Worth Celebrating

by Dave Lowry
from St. Louis Magazine

Jimmy’s offers fine dining in the De Mun area.

Ever wish you could have dinner at one of those classy little restaurants on a quiet old tree-lined street, the kind you always see in the New Yorker cartoons? Inside, the restaurant is neither trendy nor stuffy. Cozy, intimate tables are placed strategically for maximum room and privacy. Such restaurants are priceless to a city. They’re the places where you propose marriage, celebrate birthdays and graduations, and go to reminisce. Jimmy’s Cafe on the Park, at 706 De Mun, is such a place, located in one of the most attractive little corners of the city.

You may want to begin your Jimmy’s experience with some of the restaurants unique starters. The huge stuffed shrimp are filled with delicious tenderloin, smoked Gouda and spinach, then cooked, wrapped in puff pastry and served with a smoked tomato sauce ($5.75).

The flash fried spinach, a specialty of the house, is sprinkled with lemon juice and Parmesan cheese ($4.75), but an even tastier way to get your iron is the spinach ravioli. The "ravioli" are actually wanton skins packed with spinach and gorgonzola, poached in chicken broth, then topped with pine nuts, tomatoes, Asiago cheese and chives- a delightful combination of flavors ($5.25). The seafood sauté is an unusual appetizer - slices of tuna and salmon, shrimps and scallops, sautéed with asparagus tips, tomatoes and garlic in a clam broth laced with Madeira ($6.75). Best bet: the "crash cakes" ($5.25), savory disks of salmon, crab and shredded scallops, rolled in bread crumbs, then pan-seared and served with roasted pepper sauces. (The name comes from a nickname of the chef, who has been known to break a dish or two.)

Salads are fine but nothing out of the ordinary. The Caesar at the Park ($5.00) features a very good anchovy and garlic dressing that’s surprising mild. One nice touch: Croutons here are Pumpernickel, adding a distinctive taste and texture.

The big blackboard dominating the back wall of the restaurant lists daily specials. Sautéed scallops and a California-style cioppino were chalked on during recent visit. The regular menu reflects an eclectic approach to dining; its one of those situations when you give up trying to select a best choice and acknowledge that you’ll have to make another visit or three to sample additional temptations. One good entree to start with is the salmon pesto ($16.50), a slab of fish rolled in pesto-laced breadcrumbs, then baked on a cedar plank that lends a campfire fragrance to the salmon. The fish is presented on a bed of garlic-flavored orzo, a vast improvement over the poorly cooked rice that has become the standard starch in too many restaurants.

The orzo serves the same delicious function along-side the grilled vegetables: green peppers, carrots, squash and other veggies, which are sliced with portobello mushrooms, grilled and then topped with a refreshing feta-and-balsamic-vinegar dressing ($10.25). The tenderloin Anthony ($15.75) is a thick cut of grilled meat topped with melting Gorgonzola Brie cheeses and served with grilled shrimp and a creamy sauce of tarragon-laced mustard.

The oatmeal-crusted chicken breasts ($12.75) are an example of the special approach to cooking at Jimmy’s. The chicken is coated in an oatmeal and cornmeal crust, then sautéed. The crust works perfectly in this process, adding a mild flavor and keeping the meat moist. It’s served with tomatoes and sliced wild mushrooms in a lemon-sage cream sauce ($12.75). The same meat gets an entirely different treatment in the apricots, sun-dried cranberries and porcine mushrooms, then cooked at the finish in a light chicken broth with white wine ($14.75).

Jimmy’s version of pollinate, a Northern Italian cornmeal staple with the consistency of soft cheese, is layered with sautéed spinach, caramelized onions, pine nuts, Gorgonzola and a tomato-and-basil sauce ($10.75). Polenta is normally made with butter or meat juices; at Jimmy’s it’s mixed with a lighter vegetable stock for a version that should appeal to vegetarians.

Pizza is another specialty of the house, notable for the hand-rolled crust and for being grilled instead of simply baked. If you’re adventurous, go for the barbecue-chicken pizza, with shredded chicken breast basted with an apple-and-molasses barbecue sauce, accompanied by paper-thin slices of red onion, melted cheddar and mozzarella cheese and pieces of Granny Smith apples ($8.75). Or, if the thought of those toppings on a pizza strikes you as sacrilege, you may want to opt for the veggie pizza, with chunks and slices of roasted vegetables, tomato-basil sauce and mozzarella ($6.75).

Among the pasta dishes, a real standout is the seafood linguini ($ 13.75), loaded with steamed clams, mussels, scrimp, scallops, tomatoes and spinach. The aroma of the garlic broth alone is heavenly. A buttery garlic broth warms another dish that features angel-hair pasta, clams and fresh sun-dried tomatoes ($13.50). If you’re looking for something a bit lighter, try the vegetable cavatappi, served with sliced grilled vegetables and smoked tomatoes (sounds odd, but they’re delicious) in a light, tomatoey broth with toasted almonds and a touch of red pepper ($12.75).

Desserts at Jimmy’s change regularly. If there are any cheesecakes on the cart, the only possible reason to pass them up would be if there were also, during your visit, a kind of ice cream-like chocolate torte, which is delicious. The wine list is not staggering, but it’s more than adequate. Recommended: the Franciscan Cabernet `95 ($36.00), the Clos du Bois Merlot `95 ($23.00) and an Estancia Chardonay `96 ($19). Although it is pricey, if you want to sample one of the best American Chardonnay, try the Chalk Hill `95 ($36.00).