Shake Shack

It was my birthday... so that meant we were going to stand in line for 35 minutes, and then another 20 minutes or so until our order was ready at Shake Shack!

I was super excited....

We made it!

Luckily, it was during the winter thaw weekend, but since it was a Saturday afternoon, there were a lot of kids. The best time to go would probably be during the week, and hopefully the hype will eventually die down.

Not only did I study the menu during the week before, but we had a lot of time to think about what to order once we got in the door. I definitely wanted to try a shake, so chocolate it was! Patience was a little more adventurous since she got one of the shake specials which rotate monthly.

Fries, cheeseburgers, and shakes, oh my!

I knew I would keep it simple with my first time and choose the single cheeseburger and cheese fries. Patience really wanted to try the chili fries, so we had to get our own.

I think next time I'll upgrade to the double cheeseburger and share the fries. The shake was SUPER filling, so maybe even share that too.

I almost felt like I was in downtown Manhattan for a second...

Resources:

Shack Shack CWE = https://www.shakeshack.com/location/central-west-end-mo/

I Fratellini

Round two of "Zoe" restaurants meant that we spent my birthday at I Fratellini, which was even more desired due to Elli Snyder's weekly reviews that have been taunting Patience for years.

Even though it was an extra cold winter night, the restaurant was quite warm due to the kitchen. I'm guessing that is the reason why the gentlemen requested to move to the newly opened table that had been waiting for our reservation.

Since they might have been regulars, I politely let them know that they were welcome to have a dessert delivered to our table in exchange for our extra wait time and giving up the more comfortable seating. They just laughed and I shook their hands as if we were old friends.

The tactic worked and we received a lovely bottle of Prosecco to start our evening!

For the first course, I had to pick the cheesiest dish, which turned out to be the Speck with Artichoke Hearts and Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano. (You know I picked out all the good bits.)

Speck with Artichoke Hearts and Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano

Patience and Linda enjoyed a Roasted Beet Salad with Gorgonzola and Walnuts, while my Dad played it safe with potato soup.

Roasted Beet Salad with Gorgonzola and Walnuts

To help Patience make the most out of her first time, I agreed to the Spaghetti with Lobster Tail, Butter, Garlic and Shallots, while she chose the Squid Ink Linguine with Mussels and Chorizo.

Spaghetti with Lobster Tail, Butter, Garlic and Shallots

Squid Ink Linguine with Mussels and Chorizo

Linda kept it mild with the Pappardelle with Wild Mushrooms and Shallots in Brown Butter and Sage, while my Dad ordered his usual meat and potatoes.

Pappardelle with Wild Mushrooms and Shallots in Brown Butter

Grilled Beef Filet with Fresh Wild Mushrooms and Escalloped Potatoes

Since Linda and I were both celebrating our twin birthdays, we had to have dessert! There was plenty of gelato, but since there was no chocolate option, I ordered the Chocolate Mousse Torta instead. I'm sure you're very surprised.

Vanilla Bean Gelato

Chocolate Mousse Torta

Definitely a good birthday!

Happy birthday, Linda!

Resources:

I Fratellini = https://www.ifratellini.com

Photos by Patience Scanlon

Bar Le Freres

With Billie-Jean opening up recently, Patience wanted to try out all the other "Zoe" restaurants since she has never gotten to visit them before. Luckily, our anniversary and my birthday fall together in January so it was just a matter of waiting until "special occasion time".

Bar Le Freres is definitely a special place for special occasions. Quite fancy. Quite French. I love the red walls and portraits from the 1800s where all the paintings are staring at you.

We were smart and made a reservation about a month in advance. Not only did this help us get a table away from the door in the dining room during the recent cold snap, but I feel it helped us to land one of the best tables in the dining room separate from the bar. The restaurant overall is small with limited seating so I have no doubt the place is booked all the time. At least in the summer, they can expand to the patio and our server bragged about their happy hour, which is probably more affordable.

I think we were at one of the best tables because we were sat in these huge armchairs. Between that and the large tapestry next to the table, I thought we were royals! hehehe

Perhaps that is what lead us to order a crazy amount of food, although it was hard not to with so many tasty choices. Just the hors d'deuvres alone... Baetje Farms Cheese Plate, Gruyere Souffle, Steamed Mussels, Lobster Tail...and then our server said the magic word: scallops. Not just any scallops, but GIANT scallops!

Giant Scallops

I had my eyes on the Lobster Bisque since I sat down, but they don't do cups. I ate the WHOLE bowl.

Lobster Bisque

And then the server brought out these delicious Gruyère gougères that were perfect for dipping into the soup. I wish I had saved one to clean the bowl with at the end!

Gruyere Balls

At this point, I really didn't need to eat anything else.

I played it safe by ordering the Halibut for my entree, the crispy outside was a little tough to cut through, but the inside was perfect. (You know the potatoes underneath were amazing though!) I did manage to stop halfway this time at least.

Halibut

Patience went all in with the Duck Confit. So much flavor! Perfectly paired with a Chateauneuf du Pape!

Duck Confit

Still in celebratory mode, we finished off the meal with chocolate mousse, which also went deliciously with the wine.

Chocolate Mousse

Patience drank her dessert as well with a Caffe Amaro. So pretty.

Caffe Amaro

I cannot WAIT to take Patience to Zoe's next two restaurants...

Resources:

Bar Le Freres = https://www.barlesfreres.net

Photos by Patience Scanlon

STLCheesegirl Top Posts 2017

I admit that I did not post as much last year due to a reduced amount of dining out and I now have a personal chef living with me full time!

While I may not be having as many food adventures these days, it is wonderful that there are so many new places to try here in St. Louis!

Readership is up overall so that makes me feel good too. So here are the top posts from 2017!

Tapped - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2017/12/tapped.html
This post may have benefited from being new and my last post of the year. I'm sure everyone is curious about it, and I hope it lasts longer than "A Pizza Story", which I loved dearly. We tried to go a third time this past week, but they were full! I hope they can keep it up.

Evangeline's - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2017/10/evangelines.html
I finally took Patience here for her birthday since it is a NOLA/Cajun-themed restaurant and we needed to go since she hadn't been since it was the Brazilian restaurant. They nailed it. Great owners, great wait staff, great food, and a great birthday. I hope everyone who read the review also went themselves.

Ludwig Farmstead Creamery - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2017/11/ludwig-farmstead-creamery.html
This was a "sponsored" post as I was approached by one of their representatives and given free cheese in exchange for a review. It made me happy to support a small cheese company located in Central Illinois. This situation was really a "dream assignment" and I hope there will be more in the future!

Vicia - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2017/05/vicia.html
I'm sure it's no surprise that the top-rated new restaurant for last year made my list as well. You need to go there. I can't wait to go back again. No further discussion necessary.

Snax Gastropub - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2017/05/snax.html
I am guessing folks were curious about the strangely-named restaurant, but I really do enjoy this new version of the restaurant as I had reviewed it once before. Now, it's a lot more casual and everything on the menu is a hit. Although I recommend going later in the evening when the kids aren't around.

Louie's Wine Dive - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2017/05/louies-wine-dive.html
While this is a chain, I see that it is a well-loved wine bar and I think they hit the jackpot by placing it in downtown Clayton. I find it to be a little high-priced, but I love how knowledgeable the staff is when I go in there.

Modern Brewery PW Pizza Beer Dinner - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2017/11/modern-brewery-pw-pizza-beer-dinner.html
We made it to (almost?) ALL of the PW Pizza Beer Dinners this year and we just love them. (Which is why most of my posts are from these dinners.) We sign up for the whole year now so we don't have to worry about reserving a spot as they do sell out quickly. You only pay that night for each event. I highly recommend them and feel free to call PW Pizza or email me for more information. It's been a great way to try each brewery's beer and have tasty food pairings as well! By the way, Modern Brewery is looking for a bigger location so hopefully they can have more serving days!

Cleveland-Heath - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2012/11/cleveland-heath.html
We finally made it there for a regular sit-down dinner and had the best service. If the restaurant was closer, we would have definitely gone a lot more. Jenny Cleveland is so wonderful and she and her husband will be missed as they move to Utah. The restaurant will still be there, although in my heart, it won't be the same without them.

Old Baker Beer PW Pizza Beer Dinner - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2017/10/old-bakery-beer-pw-pizza-beer-dinner.html
A local favorite! We drove by the brewery while on the "Great River Road" and hopefully we can make it a destination one of these days soon.

Two Brothers Brewing PW Pizza Beer Dinner - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2017/09/two-brothers-pw-pizza-beer-dinner.html
Since Two Brothers Brewing is based out of Chicago, we were able to stop by their brewery while up in the area visiting for Thanksgiving. Great beers and hopefully they'll be more beers available in the St. Louis area soon, but check on the east side for now.

Tapped

Even though it's not "A Pizza Story" anymore, I was excited to get the chance to try out the next version of the restaurant a couple of times during the holiday season.

Tapped Signage

Yet, I am still a little bitter, not just because they replaced one of my favorite small pizza joints, but because they are one of the first to offer up the self-service taps in St. Louis.

I had visited my first self-serve taps at a wine bar in Ames, Iowa and was blown away by the awesome concept. I wondered why there wasn't such a thing in St. Louis! I had visions of opening up my very own wine bar with this unique twist! I emailed the STLWinegirl and she explained to me that Missouri law did not allow customers to serve themselves. So sad. Dreams crushed.

Then, a few months later, sure enough, Tapped opened up with the very same concept and when I asked STLWinegirl again, she said the laws had changed. (Or someone's wheels got greased suddenly.)

So now I'm out of my favorite pizza and my million-dollar making idea.

Our friends invited us to a holiday get-together held at Tapped, and since we recently moved to the city, just south of Maplewood, it was a very short drive! And while they do not take reservations after 6pm on the weekends, they will hold the table just as easily at 5:45pm with "Reserved" signs.

With all the taps on the wall, this is not your typical sit down restaurant. There are a lot of people wandering about to get their own beer or wine, and this worked out great with our large party that took up two large tables so we could mingle between them.

When you're ready to order food, you just walk up to the "food ordering station". While there are no fancy pizza flavors like "eggplant"....yes I LOVE eggplant...the pizza is actually good!

Margherita Pizza

We tried the Honey Roasted Almonds (perfect snack with beer!) and the Tapped Wings as well! The wings had only a small amount of heat, but were definitely well-covered in a "sweet spicy bourbon glaze" sauce and very messy. (Plenty of wet-naps were available!)

Honey Roasted Almonds and Tapped Wings

The best part is that the beer taps are organized by style so Patience was happy going to the left for her stouts, while I stayed more towards the right for the lighter beers. It's pretty easy to hold up the white disc (a bracelet worn on your wrist) to the "Tapped" sign for the tap you wish to draw from.

Wine lovers, your area is in the far corner. I haven't looked to see what types of wines or the quality that they offered, so I'll have to check back.

Just watch out for the water dispenser...the ice comes out very fast and the water will spill if you don't hold the glass just right.

P.S. We went back a second time already to introduce more people to it. It IS a fun way to hang out!

Resources:

Tapped = https://www.tappedstl.com