It's that time of year to do the Top 10 posts of 2015 and there was definitely a beer theme that stood out the most as well as repeat top ten location from last year!
Some cool facts: This was my busiest year with 62 posts with March being my busiest month with 12 posts! Funny thing is that is when I changed jobs and started working on putting my condo on the market with less trips to the gym. More time for dining out I guess? I'm definitely paying for it now!
This year I went to several "cheese and beer pairing" classes at Dierberg's Des Peres that was new this year and those posts were very popular, probably due to the rise of craft beers. Although at this point, I am not sure you can still call Goose Island and Sam Adams craft beers, but I really enjoyed the pairings because you don't normally think to add cheese when you're chillin' with a beer!
Hopefully, there will be more cheese pairing class in 2016!
Dinner Lab - Crawfish Boil - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2015/03/dinner-lab-crawfish-boil.html
This was my first Dinner Lab and this was a great way to try one out even though we weren't members. I had heard about it from fellow food blogger Whiskey & Soba, which I read religiously. Since crawfish is one of Patience's favorites, it was worth the price to try this out and they kept bringing out MORE crawfish until we cried uncle. If you're a foodie, definitely worth trying out at least once.
Cheese and Beer Pairing - O'Fallon Brewery - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2015/04/cheese-and-beer-pairings-ofallon-brewery.html
I'm sure folks wanted to support a local brewery and there was a lot of hype about the new location being built in Maryland Heights. It was nice for me to finally get to try all their beers since I was only familiar with their Wheach.
Cheese and Beer Pairing - Sam Adams Part 1 - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2015/02/cheese-beer-pairings-at-dierbergs.html
This was the first of three Sam Adams pairings, which surprised me because I didn't realize they had so many beers! This first one covered their year-round beers, while the later two focused on their seasonal selections.
Cooper's Hawk Winery - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2015/09/coopers-hawk-winery.html
The winery is a big hit since you can have your own decanter at your table. It is super cool to watch and the service was right up there with the ambiance. Oh, and we started in the lobby with a wine tasting while we waited for our reservation. My friend was right, a destination spot for any wine lover!
Cheese and Beer Pairing at Larder & Cupboard - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2015/04/beer-and-cheese-tasting-at-larder.html
This pairing class was held at Larder & Cupboard to help feature their cheese case and it was hosted by The OG: St. Louis Women's Craft Beer Collective as well as Femme Ferment. After sampling 11 beers, I really hope they'll do another one. Definitely a good time was had by all and I learned a lot from these ladies!
Cheese and Beer Pairing - Urban Chestnut - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2015/01/cheese-beer-pairings-at-dierbergs.html
This was the first class in the cheese and beer pairing series and again, a local brewery was featured. I also quickly learned that I would be full just on cheese for these classes!!!
Libertine Clayton Restaurant Week - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2015/07/the-libertine-clayton-restaurant-week.html
Libertine was the top post of 2014 for me where I talked about their fried chicken. This time, the Libertine has a new chef and a new menu so we had to check it out and support Chef Matt Bessler. Even with all the changes, it's still one of the top restaurants I recommend to people here. Their cocktail program is still killer.
Cheese and Beer Pairing - Sam Adams Part 2 - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2015/06/cheese-and-beer-pairings-sam-adams-part.html
For the second Sam Adams pairing, we got to taste their summer seasonals and they included Angry Orchard in the list as well. Plenty of porch pounders!
O'Fallon Brewery - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2015/07/ofallon-brewery.html
I wanted to go and support the opening of the new O'Fallon Brewery right away since it was right in the backyard of my condo when I lived in Maryland Heights. Opening night was insane, but I was able to attend a couple of weeks later. I love all the space for happy hour and plenty of tables for sit down dinner. Definitely upscale bar food and plenty of TVs for Cardinals baseball. Maryland Heights is very lucky and I wish I still lived over there to visit more often.
LuLu's Local Eatery - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2015/03/lulus-local-eatery.html
This small, vegan-friendly restaurant was recommended to us by foodie friends and it took us a couple of tries to get there after the winter, but it was worth it. Now I know what the hype was about and I was really impressed with the whole place. It's small and busy on the weekends, but it's a place you feel good about supporting.