Maybe it's chancy talking about a restaurant in Forest Park just before Fair St. Louis (I almost wrote "the Veiled Prophet Fair") moves to the park for a few years. But Bixby's, in the Missouri History Museum, will be there after that's finished. And frankly, reserving ahead for brunch is a good idea. This is a deeply popular spot, especially for family groups and celebrations
In fact, it's so popular, they've taken over the large open foyer that stretches between the elevator and the restaurant placing the buffet there so that they can increase brunch seating. The selection, too, is larger than compared to a few years ago. There's both a menu and the buffet, so it's a wee bit confusing, but here's how it works: The price includes the buffet plus any or all of the menu items, which were five in number on our visit. It also includes a glass of sparkling wine and coffee, tea, milk or soft drinks. No mention of juice nor did I see any being consumed.
Nearly all the buffet items on the hot table, the cold table and the dessert table were labeled, a considerate touch. We sampled a fine yellow pepper soup, and were grateful that there was citrus fruit as well as the usual pineapple, strawberries and melon. Caesar salad was properly savory. Even this early in the season, a bowl of caprese-ish tomatoes and mozzarella stood out, bringing to mind a remark by a server at the Union Square Cafe many years ago. Bruschetta with fresh tomatoes in winter? At a place like that? "It's amazing," she smiled, "what good olive oil and fresh herbs can do." And it's true. But the star of the table was a quinoa salad - that's it in the lower right hand corner of the photo - that was described as Moroccan. Very intriguing, a little heat, a little cinnamon and a bunch of other, less obvious layers of flavor. Great stuff.
On the hot line, the first thing to catch the eye was a notation by the chafing dish with bacon and sausage announcing the sausages were from the excellent purveyor on the South Side, G & W. Slices of roast pork with a peach barbecue remained surprisingly moist despite being lean slices obviously from the loin. Buttery biscuits and a well-spiced milk gravy await, and some remarkable mashed potatoes, offered with a variety of toppings, but for potatoes this good, that's lily-gilding. Try them solo before mucking about with them.
There are no eggs on the buffet. It wasn't until one of my pals remarked on it that it actually sank in. On the written menu are a quiche du jour, omelets and a Benedict du jour (on this day made with Black Forest ham) so there are definitely eggs in this kitchen. An omelet requested with ham and cheese, properly cooked, satisfied. I'm guessing a request for a couple of scrambled eggs might not send the kitchen into a panic unless it's a day when they're slammed, but there are enough other options that it seems sort of unnecessary to me. Also on the menu are Belgian waffles with maple butter and strawberry syrup and the house bread pudding.
Ah, the bread pudding. It's not that the dessert table isn't tempting. It is. Some of the offerings come from Piccione Pastry on Delmar and some are housemade. All are in smaller servings, the better to indulge oneself. There are round chocolate-coated bon-bon-ish things that are sort of brownie balls instead of cake balls, and a strawberrry-whipped cream dish that gets some texture from a little granola added in. But it's the bread pudding that ranks them all. Tender and airy, it's topped with caramel, both the sauce and the pudding arriving warm. The serving is small enough that, uh, someone, let's say, pondered asking for a second round. Good coffee, too.
One particularly strange note here is the policy of removing silverware from a plate and placing it back on the table (although setting it on a brought-for-the-purpose paper napkin) when one returns to the buffet. Bixby's historically has had some spells of erratic service, and while most of the work was smooth, there were a few glitches on this visit. For a buffet charging more than $25 for an adult, the silverware quirk seems unusual.
And there's no charge for the great view.
Bixby's
Missouri History Museum
5700 Lindell Blvd.
314-361-7313
Lunch Mon.-Sat., Brunch Sun.
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Excellent
Smoking: No
Brunch: $25.75 adults, $13.50 children
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