Niche Restaurant, St Louis

the food may be great, but the chef is a real jerk. just spoke with him about creating a vegetarian tasting menu, and he treated me like an idiot. he made me feel like i was bothering him, or inconveniencing him, and for that he's lost a customer (and many more, once i spread the word).

This is one of the best restaurants in town! I love Niche! Don't even read the menu, just close your eyes and point, it is all great!

Thoroughly enjoyable. The staff is very knowledgeable and flexible. The fresh, organic produce in the salads and entrees was refreshing. Everything was done just right. No pretension here--just fine food presented simply and elegantly. We'll be back next visit to St. Louis.

Okay, overrated. They are quite pricey, which we expected. But at the same time, we honestly didn't get our money's worth. Dinner cost over a hundred dollars--and we didn't even get dessert. lol. Here' the fair breakdown of dinner. Cheesy bread knots (appetizer): Horrible little cheese flavored rocks. Thought I might break a tooth on one of these hard, salty dough chunks. Salad: tossed seasonal greens. Very small portion, but honestly--the lemon vinaigrette was blessedly delicious. Could have licked the plate. Stuffed chicken: Mediocre. The stuffing was thick and unflavorful. The chicken was a bit tough and flavorless. Polenta. Blechum. Flavorless, gritty goop, even with the sage flowers. Couldn't eat it. Husband's plate: Steak: cooked well, not so flavorful, but not bad with a little added salt. Potpie: OUT OF THIS WORLD DELICIOUS. The crust was so light...it practically floated off of the bowl. The pot pie was very well seasoned and was even a good portion--not too ample, but fair. That's our unbiased review. I also didn't like that when I smiled but said that I didn't care for my dish, the waiter looked as if he couldn't care less. Made no mention of replacing the dish or taking it off of the bill. I was tempted to skip his tip, but...we had mercy and tipped him far better than his service warranted. Also, the restaurant was VERY tight. No room for romance or a private conversation, or even relaxing. The tables are so tight that (just to keep it honest) the waiters butt will constantly be in your face while he's taking the orders from other tables. Seriously.

as the sous chef of a popular restaurant in town, my fiancee (the executive chef at a new hip restaurant) went to niche to see what all the fuss is about. we go out to new places once a week on our day off and have been mildly impressed with all the places we have been as of yet. this was above and beyond all the experiences we have encountered so far. the food was AMAZING. i was very impressed by the pairing of ingredients as well as the freshness of the product used. i met gerard and he is far from being a jerk. he was very friendly and seemed to greet every table that sat down. i was very impressed with the pastry chef, matthew, who also made an appearance at our table. overall there is not a better place in saint louis to eat (including the restaurants that my fiancee and i work at) where you will get a better meal than niche. hands down, best food in the city. if you like high quality food, make your way here. i would recommend the tasting menu as it will be the best way to find out what the chef is trying to say with his cusine. it will hit your pocketbook but it is worth every penny. i hope this place stays around for years to come as i will make it a point to go back every season to see what gerard has to offer.

Unable to make reservation by phone on Friday night!