Photograph by Kevin A. Roberts
J. Gilbert’s Wood-Fired Steaks & Seafood
17A West County Center
Des Peres
314-965-4600
Dinner only, nightly
Average Main Course: $33
Dress: Today’s steakhouses call for—but do not require—jackets.
Reservations: Anyone wearing a jacket should make reservations.
Chef: Scott Carroll
With only four other locations, J. Gilbert’s Wood-Fired Steaks & Seafood is only barely a chain restaurant. Its lineage is out of Gilbert/Robinson, the Kansas City–based partnership that 30-odd years ago brought us Fedora, the Union Station standout. Fedora was one of the first places in town with modern American food, and its chef was a young Bill Cardwell.
Valet parking and no lunch service at a mall restaurant? Yes. But that’s not all that sets it apart. For a steakhouse, the menu is pleasingly diverse, going beyond the expected. Crab cakes are huge and perfect, the big lumps of crab unmushed and flavorful, along with a side of a sharp-sweet tropical fruit salsa. A fine crab bisque excels, as does an ahi tuna tartare, fresh and sweet with some mango and avocado singing a charming, tuneful backup. House-made potato chips topped with Maytag blue and pepper-jack cheeses are just OK, but they’d probably be a fine bar snack with some of the barrel-aged Manhattans that the menu encourages. We found an order of oysters on the half shell to be well past their prime; fortunately, a manager walking by saw the looks on our faces, made a swift inquiry, whisked them away, and replaced them with some that were fresh and tasty.
Make no mistake: The steaks here are excellent, whether you order a gigantic rib-eye, a strip, or a filet—although do remember that last cut gains tenderness but loses flavor. Right up there is a Berkshire bone-in pork chop, a definitive experience of flavor and moisture, which tastes even better the next day, after taking it home. And fat, perfectly seared sea scallops are charming. Au gratin potatoes with a bit of poblano chilis arrive gooey and almost bubbling in a mini casserole dish, though on our visit, the spinach was so quickly sautéed that it scarcely murmured a whisper of garlic on the tongue. Creamy wild-mushroom risotto and grilled asparagus are surprisingly exciting and full-flavored, and J. Gilbert’s salt-baked potato came without the dreaded aluminum-foil coat, which fortunately seems to have become almost extinct at most restaurants these days.
The best of the dessert show seems to be the apple croustade, a sharply seasoned apple filling in a good crust. The fudgy chocolate layer cake stands proud, as does its partner for the course: raspberry ice cream. Key lime pie comes topped with an Italian meringue, rather than whipped cream, and the garnish of candied orange slices was certainly fun, but we’d opt for the croustade or cake.
The chatty but pleasant service was miles from some of the steakhouse attitude we’ve seen and fits the clubby atmosphere, in the best sense of the phrase.
The Bottom Line: A wide-ranging menu for a steakhouse, in a warm, easygoing environment
By Joe and Ann Pollack
