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Restaurant Mon Aug 04 2008

Road Trip Worthy

This past weekend while visiting St. Louis for a wedding, my husband and I had the pleasure of dining at Niche--a small, hip restaurant in the Benton Park neighborhood. It also happens to be the home of Gerard Craft, one of Food & Wine magazine's best new chefs of 2008. After reading about Craft and his restaurant a few months ago, I made a reservation. I'm glad I did.

While the whole experience was excellent, there were a few standouts to mention. My husband and I both ordered from the Prix-Fixe menu, which was only $35--an excellent price, especially on a Friday night. The options for the Prix-Fixe included 2 appetizers (mixed greens salad or roasted eggplant soup), 2 main courses (rib eye steak "medallions" or vegetable risotto) and 2 desserts (liquid chocolate cake or greek yogurt pudding).

In addition to the Prix-Fixe, we also ordered a starter of Pappardelle Pasta--homemade noodles tossed with smoked shredded pork, mascarpone, pears and lemon (click through for a version of the recipe as posted in Food & Wine). Each flavor stood out on its own, but when combined together created something that was insanely delicious. I would have licked the plate had I not been in public.

We each ordered the steak as part of the Prix-Fixe. The end cut of the rib eye was perfectly cooked, cut into slices and topped with a soy caramel sauce. It was served with a small arugula salad and whipped rosemary potatoes which my husband (the self-proclaimed "mashed potato expert") deemed the best he'd ever had.

Another menu item to mention was the Greek Yogurt Pudding dessert, which my husband got as part of the Prix-Fixe. It consisted of homemade Greek Yogurt (a mix of whole and goat milk, vanilla, and other flavorings) which was topped with a thick rhubarb jam and two pistachio shortbread cookies.

If your journeys ever send you down I-55 to visit our friends to the south, be sure to make a reservation at Niche. And while you're there, be sure to say hi to chef Craft--who is frequently seen serving items to restaurant patrons himself. A cool place with great character and even greater food makes Niche in St. Louis worth the trip.

Niche
1831 Sidney St.
St. Louis, MO 63104
314-773-7755

 
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Bob Skilnik / August 7, 2008 3:06 PM

I was in Saint Louis last month after a 5 year absence. Wow! What a difference.

My wife and I enjoyed a wonderful meal in the Benton Park area, the restaurant name already forgotten. I was impressed, as much with the restaurant and meal as I was with Saint Louis.

Their mayor has been in office for about 6 years now and he's managed to bring money and resultant businesses into the city.

I hope to be invited back next year; it was that nice.

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Feature Thu Dec 31 2015

The State of Food Writing

By Brandy Gonsoulin

In 2009, food blogging, social media and Yelp were gaining popularity, and America's revered gastronomic magazine Gourmet shuttered after 68 years in business. Former Cook's Illustrated editor-in-chief Chris Kimball followed with an editorial, stating that "The shuttering of Gourmet reminds...
Read this feature »

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About Drive-Thru

Drive-Thru is the food and drink section of Gapers Block, covering the city's vibrant dining, drinking and cooking scene. More...
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Editor: Robyn Nisi, rn@gapersblock.com
Drive-Thru staff inbox: drivethru@gapersblock.com

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