The Five Most Promising Menus from Clayton Restaurant Week 2013

By Ian Froeb Mon., Jan. 14 2013 at 8:00 AM

Categories: List Mania!

Continued from page 1

Araka (131 Carondelet Plaza, Clayton; 314-725-6777)

Araka offers plenty of variety: six first courses (salads and soups), five second courses (appetizers) and five main courses. Appealing dishes include a warmed beet salad, a roasted cauliflower soup, wild-mushroom-duck-confit ravioli and pan-roasted chicken with Brussels sprouts.

The Crossing (7823 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton; 314-721-7375)

The Crossing has decent variety: four appetizers, four main courses and three desserts. But the main appeal here is that this is Jim Fiala's the Crossing. If you wouldn't normally splurge for a visit, now's your chance. I like the sound of the braised brisket with white polenta, haricot verts and natural jus.

Jimmy's Cafe on the Park (706 De Mun Avenue, Clayton; 314-725-8585)

The dishes on Jimmy's Cafe on the Park might not blow you away on paper. They're familiar crowd pleasers, after all. But there are many to choose from including flash-fried spinach or tuna tartare among the first courses, porcini-polenta-encrusted chicken and that tried-and-true dessert, death by chocolate.

Oceano Bistro (44 North Brentwood Boulevard, Clayton; 314-721-9400)

The Ocean Bistro menu has OK variety: three appetizers, four main courses, three desserts. But the selections in the first two categories, especially, are appealing including a crab cake with a lemongrass-coconut emulsion and a Meyer lemon vinaigrette and a herb-crusted sea bass with smoked-tomato butter.

Remy's Kitchen & Wine Bar (222 South Bemiston Avenue, Clayton; 314-726-5757)

A strong selection of appetizers and desserts help Remy's stand out. Among the former are grape leaves stuffed with ground lamb and rice and served in a tomato-cumin sauce. Among the desserts are almond-crusted mascarpone cheesecake and an almond cake with apricot jam. Main courses include grilled salmon and grilled beef tenderloin.