Review: Fleur de Lilies in Soulard

Editor's Note: Fleur de Lilies has closed.

At Fleur de Lilies, the new Creole restaurant in Soulard, the shrimp étouffée arrives savory and fragrant. At Fleur de Lilies, the new Korean restaurant, the kalbi entree arrives sizzling hot in a cast-iron skillet. At Fleur de Lilies, the new sushi place, the colorful Geisha’s Kiss roll is as appetizing as it is visually appealing.

Donald Trump must wonder what the hell’s going on with all this multi-culturalism under one roof. What’s going on is that co-owners Misha Sampson and Alexis Kim (along with chef Michael Gipson, ex of Bar Les Freres), are paying tribute to their respective Southern and Korean roots.

Sampson, a fourth-generation Creole, uses her family’s recipes, including great Grandma’s shrimp étouffée and Great-aunt Maybell’s gumbo, to anchor a mostly Southern-influenced menu. The former lives up to its signature billing with plump shrimp in a coppery, redolent sauce consisting of the traditional holy trinity of celery, onion and bell pepper amped up with garlic and just enough heat to warm the lips. The gumbo, chunked up with oysters, crab, shrimp, turkey sausage and chicken, and spiced with file powder, garnered a begrudging nod of approval from a Louisiana-native dining partner.

Kim’s Korean background and experience as a sushi chef (She also owns BBC Asian Cafe & Bar.) rounds out the menu with that skillet of kalbi: beef short ribs cut lengthwise across the bones and marinated in a crave-worthy, sweet-savory sauce. A layer of caramelized onions covers the bottom, but it’s still a pan of meat, so maybe order a side of seasonal vegetables, if only to add a splash of color.

The separate sushi menu may seem like an afterthought, along the lines of the annoying pause between “guys … and gals” in those local frozen custard commercials: “Hey, we serve Creole, Korean … and sushi.” While there’s nothing spectacular here, I like having the option of nigiri and rolls as a snack or light meal, like the Geisha’s Kiss roll, stuffed with spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, avocado and topped with salmon, tuna, tobiko and eel sauce.

The restaurant’s moniker promotes Creole-Asian fusion, and its logo features a hybrid of a fleur-de-lis and Asian lily, but except for a couple appetizers (Fried Fusion Spring Rolls and Fusion Peel and Eat) and the Wagyu bulgogi burger, the fusion feels more brand than practice. But what a burger: a patty as rich and delectable as foie gras, suffused with a traditional marinade for bulgogi grilled beef (soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, pepper), griddled, then topped with sesame slaw and sesame oil and served on a pretzel bun.

Other appetizers straddle both cultures. Lightly breaded and delicately crispy, spindly frog legs seem pretty Southern, especially with a spicy remoulade on the side. But despite their similar texture, the amount of chewing and sucking needed to extract a meager amount of meat from the bony legs far surpasses what’s required for chicken wings. The gyoza – six little tasty house-made dumplings filled with chicken and kimchi – had a nice savory seasoning and mild flavor, but I prefer these steamed rather than deep-fried; Fleur de Lilies’ fried version was just too dry.

Like the rest of the menu, desserts are more Southern than Seoul – notably the bread pudding served with cream cheese ice cream, both house-made and both worth saving room for.

The corner restaurant sits across from Anheuser Busch Brewery and once housed Gusto’s 314, Sage Urban American Grill and Lynch Street Bistro. It’s a beautiful 6,500-square-foot space distributed over two floors. In the front bar area, three step-up booths make cozy seats for two to sip a classic or signature cocktail, like the FDL Old-Fashioned spiced up with Creole bitters and house-made pecan syrup. Pass through the brick archway into the main dining room where Sampson and Kim lightened the interior with a purple and gold color scheme and blond wood, taking advantage of the natural light streaming through large windows. An impressive contemporary iron switchback staircase leads to an upstairs dining area used for special events and a hidden oasis: the rooftop deck overlooking an inviting brick patio right out of the French Quarter.

As a Creole restaurant, Fleur de Lilies could stand on its own. Indeed, even the decor captures a NOLA vibe without any kitschy Mardi Gras trappings. But by serving three of the hottest cuisines trending in St. Louis (All they’re missing is fried chicken and barbecue.), Sampson and Kim are not only riding the wave, they’re ahead of the curve.

AT A GLANCE: Fleur de Lilies

Where
1031 Lynch St., St. Louis, 314.761.3797, fleurdelilies.com

Don’t Miss Dishes
Shrimp étouffée, Waygu bulgogi burger

Vibe
Colorful and casual, light and breezy with a decor that captures the spirit of New Orleans without beads and masks.

Entree Prices
$11 to $32

When
Sun. – 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Mon. to Thu. – 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Fri. and Sat. – 11 a.m. to midnight