5 Star Burgers

So I have to admit that I had not tried 5 Star Burgers because I had them confused with 5 Guys Burgers, and boy are they two completely different burger joints. It's a shame their names are so similar because it is night and day between the two.

Right away I was shocked to see that it's a sit-down restaurant and not just an "order from the counter" place. Also, I was pleased to see the long list of ingredients that you could add to any burger. Of course I was going to add mushrooms, avocado, and an egg and no I don't care that it's going to be a towering mess!

I was also surprised to see at the top, posted in bold letters: "FRESH, ALL-NATURAL, HORMONE and ANTIBIOTIC FREE" when referring to their beef. So without hesitation, I wanted to try one of their signature burgers for my first time. I chose the "Magic Mushroom" since that came with the sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, and swiss cheese that I would have ordered anyway for the plain burger.

Magic Mushroom

Now I can't wait to go back because I also want to try all their specialty burgers like veggie, turkey, lamb, and bison. Plus they have other types of sandwiches like grilled chicken, salmon, and a portabella. For a burger joint, they have a lengthy salad list on top of that. Something for everyone!!

I knew better than to order a side dish with my massive burger, but the fries, fried pickles, and crispy cheese curds looked fabulously greasy and good.

Oh...and they have a fantastic happy hour EVERYDAY from 4-6pm where they have sliders for $1.50 each! I was impressed with their local, craft beer selection too.

I can't wait to go back....

Resources:

5 Star Burgers = http://www.5starburgersstl.com/

PW Pizza Second New Belgium Beer Dinner

I was so excited to see that New Belgium was picked as the featured brewery this month since they were the very first brewery for a "beer night" back in 2011. You can read about it here:
http://www.stlcheesegirl.com/2011/08/new-belgium-pipa-tasting-and-pw-pizza.html

PW Pizza wised up and realized they should probably serve some food with all the beer tastings!!

Once again, IPAs were the featured beers for the night as we got to try their Slow Ride Session IPA and the Rampant Imperial IPA.

Yet, my favorite beer of the night was the new Snapshot Wheat because it was so light and easy drinking. I think it'll be perfect for the summer too.

Unfortunately, I did not have my personal photographer with me this time so I forgot to take pictures besides the menu and dessert course.

Menu

The Snapshot Wheat was paired with an Almond & Arugula Salad while the IPAs were each paired with a pizza.

The Thai Chicken Pizza was covered in pineapple, so that was an excellent pairing with the big citrus flavor of the Slow Ride Session IPA. This beer was not too bitter for an IPA and was easy drinking and food friendly.

The Rampant Imperial IPA was a lot more bitter and so that was paired with the Spicy Hot Capicola Pizza, although it was just a few pepper flakes to add heat. It did to help cut through the sausage on top.

I just wanted to skip to dessert, a Chocolate Almond Tart that was incredibly decadent!! Well paired with a Portage Porter, which could be dessert in itself!

Chocolate Almond Tart with Ginger Caramel Sauce and Whipped Cream

PW Pizza has already announced their beer dinners for the year so let me know if you're interested in signing up for one each month!

Resources:

PW Pizza = http://pwpizza.com/

New Belgium = http://www.newbelgium.com/

Dark Room: Slow Down and Indulge

Since I have a connection to The Dark Room, I signed up for their mailing list and follow them on social media. Just last week, I got a slew of Facebook Event invitations for a new dinner series at The Dark Room called "Slow Down and Indulge".

This new dinner series is a four-course dinner that will take place on Thursday nights, each night with a theme. The first two Thursdays start with a French theme and next up will be a Moroccan dinner. Surprisingly, I happened to have a Thursday night open and could finally try out one of these dinners.

I have been to The Dark Room before for a late night glass of wine as well as a Wine Girl Wednesday with STLwinegirl, but not for a four-course meal! I was curious how this would go...

I immediately received a printed menu as soon as I sat down and everything sounded elegant, especially the wine pairings. (Of course there are a wine pairings at a wine bar!)

Menu

The dinner started off with a small appetizer and bubbles to help clean the palate. The cheesy biscuits were two bites of cheesy goodness! Since the main course was a heavier dish, I was happy to start off light.

Thyme & Gruyere Gougeres with Fig Marsala Jam and
N/V Domaine Baumard "Turquoise" Brut from Loire Valley

The second course could have been an entree for me. A little larger than a side salad, a healthy piece of tuna came with the Salad Nicoise, I was already quite happy as this is one of my favorite salads. Perhaps they could add this to their regular menu???!!! (Write-in campaign starting NOW!)

Salad Nicoise with Tarragon Vinaigrettte
2013 Domaine Lafond

The salad was paired with a very light, but slightly dry blend from Lirac, France. There was actually a choice between this and a fruitier white from the Alsace region.

For the main course, I was really looking forward to the classic Boeuf Bouruignon and the meat was so soft,  you didn't even need to use your knife!

Boeuf Bourguignon with Yukon Potatoes and Carrots
2013 Domaine Laporte

Extra special was the side of bread, which I don't normally eat, but it is the owner's grandmother's recipe and has a touch of sweetness to it. It was sturdy enough for butter or jam, but was perfect for sopping up the gravy afterwards!

A rich dish like this needs a big red so out of the four choices, I selected the 2013 Domain Laporte Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley. My friends let me try their Merlot from Bordeaux and it was too dry for my taste so the Cab Franc was just right.

The big red was also a good pairing for the dessert course, a Flourless Chocolate Cake with Tawny Port Whip and Ghiradelli Caramel on top. You know how I feel about chocolate. Perfect meal.

Flourless Chocoalte Cake with Tawny Port Whip, Ghiradelli Caramel, and Fleur de Sel

My friends opted for a glass of Tawny Port to go with their dessert and it got to star in the photo above.

Hopefully, The Dark Room will keep coming up with unique food and wine pairings!!

Resources:

The Dark Room = http://thedarkroomstl.com/

Frida's Deli

After watching "Forks Over Knifes" last night, I was inspired to try Frida's Deli. All my veg-head friends have raved about it and is very centrally located in U. City. I didn't realize it was RIGHT NEXT DOOR to Momo's, another favorite.

You can see the modern and sleek look of the interior from their website. I also enjoyed the techno music playing and the eclectic scenery of people walking by with the large windows. Most hilarious was the picture of "Frida the cat" with full length eyebrows. I bet my Haley would love having her own portrait as well!

Anyway, after reading a lot of reviews, I really had my heart set on the Mushroom Reuben. While the mushrooms really aren't similar per se, the sandwich had a thick consistency and was very filling. (Always a fear I used to have with vegan foods.) Although, I do admit, I probably got filled up on the Energizer smoothie, a thick purple fruity drink. It takes like blueberries and bananas to me with the green tea and spinach mixed in.

Mushroom Reuben with Energizer smoothie

And the small scoop of hummus to put on my cucumber slices was cute and tasty! Gave me something to eat while I waited for my sandwich to cool down.

I really hope to go back because there are so may interesting types of sandwiches and smoothies.

Resources:

Frida's Deli = http://www.fridasdeli.com/

Adam's Smokehouse

Since it's my spring break, I finally got a chance to try out another one of our top BBQ places, Adam's Smokehouse. Now that I managed to stop by Pappy's earlier this year, I hope to make my way to some of the others as well.

Adam's is actually not too far from where Patience lives so it made it easy to get to, although the store is right on an angled cornered. I was lucky in that my hair appointment ran long so I ended up making it there for a late lunch around 2pm. It sounds like that during the lunch rush, the line can be out the door, which is not too surprising since it's quite a little shop. Maybe a dozen tables or so...

I'm not sure how they manage the lunch rush, but I assume that most of the orders are to go. I enjoyed not having to rush at all and could spend time talking to employees. Everyone was extremely friendly and I feel like they would have been happy to get me anything I would need.

Menu board

While I probably should have gotten a similar "2 meat platter" to Pappy's, I decided to be a little more sensible and just order a turkey sandwich with two sides: baked beans and cole slaw.

Turkey sandwich with baked beans and cole slaw

The turkey was thin and lean, just how I like it. There were only a few sauces on the table so not overwhelmed by choices and actually tried them all. The strawberry cayenne was fruity at first with a kick at the back of your throat. Another sauce was unlabeled and I was only willing to try a little dab of it. I stuck with the Sweet Jane sauce and used plenty of it!

The beans had a smokier flavor than what I was used to and the slaw was not overly creamy, so it was nice to try a different take on these common side dishes.

Resources:

Adam's Smokehouse = http://www.adamssmokehouse.com/