Review: The Restaurant at The Cheshire in Clayton

Editor's note: This restaurant is now closed. 

The conversation will go something like this:
“Let’s go to The Resaurant.”
“Where?”
“At The Cheshire.”
“OK, but what’s it called”
“The Restaurant at The Cheshire.”
At which point one of you, channeling Abbot and Costello’s “Who’s on First,” will scream, “THAT’S WHAT I’M ASKING!”

Once it’s determined that the restaurant in question is indeed called, The Restaurant, the second conversation will be about the curious, confusing and chaotic parking situation. “I think those cones mean you’re not supposed to enter here,” and, “Seriously? I have to valet park and pay four bucks?”

Inside, the conversation will focus on the stunning $12 million rehab of the fabled complex that now houses The Restaurant, Basso (an Italian-inspired gastropub downstairs) and The Market (a cafe and gourmet market). The space at The Restaurant is expansive, with four distinct dining areas that flow easily from front to back: a small front bar; a large, main dining room; a smaller, more casual area with a view of the open kitchen; and a back room suited for intimate gatherings, complete with doors and a ceiling draped with sexy, red sail-like material.

The décor is slick and modern with just enough rustic lodge ambiance, including a wood-burning stone fireplace held over from the original restaurant. It’s just how I’m going to design my winter cabin: dark and woody, masculine, warm with subdued lighting and stained glass windows. I’ll even install a smaller version of the transparent, at least 15-feet-tall temperature-controlled “cellar” that serves as the wall separating the front bar and main dining room (where you can watch servers climb a ladder to pluck bottles of wine).

During my visits, in the dead of winter, the dishes were of the stick-to-your-ribs variety. Traditional meets continental, with a few old-timers listed as “throw backs” from the original Cheshire restaurant, like prime rib with Yorkshire pudding and filet mignon. The main section of the menu is organized by cooking style: rotisserie, plancha (Spanish for griddle), smoker and wood grill. It was originally designed by Wil Fernandez-Cruz, who moved from New York City last year to serve as executive chef for The Restaurant when it opened in November with his wife, Lisa, pastry chef for all three Cheshire properties. By mid-January, Wil had left, followed a few weeks later by Lisa, both before my visits. Now, executive chef Rex Hale splits his time between The Restaurant and 360, a property from the same developers.

From the large rotisserie box, there is duck and chicken. I opted for the latter bird, from Ben Roberts Heritage Poultry in mid-Missouri. Consisting of a leg and an airline-cut breast, the meat was flavorful, true to the nature of free-range hens, but the skin lacked that blistered crackle due to a heavy dousing of romesco. Underneath, a bed of risotto made with toasted barley had a more toothsome, satisfying chew than if made with traditional Arborio rice, but the winter vegetables mixed in were too finely chopped to be recognized, either in sight or flavor. On the “wood grill” side of the menu, a herb-marinated hanger steak – grass-fed on south-central Missouri’s Rain Crow Ranch, sliced on the bias and generously napped with a savory reduction sauce – was basic and tasty enough, but it arrived at the table somewhere between warm and lukewarm.

Parts of the menu change at least monthly depending on availability of certain products, which is why I pounced on the smoked pork loin not offered on a previous visit: thick slices of glistening, juicy smoked loin (also from Rain Crow Ranch); a mound of real grits, creamy and substantial; a hardy heap of kale, tender and wilted. Next to the pork sat the perfect sweet-tart accompaniment: a rich and complex paste-like reduction made from small-batch balsamic vinegar from – of all places – Cody, Neb. The beef short ribs sit in the section of the menu dedicated to the old Cheshire days, but back then, mashed potatoes would have been the most likely starch on the plate. Today, heavy taters give way to light whipped parsnips, whose spicy zing and airy texture added more dimension than any mere tuber could. The meat, a tough cut to begin with, was rendered meltingly tender from its long braise in a red wine-based liquid. Whole, young roasted carrots, bits of their green tops still intact, shallots and leeks rounded out this winter-worthy dish. Beforehand, a warming butternut squash soup topped with a dollop of maple creme fraiche proved creamy, subtle and not too sweet. Spiced nuts provided a crunchy kick.

There seem to be different definitions of “chocolate soufflé cake.” What I expected to be light and set in the middle was more akin to lava cake with melting hot chocolate oozing from within upon breaking the crust. Rarely is there anything wrong with a spoonful of hot, melting, high-quality chocolate and chocolate cake. But it should be labeled as such. A scoop of house-made sun-dried cherry ice cream lacked any flavor other than sweet cream – a shame, since the tartness would have cut the intense chocolate beautifully. I’ll lobby for the Meyer lemon tart to remain on the menu, however. With its poppy-seed crust, a scoop of sorbet made from St. Germain elderflower liqueur and segments of grapefruit, blood orange and tangerine perched on top, it was a blast of summer on a cold night.

Service during my visits was attentive, helpful and competent, with a lag or two. I don’t know what The Restaurant was like before the big chef shake-up, so I can’t comment on what’s changed since. But despite the few missteps during my visits (and that whole parking thing), many aspects should redefine this restaurant for St. Louisans expecting the old Cheshire. A renewed focus on wine service is one. Under the stewardship of Patricia Wamhoff, there are about 2,000 bottles of wine, all served at the proper temperature – a detail far too many good restaurants ignore. Another is a menu that respects the past while reflecting current trends and tastes. And in case those throwbacks aren’t enough of a blast from The Cheshire’s past, after dinner, you could mosey across the parking lot for a nightcap at the cozy Fox & Hounds Tavern. But that’s a whole other conversation.

WHERE

The Restaurant at The Cheshire, 7036 Clayton Ave., St. Louis, 314.932.7818, restaurant-stl.com

DON’T MISS DISHES
Winter green salad, red wine-braised short ribs, Meyer lemon tart

VIBE
Rustic lodge with contemporary flashes and a cool wine wall. It can get boisterous, so snag a table near the fireplace for romance.

ENTREE PRICES
$18 to $38

WHEN
Dinner: Tue. to Thu. – 5 to 10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. – 5 to 11 p.m., Sun. – 5 to 9 p.m. Brunch: Sunday – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

THE RESTAURANT AT THE CHESHIRE, 7036 Clayton Ave., St. Louis, 314.932.7818, restaurant-stl.com