The Bellwether offers Sunday brunch indoors or on its sprawling patio

×

Expand

Courtesy The Bellwether

Classic Eggs Benedict, one of three varieties offered at The Bellwether

Photo by Ann Lemons Pollack

As we begin brunch season, there's finally reason to toast, and The Bellwether is an ideal place for it in Lafayette Square. Located in the former City Hospital power plant building, The Bellwether offers a cozy space that seems made for brunch, with charming chandeliers and an interior that's not glaringly over-lit. It's also well-spaced, with the Reference Room event space on the second floor providing extra room to socially distance.

The west-facing terrace, bedecked with pots of kitchen herbs, is a popular place for brunch on a pleasant morning, and the other terrace, outside the Reference Room, may be put to use when the weather warms up.

×

Expand

PHOTO BY ANN LEMONS POLLACK

It's difficult to choose any one dish from chef Thomas Futrell’s imaginative menu. The star is the Cinnamon Toast Crunch, an elevated take on French toast, with thick fingers of deep-fried bread that hold a creamy, lightly sweet interior, as well as maple praline sauce, a generous amount of fresh berries, and whipped cream.

On the spicy side, the Southwestern Benedict teams up jalapeño cornbread, pork steak chili, oaxaca cheese, eggs, and hollandaise for a rich, multi-textured experience. Pork steak, tender and juicy from being prepared sous vide and topped with a cider glaze, are also available.

The Bellwether's rendition of biscuits and gravy includes a seasoned sausage-and-bacon gravy that plays off the cheddar and thyme in the tender biscuits. The smashed potatoes are also an upgrade from the standard so-called “breakfast potatoes.” Plump link sausages or turkey sausage patties are among the choices of meat on the Farmers’ Breakfast, which comes with those potatoes, two eggs, and toast.

As for drinks, there's a serious beer menu, an array of interesting craft cocktails, and a notable cremant (sparkling wine) from Burgundy by the glass. 

One more reason to toast: Co-owners Jonathan Schoen and Brian Schmitz, who run Polite Society in Lafayette Square, are planning two dining concepts at City Foundry STL.: a breakfast, lunch, and dinner kiosk called Good Day, and a permanent home for Sub Division STL, a sandwich shop that started as a ghost kitchen inside Polite Society.