|
Bixby's, located in the Missouri History Museum, has unveiled some Civil War-inspired dishes on its winter menu to complement the museum's current Civil War exhibit.
Chef de cuisine Todd Lough has created a savory Southern chicken pot pie and a hearty Northern beef stew, each served with a hardtack biscuit. Lough says that while dishes hearken back to the era, they've been made a bit more palatable for modern diners.
"That era wasn't known for its fine cuisine," Lough says. "But there were things we picked up on, like the hardtack biscuit, which a lot of the soldiers carried with them. Our version is a soft, savory, moist drop biscuit. We also came up with some one-pot comfort food, like the chicken pot pie, that could have been made over a camp fire if need be."
This isn't the first time Bixby's kitchen has created menu items to complement an exhibit. Lough says he normally ties the menu into what's on display at the museum.
"One of our most successful ones was the Napoleon exhibit, which made for a natural play on French cuisine," he says. "We had three or four dishes that were French-inspired."
Lough says he usually gets his ideas for these specialty menu items from the local purveyors he frequents.
"I visit their fields, their shops, and that's where I get my inspiration for what we can use that's available locally that will tie into whatever the exhibit is," he says.
The Civil War specialties will be available through mid-March.
Bixby's, Missouri History Museum, 2nd floor, Lindell and DeBaliviere, Forest Park, 314.361.7313, bixbys-mohistory.com |
Chef Todd Lough's cooking is likened to the overall setting at Bixby's. Located on the second floor of the Missouri History Museum with a serene view of Forest Park outside its floor-to-ceiling windows, the restaurant presents itself as simple and clean with a heavy emphasis on localism.
