Nathaniel Reid Bakery

I'm not sure when we were talking about it...perhaps it was one of those discussions where we were listing all the things we want to do when the pandemic was over, but on my bucket list was visiting Nathaniel Reid's Bakery. It seems like a fun thing to do on a birthday and dive into a lot of treats at once, but I really don't feel like going out much in January cold.

Julia had the brilliant idea of saving the date for my half birthday, as I'm much more willing and pumped to go out in the middle of summer!

Visiting the bakery was everything I thought it would be as I wanted one of EVERYTHING! 

When we arrived late morning, there was a line out the door, but that gave us time to review the menu from our phones. Even if there wasn't a restriction on the number of people in the door, I felt it was better this way to give more space to view the cases while in line. This also led to more organization to go through the display cases one by one.

There were chocolate bars on the side, and then four cases full of goodies.

Cases full of goodies!

I want to say that Nathaniel Reid's is best known for their macaroons, but you should plan on getting some no matter what. To ensure there would be peace in my home, I opted for the box of 12 so that Patience and I would have an equal of our own without having to share. While you may think you can share these, why would you want to?

Macaroon case

Macaroons

Next up was the pastry case and they are all so beautiful. I restricted myself to one chocolate item for me and then a couple more decadent beauties. Almost too pretty to eat!

Pastry case

Chocolate dessert

Raspberry dessert

Caramel dessert

Next up were cookies and croissants...

Croissants and cookies case

I picked an Oatmeal Raisin cookie out for Patience and a Chocolate Almond croissant for us to share since they were the size of my head! I'm sure you know the Double Chocolate Brownie was just for me. No sharing there either. HA!

Oatmeal Raisin cookie

Chocolate Almond Croisssant and Double Chocolate Brownie

Since we got up "early", I still wanted something for breakfast as they have a few savory items too. I felt it was most appropriate to order the Egg and Cheese quiche from a French bakery! The egg was so light and fluffy!

Egg and Cheese quiche

It really is such a treat to have a bakery of this caliber in our town, not to mention in a strip mall in Kirkwood. Be sure to make it a stop at least once a year for that special someone...especially yourself!

Resources:

Nathaniel Reid Bakery = https://www.nrbakery.com/

J. Smugs GastroPit

With wine club moving to Friday night this past weekend, we had to shift to "Take Out Saturday" and that was organized last minute since we were at a pool party earlier in the day.

My first couple of ideas were shot down, but I thought I found a winner with Original J's BBQ, which we had been to only one time before. Unfortunately, they have shut down until September due to lack of staff. (DARN YOU COVID!)

I went with the BBQ theme on Postmates and came across something new! J. Smugs GastroPit appears to be on the Hill, not far from us, and has quite a diverse menu...not just BBQ!

I was in the mood for Double-Cooked Smoked Wings, and although Patience thought they were dry, I loved dipping them in the Memphis BBQ sauce. There were several sauces to choose from too. 

And of course I ordered the Mac N Cheese for my side!

Smoked Wings, Mac N Cheese, and Crispy Rolls in a cheesy sauce

Patience was the adventurous one and ordered Shrimp Tacos and Crispy Rolls, which reminded me of Mexican Flautas. They're stuffed with chicken and pork, along with cheddar cheese, and it came with a fresh corn salsa. It was all too much for her, so luckily, some of it landed on my plate. 

Shrimp Tacos

Actually, Patience was just saving room for Cannolis (at a BBQ joint?!?!). Definitely not your typical menu!

Cherry Canolis

Since we only tried a few things, hopefully we can order from them again and try a few more.

Resources:

J. Smugs GastroPit = https://www.jsmugsgastropit.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

Bolyard's New Location

As soon as the new version of Bolyard's opened, I jumped at the chance to order one of their many sandwiches! At the previous location, the sandwiches were only available for lunch, and I was way too lazy to drive down the street for them in the middle of the work day. But now that they are open until 7pm in the new location across the street, it's the perfect quick pick up for "Take Out Friday"!

Patience had another red meat craving since we have it so infrequently at home. The Steak sandwich was very filling and rich, covered in blue cheese and horse radish cream.

Steak sandwich

Of course the Tallow Fries go best with that! (Their ketchup and other sauces are all home made too!)

Tallow Fries

Normally, I would have stuck to my traditional and safe "Tom Tom", or turkey sandwich, but Bolyard's includes a "No Kid Hungry Special", a Chicken Salad sandwich. In addition to the pulled chicken, there were grilled vegetables (a ratatouille if you will) mixed in with the chicken. I've never had such a complex chicken salad before!

Chicken Salad sandwich

I was adventurous again with my side and chose the Pickled & Fermented veggies. Unfortunately, I only could enjoy the actual pickles, but Patience loved the beets and the brussel sprouts. There were some unripened looking strawberries as well. I am hoping that the vegetables will vary?

Pickled & Fermented Veggies

Bolyard's really takes advantage of the new space and is a great upgrade to Maplewood! 

Check out the new Bolyard's!

P.S. I cannot wait to go back and try one of their burgers!!

Resources:

Bolyard's = https://bolyardsmeat.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

PW Pizza Golden Road Beer Dinner

Patience was excited about this LA-based brewery because there is a female brewer! I wasn't sure she would enjoy any of the beers in the list due to the fact they were all fruity or an IPA! The beers definitely surprised us and it was a good pick for this month.

Golden Road Lineup

The salads are still big winners and we couldn't finish it with three people! All the fruity beers ring in at 4.0% ABV so I think any beer could have gone with the salad since they're all so light. We started off with the Mango Cart, which was matched up with a mango vinaigrette dressing.

Hamilton House Mixed Greens Salad

The best part about the fruity beers is that they weren't tart at all. Of course they would make great patio pounders too! The Melon Cart was paired with a BBQ Roast Pork Loin Pizza, which also had pineapple on top. 

BBQ Roast Pork Loin Pizza on the bottom, Cajun Spice Shrimp Pizza on top

Of course the Cajun Spicy Shrimp Pizza was cooled off with their well-known Wolf Pup Session IPA. It actually wasn't too hoppy! A nice change of pace!

I think the best pairing was the Pineapple Cart beer with a Pineapple Cheesecake, which I don't think I've ever had before. This definitely made me ready for warm weather!

Pineapple Cheesecake

Golden Road Brewing Menu

Resources:

PW Pizza = https://pwpizza.com/

Golden Road Brewing = https://www.goldenroad.la/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

Take Out Friday - Gokul

Since we aren't going out as much before COVID, I am sure I'll still have quite a few "Take Out Friday" posts in the coming months. Be sure to note that we're not getting the full restaurant experience or ambiance. 

Hopefully, these will be good teasers as far as restaurants to try in person when we get out more.

We're really not well versed in Gokul or Indian food and my experience had been at the lunch buffet at their old location in West County. Now they are in the Loop!

While my dish was way too spicy for me, Patience ordered a lot smarter with a veggie and rice dish.

Vegetables and Rice

Luckily, she also ordered some cheesy Naan and Paneer Pakora to help cool me down. (Paneer Pakora is also cheese that's been dipped in batter and fried.)

Cheesy Naan

Paneer Pakora

We may need a few more orders to find the right dishes for us...

Resources:

Gokul = https://www.gokulrestaurant.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon