Sunday, September 29, 2013

Taste

I had an event to go to in the city and was by myself so I figured I would take advantage and hit up the last Gerard Craft restaurant that I had yet to go to. I have been there once for a drink before but like always, I was dying to trying their menu!

Taste is definitely a place that lived up the hype and I recommend sitting at the bar if there is room. The bartenders put on quite a show! I really don't know how they learn all the incredibly complex cocktails that are available between the uniquely created ones and all the classics listed on the menu!

Since the cocktail menu is quite lengthy, I would just let the bartender know what kinds of flavors or spirits you prefer and they'll point you in the right direction. I knew to select something with citrus, which was right on the top of the list: Curious Flowers. This ended up being perfect for me since it was plenty sweet with a floral scent and very little booze taste!

The food menu is much more reasonable in size, but yet I still suggest studying in advance because the focus is on small plates and I had difficulty choosing just a couple to try. I did notice a lot of piggy options so that helped me narrow it down, and I must also confess that the two items that I selected were not on the menu listed on the website. I always appreciate a restaurant that tailors their menu to the season.

I started with a heirloom tomato salad with a light balsamic dressing. Nothing too fancy or exciting and perhaps a bit overpriced, but still delicious. As for the Cioppino with Fetticini noodles...only a couple dollars more and it was amazing. The noodles helped to soak up the flavor and were every bit as tasty as the mussels. I even made friends with the customer sitting next to me and I almost offered to help her finish her Cioppino as well...

Like I said before, Taste really lived up to the hype and it's a great romantic spot. Certainly better for smaller parties. The restaurant is very small so be sure to get there early or be comfortable dining at the bar. Luckily, it is patio weather, so that really is the best spot of them all.

Resources:

Taste = http://tastebarstl.com/

Square One Brewery

I am definitely late to the party when it comes to Square One Brewery, but it is not all that often that I am down in the Lafayette Square area. I have heard wonderful things about their patio, Macaroni Mondays, Build A Burger Tuesdays, as well as their top notch beers. AND there’s a distillery?! But I was most curious about their menu…

Little did I realize that they had a lengthy menu and I was quickly overwhelmed! I did not have time to prepare or study! On one hand, this means that everyone is happy…there is SOMETHING on the menu for everyone as well as a good variety on the beer and cocktail list too. This only made me wish it were closer since it will definitely require repeat visits.

I was easily tempted by some of my favorites such the Nicoise salad and the Pan Seared Crab Cakes but since I was in a brewpub, I went with a more traditional choice and tried their Beer Cheese Soup as an appetizer. The soup is actually delivered with the beer in a separate container so you can mix in as much as you like. The beer helped to cut through the thick cheese soup, so I ended up dumping the whole thing in…way more flavor that way!

Yet, I’m not sure I made the right selection with the Mahi Mahi Tacos. There was a good amount of heat from the chipotle marinade, and a lighter beer (I had an Oh Hawaii since the Oh Honey was already out) was a good pairing, but probably not crisp or sweet enough to cut through the heat. Since I wasn’t too hungry, I appreciated the list of “micro plates” so I didn’t have to order anything too heavy.

I have a feeling anything heartier on their “macro plates” or “pub sandwich” list would definitely be a better match for a beer. 

Since it was one of the last sweltering days of summer, I didn’t get to enjoy the beer garden either. I will definitely have to go back…

Resources:

Square One Brewery = http://www.squareonebrewery.com/

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Milwaukee Revisted

Last year I posted about my "cheese" adventures while visiting Milwaukee. In case you forgot, you can check it out here: http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2012/08/milwaukee-cheese.html

Thanks to those adventures, I finally got the chance for my first guest blog post on "I am Meg", where I talked about my trip in addition to all the cheese that I ate.

Check it out!

http://iammegandsocanyou.com/2013/09/around-world-milwaukee.html

Saturday, September 7, 2013

The Shaved Duck

I had been wanting to visit The Shaved Duck just because so many of my friends had been talking about it and it wasn’t until Thirst For Paws that I had a really good excuse to finally make plans to go. I hadn’t even researched the restaurant, so I had no idea where they were located (just east of Tower Grove Park) and that they were known for their BBQ! (Not to mention Guy Fieri visited recently and the restaurant will be shown on The Food Network in the near future!)

The Shaved Duck is a very small restaurant and they don’t take reservations. Their bar area is also very small, so be prepared to wait and possibly stand. Even though it was a Thursday night, the restaurant was still plenty busy, so I would probably recommend an earlier in the week visit. Luckily, there is a very eclectic and inexpensive craft beer list, so my friends and I had no problem finding something new and interesting to drink while we waited. I tried a blueberry cider…SUPER sweet!

I had a hard time trying to figure out what to order since I’m not the biggest meat eater, so I figured I would try as many duck courses as I could since that seems to be the theme, although any BBQ lover would be happy there with all the meats well represented.

I started with the Duck Confit as an appetizer, which was a duck thigh poached in its own fat served on top of lettuce in a vinaigrette dressing. I was a little curious about their crab cakes, but was too “chicken” to order them.

Duck Confit
Yet, my friend Dan was NOT ashamed to order the large plate of Smothered Fries, which is really enough for four people. There was only a little bit of meat but A LOT of home-made cheese sauce that I just wanted to dive into it.

Smothered Fries
I wasn’t up for a big slab of meat since it was such a hot day (both outside and inside the restaurant), so the Duck & Blue Cheese flatbread seemed to be a good compromise. The bread quickly got soggy, but I was interested in the duck meat and cheese anyway. Both duck dishes were very juicy and not too gamey, so I was impressed with both duck courses.


The males of the group had no qualms about ordering huge amounts of meats though. One friend ordered “The Boss”, which is a slow smoked beef brisket smothered in a bacon swiss cheese sauce, topped with onion rings and a side of caramelized onion mashed potatoes.


Then another friend dared to get the “Big Jimmy Sampler”, which includes three St. Louis style spare ribs, beef brisket, pulled pork, and some pulled smoked chicken. On top of that he ordered a side of cornbread the size of my head. Needless to say, he took home quite a bit of leftovers.


Another friend ordered the smoked meatloaf, but he ate it so quickly, I didn’t quite get a good look at it, but I have to admit, I am very curious for next time…

My vegetarian of the group had a limited set of choices, so it’s probably not the best place to go with a veg-head. But Patience did enjoy her veggie sandwich with green peppers, brussels sprouts, tomatoes, artichokes, and cheese, also with a side of brussels sprouts.


Loved the atmosphere…very casual, small bar, cute patio area, but excellent BBQ without heavy sauces. The meat definitely speaks for itself.

Resources:

The Shaved Duck = http://www.theshavedduck.com/