Review: The Restaurants at the Chase

Through thick and thin, fat and lean, in good times and in bad, the venerable slogan, "the Chase is the place," has held true for St. Louisans. The lights may have dimmed, or flickered, even went out for a while, but they came back, and more of our friends have experienced more joy there than at any other spot in the city.

The Tenderloin Room, the Steeplechase, the Tack Room and the legendary Gourmet Room in the basement of the Park Plaza long have been (or are) names to conjure with, and the glorious reopening of 2000 was a magic night. Since then, things occasionally have been rocky, management types have come and gone. Rob Uyemura, the talented chef who presided over the opening of Eau's bistro and café, departed, and both spots have weathered more storms than Noah's Ark.

But help has been on the way.

A couple of recent dinners at the Bistro were again first-rate, with a smaller, seasonal menu that offers fewer opportunities for error, good hands in the kitchen and calm overall management with Stephanie Demmas now the Bistro manager and John Clover the chef. The track has been fast recently, but some solidity and continuity will be a help. Prices are high, to the point where I thought $38 for a sampler of three fishes (halibut, salmon and scallops) was out of line, especially in terms of execution vs. price, but everything else we tried on a couple of visits turned out to be excellent.

Service is solid, and the staff is knowledgeable about specials and about the individual achievements of the kitchen, like an outstanding dried-tomato sorbet that was bursting with flavor and not at all sweet, a perfect combination served as a palate cleanser or as a great contrast with more traditional flavors as dessert. It was teamed on a plate with two other delicious but unusual sorbets – one based on feta, another made from mangoes and ancho chile, a third from tart green apples. The tomato sorbet is good enough to be the cause for another trip. The wine list is good, if not great, but there are many satisfactory selections by the glass at a wide range of prices.

The fare is contemporary American, with steaks and chops and seafood, all nicely prepared and presented. The unusual shapes of plates are an interesting conceit, and even sometimes a little startling, but they are handsome, and a fine canvas to hold a well-composed dish. The plates remain from the gala first re-opening.

As noted, Eau can be pricey, and a shrimp cocktail, with only four shrimp for $12, or three bucks a shrimp, is exactly that. However, the shrimp were fresh and tasty, and of good size, decorated with a finely balanced vodka-red sauce-horseradish sauce that brought a lovely touch to a classic appetizer. Better, I thought, were mussels steamed with ale and garlic and other good things. The shellfish were large, juicy and beautifully cooked, with a nice texture and a good chew. The sauce was rich, with a nice addition of garlic, and the ale gave a little fillip to the finish just the way the vodka did in the shrimp sauce.

Gazpacho, with a little green pepper and some celery for texture and flavor, was delightfully light but with enough smoky ancho pepper to bring a hint of heat.

When it comes to the subject of anchovies or no anchovies on a Caesar salad, the Guru is adamant on anchovies for his salad, but a free thinker for other people, who can decorate their salads and their taste buds as they please. The Eau salad includes anchovies, and in a proper amount, bringing the crisp salty flavor of the tiny fish to delicious pieces of Romaine and without extraneous tastes and textures.

Entrees were led by lamb chops and pork chops, both of perfect size, taste and tenderness, plus a little crisp fat around the edges to heighten the effect. Lamb is sauced with, of all things, a coffee-flavored essence, not so strong as to overcome high-quality chops, just a burst of flavor to begin each mouthful. The pork chop, moist and very lightly glazed with pomegranate, were accompanied by the a mysterious grain, maybe spelt, that was dotted with little black currants. Duck was under a brilliant glaze and cooked just right, a little pink here and there heightening the richness of the fowl. Broccolini and other vegetables, like a sweet potato pancake, delicious roasted golden beets, tiny patty pan squash and asparagus provided an effective contrast with the meat, and the knowledge that the chef was looking toward the slightly unusual in terms of side dishes. By the way, the seafood platter suffered from scallops that were cool and tough. The halibut was good, the salmon better.

And then there was the pasta – a brilliant dish. Freshly made raviolis that were light as air and slightly al dente, filled with porcini mushrooms that had all the woodsy flavor of fresh, delicate wild mushrooms. It was a lovely dish, and the mushroom sauce that bathed the ravioli was close to perfection.

Desserts were quite good, with a few standards and a peanut crunch that was simply glorious. I'm not a great peanut butter fan, but this dessert, combining traditional peanut brittle with a wonderful, light and slightly crunchy peanut-chocolate mousse that was much like a nougat, made for a brilliant finale to the meal.

Whether one prefers the English "O," or the Gallic "eau," as the name of the Chase Hotel's premier dining room, pronunciations are identical, and dinner is outstanding.