STlMealDeal

EXPIRED

Big Sky Cafe serves new American cuisine every Tuesday through Sunday down in Webster Groves. While their entrees are reasonably priced at $15 – $20, they also offer up some additional menu options for those looking for more than just an entree at a reasonable rate.

The first, the Small Plate Flight, appears at first to be for those wanting a lighter meal. It comes with a soup or salad, plus two additional small plates for only $20.

There are a variety of hot and cold plates to choose from including scallops, calamari, grilled portobello & pancetta, artichoke & blue cheese flat bread pizza, smoked Missouri trout and crab cakes, among others. And while I’m sure certain appetizers like the scallops are smaller in portion size, I can attest to the fact that at least some of these “small plates” (like the calamari) are indeed actual appetizers and could easily be shared by two people. Just a word of warning if you are going for the Small Plate Flight because it’s a lighter meal – pick carefully or enjoy your leftovers!

The second option is the Taste of the Sky, described as “three smaller courses” for $24. Choose from an Appetizer (fried calamari or roasted tomato soup), Salad (Caesar salad or mixed field greens), and Entree (Grilled beef tenderloin with shoestring potatoes or BBQ Grilled Canadian Salmon with a lemon-scented risotto with bacon, leeks & basil). This description is a bit misleading because only the entree is actually a “smaller course” – about 1/3 the size of the regular entree on the menu – the appetizer and salad courses are both the exact same size as the regular menu portions so you’ll be getting a pretty filling meal out of this option.

They also offer wine flights to go along with the meal – 3 half glasses for between $10 and $13, depending on the flight chosen.

DJGel and I checked had a chance to check out this deal, the review after the jump!

First thing’s first – if it’s not too overwhelmingly hot outside, make sure to ask to be seated on their outdoor patio in the back because it is absolutely beautiful and really makes for a peaceful meal.

DJGel wasn’t in the deal mood and went with the full sized beef tenderloin ($20), while I opted for the Taste of the Sky, choosing the calamari, Caesar salad and beef tenderloin ($24).

As mentioned above, the first two courses are actually full size which was a bit surprising. The calamari was your typical deep fried seafood item and had a citrus mayo to accompany it. It was definitely a bit greasy but I wasn’t really expecting anything healthy. Sadly, DJGel isn’t a big calamari fan and I really couldn’t bear to finish the entire plate myself even though it was delicious so I ended up wasting a decent portion.

Next up was the Caesar Salad which was the biggest disappointment. The salad comes with pancetta and parmesan croutons but sadly, the pancetta was burned to a crisp and was just these hard little rocks of charcoal. The parmesan croutons were lacking in any flavor or seasoning. I like to think that the burnt pancetta was probably a one time thing and wouldn’t be repeated so I’d take a chance on it again because it sounds like a great Caesar Salad, but I’m still not impressed that those little burnt rocks ever made it onto my plate to begin with.

Lastly was the beef tenderloin which I thought was delicious and the star of the meal – it comes with a roasted shallot butter that gave the meat a decadent taste, and I thought my steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare. The shoestring fries were also delicious, though hard to eat with a fork. They also got a bit greasy as the meal went on and the butter on the steak fully melted.

All in all, it was definitely an artery clogging but good meal (the pancetta bits were easily avoided and aren’t in a normal Caesar anyway, would have loved that bonus though). If I could offer one recommendation to the restaurant, it would definitely be to scale back the size of the appetizer and add a little more beef to the entree because that beef was delicious and the calamari was just too much for one person.

One more note: We ordered the wine flight and they all came out at once in a line-up, with the entree, so if you want one glass per course, you may need to inform the server ahead of time.

Big Sky Cafe
47 S Old Orchard Ave
Webster Groves, MO 63119-3202
(314) 962-5757
www.allgreatrestaurants.com

Filed under: Reviews