There are many risks in closing an excellent and deservedly popular restaurant for an extended period of time. To many people, a sign saying, "closed for remodeling," is the same as one saying "closed," and the old proverb, "Out of sight, out of mind," truly resonates in the restaurant business
Monarch, the Maplewood home to Joshua Galliano, one of our city's leaders at the stove, was closed most of the spring and summer. Open since mid-August, it now shows off major redecoration and a completely changed menu. The cafe, with a strong New Orleans influence, still looks out on Sutton Boulevard while the more-formal dining room offers nothing but the wine room or a dinner companion to admire. Most important, however, is the fact that the team in charge remains intact, with owners Aaron Teitelbaum and Jeff Orbin, Galliano and g.m. Matt McGuire, and while it retains the two-menu system, one can use either at any time. Full disclosure: McGuire's late father, Post-Dispatch writer John Michael McGuire, was a dear friend and colleague to Joe, who has known Matt since before he could handle a knife and fork, much less a corkscrew.
And now the menu in the “Southern Bistro,” which is the east-facing room, is heavily influenced by Louisiana-style dishes. We chose that for our first return visit, unable to resist the siren call of oysters and gumbo, and a $20 top for entrees. The room is more casual, the menu perhaps a little longer, and the food is the sort of thing that makes one think someone had a Cajun grandmother. In truth, Galliano spent time cooking at Commander's Palace, the French Quarter establishment that is a crown jewel of the Brennan-New Orleans dining empire.
Cornbread in the bread basket, dense, moist, un-fluffy, the sort of version that probably has more cornmeal than wheat flour in it. But sweet, a touch of Yankee influence, and easy to devour. Yes, oysters, grilled quickly with a light hit of a vinaigrette and some parmesan cheese sprinkled atop to melt but to brown only lightly, the oyster barely warm. A cornbread and Bibb lettuce salad wore a charming buttermilk dressing, the cornbread present only as some extra-crisp croutons and not adding much.
On the other hand, someone decided on a gumbo dog as a first course, andouille sausage topped with gumbo instead of chili, under cole slaw and pepperjack cheese. Divided for sharing and nicely messy, it worked as an appetizer, its complex spiciness under control but a good contrast of textures and temperatures. Boudin balls, made of the spicy, rice-studded Cajun sausage, were covered in panko, the Japanese breadcrumbs, and deep-fried but less spicy than we expected. The horseradish-laden tartar sauce, however, was excellent, and perked things right up.
A weekly rotation of specials provided an opportunity to try the stuffed peppers, two large halves with beef and rice in a tomato sauce, all sitting over excellent house made fresh pasta cut in the style called chitarra, rather like a fettucine. The culture clash of Amish chicken cooked Cajun style, smothered in onions and served over a dirty rice-style risotto with lots of onion-y gravy, gave an excellent result, well beyond the snoozer that chicken can so often be.
Maque choux is a classic Cajun dish, a saute of corn with other vegetables like okra and bell peppers. Galliano adds shrimp and crawfish tails and a rich seafood broth, all topped with a couple more of the boudin balls. But the star of this course was a dish of roasted mushrooms and gnocchi. They'd call them dumplings in Breaux Bridge or Baton Rouge, but by any name, these tender, melt-in-the-mouth guys were beautifully matched by the succulent mushrooms and some optional guanciale, the Italian-style unsmoked bacon. A rich, big-flavor item, it absolutely shone.
Of the desserts, the pecan pie was a real winner. Crisp and warm, it really is like eating a gigantic piece of gooey candy on a flaky crust. Bread pudding, another New Orleans tradition, is okay, but around here in St. Louis, we have some outstanding examples of the dish, and Monarch really needs to step it up to make this a contender.
The wine list is long and deep, and expensive, though there are always some hidden values in every list, like Malbec from Argentina or Shiraz from Australia. And servers should be aware that it is impossible for a customer to evaluate a 20-page list in as many seconds. Offer the diner some help, and then retreat to a quiet corner of the room to await a sign.
With McGuire on hand, we cannot even attempt to assess service; to be anonymous would be impossible.
Monarch
7401 Manchester Rd, Maplewood
314-644-3995
Dinner Mon.-Sat.
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: No
Entrees: $9-$20 (cafe)
$25-$32 (main dining room)
