Brunch at The Boathouse Will Help You De-Stress

Maybe it’s because I was born under a water sign, but I’m a sucker for waterside meals. And at last I’ve found a local brunch that fits that criterion. The Boathouse in Forest Park was redone in the renewal effort the last few years, and to good effect. However, that same effort has made it more difficult to reach. Drive down the road beside the giant bird cage at the zoo, turn right at the stop sign and watch for it on the left. Between roads that were removed and roads that were blocked off for charity runs, it took me 15 minutes extra in the park to get there. There are lots of outdoor tables and chairs facing the lake. One quiet morning, six ducks waited, mute, at the feet of a solo diner who’d braved some unseasonably chilly air. Inside, the boathouse theme continues with a palette of terra cotta, golden yellow and slate blue – walls, tableware and T-shirts all matching. A fireplace divides the room. It’s a popular place for family groups, and it’s not hard to imagine some business lunches taking place here if the suits were searching for a slight feeling of playing hooky. The brunch starts at 10 a.m., with a menu that begins with its large regular lunch menu and layers over it a relatively short breakfast listing. The breakfast choices are fairly simple ones, no choosing from 10 kinds of omelets. That can be a sign that breakfast is a perfunctory gesture, but it doesn’t seem to be the case at the Boathouse, which is run by Catering St. Louis. An egg casserole heads the menu, the specifics varying each Sunday. Ours had a little diced ham and generous amounts of spinach, fresh mushrooms and tomato with a thick layer of shredded Cheddar cheese across the top. The cheese had browned nicely but not turned into plastic. The egg-to-solid ratio was a good one, so that the egg neither disappeared nor took over, and the whole thing wasn’t overcooked. I’m generally not keen on such dishes, but this was a good one. The individual casserole arrived wearing a large drop biscuit as a hat. There didn’t seem to be any flavor of the dill promised on the menu, but there was a little cheese in it. More to the point, it was one of the most tender biscuits ever. Pancakes come plain or as a version du jour, for instance blueberry pancakes with a banana compote. The berries were the tiny ones but in generous amounts, the pancakes were tender and the golden banana compote, not cloyingly sweet, a fine topper that rendered the syrup superfluous. Butter was unsalted and whipped, so pale it took a moment to figure out what it was. Coffee is good, reasonably strong and hot enough, not always a given in many restaurants lately. Service can get a little strained at busy times, but there seems always to be a smile. Reservations aren’t taken except for large groups and on particularly busy days, like Mother’s Day. (They also take them for nights when the Muny is open – it’s within walking distance – although obviously that’s not brunch.) A worthwhile stop after a stressful week.