WaSAAAAAAAbi

Wasabi, recently voted #1 Sushi by RFT readers, is a tiny, bustling joint in the heart of Washington St. I went on a Saturday night (reservations recommended) with a couple of friends. I love sushi but don't get much more than a take-out from Whole Foods or the food court at the Galleria (don't knock it until you try it) since half of my household finds it "unfilling". But since these are take-out options, the selection is basic and not all that exciting.
However, at Wasabi, the rolls are imaginative and tasty. My friends frequent this little restaurant, so I went ahead and let them order, as I will eat just about anything on the menu [of an Americanized sushi restaurant]. One of the rolls used fried tempura batter instead of rice and a crepe-like wrap. Another had both avocado and unagi [bbq eel]. We ordered way more than we could possibly eat (unfilling?) and I can't wait to go back.

http://www.wasabistl.com

She's Not Fat, Just "Robust"

Robust Wine Bar is a cute little place in Downtown Webster Groves that looked like just the right place to patronize for a late lunch on a Saturday afternoon. As the name suggests, they specialize in wine, even offering wine "flights" to give a sampling of their offerings. However, we were not interested in mid-afternoon sloth, so we stuck with the unimaginative water and soda.

For lunch or dinner, they offer cheese and charcuterie plates as well as soups, salads, flatbreads, and for dinner, tasting plates. Our blue cheese plate came with a 2 oz piece of domestic blue (or in laymans terms, about the size of a small person's fist) and was given a supporting cast of dates, apricots, almonds and two different kinds of bread. I choose to have a flatbread, which was enough for me, after the giant cheese, for two meals. It featured smoked duck (!) and gruyere. Tim had an interesting twist on the BLT, including yet more blue cheese in a "schmere."
This bar, I think, draws a good crowd on a weekend evening and getting a table may be difficult. I would like to go back and try a wine flight, preferrably when there's not a list of errands to be run afterward.

http://www.robustwinebar.com/

Gumbo, yo!

Either you feel an atmosphere of peeling paint and employees who can't quite talk normally adds to the dining experience or you run the other direction. Since I have yet to make money off of my dining blog, I relish the opportunity to eat at a dive which tends to be: 1) cheap and 2) not disappointing. The Gumbo Shop, in a corner shack in Rock Hill, meets these criteria.

My coworkers and I decided to get some carry-out for a lunchtime meeting. It took us a phone call and several Google searches to try to find their ellusive online menu (sorry can't find it again...you'll just have to go), again adding to the "this is a total dive" experience. I went for their Thursday daily special Red Beans and Rice, enough for two lunches and complete with a huge-ass chunk of Kielbasa. My coworkers got the usual rundown: jambalaya, gumbo, po' boys, fried catfish. From what I could tell, everyone was satisfied with their fare, good as any New Orleans restaurant (ok, I really don't know) but at least good enough to rival anything in Soulard.

Website: Lost in cyberspace

Lorenzo's Olive Oil

Old Stand-by/New Adventure? Steal/Moderate? Loud/Intimate? Bar with Food/Restaurant with Bar? These are all factors one weighs when seeking out any restaurant anywhere. When parents roll in town, especially when they're not your own flesh and blood (READ: in-laws), the internal debate is taken to a whole new level. (I'm saying internal here as Tim is like ah, we'll figure it out). What happens if you suggest this place that had a great write-up in the St. Louis Magazine and come to find out the cheapest thing on the menu is 35 dollars? Or what if the daily special is something like liver? Despite our rapid approach upon our third decade of life, Tim's parents still like to pay for food (I wish my parents read this; they like to remind me that "we make less money than you")
Italian food and specifically, The Hill, provide the always-consist and parent-friendly option of Italian food. After an endorsement from my Sicilian coworker, we decided upon Lorenzo's Tratorria.
I looked up the meaning of Tratorria, and after seeing what Wikipedia said, I think the word Tratorria is slapped on the Italian eateries much in the manner "Bistro" has been tagged onto French-style restaurants. It just sounds fancier and more authentic.
Lorenzo's Tratorria is quite good-they have those long skinny breadsticks along with some sort of blue cheese spread for a gratis appetizer, into which some male members of our party had no problems double-dipping. We all ate pasta dishes: the housemade potato gnocchi was awesome and we were told the Bolognese was good as well. The House Salads, which are not included in the price of the entree, were large-I think two people really could have split one. Pistachios added a nice touch to these.

Since we have an unused Groupon thanks to the generocity of Tim's parents, we will return to Lorenzo's in the near future.

http://www.lorenzostrattoria.com/index.html

Lord, She was Luvy-Duvy

Luvy Duvy's is a little corner cafe in my barrio, situated on the otherside of our neighborhood's namesake greenspace. It's run by a friendly lesbian couple with a southern drawl and enough "honeys and darlins" for all of us residing north of Tennessee. The grub here is just to fill a void-basic breakfast fare (available all day on the weekends)and sandwiches that come with good chips and prices that are quite reasonable. The fact that it's within walking distance is super-bonus.
They have a large patio that I envied, but it wasn't quite warm enough to patronize last Saturday. The major issue here is that their hours are just weird-they aren't open past 4 on the weekdays or 3 on Saturday. But, if you're as laid-back as these gals seemed, it's all right, darlin'

http://www.luvyduvys.com/

Look! You Got a Great White!

Back from our wedding! It's been exactly 21 days since my last post, but we're back on now!

Last night, looking for something between frozen pizza and Niche, we decided to check out this little South City hang-out known as Syberg's. Syberg's is owned by the same folks who own that West County cash cow, Helen Fitzgerald's. Syberg's on Gravois (they have three locations), is the original, full of overweight chain-smoking folks from South County. We settled in for our healthy meal.

Syberg's is knowns for the intriguing delicacy of none other than shark! We bought into this marketing schtick and ordered "Shark Bites" for an appetizer. Yum! They tasted like meaty fish-think tuna steak or swordfish. Eschewing vegetables and anything else healthy, we stuck the the left-hand side of the menu and took on a bunch of appetizers. They make their own wing sauce, less spicy than traditional Franks-plus-Butter combo you might find at other bars, lending a tangy, almost tomatoey (word?) flavor to traditionally fried wings. The cajun shrimp were swimming in butter (oh well) and the onion rings were huge. Even better, we arrived during happy hour and our wings (about 10) were only 3.50 or so.

Syberg's is not a place you take your parents when they're in town, unless they're chain smokers from Afton. We will be back.

http://www.sybergs.net/

Last Time I Checked, You Can't Actually "Shave" a Duck

Saturday night fell between a minor bout of food poisoning from a self-appointed military officer and forcing Tim to watch a screening of 'The Blind Side' on Delta flight 561 to our wedding. I chose "The Shaved Duck," which we had patronized a few months back on a Tuesday evening. Unlike that Tuesday evening when we seemed to be the only people who could find this place, on Saturday, we snagged the last table in the bar area. The Shaved Duck has a good tap and bottled beer selection, including a heavy leaning on locally brewed beers minus that crap they call "St. Louis' Microbrew" otherwise known and Schlafly.
They're known for their 'que and accompanying sides as well as boasting four kinds of chili on the menu. You're able to sample the chili in a sort-of "flight" and Tim particularly liked one last time and ordered what he thought was his favorite. Unfortunately, it was not what he had remembered-not bad-just not the one he liked the best. I had a brisket sandwich, which is always my favorite BBQ choice. The brisket was more of a pot roast, with the beef kind of shredded instead of sliced against the grain. They make three distinct sauces, none of which are particularly spicy but all savory enough that I chose two out of three to put on my beef.
The sides we ordered were mediocre-the coleslaw was underseasoned and the macaroni paled compared to my own home creation.
The Shaved Duck is no Pappy's-but the atmosphere is nice, it's open for dinner, it has a bar and music, which definitely add to the dining experience.

http://www.theshavedduck.com/home