Niche, best of luck because I'm your niche market!!!!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the food culture in St. Louis is dead.  But, it is slowly coming back.  Sauce and Feast magazines will push some of the great restaurants in the area as they bring life back to this city, like a small village pushes their tall tales and mythology.  Every media facet has its favorite place, be it 1111 Mississippi, Farmhaus or even Niche.  Who are the customers of these beacons of hope in this St. Louis cuisine? Um, I am one of them.

Sure, I understand that the majority of the clientele, are rich, stuffy people from St. Louis, driving into the parking lot of these places with their Lexus and over-priced autos.  However, after that tier of eater, comes people like me: the foodie.  Over the past 8-9 years, I have been watching shows on foodnetwork and even was so inspired to get a degree in holistic nutrition as well as a certificate in personal chef and culinary arts.  I love cooking and cook whenever I can.  I spend time creating simple things like chocolate chip cookies to complex things like strawberry juice caviar.  I am the very definition of the new foodie.  I am someone who loves food, loves to cook food, eat food and wants to know everything about food.  I am the main demographic behind much of the shows on Food Network and on the Cooking Channel.  I am part of the future and when those rich customers die or stop going to places in the area, these restaurants will have to swoon my generation into going to their spots and spending our hard-earned money.

I've said it before, that sometimes the truth hurts and it is sad for me to say that out of the three restaurants I have listed, Farmhaus is by far the best one there. Eleven-Eleven was a good spot to go to, to get an idea of how people treat the foodies of St. Louis.  At Eleven-eleven Mississippi, they blind you with their open environment and atmosphere and make you believe that all of their Tuscan and Northern California inspired food tastes like their Wild Boar Ravioli.  Unfortunately, that is not the case and some dishes are a far miss from wonderful Tuscan or Northern California food. If they were going for that inspiration, it makes sense that some of the food could not be of the very best to everyone, but you can't run a restaurant with bad service, even though you try to do so.

Farmhaus is by far the best restaurant of that caliber in St. Louis.  Farm to table isn't a new idea, but so many want to do this and fail in doing so.  Not only does Farmhaus do this wonderfully, but they also have perfect service to match.  They can take reservations even same day and sit you within minutes of your reserved time.  Their restaurant was small, maybe seating less than 50-75 guests, but that didn't stop them from seating everyone they could, and still provide enough room for people to stretch their arms out and not touch another person.  The food at Farmhause was inventive, creative and delicious.  As well as reasonably priced.  A perfect place which may be where I go this weekend.

Now, for my rant on Niche, where do I begin....?  I haven't been there.  While some would argue that you can't judge a restaurant you haven't been to, I would argue that I totally can. I write my reviews and blog in such a way that I wish to appeal to the average person looking for a way to feed their mind, soul and stomach all at the same time.  I want to recommend what I think is a great place and one that they will love.  I can't recommend Niche.  It is not that I can't get there, I have a car, or that I can't pay for it, I have the money.  But it is that I cannot get there during a reasonable time.  Well, am I being bratty?  What is a reasonable time for you?  The restaurant is open between 5pm and 10pm, when would you like to eat there? 

Four times now, weeks and even a month apart, I have called up and tried to make a reservation for dinner time, the time I like to eat my dinner. Every time I have called, I have been told that the only opening is after 9:30pm on a night which closes at 10pm.  That's right, they would seat me down, then rush me to order so that they can close down the kitchen and push me out and close the restaurant.  Doesn't seem like a good and relaxing dining experience to me, now does it?  "Can I get any other times?"    I called recently when I tried calling for reservations for this Saturday, when today is Wednesday, thinking that 3 days of notice should be enough.  I was told that before 5:45 or after 9:30 was the only spots they had open.  I then asked about how far in advance I should call for a reservation.  My answer: 2-3 weeks. 

Really?

Who do you think you are?  Owners and people of Niche, let me tell you give you some examples: When I visited Las Vegas, near Valentines Day of this year, I called RM seafood, less than 24 hours away from the time I wanted, and got it.  Not only did I get the spot I wanted, but they had a wedding reservation there and was still able to get a seat with excellent service and food.  RM is arguably one of the best, if not THE best restaurant in Las Vegas.  The chef and the restaurant are internationally known and recognized and I could get a spot in less than 24 hour notice. 

Who else can get me a spot on Saturday night, between 6:30 and 7:30, by reserving now?  Well, I could get a reservation for 7:00pm, Saturday night at Morimoto's restaurant in New York.  Yep, Mr. Iron Chef himself.  Perhaps one of the world's most recognizable and skilled chefs and I can get in his restaurant with a 3 day notice.  I saw everything online and only had to click "Reserve Table" and the spot is mine.  But I got to thinking, who is bigger than Morimoto?  Surely it is impossible to get into Joel Robuchon's restaurant with 3 days of notice, right? 

Wrong.  I am one click away from saving the 6:30pm spot at his restaurant in Paris.  That's right, named the Chef of the Century, last century, no one steps on his toes or says a bad thing about him.  Even Anthony Bourdain, whom loves to say and write bad things about other chefs, had nothing but good things to say about Mr. Robuchon and I can get a spot in his restaurant by reserving 3 days ahead.

So, Niche, are you really that important?  Are you above Rick Moonen at RM? Are you above Morimoto?  Are you above Robuchon?  I'm sorry, but for some of us foodies with kids, it is hard to find babysitting, even 2-3 weeks ahead, as things can change.  I don't even know what I am doing this Sunday or even this Friday.  
So, my suggestion, for anyone looking to go to a nice place, out of what I mentioned, go to Farmhaus.  If you are in Las Vegas, go to RM.  I'm sorry, as much as I want to support and help St. Louis businesses, if the business isn't willing to take the time for me, I'm not willing to take the time for them.  Niche, I will not be going to your restaurant.  With the way your service is run and your "waiting list" I don't see you sticking around much longer.  No restaurant in St. Louis is worth calling and waiting 2-3 weeks ahead of time.      

I must be doing something right...

Here is my story:  A few months ago, I started to contact some of the local chefs and restaurant owners, looking for someone to answer a set of questions I wrote to post this interview on my site for the 100th post.  Well, none of the chef's I contacted responded.  One of the chefs I send an email to, had his restaurant partner respond.  This gentleman has since answered my questions with such grace and sophistication that it makes me ....well....fell good. 

Ken works with chef Rick Moonen at RM, in Las Vegas, my new favorite eating spot.  He is quite knowledgeable and I look forward to any emails I receive from him.  From me, the pure fact that I have an owner or part-owner of a famous restaurant willing to answer my questions and email a few times makes me feel good and validates me, with what I am doing.

Now, his last email brings up some good things, such as our mutual 'love' for Anthony Bourdain.  Mr. Bourdain's story reminds me of one similar to so many young Hollywood starlets.  You do your job, starting off, right.  Then you move to drugs and alcohol.  Then you say or write a few things.  Your fans will eat that stuff up, because they are your fans, so it can be good stuff or bad stuff.  (Raise your hand if you ever watched a movie that was mind-numbingly awful, but you did so to see your favorite actor, actress, etc.) You then say something about someone else less in the limelight, but more respected than yourself.  You then go down like a flaming bat in Hell.

There are just so many things that I learned from Mr. Bourdain, when he was answering questions, after his book reading/talk, here in St. Louis last year.  He basically thinks that St. Louis is nothing more than a fly-over stop.  No offense to you, Mr. Sell-out, but St. Louis has more culinary heritage than many of the places you have gone to.  Here's the thing: even great chef's and personalities like Alton Brown, has taken the time to show that St. Louis was essentially a stage, during the 1904 Fair, for food producers and companies to show off what they have.  In 1904, if you wanted great and new food, you came to St. Louis. So, in response to pleads to come to St. Louis, do you know what Anthony says?  "I'm going to the Ozarks."  Why?  Going to the Ozarks is exactly the opposite of what St. Louisans and most Missourians want people to do.  That down-home, hill-billy way of life explained in any Beverly Hillbilly show, will show just the stereotypes that people from Missouri want to do away with.  Would the people of Atlanta like it of Anthony Bourdain instead went to a KKK BBQ?  I doubt it. 

I remember an older gentleman asking about why so many chefs smoke and over-salt.  Well, it is true that smoking doesn't damage your taste buds but it does temporarily numb them, which may be one reason why so many chefs who smoke require extra salt to be added to their foods.  Anthony commented that all chefs smoke or do other drugs, which sounds great, right?  I'm a chef and I don't smoke, does that mean I just proved Mr. Bourdain wrong?

Anyways, enough Bourdain bashing.  Ken pointed out a good thing in a recent email.  Ken is friends with Alan Richman, the writer, winner of 14 James Beard awards for writing/journalism.  Anthony writes in his book on how he is a "douchebag".  What Mr. Bourdain doesn't realize, as a food writer, he should never say anything bad or show a lack of respect for his contemporaries or for those more experienced than he.  Alan Richman?  Seriously?  I would love to meet the man and get his picture, autograph, everything.  The man knows how to describe and write about food like no other.  Anthony's comments about Mr. Richman are likened to that of a new chef, such as myself, writing about how horrible the chefs I grew up watching were.  Saying bad things about Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Jeff Smith, Martin Yan and Michael Chiarello. I used to watch these chefs on their shows on the local PBS channel on the weekends. 

I will not mention or even show the words because I could not do it.  I can't say that Martin Yan is a [blank], because for all I have seen, he is a really nice guy and what the chef should try to be at all times: a professional.

While I originally have no idea who it is, and had to look it up, Ken suggested that I could be "the next Perez Hilton of the food blogesphere! :) " After looking it up, I see that while it was a compliment, I hope I never turn out the way that he has been going.  I write what I know or look up for more information and while I think of myself as representing the Public, I don't try to incriminate or cause issues for anyone in this industry.  I wouldn't mind having a show, or even some sponsors but currently there is no advertisers looking into investing in foodies in the early 30's age. 

Anyways, thanks for the wonderful comments and support, Ken.  I do look forward to any trips back to RM.  For anyone reading this, please, please, please go to RM.

 

The best that Vegas has to offer, so far....

If you read my posts here, you will see that I have become a fan of Rick Moonen.  Unlike other chefs who seem so full of themselves that they place themselves on a pedestal above everyone else, Rick seems and acts like he is still a regular person.  I have followed his Facebook page and his blog on blogger here and decided that since I have gained some respect for the man and his ideals, I thought I would visit his restaurant.  I didn't want to do the downstairs but RM upstairs: the fancy place.  My wife and I made reservations and sat down in the waiting area, had a drink and a relaxing time.  

Secondly, let me explain something that you may have picked up on if you have been following my blog:  I have a bad history with seafood.  My mother's idea of letting us experience seafood, as a child and in my childhood, was with Gorton's Fish Sticks.  Fish sticks are not really fish and not really sticks and just sorta made me hate fish.  Also, with me being in St. Louis, for the longest time, fresh fish is hard to come by.  So, even at Red Lobster, things tasted fishy and shrimp tasted rubbery.  A few years ago, I started anew and was willing to try anything, even seafood.  I have tried crab legs and they were okay, I've tried mussels and didn't like them.  Some fish I have tried, some sushi I have tried and I'm always open to new things. So anyways... 

We sat near the bar while we waited for our seats.  I had a nice conversation with their excellent bartender about making drinks using caviar made through molecular gastronomy, which I have been doing myself at home.  Our discussion led to me talking about The Aviator(Aviation) and then he suggested that I try one, that he has altered and I was all for it.  My wife ordered a drink called the Garden Party.  A few minutes later, we moved to our seat, a nice booth in a dimly lit dining area.  We were immediately greeted by a Sommelier and then we had our waters filled and a waiter came our way.  The first small let-down from RM came from the waiter after he asked us if we had any questions.  I asked about the Moon'n doggie, or the Moonen dog or whatever it was called. He told us what it was and then said something such as :  If you want to go downstairs and eat that kind of food you are welcome to as we usually keep the upstairs menu for the more discerning of guests.  But you are welcome to go downstairs if you wish.   I felt like it was a jab at my wife and I about whether or not we could either afford the food upstairs or even like it but I let it slide later after he came back and after taking our order apologized that he forgot about asking if we were allergic to anything.  While not a real common ingredient, my wife is very allergic to eggplant and we had to make sure there was none in anything she ordered.  My wife ordered the 7 course and I did the 3.

I usually pay closer attention and try to get pictures of each course but this time I didn't.  The main reason was, I was too busy eating.  As I said, there was a wedding reception in the big room there, complete with an Elvis, it could have been the real deal...  But the waiter did apologize again, ahead of time, saying that the wedding party is taking a lot of resources from the staff and they will still try to the best of their ability to take care of us.  Good save.  You have a big restaurant, you know that you are busy and you come out with good customer service ahead of any incidents or issues.  While it may not have been the best move, it felt like a good one in my book.  I would rather be told that my food will take a while than just have it take a while and be wondering all night long.  Nevertheless, the waiter and head waiter kept bringing things out; compliments of the chef, and I will never turn down free food.

First that came out was a razor clam appetizer.  I forget what was on it but it sat in front of me as I stared at it, as it taunted me to eat it.  My wife quickly one-bites it and gives me a thumbs up and I look again at it, first seafood I try for 2011 and take a big bite, expecting that fishy taste.  And there was none.  There was no fishy taste, no salty taste, no tasting like where it comes from, none of that.  It was clean and simple.  I liked it.  Sure it may have been plated so perfectly that it looked like a white flower but it was good.  5 out of 5 chef!

Then we were given an oyster with lemon, vanilla and mint.  My wife first went for hers and she wanted to make sure it was good, before I tried it.  I looked over at her after she one-bited the thing and then gave me a thumbs up.  She asked as to whether or not I wanted mine and from before I could answer, she ate mine as well.  She said it was very good, had no fishy taste, and was flavored perfectly with the lemon and mint. 5/5

Next came out with our first courses: my wife had the Marinated California Octopus and I had the Salsify Black Truffle Soup.  My wife loved the octopus, saying that it was firm yet crunchy, not chewy at all like most octopus is served and it was cooked the best that she had ever had. She gave it a 5/5.  My black truffle soup came with crab meat inside as well as some extra on the spoon. I felt adventurous and poured my crab into my soup, stirred it once or twice and then took a taste.  It was awesome.  I then tried the crab and liked it.  The crab wasn't fishy at all.  Sometimes when I try new things and I think they are alright, I will eat around that item and still try the rest of the dish, effectively eating just what I like.  I liked it all, so much that I was actually fishing around and looking for the crab to ensure I had a piece in every bite with my soup.  It was great with a perfect 5/5 from me.

Marinated California Octopus with sweet peppers, black tomato and falafel

 

 

Salsify Black Truffle Soup with king crab and granny smith apple

My wife had a Smoked Sturgeon and Heirloom Potato come next.  My wife enjoyed it giving it a 5/5 saying that it was smokey, had a crunch to it and was not fishy at all.  It also had an amazing sauce to it.

My wife then had the Peruvian Lantern Scallops.  She thought this was cooked well and liked how mustard was in everything, from the greens served with it to the sauce.  She gave this a 4/5. 

Peruvian Lantern scallops with pork confit, mustard greens and Anson Mills polenta

About the same time that my wife was served with the Cobia dish, I received my second course: my entree.  My wife had the Cobia and she only remarked that it was very yummy and had a great sauce.  She gave it a 4/5 stars.  I had the Cervena Venison Loin.  I was speechless towards the venison.  Venison, which is the gourmet term for deer meat, usually is quite gamey and you know you are eating a meat that isn't part of the usual 3: pork, beef and chicken.  Like lamb, venison has an off taste that most game meats share, a bit of a sour and other-worldly spice, an unknown flavor that enhances it and sets it apart from other meats.  The more wild a meat, the more of this game-taste it has.  The venison, had almost none of this wild or game taste, making it seem like it should be in with those other meats.  It was perfectly cooked being rare in the center and a ring of color cooking outward, like a well smoked meat.  It went from an almost deep purple to a red and then a pink where it hit the outside where a nice salty and peppery crust lay. It was so thick and yet tender and juicy.  I would dare say that it encapsulated a degree of umami that a large thick steak would offer as well.  It was so good that I was eating the Brussels sprouts, onion and sauce with the meat.  I had never tasted any meat so good and so perfectly cooked, it was a thing of beauty.  It got my attention and if I allowed myself to go over 5 stars and give anything a 6 out of 5, I would have.  5 out of 5 stars on this just seems so tame and timid to what it actually deserves.

Cobia with black olive, pomegranate and cauliflower

Cervena Venison Loin with Brussels sprouts, Cipollini onion and pear butter

My wife had her 5th and 6th courses while I was busy enjoying my venison.  She had a Labelle Farms Duck Breast, which was with a quinoa pilaf, celery root and purple kohlrabi.  She enjoyed it and loved the quinoa especially, thinking it was very 'yummy' and gave it a 5/5. Then she had her smaller portion of the venison and at times it seemed that we were making a "mmmmmmm" sound in unison.  She gave that a 5/5 saying that it was delicious but she was expecting it to have that game taste that is so famous with game meats.

Before dessert came, they offered us a few things, such as a dish that had freshly made ice cream balls, like 'dipping dots' with some chocolate ice cream on top.

 They then presented us with a small sampling, above.  At the top of the plate was a mini apple crumb cake-like dessert.  Next came a flavored meringue and then towards the bottom was a chocolate truffle snack.  It was all very nice and a good change to dessert at a 3 out of 5.

To finish off my wife's 7 course meal, she was given a Tropical Creme Brulee.  She liked it, giving it a 3/5, suggesting that with the lineup of courses, a stronger flavor profile should have been used to finish the line.  The creme brulee was very light and fruity and I guess that is why they gave us two desserts before this one, to help seq way it in.  The creme brulee was with passion fruit curd, marinated pineapple and papaya-aloe.

My dessert was the Chocolate Car Bomb.  The chocolate car bomb, with an obvious take on the Irish car bomb drink.  This dessert was served in a 'spilled' glass, on its side, on a plate.  It had Guinness ice cream, Bailey's Irish cream and beer suds, along with pieces of chocolate.  To be honest, I really was split on this dessert.  Everything on it was great, except for the beer suds and the chocolate pieces.  It seemed that the chocolate pieces were bittersweet chocolate and the tartness in that matched with the tartness of the Guinness, which may have been what the pastry chef was going for, but just tasted like a big bite of tart.  The beer suds were also tart, much like they were made with an IPA or something that had a very strong hops flavor.  The ice cream and the creamy item below were very good, although hard to get to because at first inspection it looked as if it was just a glass on its side on a plate and I wanted to lift up the glass and empty the contents on the plate, for easy access.  However, the glass was glued on to the plate in that fashion so it was actually quite difficult to get to the good stuff, in the bottom of the glass.  I would give it a 3 out of 5.

Chocolate Car Bomb with Guinness ice cream, Bailey's Irish Cream and beer suds

Overall, it was a great experience and there are some things that we experienced that don't really add into the meal but should in any review of the meal and restaurant:

1.  The bartender.  I didn't get his name, but the guy is a genius.  He took the traditional Aviator(Aviation) drink and made some changes to it.  He made both version for us and his version is sweeter and all around tastier than the original.  You can always tell how good a bartender is by what he does and he took an old drink that hardly anyone orders anymore and made it even better.  It reminds me of when I go to bars and order my usual drink: a Rob Roy.  You have no idea how many bartenders look at my cross and ask me how to make it.  Sure, the Rob Roy drink is something that men in their 70's usually order, but it is one of my favorite go-to drinks and most people don't know how to make them anymore.  This bartender here at RM, should get a raise and next time I'm in Vegas, I'll teach him how to do the Aviator using maraschino caviar and float them in the glass with the rest of the drink.  If I had a bar or restaurant, I'd hire him, or give him a role training the rest of my staff.  If he liked sugar free donuts, I'd send him some, end of story.

2.  The Service.  While there was one minor slip-up when the waiter implied that my wife and I didn't belong in the upstairs dining room, everything else was flawless.  He never really apologized for that but seemed overly nice the rest of the evening and I let that comment slide.  I think he meant to say something but it just came out wrong.  We had water when we needed it, we had food right in the right order and we thought it would be a challenge but the waiter and kitchen staff worked out a good mix so my wife with her 7 course and mine with my 3 course would get food in the same intervals.  Meaning that there was never a time when we both were without a dish in front of us. 

3.  The bathrooms. For as nice as a restaurant and as big as it was, there was a single person bathroom for both sexes.  This came to prove as a problem that night as the wedding party was also using the bathroom and at times, there would be a line.  The bride frequently used the bathroom to change her clothes which left the women in the restaurant, sometimes popping up and down from their seats to check on the availability of the bathroom. 

4.  The digestive.  As soon as the waiter pours the first bit of water into our glasses for dining, he leaves the water carafe on the table.  As soon as it was empty, he would pass by, sometimes like a Ninja, placing things into the carafe.  First he dropped in some spices, likely cloves to give it a nice scent as we sat.  Then came some orange peel and more and more spices came, very secretly.  After we were through eating and ready to ask for the bill, the waiter came back with a pitcher of hot tea, which he poured into the carafe, which then turned into a very aromatic drink.  He then poured a bit of dry ice into it, allowing it to explode its wonderful perfume into the cold white vapors as he wafted it all over the table, allowing us to breathe it in.  He then poured it out into two small glasses for us to enjoy.  It was supposed to calm our stomachs down and tasted like a warm, citrus spiced mulled-wine or similar drink.  It was very tasty.

But that's it.  The place was an overall success and had me happy to spend what I did there in time and money.  I highly suggest to anyone to go to RM and go upstairs for some fine and romantic dining.  I also highly suggest that you play "try to stump the bartender" and order anything you like.  My bet, is that he will not only make what you ask for, but make it taste better than the original. 

Rick, I want to eat at your restaurant every day.  It was better than Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill, it was better than Delmonico's and it was better than Pearl.  In St. Louis, we don't have a restaurant at the level and caliber as yours and if I had the money I would so try to invest with you top open a place here.  OR, if you opened a restaurant in a closer city, like Chicago, it would give us a reason to do the 4 hour drive.  We did drive up there one year just to eat at Rick Bayless's place but then I would drive up at least once a month for your place.  

Time off...

I don't think I have had a proper vacation for almost a year now, with my last trip being to Beirut and most of Southern Lebanon and then to London, England for a few nights.  That was a while ago.  Now, on Friday, I leave for Las Vegas.  I will be doing less Vegas stuff and more 'other' stuff.  I will be going to Red Rock as well as Hoover Dam (I hope the Legion and the NCR are not there). 

It shows that Chef Rick Moonen follows this blog and if he really does, then he will know that I intend to visit RM seafood with my wife one night in the next 7 days.  I only hope that he is there the night I am, so I can meet him, officially, and take his picture :)

I will have pictures of the food from his restaurant and my best impressions of what his restaurant is like as well as the food.  I will leave you all at that and should have a new entry/post on next Thursday.