My husband and I had a great opportunity while in Saint Louis to get dressed up in fancy clothes and go out somewhere more upscale for dinner. After finally finding the Cielo restaurant (our map sent us through the casino and a few other places first) within the Four Seasons Hotel, we had worked up quite an appetite. Looking around the restaurant, I was surprised to find that many people were wearing casual dress and other than one large table of people that looked straight out of the show "Real Housewives", we were quite overdressed. The decor was absolutely beautiful and we decided instead of picking two items off of the menu, that we would do the four course "Tour of Italy". And since we wanted to try multiple dishes, we both ordered opposites for appetizers, main course, and dessert.
One of the appetizers was a bruschetta style crostini, topped with goat cheese and roasted cherry tomatoes. You can't usually go wrong with the tomato, cheese and bread combination. The only problem I had was that it was lacking more acid and flavor, like a balsamic reduction or fresh basil. The menu stated that there was mint and basil added somewhere but those flavors did not at all come through. For his appetizer, it was quite underwhelming as a start. My appetizer on the other hand was also very simple, but done to perfection. The chicken consomme was almost a play on if chicken soup and Italian wedding meatball soup had a child. The meatball was cooked to perfection, along with the vegetables. That broth was packed with flavor and the only thing I would complain about is that there was only one meatball and I wanted more!
The next course topped another level for me. The lemon and saffron gnocci was so light in flavor. The biggest worry with gnocci is that it will be dense and doughy but this dish didn't disappoint. I am not even a fan of seafood, but tried a mussel 'by accident' and it was very good. I ordered the Arugula Pappardelle, which was topped with a pork cheek ragout and pistachios. The pork was sweet and pulled apart with a fork like butter, and the arugula pasta was nice and peppery. Everything paired very well together.
Our main course, which sounded so good that we both ordered the same thing, was the short ribs. They were sous vide for 72 hours making them unbelievably tender. The parsley root puree was light and creamy and I couldn't even tell that it wasn't a potato puree. I have never had sunchokes before but they were tender and very earthy. My only hesitation with short ribs is that unlike most people, I can't stand the tiniest bit of gristle and end up cutting it off. I had quite a big piece on mine that my husband ate for me, because to most men "that's the best part". This was hands down my favorite part of our meal.
The chocolate cheesecake was pretty underwhelming. The chocolate used was very bitter. The only aspect of that dish that helped save the flavor was the cooked apricot half. I would have rather eaten a bowl of the apricots by themselves. The gooey butter cake and side of ice cream that I ordered was heaven. It tasted like if you crushed a bunch of shortbread cookies together and then added melted butter and topped it all with powdered sugar. Amazing. The four courses overall were definitely worth the money. Many of the dishes had well thought-out flavors and made up for the underwhelming lack of depth in others. Would we return again while visiting? Absolutely. I think more restaurants should have the 'tasting menu' approach. It is a great way to try multiple dishes in small portions. The short rib dish alone, would bring me back.
Cielo Restaurant, Saint Louis, MO
