Today, diners in Edwardsville should be licking their chops (or at least their dessert spoons), because in the not too distant future, Cyrano’s will open its second cafe at 206 S. Buchanan in the Park Plaza South center.
We’d wager most St. Louisans have a story or two about Cyrano’s, the 40+ year old restaurant now flagshipped in Webster Groves: maybe it was about their first experience with Cherries Jubilee, set aflame on a tableside cart; or the first encounter with the Cleopatra, Cyrano’s signature dessert, an ice cream mountain topped with an even bigger mountain of whipped cream; or the first memory of mini-roast beef sandwiches, made with thin slices of an exotic meat they called mortadella.
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We’d also wager that, over the years, Cyrano’s has topped more “Most Romantic” and “Best Desserts” lists than any other restaurant in town. Thinking of having Cyrano’s place a diamond engagement ring atop that Cleopatra? It’s been done before…and many times over.
Cyrano’s became known for having avant garde desserts, exotic teas, and coffee drinks, serving espresso before most of us even knew what espresso was. And they became famous for their “small plates”–about 40 years before they became hip. It was truly a restaurant before its time.
Current owners Charlie and Carolyn Downs have maintained that edge: While the focus is still on small plates, there are now “small entrees,” too, well-executed mini-meals in the $10-$12 range (SLM recognized their $9.95 Cornmeal Dusted Tilapia in this 2009 Cheap Eats feature–oh, and it’s still $9.95); there’s the $9 Monday Night Special, pairable with either a glass or bottle of half-price wine; and pastry chef Carolyn Downs continues to innovate with items like Lemon Chess Pie and must-try chocolate-covered bacon.
The Metro East location will seat 100, plus additional diners on a side patio. In Edwardsville, Charlie Downs plans to experiment with something he’s seen in St. Louis–two sizes of entrees at two price points, noting “For minimal extra effort, you can attract the customer who may be initially turned off by the small plates format.”
Edmund Rostand wrote Cyrano de Bergerac over a hundred years ago. St. Louisans have been telling stories about Cyrano’s Cafe for the last forty. We’re glad to see the tradition continue.
Photo above: A bronze of Cyrano de Bergerac–complete with telltale appendage–greets diners at Cyrano’s in Webster Groves.
