Robust - St. Louis, MO

Date of dining experience: September 4, 2015

Place: Robust Wine Bar

Location: 227 W. Lockwood Ave. in St. Louis, MO

Appetizer: Peach and Chorizo Flatbread - Sliced Peaches, Volpi Chorizo, Peach and Tomato Puree, and Smoked Mozzarella ($14). This was extremely delicious and not at all what I was expecting when we ordered it. The flavors mix together perfectly.

Cheese Plate:
1. Morbier, Franche-Comte, France ($8.50) - Cow's milk cheese. Strong aroma, rich and creamy texture. Semi-soft French cheese classically made with vegetable ash. Pasteurized. Delicious!
2. Delice de Bourgogne, France ($9) - Triple cream cow's milk cheese with a bloomy rind; creme fraiche like tang, creamy smooth texture. Pasteurized. Absolutely wonderful!
3. Iberico, Spain ($8.50) - Cousin of Manchego. Cow, sheep, and goat's milk cheese. Semi-firm. Rich and buttery texture. Pasteurized. For a harder cheese, this was very tasty!

Table Side: Glazed Brussels Sprouts - Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Honey and Garlic, Butter, and Fresh Thyme on Polenta with Goat Cheese ($12). This was amazing and I had to fight to keep it to myself! Everyone at the table loved it once they tried it.

Prix Fixe Menu:
Course 1 - Caesar Salad = Crisp Romaine Lettuce, Garlic Croutons, Shaved Parmesan, and Classic Caesar Dressing. The croutons that are on this salad are the ABSOLUTE BEST croutons I have ever had in my life.
Course 2 - Sea Scallops = Cast-Iron Seared Sea Scallops Over Cauliflower-Farro Risotto, with Roasted Cauliflower Florets and Glazed Snap Peas. Wonderful dish with perfect sea scallops.
Course 3 - Goat Cheese Cheesecake = Rich Goat Cheese & Vanilla Custard on Graham Cracker Crust with Black Berry Gastrique. This was fantastic! All the flavor of a cheesecake, but better because there was a hint of goat cheese!

Wines:
1. We started the night with a fantastic Saget la Perriere "La Petite Perriere" Sauvignon Blanc from Loire Valley, France. This was very light and crisp, and very aromatic with fruity hints of mango.
2. We then moved to a nice Shoofly Pinot Noir from Vitoria, Australia. This was very aromatic and fruity, and had a little more bite to it, which I like, than a typical West Coast Pinot Noir.
3. Those of you that know me, know one of my favorite wines is a Cabernet Franc. I tried a number of wines here and their Chaman Cabernet Franc from Mendoza, Argentina is absolutely wonderful ($4 for 3oz or $8 for 6oz). If you don't know what a Cabernet Franc is, imagine that a Malbec and a Cabernet Sauvignon had a baby. Yeah. Delicious.

I will be back to Robust. I highly recommend it for everyone, especially lovers of good wine. Their wine menu is it's own multi-page book. Try this place and let me know what you think! Enjoy!