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By Christine Imbs
Eat. Drink. Be Yourself. With a tagline like that you’d expect just about anything at Mélange. And since mélange means mixture, that’s exactly what you’ll get.
The name Mélange actually came from my father, step-mother and me,” explains Chef Christopher Lee. “Between the three of us we have a bit of Irish, English, French, Chinese, and Austrian in our backgrounds. It’s a nice big mix of everything. And that’s what we try to bring to our customers, a nice mix.”
 Chef Christopher Lee |
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Mélange opened its doors last December on the northern edge of the Euclid strip in the Central West End. People familiar with the area will remember it as the former site of Kirk’s American Bistro. And those familiar with Kirk’s will remember Lee. Lee was the chef there as well.
“My father, Ed, was also a silent partner of Kirk’s. When it closed, we decided to open a place of our own,” Lee says. “I guess you could call it a family affair. My father’s a
pastry chef and provides all of the desserts for Mélange. My mother acts as the financial advisor. And of course I take care of the kitchen.”
| Ed Lee |
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Taking care of the kitchen is putting it
mildly. Lee has developed a menu blending Asian and French cuisine with American in a most artistic yet palatable way. “He has a knack for fusing different cultures that make sense. It’s not just paring something just to do it,” says Ed Lee. “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”
Frequent customers will tell you it’s this unique blending of cultures and Chef Lee’s expertise in the kitchen that makes Mélange worth a trip. Well that and the beef brisket. It’s slow roasted for an hour and a half and served with a mixture of mushrooms, leeks, and carrots over crispy polenta with Chef Lee’s own red devil barbecue sauce. At $18 it’s wildly successful with Lee going through about 30 pounds each week.
Generally speaking you can expect to pay between $16 and $28 for a dinner entrée. On the low end of that scale is the ultimate comfort food, roasted chicken. At the higher end is Pan Asian Tuna, a shallot and ginger crusted sashimi-grade tuna seared served over red curry beurre blanc for $22 or the Harris Ranch Five Diamond Prime Filet Mignon for $28. Looking for something different? There’s a game plate featuring farm raised game from across the bi-state area. The cost varies depending on what is available.
The wine selection is varied including choices from California, Italy, New Zealand, France and Spain. There are about 20 available by the glass for between $6 and $10. A bottle will cost you between $20 and $100. There’s also two French champagnes, one being Perrier-Jouet, available in a small bottle containing two to three glasses for $18.
Mélange is not open for lunch, but on Friday and Saturday they do serve an a la carte brunch sure to please every taste. Items featured on the menu will run you between $8 and $15 and include a Crab and Langoustine Benedict, Stuffed French Toast, a Portobello Sandwich of spinach, Boursin, and tomatoes layered between two grilled portabella buns, and a Caesar Salad with steak, chicken or smoked salmon.
“Our dining room is formal, but everything at Mélange is casual and very approachable, from our food to our wines,” comments Ed Lee. “We want people to come in and be able to try different things and to enjoy themselves. So if you want to try some fabulous food along with a glass of wine and get out for $25, then you can.”
Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends. Valet parking is also available to customers on the weekends free of charge.
TalkingPOINTS
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Mélange
512 North Euclid Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63108
(314) 361-8883
Hours:
Tuesday – Thursday: 5-10:30 p.m.
Friday - Saturday: 5-11:30 p.m.
Sunday: 5-9:30 p.m.
Brunch:
Saturday - Sunday: 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Closed Mondays |
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