My boss raves and raves about the Ninth Street Deli's meatball sandwich. Tim rants and rants about the God-forsaken truffle oil the Ninth Street Deli puts on "every single thing they sell." This corner deli was only 1 1/2 BLOCKS from Tim's old apartment and we went there exactly zero times before we moved from Soulard. "I'm not going there, it just sucks." After several years of doing business in Soulard, it closed. "Good, stop bugging me about going there."
Setting out for Blues City Deli for a pastrami or perhaps the special, I was bummed as we pulled up and there were no cars parked outside. Oddly closed on a Saturday. "Where do you want to go?" I had heard that NSD was back open again (from aforementioned boss) and meekly suggested it. "Ok, but if it sucks we are NEVER EVER going again." Well I had NEVER EVER been there before so what did I have to lose?
Without looking at the menu, which is placed overhead ala Panera, I said MEATBALL, PLEASE. Tim hemmed and hawed at such outrageous sandwiches as ROAST BEEF AND CHEESE and TUNA SALAD. No truffle oil in site. Tim settled on the ST LOUISIAN, a standard name for a sandwich in ST LOUIS but not standard in ingredients. His included the standard Italian sub collection of cured porkmeats and some vinegar dressing that was ok but a tad sweet for me. The MEATBALL was gooooood; not slathered in sauce, but just the right amount along with Mozzarella NO PROVEL. Ok, I just checked on the menu, it was provel. I am now officially a St. Louisan because I can't tell a difference.
Tim did admit, "Well that was ok I guess. Not too much truffle oil on the menu there [or none]." We both observed that we were the oldest people in the place-it was half full-and this was one of the reasons Tim left Soulard.
The NSD is no BCD but a good alternative especially in the winter with its ample indoor seating and generous thermostat.
http://www.ninthstreetdeli.net/
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Vin de Set Does Not Mean Wine Set
It apparently means 2017, which is the address of this cozy bistro in Lafayette Square. Vin de Set is situated on the top floor of an old warehouse, which allows it to offer a great outdoor patio (enclosed in the winter) with cool views of downtown. We had reservations (I would say a must on a Saturday night), but opted to go early to enjoy a drink in the covered patio. We had that bar to ourselves; most folks were at the indoor and fancier bar. We were seated a few minutes early, at possibly the best table in the house. We were in a room with a fire place in the corner, with the ability to people watch without being conspicuous.
Vin de Set has a nice wine list which is easy to navigate. It is separated by types, and the list includes bottles from all over the world (except Missouri). We started with a cheese platter, with accompaniments of stone ground mustard (Tim's favorite), fig, and apricot spread, as well as olives and pickled brussel sprouts that were surprisingly good. Our major mistake we made was ordering a second starter of "tarte flambe" which sounded like a tart that was set on fire. It actually was a flatbread covered with cheese and bacon and way too humungous. We finished about 1/3 of it.
Not to be outdone by other gluttons, we then set out for main courses, which by this time we didn't need at all but thought we should order anyway. Tim had steak au poivre, which he practice pronouncing 5 times and then looked to me for my French languange pronunciation approval, which I thought was good considering it initially came out as "oh- poive." I ordered the duck confit. The duck was not dry as it can be, but unfortunately it was REALLY salty and I had to take a swig of water after each bite. It was accompanied by "rocket with apples, onions and citrus viniagrette" Say what? Rocket is apparently just your average arugula which was very very good in the viniagrette. We were disgusingly full by this point; we couldn't even finish our bottle of wine, nor did we make it to our planned final destination of the Chocolate Bar. Boo on us.
We want to go back in the summertime to check out the unencumbered views of downtown when the patio is open.
www.vindeset.com
Vin de Set has a nice wine list which is easy to navigate. It is separated by types, and the list includes bottles from all over the world (except Missouri). We started with a cheese platter, with accompaniments of stone ground mustard (Tim's favorite), fig, and apricot spread, as well as olives and pickled brussel sprouts that were surprisingly good. Our major mistake we made was ordering a second starter of "tarte flambe" which sounded like a tart that was set on fire. It actually was a flatbread covered with cheese and bacon and way too humungous. We finished about 1/3 of it.
Not to be outdone by other gluttons, we then set out for main courses, which by this time we didn't need at all but thought we should order anyway. Tim had steak au poivre, which he practice pronouncing 5 times and then looked to me for my French languange pronunciation approval, which I thought was good considering it initially came out as "oh- poive." I ordered the duck confit. The duck was not dry as it can be, but unfortunately it was REALLY salty and I had to take a swig of water after each bite. It was accompanied by "rocket with apples, onions and citrus viniagrette" Say what? Rocket is apparently just your average arugula which was very very good in the viniagrette. We were disgusingly full by this point; we couldn't even finish our bottle of wine, nor did we make it to our planned final destination of the Chocolate Bar. Boo on us.
We want to go back in the summertime to check out the unencumbered views of downtown when the patio is open.
www.vindeset.com
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Easier Than Getting on a Plane or Reading Joyce's Classic
The Dubliner is a basic Irish pub on Washington street, an unassuming business in a sea of Sushi and Tapas restaurants. We were there with a small group of friends on a Thursday night for a happy hour.
First of all, the Guinness is outstanding. Go to McGurk's for the patio; go to The Dubliner for the pints. The food is higher-end pub fare- "Gastropub" if you will. We decided to start with the Charcuterie platter, which had three or so artisan cheeses and pate as well as a very odd tasting duck (I think) liver. It was not foie gras. Besides the mystery liver, everything else on the plate was very good. For our entrees, Tim kept it simple with a pub burger, but I ventured a little further with the Green Peppercorn Burger, which I can only describe as interesting. I liked it, it just tasted different. Our friends had an array of food as well, ranging from pasties, which I think were described as good, to fish and chips that smelled like the Mississippi River in July. This was the only misstep of the evening.
The service we had was also good. It was a Thursday night, so there weren't many patrons, but we had 10 or so people and no one went without a pint if they wanted more.
The Dubliner is a good option for dinner that isn't trendy or stuffy and a great option for a Guinness.
www.dublinerstl.com
First of all, the Guinness is outstanding. Go to McGurk's for the patio; go to The Dubliner for the pints. The food is higher-end pub fare- "Gastropub" if you will. We decided to start with the Charcuterie platter, which had three or so artisan cheeses and pate as well as a very odd tasting duck (I think) liver. It was not foie gras. Besides the mystery liver, everything else on the plate was very good. For our entrees, Tim kept it simple with a pub burger, but I ventured a little further with the Green Peppercorn Burger, which I can only describe as interesting. I liked it, it just tasted different. Our friends had an array of food as well, ranging from pasties, which I think were described as good, to fish and chips that smelled like the Mississippi River in July. This was the only misstep of the evening.
The service we had was also good. It was a Thursday night, so there weren't many patrons, but we had 10 or so people and no one went without a pint if they wanted more.
The Dubliner is a good option for dinner that isn't trendy or stuffy and a great option for a Guinness.
www.dublinerstl.com
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Franco, Cie Vous Plait
Franco is a cute little restaurant tucked into the corner of the sprawling Soulard Market Lofts. I've driven by this corner many times going to the market and yet didn't notice this place, which is only denoted by a black metallic sign on a brick facade.
We made reservations, which at a French restaurant are NOT necessary at 6 PM but since I get dining points through OpenTable.com, why not? There were a few diners present at that time and a few more in the bar area. This place is quite small, but it added to a nice atmosphere and since this was in a loft building, the brick was exposed as well as having vaulted ceilings. There was a private party being seated as we were leaving in a separate room with this giant painting that just said LIQUOR all over it. I was a fan.
I didn't even open the wine menu as I was nursing the results of an open bar the afternoon before, but the wine "Cellar" is in the dining room and it looked as though there was a decent selection. We started with the odd appetizer combo of raw oysters and pate*. The pate came as a duo, with the traditional chicken and also lamb. The lamb was decent but the chicken was still the star. Unfortunately, after our vacation in the Northeast, we've been spoiled on our oysters; these were fine but not outstanding.
We each ordered fish for our entree, Tim a freshwater trout, and me the saltwater baramundi. Tim's was-I'm guessing here-a lemon/wine reduction and mine (I actually READ the menu) had a pumpkin seed/cream reduction over a polenta-type cake stuffed with arugula. Both were very tasty.
This was definitely one of the better restaurants we've been to lately. The atmosphere was good and the food even better. I think we'll be back.
* How do you add accents and all those other French marks on an English keyboard??
www.eatatfranco.com
We made reservations, which at a French restaurant are NOT necessary at 6 PM but since I get dining points through OpenTable.com, why not? There were a few diners present at that time and a few more in the bar area. This place is quite small, but it added to a nice atmosphere and since this was in a loft building, the brick was exposed as well as having vaulted ceilings. There was a private party being seated as we were leaving in a separate room with this giant painting that just said LIQUOR all over it. I was a fan.
I didn't even open the wine menu as I was nursing the results of an open bar the afternoon before, but the wine "Cellar" is in the dining room and it looked as though there was a decent selection. We started with the odd appetizer combo of raw oysters and pate*. The pate came as a duo, with the traditional chicken and also lamb. The lamb was decent but the chicken was still the star. Unfortunately, after our vacation in the Northeast, we've been spoiled on our oysters; these were fine but not outstanding.
We each ordered fish for our entree, Tim a freshwater trout, and me the saltwater baramundi. Tim's was-I'm guessing here-a lemon/wine reduction and mine (I actually READ the menu) had a pumpkin seed/cream reduction over a polenta-type cake stuffed with arugula. Both were very tasty.
This was definitely one of the better restaurants we've been to lately. The atmosphere was good and the food even better. I think we'll be back.
* How do you add accents and all those other French marks on an English keyboard??
www.eatatfranco.com
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Plush Doesn't Necessarily Mean Fancy
Plush Pig is recently relocated establishment, moving from the more "plush" Clayton to the "lesser plush" Rock Hill. Interestingly, it was moved right across the street from the local chain, Bandana's BBQ. Plush Pig serves...BBQ. It takes balls and a lot of faith in the chain-loving St. Louis population to think folks will make their way across Manchester Avenue to try something different.
I knew this place was here for quite some time, considering its across the street for my gym and less than two miles form work. But Friday night was the first opportunity I had to test it out. A long list of errands found me still out and about at 5:30 PM so I called the number I had looked up days before (easy to remember-the same prefix as my work and then 8888-like I ate ate ate ate too much BBQ). Oddly, I ordered brisket, no plush piggy in that but my favorite 'que meat nonetheless, as a sandwich, that came with the sauce on the side. The sandwich was pretty good. As a side, I ordered creamy slaw, which they also offer in a sweet-n-sour preparation. Also, I threw in some onion straws, which just sounded bad for you and a necessity. Super-salty and a good grease counterpart to the slaw.
The atmosphere of the Plush Pig is somewhat like a Mexican Cantina: neon beer signs in the window and hangy shit on the ceilings with a bar/carry-out counter at the end. I think carryout was the best idea for this place as it was lacking the real hole-in-the-wall feel of Arthur Bryant's (KC) or the fake hole-in-the-wall feel of Pappy's.
Sitting at the stop light at Manchester and McKnight is a real treat. Overkill of slow-roasted meats and I love every minute of it.
http://www.plushpigbbq.com/
I knew this place was here for quite some time, considering its across the street for my gym and less than two miles form work. But Friday night was the first opportunity I had to test it out. A long list of errands found me still out and about at 5:30 PM so I called the number I had looked up days before (easy to remember-the same prefix as my work and then 8888-like I ate ate ate ate too much BBQ). Oddly, I ordered brisket, no plush piggy in that but my favorite 'que meat nonetheless, as a sandwich, that came with the sauce on the side. The sandwich was pretty good. As a side, I ordered creamy slaw, which they also offer in a sweet-n-sour preparation. Also, I threw in some onion straws, which just sounded bad for you and a necessity. Super-salty and a good grease counterpart to the slaw.
The atmosphere of the Plush Pig is somewhat like a Mexican Cantina: neon beer signs in the window and hangy shit on the ceilings with a bar/carry-out counter at the end. I think carryout was the best idea for this place as it was lacking the real hole-in-the-wall feel of Arthur Bryant's (KC) or the fake hole-in-the-wall feel of Pappy's.
Sitting at the stop light at Manchester and McKnight is a real treat. Overkill of slow-roasted meats and I love every minute of it.
http://www.plushpigbbq.com/
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Boo-geddy-Boogaloo
Quick: what is a Boogaloo? Not a nonsense word, but a genre of Latin music and an accompanying dance. What is Boogaloo in Maplewood? An overcrowded yuppie bar serving what this amateur food critic will call Pan Caribbean. In the stack of purchased Groupons, this restaurant's discount was perched on top and yet every weekend it was received with a scrunched up face from That Other Person Who Would Be Eating With Me.
Before an anticipated "Evening With Harry Shearer" (we're weird), Boogaloo was really the best choice since it was #1 Not too expensive and #2 less than 10 minutes from the theatre. TOPWWBEWM gave a scrunched up face, acquiesced, and we departed for downtown Maplewood. Tim had been to this place before, but only for drinks, and thinking that bar service was its main attraction, it didn't occur to me that we would need reservations for a Friday night. We were told that it was a 45 minute wait-unless-we wanted to eat outside. Ok? It was 70 degrees. It was hard to believe that 45 minutes worth of people didn't want to eat on the deck. Our hostess was taking us to our table, did an about face, and took off. To seat someone else. We were standing next to the service area of the bar, right in everyone's way. We looked at each other and shrugged and were about to give up when she returned to seat us.
Out on the deck there were several empty tables, which led me to believe that something fishy was going on at the hostess station. Didn't matter since we had our seats. Three waiters passed us before one stopped and asked if another had helped us yet. We were not in a hurry, so I let this slide. Opening the menu, I saw that ubiquitous annoucement of "TAPAS." The TAPAS, which 10 years ago were known as "APPETIZERS" or even "STARTERS," included about 7-8 Pan-Caribbean offerings, including Jerk Wings and crawfish cakes, which we ordered. The crawfish cakes were pretty good with a basic accompaniment of remoulade, and they gave us a generous offering of 10 jerk wings, and although not spicy enough to be considered jerk, included an interesting cooling sauce of coconut somethingorother. We each ordered the Cubano sandwich, which was just mediocre-go to Luvy Duvy's (see review) or Tropicana (no review) for a much better one.
Boogaloo has an interesting martini and frozen drink list but I was already struggling to stay awake for Montgomery Burns, et al., that I decided that I needed to skip those. The scrunched up face will be happy to get a reprieve-we will not be returning-until the next non-bar Groupon purchased.
http://www.boogaloostl.com/
Before an anticipated "Evening With Harry Shearer" (we're weird), Boogaloo was really the best choice since it was #1 Not too expensive and #2 less than 10 minutes from the theatre. TOPWWBEWM gave a scrunched up face, acquiesced, and we departed for downtown Maplewood. Tim had been to this place before, but only for drinks, and thinking that bar service was its main attraction, it didn't occur to me that we would need reservations for a Friday night. We were told that it was a 45 minute wait-unless-we wanted to eat outside. Ok? It was 70 degrees. It was hard to believe that 45 minutes worth of people didn't want to eat on the deck. Our hostess was taking us to our table, did an about face, and took off. To seat someone else. We were standing next to the service area of the bar, right in everyone's way. We looked at each other and shrugged and were about to give up when she returned to seat us.
Out on the deck there were several empty tables, which led me to believe that something fishy was going on at the hostess station. Didn't matter since we had our seats. Three waiters passed us before one stopped and asked if another had helped us yet. We were not in a hurry, so I let this slide. Opening the menu, I saw that ubiquitous annoucement of "TAPAS." The TAPAS, which 10 years ago were known as "APPETIZERS" or even "STARTERS," included about 7-8 Pan-Caribbean offerings, including Jerk Wings and crawfish cakes, which we ordered. The crawfish cakes were pretty good with a basic accompaniment of remoulade, and they gave us a generous offering of 10 jerk wings, and although not spicy enough to be considered jerk, included an interesting cooling sauce of coconut somethingorother. We each ordered the Cubano sandwich, which was just mediocre-go to Luvy Duvy's (see review) or Tropicana (no review) for a much better one.
Boogaloo has an interesting martini and frozen drink list but I was already struggling to stay awake for Montgomery Burns, et al., that I decided that I needed to skip those. The scrunched up face will be happy to get a reprieve-we will not be returning-until the next non-bar Groupon purchased.
http://www.boogaloostl.com/
Sunday, November 7, 2010
House of Basement Hotel Dining
Sorry about the delay in posts, fan(s)! Delicious food was consumed in Providence and Newport, RI and Boston and after that major blow to our credit card, we've been eating in!
But
It was time to venture out again. After a fun (to me) and very boring and long (to Tim) fondue dinner at home on Friday night, Saturday, I made reservations at Lumiere Place's House of Savoy, thanks to a Groupon purchased a few months ago. Lumiere Place is a newish casino with a really sweet looking Four Seasons attached. The actual Lumiere Place HOTEL is not part of this new complex but a 30 year old converted Embassy Suites that connects to the casino complex via skywalk. We entered the casino and looked through all of the restaurants (see Burger Bar review, June), and finally found a sign pointing us all the way to the basement of the hotel. Surprisingly, this place was almost full at our arrival, and by the time we left, there was a wait to be seated. House of Savoy almost certainly is a former Family Table-esque establishment, complete with mirrored support beams and strange light fixtures. They tried to mask this by using the mirrors as a place to display the wine list but that only: 1) drew attention to the mirror and 2)confirmed the cheap feel of a basement restaurant.
We started out with an antipasti platter which after being announced by our waiter with a "Woo-hoo Antipasti!" had a good selection of meats and a poor selection of cheeses. The cheeses all tasted EXACTLY the same-somewhere in the swiss consistency-and no hard, aged, or molded cheese for variety. They offered us bread service, which we accepted, and then after waiting about 10 minutes for, asked for again. The bread came with tapenade and bruschetta, which unfortunately, were probably the best parts of this meal, given that it was complimentary. We split a salad with goat cheese and pine nuts, also pretty good.
I decided to stick to pasta since Family Table doesn't scream "Steak House" and the steaks were ringing in in the 40 dollar range. I ordered carbonara, which is hard to screw up and Tim had lasagna. The carbonara wasn't screwed up, tasted exactly as it should, not innovative but consistent. Tim's "lasagna" came out as papperdelle noodles in a bolognese sauce, which prompted me to ask for a menu to make sure he was given the correct dish. He had been-the Lasagna Matta was described as "baked crazy lasagna in bolognese sauce"-to which I explained that apparently, papperdelle, which you can find in any grocery store, is "crazy" (matta is Italian for madman.) Tim just wanted some regular old lasagna.
The bonus on this Groupon was that it included a 10 dollar bonus to the upstairs bar AND we were given a 10 dollar bonus to blow at the casino afterward*. We went upstairs to find that bar, which is right smack in the middle of the atrium. Tim felt as though he was on a work trip, drinking free booze in a hotel lobby. We skywalked it back over to the casino, dropped the 10 dollars in 10 minutes in a 25 cent slot machine and home we went. There were enough "mattas" patronizing the House of Savoy, they won't need us coming back. Which is good.
*Great entertainment, watching Missourians at a casino. Wow.
http://www.lumiereplace.com/house-of-savoy.aspx
But
It was time to venture out again. After a fun (to me) and very boring and long (to Tim) fondue dinner at home on Friday night, Saturday, I made reservations at Lumiere Place's House of Savoy, thanks to a Groupon purchased a few months ago. Lumiere Place is a newish casino with a really sweet looking Four Seasons attached. The actual Lumiere Place HOTEL is not part of this new complex but a 30 year old converted Embassy Suites that connects to the casino complex via skywalk. We entered the casino and looked through all of the restaurants (see Burger Bar review, June), and finally found a sign pointing us all the way to the basement of the hotel. Surprisingly, this place was almost full at our arrival, and by the time we left, there was a wait to be seated. House of Savoy almost certainly is a former Family Table-esque establishment, complete with mirrored support beams and strange light fixtures. They tried to mask this by using the mirrors as a place to display the wine list but that only: 1) drew attention to the mirror and 2)confirmed the cheap feel of a basement restaurant.
We started out with an antipasti platter which after being announced by our waiter with a "Woo-hoo Antipasti!" had a good selection of meats and a poor selection of cheeses. The cheeses all tasted EXACTLY the same-somewhere in the swiss consistency-and no hard, aged, or molded cheese for variety. They offered us bread service, which we accepted, and then after waiting about 10 minutes for, asked for again. The bread came with tapenade and bruschetta, which unfortunately, were probably the best parts of this meal, given that it was complimentary. We split a salad with goat cheese and pine nuts, also pretty good.
I decided to stick to pasta since Family Table doesn't scream "Steak House" and the steaks were ringing in in the 40 dollar range. I ordered carbonara, which is hard to screw up and Tim had lasagna. The carbonara wasn't screwed up, tasted exactly as it should, not innovative but consistent. Tim's "lasagna" came out as papperdelle noodles in a bolognese sauce, which prompted me to ask for a menu to make sure he was given the correct dish. He had been-the Lasagna Matta was described as "baked crazy lasagna in bolognese sauce"-to which I explained that apparently, papperdelle, which you can find in any grocery store, is "crazy" (matta is Italian for madman.) Tim just wanted some regular old lasagna.
The bonus on this Groupon was that it included a 10 dollar bonus to the upstairs bar AND we were given a 10 dollar bonus to blow at the casino afterward*. We went upstairs to find that bar, which is right smack in the middle of the atrium. Tim felt as though he was on a work trip, drinking free booze in a hotel lobby. We skywalked it back over to the casino, dropped the 10 dollars in 10 minutes in a 25 cent slot machine and home we went. There were enough "mattas" patronizing the House of Savoy, they won't need us coming back. Which is good.
*Great entertainment, watching Missourians at a casino. Wow.
http://www.lumiereplace.com/house-of-savoy.aspx
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