Rooster; St. Louis, MO

Rooster - It's Crepetacular!

Rooster is a great little place tucked away in downtown St. Louis that serves one of the best breakfasts in the city. They specialize in crepes but have other offerings including sandwiches and brunch items; they also make some of the tastiest bloody marys and mimosas on this side of Ol' Man River. This was our second visit in about six months and it was just as good this time around, maybe even a little better since we were coming off not much sleep after a Harry Potter double feature that included a midnight showing of Deathly Hallows Part II.

This needs no explanation


Once we were settled at a table I promptly ordered one of Rooster's signature mimosas - the Mimo which is orange juice and champagne layered with pomegranate juice. It tastes as pretty as it looks and the pomegranate juice actually minimizes the harsh acidity of the orange juice and makes for a smooth, drinkable late-morning beverage.

Mimo


Jason is a bloody mary man all the way and he ordered the Bloody 'ell which the restaurant describes as "scorchin hot". As spicy as a normal bloody mary can be, let me just say that this one is hot enough to burn your nose hair if you're not paying attention. Rooster also offers fancy schmancy stuffed olives for drinkers who like such abominable things - two for one dollar or three for a buck-twenty-five - and the choices include blue cheese, bacon and cheddar, and chipotle cream cheese.

Bloody 'ell


Later during the meal I was feeling adventurous and ordered a small Bloody Pirate, which is a bloody mary made with dark rum. According to the menu it was supposed to make my eye squinty ... since I squint so much anyway I'm not sure it worked but I really enjoyed the way in which the sweetness of the dark rum offset some of the spice of the bloody mary; it made for a delicious twist on an old favorite with the added benefit that my mouth didn't burst into flame.

Bloody Pirate


Our niece was with us for breakfast and she ordered Rooster's Chocolate Chip Pancakes. She said that they were really good but the portion size was too big, especially for a youngster. I tend to agree with her - there were three platter sized flapjacks on her plate and I think many of us would be hard pressed to eat them all. I know I couldn't have eaten all of them and neither could she. We're not knocking the generous portion size, but if there were a half order or a child's portion size then she might not have left so much of this behind once the meal ended.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes


In a bold departure from expectation, Jason veered from a crepe at the last minute and selected the Rooster Slinger, which included andouille sausage, breakfast potatoes, fried eggs, and sausage gravy over thick-cut toast. This may have been the best item on the menu, and Jay actually said he thought it was better than the crepe he tried on our last visit, but it looked vile. Honestly, I thought someone in the kitchen tossed their cookies on his breakfast plate. It was the most visually unappealing breakfast mish-mash hash I've ever had the misfortune to share table space with. I can't argue with my man when he says it's a fabulous dish, but maybe the chef could start serving the gravy on the side so that it doesn't look as though a mighty pile of puke has been delivered for the morning meal.

Rooster Slinger


We ordered a side of bacon to share around the table because, as everyone knows, bacon makes everything better - and this was beautiful bacon with lovely flavor.

Good pig!


I ordered a savory crepe - Roasted Ham with Emmenthaler and Fontina Cheeses. The serving size was quite generous and the crepe was filled with thick slices of tasty country ham that paired really well with both cheeses. It was a simple and entirely satisfying crepe - I could eat this every morning for breakfast and never grow tired of it. The savory crepes all appear to be served with some kind of sweet-n-spicy mayonnaise; I didn't like it and I don't think the crepes need it. This tasted good enough on its own that no additional flavor or moisture of any kind was necessary.

Savory Ham & Cheese Crepe


Inside the Crepe


Did I mention that Rooster offers dessert crepes? Shame on me if I didn't because they do and they are really tasty and you need to order one ... like yesterday. We didn't really have room for dessert but I insisted and thus the Peanut Butter Cup was ordered. It tasted wonderful - smooth, creamy, melted peanut butter was spread inside the crepe and then chocolate was drizzled over it. I would have liked some chocolate drizzled over the top of the crepe as well because it did get a little dry with all that peanut butter but I have to reiterate: the taste was simply wonderful. A scoop of ice cream would likely do the trick as well but we didn't think about that until it was too late.

Peanut Butter Cup


Inside the peanut butter cup


Rooster's reputation for best breakfast in St. Louis is well deserved - they are creating some fabulous morning food using locally sourced products. It's a small cafe with good service and a creative menu - pay them a visit when you have some time on your hands and treat yourself to something special. You won't regret it!