At last, Louie’s has opened. Those of us who mourned the demise of King Louie’s so many years ago have been waiting, and now there it is, on DeMun where Jimmy’s on the Park used to be. The joint, not surprisingly, is jumping. Matt McGuire and staff are keeping the long bar available for walk-in traffic, but the rest of the tables can be reserved. It’s a dinner-only house, at least for now.
They also serve late – McGuire said some Blues players had already been in for post-game nourishment. And so after theatre one night (go see Fences from the Black Rep!), I dropped by and the parking gods gave me a nice spot right in front.
If your memories, like mine, hear “lambrusco” and go right back to the Seventies’ fruity, off-dry wine many of us learned on, don’t jump to the next paragraph. Just keep reading. There’s now a sparkling lambrusco that’s becoming popular, and it’s dry. The one they’re pouring – whose name eludes me, I admit – is almost the color of a dark rose’. The bubbles give a little ping to the tongue, there’s just a little fruit in it, and it’s a fine thing.
It turned out to be a good match with the snack I ordered from the top of the menu, the Roman gnocco. Not gnocchi. Not plural but singular, one generous piece, topped with a little besciamella, or bechamel sauce, some pecorino cheese, and a ladle of a pork ragu with a couple of wee meatballs in it. You’ve probably never had gnocchi or a gnocco like this, so tender, so far away from gumminess that it’s hard for the palate-to-brain neurons to process. The coarsely round pork was great, not surprisngly; McGuire’s a big fan of swine. This has just enough richness lightened, thankfully, with just a little fennel. It’s a serious dish, and even though it’s labeled “small”, it should be shared, if the diner can avoid smacking the other forks that might approach the dish.
You can see from the photo I was so taken that I didn’t both to haul out my phone until I’d had a few bites. But please, treat yourself. And have some wine.
Louie’s
706 DeMun Ave., Clayton
314-300-8188
Dinner Mon.-Sat.
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: A little snug
Entrees: $21-$27
Sounds heavenly! Next time I am in the neighborhood, we need to go there!
Posted by: Dawn Lockmiller | January 13, 2018 at 01:50 PM
I'm one of the King Louie mourners, so this is great news!
Posted by: Celia Bouchard | January 13, 2018 at 05:04 PM