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| Photograph by Katherine Bish | |
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1831 Sidney
314-773-7755
nichestlouis.com
Average Main Course: $26, but note that the “3 for $35” prix fixe is a real bargain.
Chef: Gerard Craft, chef and owner
Reservations: Yes, and good luck.
Dress: Cleaning the attic’s a 1; dinner at the White House, 10. Go for a 7.
Pork cheeks. Chunks of porky satisfaction, smoky, sweet, air-cured, then pressed into cakes and sautéed to a crusty umber. Such a delicious appetizer that we bullied the table next to us into ordering it as well. It was easy—tables in this diminutive but much-heralded eatery are close. Here’s some advice, since we can’t be there with you to nag.
The menu changes frequently, according to season and availability of regional foods. It’s always brief. Half a dozen each of starters, main courses, and desserts. Pig, however, is perennially big at this Benton Park favorite. Along with those lovely cheeks, another fine starter of the porky persuasion is smoked shank, rendered into tender shreds and tossed with broad pappardelle pasta, along with green apple shards and a touch of mascarpone. In a delightful combination, a plump square of pork belly is braised to bring out all the taste of that utterly luscious fat, the top grilled to crispy, sweet perfection, served with hefty slices of loin alongside that are meant to be swished in a red-wine pan sauce. A tumble of rough, chopped, sautéed Brussels sprouts and polenta complete the platter nicely. A similar pairing works with beef: domino slices of rib-eye, delectably pink, are matched with oxtail meat that’s stuffed in a casing, then braised in a winey tomato sauce. Succulent. A side of lasagna, layered with fontina and meaty black trumpet mushrooms, is an unusual, rewarding accompaniment.
Seafood also gets appropriate, loving attention here. The house’s vitello tonnato is a pun on the summery Italian dish of veal with tuna-flavored mayo. The “veal” in this appetizer is nubbins of fried sweetbreads. The “tonnato” is papery leaves of rich, buttery yellowtail; the fish and veal are brought together with a sprightly sauce of capers and lemon. No word on which high school it attended, but the menu noted the trout is “local.” It is successful, with one quibble: Trout, like beer, should always be served with a head on it—as much as possible and whenever practical, food should look like what it is. The hefty-boned but beheaded fillet is served with a crusty, golden skin, moist and flavorful inside, with a side of braised celery hearts and roots, sliced apples, and an olive oil–splashed arugula salad. Beautifully thick, luscious scallops hit the pan just long enough to acquire a healthy, caramelized sear. With these come four side dishes: a big dollop of smooth polenta, fennel, and fresh greens, along with slices of blood orange, all of which complemented the delicate taste of the bivalves. A fish-of-the-day special the night we visited was a suzuki, a dense sea bass with a meaty texture and a light taste. It’s rarely served locally outside of sushi places, and here, simply grilled, it is attractive and satisfying.
A risotto is al dente and creamy, studded with sunchokes and stirred with Parmesan and mascarpone. The serving is small, but considering the quality, we’d probably be making that criticism if they served it in a bathtub. A fragrant, goaty cheese blended into the velvety broth of garlic and potato elevates a supple, glossy soup. Salads are properly small. Cubes of toasted brioche added to a toss of arugula mixed with herbs, Parmesan flakes, slivers of white anchovies, and a puckery lemon vinaigrette were fine. Those same anchovies—they’re called boquerones (and also “Sicilian sashimi”)—were cured in white vinegar, giving them a distinctive taste. Niche serves them as an appetizer as well, balanced on dry toast with a subtle tomato jam.
Bread does not appear automatically, an odd oversight in a restaurant of such caliber. Order an appetizer of cheese bread—fluffy, yeasty balls aromatic with fromage—and if there are more than two in your party, you’ll want to place a second order. It’s good.
Desserts, most of them from wildly creative pastry chef Mathew Rice, are a must. A pudding of lightly salted chocolate topped with a malt-infused whipped cream is more like a crème brûlée, creamy and light. The dense chocolate cake, bulging with a fudgy ganache that spills out at the touch of a fork, has become a dessert of local legend. It comes with a ball of Orange Julius–flavored ice cream that detonates—literally—on your palate, as it’s laced with Pop Rocks. Imaginatively flavored, house-made sorbets are a less explosive alternative.
Outstanding vintages bulge the wine list, though there aren’t many bargains. Consider a sparkly Mönchhof Riesling that tastes like chilly peaches to accompany the scallops. The pork and beef will be happy with a solid cabernet like the ’06 Two Angels—dark, earthy, with a nose like a walk in a moist cedar glade. Rockpile zinfandels, like the ’06, come from vines planted above the summer fog line in Sonoma. They are uncharacteristically complex and rarely appear on menus; oenophiles will certainly want to give them a spin on the palate. A Kiona ice wine from the Yakima Valley is a syrupy sweet joy and a thoroughly pleasant way to end a meal.
Space at Niche, tucked into the first floor of an old loft on a quiet section of Sidney Street, is limited. The dining area is smaller than some restaurant bars. Speaking of which, the tiny, six-stool bar here seems tacked on as an afterthought (the larger Niche Taste Bar wasn’t open as of press time). Niche remains one of the toughest reservations in town to secure, and with a chef christened among the best in the country recently by Food & Wine and similarly celebrated by the James Beard Foundation, chances are slight you’ll be lonely at a meal here. Think convivial and just on the cozy side of cramped, and you’ve got the idea. The staff tends to rattle off elaborate explanations of specials with the staccato pace of an overcaffeinated auctioneer. But service is well-timed, efficient, and professional.
In a relatively short time, Niche has become a must-try St. Louis destination with a national reputation. With good reason. Few places have been as consistently innovative and as enjoyable. Just don’t pass on the pork cheeks.
Bottom Line: One of the premier restaurants in town, with a varied, bistro-type menu and a happy sense of innovation.
