Paradise Found

Hale and crew's artistry continued with braised beef short ribs, boneless and slowly cooked to tender beauty, then bathed with a rich, concentrated cabernet reduction. Next to the beef sat a truffle-celeriac-polenta tart, the earthy-tasting celeriac (celery root) nicely complementing the richly flavored dish. Chilean sea bass got its proper treatment, arriving perfectly pan-seared -- crisp exterior, succulent center -- atop purple Peruvian potatoes and crowned with a cucumber-onion-mango relish. A final drizzle of a brothy leek reduction paired well with the mouth-filling richness of the fish. The vegetable accompaniment for all dishes comprised a colorful medley of whole baby carrots and thin spears of broccolini and white asparagus. And that brought the only quibble from our table: With an abundant supply of fresh raw material available this time of year, sending out the same standardized vegetable dish with every entrée betrays a certain lack of enthusiasm in the kitchen.

Most desserts are distinctive, although there is the regulation molten chocolate cake. More satisfying is the crème caramel or the fresh-made sorbet du jour, not to mention an adventuresome mango-coconut-papaya bread pudding.

Teitelbaum says he wants to expand Monarch's services with events like wine-tasting parties and a "day with the chef." St. Louis food junkies could use a little more of that -- if only to pry their starving eyes from the Food Network.