Our server at Black Salt (1709 Clarkson Road, Chesterfield; 636-204-6441) did not equivocate.
"Get the lamb chops," he said without hesitation. "The sauce is incredible."
His description, as emphatic as it was, did not fully prepare me for the complete and utter magnificence of this sauce. Described on the menu as a creamy saffron sauce, the orange-yellow liquid, adorned with dots of red chili oil, revealed different layers of flavor with every bite. My first impression was sheer richness, the sauce slicking the tongue with decadent, saffron-infused cream the texture of a perfect lobster bisque. Initially, it felt much like korma, but the warm, almost tangy spices kicked in, giving off the vibe of a tomato-y masala. It filled a large bowl almost to the brim; in the center of the dish sat three lamb chops, cooked to a beautiful medium rare and adorned with fried herbs. The peppery crust on the lamb cut through the creaminess, adding an extra dimension.
It's been several days since I had the chops, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around them. It's better to give up and just surrender.
This is not the first time I've been enraptured by the cooking of Madan Chhetri, a brilliant chef who found his way to St. Louis after cooking in northern Virginia, Mumbai, China, Bangalore and Goa. I was initially turned on to his food — and absolutely dazzled — after dining at the South Grand restaurant Basil India, where Chhetri ran the kitchen before leaving to help open Black Salt in March of 2023. His partners in the current venture —Raj Pandey and his wife Shweta, and Sanjiv Shekhar — recognized Chhetri's brilliance and understood that he was the perfect person to help bring their vision to life for an upscale, modern Indian restaurant, something that they felt was missing in the St. Louis metro area. Though they recognize the many great subcontinental eateries around town, they felt that none quite captured the sleek, upscale vibe in terms of food, cocktails, service and ambiance they were looking for when they searched our restaurants to visit. Black Salt, in their minds, would be that place — the sort of polished fine-dining eatery where you could go when you wanted to get dressed up, go on a nice date night, have a celebration or impress colleagues.
To say they have succeeded is as much an understatement as saying the sauce on the lamb chops is tasty. Since opening last March, Black Salt has garnered acclaim and developed an impressive following; as such, it's not a sure thing that you will get a table, even on a weekday night. Part of that is the size of the restaurant, which is set inside a Chesterfield strip mall. With little more than 10 or so tables, the space is tiny.
The other reason it's consistently packed is the food and service. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable, with the maître d', who doubled as our server, helping to explain the restaurant's many dishes — some of which were unfamiliar to me, as they bucked the standard (albeit delicious) Indian restaurant playbook so often seen around town. His urging to get the lamb is something for which I will owe him a debt of gratitude for the rest of my life.
However, his other suggestions were also compelling. Palak chaat with mango is such a multidimensional dish, and the perfect way to open the meal, thanks to its electric flavor that lights up the palate. Here, small pieces of shockingly crunchy fried dough are tossed with crispy fried spinach, diced mangoes, tomatoes, onions and herbs, then dressed with a delicate, sweet and tangy sauce akin to a fruit vinaigrette. Soft and crisp, sweet and spicy, tangy and creamy, it hits just about every texture and flavor one could imagine.
Another appetizer, the Punjabi samosa, is equally stunning. Similar in form to a typical samosa — plump and purse-shaped, filled with potatoes and peas, and served alongside chutney — Chhetri's version excels thanks to his execution. The puff-pastry shell is delicate and crispy-flaky, giving the dish a magnificently crunchy and textured exterior. Inside, the potatoes are as fluffy as mashed potatoes, interspersed with peas, coriander and other spices that don't hit you with heat at first but deliver increasing warmth with each bite. It's a masterpiece of the form.
Though the lamb was the showstopper, it was far from the only outstanding dish. Everything the brilliant Chhetri touches turns to gold. His black lentils, or dal makhani, are revelatory — slow-cooked overnight like a decadent porridge. Cream, butter and gently warm spices are added to the mix, making for a stunningly rich, fenugreek-kissed lentil stew that you can spoon over rice, though you might be tempted to chuck decorum to the wind and just pick up the bowl and drink it.
Chettinad chicken is another exceptional offering, thanks to the tender meat and perfumed cream sauce made from yogurt and infused with crushed peppercorns and curry leaves. The Lahori murgh, billed as a chef's specialty, feels adjacent to chicken tikka masala, but with an exclamation point of warm spices and earthiness. It's one of the best chicken dishes, of any form, that I've eaten in recent memory.
Chhetri shows he is an expert in goat preparation on the dum goat Lucknowi, which features hunks of pot-roast-tender, bone-in goat meat accented with a mouth tingly cardamon-, coriander- and cumin-perfumed sauce that coats each piece and pools at the bottom of the dish. Equally impressive is the Andhra sea bass, which pairs flawlessly cooked buttery fish with a coriander-scented coconut sauce that is positively ambrosial. The fact that I was as dazzled by how well Chhetri cooked the fish as I was by this heavenly sauce speaks volumes about his technical prowess.
It's mind-blowing what Chhetri can do with food. That is exciting in itself, but what's even more thrilling is seeing the partners at Black Salt realize he's not just a talented chef who can make delicious food, but also an anchor for the level of fine Indian dining they are hoping to expose to St. Louis diners. It's a thrilling prospect — almost as thrilling as that lamb sauce.
Open Tues.-Sun. 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4:30-10 p.m. (Closed Monday.)
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