As I stepped through the door of Café Ivanhoe, I thought to myself (or maybe I said it out loud), “This is exactly what I was looking for.”
The casual, contemporary ambiance is complemented by vibrant colors. Cool slate floors balance the burnt-orange, deep-purple and sage-green walls and high, painted tin ceilings. Diners can choose from the main dining area or a cozier, brighter room. The art is for sale. Yellow mums dot the tables. Smooth jazz is piped in. The space has an inviting, relaxing vibe.
Opened in May by proprietor David Lewis and chefs James Dean Gill and Don Krippner, Café Ivanhoe is a jewel in the Lindenwood neighborhood (it’s in South City on Ivanhoe Avenue near Jamieson Avenue and Arsenal Street), serving lunch and dinner and Sunday brunch. The brunch menu spans omelets to sandwiches with some surprises, including an $8.95 Monte Cristo (St. Louisans may remember the old days at Magic Pan) and a $9.95 “farmer’s platter” (that’s a peppered, grilled pork chop served with two eggs, hash browns and … apple pie). Revolving off-the-menu specials feature a variety of pancakes, quiches and omelets as well as shrimp jambalaya and quail salad.
Begin brunch with a Bellini ($4.95) – peach juice with sparkling wine – a perfect way to ease into the day. Mimosas, Screwdrivers and Bloody Marys, which were a little bland, are also offered. Strong Kaldi’s coffee is served. On my first visit, I couldn’t resist ordering the BLT Benedict, one of the brunch specials, and found it to be a lighter version of the standard eggs Benedict. An English muffin was split and topped with heirloom tomatoes, poached eggs and field greens, drizzled with a light hollandaise sauce and crisped bits of bacon. It was a fresher – and healthier – alternative to the original and now a new favorite.
If you’re not familiar with how a Monte Cristo is made, it’s like using french toast as a base for a savory sandwich. Turkey, ham and Swiss cheese are piled between slices of Texas brioche (Texas toast made from an egg dough) that is spread with both a vanilla-Dijon mustard and raspberry sauce, then dipped in an egg batter and grilled. Before service, it’s dusted with powdered sugar. The sweet/salty combination is incredibly satisfying. Both the BLT Benedict and the Monte Cristo came with fresh honeydew, cantaloupe, mango, pineapple and grapes.
If you’re craving a heartier breakfast, the farmer’s platter will satisfy. The pork chop was moist and flavorful, the eggs perfectly scrambled and the hash browns nicely cooked. The thick slice of homemade apple pie complements the pork chop but is even better saved for dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Don’t miss the biscuits and gravy. Super-light, flaky biscuits are toasted and covered with a sweet-and-spicy pan gravy. With lots of sausage and loads of flavor, this B&G is a standout. The banana-nut pancakes (other specials have been banana-blueberry and blueberry) are thick yet fluffy, with sliced bananas and walnuts. French toast was dry on the inside (that thick brioche needed more time to soak up the custard).
The service is a little inexperienced but always friendly. On a couple occasions, we waited for refills on coffee and water, and a diner at a nearby table waited for utensils as her food waited for her to dig in. One of the servers had a tough time describing the quail salad (because he couldn’t really explain the dish, I had a hard time wanting to order it). At other times, it’s been on the mark, especially the server who tried repeatedly to keep our table from rocking.
Recently, a handful of tables were added on the front sidewalk, an ideal spot for outdoor dining, especially now that crisp weather has come along.
Café Ivanhoe has a casual ambiance and an inviting, relaxing vibe.
Café Ivanhoe
3257 Ivanhoe Ave., St. Louis
314.647.4455
Brunch: Sun. – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.