Where we are quaran-dining in November 2020

Looks like we'll be doing this take out thing for some time...

November 6th = I finally let Pai pick for real this week and she was feeling "Greeky". She knows that I always want the Moussaka when she orders from Olympia.

Moussaka

November 13th = I think it's turned chilly for good now so a hot "Hebrew Hammer" ramen from Nudo was a good pick this week.

Hebrew Hammer from Nudo

November 20 =  My turn to pick again and I had INDO on my list for a while since I keep hearing it in the news winning so many awards! They are offering their full menu online so definitely wait for a special occasion night since it is pricy. I miss eating in the actual restaurant for the ambiance and a curated experience, but luckily, most dishes were properly labeled.

From top to bottom: Goyza, Japenese Eggplant, Chili Garlic Noodles, Palm Sugar Ribs

Nigiri, Poke, Crab and Fried Rice,and Benitoro

November 24th = Thanks to Thanksgiving leftovers, we skipped over "Take out Friday" this week and instead, we ordered Katie's Pizza and Pasta for "Give Back Tuesday". Katie's now delivers too!!

Margherita Pizza

PW Pizza 4 Hands Brewery Beer Dinner 2020

PW Pizza 4 Hands Brewery lineup

We went back to beer later in October for PW Pizza's Beer Dinner, and 4 Hands Brewery is a favorite in our household. I am happy they have added a light, easy-drinking lager, Full Life, for someone like me! Of course it was paired with the Kale salad course. 

Kale Salad - roasted sweet potatoes, bacon, walnuts, red onion

The second beer is one of Pai's favorite, the Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout, also known as Absense of Light. I think it would have been better as the dessert beer because it is so thick. I feel like it completely covered the flavors of the Chorizo Taco pizza (shown on the left below).

The City Wide Pale Ale is a classic and I would have put this one second, moving up the Brown Ale with the Roasted Chicken Pizza. This was my favorite pizza of the night, shown on the right below.

Chorizo Taco Pizza (left) and Roasted Chicken (right)

The Apple pie was delicious all on its own and went well with the Cast Iron Oat Meal Brown. This pairing got me ready for pie season!

Apple Pie

4 Hands Beer Dinner Lineup

Resources:

PW Pizza = https://pwpizza.com/

4 Hands Brewery = https://4handsbrewery.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

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

PW Pizza Kenwood Wine Dinner Oct 12 2020

Since the beer dinners are every other week, PW Pizza decided to fill in the other slots with virtual "wine dinners", because sometimes you want wine with your pizza!

Ernest approves!

Again, the dinners are very affordable and you don't have to worry about which wine to pair, since it's already done for you. But you know the best part is taking a night off from cooking!

Kenwood Virtual Wine Dinner Menu

The Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc is a winner and has all the citrus and crisp taste that you expect. 

Kenwood Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2016

This definitely paired well with the Lemon-Sage dressing and shrimp pizza. 

Zesty House Salad with Lemon Sage Dressing

The actual name is hilarious: "Shrimpy Shrimpy Bang Bang Pizza", which explains the heat that I got from the pizza. 

Shrimpy Shrimpy Bang Bang Pizza

Luckily, I was able to cool off with the Gooey Butter Cake, which came drenched in a raspberry sauce.

Gooey Butter Cake

Resources:

PW Pizza = https://pwpizza.com/

Kenwood Winery = https://kenwoodvineyards.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

O + O Pizza

LOOK!!! A new restaurant!! I know it's only pizza, but it has been a VERY long time and I need to celebrate these small excitements during these hard times. 

Their pizza is VERY thin... definitely "St. Louis style".

We ordered our usual three favorite flavors of pizzas so that everyone is happy: Margarita, Pepperoni, and Sausage.

Margherita with Chopped Salad

OG Pepperoni Pizza

Sausage, Ricotta + Giardiniera Pizza

If nothing else, the toasted ravioli is amazing as the stuffing is like a meatball with cheese. I think I would have loved to have made that my own meal!

We also tried a couple salads... the Chopped Salad was my pick, while the Shaved Brussels Sprouts was demolished by the other side of the table that did not include me. 

We ate the toasted ravs fast so no chance for pictures, sorry.

I appreciated the quick and easy pick up from outside of what is "The Clover & The Bee", right on the corner. You can pull up right next to the restaurant and they'll bring your order right to you.

Resources:

O + O Pizza = http://oandopizza.lh-stl.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon