It’s always hard to bid farewell to an old friend, but sometimes it’s like the hackneyed old saying goes, when a door closes a window opens. Or, something like that. For example, those of us in the St. Louis dining community recently bid adieu to one of our favorite chefs, Fabrizio Schenardi of Cielo at The Four Seasons, who recently took a gig at another Four Seasons property in Florida. While Schenardi will definitely be missed, his successor, Chef Gian Nicola Colucci (left), has just introduced his inaugural menu. Earlier this week, several members of the media got a chance to sample some of the high points.
Seafood continues to play an important role at Cielo. The small plates selection features several shareable delights from beneath the waves, including a blue crab salad (below left) built on a layer of charred zucchini and a mild saffron aioli with a liberal helping of rich crab on top.
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There’s a yellow tail crudo (above right) that makes good use of some tart pickled cauliflower and dollops of balsamic caviar. Colucci’s selection of fish entrees is similarly varied, with options like the swordfish, a good chunk of which comes perched on a potato tart, and the corvina, as rich as any cut of beef and set off with earthy Ozark Forest mushrooms, violet artichokes and a cake of white polenta.
House-made pasta dishes still reign supreme. The tonnarelli (below left) is a real eye catcher that is as pretty as it is delicious, accented as it is with squid ink and served with lobster and tomato. The angnolotti, filled with rabbit and topped with a simple cherry tomato and olive sauce, is a savory rustic dish that will satisfy the heartiest of appetites.
Meat and potatoes fans won’t be disappointed by the 12 oz. dry aged ribeye (above right), the grass-fed veal chop or the Jones Heritage Farm Berkshire pork chop, all of which are uber-hefty portions. And don’t expect run-of-the-mill steakhouse sides. The pork chop comes with a potato and salsiccia hash, while the veal is surrounded by multi-colored cauliflower florets. The highlight of the ribeye is its bed of white asparagus spears.
Probably the most impressive part of Colucci’s debut bill of fare are the many and varied vegan and vegetarian options. Meat is not missed in the vegan ravioli, filled with tofu and mushrooms and served with cauliflower, which appears throughout the menu. Panzarotti (right), come two to an order, and stuffed with three cheeses or mortadella/ham/cachiocavallo, with a vegetarian option available.
The vegan antipasti, two varieties of beets served with a beet coulis and some lightly dressed frisee (below), is perfect for those who eschew the usual salumi. Pastry chef Mary Boehne continues to impress with her desserts, one of which is a vegan chocolate crostada, an Italian tart of sorts that features layers of coconut crust interspersed with layers of a chocolate mousse made with, of all things, avocado.
Chef Colucci’s menu is available now, Cielo’s terrace is open for business, and the weather for al fresco dining in St. Louis doesn’t get any better.
Cielo Restaurant & Bar
Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis
999 N. Second
314-881-2105
