I have yet to find a restaurant to reproduce the atmosphere at The Venice [Cafe is optional]. One never knows what a stop at the Venice may bring: on one occasion, I fed a boa contrictor a live mouse.* I've been there a dozen or so times and each time I see something new I never quite noticed before; bowls aside, there are a plethora of "paraphernalia" put into a mosaic in this bar. Monday, I visited the Venice with the sole purpose to try the food for the first time.
The menu has a dozen or so cajun-inspired items, and I decided to go for the jerk chicken, which came with a side of plantains and sort-of hushpuppies, but sweeter. Very tasty, and enough for a second meal. I did see the kabobs come out, I think I would recommend them just by looks alone. The menu may change unexpectedly; two different (out of 12) items were not available. At a place like the Venice, there's no room for a Type A personality that would ensure that the kitchen was well stocked. This bar/restaurant is also cash only with no table service; order one place for your food, another for your booze.
The Venice Cafe: go for the atmosphere and while you're at it, pick up some food (if it's available).
*Strangely, it appears it is a health code violation to have live animals where you sell food. No more snake.
http://www.thevenicecafe.com/
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Bievenido Al Milagro, Can I Bring Your Check?
The quest for Mexican Food continues: Saturday night brought us to El Milagro, a difficult to find spot in Old Webster. Poor signage and a closed road had us walking around trying to find this spot (El Secreto?), we even ran into another couple as confused as we were. After spotting some El Milagro sun shades, we made our way into this Sauce Magazine rated place.
They tout their menu as "Modern Mexican" which I guess allows them to take some liberties with traditional Mexican menu items. It was serendipitous that we arrived at 5:30 PM; El Milagro has daily (yes on Saturday!) happy hour specials which include 1/2 price apps and 3 dollar sangria and margaritas. I can't pass up a ceviche, which unfortunately has come back to haunt. But there I was ordering the mahi-mahi ceviche, which comes with jicama, red onions, etc. It was decent. Unfortunately, all ceviche I eat is now compared with the one I had at Frontera Grill, which is more or less unfair. For my entree I had enchiladas hongo which had wild mushrooms and some sort of mexican truffle se llama "huitlacoche" and since I had no idea what that meant, I had to order it. It was finished with a black bean sauce. Very filling-only ate one out of three and am excited to eat the leftovers for lunch. Tim ordered the mahi mahi fish tacos (lovin' that fish), also decent not outstanding. Each entree comes with choice of fritos: black (underseasoned) and pinto (with bacon). Neither is "Refritoed" - just a blob of beans, but that is fine. The rice is also offered as a choice: traditional Mexican or with cilantro. Both taste about the same.
The strange thing about El Milagro was our waitor's onstensible hurry to get us out of there. We arrived at granny hour (per usual) so it's not like people were waiting for tables. At first he seemed somewhat put-off by my not wanting to order my entree when we ordered the ceviche. Then, as he's serving us our entrees, he offers us dessert. THEN right after we're done eating he brings our check. I wouldn't have minded having another drink, but he seemed in such a rush that we didn't want to patronize this place any longer. Total dining time: 45 minutes.
This is probably the best Mexican food, apart from the taqueria on Cherokee, that I've had in St. Louis. Unfortunately, the strange service will cause my quest to continue...
www.milagromodernmexican.com
They tout their menu as "Modern Mexican" which I guess allows them to take some liberties with traditional Mexican menu items. It was serendipitous that we arrived at 5:30 PM; El Milagro has daily (yes on Saturday!) happy hour specials which include 1/2 price apps and 3 dollar sangria and margaritas. I can't pass up a ceviche, which unfortunately has come back to haunt. But there I was ordering the mahi-mahi ceviche, which comes with jicama, red onions, etc. It was decent. Unfortunately, all ceviche I eat is now compared with the one I had at Frontera Grill, which is more or less unfair. For my entree I had enchiladas hongo which had wild mushrooms and some sort of mexican truffle se llama "huitlacoche" and since I had no idea what that meant, I had to order it. It was finished with a black bean sauce. Very filling-only ate one out of three and am excited to eat the leftovers for lunch. Tim ordered the mahi mahi fish tacos (lovin' that fish), also decent not outstanding. Each entree comes with choice of fritos: black (underseasoned) and pinto (with bacon). Neither is "Refritoed" - just a blob of beans, but that is fine. The rice is also offered as a choice: traditional Mexican or with cilantro. Both taste about the same.
The strange thing about El Milagro was our waitor's onstensible hurry to get us out of there. We arrived at granny hour (per usual) so it's not like people were waiting for tables. At first he seemed somewhat put-off by my not wanting to order my entree when we ordered the ceviche. Then, as he's serving us our entrees, he offers us dessert. THEN right after we're done eating he brings our check. I wouldn't have minded having another drink, but he seemed in such a rush that we didn't want to patronize this place any longer. Total dining time: 45 minutes.
This is probably the best Mexican food, apart from the taqueria on Cherokee, that I've had in St. Louis. Unfortunately, the strange service will cause my quest to continue...
www.milagromodernmexican.com
Monday, July 26, 2010
Gyro-rating
Why in 2010 is this poor sandwich still being mispronounced? I can kind of understand Gear-o, considering this is how our friends from Seinfeld said it. But seriously, Jy-ro?
And yet- it appears to be commonplace as I was trying to explain to a patient that I had a great "year-ro" and he had never heard of it until I explained lamb meat, blah blah and bingo! Jy-ro. I'm not even going to blame this one on "Missour-rah"; I can't even chalk it up to "not getting out much" considering you can get one of these life expectancy decreasers at a small town carnival. I guess the only explanation is that a parent pronounced it wrong then BOOM! down the line it goes.
Now that I have that diatribe out of the way, time for my review. Soulard Gyro and Deli seemed like the perfect pregame junk food stop before loading up on 8 dollar brews at Busch. Not stingy with their gyro meat, SGAD is definitely an inexpensive and tasty way to raise your cholesterol. They offer several permutations on the traditional (ie American) gyro sandwich, with "Steak" (Philly steak) and "Supreme" (with feta) options. There are other sandwiches there but none of my party ventured out-we were here for a reason and that reason was Gyro. The pita is worth mentioning; the loads of meat, tzaziki and other crap did not fall through but were held steadfast by a high-quality piece of bread. Another note-skip the baklava; it's not homemade.
Soulard was not in need of more greasy food, but adding Gyros to the burger-heavy neighborhood was a great idea.
http://soulardgyroanddeli.com/
And yet- it appears to be commonplace as I was trying to explain to a patient that I had a great "year-ro" and he had never heard of it until I explained lamb meat, blah blah and bingo! Jy-ro. I'm not even going to blame this one on "Missour-rah"; I can't even chalk it up to "not getting out much" considering you can get one of these life expectancy decreasers at a small town carnival. I guess the only explanation is that a parent pronounced it wrong then BOOM! down the line it goes.
Now that I have that diatribe out of the way, time for my review. Soulard Gyro and Deli seemed like the perfect pregame junk food stop before loading up on 8 dollar brews at Busch. Not stingy with their gyro meat, SGAD is definitely an inexpensive and tasty way to raise your cholesterol. They offer several permutations on the traditional (ie American) gyro sandwich, with "Steak" (Philly steak) and "Supreme" (with feta) options. There are other sandwiches there but none of my party ventured out-we were here for a reason and that reason was Gyro. The pita is worth mentioning; the loads of meat, tzaziki and other crap did not fall through but were held steadfast by a high-quality piece of bread. Another note-skip the baklava; it's not homemade.
Soulard was not in need of more greasy food, but adding Gyros to the burger-heavy neighborhood was a great idea.
http://soulardgyroanddeli.com/
Monday, July 5, 2010
One Week Late on My Post, and the Place is Closed
On June 23rd we patronized Mattingly Brewery, a neighborhood brewpub, for my first time and Tim's 2nd or 3rd. As I sat down to write this blog, a bit late, I Googled the website, which I like to include at the end of my blog. This is what I found:
http://mattinglybrewing.blogspot.com/
I am sad that I didn't do my part and go to this place beforehand, not that one more person could have saved this man's dream, but at least I could have said I tried. The beer we had was quite good, ringing in at 9.5% ABV and I had to have two. Even Tim, who prefers foreign brews to local microbrews, thought the beer was good. I had a cubano sandwich which was good as well. They had a noontime special costing a mere 2.99, which I may have been a last-ditch effort to keep the place in business by attracting local business folks. But as Tim said (to paraphrase) certain members of a certain race do not like to venture into areas where there are members of other races. Mattingly was on the Western edge of Benton Park and yes, bordering less gentrified neighborhoods. It certainly was safe.
I will mourn just a litte the loss of a little piece of our neighborhood and hope the next person to occupy the space fares better. I will do a better job too.
http://mattinglybrewing.blogspot.com/
I am sad that I didn't do my part and go to this place beforehand, not that one more person could have saved this man's dream, but at least I could have said I tried. The beer we had was quite good, ringing in at 9.5% ABV and I had to have two. Even Tim, who prefers foreign brews to local microbrews, thought the beer was good. I had a cubano sandwich which was good as well. They had a noontime special costing a mere 2.99, which I may have been a last-ditch effort to keep the place in business by attracting local business folks. But as Tim said (to paraphrase) certain members of a certain race do not like to venture into areas where there are members of other races. Mattingly was on the Western edge of Benton Park and yes, bordering less gentrified neighborhoods. It certainly was safe.
I will mourn just a litte the loss of a little piece of our neighborhood and hope the next person to occupy the space fares better. I will do a better job too.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
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/
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/
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
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
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
Saturday, June 19, 2010
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/
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/
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