Pared Festive Brunch

Every time I think THIS is the best Pared menu, and Chef Liz just tops herself again.

This was extra ideal since it was a brunch, and Patience LOVES breakfast foods.

Festive atmosphere...

This was definitely the best Chicken and Waffles I've ever had, and it was smartly paired with Crémant sparkling wine. I'm not sure which was more amazing... the buttermilk brine chicken thigh or the honey butter and apple smoked bacon maple syrup for the waffle. I really would have loved a full portion of this and gone home.

Fried Chicken and Waffles

But wait...there's more!

I easily could have said the same thing about the Lox Doughssant, which was a cross between a doughnut and a croissant. I'm a huge fan of lox and it was laid upon a homemade baby croissant piled with a dill remoulade, cream cheese, and capers. The dry Italian Frappo Rosato (rose) was a great pairing as well.

Lox Doughssant

Another miniature version of Croque Madame (French ham with a Dijon cream sauce on an onion brioche) was just amazing with a sunny side up quail egg and caviar on top! Just killer. This was paired with a glass of French Chablis of course. All of it was quite rich together.

Croque Madame with quail egg and caviar on top

I could have stopped there and been perfectly pleased, but then things got out of hand with a full size piece of Beef Wellington. You really can't cut this small. But I had to finish it. So amazing. Especially paired with Martin Woods Cabernet Franc. (And you know I had to eat all my fries cause that's my favorite thing in the world.)

Beef Wellington with Frite

To finish out the brunch, we had an adorable Cinnamon Roll with custard, jam, and clotted cream, with berries. Unfortunately, I could only manage one bite as I was stuffed. It was not sweet at all and instead, quite savory. Shannon gifted us with a Tokaji dessert wine to pair with this, which was extremely sweet.

Cinnamon Pain Perdu

 

I really need to look into bringing a secret to go box, because every bite is so decadent.

Festive Pared Menu

Resources:

Tenacious Eats = https://www.facebook.com/TenaciousEats/

No Ordinary Rabbit

The old Nixta location has a wonderful new tenant that is certainly worth a visit.

I am a big fan of smaller menus, and we limited ourselves to a snack and a few shareables, so this is a place to definitely bring friends who like to try everything like I do. The dishes all seemed fairly small, but after three, we were all quite full.

My friend Beth heard that the best thing to order was the Onion Rings, which was a popular pick, but unfortunately, this is something I can't eat.

Za'atar Onion Rings with Caramelized Onion Labneh

I immediately knew that I was going to choose the Pan Seared Gnocchi with Braised chicken and roasted mushrooms, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. This dish was so tasty, I requested some pita bread to mop up the sauce!

Pan Seared Gnocchi with Braised Chicken, Roasted Mushrooms, Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

That pita bread also came in handy for the sauce that the Lamb Merguez Meatballs were sitting in with shaved parmesan. We were disappointed they were out of the Braised Short Rib, but I was secretly happy to try these meatballs.

Lamb Merguez Meatballs

Another guilty pleasure was the Creamy Cheddar-Harissa Mac & Cheese with toasted breadcrumbs on top. I almost didn't want to share this one.

Creamy Cheddar-Harissa Mac & Cheese

I definitely would like to go back to try a few of the other items such as the salad or large plate meals (that should probably also be shared), but I have a feeling I'd just reorder the same things because I enjoyed them all.

Resources:

No Ordinary Rabbit = https://noordinaryrabbitstl.com/

Extra Wavy

I was stoked to try another new restaurant recently, Extra Wavy, but I have to admit that I had some bittersweet emotions about it since I miss all the times I've spent at PW Pizza beer dinners and enjoyed the view from Vin de Set. Yet, I am happy that someone was able to rehab the building so that business can thrive again on Chouteau.

Extra Wavy has given the space an aquatic green theme, which feels odd, but is nice and wide open, with a huge bar. I enjoyed the Chin Music gin cocktail.

Cocktails at the bar at Extra Wavy

I knew for sure going in that I wanted items from the raw bar, so mission accomplished with oysters and Hamachi Crudo! The Crudo was almost too pretty to eat!

Raw Oysters

Hamachi Crudo

But Extra Wavy has more than just seafood and a raw bar. We worked our way through the different sections, sampling quite a few things. It definitely helps to go with friends to try something from each one!

From the First Wave section, we enjoyed the hearty Fried Polenta and Lamb Meatballs that came with a lot of grilled bread. 

Fried Polenta

Lamb Meatballs with Grilled Bread

Under the Grilled Skewers, Angie picked out the Pork Belly, which was too piggy for me, but I'm sure will be a popular item.

Pork Belly Skewer

From the Garden section, Angie also picked out a Whipped Ricotta dish with roasted black figs that I wish I could have licked the plate! (I just now realize that there is some ham in this dish that I also enjoyed.)

Whipped Ricotta with Roasted Black Figs

By this point we were plenty full, so hopefully I can make another trip back for an entree or a sandwich as they have a few burgers and even a prime rib!

For a nightcap, I was most curious about the speakeasy, Prohibition, located in the basement under Extra Wavy where the 21st Amendment Brewers Bar used to be. The theme makes sense down there, although it's a block from another popular cocktail spot. It's plenty dark and I did enjoy the design upgrades to give it the proper look and feel of a speakeasy. 

Hopefully, this spot will continue to be busy for some time!

Resources:

Extra Wavy = https://www.extrawavystl.com/

Lucy Quinn

Our ladies night pick for October was Lucy Quinn, which made me super excited to try a new restaurant! I am also happy to see that someone found good use out of the old Beast BBQ location. 

It was awesome that we had a group so I could try so many dishes, and this is a perfect spot for those who love southern cooking.

But first I want to talk about the cocktails...a sweet gin drink for me, called Delta Queen, and Patience got a show with her smoky Old Fashioned!

Delta Queen

Smoky Old Fashioned

I knew right away there were three dishes I had to have, and luckily, plenty of people to share them with. 

BBQ Shrimp was on the small side, but I wasn't worried with more food coming, and I appreciated the bread to help mop up the sauce! I was actually surprised that it didn't have much kick at all, if that is what you were expecting, but that worked out best for me.

BBQ Shrimp

Mac 'n' Cheese is just something I can't say no to and they used gnocchi noodles!! My fav!! I love that they were drowning in the cheese sauce!

Mac 'n' Cheese

But my favorite dish, was actually the Chicken Wings which were crispy and a delicious rub on the outside. This is definitely a must get dish!!

Chicken Wings

We also shared a few dishes as well.

The Roasted Cabbage was quite large and was a nice break from a traditional salad.

Roasted Cabbage

The LQ Fries were actually thick potato wedges and were well worth it. 

LQ Fries

Another friend ordered the Roasted Chicken dinner which came with spoonbread underneath. Quite the hearty meal as well.

Roasted Chicken

Oh... and somehow we found room for three desserts?!?! 

The Nana's Banana Puddin' and Salted Caramel Cheesecake were the most popular, so I was left to eat the German Chocolate Cake by myself...not exactly a southern dish, and unfortunately a little dry, but chocolate enough for me!

Nana's Banana Puddin'

Salted Caramel Cheesecake

German Chocolate Cake

I think there is something for everyone here and there is plenty of room in the dining room.

Lucy Quinn Menu

Resources:

Lucy Quinn = https://www.littlelucyquinn.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

Pared Mystery wine dinner October

Since Patience had not gotten to go to either of my previous fantastic dinners by Pared's Chef Liz at Work & Leisure, she REALLY wanted to go to this one after finding out it was a "mystery" wine dinner!

No, it wasn't one of those dinners in the dark or surprise menus, although we always can dream about another "No Menu Monday". However, it was a blind wine tasting, which Shannon Behnen loves to tease us with. Patience loves to try and guess the wines, although we really had no chance guessing at this dinner. It all worked out though since the pairings went well together.

Course 1: Chicken Bulgogi Eggroll... I didn't know what to expect with this, but I'm pretty sure if you put it in an eggroll , I will eat it! Probably one of the hardiest eggrolls I have eaten.

Chicken Bulgogi Eggroll

Course 2: Wild Boar and Gnocchi...I am a huge gnocchi fan and love any pasta, especially with cheese on top. I was a little worried about finding room in my tummy for everything else if this was just the second dish!

Wild Boar and Gnocchi

Course 3: Duck Confit with Root Veg Hash...another first time for me on Duck Confit...the prettiest dish of the night!

Duck Confit with Root Veg Hash

Course 4: Lamb Shawarma with Coconut Yogurt Tzatziki... when the meat just falls right off... oh my.. what a dish! And yes I picked up the bone at the end to get all the good bits!

Lamb Shawarma with Coconut Yogurt Tzatziki

Course 5: Chai Spiced Honey and Carrot Cake...there was no chocolate involved, but probably best that it was not an intense dessert.

Chai Spiced Honey and Carrot Cake

Where's the wine? Yeah...forgot to a picture of the wine list at the very end when they were revealed. Much apologies!

Mystery Wine Dinner Menu

The best part is that I RAVED to the bartender about her "orange blossom" cocktail that she made at the first dinner and guess what lovely surprise came to me!!! If you're ever at an event there, this is the best cocktail ever...tastes just like a dreamcicle!

Orange Blossom

Chef Liz keeps out doing herself with these dinners, and Patience ALREADY wants to go to the next one, which will be a brunch! Feel free to join us by purchasing tickets from the Work & Leisure website. 

Resources:

Tenacious Eats = https://www.facebook.com/TenaciousEats

Work & Leisure = https://workandleisurestl.com/