La Paulee de Chateauneuf at Nudo House

To continue on from my previous blog post, I attended a SECOND wine dinner the following month because I couldn't miss two of my favorite things coming together....Chateauneuf du Pape wine and anything created by Chef Marie-Anne Velasco! 

I wouldn't normally think to pair a big red wine with Asian food, but the wines went really well with these rich courses. 

Anyway, I'm just going to let the pictures do the talking. 

While waiting for everyone to arrive, there was a Banh Mi Welcome Board where you could build your own baby Bahn Mi sandwich! So cute! (Here is my work, deconstructed.)

Banh Mi Welcome Board

The first official dish of the night was Braised Pork with rice, and the pork was cooked so well that I didn't get that piggy flavor. Japanese salmon caviar on the side. This was actually my favorite of the night!

Braised Pork

The Vietnamese Ginger Beef Salad was delicious in the tangy dressing. The beef was cooked perfectly.

Vietnamese Ginger Beef Salad

The Lamb Curry was very rich in a coconut curry sauce, and definitely deserved the best of the best CdP!

Lamb Curry

At the end of the night, there was a Rhone Valley wine swap, and it got quite crazy since people eventually began venturing over to other tables. There was a giant magnum too! I wish I had more room for all the chocolate truffles as well.

Chocolate Truffles

What a talented chef! (Don't we look tall here?)

The talented Marie-Anne Velasco

So much girl power that night!

Heather, MAV, STLWinegirl, and Beth

Menu

Resources:

Nudo House = https://www.nudohousestl.com/

Salve Osteria Wine Dinner with Andrey Ivanov

When I saw that Andrey Ivanov, hometown wine hero, was coming back to host a wine dinner at Salve Osteria, I did not hesitate to splurge and sign up.

Andrey is the President and CEO at Bliss Wine Concierge and I would drink anything he recommended really. 

Andrey Ivanov - Bliss Wine Concierge

Check out this menu from Salve Osteria! Two wines per dish too! One course had three!

Salve Osteria Wine Dinner menu

First course - Crudo

Crudo

Second course - Terrine

Terrine

Third course - Duck

Duck

Fourth course - Raviolo

Raviolo

Fifth course - Lemon Sorbet

Lemon Sorbet

And finishing the night with a Rasberry Semifreddo.

Raspberry Semifreddo

Resources:

Salve Osteria = https://www.salveosteria.com/

Bliss Wine = https://blisswineconcierge.com/

Idol Wolf

Even though Idol Wolf is not unique to St. Louis, I was curious about the artsy, 21c Museum Hotel and the restaurant inside. I have loved seeing everyone's crazy selfies and pictures throughout the hotel.

Hotel Wallpaper

I was fortunate to get to try out a few small plates on a trial run before my official reservation for this year's BethFest celebration! Also, great cocktails! It's worth it just to go to the airy, two-story bar area. Both times, I couldn't resist one of their gin and tonics, which come in a glass so big, I have to use two hands! So refreshing on a hot day, too.

Cucumber and Rose Gin & Tonic

Speaking of using your hands, I didn't realize that the theme is Spanish tapas...so be sure to bring friends to share with! My personal favorites were the Pan Con Tomate (I insist you order it with Manchego on top!!) and the Patatas Bravas.

Pan Con Tomate

Patatas Bravas

My next round included Gambas al Ajillo (Argentinian Red Shrimp) and Tuna on Toast. (We almost demolished the shrimp before I remembered to take a picture.)

Gambas al Ajillo

Tuna on Toast

My table also picked out some "piggy themed options": the "Chorizo" Roasted Hen of the Woods and Albondigas (pork and beef meatballs), which had an awesome amount of cheese on it. We were quite full after this.

"Chorizo" Roasted Hen of the Woods

Albondigas

Since we were celebrating BethFest, a dessert round of Churros arrived with a side of chocolate sauce! (Good thing because I forgot my secret pocket chocolate sauce.)

Churros

With so many small plates, I really hope to make it back for more bites, or maybe even a full size entrée! The possibilities are endless.

Resources:

Idol Wolf = https://idolwolfstl.com/

Wright's Tavern

I DID IT! I made it to Wright's Tavern...twice even!

However, it was not easy. The first time, my friend Beth was willing to stand outside with me for half an hour (in the heat) before the restaurant opened in order to land one of four bar seats.

Once inside, I suddenly felt the sadness of missing I Fratellini, but one thing is still the same. The restaurant is small and with the kitchen partially in the dining room, it quite warm inside. Kudos to the staff for looking so calm in tight spaces while wearing a formal jacket.

The second time, I set a reminder on the first of the month to make a reservation at 6AM when I woke up for work. The reservations open up for the next month at midnight on the 1st. Reservations go FAST and the best I could do was an 8:15pm on a Wednesday night. That's not TOO bad of a time, but eating such a heavy meal so late in the evening did not agree with me.

Anyway, I was happy that I knew I had plans to go more than once so I could build a strategy to taste as many items as I could. The first trip, I focused on small plates and appetizers. I do appreciate a concise menu so that choices aren't overwhelming.

All the Hors D'oeuvres are seafood, and while I only picked two, I would have loved to have made all of them my full dinner. It was hard to narrow it down, but I love oysters and crab cakes the most.

The six East Coast Oysters came with a lot of accoutrements, while the Blue Crab meat was topped with a Remoulade.

East Coast Oysters

Baked Crab Cake

Since my friend Beth doesn't like oysters, she started with a Bibb Salad topped with Green Goddess dressing.

Bibb Salad

I did break down and order one side because it was cheesy! The Macaroni Au Grain was quite a dense dish; a "baked mac 'n' cheese" with a crunchy breadcrumb topping. 

Macaroni Au Gratin

Our bar neighbors next to us were regulars and very kind, so I traded some bites of macaroni for a handful of French Fries or Pommes Frites with a side of aioli. That's when I knew what I would order for my second visit.

Pommes Frites

For my second trip, my goal was simple. The Tavern Burger!! It's huge and you should probably split this with a friend. I know that isn't helping sales, so perhaps be happy that you're going to get two meals out of it. And it's made with Iowa Premium Wagyu beef with Prairie Breeze Cheddar on top. Decadent. You can see the cheese oozing out below.

Tavern Burger

My friend Julia started with a Caesar salad and chose the other sandwich on the menu, the French Dip. And ditto as to what I said above. I made the mistake of trying to eat a half after my half of the burger. This was so good the next day too.

Tavern Caesar Salad

French Dip

I admit I am curious about their entrees, with four beef options, and four non-beef choices. 

While I'm happy to have made it in, I'm not sure I will go through all that trouble again in the future, so let me borrow my Mom's friend's quote: Take a picture! (Good thing I took a few!) RIP Roberta. 

Resources:

Wright's Tavern = https://www.wrightswydown.com/

Good Company

I had never heard of Good Company, located in the Grove, but luckily my friend saw an article about it and I may have visited its predecessor Layla?? Either way, it's always fun to try something new!

From the landing page on their website, I could tell there would be good cocktails and that really made our Friday night. The menu is small, so you're not overwhelmed with choices either!

We shared literally almost all of the "Shareables"! Fried Green Tomatoes, Deviled Eggs, Onion Rings, Roasted Cauliflower, and French Fries

Fried Green Tomatoes

Onion Rings

Roasted Cauliflower

French Fries

Deviled Eggs

My friends even tried out a couple of the salads as well. Brussel Sprout Caesar and Golden Beet Salad

Brussel Sprout Caesar

Golden Beet Salad

The largest section on the menu besides the Shareables are four burgers, and Patience ordered the standard "Good Burger", which it had the thickest cut of bacon on it! (I pushed it to the side for my bite, but delicious nonetheless.)

Good Burger

I picked the Mussels to be my "main dish" since I knew the shareable dishes would fill me up quickly. I left most of the bread...

Mussels

The highlight was definitely the cocktails as they have the list broken down by shaken and stirred, so you're bound to find something. 

It's a cute little neighborhood gem if you're looking for something different and good cocktails!

Menu

Drinks

Resources:

Good Company - https://www.goodcompany-stl.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

Flower Child

As soon as I saw advertising for this new restaurant, I had to go. It looked super healthy and I knew it'd be perfect for our monthly Ladies dinner!

The Avocado Hummus was so smooth and creamy and the floor staff was kind enough to bring us more pita. 

Avocado Hummus

I studied ahead of time, which I recommend due to all the choices, and I picked the Mediterranean Chicken Kabob bowl. So many good things mixed together! Summer squash, Portobello mushroom, bell pepper, harissa, quinoa rice, yogurt sauce, and Greek salad.

Mediterranean Chicken Kabob Bowl

I was not too surprised Patience picked the Chicken Yakisoba Noodle bowl since that dish had an Asian flare to it. Luckily, she didn't quite finish so I got to taste! SO good...this was another winner. This bowl had grilled chicken thigh, wok seared vegetables, sesame garlic sauce, and roasted cashews.

Chicken Yakisoba Noodle Bowl

Another friend just wanted something light, so she ordered the Turkey  & Avocado Cobb salad, which included romaine, arugula, red cabbage, avocado, tomato, cucumber, crunchy corn, pickled onion, smoked almond, gorgonzola vinaigrette. I love salads that have a lot going on!

Turkey & Avocado Cobb Salad

The place was packed for a Thursday night, so I probably should have waited a couple of months before trying out a new restaurant, but I really think it'd be a great lunch spot too. 

They have a limited amount of alcoholic drinks though so it still works for dinner, but you should probably pick another spot for dessert.

Resources:

Flower Child = https://www.iamaflowerchild.com/

Frazer's

I probably shouldn't be posting this just because I didn't have my personal photographer with me. I forgot to take pictures of the cocktails and the dessert, which were some of the highlights.

You should DEFINITELY order the "Who Goes There" cocktail.

And you should DEFINITELY order a dessert. I really wanted something chocolatey, but it was the hottest day of the year and the Peach Crumble with Vanilla icing sounded so much more refreshing. (I was DEFINITELY regretting not having my chocolate squeeze bottle on hand.)

The cocktails and ordering ANY dessert came well recommended by my wine friends, and they were spot on. None of them could tell me an entrée to order because they all preferred to make room for cocktails and dessert.

Yet, the entrées were amazing and I cannot wait to go back for more of the menu. I even struggled on what to order, but these were all winners.

I think the Chicken Scallopini was the best dish, but my Halibut special was delicious as well. 

Chicken Scallopini

Halibut special

The Pork Schnitzel is one of their most popular dishes too.

Pork Schnitzel

Even though it's deep in Benton Park by 55, it is worth the trip! It was even busy on a Monday night! DEFINITELY a place to be.

Resources:

Frazer's = https://www.frazersgoodeats.com/