This week I visited Eleven65 (1165 Technology Drive, O'Fallon; 636-329-0065), a new American restaurant housed in the former O'Fallon outpost of J. Buck's.
Here is a sneak preview of my thoughts -- the full review will be online tomorrow and in this week's issue.
See also: Review Preview: Baida Moroccan Restaurant
When I saw the menus in the hostess' hand, I wasn't ready to believe it. "Maybe they are to-go menus, and she forgot to put them down," I thought to myself. But after we were seated at the table and handed the dog-eared, tri-folded sheets of 8.5-by-11-inch paper, Eleven65 no longer had the benefit of the doubt.The restaurant, which bills itself as a "modernistic interpretation of home grown dishes and an educated service staff," opened this October in O'Fallon. It's an upscale establishment, offering Dom Perignon on its wine list and truffles in its butter. Yet its menu is presented like a school play program. And the dessert menu? It's an index card-size piece of paper as well, probably printed six to a sheet from that same office printer. Granted, a menu does not make or break a place. It does, however, call into serious question the proprietors' judgment for putting so little thought into a diner's first impression.
Did the food redeem the flub? To find out, check back to read my full review tomorrow and to see photographer Jennifer Silverberg's slideshow tour of Eleven65.
Follow Cheryl Baehr on Twitter at @CherylABaehr. E-mail the author at [email protected].
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