Sunday, September 22, 2019

The Blue Duck

I am grateful that I have good friends who enjoy celebrating birthdays...or rather, who are willing to use their birthdays as an excuse to get together, catch up, and try new restaurants!

I still hadn't been to The Blue Duck and it came with great recommendations. The restaurant has an upscale name, but has more of a neighborhood feel on the inside. There is a cute bar area and plenty of open space in the main dining room. You're greeted by a baked goods display case made by the owner herself, so be sure to save room for dessert!

I was surprised by how many burgers and sandwiches there were on the menu so that also gave me a hint that there was a more casual feel to the place.

Menu
Gail ordered The Classic burger, although there was a ginormous eight ounce Slamburger special of the week called the Luke Fry Walker, the regular burger was plenty for one person.

Classic Burger 
I definitely wanted to try something duck and the Duck Fried Rice hit the spot. A quarter leg of duck as well as "duck ham" mixed in with the fried rice. I am glad that we skipped the appetizers so I had room.

Duck Fried Rice
We barely saved room for dessert, but we kept it small with Gail's pick of the "blue duck" sugar cookie. Isn't he cute? Although, not quite big enough for a candle.

The Blue Duck
Now that I know what to expect, I can't wait to go back in and try a few more things as they have a variety of dinner salads, appetizers, and unique duck dishes. Or just grab sandwich during lunch.

Resources:

The Blue Duck = http://blueduckstl.com/

Thursday, September 19, 2019

PW Pizza Best of Missouri Beer Dinner 2019

Unfortunately, Uinta had to pull out from their beer dinner and PW Pizza was able to put together a "Best of Missouri" beer dinner in its place. We didn't mind one bit and was looking forward to being surprised!

The first course was a little heavier as we started out with a small bowl paella paired with Six Mile Bridge's Pilsner. We were used to a salad or small appetizer, but this was a healthy portion. This was one of my favorite pairings as the flavors were the most mild out of what was to come next!

Paella
The chefs went over the top on spice with the Shawarma Pizza and even though it was smartly paired with the Urban Chestnut Fantasyland IPA (IBU of 60!), my mouth was definitely on fire. So many tables didn't want their "seconds", so they ended up at our table! GAH! I couldn't even finish off my second piece.

Shawarma Pizza
Luckily, the next pairing was a little more calm with the Lasagna Pizza paired with a Public House Bierleichen, which was similar to an Octoberfest style beer. The pizza didn't remind me too much of lasagna as it was more of a sausage pizza.

Lasagna Pizza
For dessert, the 4 Hands Ripple, a white ale, was light, fruity, and easy to drink...another winner for me, although it got overwhelmed by the Pear Strudel. That was adorable!

Pear Strudel
Maybe they'll put one of these on the list again next year! It's so nice to have all these great local breweries near by!

Best of Missouri Menu
Resources:

PW Pizza = https://pwpizza.com/

Six Mile Bridge = http://sixmilebridgebeer.com/

Urban Chestnut = http://urbanchestnut.com/

Public House = https://1764pub.com/

4 Hands = https://4handsbrewery.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Midwestern Meat & Drink

I know that it feels like there is a lot of BBQ around town lately, but this one is definitely worth traveling downtown for! Yes I'm talking to you, county folks!

Hopefully by now you know that the chef is from Big Baby Q, where he got many accolades. And he has one of the top bartenders in the area as well. So be sure to get a cocktail while you're there.

We may have had a few...

I went with gin as usual (Hendrick's) with this Sweet Summer Lovin'.

Sweet Summer Lovin'
There is even a Manhattan of the Month! This is The Company You Keep with Espolon Reposado.

The Company You Keep
You can still keep it traditional with Yellow Roses or a 9 to 5 Mule (modeled by Laura).

Yellow Roses

9 to 5 Mule
All the appetizers looked tasty so we picked a couple out...make sure you save room for the meat though!
Fried Green Tomatoes

Smoked Deviled Eggs
Both of the appetizers were winners and this is definitely the time of year for those fried green tomatoes! Lightly battered with a sweet tomato jam, aioli, and ricotta on top.

If you share the apps, then you'll still have room for the main courses. It's hard to pick a platter with just one kind of meat though...hopefully they'll add a "pick two" at some point. There is a huge sampler platter, but that seemed to be enough for four people so we decided to just get our own.

We all got platters, which is the best deal since it comes with two sides AND cornbread. We almost got all the sides between the four of us!

I played it safe with my turkey...don't judge! Definitely had to get the Mac 'N' Cheese though. Also, the pit beans.

Turkey Breast Platter with Mac N Cheese and Pit Beans
The beef rib is only available on the weekends so be sure to get it if you can!

Beef Rib Platter with Creamy Coleslaw and Collard Greens
The St. Louis style ribs still look good though, although the potato salad wasn't what I expected.

St. Louis Style Ribs with pit beans and Candied Bacon-Jalpeno Potato Salad
And check out the rings on that Brisket!

Brisket Platter with Fresh Dill Pickles and Potato Salad
The dill pickles were tasty, but I'm not sure I'd use up a side for 'em.

I also highly suggest you go when the Cardinals are not in town or in the off season because I have no doubt it's packed on game days!

Resources:

Midwestern Meat & Drink = https://midwesternstl.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon