4 new brunches to try in St. Louis this summer

Bistro La Floraison
The new brunch menu items at Bistro La Floraison are, as the French say, magnifique. The French omelet, which highlights the kitchen’s technical skills, is custardy and delicate on the inside and just set on the outside. It’s served with a local, fresh quark cheese flavored with garlic confit and herbs like tarragon, chives and parsley (think: Boursin). For yet another luxurious component, opt to add a dollop of caviar. Fine details like this can be found in other dishes like their French toast made with Winslow’s Table brioche bread soaked overnight in cream, eggs, vanilla and spices like star anise and cinnamon. No French brunch would feel complete without a croque madame; here, the base is porridge bread topped with ham, cheese, Dijon mustard, a fried egg and a decadent mornay cheese sauce made with Gruyere; notes of nutmeg and clove and a dash of sherry vinegar balance the richness.
7637 Wydown Blvd., Clayton, 314.725.8880, bistrolafloraison.com; brunch hours: Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Little Fox
Little Fox is known for its top-notch beverage program, which now includes brunch cocktails. Cold brew cocktails like the Top Hat with chocolate-peanut butter whiskey, Montenegro and coffee liqueur and the Good Morning Manhattan with mezcal, reposado tequila, Averna and bitters elevate morning coffee to boozy heights. Sip on that while you wait for a waffle and lox served with a vibrant red beet-cured salmon, poppy seed crème fraiche, crispy capers and a frisee-arugula salad flecked with parsley, dill and chives. The bread program at Little Fox has also expanded for the brunch menu and can be enjoyed in dishes like the egg sandwich served on Pullman bread or the French toast sticks made with pain de mie (a French-style milk bread) and accompanied by a creamy, maple-flavored coconut sauce for dipping.
2800 Shenandoah Ave., St. Louis, 314.553.9456, littlefoxstl.com; brunch hours: Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Press
With Press's new brunch, everything familiar is new again and morphed into brunch plates that you can’t say no to. The ham-and-cheese smashbrowns are hash browns mixed with ham and cheese and smashed in a panini press until it gets super crispy and plated with whipped quark cheese, roasted tomatoes and hardboiled eggs on top. The “press” theme comes up again with the smashed pancake. A big scoop of batter is poured onto the press, yielding a foot-wide pancake that’s topped with seasonal fruits and whipped ricotta. Other standout items include the super moist huckleberry scones and gjetost coffee cake; the latter is flavored with honey-colored gjetost – a Norwegian cheese – that lends complex salted caramel notes to the cake, which is finished with a white chocolate-pistachio crumble for sweetness and crunch. The menu also includes Press’ signature pressed pizzas with a brunch twist, like the breakfast stuffed pizza filled with potatoes, cheese, sausage and egg and drizzled with a warm, Aleppo pepper-infused maple syrup.
2509 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, press-stl.com; brunch hours: Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Rosé by Peno
This Lafayette Square newcomer is dishing out brunch from the start. Try the butter, jams and honeys section for light bites; select your choice of bread and pick two toppings from a list that includes strawberry-lavender jam, butter with herbes de Provence or local honey. Other noteworthy menu items include a tartine with soft-cooked egg, asparagus, smoked mozzarella and bechamel and Sicilian lamb ribs served with a sweet-and-sour agrodolce barbecue sauce, braised Swiss chard and potato salad.
1463 S. 18th St., St. Louis, 314.405.8500, rosestl.com; brunch hours: Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.