Thursday, June 17, 2010

St Louis' NICHE number #1 and not just in St. Louis (6-17-10)

I returned to St. Louis again for my annual opera trip and was happy
to head right to NICHE (www.nichestlouis.com) just south of downtown,
where I have truly found the best dining places in the states--
repeatedly!). Seconds after arriving and greeting from all of the oh
so friendly staff, Chef/Owner Gerard Craft moseyed over to say
"hi" (his parents are friends of ours in DC) and apologize that he was
not in the kitchen for the evening as he had to handle some business.
He now has three dining spots in St. Louise, with NICHE keeping the
top honors as his quality dining spot, TASTE by Niche next door for
smaller plates (I gather) and his new Brasserie (where I head
tomorrow!). He left Chef Adam Altnether in charge, and I couldn't find
one fault with his perfect staff when he took off!
Niche now has a larger window looking in on the kitchen, and I did get
to witness a small pan fire at one point! The decor oozes simplicity
with linen cloths covered by those brown paper squares I am not so
fond of. On each table is coarse ground pepper and salt and a single
short marigold in water along with a small votive candle. The star
here IS THE FOOD!
If you head to NICHE, you really must have the Chef's Tasting Menu,
still unbelievably priced at $55 (wines are $35 extra). I ordered a
small order of WHITE ANCHOVIES on Toast with Smoked Paprika and
munched on the lemony fish with a glass of delicious refreshing TREANA
Viognier/Marsanne from Central Coast, California 2007 (a wonderful
white that I must look up back at home).
The tasting began with MAPLE CUSTARD which was served a la Thomas
Keller in a brown eggshell. The custard on the bottom was lemon-maple
and it was topped with superb local Roasted Mushrooms and bonito
"caviar" which was actually gel pearls from the bonito fish stock as
opposed to its eggs. It was a tantalizing start bursting with flavors
and if you could call it an amuse, one that would get anyone so
excited for what was to come. A GERARD BERTRAND CREAMNT BRUT 2007 from
Alsace made from Chardonnay/Chenin Blanc and Mauzac was a refreshing
accompaniment with a bubbly twist.

My server, Jeff (who was simply drop dead gorgeous, making the
experience even more enjoyable) explained the next dish BEET and
BUTTERMILK, which I will call "everything soup." The cold broth of
beets was mixed with buttermilk and cucumber broth so that it was
fairly light and thin and most refreshing as well in the 94 degree
heat! Mint and chives were added for flavor along with small pieces of
roasted beets and beet crisps for crunch. Several pasta folds (Jeff
called them akin to tortellini) were filled with a thick beet puree
and a couple of pickled cucumbers were floating along as well. I found
these pickles a bit mismatched with the multiple ingredients, but
that's just my preference. Pea shoots were scattered on top and the
entire dish was really a perfect summer treat. CHATEAU LAMOTHE
BORDEAUX BLANC 2009 (Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon) was a simply perfect
pairing for this fascinating experience.

My next wine was a BELLE GLOS "Meiomi" PINOT NOIR 2008 from Monterey/
Santa Barbara and it filled my mouth with a huge explosion of fruit
and flavors. I got to enjoy this for a while as I took a break and
also was treated to two EXTRA courses courtesy of the chef (not on the
tasting):
1)ASPARAGUS SALAD with HOUSEMADE RICOTTA was the perfect dish for
anyone not wanting to fill up on a starter. There were raw ever-so-
thin slivers of asparagus and with blanched whole spears in a Ramp
Vinaigrette with Fresh Clove & a dash of Orange Oil al meshed with
fresh baby cress.
2)For someone looking for a veggie starter, but warm and slightly more
filling than the Asparagus, the BABY CARROTS Braised in CUMIN & ORANGE
with Candied Maple Bacon and Vanilla Oil is a buttery, but not to rich
dish topped with those yummy pea choots again.

As I looked at my surroundings, I did notice that the noise levels as
the place was full were pretty high. I later realized that music was
playing, but could not be heard until much later when at least 1/2 the
tables had cleared!
Niche is not noisy, but I would love for them to find a way to lower
the noise level.

Back to the tasting!
PORK SHOULDER PAPPARDELE is a ragout of braised pork on ever so yummy
homemade pasta (at the level of our finest Italian pasta back in DC!)
in a rich sauce of Apples, Mascarpone, Champagne & Olive Oil that has
a southern BBQ sweetness to it that really brought out a slight
Southern feel to the dish. It is perfect as a taste or starter, but as
an entree it would be way too rich. The Pinot was simply divine with
the intesnity of the sauce and the pork.

Cucumber Mint Sorbet was a refreshing and tasty intermezzo before the
PORK main course. A medium sized cube of meaty (and very little fat)
PORK BELLY(smoked then slow roasted) was seared crispy on top and
served with a rich sauce of FARRO (thing large risotto-style) mixed
with Comte Cheese, Toasted Groats, more pea shoots Braised TURNIPS and
a slash of Strawberry-Black Pepper sauce. I adore pork belly, but tend
to avoid it due to the high fat, but here it was perfect and I managed
to eat almost every bite. The wine was not my favorite match of the
night. A lighter TAVEL ROSE 2009 from Domaine Lafond was chosen
obviously to counter the richness, but I still would have preferred a
big red.

Dessert was LIME & BASIL CUSTARD which was very akin to Panna Cotta
and served in a RHUBARB Consomme with Poached Rhubard and Crystalized
Basil that was a sweet crunchy treat on top. The wine was a La
SPINETTA Biancospino MOSCATO d'ASTI 2009 which again worked perfectly
and finished my meal to perfection. Chef Adam came out and I told him
that everything was perfect while he was in charge. I hope he doesn't
sneak off and start his own place! As always, all the Niche staff
really make you feel at home, welcome and serve up a great dining
experience!

I am so glad I get to head to Gerard's newest spot, Brasserie by
Niche, tomorrow, but am already looking forward to my next trip to St.
Louis when I can head straight to Niche.