The Blue Duck

I am grateful that I have good friends who enjoy celebrating birthdays...or rather, who are willing to use their birthdays as an excuse to get together, catch up, and try new restaurants!

I still hadn't been to The Blue Duck and it came with great recommendations. The restaurant has an upscale name, but has more of a neighborhood feel on the inside. There is a cute bar area and plenty of open space in the main dining room. You're greeted by a baked goods display case made by the owner herself, so be sure to save room for dessert!

I was surprised by how many burgers and sandwiches there were on the menu so that also gave me a hint that there was a more casual feel to the place.

Menu

Gail ordered The Classic burger, although there was a ginormous eight ounce Slamburger special of the week called the Luke Fry Walker, the regular burger was plenty for one person.

Classic Burger 

I definitely wanted to try something duck and the Duck Fried Rice hit the spot. A quarter leg of duck as well as "duck ham" mixed in with the fried rice. I am glad that we skipped the appetizers so I had room.

Duck Fried Rice

We barely saved room for dessert, but we kept it small with Gail's pick of the "blue duck" sugar cookie. Isn't he cute? Although, not quite big enough for a candle.

The Blue Duck

Now that I know what to expect, I can't wait to go back in and try a few more things as they have a variety of dinner salads, appetizers, and unique duck dishes. Or just grab sandwich during lunch.

Resources:

The Blue Duck = http://blueduckstl.com/

PW Pizza Best of Missouri Beer Dinner 2019

Unfortunately, Uinta had to pull out from their beer dinner and PW Pizza was able to put together a "Best of Missouri" beer dinner in its place. We didn't mind one bit and was looking forward to being surprised!

The first course was a little heavier as we started out with a small bowl paella paired with Six Mile Bridge's Pilsner. We were used to a salad or small appetizer, but this was a healthy portion. This was one of my favorite pairings as the flavors were the most mild out of what was to come next!

Paella

The chefs went over the top on spice with the Shawarma Pizza and even though it was smartly paired with the Urban Chestnut Fantasyland IPA (IBU of 60!), my mouth was definitely on fire. So many tables didn't want their "seconds", so they ended up at our table! GAH! I couldn't even finish off my second piece.

Shawarma Pizza

Luckily, the next pairing was a little more calm with the Lasagna Pizza paired with a Public House Bierleichen, which was similar to an Octoberfest style beer. The pizza didn't remind me too much of lasagna as it was more of a sausage pizza.

Lasagna Pizza

For dessert, the 4 Hands Ripple, a white ale, was light, fruity, and easy to drink...another winner for me, although it got overwhelmed by the Pear Strudel. That was adorable!

Pear Strudel

Maybe they'll put one of these on the list again next year! It's so nice to have all these great local breweries near by!

Best of Missouri Menu

Resources:

PW Pizza = https://pwpizza.com/

Six Mile Bridge = http://sixmilebridgebeer.com/

Urban Chestnut = http://urbanchestnut.com/

Public House = https://1764pub.com/

4 Hands = https://4handsbrewery.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

Midwestern Meat & Drink

I know that it feels like there is a lot of BBQ around town lately, but this one is definitely worth traveling downtown for! Yes I'm talking to you, county folks!

Hopefully by now you know that the chef is from Big Baby Q, where he got many accolades. And he has one of the top bartenders in the area as well. So be sure to get a cocktail while you're there.

We may have had a few...

I went with gin as usual (Hendrick's) with this Sweet Summer Lovin'.

Sweet Summer Lovin'

There is even a Manhattan of the Month! This is The Company You Keep with Espolon Reposado.

The Company You Keep

You can still keep it traditional with Yellow Roses or a 9 to 5 Mule (modeled by Laura).

Yellow Roses

9 to 5 Mule

All the appetizers looked tasty so we picked a couple out...make sure you save room for the meat though!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Smoked Deviled Eggs

Both of the appetizers were winners and this is definitely the time of year for those fried green tomatoes! Lightly battered with a sweet tomato jam, aioli, and ricotta on top.

If you share the apps, then you'll still have room for the main courses. It's hard to pick a platter with just one kind of meat though...hopefully they'll add a "pick two" at some point. There is a huge sampler platter, but that seemed to be enough for four people so we decided to just get our own.

We all got platters, which is the best deal since it comes with two sides AND cornbread. We almost got all the sides between the four of us!

I played it safe with my turkey...don't judge! Definitely had to get the Mac 'N' Cheese though. Also, the pit beans.

Turkey Breast Platter with Mac N Cheese and Pit Beans

The beef rib is only available on the weekends so be sure to get it if you can!

Beef Rib Platter with Creamy Coleslaw and Collard Greens

The St. Louis style ribs still look good though, although the potato salad wasn't what I expected.

St. Louis Style Ribs with pit beans and Candied Bacon-Jalpeno Potato Salad

And check out the rings on that Brisket!

Brisket Platter with Fresh Dill Pickles and Potato Salad

The dill pickles were tasty, but I'm not sure I'd use up a side for 'em.

I also highly suggest you go when the Cardinals are not in town or in the off season because I have no doubt it's packed on game days!

Resources:

Midwestern Meat & Drink = https://midwesternstl.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

Oaked

Unfortunately, this restaurant has closed. I am quite sad.

I actually have been twice so far. Because yes, it's that good.

Although the real reason I didn't post earlier is because I went without Patience and I have not heard the end of it. Luckily, we celebrated Bethfest at Oaked so we could all try it out and now I can post ALL the pictures.

Please note that the menu is seasonal so not all the items will remain, but all the food is just gorgeous. I really don't think I'll be writing much... and just let the pictures do the talking. But really, just go. Although, I should note that it probably is a special occasion kind of place. Yet, you could still make a casual night out of it hanging in the bar area sharing a few starters.

You could probably just make a meal from the starters, but there are just too many tasty items. Try to go with a large group so you can try a good variety...or go more often.

Avocado Toast

Baked Burrata

Cheese and Charcuterie Slate

I loved that there were a couple of cheese items to choose from, and I really could have used more avacado. Five crustinis are not enough!

Pork Belly

Smoked Trout Cakes

If you're a piggy fan, you definitely have to get the Pork Belly. It's one of those melt in your mouth kinds of dishes. And the Smoked Trout Cakes could easily be a main course. (You can add on any scallops!)

Now that you're warmed up and stretched, how about a salad course?

I loved the Tomato Textures...tomatoes three different ways!

Tomato Textures

Patience got her favorite green thing: Brussel Sprouts!

Brussel Sprout Caeser

If you're still possibly hungry, check out the Duck with Foie Gras...I felt fancy.

Duck with Foie Gras

The second time around, Patience and I were smart and split the 14 ounce Ribeye, but we added a scallop so we could take advantage of the add on as well. The Ribeye rested on top of a bed of corn and fingerling potatoes. You can also add on foie gras butter too!

14 ounce Ribeye 

Not full yet? Save room for dessert... you're going to want to. The desserts change frequently, but hopefully there will always be something chocolate and something cheesy!

Chocolate Mousse

Dessert plate with chocolate bark, fruit, and cheese

Or perhaps a lemon tart instead?

Lemon Tart

I didn't even have time to mention the wine list. With a name like Oaked, you're probably expecting a lengthy list. Let's just say it's of biblical proportions! Luckily, a sommelier is on staff to walk you through it so have no fear.

I can't wait to go back.

Oaked Menu from August

Resources:

Oaked = https://oakedstl.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

PW Pizza Deschutes Beer Dinner 2019

Deschutes Brewery was back again with all new beers, with one exception from two years ago.

The Lil' Squeezy beer is just fun to say and of course it was the lighter beer paired with the Big Island Salad. A pineapple dressing helped give it that name.

The Big Island Salad

For a light beer, it still had 40 IBUs, so my favorite beer was probably the second beer, Da Shootz, which only had 25 IBUs. The beer's name was making fun of how often the name of the brewery gets mispronounced, so here it is spelled phonetically! No excuses this time!

Da Shootz was paired with an Gumbo Pizza, so I was nervous that it might be too spicy for me. But then I worried if it IS spicy, it would just overpower the beer. So the andouille on the pizza was not spicy at all, but still had a lot going on. (Why yes, that's rice on a pizza!)

Gumbo Pizza

Everyone else at my table preferred the big flavors from the Korean BBQ Pizza and Fresh Haze, which was plenty hoppy like an IPA. The Korean BBQ had a marinated grilled flank steak, but also pickled jalpenos and kimchi! A little too weird for me, but good for standing up to the hoppiness.

Korean BBQ Pizza

The Black Butte Porter is a great dessert beer and I don't think anyone minded that it was a repeat. This was probably my favorite pairing with the Warm Maple Pecan Cookie...I had three of them! Patience loved the caramel sauce drizzled over the top. (Not quite chocolate sauce, but still warm and soft!)

Warm Maple Pecan Cookie

Deschutes in Bend, Oregon is definitely someplace I hope to visit in person someday!

Menu

Resources:

PW Pizza = https://pwpizza.com/

Deschutes Brewery = https://www.deschutesbrewery.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon