Green papaya salad
One of the city's hottest new dining spots offers a twist on international cuisine.
By Dave Lowry Photographs By Katherine Bish
"Nothing on the menu is authentic," noted our waiter cheerily by way of introducing a menu more international than the United Nations minus the odd billion-dollar oil scandal. He explained with refreshing honesty that the kitchen strives to present food inspired by various world cuisines--but often with different ingredients than in the originals. It was a perfect introduction to Savor, one of the most outstanding restaurants to open in St. Louis in a long time.
Each "region" on the menu--the Easts Far and Near, Europe, the Americas--offers seven to 10 first and main courses and sides. Diners are encouraged to mix and match to create their meals. The exercise, like trying to determine whether Catherine Zeta-Jones is hotter in Entrapment or Zorro, is formidable though undeniably enjoyable. This is not a place in which to rush through selections.
Among first courses, consider the following: beautifully plump baby fist-sized dates stuffed with a creamy, luscious foie gras and almond crumbles, wrapped in bacon ($11). A tartare of meaty chunks of sashimi-grade tuna atop sesame crackers along with crispy slivers of grilled eel ($11). Farro is the whole, hulled grain of wheat, once a staple in Europe (standard rations for Rome's legionnaires) and currently enjoying lots of culinary attention. It's boiled to make a risottolike farrotto here, swirled with creamy fontina cheese and chunky porcini mushrooms. The grains are chewy and nutty, the broth rich, the dish fortified with a classy Catalan picata thickener of porcini mushrooms and Parmesan cheese. This is a stupendous opener and worthwhile as a main course as well ($9/$17). And if you're tired of the same old ho-hum ostrich tostadas, know that Savor's version comes with a fava-bean salsa verde and smoky chipotle peppers ($9, and the ostrich tastes like good beef). Roasted cauliflower is an inspired ingredient in Savor's signature Caesar salad, along with leaves of escarole and butter lettuce, topped with coarse breadcrumbs ($8).
Among the main courses, the choices don't get any easier. The mole didn't have even green-card status in comparison with Mexican versions but worked almost perfectly with a big chicken breast, the sauce redolent of garlic and ancho chilies and just a hint of cinnamon and allspice. Artfully arranged on the plate were a half-dozen dumplings bulging with a spectacularly stringy and rubbery quesilla de Oaxaca--something like mozzarella--and a salsa cruda of jicama and chayote squash ($19). "Goan-style curry" usually signifies a bit of vinegary fire. It's toned down here, so the flavors of the seafood--scallops, shrimp, clams and fish--are not obliterated in a southwestern India-style seafood stew ($19). Cookery involving the tagine--it's the ceramic funnel- shaped cone--is a Mediterranean method of braising that's in now. Here it's used for a lemon confit with pearls of couscous, tender artichokes and an Algerian-style lamb- and pistachio-packed sausage. All of it is arranged around a tender cut of organic lamb and accompanied by a portion of homemade chili, garlic and olive-oil harissa, a peppery sauce that conventionally complements the lamb ($22).
The kitchen manages to expertly simplify with exotic ingredients instead of trying to dress up food unnecessarily. A hefty slab of halibut was roasted to a firm, flaky and moist consistency, with a drizzle of chili sauce and an herby dressing of holy basil and chopped celery serving as just the right touches to accent the presentation without overwhelming it ($19). A flank of salmon was roasted on an alder plank and served with small potatoes and a creamy, bright cucumber relish in another winning dish that showed off every flavor on the plate to its best ($21).
Sides? Go for at least a couple to share with the table: sauteed sprays of fiddlehead ferns, crunchy and delicate with a dusting of cinnamon, cardamom and anise ($5), perhaps, or a choucroute platter of meats and slab bacon with homemade sauerkraut ($5). Vermont's Grafton Village Cheddar is renowned for its heart attack- inducing levels of butterfat. Here it's melted and sprinkled with coarsely chopped black walnuts atop pasta tubes for a decidedly different take on cheese macaroni ($9).
Several desserts tempt. The intrepid will go for the "beggar's purse," a pocketbook of flaky phyllo dough filled with caramel ice cream and sour cherries and a dollop of chocolate ganache so fabulously rich it will seriously test anyone foolish enough to try to tackle it alone ($6). The wine list is good. A 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape, E. Guigal, is just ready for drinking right now and a bargain at $50. The '99 Broccato Dievole from Tuscany, fruitier than a Carmen Miranda impersonator, is splendid, with a surprising finish ($40).
A minor quibble: If you don't know your acetaia saba (a syrupy-sweet dressing made from a reduction of black and white Italian grape must) from your pimenton de la vera (a smoked Spanish paprika), you'll need the translation assistance of your waiter. Menu descriptions of some unusual ingredients and preparations are scant. The staff is helpful-- service overall is consistently first-rate and happily professional--but at peak dining hours, the timing can be troublesome.
The marks for Savor's atmosphere and interior would be difficult to improve. Located on Lindell just past the Central West End, it's an imposing, Ionic-columned example of Greek Revival architecture with an inviting dining patio outside. Inside, once you've passed a slightly incongruent bar, the ambience is subdued, artful and low-key. Pea-green walls soften the more elegant appointments of the building's original interior details. There's a fireplace in nearly every room. A graceful balustrade leads to a second floor that's sparsely, tastefully decorated with Southeast Asian statuary. The space on both floors is such that both small, intimate tables and larger settings are accommodated. By all means take the elevator to the lower level, where, flanked by impressive racks of wine, a cozy banquet hall with a single long table and a hand-painted ceiling is available for parties.
"Authentic?" Proudly not. But Savor is among the best restaurants in St. Louis and a must for all serious diners here.
SAVOR ADDRESS: 4356 Lindell PHONE: 314-531-0220 WEBSITE: www.savor-stl.com DINNER: 5-11 p.m. Mon-Thu, 5-midnight Fri and Sat BAR: 5 p.m.-midnight Mon-Wed, 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Thu-Sat AVERAGE MAIN COURSE: $18 RESERVATIONS: Definitely DRESS: Not necessarily fancy but decidedly schmancy BOTTOM LINE: A dignified and comfortable setting for extraordinary meals based on classic cuisines, infused with a terrific--and delicious-- creative spirit
