Commonwealth now open at the Angad Arts Hotel in Grand Center

Modern European fare is the order of the day in the former Grand Tavern space on the hotel’s ground floor.

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After a long hiatus and the inevitable pandemic-induced reopening delays, the first floor restaurant at the Angad Arts Hotel (3550 Samuel Shepard) is occupied once again. Commonwealth, with a tagline of “modern European fare,” opens October 6 in the former Grand Tavern space in the arts-centric boutique hotel.

The mission of the restaurant is to honor the cultures and cuisines of the more than 50 British Commonwealth nations, from Europe and Asia to the Americas. The name was based on the idea that food brings people together and creates a sense of community by uniting us—for the common good. To that end, Commonwealth will support local charities on a quarterly basis and encourages guests to donate a portion of the bill to the designated organizations.

THE DECOR

The refreshed restaurant design features sage green upholstered booths and Prussian blue walls featuring artwork from four individuals: John Freise’s Ziggy, Blaine Deutsch’s Flushing Avenue Station, Novei Beige’s Passages, and Hugh Vincent’s Awake. The pieces were chosen because of their depiction of time and history, and they're all available for purchase. Keeping with the hotel’s policy of rotating its art installations, the current exhibit inside Commonwealth will be on display through April 2022.

There’s seating for 96 in the main room and bar, plus an additional 65 in the adjacent “Red Room,” which includes a pre-event mezzanine space (that happens to include the napkin art that was prominently displayed in the Grand Tavern’s bar).

A large, gilded mirror along the back bar has been replaced with an inset of more modern glass tiles. The lounge-style carpeted area in the former bar now contains a scatter of bistro tables. The glassware and china have been modernized as well.

THE PERSONNEL

In April, chef Matt “Birk” Birkenmeier took the the reins as the hotel’s executive chef and beverage director. His first order of business was to reopen the rooftop ART Bar and the hotel's three event spaces. Birkenmeier hired Scottie Corrigan (whose resume includes Mosaic, Robust Wine Bar at the MX, and The Libertine) to be the executive chef at Commonwealth.

“Scottie ended up taking the lead on our menu collaboration,” Birkenmeier explains, “and then he pushed the envelope even further, so the menu really became his. He brought Sierra Eaves [formerly of Guerrilla Street Food] on board as our sous chef, and the results have been impressive.”

Corrigan’s philosophy: “If people say that apples and oranges don’t go together, I often experiment with them until somehow they do.”

THE FOOD

The 20-item dinner menu is divided into three sections: Beginnings, For The Table, and Main Course. The menu was inspired by “worldly flavors” and heirloom ingredients from the Commonwealth countries. The house salad is a good example: It's a European blend of field greens, English cucumbers, Roquefort cheese, Marcona almonds, and apples from the U.S., which can be enhanced with grilled chicken or flat-iron beef.

Soups on the inaugural menu are served both hot and cold. On a warm October day, consider cold Creamed Beetroot Soup (with charred dill crème fraiche) or cold Hungarian Peach Soup (pictured at right and containing honey, thyme, and a touch of smoky Hungarian paprika).

“Four soups out of two works for me, as long as it works,” says Birkenmeier, who says he never thought he’d “warm up to warm peach soup.”

In the coming weeks, the peach soup will be replaced by an all-vegan, 12-mushroom “and maybe more” barley soup, Birkenmeier adds. “Our mushroom farmer grows 17 varieties—a few I’ve never even heard of.”

Corrigan is most proud of the Prawn & Endive sharable (pictured above), featuring jumbo shrimp poached in curry broth, in which a sweetish red onion crème sauce is balanced by charred shavings of violet flash leaf endive. The garnish is sea fennel microgreens, a salty, aromatic plant from the parsley family that's also known as rock samphire.

If “upscale modern European fusion” is an accurate moniker for Corrigan’s cuisine, then we might add “with some reinvention.” Such is the case with the Tikka Masala (the best-seller during the soft openings); here, it's done roulade-style with charred leeks and masala sauce. “Tikka Masala is England’s national dish, so for a restaurant trying to represent the Commonwealth, I’d be happy if it became our signature dish,” Birkenmeier says. 

The New Zealand rack of lamb (with foie gravy, no less) is a signature item on the Main Course menu. The most anticipated dish (by us, anyway), is a stuffed, rolled ballotine of veal, but the most intriguing might be the tandoori duck breast (pictured above). Accouterments include black lime dusted pistachios, butter-braised and dried apricots, cocoa “soil” (cocoa nibs, cocoa powder, and sugar cooked until the texture mimics soil), and halved Brussels sprouts confited in duck fat. Corrigan assembled the dish so that all of the components can be combined into each bite. “There’s a ton going on there, for sure, but the balance of flavors is amazing,” Corrigan says.

Another complex dish is a chicken breast (pictured above), cooked sous vide in duck fat and fresh thyme. Seared to be crispy, it’s underlain with a carrot-ginger emulsion, a Pusser’s Rum-currant demi, micro carrot tops, and charred spring onions (cooked with salt, pepper, oil, butter, and a bit of duck fat). “Duck fat is gold,” Corrigan says.

“Our aim is to be different," Corrigan adds. "We want Commonwealth to stand out, across all menus.” And so it does, right down to the five-item dessert menu. The dessert cheese plate has several novel offerings; vanilla, chocolate, and caramel cheese are served with marshmallow pavlova florets and cinnamon toast points. “It’s almost like an adult s’more,” Birkenmeier says. And we assume the dessert dubbed Pavlova & Wine Gum contains a rendition of the winegum candies that are popular across the pond.

But the leader of the pack and soon-to-be signature dessert is the Starry Night, a hard-shelled chocolate dome concealing layers of chocolate cake, chocolate crème, and blueberry compote. Break through the mirror-glazed, luster-dusted, tempered shell (which mimics a starry night) to discover some of the wonders of the culinary universe. “We may combine it with a taste of Five Farms Irish crème,” says Birkenmeier, “and call it Starry Night on the Farm."

THE BEVERAGE

Curated by barkeep James Cassidy, the eight-item cocktail list offers options that demand closer inspection: among them, New World Fashion (containing ginger beer and Grand Marnier), Salad Spritzer (with St. Germain and cucumber), Black Gimlet (where Bulldog London Gin gets infused with the sundried citrus), and Berry Sour (flavored with crystalized hibiscus flowers).

Bottled beer offerings hail from across the globe, from Canada (Molson) and Jamaica (Red Stripe), to Ireland (Smithwicks) and the U.K. (Fullers)—and back (Bud, Bud Light, and Michelob Ultra). And the current wine list is brief but growing. 

THE AMENITIES

Besides Corrigan’s inventive a la carte menu, tasting menus are (or will soon be) available in several areas at Commonwealth. In the main room, the chef’s table (located adjacent to the kitchen door) can be booked for a three-, four-, or six-course tasting (for one to six guests) and includes a tour of the kitchen. Just off the main room is a private dining room, where seven different size tasting menus are offered for 18–25 guests. And look for prix fixe dinner events to be offered in the Red Room and mezzanine. The hotel also has several other private event rooms available: The Library (which accommodates 10–14 guests), The Arch View (which accommodates 80–120 guests), The South Deck (which accommodates 80–120 people), The Art Bar (which accommodates 70–80 people), and the Grand Ballroom (which accommodates250–300 people). Josh Schindler is the banquet chef.

THE PARTICULARS

Commonwealth is open for dinner 4–10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 4–11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Breakfast hours are 7–11 a.m. daily. The ART Bar and rooftop terrace is open 4–11 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. The Art Bar serves cocktails and a small selection of snackables, including a cheese plate, curried garbanzo crisps, street corn, truffled popcorn, and roasted bone marrow with togarashi and crostini. Sunday brunch will be served at ART Bar from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. until the season changes, at which point a brunch menu will be added at Commonwealth—which will dovetail into matinee dates at the Fox Theatre.

Commonwealth

634 N. Grand, St Louis, Missouri 63103

314-405-3399

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Breakfast daily, 7 - 11 a.m. Dinner Tue-Thu 4 - 10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 4 - 11 p.m.

Expensive

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