Nothing excites me more than the opening of a new restaurant. It’s not just because of the new dishes that I’ll be able to try, but, having an eye for art and architecture, the brand new interior that will lay before me. Before I settle into my seat at a brand new joint, I’ll wander around, taking in all that the place has to offer. So, when I heard that a place was opening its doors in my neighborhood on Washington Ave., I had to see what was all going on. Excited to peer into this fresh interior, I made my way in there for lunch as we all know I was really there for the food. Here’s how it went:
I rolled up to the west corner of Washington and Jefferson where some new loft construction had recently taken place. The area I was in seemed hardly suitable for a restaurant. Looking up, I spotted the sign for The Rustic Goat. The building it is in was freshly painted in a golden yellow and the entrance maintained most of its antique frame. I entered into the waiting area and was greeted by a server who was ready to direct me to my table. However, I was a little distracted and in awe. The exact thing that I most anticipated about a new restaurant venture was strewn before me. The first thing I spotted was the giant stainless steel microphone sitting on a raised white cog shaped stage in the center of the room. Comfy white couches lined the far wall and touched of green, yellow, and orange danced along the windows, cascading their light across the floor. The kitchen was open, revealing two chefs busily preparing for the lunch service with shiny, new appliances behind them. This place looked magnificent, and I could spend the rest of the day trying to describe it to you. But, alas, this is a food blog and as I sat there staring in awe, my stomach grumbled and returned me to reality. I turned to the server and asked if I could sit at the bar.
Seated, but still taking awkward moments to look around, I asked my server if I could speak to the chef. She obliged and the Executive Chef, Lee, arrived and I told him that I was looking for his best, letting him know that I was planning on writing it up (I’m not the type to surprise anyone). We went over the american fusion with a southern twist menu, and we settled on the Braised Beef Short Rib. After a few minutes I was presented, surprisingly with their version of shrimp and grits, which on presentation and smell alone was great. Two plump, juicy shrimp sat upon a golden mound of stone ground plantation raised grits. A light brown rue, called a creole shrimp sauce, was spooned over the top of that and dressed with scallions and andouille. I sank my fork into this southern classic and sampled some of the grits. The texture was spot on, and the grits were perfectly cooked. The second bite consisted of all of the elements and they all sang in harmony with sweet notes from the shrimp and corn, and the salt and spice from the sausage. Finishing it all off was the beautiful velvety sauce that tied it all together. Lee had made an excellent choice by bringing me this dish, as it’s easily my favorite shrimp and grits in Saint Louis, so far.
Extremely pleased by my first dish, I anxiously awaited the next. My short ribs were ready, and presented to me with the same meticulous attention to presentation that the shrimp and grits had undergone. A beautifully braised piece of beef short rib was surrounded by a chayote slaw and golden brown hush puppies. Having never tried chayote, a Brazilian squash, I grabbed a bite of that to begin with. It was cool, and crisp with the flavor of celery seed rounding off every bite. I wanted to keep eating it, but realized that I had other item on my plate to tackle. Moving on to the short rib I attempted to separate a bite from the bone, but the beef didn’t budge. This was a little disconcerting as a perfectly braised short rib should fall off the bone in breathtakingly tender form. After a little work I separated beef from bone and cut off my first slice, swirling it in the carolina bbq sauce on the plate. The meat wasn’t as tender as I had hoped and the sauce lacked a bit in flavor. It was good, but I’ve had my fair share of phenomenal short ribs in my time, and with a little work it could be better. The hush puppy was the last item on my plate, and I divided it in half exposing the fluffy yellow center. I popped a half in my mouth and was greeted by the crunch of the fried cornmeal crust, the cake like texture of the center, and the heat of jalapeno. Overall, the dish was good with the sides taking a bit of the spotlight from the short rib itself.
As if I hadn’t already been treated well enough, a chocolate layer cake was presented to me. This cake was a layer of chocolate cake, Kahlua buttercream, flourless chocolate ganache, passion fruit lemon curd, and another layer of cake. It was dressed with a fresh sliced strawberry, a caramel whipped with goat cheese, and homemade whipped cream. All of this was made in house by their pastry chef. The cake was rich and decadent with zips of passion fruit adding a little bite. The caramel was my favorite part, and, after I was done eating cake, continued to dip my finger in it to get every last drop of the sweet and tangy sauce.
I was impressed by the food, service, and especially the ambiance that the Rustic Goat had to offer. I’ll be back to take a stab at some of their other menu items as there was only so much damage I could do in one sitting. I highly suggest you grab some friends or a date and make your way to the Rustic Goat. If you bring them on a Friday or Saturday, you’ll be greeted by music as performers take the cog shaped stage and sing into that beautiful microphone which is the centerpiece of the space. Feel free to stay a while after dinner and listen, drinking down spirits from their fully stocked bar as the restaurant becomes a lounge for late night festivities. This is one space you’ll not want to miss the FORK out on.
Fork U 