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.
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