It was time for a departmental birthday lunch and the birthday girl decided we should visit the Boathouse Restaurant in Forest Park now that the parking garage at the east end is open and we can easily drive and park on campus again. The Boathouse was close by and since the parking is so much more available again on campus, we had to go visit somewhere where good parking was again at a premium!
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| New East End Garage at Washington University in St. Louis |
After we all departed the cavernous parking garage located under our new concrete "Tisch Park" in front of Brookings, it was a short drive over to the Boathouse where we could then begin the search for parking. I rode with Robert who was gracious enough to drop us off at the restaurant while he searched for a spot, and somehow he nabbed a prime spot on the street very close to the restaurant whereas Marcia had to park her car far away down the street.
Since I had only been there several weeks ago to go boating, I knew where the restaurant was, but I had not eaten there before. I had remembered the great smells coming from it when we rented our canoe and seeing it was advertising Sugarfire meats. The lunch menu was primarily sandwiches and flatbreads, and I decided to order the BBQ Salmon on a Croissant with house chips. I was seated next to Robert who ordered the fish tacos with fries and Margo who ordered the same salmon croissant as I did. Shawn was sitting across from me and ordered the butternut squash bisque and Bob sitting next to her ordered fish which I do not see on their current online menu. I also know Stacey ordered the BLT since she orders a BLT everywhere she goes. Marcia ordered the burger and Seth ordered the fish tacos like Robert did.
The dining area was pretty full and since we were a party of eight we were seated in the middle where it was pretty noisy. The windows on the side overlook the lake which gives a nice view where we could see the boaters and the birds flying over the lake. We had plenty of time to gaze since it took quite a while for our food to arrive. It was a beautiful day to go out to eat (they had estimated a 30 minute wait if we had wanted to sit outside), but I am guessing it is always pretty busy there from all the zoo and museum crowds as well.
Once our food arrived we were all quite eager to eat. My salmon sandwich was a bit of a mess to eat, but it was very good with a tangy creamy cheese sauce and the onion strings added a nice extra texture and flavor. The salmon itself was very well prepared, not over cooked, tender and fresh tasting. Their house chips were crispy and very satisfying. Since Robert ordered the fries I glanced over at them and they looked okay, but I was glad I selected the chips. (Robert did not eat all of his fries.) Some other folks ordered the "vegetable of the day" as their side, but, nope, I do not think I will ever be doing that!
Everyone else seemed quite satisified with their meals. Margo was quite pleased with her salmon, Stacey considered her BLT to be pretty decent and Shawn was very happy were her bisque. Marcia may have picked the best selection in the burger which she said was excellent. Seth thought the insides of his fish tacos were okay, but the torillas were too tough and leathery and difficult to bite through.
All in all, though, it seemed like a good meal, even if the room was a bit noisy and the parking is quite difficult. Now that we can more easily drive places at lunch, perhaps we should return when the weather is worse so the park crowd is smaller and the restaurant is not so busy. The service was also a bit slow due to the crowd, so I could see them being more responsive on not so busy days. It still beats the service and ambiance at a standard Sugarfire location (like the one in Olivette) where you feel like cattle being led through the serving line and then crowded into their big tables.
Food quality (except for Seth's tortillas)
Service & Ambiance (on a busy day)
Parking (on a day with great weather)
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