Freezing

Irony: Going to a bar/restaurant called Sub Zero when the heat index is 100 degrees. Somehow we managed to choose the hottest day of the year thus far (as of Monday-Wednesday trumped it) to perform the strange St. Louis summer ritual of packing ourselves in like sardines at a breezeless amphitheater at the Muny (in Forest Park!) We wanted to grab a quick post-work bite before the show. We took a friend/couple along with us and they suggested a place where the girls could get sushi and the boys, burgers.

Subzero has this strange menu combination of raw fish and fattening beef. Both the burgers and sushi were good enough-but the problem when a restaurant features dishes for various palates is that you don't seek the restaurant out for any of them. If I'm craving a burger, I'll go someplace closer to my house, as you can get a burger anywhere. If I'm craving sushi, I'll go back to Wasabi or try another joint, where the sushi shines. What's even more interesting about this place is that the official title is Sub Zero Vodka Bar, which doesn't even sound like they serve food.

Sub Zero is in a busy section of the Central West End, which is probably keeping it's doors open. A place like this in Benton Park, I doubt would survive. But the foot traffic and generally young 20-something population of the CWE is allowing it to thrive.

http://www.subzerovodkabar.com/

Emphasis on the BAR

BARcelona Tapas-no really, that's how they spell the name of their restaurant-is a cute little place in the heart of downtown Clayton. After the city, downtown Clayton is arguably your best bet of finding a variety of good food if your definition of good food is not Applebees.

Tim is still warming up to the idea of tapas, but after several visits to Modesto on the Hill, he is liking the concept more and more. Like the Spanish, he loves his pork. I suggested BARcelona for a casual dinner last Friday night because 1. "He didn't have to get dressed up" and 2. I had a Groupon.

When in Barcelona, beba como las Barcelonas.* So, I had the sangria. It was good, not too strong on the alcohol (sad face) but decent. We ordered four tapas: olives, spinach empanadas, baked goat cheese in tomato sauce, and the grilled beef tenderloin with blue cheese. The olives served were of numerous variety, some not palatable, but overall we liked most of them. And I even was ok with the gross ones because at least I was trying something new, perhaps even something traditional to Mediterranean cooking. The empanadas were not bad, just our least favorite, but the goat cheese and the beef were the stars. The goat cheese was mild in the Goat Cheese Pungency Scale (self-appointed expert here) and the beef was a high-quality cut that was very thick, plenty for the two of us.

We liked BARcelona Tapas enough. However, it is a definite second-place finisher to Modesto.

*This is probably not correct Spanish, and since they speak Catalan in Barcelona anyway, who's counting?

www.barcelonatapas.com

Better Second Time Around

In my short tenure in St. Louis in the early 2000s, Hacienda always came up as a place to go grap a bite to eat. Hacienda's has one of the coolest patios in the suburbs, large and sprawling, and that was the only redeming quality of this cantina, with bad salsa and worse food. Of course, we could NEVER sit on the patio because a slew of excuses always followed: too hot, too cold, too rainy, too whatever.

Last week, my boss treated the whole staff to lunch at...Hacienda's. I was not about to complain, as I knew this was going to be a free meal, but remembering my struggles with the "Mexican" food 6ish years ago, I was pondering what exactly I was going to order.

Let's just say I was pleasantly surprised. I ordered chicken mole, and although it paled compared to Rick Bayless', it was quite tasty. The chips at Hacienda's are homemade and the salsa has improved. The chips are so good, they now sell them at local supermarkets for the outrageous, but worth it, price of $3.50. Several of my coworkers had fajitas, which looked great and the guac was tasty too.

I'm glad I gave Hacienda's a second chance. I'm still on the prowl for my true Mexican food, but the Tex-Mex at Hacienda's is nothing to turn your nose up at.

http://www.hacienda-stl.com/

Where's the Vowels?

LLywelyn's Pub started off as a intimate Central West End pub and grew into a multi-state chain, taking over mass square footage left by bars with shallower pockets and less name recognition. The Soulard offshoot has been around for a few years, taking over the former Soulard Ale House space (still have a pint glass!). With the exception of the original, Llywelyn's does not have outdoor space, which is always nice to have on a spring evening, although with the temps reaching into the upper 90s lately, this was not something we necessarily were seeking.

The menu is ever-changing and expanding, and on our visit this past Monday, I skipped right past the standbys of burgers and fish and chips and ordered a curried shrimp wrap. Eh. There were way too many carrots for my liking, giving the whole thing a strange texture in my mouth. Tim ordered a reuben, a staple of Irish/English/Scotch, or in this case Welsh, pub grub. Again, just ok. The side of sweet potato waffle fries redeemed the meals and our appetizer of calamari was good, but not anything original.

On Monday nights, we found out by accident, that apps were half price and beers were 3 bucks a pint. They have a pretty sizable draught selection, with few (perhaps none) made by AB.

We, of course, will be back to Llewelyn's which is just some place that's close, inexpensive, and convenient.

http://www.llywelynspub.com/

A 68 Dollar Lunch

Yesterday, I was ultra-bored because it was ultra-hot here in steamy St. Louis. I couldn't talk Tim into walking anywhere for lunch, which was probably a good decision on his part, considering we were outside for like 5 minutes cleaning our cars and dripping with sweat. Wanting something "like a burger" but not quite sure I wanted to trek out to Five Guys, I suggested checking out the Lumiere Casino/Hotel* and the famous Burger Bar inside.

The Burger Bar is copied after its Las Vegas cousin, brainchild of proprietor/head chef, Hubert Keller. Keller has his bio on the back page of the menu and Tim asks me, "Do you know this guy?" [because I know famous chefs personally]. No, I actually had never heard of him, although he does have a show on PBS apparently, but unless your name is Rick, Ming, Bobby, or Tyler, I don't care who you are. And trust me, this guy is no Ming, Bobby, or Tyler (Rick is not that hot, just awesome).

You have the option of starting off with the "cheapest" option, the 9.50 angus burger, and working all the way up to the 16.50 American Kobe. As much as I wanted to try the Kobe, I stuck with what I knew and added on from there. Of course, each add-on is additional dinero, and I chose carmelized onions, avocado, and blue cheese and Tim went with blue cheese and proscuitto (I gave him props for being original). We also split this thing called the fry trio, ringing up at 15 dollars, but oh, so tasty.

Yes, our lunch was 68 dollars plus tip and wow! thats expensive for a burger and some beers. The food however, was excellent, possibly the best burger in St. Louis. It's worth noting that each booth has it's own television and we were there in time to watch the race two races before the Belmont Stakes (who cares) but it was a nice touch as this place seemed to attract a lot of out of town Cards fans.

*That big tall shiny green building you can see from Int. 70 is actually the Four Seasons. The Lumiere is a dinky four-story former Embassy Suites. I had no idea.

http://www.lumiereplace.com/burger_bar.aspx