Agrarian

I had been really looking forward to Agrarian since my friends and I had been to the first installment of Entre’s first pop-up restaurant, "A Good Man is Hard To Find", but also because I am so pro-vegetarian these days. I always get excited when chefs go out of their way to put the spotlight on veggies because they always come up with such fantastic ideas.

Agrarian’s menu offered up a price fixe menu again, but you got to choose any four menu items for $35. Since none of the desserts were chocolate, I went with two small plates and two larger plates for my complete dinner. Luckily, with six people in my party, I ended up getting to try or hear about most of the dishes. I highly recommend going with as many people as possible because the descriptions on the menu don’t quite cover the unique and different plates. We asked a lot of questions about our server as well, but each course is nothing like you’ve ever had!

Before I get into the menu, we had the difficult task of just selecting a cocktail. Even this list had seven creations and it was hard to guess if you’d like the flavors or not so it was a gamble. I went with “Wendell Berry’s Last Stand” because I love a fruity drinks, but the bourbon was the strongest flavor and I had to sip it throughout my meal. I preferred “Little Flower” the most because of the sweeter flavors and bubbles. The “Ivan Drago” looked just like a mojito and was very refreshing, while the “Macchu Pisku” was another “fruity” drink that I probably would have enjoyed much more.

In addition to not being able to pronounce “Macchu Pisku”, we had to research “Chow Chow” and "Chifrijo” on our phones! Hehe We asked the server but both of these dishes just needed to be tried for yourself.

While I started with a cheese plate (four amazing selections that can also be ordered as a dessert), my friends went with the Chow Chow, which looked like a red and green pickled pepper spread. If you like pickles, it was quite delicious.

We all had a very hard time deciding which courses to get for our “main dinner”, so again, I recommend going in a larger group so you all can taste as much as possible. I also recommend ordering a few smaller items and then some larger dishes for a good mixture in complexity of taste and so you get enough to eat. Four small dishes probably won’t be filling for most Americans.

I started with the Tomato Mint Sherry, which was a tasty fresh tomato, without being overwhelmed by the mint. It was probably the most beautiful dish as the bright red contrasted the white plate. I also go to try the peas and carrots, which again were flavorful, but not too many on the plate.

Tomato Mint Sherry

My second “small plate” was the Beet Red Onion Chevre. I should not have gotten this since I’m not the biggest fan of beets and there wasn’t too much chevre on the plate, but I found that my friend’s Squash Black Garlic Pepita was a better taste for me with the tower of squash right in the center.

Squash Black Garlic Pepita

I was super excited to see the word “gnocchi” in the dish Spring Onion Vichyssoise Gnocchi, but there were only three small dumplings on this plate, so that was a bit of a disappointment. I was hoping for a whole bowl of them. The Cauliflower Risotto was also a downer because it wasn’t actually risotto at all, just cauliflower in small pieces. I did not get to try this dish but I probably would have been fine with this as long as I wasn’t expecting risotto.

 

 

Another friend ordered the Chifrijo, which tastes wonderful in comparison in trying to pronounce this. The chef’s take on this meant a black bean, tofu, and rice filling in place of any piggy that makes up the traditional dish.

This was one of the heavier dishes, much like my Poutine Smoked Shiitake Gravy Bluecheese. And yes, it was just as wonderful as it was a mouthful to say.

I have never had poutine before who doesn’t love French Fries covered in gravy and cheese! After one taste, my friends immediately ordered one just for themselves!!

The other “heavy dish” that I got to try was the Tagliatelle Smoked Broccoli Pesto Fried Duck Egg. There was only a hint of broccoli and pesto, but the perfect fan for any pasta lover since the big noodles are what stood out the most.

We did have one “meat eater” at the table who ordered a ½ Cornish Game Hen and it was definitely a good-sized meal, but I’m not sure that it had the most flavor when compared to the rest of the uniquely crafted vegetarian plates.

For dessert, the Brown Butter Financier Strawberry Ice Cream was a big hit with everyone except for me since it was lacking the required drowning in chocolate sauce for me to enjoy a dessert.

While not everything was a huge success, I must give props to the chef for coming up with so many new and creative takes on everyday vegetables. Definitely a food adventure!

Please note that the menu does change a little bit each week since with vegetables, it does depend on what the local farmers have in stock!

Resources:

Agrarian = http://entrestl.com/presents/

A Good Man is Hard To Find

I had been to an Entre underground event once before and I really was impressed. So I was thrilled to hear when Entre decided to pick ONE building and turn it into a “pop up” restaurant this month. Now my definition of a “pop up” restaurant is one that has a limited run…whether it’s a day, a week, or a month. I believe Entre is running for a couple of months and soon they will stop and completely change concepts for a brand new theme…but all in the same location!

The theme this time is “A Good Man Is Hard To Find”, which comes from a title of a book by Flannery O’Connor. In line with the book, the menu is Entre’s take on “southern cooking” and while I was afraid of eating heavy, greasy food, I definitely wanted to try this food adventure. I was quite surprised to find that it was not at all heavy or greasy like I feared!

While I wanted to try one of everything as usual, Entre offers a price fixe dinner for $30 that includes a starter (salad), main course, and dessert. Too good of a deal to pass up! I would have liked to try one of the “snacks” or “sides” but I admit I was a little nervous about them and wasn’t sure if I would like them. I was definitely sad to miss out on the Buttermilk Biscuits, cornbread, hushpuppies, and cheese sticks that come under the Bread Basket options! But I didn't want to be too full for anything else…

While my friends got the large Bib salad, my Wedge salad with goat’s milk blue cheese was just the right size and wonderfully light.

I picked the Fried Catfish with crab, grits, and tartar sauce as my main course, but definitely wanted to try the Chicken and Waffles…mostly because I’ve never had it before.

Catfish with grits

Fried Chicken and Waffles

My catfish was delicious, not greasy tasting at all, and my grits were thick and creamy.

I also tried a bite of the quail, which came stuffed with spicy rice...lots of good flavor although overwhelming the quail a bit.

Quail

The main course was the perfect size too, which left me plenty of room for dessert: Apple and Black Walnut Brown Betty. Gooey warm goodness! The Blueberry Buckle was also quite good if you love blueberry flavor…quite heavy on the berry on this dish.

Desserts

In addition to the menu, Entre also had a special drink menu for the evening and I had to go with the namesake “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, which was a fruity creamsicle tasting drink. Very refreshing. Mine is the one on the left while a Mint Julep is on the right.

If you love a good food adventure, I definitely recommend checking out these pop up restaurants! These are a little less scary than the “underground” dinners since you get to check out the theme and menu before you go. I hear that the next theme will be very fruit and veggie based, so I’m hoping there will be a good selection for vegetarians!

Resources:

Entre = http://Entrestl.com/

A Good Man Is Hard To Find = http://Entrestl.com/presents/

Really good food pictures by Jason James = http://jbjimages.com/a-good-man-is-hard-to-find-saint-louis#1

My first underground dinner

After getting a recommendation from a friend, I finally got the chance to try my first “underground dinner” provided by Entre catering. The location is kept secret until the day of the dinner. You have to put down a deposit and then you pay the rest of the amount, including the cost of your beer or wine flight, at the end.

This dinner was a little different in that they served only a beer flight because it was held at Perennial Artisan Ales brewery, in the old Coca-Cola plant, so I was looking forward to trying new beers in addition to the menu. The evening started off with a quick tour of the brewery…I say quick because it’s still a very small place, but the restaurant area where you can order food and beers has just been completed.

I could tell it was going to be a long evening since they provided two rows of lengthy tables, seating around close to 70 people, with only a handful of wait staff. I was fortunate enough to be seated near one of the brewers and his friends so I got to hear a bit more insight about the brewery.

Course 1: Cauliflower Panzanella, Parsley paired with a Southside Blonde

The first course was just a simple row of roasted cauliflower in a light dressing. I think it would have been awesome as a small salad instead of just by itself, but at least it was paired with one of my favorite beers of the night, the Southside Blonde, a Belgium style ale. Of course the light flavors were a good pairing with each other.

Course 2: Smoked Duck Consommé, Duck Confit, Kimchi paired with Hommel

Wes Johnson from Salt stepped in and saved the day for this course since he provided the duck confit when their shipment didn’t arrive in time. I’m always nervous about duck tasting too gamey, but I really enjoyed it even though it didn’t match up with the Hommel because of its bitter and hoppy flavor.

Course 3: Scallop Escabeche, Radish, Arugula paired with Saison De Lis

I think the scallops were my most favorite dish even though there were only a few on the plate. The scallops just melted in my mouth like butter and were decorated with adorable, little watermelon radishes. It was hard not to steal off of my neighbor’s plate for sure. I thought it was paired well with the Saison De Lis, which had a mild flavor.

Course 4: Quail, Wheat Berries, Black Walnut paired with Black Walnut Dunkelweiss

I’m not quite sure I’ve ever had quail before, but I was most looking forward to the Black Walnut beer because it was specially brewed for this night and was the best beer of the night by far. It had a smooth and mild flavor, but not too rich like so many dark beers can be. The quail, stuffed with sweet berries laid on top of a bed of squash, surprised me…I enjoyed it a lot even though it was difficult to cut the meat off the little wings. Hehehe

Course 5: “Pumpkin Pie” paired with Peace Offering

The dessert course was a surprise of pumpkin ganache on marshmallow fluff for a very savory dessert. Again, this went well with the…if you can believe, squash beer that Perennial made for the first time! A local farmer donated several pounds of squash and the brewery wanted to see what they could make with it. I was really impressed!

Resources:

Entre STL = http://entrestl.com/

Perennial Artisan Ales = http://www.perennialbeer.com/