Photograph by Kevin A. Roberts
Why, yes, it is gorgeous inside Bar Les Frères, with its red walls, historic portraits, and carefully planned lighting. French-style white-leather sofas at round marble tables provide comfortable seating for two or perhaps three close friends. It’s almost, but not quite, too snug.
Located across the street from sibling restaurant I Fratellini, Zoe Robinson’s newest creation beckons the Francophile. The pâté is subtly seasoned, moist, made in-house; the lobster bisque is as utterly classic, with its ruddy color, a hint of brandy, and lashings of cream. Potato blini come topped with crème fraîche and black caviar. Perhaps the best of the appetizers, though, is the cured salmon, which moves beyond the cliché, with a treatment involving Riesling and a hint of dill. The Gruyère soufflé initially seems perfect, airy, and full-flavored—until the mouth realizes it’s bigger than cheese alone. The included dab of cayenne is just enough to make the result sharper and more vibrant.
A bowl of mussels cooked with white wine and leeks is a main course, the broth more delicate than is typical in St. Louis, with plenty of bread to soak up the bouillon. Unlike many of the entrées, the mussels come with no sides, which gave us an excuse to order the Lyonnaise potatoes. We found the dish to be excellent, with no undercooked slices, the cheese and potato harmonizing in perfect pitch. A plate of sausage, deftly garlicked and juicy, arrives with red cabbage. The sausage sits on a potato pancake quite different from the potato blini. Larger and more substantial in texture, the pancake shows hints of onion as well, a good match for the wurst.
Duck confit left us with a little quandary. The duck, a leg quarter, is tender and succulent—no surprise there. But in a change from the usual local preparation, it isn’t crisped in a hot pan. On our first visit, it came in slightly thickened pan juices that were astoundingly salty. Was this an error? On a later visit, the duck wore a mustard sauce, thicker and less salty, although the strong tang of the mustard had, to a lesser degree, the same effect. On the side were Brussels sprouts, perhaps a little less cooked than some would like, but the cruciferous taste made a good contrast to the rich duck and vigorous sauce.
For dessert, the chocolate mousse carries a touch of Grand Marnier and has an airy texture. The crème brûlée has an ideal ratio of crust to custard, although ours probably could have used another few seconds under the flame to caramelize the sugar more. Tarte Tatin is traditionally made with the crust atop the apples, so the crust remains crisp and the apples’ juices begin to caramelize; here, it’s an individual tart, and it probably needed longer in the heat as well, as the crust wasn’t at all crisp, the apples retained too much texture, and caramelization had barely begun. It’s a dish that could easily be fixed with a little more attention.
Be prepared: The menu is brief, the wine-and-cocktail list is short but marvelous, there are no reservations for parties fewer than six, and there’s no foyer to wait in (although outdoor overhead heaters exist for patient would-be guests). Expect attentive service, folks having fun at the bar, and a good amount of noise. For a romantic dinner, though, you’ll have plenty of privacy, without anyone overhearing you pitching woo.
Bar Les Frères
7637 Wydown
314-725-8880
Dinner Mon–Sat
Average Main Course: $15
Reservations: None are taken, but a name can be added to the waiting list over the phone.
Dress: Frères feels like a Paris café; dress accordingly.
Chef: Ny Vongsaly
