This place used to be called The Restaurant at the Cheshire. In its recent incarnation, the space that neighbors Forest Park is called Boundary (deep yawn). Their website explains: the restaurant is “comfortably situated on the boundary between the city and county lines of St. Louis.” Thus, the name. (Besides, the name Borders was already taken by a Mexican cantina and a bookstore chain.)
Enough jokes about the lackluster label. Though the name is bland, the space and menu are not. Chef Rex Hale considers his cuisine rustic, comforting and seasonal. He wants the dining experience to be fun and social, sort of like Facebook with tables and chairs.
Boundary abounds with clean, sleek space. The restaurant has a cozy fireplace in one corner and seating, that includes booths, leather sofas, tables, bar stools, and high top tables.
Regardless of the time of day or your degree of hunger, you’ll find something on Boundary’s easy to maneuver menu.
Even the menu has a social feel. The oversize card is divided into sections: To Share, Hot and Cold, Raw Bar, Plates, and For the Table. The four at our table shared a number of items. Our server made it easy by being sure we had small plates, serving spoons, and utensils for the nibble fest and quickly cleared the table of excess dishes.
I mention this because some restaurants don’t seem to understand what goes into food sharing. You have to ask for the extra plates and utensils, borrow from others, or wind up making do with what’s on the table. It gets messy. Not so at Boundary.
Give it a try. I’m wagering that by the time you finish dessert, you’ll be thinking of this hip borderland brasserie as a place to take your friends, business associates, or your picky Aunt Martha—if you can remember the name.
Casual elegance in comfortable space.
Boundary at the Cheshire: A Tasty View
Peruvian Ceviche ($14) with corvina, lime, coconut, aji amarillo, plantain and taro chips. Ceviche involves immersing delicate, raw fish in citrus juices and is an innovative way to slowly “cook” fresh fish. Corvina is a salt water fish also called croaker or drum. Aji amarillo is a South American chili pepper. Delish dish!
Yellow Fin Tuna, soy, ginger, sesame and taro chips ($12)
Sea Scallops with smoked bacon risotto ($22)
Eggplant, one of several side dishes on the menu.
Mac ‘n Cheese with baked Prairie Breeze white Cheddar and garlic bread crumbs is an adult treat ($9).
Yellow Squash with lemon walnut sauce
Berry Crisp with orange buttermilk ice cream
Boundary at the Cheshire, 7036 Clayton Avenue. Open: Mon-Thu 11:30a-12a; Fri-Sat 11:30a-1a; Sun 10a-9p.
