Aperi

I had no idea Aperi was a Spanish-style tapas restaurant because I did NOT do my proper homework. So let me do it for you and tell you that it was an amazing experience. 

Aperi

You should bring as many friends as you can because you'll want to try as many things on the menu as possible!

As someone who loves to order as much as I can, Patience and I took it up a level and chose the Chef's Tasting, which included several of the dishes on the menu as well as some elevated items. Then we didn't have to make any other choices the rest of the night.

Our "anniversary friends" Matt and Alisha, ended up just ordering off of the menu directly, so we really got to try SO many things! 

Anniversary Dinner Friends, Matt and Alisha

The four-course Chef's Tasting often came with multiple items, so there was plenty of food without being overwhelming. I was stoked when we started off with oysters, since that's what I wanted most off the regular menu. Of course I wanted ten more, but it's just as well we didn't have too many since there was so much more dishes to try!

Oysters (East Coast)

My friends started with the House-Made Ricotta, which came large toasted bread to mop it up with.

House-Made Ricotta

Next up for Patience and I was beef carpaccio topped with watermelon radishes and cheese! These homemade chips were perfect for picking up the slices of beef since they were so sturdy. I hope they offer the chips for other dishes because they are amazing. One of my favorite dishes of the night.

Beef Carpaccio

Chips

Both sides of the table ordered the Fried Brussel Sprouts since it's Patience's favorite vegetable and the server said it was their most popular dish. They were served in a black sesame foam so I thought they were actually not bad. Frying them to a crisp is probably the way to go, and I could see why they are so popular.

Fried Brussel Sprouts

A perfect spring or summer dish, this citrus salad with beautifully cut oranges and grapefruit, with pistachios, olives and feta cheese on top. This was definitely a winner for me with so many of my favorite flavors together on one plate!

Citrus Salad

Next up, we started to get into the "meat" of our dinner with the Galician Octopus and Agnolotti. Agnolotti is one of my favorite pastas ever, and they were just adorable! (It's the main reason I agreed to the Chef's Tasting.) The octopus was so delicious with the greens and sweet potatoes, and I didn't feel they were chewy at all. Tasted more like well cooked fish instead.

Galician Octopus

Agnolotti

My tablemates also made excellent choices this round with the Croquetas de Bacalo, filled with fish and a remoulade sauce on top. Yet, the big winner was the Braised Pork Cheek served in a tomato brodo with basil butter on top! Almost too pretty to eat and my friend and I just kept spooning up the tomato from the bottom of the bowl.

Croquetas de Bacalao

Braised Pork Cheek

Last, but not least, was the dessert course, and we got two at once! The Creme Brulee with peaches stood out as the Amaro Sundae was too bitter for me. 

Creme Brulee

Amaro Sundae

My friends and I shared the Basque Carrot flavored Cheesecake. It was a unique take on the combination of concepts, but you really have to like carrot cake with the texture of cheesecake. 

Basque Carrot Cheesecake

If you had to ask me what I'd recommend from the menu, I'd have to pick the Fried Brussel Sprouts and the Octopus, which even surprises me. If you can, the Chef's Tasting is the best way to order if you don't mind a food adventure.

Menu

Resources:

Aperi = https://www.aperistl.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

Goddesses of the Glass at The Fountain on Locust

The Goddesses of the Glass event was my second event in a row celebrating women in food and beverage! This one was held at The Fountain on Locust, who paired their regular menu items with the selected wine, sake, and cocktail that was the focus of the evening. 

Darryl Vennard was our host as he explained their connection to exceptional women!

Wines and Sake

Honestly, I was also interested in trying some of the Fountain dishes that I normally would never order. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about the pickle soup, and it lived up to the hype! The Fukucho sake was an interesting pairing, but it did cut through the thickness of the soup.

Pickle Soup

The Spinach Artichoke Dip was shared at the table, and this totally could be a full meal. It's very addictive to eat and it stood out because there weren't huge chucks of artichokes to get in the way. Every bite was super creamy. This made the Heron Sauvignon Blanc a good pairing, although normally something more crisp would be required. 

Spinach Artichoke Dip

The Prosperity Panini was actually a vegetarian sandwich of spicy hummus, tomato, onion, red pepper, and zucchini. With all those rich flavors, the Graffito Malbec was able to stand up to it. Unfortunately, I was so stuffed from the previous courses, I had to skip the bread. I would definitely recommend this to a vegetarian friend, although you could add turkey or ham to this sandwich when ordering it off the menu.

Prosperity Panini

One last Fountain classic was the World's Smallest Ice Cream Sundae and you better believe I somehow found room for this dessert! The Epilogue Cocktail made up of Kamora an Fernett Branca was a bit too bitter and heavy for me.

World's Smallest Ice Cream Sundae

Hopefully there will be more themed dinners on Monday nights while they are closed!

Menu

Resources:

The Fountain on Locust = https://www.fountainonlocust.com/

Mavaro Women

Chef Marie-Anne Valesco and Angela Ortmann (STLwinegirl) have been wanting to do a wine dinner for a very long time, but life kept getting in the way.

So I was super excited to hear that this finally was going to happen, and just in time for International Women's Day too! Chef Marie-Anne has quite an extensive chef resume, and I was excited to see what she would make for us!

In order to honor several female chefs, these dishes were Chef Marie-Anne's own take on them. What creativity!

Turns out Chef Marie-Anne was also quite familiar with shucking oysters and I think this was the largest one I have ever had! I could have used a couple more of these east coast oysters. I think sparkling sake is the best version of sake, so it was a perfect pairing with seafood. 

Eagle's Nest East Coast Oyster

The salad course brought back the famous goat cheese on greens, but this time the cheese was in the form of a crisp on the side. The dressing was delicious...could I buy a bottle of it? The goat cheese crisps were my favorite of course. The Bull and Brook rose stood up to all the flavors and I love that Ashley Trout, the winemaker, also has a wine brand that donates money to the field workers.

Goat cheese sourdough, endive, arugula, parsley, fennel, red wine vinaigrette

I am a HUGE fan of agnolotti or any kind of dumpling, so I would have been happy if this had been the main course. Angela requested a clarified butter "brodo" and Chef Marie-Anne made it happen! I was also blown away by this Luca Chardonnay pairing as well because while there was the traditional oaky flavors, it didn't coat your mouth as a medium-bodied wine. It really let the pasta shine!

Kabocha Squash Agnolini

You can't have a women's themed dinner without a nod to Julia Child, but Chef Marie-Anne's take on it provided a unique version of beef bourguignon that had seared edges. We also got to try her specialty, caramelized pickled onions, which was included on the side of this dish. We definitely wanted a jar of those to take home as well. Of course a big red Cotes Du Rhone was a good match with the beef dish.

Beef Bourgignon on top of a Pomme Puree with mushrooms,
tournee carrots, sunchokes, and caramelized pickled onions

We were plenty full at this point, but the Buko Pandan Cake that looked like a Baked Alaska was so unique. The Moscato from Black Girl Magic was just as sweet, so it was perfect for dessert.

Buko pandan cake, ube custard, toasted meringue

This was just the first-time experiment so look for more to come!

Chef Marie-Anne Velasco and STLwinegirl Angela Ortmann

Menu

Photos by Patience Scanlon