Review: Grace Manor in Edwardsville

My first visit to Grace Manor in Edwardsville was a mere appetizer. Back then, August to be exact, the quaint historic home and one-time tea room served lunch and dinner, the latter being served until only 7 p.m., a time befitting a nursing home, not a restaurant this good. Dinner was from the aptly titled “twilight menu” and consisted of smaller plates, “authentic tapas” that were actually authentic salads, pastas and a weekly three-course special. With dishes like roasted red pepper hummus, chicken paillard and a nice assortment of tapas like fried local zucchini with a fresh-tasting romesco sauce, croquetas made with white fish and spicy potato wedges with a sriracha aïoli, it was a fine and capable menu indeed, geared toward adventuresome, albeit early, diners.

While tucking into my three-course early bird prix fixe meal, consisting of salad (local greens, Biver Farms vegetables, house-made basil pesto ranch dressing) and entrée (a tidy package of cold-smoked pork tenderloin from Rensing Hog Farm on a risotto cake made with Wehani brown rice, served with a dark cherry and onion compote and splashed with veal demi-glace), it became clear Grace Manor was not only a good addition to the ever growing Edwardsville fine-dining scene, it was sufficiently capable of becoming another dining destination for St. Louisans. The carrot cake with a carrot reduction sauce only confirmed my conclusion.

The only problem, of course, is that no matter how good the food is – and Grace Manor has very good food – most St. Louisans aren’t going to duck out of work early, fight bridge traffic and drive half an hour to a restaurant that closes around the time when most of us start thinking about what’s for dinner. So when owner Debra Grace revealed she was hiring a new chef, changing the menu and extending the hours to accommodate grown-up dining habits, it was time to revisit her eponymous restaurant.

Grace, who holds a grand diploma in Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management from the French Culinary Institute in New York City, took over the 1850s-era house in April, transforming it from the Klingel House Tea Room to her vision of capturing the flavors of the area with a restaurant focused on most things local, right down to a beer and wine list of only Missouri and Illinois selections (no, A-B products don’t count) and music (from Southern Illinois University jazz radio station WSIE in Edwardsville, which, ironically, now broadcasts only national programs). Local art is on display, and for sale, throughout the restaurant. And when Grace says everything changes with the season, that includes the linens, window treatments and interior color scheme of the 50-seat, three-room dining area.

Chef Axel France (previously of Jim Fiala’s restaurants and Jimmy’s on the Park) was brought aboard at the end of August to help design and execute the new fall menu. It’s a compact, unpretentious menu of appetizers, soups, salads, desserts and six entrées covering key proteins: beef, pork, chicken, seafood, fish and daily pasta specials using Mangia Italiano products, local meats, herbs and seasonal produce. While the menu is not overly ambitious, its simplicity belies the complexity of turning simple ingredients into memorable meals. A bowl of acorn squash soup didn’t have to be that good, but there it was, all creamy rich and nutty brown, topped with crunchy roasted squash seeds, as warm and comforting as snuggling under a down comforter on the first chilly night of the season.

A salad of mixed greens with red onion and Manchego cheese seems simple enough, until you add slices of warm broiled yellow squash, toss it all with a vinaigrette of grain mustard and local honey and wait for the flavors and textures to unfold in your mouth, which will wind up in a big smile. I typically shy away from beef tenderloin because it is often so bland. But the 8 ounces of gently seared, fork-tender Rensing Farm fillet of beef tenderloin atop a mound of spinach sautéed in white wine and garlic helped change my mind. The splash of port wine demi-glace and herb crème fraîche along with the hand-cut steak fries certainly didn’t hurt.

My indecision between the rack of pork ribs or the pan-seared airline chicken breast was moot when, low and behold, the three-course special of the evening included both as the entrée. Yes, the brined, spice-rubbed ribs were from Rensing, deliciously chewy and smoky and served with a liquidy house-made barbecue jus, fries and greens. Yes, the chicken had more flavor and better texture than most. No, it wasn’t free-range, but obtained through Rensing, who gets it from a local processor. (Grace said she is trying to procure a local free-range poultry producer.) Yes, it was a lot of meat.

The superb carrot cake is still on the menu, but pumpkin crème brûlée seemed more fitting for the season. Grace explained she uses a locally grown Australian variety of pumpkin that produces a much milder flavor than the commonly available sort. Creamy and mild indeed, with just enough sweetness to tame the tooth. Aside from the basil-infused lemon water tasting bitter and pithy and the house-made Sangria served with a cheap straw and devoid of any sweetness, there were no noticeable missteps.

Leaving Grace Manor one evening, my friend said, “It feels like the food is made just for you.” A simple yet trenchant truth was never so fitting.

To read Glenn Bardgett’s review of Grace Manor’s wine list, visit Sommelier’s Take in the reviews section of saucemagazine.com.

NEW AND NOTABLE
Don’t-Miss Dish: Fillet of beef tenderloin
Vibe: It’s been a stop on the underground railroad, a brewery and a tea room, so there’s a lot of history wrapped up in this historic house.
Entrée Prices: $18 to $28
Where: Grace Manor, 1801 N. Main St., Edwardsville, 618.655.0650
When: Tue. to Thu. – 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fri. and
Sat. – 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.