True confession: We never liked the name.
We poked fun at the unceremoniously named and borderline unsearchable The Restaurant when we reviewed the, uh, restaurant in early 2013, several months after its unveiling. SLM’s dining critic Dave Lowry called it “an estimable place for dinner.” And it was.
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But despite The Restaurant’s appropriately-priced American fare (entrees priced from $25 to $30), the star that shone brightest at the new and improved Cheshire hotel complex was Basso, its brasserie-like cousin tucked in the rathskeller below its generically-named cousin. With a small plates format made up of predominantly wood-fired pizza and homemade pasta (under the watchful eye of James Beard award winning chef Patrick Connolly), Basso secured and earned a solid following. The Restaurant wasn’t a miss by any means, but it’s Basso that typifies the way today’s diners are dining and it was cranking big numbers to prove it.
Enter Boundary.
The term “bridge restaurant” is a propos here, as the successor to The Restaurant combines a more traditional, sit-down dining experience with a large, comfortable—and versatile—room with a fetching, mirror-image bar as its calling card.
We love a name that draws a clear line to what it is (The Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co.) or where it is (One 19 North, The Piccadilly at Manhattan). Boundary complies, literally straddling the edge of three municipalities—The Cheshire hotel and Fox & Hounds Tavern are in Richmond Heights, Clayton is across the street, and Boundary is located in the City of St. Louis.
Bob O’Loughlin, Chairman and CEO of Lodging Hospitality Management (LHM), which owns the complex, admitted that The Restaurant was too formal (“a Saturday night restaurant”) when what is needed today are more “Tuesday night restaurants.” With reasonable price points (dishes range from $9 to $20), Boundary hits that mark. Tom Duca, Vice President of Restaurants at LHM, explains further: “We designed Boundary to blend into the success we enjoyed at The Restaurant,” he said. “The bar area was always full, and a lot of people chose to eat at the bar, so it made sense to wrap the bar around into the adjoining room.”
The result is a back-to-back bar, with the new addition (right) doubling as a raw bar, which according to executive chef Rex Hale, fulfills several needs: “It draws more attention to the bar, which already was the focal point of the space,“ he said. “Plus, some people like to interact with the bartender and others with the cook…at the raw bar, you can do both.”
The raw bar room, or the front room (it has no name as yet) is one of three dining areas. In the middle is a chartreuse green double banquette (above), each side seating 10.
To one side, looking like a bar-height conference table (above), is a 10-seat communal table finished in patchwork steel (above).
On the other, an equally substantial button-back curved couch (above), finished in saddle colored leather. The room is full of private spaces as well — a prime fireside table for four and several high-top tables for two (right) that line a shadowy wall.
Dark-stained window shutters and veneered brick placed high on the interior walls completes the casually elegant look, a cross between a larger, upscale (and game trophy-less) Fox & Hounds Tavern next door and the rustic chic vibe of Basso below.
Less tinkering was done to the second room (named the Kitchen Room) as the open kitchen is the focal point. Tables here lend themselves to traditional dining (standard 4-tops), and can be interactive or not: several kitchen-side, zinc-topped chef’s tables can be reserved for a center of the action experience, as can a dimly-lit, wall-length leather banquette far away from the action. Table #80 and #84 (below), deemed two of SLM’s most romantic tables in the city, are the bookends.
A large door leads to the third area (right), a private dining room called the Red Room (the entire Kitchen Room can be reserved in conjunction with the Red Room for a larger or more versatile event).
At Boundary, chef Hale composed a menu with zero holdovers from The Restaurant. There are shareable appetizers and shareable mains (like a $55 whole gulf snapper and a $75, 32-ounce Porterhouse) but the balance of the one-page menu consists of fairly-priced raw bar items, soups, salads, creative vegetable sides, and smallish, composed plate, comfort food entrees. With the exception of the behemoth steak above, there are no big slabs of beef and none of the plate-filling slices of prime rib from days past. Hale reflected that “unquestionably, those dishes defined the building’s history, but we all felt it was time to move on.”
Which brings us to a sampling of the current offerings (see more in the banner images above):
Roasted Beets with charred carrots, beet caramel, and whipped goat cheese (above) — The healthiest-looking item on the menu is also a stunner. The vegetables are glazed with a reduction of beet juice and Cabernet vinegar that Hale calls “beet caramel.”
Poutine with hand-cut fries, brisket gravy, herbed cheese curds, and farm egg (above) — This standout item includes Marcoot’s herbed cheddar cheese curds and a sunny side up farm egg, gathered from the coop at Earthdance Farms. Poutine (like its distant cousin, the slinger) is not the most photogenic of dishes. At Boundary, poutine defies its ancestry.
Oysters on the half shell, from the east and west coasts (above) — Served with sherry wine mignonette, cocktail sauce with charred tomatoes, and fresh horseradish. Beet juice in the crushed ice makes the mushroom-colored bivalves stand out.
Kona Kampachi, with beet reduction, ginger, chile, sea salt, coriander, locally-raised micro cilantro, and crispy carrots (above) — Similar to Hamachi, this sashimi-grade species is responsibly farm-raised in Hawaii (near Kona, hence the name).
Sea scallops with roasted leeks and butternut squash risotto (above) – Note the contrasting earthenware plate, chosen for its dramatic effect..
Hanger steak with hand-cut fries (above) — Six ounces, a sensible portion of protein, is priced at $22.
A roaster of capable chefs assists Hale, including the talented, jack-of-all-trades Ryan Maher; Wil Pelly, former executive chef for the In Good Company restaurant group (Sanctuaria, Diablitos Cantina, Café Ventana, and Hendrick’s BBQ); and the most recent hire, Kyle Patterson, the former exec chef at Lucas Park Grille.
Initially, Boundary will be open nightly for dinner, with lunch and brunch to follow in the coming weeks. When asked if Boundary will offer a burger, Hale was enthusiasti:. “Oh, and it will be a very special burger,“ he said. “Eight ounces of Rain Crow Ranch beef on a brioche bun, with Brie cheese, red onions, cornichons, and watercress that comes with a side of green peppercorn sauce…for dipping the burger or the fries.”
The bar program includes a smaller wine list (with prices more in keeping with a less expensive menu), the requisite craft beers, and a short, curated cocktail list. A Happy Hour is planned as well, featuring reduced-price menu and raw bar items, including $1 oysters.
Say no more, Boundary. You’ve lured us enough.
Boundary
7036 Clayton
314-932-7818
Mon – Thu: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.
Fri – Sat: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m.
Sun: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. (Brunch hours 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
Follow George on Twitter @stlmag_dining or send him an email at [email protected]. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
