Planter's House

I had been saving Planter’s House for my birthday because even though they don’t have a lengthy menu, I kept hearing such rave reviews about the menu. Although, I did cheat and had a few items off of their appetizer list a few weeks before, because with their cocktails, you definitely want to make sure you have something to eat.

Poutine

Since we are huge fans of poutine, that was the first starter I picked and instead of the traditional pomme frites, they used chunks of fried fingerling potatoes with red wine pork gravy, five year gouda, and onion smothered all over them. Pretty amazing and really could stand up to any cocktail there.

Another winner was the chicken wings. The wings were uniquely hay roasted and had a strong sage flavor to them. Just those two together were the perfect meal…

Chicken Wings

But my birthday dinner also meant that I finally got a real good look at their full cocktail menu, which is actually quite lengthier than the list of dishes! Planter’s House is definitely more of a place to enjoy sophisticated drinks than a fine dining establishment. I went on a Thursday night and by 7pm, the place was packed…so be sure to go early, because I don’t think the hype is going to die down anytime soon…

Not only are there your traditional “house favorites”, but the biggest and most interesting list is their own creations. Certainly you’ll have to try a couple and come back to check in on some more another time. Unless you’re a cocktail expert, I just recommend taste, taste, and more tasting. But don’t be afraid to ask your server for recommendations! They are there to help find the right drink for you.

I kept hearing so much about the duck burger, so my birthday meal was an easy choice. I was surprised to see that it was open face on a pumpernickel bun, which was quite crunchy. To make things easier, I moved the bun to the side and just focused on the rich duck since it was covered in a five year gouda and a fried duck egg. It even came with those delicious fried fingerling potatoes. It takes “burger” to a whole new level. The richness of the whole course really helped to balance out my boozy cocktail.

Duck Burger and Fingerling Potatoes

My favorite pescetarian ordered the mussel stew, which came in a mustard cream sauce and served with several large pieces of toast.

Mussel Stew

For any vegetarians, I also got to try the faro pilaf, which was much heartier of a meal than I expected. Farro is Italian grain and it was baked with grilled squash, peppers, wild mushrooms, sage, dried fruit, and walnuts. What a perfect winter dish!

And you can’t have a birthday without a special dessert…so we ordered both of them! The gooey butter cake certainly lived up to its name, but the in house “doughnuts” are hands down THE best item on the menu. Go ahead…I give you permission to order these first!

Two half dollar-sized doughnut “holes” are served together – one is filled with crème anglaise and the other is filled blackberry jam. Quite the heavenly experience I must say.

Resources:

Planter's House = http://plantershousestl.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

The Libertine Fried Chicken

Unfortunately, the Libertine has closed.

I am pretty sure writing about a restaurant three times is unprecedented on the STLCheesegirl blog, but I just had to share that I finally made it in to The Libertine for Josh Galliano’s famous fried chicken.

I got on the mailing list and followed The Libertine on Facebook so I would know exactly when the next Fried Chicken dinner would be. (A friend also forwarded me an email just in case!) It appears the fried chicken dinners occur the second Sunday of every month, one of the Sunday Supper specials. It turned out to be the kickoff of my birthday week!

My friends and I started off the three-course, prix fixe dinner for $30 with each of us trying one of their unique cocktails. If nothing else, you should certainly try The Libertine a few times just for their interesting drink list. These Sunday Suppers also list  a special cocktail of the night, but we ended up ordering off of the main list since there are so many to try.

After starting off with a Citrus Salad, I couldn’t wait to get to the Southern Fried Chicken main course. The skin has a very crispy flavor, with very little grease. Everyone gets half a chicken, so you could easily split a dinner, but mostly because I filled up quickly on the creamy grits and spinach madeleine.

Fried Chicken, Spinach Madeleine, and Grits

Another reason I should have immediately stopped halfway…the third course, dessert, was a slice of King Cake with your choice of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream a la mode.

An amazing dinner, while worthy of a birthday, you don’t need to wait for a special occasion to try this place out!

Resources:

The Libertine = http://www.libertinestl.com

Photo by Patience Scanlon

Cheese-ology

Unfortunately, Cheese-ology has closed.

While I know Cheese-ology is not the typical gourmet dining that I usually write about, I feel that the STLCheesegirl needed to at least see what all this cheesiness was about, especially on my birthday. And because who doesn’t love mac & cheese?

Of course I think it is a brilliant idea since it is such an accessible dish and I’ve gotten crazy a time or two throwing in some hot dogs or broccoli with my mac & cheese or mixing it with some chili. I do admit that their version is not your normal mac & cheese, since these dishes are baked, so it’s more like a casserole, and you’ll be a little disappointed if you’re expecting the powered cheese you grew up with.

I was certainly overwhelmed by the amount of choices listed on the board when I walked in. So much that I didn’t realize that there were two size choices as well. I thought my mini-skillet serving was a little small, but the mac & cheese was so filling that I was happier I ended up with a “regular” as opposed to the “large”. The large almost makes it pricy for mac & cheese.

I was torn between the Mediterranean and the Spinach Artichoke since those were the most heavily vegetable dishes, but luckily Patience was willing to split with me. My cheeses were mozzarella and goat cheese, and while I love black olives, the Kalamata olives were a little bit overwhelming. I thought the Spinach Artichoke had a better blend of flavors, with Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheese.

Mediterranean Mac & Cheese

I am tempted to go back for mixing in some protein like the Shrimp Scampi or really I should have just created my own…but I would probably want to mix in everything. I probably should try it at home…

There is also a Vegan option made with Daiya Vegan cheese too.

I was thinking this might be a good place to take kids since this is something that they’ll eat, but then I saw that they served beers on tap as well…so perhaps it really is geared towards adults, or perhaps something for everyone?

Birthday Mac & Cheese!

Resources:

Cheese-ology = http://www.cheese-ology.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

STLCheesegirl Top Posts

I was going to do a "Best of 2013" blog post listing out my highest-viewed posts about my "food adventures", but my second highest-viewed post is actually from 2012.

Going over my posts from the past four years, only had a handful of views for those first few posts so it's fun to see how far this blog has come. Thanks to a mailing list of loyal friends and family, as well as using social media and Patch.com blogs, I get quite a few more page views.

But there are still a few posts that have gotten a ton of views...some make sense, like my adventures to top St. Louis restaurants like Niche and Robust Wine Bar. Yet, there are quite a few surprises so you might want to check them out...

Robust Wine Bar MX - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2013/08/robust-wine-bar-mx.html
This is my top most-viewed post and I wonder if it's from a following of the restaurant as well as a popular wine spot. I definitely recommend this as a date night because you can combine it MX Movies (another top post) either before or after the show.

Astoria Kabob House - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2012/10/astoria-kabob-house.html
Astoria has been in my neighborhood for a long time and I had never gone there for dinner until a friend needed to try an ethnic restaurant for a school assignment. I went there on the same night as a wedding reception so the tables were close together and service was a bit slammed. Other reviews I have read have also complained about the service, but hopefully people have been willing to try it out for themselves and maybe even used that Groupon for it?

Tenacious Eats Sideways - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2013/03/tenacious-eats-sideways.html
This was one of my more favorite Tenacious Eats viewings because it included a wine pairing to coincide with the wine-themed movie. It also helped that a lot of my wine friends were able to attend since it was hosted by the American Wine Society, which I will be joining this year.

Hemingway's Zen Garden - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2013/03/hemingways-zen-garden.html
My good friend, Cherie, Moery-Metzka, decided to take on a new challenge as Executive Chef at a quaint wine bar and restaurant over in downtown O'Fallon, IL. I found myself driving over the river and through the woods (well, really along the highway) a couple of times a month because of her. Cherie used to tease her Facebook friends with her home cooking and this was a way for me to finally taste her cooking. Let's just say her sea scallops are the best ever...

Niche - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2013/02/niche.html
This restaurant speaks for itself but I finally got to go once it moved to Clayton and I went for my birthday. Definitely worth it for a special occasion.

MX Movie Theater - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2013/03/mx-movie-theater.html
I was a couple of months late celebrating my birthday with a friend, but this was a fun activity to try something new in the city. While I'm never the first one to try a new trend, I do get there eventually. Pretty much the best meal I have ever had at a movie theater...

Mission Taco - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2013/03/mission-taco.html
Thanks to STLwinegirl hosting her "business birthday party" in conjunction with a soft opening of Mission Taco, we got a first peek and taste at the latest restaurant from the Tilford brothers. Needless to say I have been back MANY times and it's a great place to get a bite before a show at the Pageant.

A Good Man is Hard To Find - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2013/04/a-good-main-is-hard-to-find.html
This was the first physical restaurant that John Perkins started after his underground dining under EntreSTL. Here is an updated website for Juniper, the latest and permanent version of the restaurant. I hope to get back there to taste more southern cooking: http://junipereats.com/

Mia Sorella - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2013/03/mia-sorella.html
I was surprised to see this one on my most-viewed list since I really haven't seen much press for it. I figure you can go wrong with Trattoria Marcella’s sister restaurant and I this is one of the last dinner's that I had with my best friend before she moved out of town. Parking, with snow on the ground, made it tough but the food and company was wonderful.

Tenacious Eats Soul Food - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2013/02/tenacious-eats-soul-food.html
This was my first time at Tenacious Eats so I was really blown away by the whole production. I love the creativity of the idea and Executive Chef, Elizabeth Schuster. You should try at least once, even though it makes for a late night. Or host your own party...

Nico - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2013/02/nico.html
Now this one really surprises me because Nico has not gotten the best reviews so perhaps people were wanting more opinions? Regardless, this makes me want to try Franco very badly.

Food Media Forum 2013 - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2013/11/food-media-forum-2013.html
Now this one makes me feel very guilty as I wrote about my two-day conference experience SEVERAL months late. It probably helps that this was a food blogger's conference and so I made a lot of connections, but I do appreciate everyone who stopped to read some of this post even though it was quite outdated.

STLVegGirl Vegetarian Party - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2013/11/stlveggirl-vegetarian-party.html
One of my favorite experiences was getting to hire my friend, Caryn Dugan, aka STLVegGirl to cater Patience's birthday party since so many of her friends are vegetarian or special diets. You can't get that kind of service from just anyone. I hope a lot of vegetarians are following her now!

SLeeK Lobster Extravaganza - http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2009/05/sleek-lobster-extravaganza.html
While this is NOT one of my most-viewed posts, I had to add it in at the bottom of this post because THIS is where STLCheesegirl got started. The restaurant SLeeK is now defunct, but at least I can say I met Hubert Keller and I am STILL good friends with Angela Ortmann, aka STLwinegirl.

Cheesepocalype?

This article about the lack of Velvetta cheese was brought to my attention on Facebook of course...

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/cheesepocalypse-nears-as-kraft-runs-low-on-velveeta-162026476.html

But instead of panicking, I think people need to learn about what REAL CHEESE options are out there for them!

My personal favorite melting cheese is Chihuahua Cheese. You can find more info here: http://www.cooksinfo.com/chihuahua-cheese

What REAL cheese do you like to use for melting?