Where we are quaran-dining in October

October is Pai's birthday month so I made her pick where she wanted to eat on her birthday. Normally, we narrow down birthday picks to one of the hot, new restaurants that just opened up, but there isn't quite the same hype going on these days. Even after reviewing an article about recently opened restaurants, a lot of them were closed on Tuesday, her birthday night.

Luckily, there was a neighborhood favorite, Boogaloo, that helped fill her craving for mussels, while I ordered the jumbalaya!

Jumbalaya

Then Pai had to pick again as it was her turn for "Take Out Friday"! Again, Pai struggled with what to choose so she asked an English Tik Tok friend who felt "fish and chips" should be represented. So we ordered from one of her favorite hangouts, Nick's Pub.

Fish N Chips

Not exactly a "dining" event, but we tried a new virtual activity by joining Feast Magazine's "Virtual Oktoberfest" beer tasting. They delivered nine cans of beer and some swag so you could drink along with the brewers online. Pai and I quickly learned that we should only open a few of the beers so as to be able to enjoy all the beers at a later time.

Oktoberfest Lineup

Chatting with Cat Neville and the brewers

The Urban Chestnut "O-Katz" Oktoberfest Lager and the Six Mile Bridge German Pilsner were my favorites so far. The Public House Brewing "Giddy Goat Coffee Milk Stout" and O'Fallon Brewing's "Knotty Pretzel Beer" were Pai's favorites.

From the "new restaurant" list, I wanted to try the new O + O Pizza! Take note, the pizza is VERY thin and VERY St. Louis-style. So be prepared! We got our usual variety of Pepperoni, Sausage, and a Margherita pizza along with toasted ravioli (SO filling, must order). We also ordered two salads; a regular Italian style and Brussels Sprout slaw.

Margherita Pizza with Chopped Salad

My original plans fell through the following Friday, but luckily we live near enough delicious restaurants that I was able to order Trattoria Marcella very quickly! They are known for their plump Toasted Raviolis. 

Toasted Ravioli from Trattoria Marcella

And for the last Friday night in October (there were five of 'em!), Gioia's Deli was staying open late on weekends so we took advantage and got the world-famous "Hot Salami". 

Hot Salami and side salad

Mathew's Kitchen

Unfortunately, Mathew's Kitchen has closed.

By now you probably know that Del Pietro has been replaced by Mathew’s Kitchen, and while I am sad that a long-time St. Louis restaurant is no longer there, I did want to give the new restaurant its fair shake.

The restaurant is still beautiful on the inside with plenty of room up on the second level, including a separate room for a private party too. I felt like I was in someone’s home walking upstairs and I think that fits well with the “comfort food” theme.

FEAST magazine hosted its July tasting there so we got to try a number of items off the menu. We started with a crab cake, one of my all-time favorite appetizers, and the creaminess of the cakes went well with a crisp, sauvignon blanc. On the menu, they’re called “sliders” even though it’s not a mini-hamburger, and they’re made from roasted corn with cilantro lime aioli.

Mathew’s Kitchen has quite a few piggy options so of course there were two bacon-themed items on the tasting menu for that night as well. Another appetizer menu item, the second course consisted of the bacon jelly on top of a crostini and paired with a pinot noir. Again, this was another well-balanced pairing since the pinot tamed down the sweetness of the jelly and helped to mask some the bacon flavor for me. The bacon jelly can be found under the “sad pig” menu label and comes with bleu cheese crumbles.

The third course was Mathew’s interpretation of meatloaf, wrapped in bacon and a light spread of BBQ sauce. As usual, it was easy to strip the full piece of bacon around the outside, but then you also lost a lot of the BBQ sauce. I overheard Mathew say that he was not much of a fan of meatloaf so he came up with his own creation. With such a meaty course, a red zinfandel with high tannins was able to stand up to this dish and balance out the sweetness of the BBQ sauce.

Last but not least was the dessert course: apple strudel with a Fess Parker Riesling! I believe Fess Parker is one of the wineries I got to visit while out in Santa Barbara a few of years ago and both were equally paired with the same amount of sweetness.

My friends and I stayed for dinner but I have to admit, I really was not hungry at all. There were a lot of meaty items on the menu so I was most interested in the lighter fresh fish of the day, but I was smart and stuck with the appetizers that we shared at the table. Mathew’s specialty is the pig wings, which luckily didn’t have too much piggy taste to it but my favorite was the “cheese and crackers”: baked goat cheese in a tomato basil sauce. I could have eaten it as a meal by itself with a big spoon but I was courteous and spread the gooey sauce on the crostinis it came with.

Resources:

FEAST magazine = http://www.feaststl.com/

Mathew’s Kitchen = http://mathewskitchenstl.com/

Acero

I was super excited about this month’s FEAST tasting (hosted by STLwinegirl, Angela Ortmann) because I had been to Acero a couple of years ago and loved it then, so I was definitely in need of a return visit. The best part of the tasting is that it featured some of the best dishes so I knew what to order for dinner afterwards. Also, all the wines on their list are strictly Italian with quite a few from the Tuscany region.

We started with bubbles and fish, an evenly matched pairing: Smoked Steelhead Trout Crudo with Cavit Prosecco Lunetta. The thinly sliced trout actually tasted like salmon to me and the tartness of the Prosecco helped to cut through the fishy flavor – a good balance.

Next was the Gnocco Fritto (meaning fried), which they call a “meat donut”. I really thought the meat would be inside the “donut” part because it looked like a fried ravioli, but instead the prosciutto was laid on top. I guess you don’t really want the “meat” to get fried too. With all that greasy flavor, it was a good thing that the wine had a crisp flavor to help cut through it. The Le Rote Vernaccia di San Gimignano is not oaky like a Chardonney but perhaps closer to a Chenin Blanc for me in taste.

My favorite course of the night was the Gnudi, a dumpling that tasted exactly like Gnocchi to me! The inside was creamy and dipped in a marinara sauce. This dish ended up being my starter for dinner. The wine paired with it was Zonin Chianti, a slightly dry red that helped to cut through the rich flavors of the gundi. I definitely would not drink Chianti by itself.

Another suggested pairing is the Chianti with the Tagliantelle, which is Acero’s homemade pasta: a fetticini noodle, mixed with wild mushrooms, in a very light cream sauce. Luckily, my friend Beth let me try a couple of bites and it was heavenly. The cream sauce did not overwhelm the dish and the fresh pasta and mushroom flavors really stood out. I definitely would go back just to order that. It’s quite filling so you wouldn’t need much of an appetizer.

The last pairing was a Polenta Bolognese with La Mozza I Perazzi Morellino di Scansano, a very dry red wine. I never would have thought to put polenta with a red, meat sauce, and it was a soupy combination. The meat sauce was a bit too strong for the polenta and the wine overpowered both of them. I am thinking the wine would go better with the rack of lamb, another recommended pairing, and I had my eye on my friend Tony’s order across the table. Just might have to order one of everything next time?

Upon recommendation, I knew I was going to order the Egg Raviolo as my main course for dinner that night. Just like it says, this dish is a giant ravioli with a raw egg on the inside so when you cut it open, the egg yolk runs everywhere. So rich and creamy, I really think it could be paired with either a dry white or red wine.

I had a request for dessert back at the office and so I picked out a couple to try. I thought I would bring in some tiramisu, but there wasn’t one listed on the menu. Instead, I picked out the Ricotta Cheesecake and the Panna Cotta, which is a eggless custard. Again, more thick, rich, creamy flavors that fill you up after just one bite! I was a little bit disappointed about the size of the dessert at first, but I really don’t think you could eat too much of either one of them because they are so filling.

Resources:

Acero = http://www.fialafood.com/acero/

FEAST magazine =http://www.feaststl.com/

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com

Home Wine Kitchen FEAST Tasting

Unfortunately, Home Wine Kitchen has closed.

I know that I have already blogged about Home Wine Kitchen but I got to go again, for free, thanks to another monthly FEAST tasting hosted by STLwinegirl, Angela Ortmann. Since Home Wine Kitchen is always changing its menu, you don’t have to worry about going back more than once. Chef Cassy Vires is known for her unique twist on comfort foods or home cookin’, if you will. In the past, the FEAST tastings are usually just that…a small taste…but this was a five-course meal.

We started with Cranberry Confit on grilled bread but what made this dish was the thin layer of Missouri goat cheese that helped to mellow the tartness of the cranberries. This was paired with a Domaine St. Vincent Sparkling Wine from New Mexico. I believe I had this sparkling wine at the Home Wine Kitchen Traveling Table as well!

Next was my first time trying Beef Tartare and I learned that tartare is really any diced raw meat. The beef tasted so fresh…and even more delicious with the quail egg on top! To help cut through some of the grease, we already moved to the reds: Dauvergne Ranvier, from my favorite region, Rhone Valley, France.

The third course was a risotto mixed with caramelized onions, wild mushrooms, thyme, and brie. I tried not to take too many helpings in order for the vegetarian of the table to load up on this dish, which was paired with Domaine Depueble Beaujolais. I think I will now just make the blanket statement that you can’t go wrong with Beaujolais at any age. Light and fruity…MY kind of red!

While I enjoyed all the courses, I was blown away by the Lamb Chop. Normally I avoid lamb in a restaurant just because I don’t like to fight with getting the meat off of the bone, but this was definitely worth the work! We were only allowed one per person and I caught myself looking around for leftover chops. Of course, a strong, dry red wine (Haraszthy Old Vine Zinfandel out of Lodi, California) was paired with the lamb so I didn’t drink much of it.

Last but not least by any means, the dessert was out of this world…home-made Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (think Nutella) on top of Honeyed Waffle Bites. And yes, I did use my finger to get to the leftover chocolate on the plate. Again, I only sipped the Quinta Do Noval Tawny Port from Portugal since it’s way too strong for me and interfered with the chocolate.

After the FEAST tasting, I made plans to have dinner with friends…yes, I was still a little bit hungry, and yes, I wanted more from the tasting. My dinner consisted of the Beef Tartare and another order of the Lamb Chop. I could only eat one out of two so I had a delicious meal the very next day too!

Resources:

FEAST magazine = http://www.feaststl.com/

Home Wine Kitchen = http://www.homewinekitchen.com/

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com/

Salt

Unfortunately, Salt has closed.

Since I had completely missed Savor while it was at this location, I could not wait to try Salt, especially after all the wonderful things I had been hearing since it opened. I was lucky enough to get into the free Feast tasting for the month of October and even that was spectacular as a warm up for dinner!

This restaurant definitely made my list of “restaurants that are worth going to for a special occasion” just because of how beautiful it is inside. You can tell it was a former residence and at one time it was a funeral parlor. We were taken upstairs (you gotta check out the swank bathrooms) to a private room that included a stage. I was definitely expecting Catherine Neville or Angela Ortmann (aka STLwinegirl) to perform a magic trick!

No magic was necessary since the tastings and wines were just outstanding and spoke for themselves. Owner and chef Wes Johnson was so wonderful to take the time away from the kitchen to introduce some of the dishes as well as hand them out. He even took the time to talk about the food at a lot of tables as he was going around. Chef Wes didn’t even give me any trouble when Angela pointed out that I was not the biggest fan of piggy.

The first tasting was the best and I would have been fine just having a couple more servings as my dinner. Foie Gras Pate paired with a Von Huhl “Jazz” Riesling. You can’t go wrong with Rieslings from Germany. Chef Wes made the Pate just for our tasting so you can’t order it off the menu but the mussels are recommended in its place. While I love mussels and was planning on ordering it for dinner, I doubt anything could have come close to the Foie Gras. At least I can say I’ve had it now and hopefully no one from PETA will send me a threatening letter.

Next up was a very fruity, yet dry Domaine del la Solitude Rose from the Cotes du Rhone region in France. I point this out because I didn’t realize they even MADE rose from this region, especially since it’s the region I recommend the most when giving gifts to red wine drinkers. My favorite wine is Chateauneuf du Pape…smooth yet bold. Anyway, the rose was paired with another huge favorite of mine: a Chevre from Baetje Farms. Salt has quite a few cheeses on their menu, including this one, but the suggested pairing was the Duck Fat Fried Chicken, since the Duck Fat is what Salt is known for.

The next two pairings were not high on my list due to the piggy factor but I am sure any piggy lover would have enjoyed them. We had a Cider Braised Pork Belly paired with an Oregon Pinot Noir from Boedecker Cellars and then a Pork and Fennel Meatball paired with a Steele Cabernet Franc out of California. Both dishes are on the Salt menu.

When it came time for dinner, my friends were smart and split orders for the Duck Fat Fried Chicken and the Duck Fat fries, which are very thin potato strings. Salt even offers its own homemade ketchup and mayo to go with them! I was all set on ordering the mussels and seared scallops (small plates) or the seared trout (large plate), but then the special of the night won me over. Beer cheddar soup followed by a gnocchi small plate. The soup was so filling that I struggled to finish the gnocchi as well as attempt to help my friends with the duck fat fries. I also got to taste the sorghum lacquered duck, which was fantastic.

It appeared to me that all the main courses were large portions and could easily be shared. I did spy on Angela’s frisee salad and mussels and both of those looked like the perfect size for a full meal as two separate “small plates”.

Definitely a winner.

Resources:

Salt = http://enjoysalt.com

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com

FEAST magazine = http://www.feaststl.com

Balaban's Feast Magazine Tasting

Feast magazine held their September tasting at the new Balaban’s located in Chesterfield. I used to love the old restaurant in the Central West End as my family used to celebrate special occasions there. Luckily, they still serve their Beef Wellington, but after the tasting, I was in the mood to try more of their appetizers and tapas. This just means I’ll just have to go back for my favorite dish someday.

The new Balaban’s took over the collection of wines from the old restaurant yet this month’s tasting featured more recent wines. Like previous Feast tastings, the food portions are small and often get drowned out by the large wine servings. My favorite glass was a white wine (of course): a 2009 Cline Viognier from Sonoma County, while the best tasting was the Smoked Trout Pancakes. The trout was paired with a 2009 Mudhouse Pinot Noir from New Zealand, which had a smooth finish. Pinots are definitely my favorite red wine these days.

After the tasting finished, I was very surprised to go inside and see that the new version is actually a retail wine and gourmet food store! All the tables are arranged at one end of the room, along with bar seating against one wall, and is NOT the large, formal restaurant that I had imagined. Still, I was eager to try out the menu.

Since I am always searching for quality seafood in the Midwest, I started with the Chilled Oysters, along with everyone else at my table. The oysters had a sweet flavor of champagne and I was able to trade one for a couple of slices of the Applewood Bacon Flatbread, definitely one of the best items on the menu. It was recently featured in Feast magazine in STLwinegirl's "Quite the Pair" article.

Another weakness of mine is Lobster Ravioli and the delicately handmade, large squares came in a fennel and ricotta sauce. Great flavors but I would have liked a little more sauce to cover all the raviolis.

The last tapas item I tried was the Artisanal Cheese Plate and I was disappointed that I got more toasted bread than cheese. Mostly because I didn't get much cheese at all.

Next time, I’m definitely getting the Beef Wellington!

Vin de Set

Thanks to Angie Ortmann, aka STLwinegirl (http://www.stlwinegirl.com) and Feast Magazine (http://www.feaststl.com), I finally got the opportunity to eat at Vin de Set (http://www.vindeset.com)! I had heard about the restaurant and its rooftop bar for awhile now from friends and family and it had been on my “to eat at” list for a long time.

Once a month, Feast Magazine hosts a wine tasting at a different restaurant around St. Louis that is free, but you have to RSVP. I was so thrilled when Angie, one of their writers, picked Vin de Set, and the event was held in their Malt House Cellar!

According to information that was handed out, it used to be the entry to the tunnels for the historic Schnaider Brewery. On one end is the Lounge room where there is a huge bar and at the other end was the Game Room where I could see a couple of pool tables. It turns out there is also a foosball table, a shuffle board, and two dart boards. We sat in the middle of the two rooms under brick arches and it definitely was chilly underground! But I liked the intimate feel of the room.

Since this was a free event, we only had four tastings and the food pairings were very small, but I didn’t care since my friend Lara had made a reservation for a full dinner upstairs. My favorite pairing was the 2008 White Wire from New Zealand because it combines all my favorite white wines together into a very mild blend. This went well with the kick provided by the red pepper aioli which we dipped our crab cake bites into. I almost licked the rest of the sauce off my napkin it was so good!

Here are the pairings:
NV Charles de Fere Brut, France
Sliced pear with Boursin cheese and crispy prosciutto

2008 White Wire, New Zealand
Maryland Blue crab cakes with red pepper aioli

2008 Ben Marco, Argentina
Smoked duck crostini with sun dried cherry chutney

2007 Steltzer Claret, California
Phylo cup of beef tenderloin and wild mushroom

Upstairs at dinner, I started with the She Crab Bisque, which was excellent, and for my main course I selected the Fried Eggplant Napolean with tomatoes, spinach, goat cheese, and balsamic reduction. My dinner came out in rings stacked tall with the tomatoes in between the slices of eggplant. I could have done without frying but it was really delicious. Regardless of what Angie says, I paired it with their house Reisling as I always do. hehe

Lara was nice enough and shared her Stuffed Roasted Acorn Squash with quinoa, spinach, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and maple glaze…which was my second favorite item on the menu.

Vin de Set has quite a few unique items like quail and duck so I admit, I am curious about some of their meatier items. I am definitely hoping for a return visit someday soon, especially to sit outside on their rooftop. What a beautiful view of the city!

Summertime means burgers!

I am very late on writing this blog post, which I really shouldn’t do because then I forget all the juicy details and flavors, but I wanted to get this done before August starts and it’s back to back classes again! Next week is Angela Ortmann’s (aka STLWineGirl) second cheese class at The Wine & Cheese Place (http://www.wineandcheeseplace.com/) in Clayton and then Provisions is hosting a “sushi and wine” class...another one of my favorite foods!

In honor of summertime, this Provisions' class theme was “Burgers” and for variety, each “burger” was a different kind of “meat”. I use that term loosely because we started off the class with a portabella mushroom and it was paried with a sparkling Vouvray from France. The best part was the cheese that was melted on top of the mushroom and it really helped to mellow out the wine, which had a mineral flavor to it.

The salmon burger was a large salmon patty but was actually a little bland. I expected something striking to be mixed in with the patty, but instead came with a creamy tarter-like sauce added on top. Maybe if I had a little more sauce? It was paired with an equally creamy Chardonnay. Angela then had us pour our wine into a plastic cup so we could taste the difference! There was really NO smell whatsoever and your hand warmed the plastic much quicker without a stem to hold on to. Not to mention that it’s way too easy to spill your wine! Alcohol abuse! Let’s just say, I learned my lesson and we all quickly dumped our wine back into our regular Riedel (http://www.riedel.com/) glasses. (Guess what I'll be asking for Hanukkah this year!)

I also think I had my first ever course that I didn’t like at a Provisions class…a pork sandwich. To make matters worse, there was bacon on top of it too! It just oozed with grease which is such a turnoff for me when it comes to food. The cheddar cheese melted on top of the bread was clever, but it couldn’t save the sandwich. I did try two bites so as to give it a proper chance but the pork meat had that piggy flavor that I cannot stand. What was really sad is that I had none of my piggy-loving friends to help me finish it off. Not that they would have had room in their tummies at this point anyway! The pork sandwich was paired with a Burgundy from France.

The old-fashioned “beef burger” came in “Big Scott” style since he used a similar style of sauce like in a Big Mac. It was definitely my favorite burger of the night by far and it was covered with havarti cheese on top. This was paired with a Tempranillo, which I still need practice saying. For this wine, Angela let us try a very young 2009 and compare it with a 2006 version. You could easily tell that the 2009 was “quaffable” by itself since it was a lot lighter than the older version, but the 2006 held up to the beef flavor much better.

For dessert, calling it a “burger” was a bit of a stretch but it consisted of a chocolate mousse “patty” surrounded by pound cake “bread” with a strawberry. So delicious! Of course this was paired with a Muscat dessert wine which was way too strong and sweet.

This class probably served the biggest proportions out of all the classes I had been to and I didn’t even eat too much of the pork burger. Although, it was easy to fill up due to needing a couple of slices of some type of bread which helped make the burgers even more filling. Still, Chef Scott is most generous!

Angela has a chock full of classes coming up in the fall so be sure to check out her events page on her web site. http://www.stlwinegirl.com/UpcomingEvents.html

Be sure to pick up a copy of Feast (http://www.feaststl.com/) as well, in which Angela is a featured writer!