21) was also delicious, caked with shredded potatoes beautifully browned and crusty. It was topped with horseradish cream and Old Bay remoulade, along with lump crab relish. It all worked well together. Although today’s culinary trend leans toward simplicity and letting the produce take center stage, I have to admit that when heavy, saucy food works, there is nothing quite like it. It is the epitome of ‘comfort food.’
The Rack of Lamb ($29) was tender and flavorful with an herb/spice rub and a light blue cheese sauce. The accompanying asparagus spears were nicely roasted, although our side of mashed potatoes on this visit were gummy, the result of over-whipping.
The desserts didn’t live up to the savory foods. The Salted Caramel Belgian Waffle ($8) had some fabulous sugared bacon in and on it, but the waffle itself didn’t rise enough and came to the table lukewarm. The Pumpkin/ Sweet Potato Tart ($9) was misnamed, since the ‘tart’ was pie dough formed into a croustade and the ‘custard filling’ was not at all custardy.
amuse bouche
the scene | Part ‘sports bar,’ part fine dining
the chef | Mike Hamilton
the prices | Starters $8-$13, entrees $18-$30
the favorites | Curried Mussels, Roasted Beet Salad, Wild Mushroom Chicken, Rack of Lamb
chef chat » mike hamilton
culinary pedigree | Brinker International, Texas
favorite ingredient | Garlic
favorite restaurant | Ruth’s Chris Steak House
favorite cookbook | The Making of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman
most memorable dining experience | A five-course meal in the Champions Club at the old Busch Stadium
guilty pleasure food | Bacon
1386 clarkson-clayton center | 636.220.1717
Photos: Bill Barrett
