Beer Dinner at Stadium Sports Bar in Lumiere Place

One of my very first blog posts was about my experience at SLeeK, formerly a high-end steak restaurant inside the Lumiere Place casino. Unfortunately, this restaurant was replaced by a sports bar called Stadium with TVs all over the place. I’m sure a sports bar will do a lot better in St. Louis.

Since sports bars are nothing all that new here, I never really have a reason to go into Stadium until I saw the Beer Dinner advertised by FEAST magazine. I definitely thought it was a good way to try a few items off their menu as well as give me a chance to try out their extensive beer menu. I had no idea they have so many different beers on tap!

Not only was this five-course Beer Dinner well priced at $30, but the dinner was served buffet style! That meant after we tried everything once, we could go back as many times as we wanted for more food and beer. The benefit of this is that you can mix your own food and beer pairings, along with the all-you-can-eat-and-drink part of course.

The first course was a winner right out of the gate: Petit Strip Steaks in a Caramelized Onion Demi Glace paired with Six Row Double IPA. Both the sauce and Double IPA had strong flavors so it was a powerful pairing together. The steak was very tender and I ended up going back for quite a few more servings, but I actually enjoyed a sweeter beer to help balance out the flavors more.

Since my friend and I both avoid pork, we skipped over the Oven Roasted Pork Loin, but still took a taste of the Boulevard Tank 7. I know a lot of my friends like the medium bodied beer, but it is still too hoppy for me.

The chicken course was a Bacon Wrapped Chicken Glazed with Orange Reduction and again, my friend and I were disappointed that bacon was infiltrating the chicken. Peeling off the bacon also meant losing the orange glaze, leaving a bland and tough chicken behind. This was paired well with the Bell’s Amber Ale, but I’m sure the citrus flavor of the beer went better with the orange glaze.

My second favorite course was the Grilled Atlantic Salmon filet in White Wine Cream, which was paired with one of my all-time favorite beers, Goose Island Matilda. (I often have a hard time deciding between her and her sister, Sofie.) This light and fruity beer was a good pick with fish so that neither one overwhelms the other and is great for summertime. Every time I went back for seconds, I put a piece of steak on my plate, followed by more salmon and a refresh of Matilda.

The dessert course wasn’t chocolate so I only took a few bites of the Cheesecake that came with berries on the side. I find cheesecake to be too rich without some kind of sauce to balance it out, and the New Holland’s Dragons Milk, a thick caramel stout, just weighed down the course even more.

My friend and I looked at the menu as well and unfortunately, there weren't too many vegetables to speak of other than a few salads. Most of the menu consisted of typical fried bar food but our waitress was kind enough to recommend several sandwiches for something different to try for a future visit.

Stadium sports bar might be a good spot to catch a game while you eat, or maybe a good break from the casino, but probably not a destination restaurant like it had been with SLeeK.

Resources:

Stadium Sports Bar = https://www.lumiereplace.com/dining/stadium-sportsbar-and-grill/

FEAST magazine = http://www.feaststl.com/