The fish tales you’ve heard about Clayton’s newest bistro are true
By Dave LowryPhotograph by Katherine Bish
The floor show was nearly as delightful as the food: Not long after we were seated at Oceano Bistro, a quartet of over-accessorized matrons flapped in to roost one table over—the sort whose hair and clothes vie in artificiality and whose demands in food and service are inevitably in inverse proportion to their tastes. A waiter’s hell. But Chaker attended to them (and us) with aplomb, patience and unfailing courtesy. It was a pleasure to watch, the most professional table service we’ve seen in years. Seeing him in action only added to a wonderful meal, one almost unalloyed in enjoyment.
There are so many things right about this place. First, there is the location—right in Clayton—that beckons, with plenty of easy parking. Second, the interior: suave and stylish, a series of columns supporting low, wide arches, with banquettes and tables nicely spaced, chairs upholstered for comfortable seating over a leisurely dinner. If you can, sit in the glassed atrium that looks out onto the street, although tables in the main dining area with a view of the frequently combustible antics in the kitchen are also rewarding. The address has seen several restaurant incarnations, all good, though all noisy. Oceano has addressed the problem, adding sound-absorbing ceilings and clever padding under tables to muffle sound. It can still be, uh, convivial. Nevertheless, the improvement is notable. And finally, of course, there is the food. It’s good. Outstandingly so.
Advertisement
The restaurant’s name should be a clue that fish is the highlight here. Presentations tend to the lavish, though not excessively so. Extraordinary attention in the kitchen is given to matching textures and tastes. A generous portion of sea bass is piled atop a hill of creamy, glistening risotto studded with cubes of golden kabocha squash. The sea bass is mild, meaty. The risotto is fragrant with lemon; the al dente kabocha adds a light sweetness to the dish, a delectable study in masterfully combining flavors with textures. Speaking of taste, white truffle oil could make poker chips mouth-watering. A dip of it alongside half a dozen sea scallops from the Georges Bank and as big around as those poker chips is superb. But resist dunking at least one of these ivory beauties, and eat it as is, grilled with a caramelized face and a succulent, sweet interior. Trout flanks are sautéed, the best presentation of this fish. The fragile skin is an appetizing golden crisp on the outside, while the meat—fluffy, white and moist—made a ramekin of almond butter superfluous. Fish this good needs nothing more than a fork. The same can be said for a hefty slab of walleye, similarly sautéed. Fans of this fish will not be disappointed with its appearance at Oceano.
A shellfish with sofrito arrives looking less like dinner and more like a mermaid’s wedding cake. A ring of big mussel shells is arranged dramatically, pointing up, surrounding a heap of scallops, shrimp and clams in a tomato-and-lemon broth. A cake of risotto spiked with Reggiano adds another level to this happy dish.
Oceano presents a challenge to the serious fish lover. Pick a fish—they change almost daily depending on availability: Alaskan halibut, lemon sole from Newfoundland, monkfish from Puget Sound. Then match it with your choice of sauces: tomato-and-lobster butter, pomegranate glaze, an apple-juniper-and-lemon vinaigrette. Hawaiian striped marlin (among the best-tasting fishes in the Pacific) appears at Oceano frequently. It should not be missed.
Seafood of this superior preparation is too good to pass up, but if you insist, a hanger steak thick-sliced was fine, considerably livened by a corn-studded risotto cake and a cabernet-and-shallot butter.
Sides are recommended. Spinach with sweet roasted garlic knobs and bacon would have been perfect had it not been so excessively salty. The texture of a potato–and–roasted garlic purée is perfect, more like a thick polenta than mashed potatoes. Consider also a lemon–and–English pea risotto or potato chunks pan-fried in olive oil.
Appetizer portions tend toward the whopping, so they’re good to split. A take on ceviche is offbeat. Buttery-rich and sashimi-grade slices of yellowtail are laid out with wedges of lemon-spritzed avocado in a pool of creamy garlic aioli and sprinkled with radish sprouts and English peas. Yellowtail, or hamachi, is so good one hesitates at the thought of dressing it up; we had to admit, though, that this odd take on ceviche is a citrusy success. “Kobe sliders,” in contrast, are an inept attempt to flaunt culinary pretension with faux food populism. “Kobe” is inaccurate to describe the wagyu beef, which, at any rate, loses all of its élan when cooked to burger doneness. (Only the breed raised in Japan is, by Japanese law and export restrictions, “Kobe.” Those cattle raised here are the wagyu breed but are sometimes mistakenly referred to as “American Kobe.”) Flatbread squares laden with big hunks of salmon, Monterey Jack cheese, capers, wild greens and roasted fennel, on the other hand, are recommended. While it sounds busy and looks like a New Age pizza, the ingredients all work splendidly, the melted cheese crispy, the salmon aromatic. Tomatoes, even puréed with butter, belong in a New England clam chowder like Alan Greenspan belongs in the Chippendales dancers. The chowder here is adequate, the clams more neck than belly, the slivers of crabmeat adding little, the tomato butter even less.
A Caesar salad is OK. If you want a salad, though, go with some of the more inventive offerings, like the spinach tossed with wild salmon bits in a tangerine-and-champagne vinaigrette along with crumbles of Gorgonzola and toasted hazelnuts.
The wine list is short-story length, with a wide variety. Prices are refreshingly reasonable. Pass on the generally substandard pinot grigio and spring for a good, minerally Riesling like the ’05 McWilliams or a white Bordeaux like the ’05 Haut Rian that matches the trout and walleye beautifully.
Oceano Bistro is a welcome addition to the St. Louis dining scene. It deserves the praise it’s getting and the attention of all serious diners.
Oceano Bistro
Address: 44 N. Brentwood
Phone: 314-721-9400
Website: oceanobistro.com
Average Main Course: $18
Reservations: Oh yeah
Dress: If 1 is beachcombing and 10 is dinner at a yacht club, go for a 6
Bottom Line: A delicious and inventive presentation of seafood in almost constant change, served in a chic, comfortable atmosphere that can be noisier than your familiy reunion at last call
