Courtesy Union 30
Steak Oscar with béarnaise sauce, one of the entree options at Lobsterfest '19, September 25 at Union 30 restaurant inside Hotel Saint Louis
HOT SPOT
Lobsterfest at Union 30
The only thing better than a Maine lobster tail served with drawn butter? If it comes with four other courses featuring the crustacean. In honor of National Lobster Day on September 25, Union 30 chef Matt Birkenmeier is hosting Lobsterfest '19, a five-course extravaganza with choices galore. Selections include bisque, chowder, lobster avocado salad, lobster roll slider, fried lobster, plus four other possible entrées, including lobster Thermador and Steak Oscar with butter poached claws—14 options in all. And dessert? Red Velvet Lobster Cake. Seatings are at 4:30, 7:30, and 9:30 p.m. The dinner—priced at $100, $125, and $110 per person, respectively (exclusive of tax and tip)—includes a glass of wine. Cocktails (lobster-themed, natch) will also be available. Call 314-241-4300 for reservations.
INSIDER TIP
Niçoise Salad at Bar Les Frères
Courtesy Bar Les Freres
It should come as no surprise that Zoe Robinson’s Bar Les Frères is serving one of the best niçoise salads we can remember on this side of the pond. While based on the French classic, Bar Les Frères’ rendition mixes it up a bit. Instead of using a European glass–jarred or tinned tuna, the salad contains slices of barely seared Yellowfin. The perfectly cooked, jammy egg halves come from a local farm. The rest of the ingredients range from the traditional (steamed haricot verts, heirloom tomatoes, mustard vinaigrette) to the unexpected (boats of Little Gem lettuce, grilled baby red potatoes, fried shallots, large caper berries). And you might see pitted niçoise olives, kalamatas, or both, Robinson says, depending on the availability of the former. The $22 off-menu item should be available “until it gets cool outside,” she says, so keep your eye on the calendar. Then again, why wait? You'll find it pairs perfectly with a flute of bubbles and BLF's melt-in-your-mouth gougères. 7637 Wydown, 314-725-8880.
MICRORANT
Pasty Chowder and Bisques
EzumeImages/iStock/Getty Images Plus
There’s nothing better on a cold day (OK, any day) than a bowl of New England clam chowder teeming with clams or a silky seafood bisque with bits of meat in every bite. More often than not, however, we encounter gelatinous, tired iterations, a sea of glop darn near thick enough to erect a spoon, like the mast of a surrendering ship. It’s a shame that a situation that could be so easily rectified by a marginally competent chef gets served as often as it does. (Oh, and fear not the juxtaposition: Chef Birk assures us the consistency of his Lobsterfest offerings will be spot-on.)
Follow George on Twitter @stlmag_dining and feel free to send him Tidbits at gmahe@stlmag.com. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
