Annie Gunn's Lunch

I have not been to Annie Gunn's since May of 2014, to celebrate a friend's birthday. I had never been for lunch either, so it was awesome to just go on your average Saturday for a ladies get together!

Needless to say, we won't be needing dinner and I had already skipped breakfast...

Patience and I started with oysters, which were a bit on the small side, but tasty nonetheless.

Oysters

Babsy is more of a regular and she wisely encouraged me to check out the cheese sampler board and the smoked fish sampler board, instead of looking at the entrees. We got one of each and shared!

Cheese Sampler Board

Smoked Fish Sampler Board

In addition, we split an heirloom tomato and goat cheese dish. The tomatoes weren't super ripe, but they were the perfect vehicle for the large amount of goat cheese slathered all over the place.

Heirloom Tomatoes with goat cheese, onions, and balsamic

Patience was told with NO hesitation that the French Dip was where it was at and she devoured it.

French Dip and fries

Julia ordered the highly recommended burger, and I'm a little sad I didn't get a bite.

Cheeseburger and fries

Even though she was totally stuffed, Patience somehow made room for Creme Bruelee. 

Creme Brulee

This place is always busy, but always a special treat. Worth going for a special occasion or just a Saturday!

Resources:

Annie Gunn's = https://www.anniegunns.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

Katie's Pizza and Pasta Ballpark Village

I cannot tell you how many times I have written about Katie's Pizza and Pasta since I used to regularly attend their "passport dinner series". Before that I found my first post from the original Clayton location in 2011 and my first time at the Rock Hill location in 2013. Ah, the good ole days!

And those that know me are well aware that it's one of my most favorite restaurants in the STL, so of course I had to go "opening day" last month. The weather was perfect for patio seating too!

Most exciting about the Ballpark Village location (other than the view...)

The view from Katie's Ballpark Village Patio

...is that there are a few new "special items" on THIS menu, which I had to try:

My appetizer...Beef Tartare... a treat I don't order too often...

Beef Tartare

Then for my main course...

Chicken Parm

Katie's version of "Chicken Parm" with fresh greens and tomatoes piled high on top. (It took me three nights to eat this!)

I also hope to go back as they have a salmon dish and a couple of steaks as well.

When you're downtown for a game, just take a walk though the restaurant as it is GORGEOUS.

Life goal: to sit at the corner booth.

Resources:

Katie's Pizza and Pasta = https://katiespizzaandpasta.com/

Bulrush Tasting Menu

I didn't realize Bulrush was one of the last restaurants I went to before "the lockdown" also known as "the before times". We had an amazing meal as back then and you could order a la carte. Feel free to enjoy the nostalgia along with me here: https://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2020/03/bulrush.html 

It's now a distant memory since Bulrush only offers their Ozark Tasting Menu due to cost limitations as Rob Connoley explained to me. (BTW, he's a super nice guy and you get to chat with him during the tasting.) 

We had purchased a gift certificate for a friend since we had food cheated behind her back, and she held onto it all through "the lockdown", hoping for the chance to get to use it. Now, having to make a set reservation and commit to a full tasting makes it a little more difficult, but we finally made the plan to go for her birthday this year.

While the food is incredible, it is a set menu, so there were items I'm just not a fan of such as piggy, beets, and brussels sprouts. Regardless, it is worth it for the experience.

Acorn Explosion

Acorns "three ways" with a surprise "cold soup explosion" inside the round ball. I love the creativity and interesting presentation.

Asparagus Soup with pork belly

The soup was very mild and well balanced for those piggy lovers.

Smoked catfish ice cream 

I admit this one was pretty strange for me as I never had "fish ice cream" before, but I was really impressed by all the different textures from one course to the next, and even within each dish.

Grilled rhubarb bacon and roasted beet

I would label this "the red course" with rhubarb and beets. I liked how you could build the perfect bite or eat the items separately.

Satin white turnip and goat cheese mousse

This "yellow course" was more up my alley as the turnip and cheese melted in my mouth.

Beef short rib

While the other dishes were more "tastings", this was the highlight course for me. The mic drop. One of the best short ribs I have ever had. I was feeling full after this one. It was so soft that it melted in my mouth, just as the mousse had before.

And there is always dessert... too bad we don't grow chocolate in the Ozarks!

Granma Helen's rhubarb crumble with buttermilk ice cream

There is a wine and beer pairing that goes with each course, but we all preferred the cocktails. The cocktails are fantastic on their own.

My gin cocktail was just adorable with this pickled onion on top!

Gin cocktail

Cheers to Rob Connoley for keeping his restaurant going through these difficult times! Be sure to schedule a visit for a special occasion. Especially if you haven't been since "the before times".

Resources:

Bulrush = https://bulrushstl.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

Jalea

I have been reading about Jalea in the local foodie magazines for some time and then a friend went out there and vouched for it. I finally got the opportunity to go when I realized I had a friend that work out that way, so I used her as an excuse to meet up after work.

I admit that I don't know much about Peruvian food, but I was told the Ceviche was excellent. I may have made the mistake of telling my friends what I had heard since we all ordered the same thing! 

Ceviche with battered shrimp on top

Sorry there aren't too many varied pictures to show off their menu, but this would definitely be my recommendation as well.

I also read this month about their yucca fries so I ordered that as an appetizer. Way less greasy than usual French fries! 

Yucca Fries with dip

My Pisco Sour was also delicious.

Cocktail Menu

I am a big fan of simple menus so your choices are not overwhelming. I was very curious about the rest of the menu.

Menu

Definitely a reason to drive out to St. Charles Main Street!

Note: You must make a reservation as this place fills up fast and they only have one large table. 

Resources:

Jalea = https://www.jaleaperuvianbistro.com/

Seoul Garden

Babsy wanted Korean. I am still not sure why, but Patience was immediately on the case. 

I knew Korean BBQ was a thing, but I hadn't tried a place like Seoul Garden before, where you cook your own food in a grill in the middle of the table! (I still need to tip my friend who did all the work for us.)

I'm hoping they don't let customers mess it up, but I guess you're on your own to decide if the meat is done? It's a lot of money to spend if you end up burning it too. Although I'm hoping that is why the servers walked around and seemed to keep an eye on things.

Starting out...

Anyway, it reminded me of a Brazilian churrascaria, where there is a large amount of meat that just kept coming. Since there were four of us, we each picked a meat, although we would have been better off stopping at two or three meats. (The bill was much easier to split this way though.)

I enjoyed quite a few of the sides, which are lined up in the small white bowls. My favorites were the broccoli, pickled cucumbers, and potatoes, but you got to be careful because they fill you up when you should be eating the meat! 

By selecting the Classic order, it came with two soups, and these were amazing. (In the black bowls in the picture below.) My favorite was the beef, which was perfect on a chilly night. The kimchi was super spicy if you are into that.

Just about done cooking! Also, delicious soup in the black bowls

Warning! You WILL overeat! Make sure you stretch properly and do not order more until you have finished the earlier rounds as you cannot take the rest home. Your stomach will thank you for this.

For a taste of Korean, this was a winner.

Resources:

Seoul Garden = https://koreanbbqstl.com/