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| Photographs by Katherine Bish | |
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Juniper Grill
Subtle it isn't. The building, on the corner of South 12th and Allen in Soulard, is a shade of red intense enough to frighten small children. Walls inside are hazmat yellow. There are the exposed brick walls that are required, apparently, by law for all restaurants in the Soulard neighborhood, as well as handsome tile and wood floors. The table linens and settings give this place a decidedly upscale atmosphere, and the menu is splendidly diverse. Almost everything is reliably pleasing; some presentations are outstanding. A flank steak comes off the saute pan blackened and juicy inside, smothered in a luxurious bearnaise sauce. Along with sweet potatoes mashed and spiked with a dollop of bourbon comes an entire young hen, layered in bacon and roasted. Reports of patrons' swooning over the crab cakes are not exaggerated. Hefty hunks of crab are kept in cake shape with just enough breadcrumbs, and nothing about their crabby perfection is compromised by silly sauces. Luxuriant saffron and down-home red pepper combine for a rich, slightly spicy crawfish bisque. It's smoked jalapenos giving a whang to the aioli crisscrossing a grilled pork tenderloin. Green peppercorns, apple and corn relish, wild mushrooms--ingredients here seem to coax the best out of whatever meat or vegetable appears on the plate. Portions are way past ample, and prices are among the best in St. Louis for a restaurant ofthis caliber.
Don't miss: The steak strudel, with the meat and sauteed mushrooms wrapped and baked in phyllo, then perched in a pool of Gorgonzola cream sauce with a side of chipotle-spiked mashed potatoes
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1928 S. 12th, 314-621-9195, juniper-grill.com
