Blood & Sand Birthday Dinner

Normally I don’t write about second trips to restaurants, or I may just add some comments when I get to try new dishes, but I know that it won’t be often that I’ll get to go to Blood & Sand since it is a membership only bar and restaurant. It just worked out that I have a well-connected friend who was celebrating a birthday so I made sure not to miss!

Since Blood & Sand is known for their cocktails, thanks to top mixologist, TJ Vytlacil, I made sure to study their drink menu closely to find a good match for myself. I went with the drink entitled “Baby Don’t You Change” since it includes Riesling among its many ingredients. I try to go for sweet when it comes to mixed drinks, but the alcohol was still quite overpowering for me.

Like most top restaurants, I want to order one of everything and I really struggled with trying to select something from the menu. I tried to focus on the entrees at first and was torn between the Filet and the Mushroom Cannelloni since it’s something different, but there were too many small plates that I wanted to try.

Before I could even order, our hostess went ahead and selected the well-known Truffled Tater Tots with Parmesan sprinkled on top for everyone to try. Oh my goodness. They melted in in your mouth with such smooth and creamy insides. I probably could have just dined on several servings of them for the night. Amazing.

I broke down and went with a couple small plates, hoping it would be the right amount of food, as well allow me to try the Chilled White Asparagus as a starter. After tasting it at the Celebrity Chef dinner the week before, it was just as good this time around and came with Baetje Farms Bloomsdale Cheese, in addition to Basil and Mixed Nut Granola. Such great flavors together!

The first small plate I tried was the Tallegio Cheese Agnollotti. I had been wanting to try agnollotti after hearing about it at Stellina so I figured I’d try their version. I knew I couldn’t go wrong since these were stuffed with oyster mushrooms, pecans, and truffle honey in addition to the cheese. Delicious!

The second small plate I chose was the Gnudi because I had it before at Acero and it was one of my favorites there. The gundi were mixed in with a plate of smoked chicken as well for a very heavy and filling dish. Perfect on a cold and rainy night.

I also was very lucky that I was with such good friends that I got to try the Mushroom Cannelloni after all and it was definitely “mushroom heaven”. All you can taste is mushrooms and creaminess.

Since we were there celebrating a birthday, our server generously donated the desserts and I got to try them all. Even though I was so full already, I forced myself to make room for dessert. Every single one was fantastic, although with my bias, the Chocolate Mousse was the best. I also tried the Rhubarb Buckle, Carrot Cake (huge piece!) and trio of sorbet that consisted of some crazy flavors like “bubble gum”! hehehe

Special shout out to Patrice Clements for organizing the birthday party and allowing my friends and I to join you.

Resources:

Blood & Sand = http://bloodandsandstl.com/

Blood and Sand

I recently started hearing about this new “exclusive club” membership restaurant, Blood & Sand, and of course that just made me want to check it out. Luckily, they recently hosted a “Monday Cocktail Club” dinner that was open to the public. I immediately had a warm spot for Blood & Sand since I recognized the address as the old Red Moon, which is the first time I was introduced to my favorite wine, Riesling.

That night we had a special menu for the cocktail event so I’m not sure how many of the items are on the regular menu, but it was awesome to at least get a taste. The cocktails were made with spirits distilled from The Local Wine & Spirits Company and most of them were quite strong for me.

There were four courses on the menu, moving from appetizer to dessert. Each course was fantastic but the portions were a little small. The cocktails were actually more generously proportioned than the food so I didn’t have more than a few sips of the drinks.

My favorites were the main courses: smoked chicken consumme with goat cheese tortellini and the bacon wrapped meatloaf. While I took off the bacon, the dense meatloaf was the perfect fall and winter dish. I definitely wanted more, especially since I am on a quest for the ultimate meatloaf.

I think I’ll just list the menu since it really speaks for itself.

Course 1:
Exchange Vodka, Aperol, Punte E Mes Vermouth, Rinse of Pumpkin Vinaigreet, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white, toasted pumpkin seeds served with a fall salad of baby greens, beets, apples, radish, pumpkin vinaigrette

Course 2:
Whipper Snapper Whiskey, Isley Scotch, Anis, Bianco Vermouth, Peychauds served with smoked chicken consumme, goatcheese tortellini

Course 3:
Ransom Old Tom Gin, Whipper Snapper, Yellow Chartreuse, Mole Bitters, Lux Bitters served with bacon wrapped meatloaf, Coca Cola glaze, olives, pepperoncini

Course 4:
Smalls Gin, Local Honey, Coffee, Velvet Fallernum lemon zest, Cassis Whip Cream served with doughtnuts, lemon curd

Resources:

Blood & Sand = http://bloodandsandstl.com/

Local Wine & Spirits Company = http://localwineandspirits.com/