Jollibee

Patience wanted a way to pay homage to Anthony Bourdain since a year has gone by since his death.  We just happened to be stopping in Chicago on our way back from Milwaukee, and she suggested (demanded?) we stop by Jollibee on our way through town.

I have no doubt that Patience saw herself walking in the footsteps as the great "food adventurer" Anthony that day...

We made it to Jollibee!

There are two Jolliebee restaurants in the Chicago area and this one was smartly attached to a Seafood City, frequented by many Asians.

Inside the Seafood City

Patience couldn't wait to try the Halo-Halo (HOLLA!), which was a frozen milkshake-like drink, but with this colored yam ice cream on top. There were also jello-like pieces in it, which were tasty, but the cannellini beans were just too weird for me. (You can see them at the bottom of the cup below.)

Patience is stoked to drink her Halo-Halo!

Jolliebee is known for their fried chicken (definitely could take on KFC), but there was also has a strange mix of other fast food and random sides thrown in.

I chose the one piece "Chickenjoy" with the "Jolly Spaghetti". I didn't think you could make spaghetti taste weird, but it did...

Chickenjoy with spaghetti

Patience chose the Palabok Fiesta noodles for her side, which tasted similar to Pad Thai, but with glass noodles. This was definitely the best side. Of course each piece of chicken came with a small container of gravy.

Chickenjoy with Palabok Fiesta

I am thinking the chicken sandwich or a burger may have been far safer choices, but the Peach Mango pie was just as tasty as McDonald's.

If you're up for a food adventure unlike most others I post about here, put this on your list for the next time you visit Chicago. At least know that I warned you...

Resources:

Jollibee = https://jollibeeusa.com

Photos by Patience Scanlon

PW Pizza Great Divide Beer Dinner 2019

I wasn't too familiar with Great Divide and this may have been their first time at PW Pizza for their beer dinner series. I admit that I do love their cans with the large letters... I'm sure it would grab your attention in the store!

We started off the night with their seasonal Strawberry Rhubarb Sour Ale. This was actually "not too sour" and seemed more like a sweet and fruity summer beer. This beer was purposely paired with a fruit salad as well, although the Spicy Watermelon Fruit Salad was a little too spicy for me! (The new chefs this year really like to heat things up!)

Spicy Watermelon Fruit Salad

I love the name of the first pizza...Wakey Bakey pizza, which is perfect for a breakfast pizza! There really were scrambled eggs on the pizza with lots of veggies and sausage gravy. This was paired with Colette, a farmhouse ale. I enjoyed another "easy to drink" beer, although it did ring up at 7.3% ABV.

Wakey Bakey Pizza

Yet, the Muffuletta pizza was the best, probably because I normally love olives on a pizza, but the salami and ham went great on top too. This pizza was paired with the Titan IPA, which helped to cut through the grease of the meaty pizza.

Muffuletta Pizza

I love the name Roadie for a beer and it makes sense to show a guy on a bicycle too. It's really a grapefruit radler, another seasonal beer, but the grapefruit was just too much for me. The stuffed banana muffin was amazing anyway, thanks to it being stuffed with chocolate ganache!

The edible flowers were so pretty too!

Breakfast of Champions

Great Divide Menu

Resource:

Great Divide = https://greatdivide.com/

PW Pizza = https://pwpizza.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

The Boathouse at Forest Park

I had to look back through my posts to see when the last time I went to The Boathouse. I know I stopped by for a beer and burger with friends since then, but the last official event there was back in 2010 for a shrimp boil.

So it's been a minute...

And thanks to the new ownership by the Sugarfire crew, I had a really good reason to return. (Plus, Patience really wants to ride in the paddleboats for some reason. It seems like a lot of work to me.)

Since it was a beautiful Friday and the happy hour time frame, I got the expected "40 minute wait" response from the hostess, but luckily our friends had already gotten there early. So just a heads up...if you want to go and sit outside...get there early or just accept there will be a wait!

Because it's worth it...

We started out with the Smoked Crispy Chicken Wings...not too hot, just right amount of spice and everyone got two. No fighting!

Smoked Crispy Chicken Wings

I started with "The Hill" salad, which wasn't all that close to the Pasta House original version, but I still enjoyed their take on a "St. Louis salad" with all my favorite ingredients. For my main course, I chose another appetizer: the Smoked Brisket & Provel Toasted Ravioli. Keeping it local, but loved the twist and the "meaty" insides. This dish even came with BBQ sauce instead of marinara.

The Hill

Smoked Briske & Provel Toasted Ravioli

Patience got one of her favorite dishes: shrimp pasta. But since it's Sugarfire, it's formal title is actually Smoked Chicken & Shrimp Penne Saute. (And there's andouille sausage too!)

Smoked chicken & Shrimp Penne Saute

Our friends ordered a pull pork sandwich (good job ordering BBQ) and a Volpi Meats flatbread pizza. Again, all the entrees were the perfect size. (I swear the pulled pork is under that side salad!)

Sugarfire Barbeque Pulled Pork

Flatbread pizza

Gotta love patio season! The menu is just as big of a hit as the view.

Resources:

The Boathouse at Forest Park = http://boathousestl.com

Photos by Patience Scanlon

PW Pizza Civil Life Beer Dinner 2019

Patience and I had been looking forward to the Civil Life beer dinner the most for this year as her go to beer, the American Brown Ale, was one of the star's of this month's dinner.

We kicked off the dinner with my favorite beer of the night, the light German Wheat, and for the first time I had a Bierbrot! Much like a pretzel, but heavier and it came with a tangy dipping sauce called Obatzda, which is a Bavarian cheese delicacy. I had to research it, but it is made with two thirds aged soft cheese like Camembert and one third butter, along with a small amount of beer. It was heaven!

Bierbrot and Obatzda

The first pizza was a completely new flavor: Carolina BBQ Pizza. I have to admit, I don't think I've tasted too many Carolina BBQ sauces, but I really enjoyed the sweet and tangy flavor on this pizza. Believe it or not, but the pork and BBQ sauce were amazing, although the collard greens slaw was kind of in the way. I prefer my veggies to be more baked into the pizza than just sitting on top.

Civil life is one of the few local breweries that brews an Irish Red, and I almsot finished this beer as well!

Carolina BBQ Pizza

The new chefs are very much into the spicier flavors as for the second month in a row, we got a pizza that I didn't make it past the first slice.

The Rhone Bar Pizza, celebrating their sister restaurant down the street, included jerk chicken, mango, red onion, roasted jalpeno, monterey jack, roasted garlic oil,  mint-pepper puree, and cilantro. That's a lot going on! Appropriately, paired with the hoppier Pale Ale.

Rhone Bar Pizza

I was STOKED to see another chocolate dessert this month, and it made up for the spicy pizza course. Since I didn't fill up on pizza too much, I had room for almost two desserts. I would have loved some more! The American Brown Ale was definitely the perfect, as well as my favorite pairing of the night.

Frangipane Chocolate Ganache Cake

Looking forward to Civil Life's expansion!

Menu

Resources:

PW Pizza = https://pwpizza.com/

Civil Life = https://www.thecivillife.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

Elmwood

There is another new restaurant on the corner of Manchester and Sutton and I really hope this one sticks! The space looks completely different...no more stage... and the kitchen is behind glass walls like fishbowl.

We went relatively early and there probably could have been some early bird specials for those who had already started dining before 6pm. It was definitely much quieter when we started than when we finished thanks to the high cielings, but the noise factor was not an issue.

The lighting, however, kept getting darker and darker the later it got, and with the storm outside, it was almost too dark. Great for a date night perhaps? Definitely not so good for our pictures here.

Other than the dark, hipster feel, the food spoke for itself much more brightly...

You must get the Wagyu Beef Jerky Skewers... they're quite addictive! We ended up ordering seconds...while some had thirds!

Wagyu Beef Jerky Skewers

And our other starter...baked and raw oysters... this is definitely the best cooked oyster I have ever had! Another must order!

Baked and raw oysters

I chose the Gnochetti Sardi for my main course. I figured it had to be some kind of pasta and I ordered a side of broccoli (I'm so healthy!) that I cut up and mixed in with the pasta. The broccoli came in it's own cheesy sauce, but I enjoyed the pasta the best.

Gnocchetti Sardi

Grilled Broccoli

Patience was torn between the lamb chop and the mussels. The mussels allowed her to have more beef skewers! hehe

Bangs Island Mussels

And of course we had to get dessert..Elmwood's take on a S'more, but there was a surprising spicy kick to the marshmellow part so I just dug under for the chocolatey goodness using the graham crackers!

S'Mores

I definitely will be making a second trip soon, and I hope this one lasts a while. Just be sure to bring your own flashlight!

Elmwood Menu

Resources:

Elmwood = https://www.elmwoodstl.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon