Monday, February 12, 2018

Shake Shack

It was my birthday... so that meant we were going to stand in line for 35 minutes, and then another 20 minutes or so until our order was ready at Shake Shack!

I was super excited....
We made it!
Luckily, it was during the winter thaw weekend, but since it was a Saturday afternoon, there were a lot of kids. The best time to go would probably be during the week, and hopefully the hype will eventually die down.

Not only did I study the menu during the week before, but we had a lot of time to think about what to order once we got in the door. I definitely wanted to try a shake, so chocolate it was! Patience was a little more adventurous since she got one of the shake specials which rotate monthly.

Fries, cheeseburgers, and shakes, oh my!
I knew I would keep it simple with my first time and choose the single cheeseburger and cheese fries. Patience really wanted to try the chili fries, so we had to get our own.

I think next time I'll upgrade to the double cheeseburger and share the fries. The shake was SUPER filling, so maybe even share that too.

I almost felt like I was in downtown Manhattan for a second...

Resources:

Shack Shack CWE = https://www.shakeshack.com/location/central-west-end-mo/

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

I Fratellini

Round two of "Zoe" restaurants meant that we spent my birthday at I Fratellini, which was even more desired due to Elli Snyder's weekly reviews that have been taunting Patience for years.

Even though it was an extra cold winter night, the restaurant was quite warm due to the kitchen. I'm guessing that is the reason why the gentlemen requested to move to the newly opened table that had been waiting for our reservation.

Since they might have been regulars, I politely let them know that they were welcome to have a dessert delivered to our table in exchange for our extra wait time and giving up the more comfortable seating. They just laughed and I shook their hands as if we were old friends.

The tactic worked and we received a lovely bottle of Prosecco to start our evening!

For the first course, I had to pick the cheesiest dish, which turned out to be the Speck with Artichoke Hearts and Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. (You know I picked out all the good bits.)

Speck with Artichoke Hearts and Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano
Patience and Linda enjoyed a Roasted Beet Salad with Gorgonzola and Walnuts, while my Dad played it safe with potato soup.

Roasted Beet Salad with Gorgonzola and Walnuts
To help Patience make the most out of her first time, I agreed to the Spaghetti with Lobster Tail, Butter, Garlic and Shallots, while she chose the Squid Ink Linguine with Mussels and Chorizo.

Spaghetti with Lobster Tail, Butter, Garlic and Shallots

Squid Ink Linguine with Mussels and Chorizo
Linda kept it mild with the Pappardelle with Wild Mushrooms and Shallots in Brown Butter and Sage, while my Dad ordered his usual meat and potatoes.

Pappardelle with Wild Mushrooms and Shallots in Brown Butter

Grilled Beef Filet with Fresh Wild Mushrooms and Escalloped Potatoes
Since Linda and I were both celebrating our twin birthdays, we had to have dessert! There was plenty of gelato, but since there was no chocolate option, I ordered the Chocolate Mousse Torta instead. I'm sure you're very surprised.

Vanilla Bean Gelato

Chocolate Mousse Torta
Definitely a good birthday!

Happy birthday, Linda!
Resources:

I Fratellini = https://www.ifratellini.com

Photos by Patience Scanlon