Jalea

I have been reading about Jalea in the local foodie magazines for some time and then a friend went out there and vouched for it. I finally got the opportunity to go when I realized I had a friend that work out that way, so I used her as an excuse to meet up after work.

I admit that I don't know much about Peruvian food, but I was told the Ceviche was excellent. I may have made the mistake of telling my friends what I had heard since we all ordered the same thing! 

Ceviche with battered shrimp on top

Sorry there aren't too many varied pictures to show off their menu, but this would definitely be my recommendation as well.

I also read this month about their yucca fries so I ordered that as an appetizer. Way less greasy than usual French fries! 

Yucca Fries with dip

My Pisco Sour was also delicious.

Cocktail Menu

I am a big fan of simple menus so your choices are not overwhelming. I was very curious about the rest of the menu.

Menu

Definitely a reason to drive out to St. Charles Main Street!

Note: You must make a reservation as this place fills up fast and they only have one large table. 

Resources:

Jalea = https://www.jaleaperuvianbistro.com/

Seoul Garden

Babsy wanted Korean. I am still not sure why, but Patience was immediately on the case. 

I knew Korean BBQ was a thing, but I hadn't tried a place like Seoul Garden before, where you cook your own food in a grill in the middle of the table! (I still need to tip my friend who did all the work for us.)

I'm hoping they don't let customers mess it up, but I guess you're on your own to decide if the meat is done? It's a lot of money to spend if you end up burning it too. Although I'm hoping that is why the servers walked around and seemed to keep an eye on things.

Starting out...

Anyway, it reminded me of a Brazilian churrascaria, where there is a large amount of meat that just kept coming. Since there were four of us, we each picked a meat, although we would have been better off stopping at two or three meats. (The bill was much easier to split this way though.)

I enjoyed quite a few of the sides, which are lined up in the small white bowls. My favorites were the broccoli, pickled cucumbers, and potatoes, but you got to be careful because they fill you up when you should be eating the meat! 

By selecting the Classic order, it came with two soups, and these were amazing. (In the black bowls in the picture below.) My favorite was the beef, which was perfect on a chilly night. The kimchi was super spicy if you are into that.

Just about done cooking! Also, delicious soup in the black bowls

Warning! You WILL overeat! Make sure you stretch properly and do not order more until you have finished the earlier rounds as you cannot take the rest home. Your stomach will thank you for this.

For a taste of Korean, this was a winner.

Resources:

Seoul Garden = https://koreanbbqstl.com/

Press

Press had been on my list for some time as I was curious about it and well, I love pizza. We were ready for a new food adventure!

This place is small and filled up quick after 6pm, so be sure to get there early on the weekends or be prepared to sit at the bar. We were lucky to get a table for four.

Honestly, we all were blown away by the draft cocktails so even if you don't like pizza, or their version of it, go to the bar!! Look how beautiful my Lavender is!

Lavender

And Patience ordered two Wisconsin Old Fashioneds.

Wisconsin OF

I was relieved that the pizzas were individually sized, but plenty of food, so that we could each try our own.

I chose the Mushroom pizza, since I'm not a big fan of meat pizzas, and it was quite simple. The mushrooms were big and filling, which I loved, although I was so afraid the kale would get stuck in my teeth. 

Mushroom Pizza

Yet, I have to admit that the actual meat pizzas are the real stars here as Patience's BBQ Kimchi and Duck pizza had so many flavors going on. To take it to another level, she added a chunk of Burrata on top. (Becoming not such a cheap pizza in the end.)

BBQ Kimchi and Duck

Looking back, I almost don't recognize the pizzas since they're cooked more like a quesadilla and the toppings are in the middle. I do like how they do top each pizza with some kind of vegetable and sauce. 

But this is such a fun concept, I hope to go back a few more times. The cocktails alone are worth the visit.

Resources:

Press = https://www.press-stl.com/

Bar Moro

I have been a huge Zoe Robinson fan so I was totally crushed when she closed all her restaurants, but I understand her reasons. Looking on the bright side, this has given me three new reasons to try new restaurants this year. We'll see if we make it to all of them...

For my birthday, I knew I wanted to pick one of them and I figured Patience would be up to the task of having an adventurous dinner at Bar Moro. I'm also a huge fan of Ben Poremba and have dined at all of his other restaurants, so I couldn't wait to try his version of Spanish tapas.

There are five sections to the menu and I knew I didn't want a large plate so I could try more of the smaller dishes. My goal was to try something from each section. 

In the middle of the menu are the starters and I knew for sure I wanted oysters (half dozen per order) and shrimp. If you order the sautéed shrimp, be sure to ask for a couple of pieces of bread to mop up the sauce!

Oysters (Ostras)

Sauteed Shrimp (Gambas)

Of course I wanted most of the tapas and since you could select one, three, or five at a time, I found three that I was interested in. The Agromar Tuna Toast was tasty, but the Salt Cod Croquetas were decadent with creamy goodness inside.

Agromar Tuna Toast and Salt Cod Croquetas

Patience suggested the Egg + Caviar and that ended up being the best dish of the night. The saltiness of the caviar with the creaminess of the egg was amazing together. The initial two pieces of bread were definitely not enough, so luckily a server came by with some extra bread to save us. 

Egg + Caviar

There were still two more sections that I wanted to tackle as the charred eggplant (Berenjenas Quemadas) and Fried Potatoes drew our attention. I was actually leaning more towards the Pan Con Tomate, but we already had a couple of dishes with bread. As a French fry fanatic, these fried potatoes were perfectly cooked and well seasoned. I thought the home made "ketchup" had a kick to it so the aioli was more my speed.

The eggplant was somewhat "deconstructed" and the oddest dish of the night. I wasn't quite sure how to eat it. Perhaps it could have been used as a spread over bread as well but I just ate it as is.

Charred Eggplant, honey, tahini, tomato pulp, aged sherry

Fried Potatoes

I would label the Vegetable (Verduras) and Clasicas sections as "medium" plates as they were definitely meant for two people, or could be a filling dish for one. Patience and I were smart and stopped halfway on both of them because we purposely asked about dessert.

Currently, there are four desserts, but you only need to know about one of them. The cheesecake. But this is not your typical cheesecake. Patience described it accurately as flan meets Crème Brule. It totally melts in your mouth and you should definitely pair it with a small glass of Madera with it.

Cheesecake

I was so full and wish I had stopped sooner to make room for the chocolate torte. I think both desserts at one time would have been amazing. 

Since it's a tapas-style restaurant, you'll want to order more frequently throughout your meal, so it makes sense that its group-style service. In football terms, it was a zone defense instead of man to man. But they pulled it off flawlessly. It was impressive.

Yet, I just wish the first server who approached would have given an overview of the menu and explain it to us as newbies to the restaurant. It always pays to do your homework!

The space is still dark and intimate as it was with Billie Jean, but I enjoyed the flow of the staff moving about and there was plenty to watch.

If you love a good food adventure, this is your place. Be sure to get a reservation as early as you can!

Resources:

Bar Moro = https://bengelina.com/bar-moro

Photos by Patience Scanlon

Napoli2

My first birthday dinner of the year was my Dad's pick... he's a picky kind of guy. Yet, I'd never say no to Italian. I'm a big fan of Cafe Napoli in Clayton, so I wasn't worried about whether or not I'd enjoy my meal at Napoli2.

I did my homework ahead of time and ordered one of my favorites, gnocchi. 

Gnocchi

Patience couldn't resist the seafood pasta special that included GIANT shrimp (HA that sounds funny) as well as some scallops as bonus. (I got a bite!)

Shrimp and scallops over tagliatelle pasta

Linda was also swayed by the lamb chop special - I also got a bite!

Lamb Chop

My Dad ordered his favorite, liver and onions, which is what they are known for.

Upscale Italian is a winner every time, although the birthday dessert could have used a splash of chocolate on it!

Vanilla ice cream with cookie

Resources:

Napoli2 = https://www.napolistl.com/dine

Photos by Patience Scanlon