#94: Onion Soup at Brasserie by Niche

In restaurants, unlike in literature, great execution trumps cliché. Consider the onion soup: It appears ordinary, with its thick blanket of melted Gruyère spilling over the edges of its crock. Break through the cheese and you'll find onion cooked to the point of maximum depth and sweetness, but not (as so often happens) pushed so far as to taste burnt.

The texture is uncommonly rich, almost silken. Hands down the best onion soup I've eaten in St. Louis.

(from "Honest to Goodness," February 4, 2010)

Brasserie by Niche
4580 Laclede Avenue
314-454-0600
$6

I'm counting down -- in no particular order -- 100 of my favorite dishes in St. Louis. Some are well-known, others obscure. Some are expensive, others dirt cheap. All of them, I guarantee, are delicious. Please do not hesitate to share your own favorites via the comments thread.

Previously:

#95: Baby-back ribs at 17th Street Bar & Grill
#96: Kingshighway burger at the Royale
#97: Gyro sandwich at South Grand Gyro Express
#98: Carne asada tacos at El Paisano (Watson Road)
#99: Pretzel bites at Joey B's on the Hill
#100: Hot and sour soup at Shu Feng Restaurant