Later the same day that we had breakfast at The Nest, we met to find copies of a book that I had purchased for Wendy for her birthday. We highly recommend Good Night St. Louis by June Herman and Julie Dubray. The book is so delightful that we both wanted additional copies to give as Christmas gifts and because it is available in local shops, we set out on our journey. Initially we were headed to Left Bank Books, but because I knew that Colleen's Cookies had copies in stock and we were close to Clayton, we made quick decision, one that we didn't regret, to see what else Colleen's had to offer.
Opening the door to this delightful establishment was worth the trip. The bakery smells were competing with the lunch smells -- it was wonderful.
I ordered the 1/2 Turkey Avocado BLT with the Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Both the sandwich and the soup were great, but I passed on my soup to Wendy in order to eat half of the salad she ordered! The Potato Cake Salad, odd sounding I know, but it was the highlight of my lunch. This extraordinary salad consists of a potato cake made with cheddar cheese, jalapeno and bacon and that is covered with mixed greens in a BBQ vinaigrette. I couldn't figure out the ingredients in the dressing, but it was great and the potato cake added a lot of flavor to the salad which was served with a piece of bread that was a lighter version of Door County (Wisconsin) Bakery's Corsica Bread that is actually baked in a pan of olive oil. I asked about the bread, they said that it too is baked in oil. I liked it so much that I bought several pieces to go.
Wendy had the ham and cheese sandwich that is served on a pretzel roll. Honestly, I was so busy watching the other patrons and trying to decide if I was going to buy a cookie or not, that I didn't pay any attention to her sandwich.
I also purchased the Man-wich sandwich for my husband, but as I've said before he is rather picky so I ordered it without the garlic mayo and Dijon mustard. It was served on a fresh roll along with a bag of chips. He said it was good, but had to add two slices of American Cheese which I don't think is even real cheese.
I did get two cookies. Death by Chocolate which I ate today - it was good and the toffee hazelnut cookie that I am saving for later.
Wendy bought a peanut butter cookie which was actually two peanut butter cookies that where held together with peanut butter icing that tasted like the icing my mother would sometimes put on brownies.
Overall, Colleen's Cookies is a destination that we would return to. To visit, their address is 7337 Forsythe.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
The Nest - December 7, 2013
It wasn't Tuesday, but it was good. Wendy and I had an early morning errand to
run and decided to try one of the newest restaurants in St. Louis. Actually, this one is located in upscale
Frontenac in the county. It is located
north of Highway 40, just West of Lindberg next to Grassi's at 10440 German
Blvd.
I'm well past the age of being a mother to a small child,
but as a grandmother, I can't say enough about The Nest. Can't wait to take my little prince an art
class or the class entitled Superhero Training!
Wendy couldn't resist the Monkey Bread, a gluten free
biscuit dough with cinnamon and sugar, topped with a glazed banana. The Monkey Bread was good, but not the
highlight of my breakfast. I LOVED the
Breakfast Salad with Poached Egg. Served
on rosemary red potatoes that had been sauteed to perfection, there were greens
dressed with olive oil, grilled asparagus, tomato, salt and pepper and a
slightly overcooked poached egg. The
menu says that the salad included avocado, but none was found and although I
think it would have been a nice addition, it was not necessary. This healthy breakfast was great tasting and
satisfying.
Wendy ordered the Sweet Potato Hash with a fried egg. The hash included tiny chopped pieces of
sweet potato, pieces of red peppers and onions along with tri-colored carrots
that I thought were turnips. Wendy would
have liked a second egg and I would have liked the sweet potatoes to have been
chopped in larger pieces. Regardless,
the flavor was great.
Because we were instructed to pay when we ordered and by
using my credit card to pay, I signed for my meal on an Ipad (maybe it wasn't
an Ipad, but it was an electronic device), I didn't leave a tip so that I was
"forced" to purchase a scone on my way out as I had no cash and
wanted to express my appreciation for the meal and the great service with a
tip. Haven't tried the scone yet, it
will be breakfast tomorrow. I think
Wendy purchased a cookie, but don't recall.
We both wanted to order smoothies to go, but it was only 18 degrees and
both of us knew better!!!
For more information on this great location, call them at
314-942-3521.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
61 Roadhouse and Kitchen - 12/3/2013
61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, Webster Groves, MO
By far the best meal we have had!!! Not only was the food good, but the service was terrific.
Wendy's first choice for tonight (since the waitress last week was too busy to even refill our water, we didn't ask her opinion on where to go this week) was Vin de Set. It looks good, too, but much fancier than I was willing to dress for tonight. So, I picked 61 Roadhouse since I had seen it on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (although we have visited other places that Guy has been too and not been impress).
Since we always arrive before 6:00, we were able to get in on the buy one, get one free appetizer specials that they offer during Happy Hour and while both of us would have liked to have had a drink, Wendy goes to work after we eat and I was driving.
Back to the appetizers, we ordered:
Arancini - traditional rice balls that were made with Andouille sausage and served with a Creole sauce that was one of the few things I was impressed with. We gave up on the sauce and used the best thing on the table - more on that later - instead. The Arancini were small, almost bite size, and not my favorite of items although Wendy loved them. I'm not a big rice fan, so it was no surprise that I found many other things that I liked better.
BBQ Shrimp - the best thing on the table as far as the appetizers were concerned. I could have been happy with just this for the meal. Served with French bread and in a sauce made from Worcestershire and herb butter, these shrimp will probably find their way into my dreams!!! The sauce was what we used for the Arancini - So GOOD!!!
Cajun Potstickers - a light starter that would have been great as the only appetizer (we feel that we owe you a bigger picture than one appetizer -- in other words, a good excuse to try a variety). These little dumplings are served with Creole soy sauce. I'm not sure if it was the sauce or the Sambal Chili sauce inside the little pockets, but something packed a little heat. They were really good, too.
The Roadhouse Skins were the typical potato skins only huge and stuffed with pulled pork and cheddar cheese. The pork was in barbeque sauce that was sweet and good and made a potato skin worth eating. The serving was huge and the leftovers along with a few of the Arancini will be Wendy's dinner in the middle of the night tonight.
We ordered a Bayou Salad with the dressing on the side. A great decision for several reasons. The biggest reason was that I was stuffed by the time the salad arrived and the second reason, Wendy doesn't like Gorgonzola (I love it and couldn't wait to try the Balsamic Vinaigrette Gorgonzola Cream dressing) and she wanted to try the House dressing (a Parmesan Cream). Both dressings were amazing based upon the two green beans I dipped into them to taste. The salad will be my lunch tomorrow!!!
We also split the stuffed chicken (Wendy and I each ate one little piece and the rest will be a meal tomorrow). The chicken was breast meat stuffed with Andouille and Tasso sausages, pan fried and topped with a terrific Andouille cream sauce.
The chicken came with two side choices. On the advice of the best waitress we have experienced since we started this journey, Jez, we chose the Cream Corn Souffle (I also could have made a meal from this). The souffle was as light as any souffle I have ever had, but was covered in a sweet butter. It would have been great on any Thanksgiving table.
Our second side was one that gives me pause even saying it, but because it had been highlighted on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, it was was one we felt that we should try - BBQ Spaghetti! Jez said that people come from near and far to eat this, but I think that the same shredded pork that was great on the potato skins would have been better without the pasta. It was worth a try - once was enough for me.
Wendy and I don't mind sharing appetizers and entrees, but we like to order our own desserts (sharing tastes, but not the whole thing). Wendy ordered a small serving - large by any other establishment's measures. Wendy didn't care for the pudding. We both agreed that the pudding was thin, but I liked the flavor. I thought it tasted of bananas and cream - what more does anyone need except Mississippi Mud Pie covered in marshmallows, pecans and mocha ice cream!!! I was able to eat the ice cream so that I could bring the pie home. I'm sure that it will taste as good as it looks!!!
I ordered a pork steak, baked potato, baked beans and banana pudding to go for my husband who is not fond of trying new places and loves that Wendy and I will venture out, call if things seem like he would like them and bring carry out home to him. He enjoyed the pork steak, said it was tender, had great flavor, wasn't the typical fatty St. Louis pork steak and was HUGE. The potato was also gigantic (the menu says it weighs a pound) and the bean were well seasoned and possibly some of the best he's had to eat. His banana pudding waits in the refrigerator.
Wendy ordered Jambalaya for her mom. We'll have to wait for her opinion until later.
Overall, 61 Roadhouse was a big hit. I look forward to going back with my family and may even try the Sunday Brunch. Check out their website for specials and highlights at www.hwy61roadhouse.com
Check back next week. We are planning to visit one of the two places Jez recommended. The choices: Fritaga or Fork and Stix.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Bailey's Range - 11/26/2013
Bailey's Range was a disappointment for this girl. The service was terrible, the food was cold and tasteless. The company, however, was great. Wendy's brother was in town and joined us providing me an opportunity to hone my interrogation skills. He is a very interesting person who left STL for places west without a job or a house. To me, what he did was extremely brave and provided me with a lot of questions.
Back to the food:
Wendy had been told that the onion rings were great and they did look good on the web. They arrived looking a lot like the picture except that ours were soaking in oil. The onions have a smokey flavor and although the outside is like a typical onion ring, the actual onion is still on the crispy side and for our tastes could have used a little more cooking time.
The fried pickles were good and the sauce they were served with was interesting. They easily could have been the highlight.
Wendy had a buffalo burger, Andy had the Mediterranean (lamb burger) that he said was good and included a spicy sauce that he enjoyed, and I had the Ahh Jamn Burger - a beef burger with cheddar and bacon jam. My burger, except for the almost weightless bun (made in house) it was served on lacked flavor and after having Bacon Jam at Three Kings in the Loop that was amazing, I was let down.
Wendy also ordered the chili which was thick, but spice less and we asked for a sample of the Beet Soup which intrigued us, but once the server decided that she would try to get us a sample, we were glad that we hadn't ordered the watery broth with chopped beets.
Andy tried the pretzels with a great cheese sauce, the Mr. Q Cucumber soda (I love cucumbers and it would be a perfect thirst quencher on a hot St. Louis night) and because Bailey's has a large drink menu and I wanted to try the Bourbon Basil Tea, Andy - probably wanting to stop my non stop questioning, ordered the drink to share with me. It was great, but I am of the mind that anything with Bourbon should be good.
For dessert we had the house made ice cream. Not nearly as good as Fountains on Locust.
Sorry, Bailey's Range, you won't be on my list of have to return to restaurants.
Back to the food:
Wendy had been told that the onion rings were great and they did look good on the web. They arrived looking a lot like the picture except that ours were soaking in oil. The onions have a smokey flavor and although the outside is like a typical onion ring, the actual onion is still on the crispy side and for our tastes could have used a little more cooking time.
The fried pickles were good and the sauce they were served with was interesting. They easily could have been the highlight.
Wendy had a buffalo burger, Andy had the Mediterranean (lamb burger) that he said was good and included a spicy sauce that he enjoyed, and I had the Ahh Jamn Burger - a beef burger with cheddar and bacon jam. My burger, except for the almost weightless bun (made in house) it was served on lacked flavor and after having Bacon Jam at Three Kings in the Loop that was amazing, I was let down.
Wendy also ordered the chili which was thick, but spice less and we asked for a sample of the Beet Soup which intrigued us, but once the server decided that she would try to get us a sample, we were glad that we hadn't ordered the watery broth with chopped beets.
Andy tried the pretzels with a great cheese sauce, the Mr. Q Cucumber soda (I love cucumbers and it would be a perfect thirst quencher on a hot St. Louis night) and because Bailey's has a large drink menu and I wanted to try the Bourbon Basil Tea, Andy - probably wanting to stop my non stop questioning, ordered the drink to share with me. It was great, but I am of the mind that anything with Bourbon should be good.
For dessert we had the house made ice cream. Not nearly as good as Fountains on Locust.
Sorry, Bailey's Range, you won't be on my list of have to return to restaurants.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Fountains on Locust 11/12/2013
Fountains on Locust - one word: Amazing!
The building was constructed in 1916 as the showroom for the Stutz Blackhawk and the Stutz Bearcat, both considered top of the line, high performance sports sedans of the time. The building is one of the most photographed in St. Louis and its art deco style is the reason!
Wendy and I both enjoyed our desserts and I ordered their Signature Polish Dill Pickle Soup a(from a secret family reciple) potato soup with enough dill to make it a great lunch on Wednesday!
For dessert, I had the Banana Bourbon made with a warm butter brown sugar syrup and Boubon (I got a straw to drink the remainder of the syrup) poured over vanilla ice cream and served with bruleed bananas!!!
I was so happy with my choice, I can't even remember what Wendy had!!! Whatever it was, it didn't compare to my dessert!
The building was constructed in 1916 as the showroom for the Stutz Blackhawk and the Stutz Bearcat, both considered top of the line, high performance sports sedans of the time. The building is one of the most photographed in St. Louis and its art deco style is the reason!
Wendy and I both enjoyed our desserts and I ordered their Signature Polish Dill Pickle Soup a(from a secret family reciple) potato soup with enough dill to make it a great lunch on Wednesday!
For dessert, I had the Banana Bourbon made with a warm butter brown sugar syrup and Boubon (I got a straw to drink the remainder of the syrup) poured over vanilla ice cream and served with bruleed bananas!!!
I was so happy with my choice, I can't even remember what Wendy had!!! Whatever it was, it didn't compare to my dessert!
Momos - 11/19/2013
We had a fun time at Momos - not only was the food good, but the company was great. It was a damp, chilly evening and we were seated near the fireplace, and because we had an additional person with us, we laughed even more than usual.
This Greek restaurant likes to serve small portions to share. Items ordered are brought out one or two at a time whenever they are ready to be delivered to the table (not necessarily in the order they were ordered).
Wendy, myself and a mature 5th grader shared a dinner of:
Papou - Shell pasta with artichoke hearts, spinach, small pieces of Feta cheese and the best - sun dried tomatoes in a marinara sauce. This was probably the weakest dish of all that we had, in my opinion. I'm not a great cook, but could easily replicate this, including the just so-so marinara.
Htipiti - Loved this dip made from roasted red bell peppers, Feta, garlic, capers and olive oil. The pita bread it was serves with was warm and soft. Just perfect for this spread.
Bacon-wrapped Olives - don't look for a fancier Greek name, this is what was on the menu. The green olives were supposedly stuffed with goat cheese - we didn't see any sign of cheese - goat or otherwise - but who can go wrong with olives and bacon. These 8 little salty delights were served on two skewers over a bed of mixed greens along side the best sweet red wine reduction I've ever tasted. They could bottle the stuff and I could eat it on salad every day!!!
Saganaki - the traditional flaming cheese - good, but not great. I think that I was underwhelmed because I've had it before at every Greek restaurant I've visited. Nothing to write home about.
Pork Kabab - Three large pieces of pork skewered with onions and peppers served with lemon oregano roasted potatoes with a curry aioli. Not a big fan of curry, I asked that the aioli be served on the side, but almost regretted that request since the aioli was terrific. Light on the curry made it a big hit with me and because it was a chilly night, the potatoes were reminiscent of comfort food that my mom made.
Peach Bread Pudding - What this dish lacked in peaches it more than made up in by way of the caramel sauce that was pour over the top and the fresh fruit that was served along side. They could easily have just served the fresh apples and strawberries with the caramel sauce and this girl would have been happy. As it was, the three of us were so full that we couldn't eat more than a bite or two.
The menu says that they have belly dancers nightly, Monday through Saturday, but because we are early diners they were not a part of our adventure.
Would I recommend Momos? Sure, everyone should try it once and Groupon often offers coupons for Momos.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Little Saigon - 11/12/2013
Little Saigon is located at #10 Euclid not far off Forest Park Parkway (really only about 10 minutes from home although it took us a little longer because of traffic).
We found street parking with no problem (Wendy has a bike rack on the back of her car that limits our parking abilities) and passed a cute gift shop on our brief walk to the cafe. Once we arrived, just behind another woman, we were promptly greeted and seated. There was some conversation about us being a party of three, which neither Wendy or I would have objected to, but the other woman, who had been to the restaraunt before said that she had a cold and that was her reason for being there. She said that she needed the soup and thought we were better off staying away, so we walked past a small, but nice bar area to get to the our table by the window.
The waiter came for our drink order, although it was difficult to determine who our waiter really was as we were served by a variety of people. Wendy stuck with water, but I took advantage of the $5.00 Happy Hour prices and had the Lemon Drop Martini complete with sugar around the rim. It was worth every penny and more. Lemon is one of my favorite flavors and that drink was refreshingly crisp in addition to being beautiful to look at.
Next, we ordered appetizers. We went a little crazy, but we were celebrating Wendy's birthday so we ordered one of her favorites - calamari (I'm not a huge fan, but this was good). The actual name of the dish was Muc Chiên Giòn and the calamari, though a little chewy was served with a sweet basil lime sauce that they could have given me a straw to drink. It was really good!!!
Our second appetizer was Cha Saigòn or crispy spring rolls. They were crispy, but didn't have a whole lot of flavor. We used the sauce that they were served with initially and then I went back to that basil lime sauce.
Third, we had Bánh Chiên, little dumplings of shrimp served with soy sauce. They were good and the reason I had wanted to go to Little Saigon (I am a firm believer that anything wrapped in dough is good). The dough was light and the shrimp was perfect.
For dinner, we split an order of Com Chiên Trái Thom (pineapple fried rice with shrimp and chicken). Although beautiful on the plate, it lacked in flavor. The hot sauce that was brought to the table at our request made up for the blandness of the dish. The shrimp were good, the pineapple was refreshing, but didn't have a lot of flavor, and the chicken tasted like it had been boiled with no seasoning in the water. Overall, the taste matched the paleness of the white rice, white shrimp, white chicken and pale pineapple.
Would I go back to Little Saigon? Maybe, but there are so many other places that I would like to try that it would not be soon. Wendy agreed and while Little Saigon has a limited dessert menu, we left and headed back to the car to try a dessert location that Wendy knew would be good.
On a side note, I convinced Wendy to stop in the little gift shop (it doesn't take much convincing for either of us to shop) where they had really unique items. I bought a beautifully illustrated book about St. Louis for Wendy and a different one for me (Santa Clause is Coming to St. Louis) to add to my collection of Christmas books and a card made by the Good Will. I really was interested in a clock that was made of tin in the shape of a chicken. Her feet moved with each second that passed. Knowing that I didn't really have a place to hang her saved me $32.00. Maybe next time!!!
We found street parking with no problem (Wendy has a bike rack on the back of her car that limits our parking abilities) and passed a cute gift shop on our brief walk to the cafe. Once we arrived, just behind another woman, we were promptly greeted and seated. There was some conversation about us being a party of three, which neither Wendy or I would have objected to, but the other woman, who had been to the restaraunt before said that she had a cold and that was her reason for being there. She said that she needed the soup and thought we were better off staying away, so we walked past a small, but nice bar area to get to the our table by the window.
The waiter came for our drink order, although it was difficult to determine who our waiter really was as we were served by a variety of people. Wendy stuck with water, but I took advantage of the $5.00 Happy Hour prices and had the Lemon Drop Martini complete with sugar around the rim. It was worth every penny and more. Lemon is one of my favorite flavors and that drink was refreshingly crisp in addition to being beautiful to look at.
Next, we ordered appetizers. We went a little crazy, but we were celebrating Wendy's birthday so we ordered one of her favorites - calamari (I'm not a huge fan, but this was good). The actual name of the dish was Muc Chiên Giòn and the calamari, though a little chewy was served with a sweet basil lime sauce that they could have given me a straw to drink. It was really good!!!
Our second appetizer was Cha Saigòn or crispy spring rolls. They were crispy, but didn't have a whole lot of flavor. We used the sauce that they were served with initially and then I went back to that basil lime sauce.
Third, we had Bánh Chiên, little dumplings of shrimp served with soy sauce. They were good and the reason I had wanted to go to Little Saigon (I am a firm believer that anything wrapped in dough is good). The dough was light and the shrimp was perfect.
For dinner, we split an order of Com Chiên Trái Thom (pineapple fried rice with shrimp and chicken). Although beautiful on the plate, it lacked in flavor. The hot sauce that was brought to the table at our request made up for the blandness of the dish. The shrimp were good, the pineapple was refreshing, but didn't have a lot of flavor, and the chicken tasted like it had been boiled with no seasoning in the water. Overall, the taste matched the paleness of the white rice, white shrimp, white chicken and pale pineapple.
Would I go back to Little Saigon? Maybe, but there are so many other places that I would like to try that it would not be soon. Wendy agreed and while Little Saigon has a limited dessert menu, we left and headed back to the car to try a dessert location that Wendy knew would be good.
On a side note, I convinced Wendy to stop in the little gift shop (it doesn't take much convincing for either of us to shop) where they had really unique items. I bought a beautifully illustrated book about St. Louis for Wendy and a different one for me (Santa Clause is Coming to St. Louis) to add to my collection of Christmas books and a card made by the Good Will. I really was interested in a clock that was made of tin in the shape of a chicken. Her feet moved with each second that passed. Knowing that I didn't really have a place to hang her saved me $32.00. Maybe next time!!!
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