For many years our neighbor and friend Jamie Craft and her husband Bob have been telling me of their son Gerard's huge success as a chef throughout the country. Several years ago Gerard Craft settled down in St. Louis and opened NICHE (www.nichestlouis.com) just south of downtown at 1831 Sidney St not far from the Anheiser-Busch brewery. At first glance Niche seems to only have less than 20 tables, but there is a hidden huge dining room at the rear and last night every table
was full shortly after my arrival at 6pm. The dining room is cozy and if I have to find one complaint about anything at all it would be the brown paper covering the crisp white linen tablecloths. They give a bistro feel (and I guess avoid more linen usage) and while this may be a bistro, I declare it to be the finest dining in town, probably the state, and for hundreds of miles around.
Simply put, Niche is NOT about the decor, it is about the FOOD, and I dined terrifically and adored every bite and sip. As I mentioned yesterday, prices here are much lower than on the coasts or big cities. Chef Gerard has a superb tasting menu for $65 which can be paired with wines for an additional $35 and this is they way to go. The food is not overwhelming, and the portions are sheer perfection.
First came a refreshing citrusy NINO FRANCO RUSTICO PROSECCO which had a hint of sweetness or honey and the first course followed--PARSNIP CONSOMME with Pearls of Bacon, Grapefruit and Brown Butter Foam. This dish hints of the (I hate to use the term) "chemical" concoctions many chefs dream up today and it really works to boot. The small teeny gelatinous pearls are not pasta but an amazing tasty creation that sit in the yummy broth with a small foam on top. It is a light dish and a great starter showing the genius of what's to come.
BEET RAVIOLI sat in Chilled CUCUMBER (with dill) SOUP with Shredded Golden Beets and Radish sprouts atop. I call this "borscht at its best!" The soup was superb with a slight creaminess (I assume it was yogurt or a light sour cream added) and the ravioli added a bit a weight. The radish sprouts were tasty and I was told from a local farm (where all the produce comes from) which obviously did not produce the highly bitter radish greens I had the previous night on my beet salad! An okay and apple-y ROMBAUER 2006 Chardonnay from Napa was an interesting pairing which seemed to go ok; I love their chard anyway, anytime, anywhere!
The next course moved into the heavier domain with a FRIED BRANDADE, Arugula & Ramps topped with a sunnyside up FRIED EGG and a sauce of LEMON BUTTER. The lemon butter was rich and perfect on the crisply fried cod browned on top and bottom to perfection. After several bites without the egg, I broke the yolk and allowed it to run all over and give the dish a completely different taste and feel. It was like having two different courses at once! The ST. INOCENT "Freedom Hill" 2006 PINOT BLANC from Oregon had the oddest fizziness on the tongue which was not bad in any way, but the wine itself was the least impressive wine I have ever had from St. Innocent, whose Pinot Noirs I adore; it just lacked any real taste for me.
The next course blew my mind and took me back t the "comfort food modernized" style of the Fat Duck in Britain: "REUBEN" with RYE GNOCCHI, Pickled Mustard Seeds and Horseradish Jus was how it is described on the menu. The meat is specifically not given, but it was a magnificent CORNED PIG's TONGUE. I have always adored beef tongue, but didn't even think pig's tongue could work---well it does, and magnificently. It is tiny, tender and tasty and the dish really did have that "reuben" feel. An M. CHAPOUTIER 2006 COTES du RHONE was an unbelievable pairing, (a) because I love Rhone wines and (b) because the blending worked perfectly with the mustard and pickled tastes as well as the rich gnocchi.
CARROT-LIME SORBET was the creamy palate cleanser and bursting with flavor to boot.
I have never been a big fan of BEAUX FRERES PINOT NOIR from Oregon, but the 2006 vintage seems to have turned more to the traditional Oregon and French Burgundy styles that other Pinot makers have used for years in the region. Maybe the Beaux Freres folks got a new winemaker, but whatever the case the wine is now a treat and it was perfect with the very light Grass Farms Rack of Lamb (two perfectly cooked double ribs) with RHUBARB PUREE, ROASTED FRENCH HORN (or King Trumpet) MUSHROOMS and an unreal HUMMUS & WHITE CHOCOLATE mixture that had sweetness, but was not cloying in the least, with an intense GARLIC FOAM on the side. Lots of love and thought went into this dish and the combinations as well.
After my mealy panna cotta the night before I was thrilled to have a dessert that I could not leave a bite of the COCNUT KULFI made with Goat Cheese Essence, a PASSION FRUIT GLAZED PINEAPPLE Sauce and GRANOLA for crunch. The kulfi was thick and rich and cold and yummy, almost the consistency of hard butter; it was impossible to resist. NOBLE ONE BOTRYTIS SEMILLON 2005 lent a sweetness, but I preferred the wine and the dessert separately, simply making meal linger on and on.
I have not mentioned the perfect attention I received from my server TRAVIS, the entire staff and Chef GERARD himself, who was in the dining room all night supervising each plate as it came out and explaining most of the dishes to most of the diners. He obviously has a superb staff IN the kitchen and has no fears of their capability if he is NOT on the line!
I had looked at the wine list and noticed another dessert wine I wanted to try and Travis immediately brought me a generous taste of the MT. HORROCKS CORDON CUT 2006 Riesling that was also a nice wine and a perfect way to end my glorious meal.
I may not have plans to return to St. Louis in the near future, but perhaps I will have to arrange an overnight layover just to return to NICHE; it IS WORTH the trip!
