True bistros are hard to come by around here, so let’s hope that this one survives
By Dave Lowry
Photograph by Katherine Bish
The stretch of Meramec between Maryland and Forsyth is a vicious, swirling vortex, sucking more powerfully than the last two decades of Saturday Night Live, flushing restaurants into a Dead Zone sadder and more barren and lifeless than the auditorium at a Dixie Chicks concert in Alabama. Restaurants here come and go faster than St. Louis school superintendents. Who knows why? The location’s great, parking’s in no short supply and there’s never been a really bad restaurant on the street. The latest noble attempt is Roxane, which merged with Mira after Mira stopped being 12 North or Café Zoë ... Whatever. We can’t keep up. What we do know is that Roxane’s a fine place for dinner, in an utterly enjoyable atmosphere both inside and out, and what we hope is that the place can break free of the Whirlpool of Dining Destruction in this Restaurants of the Damned stretch of downtown Clayton.
The menu is bistro style, with a concentration on a limited number of specialties and specials. In fact, in the attached bar, a chalkboard of the plat du jour is handwritten in classic bistro style. The regular menu is composed mostly of sandwiches and small plates, quite convenient for sharing. A nice starter is the wonderful potato-and-leek soup. The touch of truffles adds a smoky earthiness to this rich concoction. A bowl of this creamy soup, along with a salad and a decent bottle of wine, would be among the best “rainy-night meals” in St. Louis. Those salads are OK. A honey balsamic vinaigrette is almost too much for the house salad; a better choice is the Caesar salad, graced with a light dressing, served with long sticks of grissini bread, studded with Parmesan in theTurin style.
The small plates that make up the bulk of the offerings here are all over the culinary road map: tandoori chicken wings with a cucumber-yogurt sauce; hummus or baba ghanoush with triangles of warm pita bread; a sweet-and-spicy Thai-inspired combination of squid slices and rock shrimp. All are priced well under $10, encouraging diners to take a chance on something new. A few are particularly worthy. Roxane quickly gained a reputation for the quality of its bistro frites. They arrive in a big paper cone, hot and salted, crunchy and starchy, perfectly enjoyable by themselves—but do dip them into the puddle of roasted-garlic aioli. At first the taste seems bland for an aioli, but the heat is subtle, spreading over the palate slowly. The effect of saffron in a deep dish of shrimp is similar. Swirled with white port, the glistening sauce, perfumed with saffron, is a lavish presentation for the shrimp. You’ll find yourself using the accompanying chunks of fresh pita to clean out every bit.
Heading to Roxane on a date? Order the baked mozzarella. It arrives inside a glowing chafing dish, a tureen of luscious melted cheese in a light, herby tomato-and-basil sauce, accompanied by crispy bread slices. If you’re not formally engaged after sharing this cheese, it just wasn’t meant to be.
“European-style” to us means effete and socially dysfunctional, with laughable plumbing. At Roxane, applied to pizza, the description is apparently meant to denote a really, really big single serving of the pie, which boasts a puffy, airy crust. Recommended: Roxane’s take on pizza Margherita, with tomatoes, basil and home-made mozzarella; or a pie sprinkled with wild mushrooms, melting chunks of goat cheese, arugula and a drizzling of truffle oil. A big bowl of penne pasta was satisfying but ordinary.
Good crab cakes are hard to find, but Roxane’s take is creditable: a generous portion of crabmeat, just enough breading to give the cake coherence and a deft touch on the seasoning. A grainy, vinegary mustard aioli was perfect as a dressing; the crab cake, along with a chiffonade of romaine and sliced tomatoes, was wrapped in a thick, yeasty onion bun. Another winning sandwich—and one appropriate to the bistro theme—is the grilled steak. The meat is marinated, then grilled (it would have almost certainly been sautéed in a French bistro), then stacked between generous slices of good crusty French bread. A golden-brown tangle of caramelized onions and dipping sauce of blue cheese and horseradish add to the presentation. (Do yourself a favor and order a cone of the fries to go with this satisfying meal.)
Roxane’s desserts merit a review of their own. Constructed by the same pastry chef who masterminds them at the new incarnation of Cyrano’s, they are exciting, inventive and shockingly rich. Whipped cream and gooey runnels of chocolate, strawberry and other syrups slide over crêpes, brioche puddings and flambés. Visiting this place without trying a dessert would be like watching Witness and skipping the thunderstorm scene.
Roxane advertises itself first as a wine bar, and the wine list reflects that. The selection is broad, though not overwhelming, with some fine bargains and lots of Cabernets Sauvignon and Chardonnays to satisfy deter-minedly urbane Claytonites. Consider the felicitously priced Côtes du Rhône, the $29 ’04 Domaine de la Solitude or a crispy, flowery Gewürztraminer, the ’03 Tremblach ($39).
Roxane’s interior is informal: wooden floors, tabletops of burnished aluminum, comfortable and well-spaced seating. Aside from a long mirror that gives a nice depth to the space, wall décor is at a minimum. The big street-facing window, with its view of the passing Clayton parade on Meramec, is the focus. When the weather turns warm, outside tables, which lend the feel of a streetside bistro, are your best bet. This is one of the more enjoyable alfresco dining experiences in Clayton or anywhere else in town. Inside, ’60s pop, canned and bland, plays in the main room; in the bar it’s relatively discordant jazz. (Avoid sitting where the two rooms and their music meet in an unholy convergence.)
It takes some courage to bring wild-mushroom toasted ravioli, falafel and a decent Cab Sav into the very Heart of Restaurant Darkness, but Roxane’s done it. Make the same journey, to downtown Clayton, and you’ll find that the trip is worth it.
Roxane
Address: 12 N. Meramec
Phone: 314-721-7700
Average Main Course: $8
Reservations: Not a bad idea on weekends, but the bar's a great place to hang out if you have to wait for a table
Dress: As if you were going for an informal dinner in Clayton
Bottom Line: Above-average bistro fare in pleasant surroundings inside and out, near the center of Clayton
