Review: Brasserie by Niche in St. Louis

Brasserie by Niche, the latest addition to the St. Louis dining scene from Gerard Craft of Niche and Taste by Niche, dishes out a decidedly casual and affordable approach to French country cooking. Brasserie took over the space formerly occupied by Chez Leon, the classic French restaurant that recently relocated to Clayton; it’s still a charming space with the French doors opening onto the sidewalk, perfect for warm-weather dining or watching a snowfall; old wood flooring; and elegant chandeliers. The red-checkered tablecloths topped with butcher paper and the hefty wooden farm table used as the dining room’s serving station convey the relaxed, rustic ambiance Craft and executive chef Perry Hendrix envisioned when they started planning the restaurant late last year. Take a seat on the cushy black banquette under the long horizontal mirrors and watch the crowd: dapper older gents in camel-hair jackets, CWE patricians dripping in jewelry, young urbanites in cozy sweaters sipping elegant cocktails and Belgian and French beers.

Back in the kitchen, Hendrix and team ladle out French onion soup so thick a spoon can stand upright without wavering. This superb soup is distinguished by the lack of sweetness often found in more popular versions, a result of, our server informed us, sweating the onions until all sweetness fades, plus the 20 hours it takes to prepare. The everyday menu is full of such homey dishes but doesn’t feel crowded. There will always be steak frites, croque madame, mussels frites and roast chicken. That roast chicken is revelatory: two quartered portions of flavorful Farrar Out Farm chicken with sautéed hen of the woods mushrooms stacked atop a thick slice of grilled bread, ladled with a healthy dousing of pan jus and served in a sizzling cast-iron skillet. Paired with a Côte du Rhône or Burgundy, it’s one of life’s simplest pleasures. The steak frites, a sliced crimson New York strip loin in shallot butter, was basic and satisfying, but spend the extra $5 for the brussels sprouts to round out the plate. A note on the fries: They’re frozen, yet acceptable.

From the hors d’oeuvres section, there’s brandade, scallops, country pâté and rabbit rillettes. The brandade, a creamy purée of cod fish salted in-house, olive oil, milk and potato popular along France’s southern coastal region, was a good winter starter when spread on rounds of crostini. Then there’s the frisée salad, with its frisée, lardon cubes and croutons supporting one beautiful poached egg, all further enhanced with just the right amount of bacon vinaigrette for added porky punch. Or begin your meal with the earthy, citrusy, concentrated sweet flavor combination of three sea scallops, pan-seared crusty brown and simply seasoned with pepper and coarse salt for extra crunch, sitting atop a slice of orange and encircled with tiny roasted heirloom beets.

Perhaps in the future the menu du jour will include frog’s legs. Until then, be satisfied with the day-to-day specials. One night it was the coq au vin, another night it was lapin en moutard (rabbit in mustard sauce). Both use meat from Farrar Out Farm and are excellent examples why French provincial cooking is so deeply satisfying. Both dishes feature dark meat: three chicken legs for the coq au vin, a hindquarter for the rabbit. Both are braised and bathed in delicious sauces: the chicken in a concentrated dark sauce with pearl onions, the rabbit in creamy, coarse Dijon mustard sauce. Both were perfect on a bracing winter evening. Unfortunately, because it wasn’t available on the nights we visited, tracking down the cassoulet proved futile.

While the cuisine may be traditional French bistro fare, the prices break from French restaurant tradition, a welcome departure. All but the strip loin are under $20, daily specials are $18, and the three-course $30 prix fixe is an affordable way to get acquainted with the menu. Like any good brasserie, beer and wine are just as important as the food; the menu focuses on Belgian- and French-style brews as well as American styles of European beers. The wine list offers good values by the glass (all under $10) and some interesting, capable French wines, even in the $20 to $30 range. The same attention paid to cocktails at Niche and Taste is present here, emphasizing the art of combining unusual and intriguing flavor profiles in proper proportions.

Something akin to pancake batter is used to make clafouti, a baked French dessert incorporating fresh fruit, like the prunes in Brasserie’s version. A scoop of ridiculously good house-made Cognac ice cream elevates this country French dessert to higher status. Among the other desserts sampled, there was an apple tarte Tatin, full of the expected caramelized sugary apple goodness, and chocolate lava cake with almond ice cream. But it was the floating islands that captured my attention: A fluffy mound of meringue floated in a pool of crème anglaise, drizzled with house-made caramel and sprinkled with toasted sliced almonds for an ideal balance of sweet and salt.

Visiting Brasserie without reservations, especially during this hyped-up buzz period, is risky. But on our visits, we were accommodated promptly; it also helps to dine early. Service is quite capable and attentive; during one visit, our server stated his sommelier certification and demonstrated it with not only detailed, unpretentious descriptions of available wines, but with a superb recommendation to back it up.

Smart enough to serve Kaldi’s coffee, astute enough to be affordable and casual enough to come as you are, Brasserie by Niche is just what Craft and Hendrix want: a neighborhood spot you’ll visit over and over.

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NEW AND NOTABLE

Don’t-Miss Dish: Roasted chicken with mushrooms, bread and pan jus; French onion soup; strip loin with shallot butter and fries.
Vibe: Convivial, casual and civilized.
Entrée Prices: $12 to $24; $30 three-course prix fixe.
Where: Brasserie by Niche, 4580 Laclede Ave., St. Louis, 314.454.0600
When: Lunch: Tue. to Fri. – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner: Tue. to Thu. – 5 to 10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. – 5 to 11 p.m., Sun. – 5 to 9 p.m.; Brunch: Sun. – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.