Michelle A. Marcus

Mad Tomato

2012-01-22T14:10:00.000-08:00

Since my foodie friend, Beth, offered to take me out for my birthday, it meant I got to try Mad Tomato, which had been at the top of my list after hearing so many good things about it. Better yet, Beth promised that I could order cheese!

Mad Tomato had nine different cheeses to select from so it was hard to pick between my local favorites such as Baetje Farms or to go with something Italian to keep with the theme of the evening. Luckily, I was allowed to pick a few so I went with the Alpine from Marcoot Jersey Creamery, the Widmer 6 year aged Cheddar from Wisconsin, and then a firm goat cheese from Italy.

Next course was the appetizers and you could definitely make a meal from them because there are so many to choose from. We selected the Calabrese Olives and the Abruzzese Prosciutto di Parma Salumi, which provided a salty break in between bites of cheese.

I was about to order Grandma’s Eggplant, but it was explained to me that this was not the eggplant parmagian that I am used to so instead I went with another all-time favorite: Ricotta Gnocchi. Super rich, cheesy and creamy.

My friends ordered the Fettuccine-Gulf Shrimp and it’s strange to taste fettuccine in a tomato sauce instead of the traditional alfredo, but this was a much lighter pasta and I really enjoyed the huge chunks of shrimp in every bite.

The other item I highly recommend is the pizza as they have their own brick oven on site. I had a couple of pieces of the Funghi pizza which came with mozzarella and arugula as well as the mushrooms. I probably should have requested black olives on it to make it perfect, but instead, I tried it with a fried egg on top for the first time and it’s a great combination!

My friends weren’t as lucky as their pizza came out burnt and had to be replaced. Since the pizza is thin crust, it really didn’t go so well as leftovers either.

As the person with the birthday, I had the added pressure of picking out the wines for the table but I immediately knew that I wanted a Barbera, which is sometimes called the “Italian Pinot”. This way everyone could have red that was not too dry and the 2008 RioFava Barbera from Piedmont had a strong, fruity finish. The first bottle went quick and I wasn’t quite ready to order a second one so luckily I had some help picking a red that would be a little stronger for the main course. I still really wanted an Italian wine as well so we settled on the 2008 Argianno Super Tuscan. I don’t think you can go wrong with a wine that has “Super” in the name!

I really appreciated our waiter because I asked him a lot of questions about the cheese and the wine and it can’t be easy to be an expert in everything, but I was very happy with all of his recommendations. And since it was my birthday he was kind enough to bring us Tiramisu for dessert along with a strawberry mojito in a cute, little aperitif glass!

Resources:

Mad Tomato = http://www.madtomatostl.com/

Home Wine Kitchen FEAST Tasting

2011-12-28T18:45:00.000-08:00

I know that I have already blogged about Home Wine Kitchen but I got to go again, for free, thanks to another monthly FEAST tasting hosted by STLwinegirl, Angela Ortmann. Since Home Wine Kitchen is always changing its menu, you don’t have to worry about going back more than once. Chef Cassy Vires is known for her unique twist on comfort foods or home cookin’, if you will. In the past, the FEAST tastings are usually just that…a small taste…but this was a five-course meal.

We started with Cranberry Confit on grilled bread but what made this dish was the thin layer of Missouri goat cheese that helped to mellow the tartness of the cranberries. This was paired with a Domaine St. Vincent Sparkling Wine from New Mexico. I believe I had this sparkling wine at the Home Wine Kitchen Traveling Table as well!

Next was my first time trying Beef Tartare and I learned that tartare is really any diced raw meat. The beef tasted so fresh…and even more delicious with the quail egg on top! To help cut through some of the grease, we already moved to the reds: Dauvergne Ranvier, from my favorite region, Rhone Valley, France.

The third course was a risotto mixed with caramelized onions, wild mushrooms, thyme, and brie. I tried not to take too many helpings in order for the vegetarian of the table to load up on this dish, which was paired with Domaine Depueble Beaujolais. I think I will now just make the blanket statement that you can’t go wrong with Beaujolais at any age. Light and fruity…MY kind of red!

While I enjoyed all the courses, I was blown away by the Lamb Chop. Normally I avoid lamb in a restaurant just because I don’t like to fight with getting the meat off of the bone, but this was definitely worth the work! We were only allowed one per person and I caught myself looking around for leftover chops. Of course, a strong, dry red wine (Haraszthy Old Vine Zinfandel out of Lodi, California) was paired with the lamb so I didn’t drink much of it.

Last but not least by any means, the dessert was out of this world…home-made Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (think Nutella) on top of Honeyed Waffle Bites. And yes, I did use my finger to get to the leftover chocolate on the plate. Again, I only sipped the Quinta Do Noval Tawny Port from Portugal since it’s way too strong for me and interfered with the chocolate.

After the FEAST tasting, I made plans to have dinner with friends…yes, I was still a little bit hungry, and yes, I wanted more from the tasting. My dinner consisted of the Beef Tartare and another order of the Lamb Chop. I could only eat one out of two so I had a delicious meal the very next day too!

Resources:

FEAST magazine = http://www.feaststl.com/

Home Wine Kitchen = http://www.homewinekitchen.com/

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com/

Bailey's Range

2011-12-25T12:22:00.000-08:00

For the second year in a row, my friend picked a great restaurant to celebrate her birthday and this year was even more exciting since Bailey’s Range is a new place that I had wanted to try! Dave, the owner, came by and said hello since he knew some of my friends and he also owns Bailey’s Chocolate Bar, Bridge, and Rooster. (Rooster is the only one I haven’t been to yet!)

Since we had a large party and had to wait for a spot to sit, I hung out by the ice cream freezer near the front door and investigated all the flavors. Pistachio seemed to be the most popular but they had my favorite, mint chip and a couple of other chocolate flavors, so I’m not sure when I’d get to try it. But it didn’t matter since I ordered too much food and we had birthday cupcakes to eat for dessert!

I also used the time to walk around since I have never seen any place quite like it. I understand that the space used to be the City Grocer but now it has a very “dairy farmer” feel to it. There is the bar and then a very long table down the middle of a narrow room, so you’ll never know who you’ll get to sit next to! Behind a faux wall of glass windows, you can see different sections of the kitchen where they bake their own fresh buns and do the grilling. Then lights over the table are all milk urns with the bottoms cut out. So cute!

Since I was super excited about having dinner there, I spent time at work (Shhh) pouring over the menu. I had to order a “snack” since it’s one of the few places in St. Louis where I have found cheese curds! They were a light, yellow color and came with bruschetta and spicy mustard. I normally would not put mustard and cheese curds together but it gave the curds a little kick.

A lot of my friends had trouble picking out one of the various burgers that were on the menu. You could get bison, lamb, pork or duck patties! (Yes, there is even a veggie burger as well, don’t worry.) But I had no trouble picking one out…I skipped all the burgers with bacon and immediately went to the one with three types of mushrooms…along with Tellegio, one of my favorite cheeses. This was the Paris burger and of course, one of the most expensive. Hehe The best part of the burger is that even though I loaded it up, it still did not leave me with that greasy, heavy feeling after. The ingredients are so fresh and I think that makes all the difference.

I also noticed a LGBT burger, which I’m pretty sure was done on purpose, but that had bacon on it so I had to skip over it. I did get to taste the PB&J Burger: Pesto, Bison, and tomato Jam. So instead of ketchup, the burger already came with its own thick tomato sauce.

On the side, a few friends shared the fries (it’s not a proper meal unless I can steal someone’s fries), and I ordered a quinoa salad that came in a light dressing.
What’s cool is that there are so many different types of burgers on the menu, it’s easy to want to go back to try a different one.

And this is one place I certainly won’t waste time ordering a salad.

Resources:

Bailey’s Range = http://www.baileysrange.com

Aya Sofia Traveling Table

2011-12-25T12:15:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month, I got to attend Aya Sofia for a second time thanks to a STLwinegirl Traveling Table, and even though I already completed a blog post about them, I did get to try all new dishes and yes, it’s very deserving of a second blog post.

While Aya Sofiya does serve a number of Turkish dishes, we focused on the familiar Mediterranean dishes that most people are familiar with. We started off with Borek, or simply, a feta and spinach pie in filo dough. I loved the feta cheese…and the spinach flavor was strong so that paired VERY well with the Giocoto Pino Grigio from Slovenia. This wine is very quaffable and would go best on a warm, summer day. The flavor really stood out on its own but also stood up to the spinach. I was already thrilled after just the first pairing!

The second course included Sarma, grape leaves stuffed with beef, onions, and rice, and was paired with my first Lebanese wine: Musar “Jeune” Blanc. The wine had a strong herb smelled but once again, the flavor was able to melt well with such a rich dish.

The third course was of course, my favorite, since it was the Sebzeli Mussaka, the vegetarian version. Rumor has it that this version is better than the one with beef and it came with a side of pearl couscous. While the first two courses were appetizers, this was a full dinner-size portion and I still managed to “help” a few others. This course was also paired with a Musar “Jeune” wine from Lebanon but this time it was the red or “Rouge”, tasting much like a Cabernet. Although it was a little dry for me, the rich, fruity flavors did pair well with the heavier tomato sauce.

Last but not least, you cannot leave a Mediterranean restaurant without the proper dessert. We each received a small serving of baklava…just the right size since we were all so full. Dessert also came with an “evil eye bead”, which is often given as gifts as it is thought to give protection and bring luck!

Resources:

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com

Aya Sofia = http://ayasofiacuisine.com/

Mei Lee Traveling Table

2011-12-25T12:07:00.000-08:00

Last month, I didn’t get a chance to report on the STLwinegirl Traveling Table at Mei Lee. I had been a huge fan of Mei Lee many years ago when I worked with a woman from Thailand and she took us there for lunch one day. She had ordered us the best item on the menu, the last number, which was a sweet noodle dish with shrimp. Every time I went back, I would always order it. So I was sad when Mei Lee moved just because I am a traditionalist so this was a great excuse to try out the new location.

The best thing about the Traveling Table is that since the menu was already selected, it meant that I got to taste some new dishes instead of ordering my usual noodle dish. We started out with Chicken Spring Rolls and of course, a lighter appetizer pairs best with a light, white wine: Domaine Savard Cheverny Sauvignon Blanc from Loire Valley, France. The spring rolls were served with a fish sauce and a hoisin sauce so it was interesting to pair them both with the wine. I couldn’t decide…I loved them both!

The second course actually had two dishes…the first was a Papaya Salad with Shrimp & Pork. The shrimp was fantastic and I just ate around the pork of course. And speaking of trying something new, the second dish was my first time trying fried frog legs! They looked like little fried chicken drummies. (Tastes like chicken!) Maybe a little greasy and there is not much meat to a frog leg really. Both were paired with a Albert Mann Pinot Blanc from Alsace, France to help cut through the grease of the lighter meats.

Then to top of the last course, there were THREE dishes to try, all paired with a 2009 Olivier Hillaire Cotes du Rhone from Southern Rhone France. I am a huge Cotes du Rhone fan and it really paired well with the heavier meaty dishes. I skipped over the Five Spice Pork dish, but I did enjoy the Shrimp Fire Pot Soup that came in a Lemongrass-Tamarind Broth. I could not get enough shrimp! The last dish was a Shaking Beef that was also had a great flavor.

Resources:

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com

Mei Lee = http://maileerestaurant.com/

POP UP Traveling Table

2011-12-19T19:28:00.000-08:00

I have been to quite a few STLwinegirl Traveling Table events but this one was definitely the most unique since it was done in an “underground dinner” style! Labeled as a “POP UP” Traveling Table, every few days as the event got closer and closer, STLwinegirl would post hints on Facebook and the event website. All we knew was that the dinner would be a preview for a new Asian-Latin-influenced restaurant somewhere downtown and we would be rewarded with a free Cocktail Club membership!

When I was first told the location, I immediately went to Google Maps to see if there were any restaurants in the area and a SanSai appeared to be the closest. I figured it fit the “Asian” theme but wasn’t sure where the Latin part fit in. When I arrived at the address, I did go through the doors of a SanSai but this one was decorated with candlelit tables and black tablecloths!

While waiting for everyone to arrive, STLwinegirl, Angela Ortmann, was pouring three types of sake for us to taste while we snacked on edemame.

Once we were seated, it was revealed to us that the SanSai locations in Webster Groves and downtown would transition to an upscale restaurant called Nigori, serving Asian/Latin fusion, but only at night. I’m not quite sure how that will work but I admit I am very curious! Especially after getting a preview taste!

I would love to say the sushi was my favorites since we were served a Toyko Roll as well as Salmon Nigiri, paired with lighter and sparkling wines of course. Yet, the meatier dishes really were outstanding. Duck Confit on a bed of white rice and then three individual tenderloin chunks served with a hoison sauce for dipping. These courses were both well paired with red wines, and the best wine of the night goes to the Chinon. (I hope to find out more information!)

I suppose the best example of fusion came in the second pairing when tuna tartare was delicately placed on tortilla chips.

Last but not least, the dessert course consisted of three donut holes with a sugary coating and came with a decadent glaze sauce for dipping. I tried to cover every inch of the donuts with the glaze and finally in the end, I just had to use my finger to mop it up.

The evening finished with prizes handed out to those attendees who brought a gift card donation to a local women’s shelter. I won another set of wine glass charms with a fruit theme!

I have included the menu for the night as well.

Resources:

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com/

SanSai Japanese Grill = http://www.sansaijapanesegrill.com/

FEAST magazine review = FEAST Article: New Japanese/Mexican Fusion Spin on SanSai in Works

Bocci Bar

2011-12-18T20:03:00.000-08:00

Due to a strong sewer smell at Coastal Bistro, my friends and I ended up at Bocci Bar right next door in Clayton. Since the two are sister restaurants, along with BARcelona, the manager of the Bocci Bar was kind enough to honor our reservation in a busy restaurant despite the fact that we were underdressed. (We were the only ones in jeans.)

Since we were starving with such a late dinner reservation, I immediately ordered an appetizer and the “cheese stuffed rice balls” or Suppli al Telefono, caught my eye. This dish came with three dense “balls” of rice, as thick as risotto, and was quite filling. I probably could have made a meal out of just the appetizers too since there was a Formaggio Board and mussels as well.

The soup and salad selections were limited so I ordered the “winter salad” special, which came with root vegetables and I actually ate beets believe it or not. My friends also ordered a regular salad and they came out in bowls instead of small plates. I was already starting to get full.

After attending a few Whole Foods seafood classes, I knew that I had to order the Italian Fish Stew. No question. The stew was chock full of halibut, mussels, calamari, and shrimp in a tomato saffron broth. One friend ordered the lasagna, which was not in a red sauce and had more of a ricotta and vegetable taste. My other friend was very adventurous and ordered the special of the night: rabbit! I got to try it and while I don’t want to say it tasted greasy or gamey, it definitely was a unique and strange flavor. I had to laugh a little bit since it was served with carrots. Hehe

My friends could not resist the dessert menu while I was easily stuffed. I would have chosen the chocolate gelato or chocolate lava cake if I had any room. Instead, my friends went with the mascarpone cheesecake. Talk about thick and rich! And yes, it was a generous slice.

Resources:

Bocci Bar = http://boccibar.com/

My first underground dinner

2011-12-04T16:05:00.000-08:00

After getting a recommendation from a friend, I finally got the chance to try my first “underground dinner” provided by Entre catering. The location is kept secret until the day of the dinner. You have to put down a deposit and then you pay the rest of the amount, including the cost of your beer or wine flight, at the end.

This dinner was a little different in that they served only a beer flight because it was held at Perennial Artisan Ales brewery, in the old Coca-Cola plant, so I was looking forward to trying new beers in addition to the menu. The evening started off with a quick tour of the brewery…I say quick because it’s still a very small place, but the restaurant area where you can order food and beers has just been completed.

I could tell it was going to be a long evening since they provided two rows of lengthy tables, seating around close to 70 people, with only a handful of wait staff. I was fortunate enough to be seated near one of the brewers and his friends so I got to hear a bit more insight about the brewery.

Course 1: Cauliflower Panzanella, Parsley paired with a Southside Blonde

The first course was just a simple row of roasted cauliflower in a light dressing. I think it would have been awesome as a small salad instead of just by itself, but at least it was paired with one of my favorite beers of the night, the Southside Blonde, a Belgium style ale. Of course the light flavors were a good pairing with each other.

Course 2: Smoked Duck Consommé, Duck Confit, Kimchi paired with Hommel

Wes Johnson from Salt stepped in and saved the day for this course since he provided the duck confit when their shipment didn’t arrive in time. I’m always nervous about duck tasting too gamey, but I really enjoyed it even though it didn’t match up with the Hommel because of its bitter and hoppy flavor.

Course 3: Scallop Escabeche, Radish, Arugula paired with Saison De Lis

I think the scallops were my most favorite dish even though there were only a few on the plate. The scallops just melted in my mouth like butter and were decorated with adorable, little watermelon radishes. It was hard not to steal off of my neighbor’s plate for sure. I thought it was paired well with the Saison De Lis, which had a mild flavor.

Course 4: Quail, Wheat Berries, Black Walnut paired with Black Walnut Dunkelweiss

I’m not quite sure I’ve ever had quail before, but I was most looking forward to the Black Walnut beer because it was specially brewed for this night and was the best beer of the night by far. It had a smooth and mild flavor, but not too rich like so many dark beers can be. The quail, stuffed with sweet berries laid on top of a bed of squash, surprised me…I enjoyed it a lot even though it was difficult to cut the meat off the little wings. Hehehe

Course 5: “Pumpkin Pie” paired with Peace Offering

The dessert course was a surprise of pumpkin ganache on marshmallow fluff for a very savory dessert. Again, this went well with the…if you can believe, squash beer that Perennial made for the first time! A local farmer donated several pounds of squash and the brewery wanted to see what they could make with it. I was really impressed!

Resources:

Entre STL = http://entrestl.com/

Perennial Artisan Ales = http://www.perennialbeer.com/

Blood and Sand

2011-12-04T13:49:00.000-08:00

I recently started hearing about this new “exclusive club” membership restaurant, Blood & Sand, and of course that just made me want to check it out. Luckily, they recently hosted a “Monday Cocktail Club” dinner that was open to the public. I immediately had a warm spot for Blood & Sand since I recognized the address as the old Red Moon, which is the first time I was introduced to my favorite wine, Riesling.

That night we had a special menu for the cocktail event so I’m not sure how many of the items are on the regular menu, but it was awesome to at least get a taste. The cocktails were made with spirits distilled from The Local Wine & Spirits Company and most of them were quite strong for me.

There were four courses on the menu, moving from appetizer to dessert. Each course was fantastic but the portions were a little small. The cocktails were actually more generously proportioned than the food so I didn’t have more than a few sips of the drinks.

My favorites were the main courses: smoked chicken consumme with goat cheese tortellini and the bacon wrapped meatloaf. While I took off the bacon, the dense meatloaf was the perfect fall and winter dish. I definitely wanted more, especially since I am on a quest for the ultimate meatloaf.

I think I’ll just list the menu since it really speaks for itself.

Course 1:
Exchange Vodka, Aperol, Punte E Mes Vermouth, Rinse of Pumpkin Vinaigreet, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white, toasted pumpkin seeds served with a fall salad of baby greens, beets, apples, radish, pumpkin vinaigrette

Course 2:
Whipper Snapper Whiskey, Isley Scotch, Anis, Bianco Vermouth, Peychauds served with smoked chicken consumme, goatcheese tortellini

Course 3:
Ransom Old Tom Gin, Whipper Snapper, Yellow Chartreuse, Mole Bitters, Lux Bitters served with bacon wrapped meatloaf, Coca Cola glaze, olives, pepperoncini

Course 4:
Smalls Gin, Local Honey, Coffee, Velvet Fallernum lemon zest, Cassis Whip Cream served with doughtnuts, lemon curd

Resources:

Blood & Sand = http://bloodandsandstl.com/

Local Wine & Spirits Company = http://localwineandspirits.com/

Water Street

2011-12-04T12:57:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons I have a hard time saying no to new things is because you never know who you’re going to meet. I went ziplining for the first time this year and to be honest, the highlight of the day was visiting a winery afterwards. While talking about wine and good restaurants, I was told to check out Water Street by a cousin of the owners. Since I am already in love with all the new restaurants popping up in downtown Maplewood, I really didn’t need any more arm twisting.

Water Street reminded me of its neighbors, Acero and Home Wine Kitchen, since it is another small, but charming storefront with a unique menu. (So it’s best to go during the week when there is plenty of room.) I always have trouble at these restaurants because I want to try every appetizer and could make a meal out of them! Luckily, I had a handful of friends come with me so I got to try a few appetizers as well as several main courses.

A couple of my friends ordered the warm medjool dates and I was disappointed to see them come wrapped in bacon, but I dissected one to get at the sweet flavor of the dates and the middle was stuffed with goat cheese and basil, with a balsamic reduction. I am sure the sweet and salty flavors would be a big hit with bacon lovers.

I chose the salmon gravlax and got to build my own appetizer by adding cucumber salad to the house cured salmon on top of a crostini. I also got to try one of the bruschetta trio with almond-basil pesto. Both were fantastic.

Between all five of us, we covered almost all the main courses as well. I picked out the steak and guiness pie, which is perfect for fall and winter. Very warm and filling with fall vegetables in a puff pastry. My next favorite was the grilled polenta that was surrounded by mushrooms, red onions, asparagus, spinach, and parmesan. That probably would go best in the spring but the warm polenta is what really hits the spot.

I dared to try the golden trout because it is layered with bacon but you couldn’t tell since I believe it was cooked into the fish. I wasn’t able to taste the bacon and instead, the light fish flavor stood out the most. The only dish I would question is the chicken paprika because it was a little plain and came with brussel sprouts. I am not friends with brussel sprouts, no matter how you cook them.

None of us had any room left at the end, but we still powered through and ordered the brownie butter square. I am ashamed to say we left a couple of bites, so I recommend ordering it first and make it a pre-appetizer so as not to waste any of it! The brownie was super rich, just how I like my chocolate!

Water Street serves a handful of wines by the glass and a few half bottles, but the cocktail list is long and I would suggest trying out a new creation if drinks are your thing.

I have no doubt that the menu will probably change based on what is available as the seasons change but that just gives us more reasons to go back.

Resources:

Water Street = http://www.waterstreetstl.com

Ya-Hala

2011-11-02T21:23:00.001-07:00

I’m not sure when it happened but while on my way home a few weeks ago, the Culpepper’s on St. Charles Rock Road turned into a Ya-Hala, a Middle Eastern restaurant. As soon as I got home, I immediately started to plan a dinner date with my fellow “food adventurers”. While we usually aim for ethnic restaurants, a brand new restaurant was a double bonus.

Now I should add the disclaimer that along with new technology, it’s usually better to let the “early adopters” work out all the kinks before investing. So I went ahead knowing full well that the service was not going to be the best, but our meals were actually pretty good.

My friends were the most daring in ordering baba ghanoush as an appetizer for the very first time, which came with only a few soft pita breads. We all looked at each other knowing it wouldn’t be enough but our server was only happy to bring more…after a short delay and asking a few times. We got good at asking for what we needed in advance so there would be less of a wait, but the biggest need was for the outdoor heater! Sitting on the patio was great while the sun was up but too chilly after dark, so the outdoor heater made all the difference. The owner also plans to enclose the patio with a tent, especially since it is used for smoking hookah pipes.

Ya-Hala has a large menu and reasonably priced combinations so I was able to get lamb kabobs that came with a side dish of hummus so that I didn’t have to order it as an appetizer. Actually, there was so much food that came with the platter combo that I really didn’t end up eating much of the hummus at all. Plus my friends shared a few items off their plate, and I believe I tried kibbeh, which was very dry. It could have used more of the yogurt sauce either on top or as a side dip.

We also shared a pitcher of Mojitos and the flavor wasn’t quite right. Probably not quite the right drink for Middle Eastern food anyway?

The server apologized several times for the service, even though it seemed slow inside, but it wasn’t too bad since we weren’t in any rush. In fact, we stuck around to try one of the hookah pipes with Tropical Fruit flavor. There had to be up to fifteen or so different flavors too. The best part about the patio is that we quickly bonded with our table neighbors while sharing the heaters or advice on how to use the hookahs. Then the owner came out and talked with us for a while about his plans for the restaurant.

While it’s not anything fancy, it really fits the “casual, cheap, quick bite in the neighborhood” kind of place that isn’t a chain or typical American food.

Salt

2011-10-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

Since I had completely missed Savor while it was at this location, I could not wait to try Salt, especially after all the wonderful things I had been hearing since it opened. I was lucky enough to get into the free Feast tasting for the month of October and even that was spectacular as a warm up for dinner!

This restaurant definitely made my list of “restaurants that are worth going to for a special occasion” just because of how beautiful it is inside. You can tell it was a former residence and at one time it was a funeral parlor. We were taken upstairs (you gotta check out the swank bathrooms) to a private room that included a stage. I was definitely expecting Catherine Neville or Angela Ortmann (aka STLwinegirl) to perform a magic trick!

No magic was necessary since the tastings and wines were just outstanding and spoke for themselves. Owner and chef Wes Johnson was so wonderful to take the time away from the kitchen to introduce some of the dishes as well as hand them out. He even took the time to talk about the food at a lot of tables as he was going around. Chef Wes didn’t even give me any trouble when Angela pointed out that I was not the biggest fan of piggy.

The first tasting was the best and I would have been fine just having a couple more servings as my dinner. Foie Gras Pate paired with a Von Huhl “Jazz” Riesling. You can’t go wrong with Rieslings from Germany. Chef Wes made the Pate just for our tasting so you can’t order it off the menu but the mussels are recommended in its place. While I love mussels and was planning on ordering it for dinner, I doubt anything could have come close to the Foie Gras. At least I can say I’ve had it now and hopefully no one from PETA will send me a threatening letter.

Next up was a very fruity, yet dry Domaine del la Solitude Rose from the Cotes du Rhone region in France. I point this out because I didn’t realize they even MADE rose from this region, especially since it’s the region I recommend the most when giving gifts to red wine drinkers. My favorite wine is Chateauneuf du Pape…smooth yet bold. Anyway, the rose was paired with another huge favorite of mine: a Chevre from Baetje Farms. Salt has quite a few cheeses on their menu, including this one, but the suggested pairing was the Duck Fat Fried Chicken, since the Duck Fat is what Salt is known for.

The next two pairings were not high on my list due to the piggy factor but I am sure any piggy lover would have enjoyed them. We had a Cider Braised Pork Belly paired with an Oregon Pinot Noir from Boedecker Cellars and then a Pork and Fennel Meatball paired with a Steele Cabernet Franc out of California. Both dishes are on the Salt menu.

When it came time for dinner, my friends were smart and split orders for the Duck Fat Fried Chicken and the Duck Fat fries, which are very thin potato strings. Salt even offers its own homemade ketchup and mayo to go with them! I was all set on ordering the mussels and seared scallops (small plates) or the seared trout (large plate), but then the special of the night won me over. Beer cheddar soup followed by a gnocchi small plate. The soup was so filling that I struggled to finish the gnocchi as well as attempt to help my friends with the duck fat fries. I also got to taste the sorghum lacquered duck, which was fantastic.

It appeared to me that all the main courses were large portions and could easily be shared. I did spy on Angela’s frisee salad and mussels and both of those looked like the perfect size for a full meal as two separate “small plates”.

Definitely a winner.

Resources:

Salt = http://enjoysalt.com

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com

FEAST magazine = http://www.feaststl.com

Whole Foods Galleria October Wine Tasting 2011

2011-10-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

Now that Angela Ortmann (aka STLwinegirl) has taken over wine classes at Whole Foods, I went to taste “Up and Comers of the Wine World”. I typically don’t attend strictly wine classes as I prefer food pairings, but Whole Foods was generous enough to provide an aged gouda and one of my all-time favorites, Epoisses, as well as chocolate truffles for dessert! Of course all of these treats went best with the red wines since they can stand up to the drier wines.

Another reason why it worked out well for me is because we got to try three white wines out of the five total, although I should quickly note that they were all dry whites, so even the pickier wine tasters enjoyed the wines.

We started with a Gruet Blanc de Noirs from New Mexico, which I had just learned about last week at Home Wine Kitchen. I was surprised to learn that wine is now made in all 50 states these days, even Alaska! (Ice wines) I also learned that New Mexico has the longest wine growing history in the states dating back to the 1700s. This wine really surprised me because it was a sparkling wine but did not have that many bubbles like the name implies and was quite dry.

The next two white wines were similar in that they were dry and crisp with a lot of fruit on the nose. We tried a Opala Vinho Verde from Portugal and Indaba Chenin Blanc from South Africa, who has an opposite harvest season since they are in the southern hemisphere. The wine we tasted was harvested in February of this year!

The first red wine was a Apaltagua Carmenere from Chile, which tastes somewhere between a Merlot and a Cabernet. This was smoother than the Pueble del Sol Tannat from Uruguay, but again, the strong cheeses were the only way I could handle such dry red wines.

In addition to teaching classes at the Galleria location, Angela will also be offering classes out west in Town and Country, who will host the next class. Next up is a “bubbles” tasting on November 8th, and then back to the Galleria on November 16th for a food pairing with a “fall comfort food” theme.

Resources:

Epoisses = http://www.cheese-france.com/cheese/epoisses.htm

Whole Foods Galleria = http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/st-louis/

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com/

Aya Sofia

2011-10-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

I had moved Aya Sofia to the top of my birthday dinner wish list because I had heard so much about the restaurant through Jill Aboussie and other friends. Luckily, they happened to be hosting a wine tasting for Sheridan wines and I needed to eat dinner before going to the theater. I feel really bad for not stopping in long before since it is SO close to Ted Drewes on Chippewa that I know that I’ve driven by it hundreds of times!

Of course my favorite was the white wine, La Belle Blonde, and I managed to get a second glass from a friend! It worked out well since I traded her my red wine leftovers because Sheridan offers a L’Orage, (named after the big storm that hit the vineyards), which is 65% Cabernet and 35% Cabernet Franc, in addition to a 100% Cab Franc. My favorite red was the Mystique, since it had the least amount of tannins and is made up of 50% Merlot.

Aya Sofia let us all try the Kibbe with the wines, which looks like a breaded meatball but has a much sweeter flavor, especially once you cover it in the yogurt sauce. My friend also shared her Sakasuka with me and this time it was eggplant mixed with the yogurt sauce and was just delicious.

Even though Aya Sofia offers Turkish dishes as well as Mediterranean cuisine, my love of eggplant always causes me to order the same thing: Musakka. It was a huge plate and came with a side of couscous as well. I probably could have made two meals out of it but I wasn’t able to stop in time!

I was also told there is a vegetarian version of the Musakka that is just as tasty and I admit I would love to go back to work my way through all the eggplant and lamb dishes! Not to mention that I just realized I forgot about dessert….

Resources:

Aya Sofia = http://www.ayasofiacuisine.com

Sheridan Wines = http://www.sheridanvineyard.com

Home Wine Kitchen Traveling Table

2011-10-21T06:38:00.000-07:00

Even though I had dined at Home Wine Kitchen for No Menu Monday, I was really looking forward to the Home Wine Kitchen Traveling Table hosted by Angela Ortmann (aka STLwinegirl). I just knew that Chef Cassy Vines would go all out for us…and I didn’t realize just how much!

Much like the mix and match cheese tasting a couple of nights before, we were encouraged to try all the courses with each of the three wines that were served:

Vin Ver’rary Chardonnay
Mendocino, California

Chaumette Rose of Chambourcin
Ste. Genevieve, Missouri

Mountain View Pinot Noir
Carneros, California

Needless to say, I was quite surprised that Angela picked out three American wines, not to mention a Missouri wine! It was much like being Goldilocks…the white was a little sweet, the rose was mild, while the red was a little dry. All were smooth initially but once they were paired with the food, the Rose stood out the most and went perfectly with everything. I admit that I barely touched the Pinot Noir and even the white wine was too sweet with some the pairings.

Our appetizers consisted of a variety of assorted confits and housemade ricotta to be spread on large slices of grilled bread. All the vegetables, tomatoes, mushrooms, and garlic were soaking in olive oil, while I wanted to eat the ricotta straight out of the jar. As an appetizer and small plates fan, I could have made my entire meal out of the confits and arugla salad, consisting of figs, herbed cheese, pumpkin seeds, and a cider vinaigrette. I even had a second serving, which turned out to be a big mistake because of the amount of the food that came with the main course followed up by dessert!

For a split second, I thought it was Thanksgiving as huge piles of food kept coming out to the table. The roasted chicken was stacked like the Great Pyramid and THE largest bowl of pasta EVER contained a green linguine with radish pesto, parmesan, and pine nuts. If that wasn’t enough, we were served a side of polenta that was so smooth and creamy that it was almost a tapioca pudding!

I think I finally understand the “home cooking comfort food” theme of Home Wine Kitchen, but I found all the courses to be unlike anything I have ever tasted before. These flavors are nothing like you have ever tasted before! This really is a place for a “food adventure”.

As if we had any more room, we still had to finish the night off with a Pistachio Tart with goat cheese on top! It was very hard not to slurp the goat cheese creamy top off every piece! I would have sworn it was cool whip if I didn’t know better. Dessert was graciously paired with a Domaine St. Vincent Sparkling Wine from New Mexico. We definitely had much to celebrate!

Resources:

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com

Home Wine Kitchen = http://www.homewinekitchen.com/

American Cheese Month 2011

2011-10-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

October is American Cheese Month…no…we’re not celebrating those plastic slices but rather cheese that is made in the States, and Angela Ortmann, STLwinegirl, along with the Wine and Cheese Place, helped us celebrate properly.

We got to taste six completely different cheeses from all over the country. Starting out west with my all-time favorite cheese, Midnight Moon comes from Cypress Grove in California, although it’s actually made in Europe. Midnight Moon is an aged goat cheese and is a lot more firm than the typical goat cheese. With a sharp finish, this cheese pairs well with a large spectrum of wines.

My second place favorites are a tie between the smooth and creamy, Von Trapp Oma out of Vermont, and Milton Creamery’s Prairie Breeze, an aged cheddar-like cheese from southeast Iowa. Of course I’d recommend the Oma with a white and the Praire Breeze with a mild red to balance out the flavors accordingly.

The last two cheeses, Dry Jack from New York State and Rogue River Blue out of Oregon, were my least favorites, which is just as well since both really went better with the heavier red wines.

We were encouraged to pair each of the cheeses with all of the wines, but unfortunately we really would have needed a lot more cheese to appropriately taste each of them. Like I said before, Midnight Moon was the best to pair with all of the wines even though I am very biased in saying that.

Last but not least, we got to try two different Baetje goat cheeses, both paired with a sparkling wine. Baetje Farms is located in the Ste. Genevieve and you can find their products at farmer’s markets around the St. Louis area. The Cranberry Orange was a little too tart but the Chocolate Raspberry had just the right amount of sweetness so as not to overpower the bubbles.

Resources:

The Wine and Cheese Place = http://www.wineandcheeseplace.com/

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com/

Midnight Moon = http://www.cypressgrovechevre.com/cheeses/creamline/midnight-moon.html

Baetje Farms = http://baetjefarms.com/

Beer vs Wine with Goose Island

2011-10-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

I was really looking forward to the second round of Wine vs Beer, hosted by STLwinegirl, Angela Ortmann, returning back to The Wine and Cheese Place. The beer was hosted by Goose Island, one of my favorite craft breweries out of Chicago. My top two favorites are the “312” and the “Sofie”, which is named after one of the brewer’s daughters.

We started off with the Sofie since it’s one of the lightest beers to match up against the Jean Louis Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine. Both were paired with a super buttery triple crème called Delice de Bourgogne, but the wine was the clear winner due to the cream taming down the bubbles. I love Sofie a lot but I think she has enough flavor that a mild brie would go better so you can still let her taste stand out. The Sofie is actually oaked and aged for 90 days so you really need to let the flavor speak for itself.

The second flight included a Le Cirque Rose (made up of Grenache and Syrah) versus the Goose Island Pepe Nero. The rose was a bright red that I had never seen before and it tasted just as bold as it looked! The wine was high in acid and the flavors were strong, much stronger than I was used to for a rose, and actually overpowered the saltiness of the olives and nuts. I really felt the Pepe Nero and its own nutty flavor paired up better.

In the third flight, I really thought my love of Beaujolais would bias me against the Goose Island Matilda, another beer named after one the brewer’s daughter. The 2008 Dubeuoef Julienas Cru Beaujolais had a great smooth and mild flavor, which makes for a great everyday drinking wine. Definitely quaffable. But the Matilda again came out on top for pairing with the salami with mustard due to the spices in the Matilda.

If you love bold, red wines, you can’t go wrong with an Italian Barbera, sometimes called the Italian Pinot. The Damilano Barbera d’Asti definitely won the fourth round when paired with a St. Louis style pizza with sausage on top. The greasy meat and heavy sauce was able to stand up to the wine whereas the Goose Island Harvest Ale was way too hoppy and I had trouble drinking the beer.

The last flight paired a Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto against the Goose Island Pere Jacques during the dessert course. We tried both milk and dark chocolate…I made sure I tried multiple of each…and the wine came out on top. Unfortunately, at this point in the class I don’t remember too much about the wine, but the Pere Jacques, while a dessert beer, was far too bitter and overpowering.

While I picked winners for each round, everything I tasted, both food and drink was fantastic. Beer vs Wine is definitely one of the top classes to attend.

Resources:

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com/

The Wine and Cheese Place = http://www.wineandcheeseplace.com/

Goose Island = http://www.gooseisland.com/

Katie's Pizzeria

2011-10-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

I actually had a hard time finding Katie’s Pizzeria since it’s in the middle of a small strip of stores in Clayton. Yet, I thought the place felt familiar when I drove around the back, looking for a place to park. Sure enough, the back door to Katie’s used to be the door I went in for my one and only boxing class. I must have been in the building two restaurants ago! Heh

I had heard that Katie’s was good but I didn’t know anything about their pizzas, so I was surprised to find out that they have created their own unique and custom flavored pizzas. As another Traveling Table hosted by STLwinegirl, this gave me a great opportunity to try it out!

What got me excited the most is that quite a few of the pizzas come with a goat cheese topping sprinkled on top and I got to try a couple of them. My friend Ellen got us started off right by ordering a Smoked Salmon pizza that came with capers and red onion along with the goat cheese. During the second pizza course, the goat cheese came up again with fig, pancetta, and sage toppings. These stronger flavors paired well with the dry, California Rose from a Pinot Noir grape.

I thought the pairings were dead on in each of the three courses actually. We started off with a Butternut Squash pizza with Gorgonzola cheese, which was paired with an Italian Chardonnay. Of course this was my favorite due to the white wine holding up well to the mild flavors from the pizza.

The last pairing was quite the “meat lovers” pizza since it was covered with Genoa Salami, Fennel Sausage, and Prosciutto. This definitely needed a strong red wine to help cut through the grease, and we got it with an Australian Shiraz. I’m sure you wouldn’t be surprised that I gave away certain toppings and half of the contents of my glass.

Unfortunately, for me, piggy seems to be a popular pizza topping so I probably won’t be in a big hurry to return but there are a few pizzas that sound right up my alley. There is a Roasted Eggplant pizza that comes with Italian olives and fresh mozzarella as well as the Wild Mushroom pizza since that comes with Tellegio cheese! I wonder if you can make a custom pizza there? That way I could just pick out all my favorite toppings, avoid the piggy, and still have all those fantastic flavors.

Resources:

Katie's Pizzeria = http://www.katiespizzeria.com

STLwinegirl's Traveling Table Series = http://www.stlwinegirl.com/Traveling_Table.html

Balaban's Feast Magazine Tasting

2011-09-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

Feast magazine held their September tasting at the new Balaban’s located in Chesterfield. I used to love the old restaurant in the Central West End as my family used to celebrate special occasions there. Luckily, they still serve their Beef Wellington, but after the tasting, I was in the mood to try more of their appetizers and tapas. This just means I’ll just have to go back for my favorite dish someday.

The new Balaban’s took over the collection of wines from the old restaurant yet this month’s tasting featured more recent wines. Like previous Feast tastings, the food portions are small and often get drowned out by the large wine servings. My favorite glass was a white wine (of course): a 2009 Cline Viognier from Sonoma County, while the best tasting was the Smoked Trout Pancakes. The trout was paired with a 2009 Mudhouse Pinot Noir from New Zealand, which had a smooth finish. Pinots are definitely my favorite red wine these days.

After the tasting finished, I was very surprised to go inside and see that the new version is actually a retail wine and gourmet food store! All the tables are arranged at one end of the room, along with bar seating against one wall, and is NOT the large, formal restaurant that I had imagined. Still, I was eager to try out the menu.

Since I am always searching for quality seafood in the Midwest, I started with the Chilled Oysters, along with everyone else at my table. The oysters had a sweet flavor of champagne and I was able to trade one for a couple of slices of the Applewood Bacon Flatbread, definitely one of the best items on the menu. It was recently featured in Feast magazine in STLwinegirl's "Quite the Pair" article.

Another weakness of mine is Lobster Ravioli and the delicately handmade, large squares came in a fennel and ricotta sauce. Great flavors but I would have liked a little more sauce to cover all the raviolis.

The last tapas item I tried was the Artisanal Cheese Plate and I was disappointed that I got more toasted bread than cheese. Mostly because I didn't get much cheese at all.

Next time, I’m definitely getting the Beef Wellington!

The Tavern

2011-09-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

I had been trying to get into The Tavern, located at the corner of Daugherty Ferry and Big Bend, for months because every Friday and Saturday night, the place would be slammed whenever I tried to walk in. My friend and I had to resort to planning ahead and making a reservation. This time, we picked a Sunday night and sure enough…no crowd, no reservation was needed! Maybe all we needed was to wait until summer was over?

To make the reservation, I used OpenTable.com, which works really well for us folks who have phone phobia. The website even asks you if there are any “special notes” you would like to tell the restaurant while making the reservation, and I always be sure to mention if it is a special occasion, this time a birthday.

I got to the restaurant early, since there was no traffic on a Sunday either, that gave me some extra time to try a drink at the bar as well as review the menu some more. I admit that ever since I took those beer tasting classes at Schlafly and with New Belgium, I actually checked the beer list first. They had all my favorites such as Schlafly, New Belgium, Blue Moon, (in bottles, not draught), but I went with the Goose Island Sofie. She’s my favorite gal right now…so light with a hint of fruit.

Since it was just the bartender and I (along with only one other couple in the whole restaurant), I got to ask him to explain some of the dishes and give recommendations since I was still torn as to what to order. I really appreciated him taking the time to review it with me (like having my own personal tutor!), especially since I only expected him to know drinks!

The bartender recommended the Ahi Poke as well as the Zucchini & Onion Tempura for appetizers. I ended up solving my indecision by selecting the “Taste of the Tavern”, which provides a sample of four different appetizers: Ahi Poke, Tempura, Spring Rolls, and the Apricot-Hoisin Ribs. I ended up making this my main course, in addition to a well-sized starter Baby Spinach salad since it came with gruyere cheese. Even the Tender Greens salad had a thick and sweet Creamy Basil Dressing.

This was a smart move since I ended up feeling quite full even though the appetizer sampler served very small portions of each one. The menu lists this sampler for two but really there was only enough “bites” for one person, except for the Ahi Poke. The raw tuna was diced real small and laid over a large bed of rice. This was my favorite and the most filling. I could have done without the tempura because you can get that anywhere but the one “rib” was tasty. The spring roll was fine but it came in a crispy shell and I prefer a soft wrap like at a Thai restaurant.

In addition to the sampler, I ordered the Baked Artichoke Ravioli appetizer, which was quite large and definitely too much with the other sampler plate. Even after asking the bartender, I didn’t understand where the “ravioli” part comes in other than it was served with pita slices to help scoop up the artichoke chunks. It wasn’t creamy like a dip, but more chopped up as if it were a salad. You have to really like artichokes because the flavor was very strong.

By just looking at the menu, I really thought it was a “steak place” since they have four steaks listed in addition to their regular entrees. What I didn’t realize until I got there is that The Tavern has a large selection of fish, especially with several fresh catch specials. This is really ideal for couples and people with varying tastes. Again, it made it much harder to decide what to order and why I ended up just trying appetizers.

My friend and I had the same issue with the sides as well. Both the bartender and the server suggested their Asparagus “Ham & Eggs”, which did not sound good at all, but they both claimed it was their most popular dish. Instead, my friend selected the Loaded Tater Tot Casserole. Loaded with CHEESE that is! I would have loved to have made THAT my main entrée! I also was eyeing the chipotle cheddar mac n’ cheese, but I wasn’t quite brave enough.

When the server first came over to take our orders, she immediately asked if we were celebrating a birthday and I was really pleased that they did read my note. This also led to a complimentary hot fudge sundae dessert….sooooo good….and luckily, large enough for two people! The Mom in me almost wanted to scold my friend for finishing dessert before all of her dinner but it was her birthday after all! Not to mention my leftover stash ended up being twice as large….

Great staff, great service, interesting food, beautiful decor…this is definitely the kind of place I enjoy writing about and sharing with others. I can’t wait to go back…if I can get in!

The Block Webster Groves

2011-08-27T13:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friends moving to Webster Groves, I finally had a good excuse to be close to The Block to try it out. At the very front of the restaurant, next to the bar, is a small butcher’s case right when you walk in so I guess you could get your dinner “to go” pre-cooked! I already knew that I was going to get the Missouri grass-fed beef just by reviewing the menu. When I go to a “meat” restaurant, that’s what I get. Although, I do admit that the salmon special sounded and looked fantastic.

I did start out with the Green Salad which came with roasted cauliflower in it that was so tasty, and it was a decent sized starter salad too. As an appetizer to try, I chose the Mushroom Fricassee since it came with “local goat cheese”, but there wasn’t very much cheese melted on top of the mushrooms. Instead, it came with too much “juice” and the garlic toast got soggy quickly. I ended up putting the mushrooms on my salad when I ran out of toast, but probably should have saved them for my main course to go on top!

Since the menu item just refers to “beef”, I quickly figured out that the selection is what they have for that day. So the cut of the day was rib eye and it was a large 10 ounces, at least for me. The meat came in the Block’s own steak sauce but it tasted more like a thick, berry sauce instead. It was a little bland and could have used either more sweetness or more vinegar flavor. Or the mushrooms and its sauce, like I mentioned earlier.

I also indulged and ate all of the “garlic herb fries” that came with my steak. I wish I had paid more attention and ordered some vegetables in its place but the fries that got soaked in the steak sauce were the best for sure!

We were all too full to order dessert so no reviews there but between all of us, we had a nice selection of beers on draught to taste. I got to have half of a Moose Drool and finished off a friend’s Urban Chestnut Schnickelfritz since she didn’t like it. It still had that odd after taste but because it is so light, it was still easy for me to drink. The martini I tried was very strong though and if I’m having beef, I think I would stick with a beer.

The bar area is pretty small so I felt bad for the two tables that were near the bar...not really much of a buffer. I understand you should give folks a place to sit while they wait for a table but it was very crowded in such a small area where you have people coming in and walking towards the restrooms. With such a big space and high ceilings, it quickly got noisy in the entire restaurant regardless and we couldn't really talk across the table. But as a highlight, we did run into the one and only STLwinegirl, Angela Ortmann, so I knew we were at a "place to be". hehe

Resources:

The Block = http://theblockrestaurant.com/

Moose Drool = http://www.bigskybrew.com/Our_Beers/Moose_Drool

Urban Chestnut = http://urbanchestnut.com

Pueblo Solis

2011-08-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

I was excited about Pueblo Solis because I had read such a great review about it from a foodie friend and had the inside scoop. I was a little nervous because I have been so loyal to Flacco’s, but I never want to miss out on a chance to try a new restaurant. I was very proud of my St. Charles friends who hiked all the way into the city, way down Hampton to try it with me.

I was just going to order the fish taco dinner since it was recommended in my friend’s blog but I was worried when I didn’t see it on the menu – only chicken or beef tacos were listed. So I asked the waitress and she said that it was not a problem! I was relieved but am not sure why it isn’t on the menu. Is it a super secret probation entrée?

Anyway, I got four small soft tacos along with rice and beans and at first I thought it’d be too much but the tacos were small and disappeared very quickly. We even started with the traditional chips and salsa – three kinds – spicy tomato, mild green, and a black bean!

The fish tacos here are all shredded tilapia while at Flacco’s you have more variety of fish and flavors, but I thought the tilapia and sauce gave the fish tacos a sweet flavor that was very.

Luckily, my friends are super nice and let me try a gordita (chicken inside and lots of cheese on the outside) as well as their homemade guacamole. WOW! Everyone gave the guac an A+ all around the table and I would highly recommend ordering it as an appetizer. You could probably make a meal of just that!!

My friend Dawn did not like the chicken Flauta in her combo entree but she gave the rice an A+, while I thought it was typical Mexican rice.

My buddy Curt also gave the margarita a thumbs up…he said he couldn’t taste the alcohol at all! hehe

I'm not sure when I'll make the trek back to the city but it was worth the trip at least once. Very reasonably priced as well.

Pueblo Solis = http://www.pueblosolisstl.com/

New Belgium PIPA tasting and PW Pizza

2011-08-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

Since I am on the Vin de Set mailing list, I automatically got invited to a New Belgium beer tasting at PW Pizza, which is owned by the same people and is on the main floor of the same building. The whole reason for the event was thanks to a St. Louisian named Pamela who won the “Clips of Faith” contest hosted by New Belgium. She was able to name the three New Belgium beers that made up a concoction that was served that night. She got the percentages down exact and then was selected in the national contest for an all-expenses paid trip to the New Belgium brewery in Ft. Collins, CO. In the end, they named an IPA after her, which we got to try that evening.

I thought it was going to be an all-IPA tasting and initially I initially wasn’t interested in going, but a friend who is a huge beer fan talked me into it. I am so glad she did! (Although I would have preferred a proper cheese paired with each of course!)

First we got to try the Hoptober Golden Ale, which is made up of four different types of hops: cascade (fruity flavor), centennial (grassy flavor), glacier, and sterling. This was the lightest of the bunch so think of a wheat beer with extra hoppy flavor.

Next up was the Ranger IPA, which just about everyone in the room had before. It’s often called an American IPA because again, this beer uses all American hops (3 types), but the name actually comes from the “Beer Rangers” that go out into the field and host beer tastings, spreading the word (and beer) of New Belgium. That would probably have to be the ultimate job, no?

Our “Beer Ranger” explained that the Ranger IPA has 6 ½% alcohol and 70 IBU’s or International Bitter Units. And it was definitely bitter!

Pamela’s IPA came next and Pam herself got to present her story of how she won the contest. Her secret? Drinking a lot of New Belgium beer! Hehehehe Her IPA was a lot more to my liking, a “girl’s IPA” as she called it. With 6.3% alcohol, it only had 60 IBU’s and was a lot smoother to drink.

While that was my favorite of the hoppy beers, my favorite of the whole night was the heaviest, believe it or not. I really thought for sure I would need a knife and fork to get through the last tasting, the Super Cru. Boy what a great flavor and not too bitter at all. Unfortunately, the class was very rowdy at this point and we had all had plenty of beer so I don’t know what goes into a Super Cru other than Fat Tire as its base. I thought it was funny that it only comes in tall bottles as well and rang in at 10% alcohol. One bottle and you’re good to go!

And then at the very end...we got to keep the New Belgium glass!!

As soon as the event ending, I hurried outside to put my name on the PW Pizza waiting list because everyone kept telling me how good the honey wheat crust was for their pizzas. Not like anyone has to twist my arm to try pizza! PW Pizza also has a great selection of beers and I went with a Leffe Blond. The light beer went well with our black olive and mushroom pizza (best pizza eva!), of course with the honey wheat crust. The pizza was so light and NOT greasy…the veggies tasted fresh and were drowning in the mozzarella cheese. So wonderful! I was also happy to be sharing a 12 inch (very reasonably priced) because I probably would have eaten the entire pizza myself.

I am actually hoping to go back there again sometime because I did not look too closely at the rest of the menu and I am curious about more of what they have there.
Be sure to note that the 2012 Centennial Beer Festival Beer Dinner will be on January 27th!!

Resources:

Vin de Set = http://www.vindeset.com/

PW Pizza = http://pwpizza.com/

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

Leffe Blond = http://www.leffe.com/en/beer/leffe-blond

Traveling Table: Cielo

2011-08-20T17:39:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought I would never get to go back to Cielo, Angela Ortmann (aka STLwinegirl) picked the restaurant for her first ever Traveling Table event. With the much-loved Provisions closed, Angela has taken food and wine pairings to a whole new level. I think this is a great concept and I feel that this can help take away some of the scariness of going to high-end restaurants where the average Jane wants to make sure that she is getting her money’s worth in the tight economy.

I have already written about how beautiful Cielo is at the top of the Four Seasons Hotel, attached to the Lumiere Casino complex. You can find a link to my previous Cielo blog below. So I’m just going to dive into the food and wine pairing itself.

Angela limited the seating at these events so that it’s more like attending a dinner party amongst friends. Even I made a few new friends as a large group joined us for their first STLwinegirl experience and I really hope it won’t be the last one for April, Sue, Janice, Susan, Julie, and Jami. Unfortunately, a large convention was taking place and half the dining room was filled with the attendees so the restaurant was a lot noisier than normal, and it made it difficult for Angela to teach as much as she usually does.

Angela did get the executive chef to come out and explain all of the courses as well as the pastry chef introduced his course. Before each course began, the sommelier showed the wine to Angela and gave her a taste. We learned that this is to make sure that you are really getting the wine that you ordered and the small tasting is to make sure that the wine is not corked in any way. (If the wine has a screw top, you’re probably safe!)

The meal started off with a bang since the first pairing was my favorite and stood out the most. We were served a very crisp Pinot Grigio, which is just so refreshing in this heat. The acidity of the wine really helped to cut through the richness of the risotto that had such a full flavor of tomato and mozzarella. Most of us were starting to get full and left some in their bowl, but I kept going because it was so good.

The next dish was a duck breast and quite a few of us on our end of the table were a little nervous and had never tasted duck before. Luckily, April set a good example and encouraged the others to be as adventurous as her. I always think of duck as having a heavy and greasy flavor, but this course was cooked very well with a lot of flavor. The skin of the duck made the meat hard to cut and chew, but the inside was very tender. I still prefer the taste of chicken, but it was quite good. I get the feeling that everyone enjoyed the fried potato “nest” and corn flan the most.

The cool part about being seated around one table is that we were able to discuss and debate much easier during the meal. I felt the Barbera tasted stronger like a Cabernet while Ellen and Angela told me that it’s much closer to a Pinot Noir. Some people even call Barbera the “Italian Pinot”. To me, the tannins were high, but was an appropriate match with the duck course, although it was a little too strong for me.

Even though we were at an Italian restaurant, I still hoped for a chocolate dessert. Instead, we had a Ricotta and Amaretti Cheesecake. Italian cheesecake is much different in flavor and texture, more of a regular cake style. I kept wanting to drown the whole thing in chocolate sauce, even though there were a good amount of chocolate chips throughout the cake. A sweet Prosecco was served with the dessert, helping to cut through the tartness of the cake, but even that was too sweet and overpowered the cheesecake.

Regardless, the whole evening was a huge success since I was quite full of food and wine, and more importantly, made quite a few new foodie friends. I can’t wait to meet all my future friends at the next event!

The next Traveling Table will be at Milagro Modern Mexican but is already sold out. After that, we will be visiting Franco on September 14th. You can get more information at STLwinegirl’s website below for more information.

Be sure to check out April Westerhold's blog for PICTURES from the event!
http://westerhold.blogspot.com/2011/08/traveling-table-cielo.html

The full menu:
Risotto with Heirloom Tomatoes, Basil & Mozzarella
Benvolio Pinot Grigio, Friuli-Venezia Guilia Italy

Duck breast with Missouri Blueberry & Grappa Sauce
Pio Cesare Barbera d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy

Ricotta & Amaretti Cheesecake with Limoncello Sauce
Zardetto Prosecco, Veneto, Italy

Resources:
Cielo = http://www.fourseasons.com/stlouis/dining/cielo/

STLwinegirl = http://www.stlwinegirl.com

My previous Blog post about Cielo = http://michelleamarcus.blogspot.com/2011/05/cielo-at-four-season-hotel.html

Mei Lee Wine Pairing

2011-08-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

I know it was a good wine pairing class since I actually drank all my wine! I finally made it to a Mei Lee (http://maileerestaurant.com) wine pairing at The Wine Merchant (http://www.winemerchantltd.com). I haven’t been there in a while since they stopped having cheese classes and I made sure to point that out to them.

Anyway, when I think Mei Lee, a Vietnamese restaurant (that I unfortunately haven’t been to since they’ve moved), I automatically think spicy, which usually signals sweeter white wines or some strong reds. Luckily, I was quite pleased to find out there were a variety of dishes beyond the traditional noodles and curries that immediately came to mind. The class leader also noted that Mei Lee has an extensive wine list thanks to a close relationship with the Wine Merchant.

We started off with a Lotus Root Salad, which was a light, simple dish with vegetables and shrimp, so of course this went well with a white wine. But the salad was slightly tangy and was paired with a dry Pinot Grigio from Italy. I was surprised because although the wine had a fruity smell, it tasted much drier.

Next up was a Chicken Curry dish that I was initially nervous about but ended up having a real mild coconut flavor. This paired well with a creamy Chardonnay, that actually came from Washington state. Robert Parker gave the 2008 Cote Bonneville Chardonnay 94 points, and the class leader went on to explain how unique climates such as higher elevations make for excellent places to grow grapes. Locations such as Chile and New Zealand as well asclimates that have sunny days and cool nights, in addition to a long growing season like in Washington, really make for excellent wine producing areas.

Switching back to appetizers, we were served a Crispy Sweet Potato Cake which was fried shoestring potatoes with a giant shrimp trapped in the middle. Our leader explained that fried, oily foods need more of an acidic wine to be paired with them so he served a dry Rose that was excellent. Quite a few of the attendees were surprised that Rose was not the usual sweet flavor.

Another appetizer, a traditional spring roll that contained pork was paired with a full bodied Pinot Noir from the Santa Barbara region of California. I expected a greasy flavor from the pork to require a red wine, but it turned out neither one was overpowering and the Pinot was actually quite smooth. This was definitely the best wine of the night.

For the first time, I tried a dish called Bahn Bao, which looked like a hamburger. A doughy biscuit filled with a flat sausage patty and a hard-boiled egg on top. Together, it was a sweet, heavy dish, served with an equally heavy (full bodied) Chateauneuf-du-Pape. While this is not my typical favorite style of wine, I often purchase this as gifts for those who enjoy dark reds.

The last dish consisted of a Rare Beef that was very spicy, even though I drowned it in the fish oil. This was paired with a sweet Muscat from Alsace, France, but it wasn’t enough to keep my nose from running and downing several glasses of water!

I certainly hope the Wine Merchant does more food and wine pairings in the future and the coolest one the class leader talked about was a pizza and wine pairing! I hope I can make it!

Here are the pairings:

Lotus Root Salad
2010 Scarpetta Pinot Grigio
Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Italy

Chicken Curry
2008 Cote Bonneville Chardonnay
Yakima Valley, Washington

Crispy Sweet Potato Cake
2010 Chateau de Manissy Rose
Tavel, France

Pork Roll
2009 Belle Glos Pinot Noir
Santa Maria Valley, California

Bahn Bao
2008 La Ferme du Mont Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Southern Rhone Valley, France

Rare Beef
2008 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Muscat
Alsace, France

Home Wine Kitchen

2011-08-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

After reading about Chef Cassy’s “No Menu Monday”, I just HAD to try Home Wine Kitchen (http://www.homewinekitchen.com). Luckily, my best friend Tony saw my Facebook post about it and was a willing victim to go with me - for his birthday dinner no less!

Even though we had a reservation for two, the restaurant was already quite full except for the tall 2-tops in the front window on stools. At first I thought this was a cute little area, but then I realized how warm it got sitting right in the sun and after 30 minutes, it was hard to sit on a stool. Literally. I know that the point of Home Wine Kitchen is to make it seem homey and comfortable, but the prices and atmosphere really don’t quite match.

Anyway, we were troopers and were very excited about the whole concept of being surprised with three courses…quite the food adventure! It turned out to be a heavy appetizer, a large main course, and then dessert. I think I ended up eating off of Tony’s plate quite a bit as well because I enjoyed his courses the most.

At the very beginning you are asked if you have any allergies and then if there are any foods you dislike. I immediately mentioned pork (big surprise) while Tony voted down green vegetables. I then explain that Tony loves pork and I loved green vegetables so that we could still both get meals that we enjoyed without being deprived, but this may have been a mistake. We also agreed to the wine flight with each course, which I also highly suggest.

Our wines were poured first and I was given a Pinot Grigio, so I immediately guessed a fish of some kind. The server told me no but I ended up being close since I got a plate full of mussels. I almost squealed in delight! Tony was served a fairly heavy red wine and I was wondering what first course would require such a strong wine. Sure enough, he was served a beef pate on toasted bread. Unfortunately, neither one of us had enough bread to go around. I wanted to soak up the buttery sauce that my mussels came in and Tony didn’t have enough for spreading the pate. I refused to let the pate go to waste because it was so tasty, so I broke down and used my fork. (Is it OK to ask for more bread?)

For the second course, more red wines came out so again, I was thinking beef, although one was lighter than the other. I got the lighter wine, but I also was handed the lighter dish, a pork steak, while Tony got the Strip Steak with asparagus. I was really hoping that this was just a server error and we immediately switched plates (and wines). We both ended up much happier and our dishes were excellent. Although, if I had known I was getting steak, I would have asked for it to be cooked more on the rare side. The sauces on both were outstanding.

With such heavy meals and red wines, I was really in the mood for chocolate…which went to Tony. I got a bite of the Chocolate Pate and it was incredible. Oh. My. Goodness. It was hard not to steal the rest. I attempted to eat what I could of my fruity Italian ice that came with a Sherry. Unfortunately, the ice cream was so frozen, I could only eat half of it and I tried to pour the Sherry on top to give it more flavor, but it really didn’t work. Tony got a Port to go with the Chocolate Pate…an excellent pairing.

I’m not sure if the restaurant is in the beginning stages still...growing pains maybe…and I’m sure I’d like to try it again sometime. Possibly eat off the menu instead. But I’m not sure I’m in a big hurry to go back just yet.

Schlafly Beer and Cheese Pairing 2011

2011-08-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

For my second year in a row, I attended the Schlafly Beer and Cheese Pairing at the Tap Room (http://www.schlafly.com/breweries/taproom) during Craft Beer Week. Three of the beers were from Schlafly while the other three came from Urban Chestnut, (http://urbanchestnut.com) located right around the corner on Washington Avenue.

This class was done a little bit differently since the beers and cheeses were introduced first so that we could taste on our own, as well as mix and match a little bit. While I enjoy the freedom to mix up the pairings, I definitely require more cheese for that to happen!! Luckily, we all planned on getting dinner after the class.

While I just assumed we would start with the lightest beer and move on to the darker ones, I was surprised right out of the gate with a Schlafly Kolsch that had a very bitter flavor. This totally overpowered the Seahive Cheddar (Utah) that had no sharpness to it (as I prefer my cheddars to be)!

Luckily, the next pairing saved me since I really enjoyed the Urban Chestnut Zwickel that was light and refreshing. It had a mild flavor and paired equally to the Cambzola Blue (Germany). I think this is the first time ever that a blue did not have that “stinky cheese” flavor. It definitely opened my eyes to the range of blues!

The popular choice at my table was the Urban Chestnut Schnickelfritz, which had a strong fruity finish. It was a little overpowering for me, (and I normally like fruity beers) but was probably the best suited to be paired with the Pantaleo (Italy) cheese that was so dry, I felt like I had to scrape it off the roof of my mouth like peanut butter! ACK!

Going back to a Schlafly beer, I thought the Biere de Garde had a lot of flavor and paired well with the Marieke Foenegreek Gouda (Wisconsin). Both had a strong finish and this was definitely my favorite pairing of the night.

The Urban Chestnut Kinsale had a full bodied coffee flavor and was paired with a Walnut Gourmandise (France). These paired well in the sense that I didn’t like either one of these. The nutty flavor of the cheese was too much for me and I’m not a coffee drinker.

At least the best cheese overall came last with an Old Chatham Camembert (New York), which was pungent and gamey, but so smooth and creamy like a triple crème. A strong Schafly American IPA was paired with it, which makes sense, but I’m just not a fan of them.

The funniest part of the whole class was at the very end when we all shouted our favorite beers and cheeses. Usually one or two stand out in a class but the votes were ALL over the place! I guess it’s a good thing there are so many beers in St. Louis and plenty of cheese to go around as well.

Top Ten Wine and Cheese Pairings 2011

2011-07-23T15:33:00.001-07:00

Whole Foods Galleria just announced their top ten wines, which are on sale at the store, and so our fearless leaders, Michael and Dave (the wine and cheese experts) picked out six pairings for this month’s theme.

This class worked out really well because there was a lot of variety and the pairings really stood out more so than any wine or the cheese by themselves.

We started with the lightest cheese, of course, Bucherondin, which was a creamy French goat cheese that totally coated the roof of my mouth like peanut butter.
Luckily, Dave handed out an orange blossom honey to go on top of the cheese and it was paired with a Savignon Blanc to help cut through the cream. The sweet, fruity flavors of the honey as well as a wine with higher acidity really helps.

The Manchego, Spain’s most popular cheese, was aged six months and Dave claimed that it had a “buttery” taste, but I think it was still plenty dry. This too was passed with a quince jelly to add some sweetness. This was paired with a Spanish wine (wines and cheese from similar areas go well together), but I was surprised that it was a Chardonnay. So no heavy oak or buttery taste since it’s from Europe as compared to California's version.

The next two were cheddars, which I just love due to their sharp flavor! First up was a Seaside Cheddar that was not near as sharp as the second one, a Grafton Reserve Cheddar. Dave passed around a cherry-flavored preserve but the cherry’s fruitiness was a bit too strong. Now I know cheddar is sharp but I want the full effect of that, not the fruit flavor. I preferred both cheddars by themselves, especially with their wines. The Seaside Cheddar was paired with a Pinot Grigio from Argentina and the Grafton Reserve Cheddar (aged two years and quite sharp) was paired with a very smooth Malbec. It had to be one of my favorite pairings of the night.

Next up was another excellent cheese, and one that Dave has picked out at least once or twice before because it is so tasty. P’tit Basque is a light and creamy sheep’s milk cheese, and it was paired with a very dry red wine from Italy in an effort to cut the creaminess but I let the cheese stand on its own this time.

The last pairing was a traditional Blue d’Auvergne that I only took a little bite from, of course.

The best part about class? Plenty of leftover cheese.

Will Write for Wine

2011-07-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

I was excited when I signed up for @STLwinegirl’s (aka Angela Ortmann) latest class, Will Write for Wine, since I already have been blogging about all my classes with Angie the last couple of years now. So now us bloggers would be the focus!

It was a very different crowd than I was used to, but it was great to see so many enthusiastic people in attendance. It’s always nice to put a “Twitter username” to a face! Hehe I collected quite a few business cards and have been checking out everyone’s sites, which I will post at the bottom. Quite a few attendees are into cooking while others just like to blog about their experiences, like me and my “food adventures”.

This class turned out to be a Wine 101 class though, and I had heard a lot of the information many times. But I think this is important because when you hear the same information several times it really tends to stick, which in turn makes it’s easier for you to be able to share with others. Soon, YOU'LL become the wine expert in your group of friends and wine experts are a popular thing to be these days. Hehe

Angie did not put too much emphasis on the brand of wine or the country, except for explaining terroir, which is how the geography of where the grapes are grown affects the taste of the wine. Examples are climate and soil, along with many other variables such as earthquakes. We also learned about how wine is made, smelling and tasting wine, and proper storage.

I took a lot of notes, and I would go into more detail, but as the other bloggers started to post, I thought all of theirs were so well done that I decided to just add links to their blogs so you can get a fresh perspective.

I did want to make sure I publicly apologized for not bringing any cheese after introducing myself as a huge “cheese fan” and I kept getting requests as to which cheese to pair with each wine. (Just call me @STLcheesegirl.) Hehe

I also finally got Angie to let me help her for one of her classes. Since I had heard the information before, I didn’t mind making water runs as there was no staff this time. (Just call me @STLwatergirl.) Plus we were in a brand new location, Nebula Coworking, that provided a huge space for the class! http://nebulastl.com/

My postings should pick up soon since next week will include Whole Foods cheese class as well as a Groupon trip to Flacco’s Cocina again!

http://www.everylittlethingblog.com/2011/07/will-write-for-wine-food-blogger-event.html

http://cityinajar.com/2011/07/14/will-write-for-wine/

http://bridgetmcguiresfillingstation.blogspot.com/2011/07/will-write-for-wine.html

http://hannahviolin.wordpress.com/2011/07/14/will-write-for-wine/

Alaskan Seafood Class Part 3

2011-06-21T18:47:00.000-07:00

Last week was the third installment of an Alaskan-themed seafood class and yet again, it did not disappoint. If there are a duplication of courses, I really don't remember nor do I mind one bit!

We started out with a cioppino, or a spicy fish stew which includes several kinds of fish. It traditionally was a stew made up from the catch of the day, originating in Italy. You can read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cioppino

Since the stew had quite a kick from the red pepper, Michael served it with the Greek wine we had in cheese class last month called Elios, which has a crisp finish. Although I really could have used a glass of milk!

I was relieved to have gotten the fire out of the way so I could really enjoy the rest of the courses, especially since crab cakes were next. Chef Matt makes some of the best crab cakes because they are always so big and meaty, which often causes me much disappointment when I order them in a restaurant! It could be a meal all by itself! On the side was a delicious Remoulade sauce that added some sweetness to the crab so the wine needed to be mild. Michael picked out a Chardonney that wasn't oaky for a good balance.

The next course consisted of two, bite-sized pieces of halibut that were wrapped in bacon. Luckily, the poor fish was not tainted by the placement of the bacon and they came off easily. The halibut had a buttery flavor and required a drier, red wine to pair up with it to cut through the creaminess.

Last, and the best course, was a sockeye salmon that was also the best salmon I have ever had. The salmon had just arrived at Whole Foods a day or two before and just melted in my mouth. Outstanding! Since the salmon was so light and full of flavor (much like the creaminess of the halibut), another dry red, a Pinot Noir, paired well.

The next seafood class will take place in the fall and Chef Matt is wanting to go with a heavier theme such a trout or bisques.

Whole Foods Italian Cheese Class

2011-05-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

The Italian-themed cheese class at Whole Foods (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com) started off right with its first cheese, and my first love, Parmigiano-Reggiano. To me, it should have been the big finish since it has such a strong flavor when eaten whole and goes best with a dry, red wine.

The order of the cheeses was actually a little bit out of order if you ask me. The next cheese was very similar, San Pietro, but still milder so it was paired with a Pinot instead.

After that, we tried two kinds of Gorganzola…I had no idea there was more than one! The Dolce version was a little more sweeter and creamier than the Naturale. Gorganzola is the traditional blue cheese of Italy, named after the town with the same name. These strong cheeses were paired with Chianti, which was equally strong enough to stand up to these blues.

We went from one extreme to the next as we tasted my second favorite of the night, Taleggio. It’s soft and creamy, like a brie, so it was paired with an acidic, sharp Greek wine called Elios to help cut the buttery flavor.

The last cheese was a fancy truffled semi-soft cheese called Sottocenere, which was paired with a dry sparkling wine. The pairing was quite rich altogether!

Special thanks to Ellen, who not only brought a starter wine for the entire class as usual, but she also provided an olive tray as well as biscotti for dessert!

I also learned that the next seafood class is Tuesday, June 7th!

Cielo at the Four Seasons Hotel

2011-05-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

Mother’s Day turned out to be quite the treat for all of us as we got to try the restaurant Cielo, (http://www.fourseasons.com/stlouis/menu_2828) located inside the Four Seasons hotel, which is attached to the Lumiere complex downtown. I am a big fan of the casino and love the Burger Bar, but unfortunately, SLeeK, another upscale restaurant created by Hubert Keller, has been replaced by Stadium, a large sports bar and grill.

Cielo was even nicer than SLeeK though, due to the amazing view you get if you are able to eat outside. We all walked out onto the patio area (overlooking the pool too!) and were all blown away. Let’s just say I scored some major brownie points. Hehe Fortunately, our dinners were also able to stand up to the great scenery.

Since Cielo is quite pricy, I decided to go with just one appetizer to try – the Cielo Bruschetta – mostly because it came with a hunk of goat cheese on each of the three slices. So smooth and creamy!

I also chose well with my salad since I picked the Tuna Carpaccio instead of traditional greens. The tuna came out flat, like a sheet of lox, but it was served with a crab dip on top that I spread around so it could cover every bite. It would have made a perfect light lunch all by itself. The tuna was so fresh!

For entrees, Cielo lists a good variety of dishes without being overwhelming, and has something for everyone. I would have loved to try the Veal and Truffle Ravioli or the Gnocchi from the pasta section, or the Roasted Lobster in the fish section. They even serve five different homemade pizzas! But if I am in a nice restaurant, I always go for the Filet Mignon. The waitress left me a steak knife but I was easily able to use my butter knife. My filet was perfect.

My filet also came with scalloped potatoes (with gorgonzola cheese on top!!) and mixed vegetables but I was actually plenty full with just the filet.

My Stepmom went with the fish special, a grouper, which turned out to be an excellent choice since the fish was very meaty and filling, served with a light tomato basil sauce.

My Dad went with the Seared Ahi Tuna…looked almost like sushi…but I was not able to steal a bite off of his plate.

While I am not sure that I’ll ever make it back to Cielo, I definitely would recommend this for any special occasion.

Triumph Grill

2011-04-28T11:33:00.001-07:00

I really hadn't heard anything about the Triumph Grill (http://www.triumphgrill.com) but as soon as I was led to the table, I immediately recognized it as the “motorcycle museum”, which is right next door to the Moto Museum as well.

Triumph is worth trying out just for the décor alone...a very creative use of motorcycle parts and very modern design. At one end of the restaurant is the museum that can also be used for banquets, and at the other end is a Ducati store.

I really was sent to Triumph because my friends wanted me to know about another good restaurant near the Fox (because I always going to Vito's). I hadn't heard anything about the food prior to going in so I was open to anything. It was actually hard to choose an entree since there is something for everyone. I was lucky in that I went with a large group and got to try several dishes and everything I tasted was very good.

I started with the Clos du Bois Riesling, which is a dryer version, but I would have liked to have seen a beer list since there were so many burgers on the menu.

There was a unique list of appetizers, which was nice to see, but there wasn't a crab cake for me to try. I ended up skipping the appetizers since most sounded a little greasy and I ended getting the soup platter instead.

I got excited when I heard the soup of the day was a broccoli cheddar, but even happier that I could try the crab bisque and the mushroom and leak bisque as well! The soup platter gives you 3 out of the 4 choices, the fourth being a chili.

It was better to order the platter since there was one scoop of each and it wasn't too overwhelming, but I did start to feel a little full afterwards.

My friends ordered the San Marino Wedge salad, which came with an amazing homemade green goddess dressing. My friends also split the wedge since it was so large and you could have split any of the other salads or pastas for sure.

I decided on the Apple Cider Steamed Sea Bass because I knew I couldn’t go wrong although I was surprised that it was one of the more expensive meals. While I didn’t taste any apple cider, the dried cherries gave the fish a sweet flavor.

I also got to taste the Valentino’s Wild Mushroom Pasta (thick noodles, strong mushroom flavor!) as well as the Crispy Barbecue Chicken Ranch Salad. The BBQ flavor had a spicy finish that caught me off guard but still was very good flavor. I'm not sure I could eat a whole meal with the BBQ and the pulled pork was also mixed in this BBQ sauce so be careful.

The best taste I got was from one of the burgers...I would highly recommend one of the three burgers to choose from, although one of the burgers cost $10,000 since it comes with a free motorcycle. Hehe And beware of the homemade chips that were as hard as flat rocks.

Of course I can't go out with my friends without trying dessert and all four looked delicious. We got the “Blondie”, which is vanilla ice cream on top of a chocolate cookie brownie, as well as my pick (the best one), a chocolate cake with chocolate icing. Super rich!

My friends and I went at 6pm on a Saturday night and it really didn't get too crowded until another hour or so later, so it just might be the perfect secret to getting a good pre-show meal in the area.

Bici Cafe

2011-04-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

As good as the last restaurant was, Bici Café in University City was a total disappointment. My friends had gone there several times and they drive pretty far just to go to the restaurant. Now, I KNOW I have been to the restaurant a couple of times before, located on the corner of Pershing and Jackson, but I cannot remember what it used to be.

I knew we might be in trouble when my friend asked about some of his favorites that were not on the menu. Turns out their favorite items were not currently being served and were only on a “summer menu”. Regardless, we found plenty to order as it is our tradition to try as many small plates as possible.

We all tried the Spanikopita and the Lobster Ravioli(?), while ordering a Tuna Nicoise and the Ultimate Grilled Cheese. I thought they were all excellent choices and was really looking forward to my meal so I just ignored the waitress’ rush in taking our order.

Looking back, I’m not quite sure why she was in such a hurry since we had a long wait for our food. There was such a long wait that our small plates (as well as my salad) came out at the same time as our meals.

The biggest disappointment came when we finally got to eat…the Spanikopita had too strong of a spinach taste the ravioli had a strong fishy taste. My tuna nicoise was just mediocre. All the items in the salad came artfully separated on a long dish, which at this point, I just wanted them mixed already.

The Ultimate Grilled Cheese was very good…but probably nothing that I would make a special trip for. I could taste the basil, tomato, and extra gouda cheese very well which was a nice treat. I did enjoy the sweet potato fries that came with the sandwich, but my friends complained there were very few fries on the plate.

At least Bici’s got one thing right: dessert! I think it MIGHT be worth stopping by once for their Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding and just skip all the other courses. Hopefully, if you only ordered dessert, you might actually get to eat it within a reasonable wait time.

As a family friend once said, “Take a picture!” and I immediately gave up my future coupon to my friends.

Sidney Street Cafe

2011-04-11T19:16:00.000-07:00

Sidney Street Café definitely lived up to all the hype after hearing about it from my family all these years. My Dad was kind enough to use his birthday dinner at a restaurant I had never been before and I figured it must be good if both of my parents really enjoyed going back many times over!

I was really impressed with the length of the menu…it means that surely everyone can find something. Even though I had studied the menu ahead of time, the wait staff takes the time to explain every item on the menu verbally. This was important because I was just about ready to select the lamb trio when it turned out they were served with a side of brussel sprouts. That helped make my decision much easier: Filet Bearnaise, which also came stuffed with lobster!

My Dad ended up ordering the lamb trio but it was gone far too quickly for me to try a bite, but I had better luck getting a taste of the Walu, which is a Hawaiian white fish. So much flavor! And it came with a fantastic homemade pasta.

I wasn’t able to finish my meal, even though they are reasonably portioned, due to the amount of appetizers and beignets that I ate first. Hehe Luckily, there was a sampler plate so I could try more than one appetizer and they were each maybe 1-2 bites, so I didn’t have to share. I probably wouldn’t recommend any appetizers in general because the portions are so tiny but everything was excellent.

I tried the Veal Dumpling (my favorite), the Lobster Turnover (a close 2nd), the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake (hey…it’s tradition), and the Shrimp wrapped in bacon that I immediately unwrapped.

The wait staff was even kind enough to place some fresh beignets in my “to go” box so I had quite the meal the next day!

Dessert? That was easy too: Dark Chocolate Turtle Brownie. Oh yes. It really did cause some ooohs and aaahs out loud.

Just a complete win all around and I would go back there without any hesitation. Definitely worth a special occasion or celebration.

Goat Cheese Class 2011

2011-04-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

I was really happy with the “Goat’s Milk” cheese class because that meant one of my cheese-particular friends could join me for a change. The biggest surprise for me, over the past few years, is that goat cheese comes in so many forms…from the typical chevre that we may think of to my personal favorite, a hard, dry cheese, Midnight Moon.

The other interesting fact about goat cheese that I learned this month is that it is the only type of cheese you can freeze, although it should be wrapped tightly, and allow almost two days for a slow defrost.

Instead of a chevre, the two softer goat cheeses came in the form of a runny, gooey Bonne Bouche and a goat brie from Canada. While the Bonne Bouche had quite a pungent flavor, the brie was much milder and could easily replace its milk version and you’d never know.

All three of the firmer cheese stood out and while I think the Midnight Moon had the most flavor, I was definitely biased. I learned that Midnight Moon is actually imported from Holland by Cypress Grove while Chabrin is imported from the Pyrenees. The Chabrin was definitely a close second and quite similar to the Midnight Moon. I also think Midnight Moon could have been held off towards the end to be paired with a red wine.

The cheese that was served with a dry, red zinfandel was the LeChevrot, from the Loire Valley. A strong, “goaty” and nutty flavor altogether.

I’m not sure when the next cheese class will be but hopefully seafood class and cheese class will alternate with each other so we don’t have to go too long without either one.

Provisions Irish Spring 2011

2011-03-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

This month’s Provisions food and wine pairing theme was “Irish Spring” although there was a little bit of Mardi Gras Cajun sprinkled in as well so there was a nice variety of meals.

We started with a chilled spring pea soup and it had a very strong pea or vegetable flavor, much like asparagus. To combat the overpowering flavor, it was paired with a Sparkling Gruner Veltliner. There weren’t many bubbles to it like a traditional sparkler, but the acidity helped to cut through the creamy flavor. I also noticed that Chef Scott snuck in some bacon bits on the very top of it, so I had to wash it all down with a lot of wine.

After struggling with the first course, the second course was worse. Either the bottle was corked or something wrong with my glass, but I actually had a “barnyard” tasting Sauvignon Blanc. Normally Blancs taste cool, crisp, and minerally to me. So this flavor came out of nowhere and I don’t think it was the correct taste. Luckily, the pasta was quite good on its own.

Fortunately, the third pairing saved me and I have to give Angela Ortmann (aka STLwinegirl) the proper credit for using a special request that I had made. (http://www.stlwinegirl.com) Chef Scott is known for his love of Cajun food and he made a dirty rice with crawfish. It wasn’t spicy at all so it was perfect for me! This was paired with a 2009 Efeste “Evergreen” Riesling out of Washington State. I had read about it in the Wednesday Food section of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and it got very high marks from Wine Spectator, as well as finishing in Jon Bonne’s Top 100 wines of 2009. You can find more reviews here: http://www.wine.com/V6/Efeste-Evergreen-Riesling-2009/wine/107959/detail.aspx

Since the food was not spicy, the drier Riesling was a very balanced pairing. If there had been any spice, then a sweeter Riesling would have definitely been required. But it was perfect. While I love sweet wines, drier Rieslings are actually easier to drink because they are so smooth without the typical tart finish that can be overwhelming at times.

In addition to the wine, Angela paired a beer with this course and it was the exact same LaChouffe Golden Blonde Ale I had JUST picked out on Saturday night at Cicero’s! (http://www.ciceros-stl.com) Coicedence or no? I’ll let you decide. Either way, this pairing was a complete success.

The next pairing was actually just as strong even though I was biased by my favorites. We had the typical Corned Beef and Cabbage, but it came with a delicious creamy sauce that was not overpowering. This really paired well with the 2009 Georges Deboeuf Beaujolais since it is so full of fruity flavor. Another beer, the Schlafly Irish Ale, had just as much flavor as the wine and both drinks could stand up to the sauce. Again, a well-balanced pairing.

Last but not least, the dessert course was Bananas Foster paired with a chocolate stout. This definitely made sense to me as a pairing but I would have liked to have traded in the stout for a bottle of chocolate sauce to smother the bananas in. I was surprised that the stout was smooth and not as bitter like I expected, but I still prefer a lighter beer.

The next Provisions food and wine pairing will take place on Tuesday, April 5th and the theme still has yet to be determined. You can post suggestions on STLwinegirl’s wall at http://www.facebook.com/STLwinegirl or tweet her on Twitter @STLwinegirl.

Here is the pairing list:
Chilled Spring Pea Soup
Punkt Genau Sparkling Gruner Veltliner
Austria

Spring Vegetable Pesto Primavera
2008 StarLane Sauvignon Blanc
Central Coast, California

Dirty Rice with Crawfish
2009 Efeste “Evergreen” Riesling
Washington State
LaChouffe Golden Blonde Ale
Belgium

Corned Beef and Cabbage
2009 Georges Deboeuf Beaujolais
France
Schlafly Irish Ale
Missouri

Bananas Foster
Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence
New York

Best of Seafood Class

2011-03-01T09:17:00.000-08:00

After many months of waiting, we finally had the first seafood class of 2011 at Whole Foods (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/) and the theme was “Best of Seafood Class” so you knew it was going to be awesome! I was going to try and dig up my old blog posts for these courses to see what I had said in the past, but I actually have way too many posts to go through! So I decided just blog about them again and apologies if this sounds familiar at all.

We started with a Clam Chowder, which I do not remember having the first time, and I was surprised that the broth was so thin instead of thick and creamy. Yet, it still held a lot of flavor and it was easy to find the clam chunks. Unfortunately, it was also a little too easy to find the bacon chunks too and it invaded the clam flavor. Not exactly a “best of” for me.

Next up was the Chipotle Cod Cakes with Lime Mustard and I definitely remembered these because they are incredibly spicy! I knew in advance to DOUSE the cod cakes with the lime mustard sauce as if I were attempting to put out a fire. While they cod cakes were delicious, the heat was actually a bit too overpowering. Of course all the spice lovers in the class were just thrilled.

I had better luck with the Mahi Mahi tacos with fresh pico de gallo. There was a little bit of cayenne pepper but I didn’t have any problems with heat thanks to the pico de gallo. The melted Chihuahua cheese was also a nice addition. It probably helps that I’m in a “fish taco” mood these days too. Hehe

But probably one of my all time favorite dishes was the Chilean Seabass with a garlic and bread topping. I immediately shared this recipe with friends! Hehe The fish is so light and buttery flavored that it just melts in your mouth. The bread topping gives it just enough texture as well. Outstanding!

In other happy Whole Foods news, the next cheese class, a goat cheese theme, will take place on Tuesday, March 29th. You can check out the March Galleria callendar here: http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/st-louis/store-calendar/

Bridge Tap House and Wine Bar

2011-03-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a friend’s birthday, I got to try out a new brew house downtown called Bridge on Locust. (http://www.thebridgestl.com) It was a little hard to find since the door was dark and right next door is a store with “Bride” in the name!

The restaurant looked like a loft with the bar on the ground floor and a large flight of stairs leading to a small dining area. The wall behind the bar had hundreds of beer bottles lined up…any beer lover’s dream! Hehe

I definitely recommend “studying” before you go to Bridge because their menu, especially the beer list, is lengthy. Try seven pages long. According to their web site, they have over 200+ beers and 55 are on tap. I didn’t pay attention but they also have a large wine selection as well.

At the table, you are given a clipboard with so many pages that tabs at the bottom are necessary. With so many beers, I got a little overwhelmed and finally just asked my waiter for the kind of beers I would like. The best part is that you can order however many beers you like in four-ounce pours so you can try as many as you like…and share!

My friends have a lot more beer knowledge than I do so they were able to pick out their favorites from the list and we all tasted and shared.

Since I am always more concerned about what pairs well with all these fancy beers, I quickly turned to the food tabs. There are actually separate sections for snacks, cheese, and charcuterie so I was very impressed. I was about to order a simple cheese board but then I flipped to another page and there was a full “a la carte” page. You can select your cheeses by price or mix and match all over the page to get your favorites, which is what I did.

My friends prefer heavier beers so that allowed me to select cheeses that were more full flavored. I chose a variety of textures as well. I started with a soft, Camembert that contained raw wild mushrooms and butter. I was tempted by a Spanish Mahon but instead went with the Ossau Iraty, a French goat cheese. This one was my favorite because they cut large chunks and you got a strong, nutty flavor in each bite. Then I picked out a French Comte, which was tasty, but cut in thin slices so it was hard to get a lot of flavor with each bite. I have a feeling it was sliced thin since it was in the highest priced column to select from.

The only section of the menu that was small was the actual meals and they only offer a few salads and sandwiches. Since I knew I was going to fill up on cheese, I chose the Chilled Beef Tenderloin salad and the beef was very pink and sliced thin. Just delicious. My friends ordered the Cuba, Missouri (pork sandwich) and the Smoky Strip Club that was quite tall! We also shared a pot of their house mac and cheese that we all loved, containing poblanos and tomato. I had to research “poblano” and it is a mild chile pepper from Mexico, but the dish was not spicy at all.

The other advantage to ordering smaller meals is that there is room for dessert!! We picked the “Tipsy Granny” mostly for the name, which was just a sliced apple served with a caramel dipping sauce. According to the menu, the apples were tossed in pomegranate vodka but I couldn’t tell. The best dessert, of course, was the chocolate truffle cake.

Silverware by Linda Newmark Marcus

2011-02-12T13:52:00.000-08:00

http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/home/article_1656e0c3-ae0f-59e3-8679-89bae6ed47c9.html

Made in St. Louis: Linda Newmark Marcus
BY KAREN DEER • kdeer@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8239 Posted: Sunday, February 13, 2011 12:00 am

• Explain your design process. I use stones, beads, check patterned glass, glue and wire. I glue some of the larger beads and wire wrap the smaller pieces to the stemware to create colorful designs.

• Where did your inspiration come from? I love to entertain and show off a decorative table setting, especially for a summer party. One day, I was setting a table with a certain serving bowl and realized I didn't have a decorative serving spoon. I've always had creative juices in my veins, and I immediately thought of a unique way to design the spoon. I added beads and wire and created a spoon to use with the bowl. It's all about presentation.

• Where do you shop for your serving pieces? I attend giftware shows. I'm heading to New York where I hope to find new pieces.

• What type of flatware do you work with? I only work with stainless pieces, but I am experimenting with silver-plated stemware to see how well it holds up.

• What's been your biggest project? My salad sets. They're very popular. They sell from $25 to $45 a set.

• What can you offer that other designers can't? I offer a large selection to complement any kitchen décor, and I can personalize pieces for gift giving.

• Is this your full-time job? No. I'm a travel consultant for TravelPlex American Express in Creve Coeur. I spend about 20 hours a week working on my stemware designs.

• How does someone preserve your flatware designs? Hand wash only and towel dry.

• Do your customers purchase your pieces for daily use or for show? Most of my customers purchase them to use on tabletop settings. But I've had customers tell me they're framing them for wall hangings.

Shows

March 23 • 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Norwood Hills Country Club, 5601 Lucas and Hunt Road

April 2 • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Spoede Elementary, 425 North Spoede Road

April 14 • 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Meadowbrook Country Club, 200 Meadowbrook County Club Estates in Ballwin

Also be sure to read: Special cookies are a family tradition
http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/article_4cbbfee6-adfd-5a70-b326-999268fb658a.html

Flaco's Cocina - Part Two

2011-02-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

Well, it turns out the universe heard me and I got the opportunity to go back a second time and try a whole bunch of new foods at Flaco's Cocina! (http://www.flacoscocina.com/) Since I enjoyed everything I ate, I thought I would go ahead and blog a second time.

I got to start off the night with three appetizers: seared tuna, crab cakes brigantine, and baked goat cheese. The seared tuna was my favorite, probably because I'm such a fan of sushi. The crab cakes were tasty, but breaded on the outside without that thick, creamy sauce that I have become accustomed to. The baked goat cheese came in a romesco sauce that was a little overwhelming with a spicy finish, again catching me off guard. I did love how the goat cheese melted over the toasted bread but I'm not sure the spicy finish was for me.

Since I had some friends to help me with the appetizers, I still went ahead and ordered some fish tacos because my visit would not seem complete otherwise. I was too late on one of the specials, so I ordered a scallop fish taco and a mahi mahi. Both were good, although not as good as the baha or seared tuna I had the week before.

The best meal of the night definitely was the lobster empanadas that my tablemate so kindly shared. There was a full lobster flavor in each bite! It's probably the only thing that could distract me from the fish tacos on a future visit.

I also got to try the sangria, which was very mild. My friends let me try the Ultimate Margarita (too strong for me!) and the Peach Jalapeño Margarita (what a spicy kick!). I think I will be sticking with my fruity drinks, thanks.

P. S. There are still more appetizers I wanna try, o universe!

For Lovers of Food and Wine

2011-02-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

After several months off, the food and wine pairings at Provisions restarted this month with a theme of “For Lovers of Food & Wine”. Angie, aka STLwinegirl (http://www.stlwinegirl.com) , tried to pick the type of foods one might select for special occasions when dining out. All of the pairings, especially the food, was top notch as always.

You certainly can’t go wrong with having cheese on the menu and a Goat Cheese Tart was the appetizer course. It had a strong onion flavor with a rich, creamy texture so you know it needed a sweet, white wine to cut through that! The “Sofia” Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine with a sharp, pear flavor was a good match for sure.

I was super excited about the Oyster Rockefeller next and it was even deshelled for us, but the wine that was paired with it, a Muscadet, was rather bland. I know this was done on purpose so that the wine did not outshine the food, but I would not waste my time drinking something that has little flavor.

The chicken marsala definitely required a red wine with such great flavors in the sauce, and was paired with a GSM, which I learned is a blend of Granche, Syrah, and Mourvedre. The blend was very mild with low tannins so a real mellow balance.

The high tannins could definitely be tasted in the Syrah that was paired with the Beef Wellington. Delicious! Both definitely complimented each other well and the wine calmed down a lot.

I really thought the goat cheese or the Beef Wellington was the best pairing until we got to dessert. Normally I do not enjoy dessert wines because they are so ungodly sweet. I tried a Framboise for the first time and it too, was overpowering to taste. Think Raspberry cough syrup. But then Angie cut it with sparkling wine and it really did become a true dessert in itself. While it could have been served as an ice cream topping, it helped to cut the SUPER rich flavor of the best chocolate molten cake that I have ever had. Oh. My. Goodness. Yes, that good. I am pretty sure I spent 30 minutes on this course alone, enjoying each bite…

Here is the pairing list while I savor the dessert memory….

Tomato & Caramelized Onion Goat Cheese Tart
“Sofia” Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine
California

Oyster Rockefeller
2008 Domaine de L’ecu Muscadet
Loire, France

Chicken Marsala
2008 Paul Mas G.S.M.
France

Beef Wellington
2006 Casa Lapostolle “Las Kuras” Syrah
Chile

Chocolate Molten Cake with Raspberries
Pacific Rim Framboise
Washington State

The next Provisions class will take place on Tuesday, March 8th at 6:30pm with an Irish / Spring theme!

Flaco's Cocina

2011-01-30T13:43:00.000-08:00

I had being hearing about some great fish tacos from my friends so I had to go and check it out for myself. Flaco’s Cocina (http://flacoscocina.com/) has a great location at 170 and Delmar and you can’t miss the rainbow-colored patio area, which is heated in the winter.

Anyway, I was dead set on having fish tacos but I immediately got tripped up over the appetizers. For a split second, I almost went with an appetizer meal…one of each please: crab cakes, seared tuna, baked goat cheese, hot crab dip, and mussels. But I was good and stayed on my true path. I am thinking that I need to round up some friends and make it a “tapas” night.

Flaco’s has a lengthy menu and I am a sucker for seafood. There are a couple of shrimp and lobster dishes, but I finally made it to the taco section of the menu, only to find out that there are quite a few to select from and was feeling a bit overwhelmed. There are five different kinds of fish tacos as well as a couple types of chicken, beef, tofu, and veggie tacos. Tacos I had never even heard of! But I was fortunate in that I was sitting at the bar and was able to get some personal advice from an off-duty server.

Her recommendation was the tempura baja and the seared tuna fish tacos. The baja came with chunks of mango on top but both tacos tasted light and sweet. Both tacos came piled high with pico de gallo and sauce, so I expected to be wearing most of the taco home with me. The soft taco shells held up well and I barely spilled at all.

I was also told that Flaco’s has “killer drinks” and I figured I would probably have to break down and have a margarita instead of sticking with my safe, favorite Mexican beers. I went with a Raspberry Margarita so I could still have something fruity although the Sangria drink looked really tasty as well. A bar neighbor was on her third or fourth so I know they went down easy.

This is definitely someplace I plan on going back to but be aware that it’s pretty small inside. There are maybe only eight tables so they rely on the outside seating on busy nights. The bar has quite a few seats too so it’s a good place to sit if it’s crowded. Luckily, Flaco’s takes reservations so you can ensure you get a spot.

1111 Mississippi

2011-01-18T12:32:00.000-08:00

I finally made it over to 1111 Mississippi which is a popular, trendy restaurant in St. Louis City. It had been on my list ever since I went to Vin de Set, which I believe is owned by the same management. I couldn’t help but take a sneak peak of their menu here (http://www.1111-m.com/menus.html) before I went.

I was tempted to start with a cheese course and since it is a Tuscan-themed restaurant they had Italian cheeses: fontina, gorgonzola, tallegio, and pecorino.

Instead I went with the sautéed crab cakes as a starter, which is one of my personal favorite foods, and it was mixed with a thyme remoulade and mango chutney. The fish and sweet flavor combination was excellent. Just wish they could have been a little bigger.

Then instead of salad, I tried the butternut squash soup, again one of my favorites. So smooth and creamy – great for wintertime. I was almost full by the time the main course arrived so I knew I would need to box up half for another time.

Since it was a special occasion, I went with the grilled beef tenderloin medallions with mashed potatoes, broccoli, and sangiovese demi glace. The glace tasted like a heavy plum sauce and overwhelmed the meat and broccoli. I probably would have been happy without it. I also got to taste the trout and I thought it was a little bland.

I think the next time I go, I’ll just order several appetizers a la tapas style since there were a few others I wanted to try. That would leave more room for dessert! The gooey butter cake was delicious!

And for tradition's sake, I went with a glass of their house Riesling…luckily a German Riesling.

Wine and Cheese French Edition

2010-12-05T09:55:00.000-08:00

I was super stoked when I walked into the class and saw that we would be having some of my all time favorites: Pouilly Fuisse and Epoisses!

Since this is the French version of the wine and cheese series put together by Angie Ortmann, aka STLwinegirl (http://www.stlwinegirl.com), I was really hoping that we could actually have some champagne but we had a Francois Montand Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine instead. There were few bubbles in it, which seemed strange, and it was quite tart. This was a paired with a St. Angel Triple Crème and they both tasted rather barnyard altogether.

Luckily, my favorites saved me since next up was a Bucheron Chevre with my favorite Chardonnay-style wine, Clos Reissier Pouilly Fuisse. It doesn’t have the oak or buttery taste of a California Chardonnay and instead there is more crispness and flavor, which helps cut through the thick, creamy cheese.

One of my all time favorite cheeses, Epoisses, is a small wheel with a creamy center. Since it was still fairly chilled, the cheese was not as oozing as I prefer it to be after it sits for awhile, but it still stood up well against the Jadot Marsannay, which is made from the Pinot Noir grape. The cheese by itself is quite pungent so it really helps to have a wine with some bite to it so they both calm each other down.

The Mimolette is French’s version of cheddar, which was aged for 18-months. Unfortunately, I don’t think this was old enough, meaning not sharp enough, to stand up to the Eschappe Bel Bordeaux, a very dry wine made from the merlot grape.

And for dessert, a Blue d’Auverge was paired with a super sweet Chateau Gravas Sauternes, which could have been dessert all by itself. The blue really did not calm it down enough to make it drinkable for me.

Since it’s the holiday season, there aren’t any more classes planned for awhile but I’m sure things will pick right up in January!

Beaujolais Nouveau 2010

2010-11-23T11:38:00.000-08:00

I got to celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaujolais_nouveau) with my cheese class friends on the third Thursday of the month for one of Jill Aboussie’s (http://www.facebook.com/jaboussie) wine classes. The theme was holiday wines and Beaujolais Nouveau fits in quite well, but Ellen still brought an aged Beaujolais so we could compare the two. While I don’t mind the full fruity flavor of the Nouveau, the aged version was still smoother.

The hard part about Jill’s classes is that you have to share all the cheese with everyone. And with the eight different glasses of wine, it was hard to make the cheese stretch!

My favorite pairing is always the lightest ones…the sparkling wine with the triple crème and chevre. Jill says that the better sparkling wines have smaller bubbles, more bubbles overall, as well as longer lasting bubbles. But everyone agrees that you should NOT drink so slowly that you find out how long your bubbles last!

It was a good thing I was in Whole Foods that night so I could stock up on cheese for trivia night, the following evening. At the end of the night, I was happy that the Midnight Moon (one of my favorites) was the biggest hit. Hehe

Then Saturday, the FAC club tried out Ichigo (http://www.ichigomodern.com) in Clayton, which is right next door to The Wine and Cheese Place on Forsyth. The restaurant has plenty of space inside with high ceilings and was very casual. I was very surprised that there weren’t that many types of rolls, and the list was split into raw and cooked. But they did have a very different menu from your typical sushi restaurant so it was good to try new things.

I had a Crunchy California roll and a Soft Shell Crab (Cucumber, Avocado, Scallions), which were the “cooked” rolls. For the raw roll, and my favorite, I got a Shangri-la (smoke salmon, avocado topped with tuna, white tuna, and yellow tail).

But my favorite sushi restaurant in Clayton is still Tani Sushi (http://www.tanisushi.com/). I have been a couple of times now and the décor is more what you’d expect from a classy sushi place. They have quite a few rolls named for Rams players but the most fun roll is the “Oh My God”, which they set on fire! Hehe Just about every table orders one so you see the flames going by all night. hehe

Spanish Cheese Class

2010-11-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

Even though Italian cheese class was cancelled, Spanish cheese class at The Wine and Cheese Place (http://www.wineandcheeseplace.com) was a huge hit and required two tables to seat everyone. Hosted by Angie Ortman, (http://www.stlwinegirl.com), Spain is mostly known for their sheep’s milk cheeses and they tend to have a little more of a bite. All of the cheeses were paired with Spanish wines, of course.

We started with a lighter wine, a cava, or what Spain calls their sparkling wine. This was a Brut Rose so it had a pretty strawberry shade but tasted dry and the bubbles didn’t last too long for the finish. Instead of going with a light cheese, it was paired with a Roncal, a drier sheep’s milk cheese. The two made a great pairing because the sharpness of the cheese was toned down and it helped bring out more of the fruit of the Rose.

When I first smelled the Verdejo, I immediately thought Sauvignon Blanc. Turns out I was right! Once again, it’s the Spanish version of the same wine and this was paired with a goat’s cheese that was mixed with parsley and garlic. The cheese was VERY creamy and it helped to balance out the crispness of the Verdejo. This cheese was definitely my favorite and I purchased a jar of it.

My favorite pairing of the class was a Valminor Albarino white wine and Mahon. The wine was a bright yellow color, like a Chardonney, so I immediately guessed oak! Both wine and cheese had a creamy, full flavor and managed to balance out each other quite well.

We only had one red wine and the Rioja was very smooth but once again, had a fruitier taste once paired with the dry Manchego.

Last was the dessert wine, a brand of sherry, which of course was paired with a blue cheese. I could barely make it through either of them. I tried to take a few sips of the sherry since it was an expensive brand but could not handle it for long. Luckily my table neighbors helped me out with all my wine leftovers!

Here are the pairings:
Cristalino Brut Rose – Roncal
Esperanza Verdejo/Viura – Le Call Bardines
Vlaminor Albarino – Mahon
Montebuena Rioja – Rosemary encrusted Manchego
Michel Couvreur PX – Blue cheese

While there aren't any Provisions classes planned for this year, November is still a busy month. Next week is the Ernesto’s event on Monday, November 8th, and seafood class at Whole Foods on Tuesday, November 9th.

Then Thursday, November 18th is Beaujolais Nouveau and I will be at a cheese class at Whole Foods so hopefully they’ll break some out for us!

Vin de Set

2010-10-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Angie Ortmann, aka STLwinegirl (http://www.stlwinegirl.com) and Feast Magazine (http://www.feaststl.com), I finally got the opportunity to eat at Vin de Set (http://www.vindeset.com)! I had heard about the restaurant and its rooftop bar for awhile now from friends and family and it had been on my “to eat at” list for a long time.

Once a month, Feast Magazine hosts a wine tasting at a different restaurant around St. Louis that is free, but you have to RSVP. I was so thrilled when Angie, one of their writers, picked Vin de Set, and the event was held in their Malt House Cellar!

According to information that was handed out, it used to be the entry to the tunnels for the historic Schnaider Brewery. On one end is the Lounge room where there is a huge bar and at the other end was the Game Room where I could see a couple of pool tables. It turns out there is also a foosball table, a shuffle board, and two dart boards. We sat in the middle of the two rooms under brick arches and it definitely was chilly underground! But I liked the intimate feel of the room.

Since this was a free event, we only had four tastings and the food pairings were very small, but I didn’t care since my friend Lara had made a reservation for a full dinner upstairs. My favorite pairing was the 2008 White Wire from New Zealand because it combines all my favorite white wines together into a very mild blend. This went well with the kick provided by the red pepper aioli which we dipped our crab cake bites into. I almost licked the rest of the sauce off my napkin it was so good!

Here are the pairings:
NV Charles de Fere Brut, France
Sliced pear with Boursin cheese and crispy prosciutto

2008 White Wire, New Zealand
Maryland Blue crab cakes with red pepper aioli

2008 Ben Marco, Argentina
Smoked duck crostini with sun dried cherry chutney

2007 Steltzer Claret, California
Phylo cup of beef tenderloin and wild mushroom

Upstairs at dinner, I started with the She Crab Bisque, which was excellent, and for my main course I selected the Fried Eggplant Napolean with tomatoes, spinach, goat cheese, and balsamic reduction. My dinner came out in rings stacked tall with the tomatoes in between the slices of eggplant. I could have done without frying but it was really delicious. Regardless of what Angie says, I paired it with their house Reisling as I always do. hehe

Lara was nice enough and shared her Stuffed Roasted Acorn Squash with quinoa, spinach, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and maple glaze…which was my second favorite item on the menu.

Vin de Set has quite a few unique items like quail and duck so I admit, I am curious about some of their meatier items. I am definitely hoping for a return visit someday soon, especially to sit outside on their rooftop. What a beautiful view of the city!

2010-10-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Chicago, visiting some family, and the last couple of times, I have gotten to stop by the Oak Park cheese shop called Marion Street Cheese Market. (http://www.marionstreetcheesemarket.com/) My favorite thing about going to a cheese shop in a different city is the different variety…Chicago is able to pull in more types of cheese from the northern states as well as local farmers in the northern Illinois area, so there is always something new to try.

This time, they finally had some Zingerman’s goat cheese (http://www.zingermanscreamery.com/cheeses/) in stock, from Ann Arbor, MI, which I cannot find in St. Louis. Zingerman’s is a well-known deli up in Michigan and I found out about them in one of my cheese classes. The cheeses I tried were both goat: Detroit Street Brick (in a brick shape!) and the Lincoln Log (in a log shape!) and both were fantastic. I really enjoyed the soft bloom around the edges of the Detroit Street Brick, but the Lincoln Log had the better flavor.

I also picked up a Gruyere that my niece ate most of and a 10-year aged cheddar. Unfortunately, the cheddar had a bitter finish to it so I’m thinking that maybe it’s better stick to a three to six year aged cheddar. At least I can say that I tried it!

Speaking of cheese, earlier this week was another cheese class hosted by Whole Foods. 8 of 10 who showed up were from our group of friends and the other one was a Whole Foods employee. It’s starting to get scary how our attendance now dictates whether or not the class happens so I think this means we really need to start getting the word out more. It’s really tough when classes are scheduled on the same day and we have to decide which one to go to.

Anyway, this month’s cheese class theme was “local” cheeses although almost all of the cheeses came from the Kansas City area. Three of the five cheeses came from Green Dirt Farm (http://www.greendirtfarm.com/) and we started off with the Wooly Rind, which is a Camembert style cheese made out of sheep’s milk. Sheep’s milk cheese, well sheep in general, is pretty rare in Missouri! To me, it tasted like mild brie and went well with the champagne it was paired with. Next was the Bossa and it was quite a big step up in flavor and more creamy flavor, so a sweet wine was paired with this. (I took some Bossa home with me and now it’s a “stinky” cheese too! Woah!)

Skipping to a Yummy’s Choice cheese spread (http://www.yummyschoice.com/), we got to taste Lebaneh, which is a combination of feta and cream cheese flavored with olive oil and various spices and herbs. Wow…you can really taste the spices and herbs and you’ll never want to go back to regular cream cheese after tasting this! We also got to add a little bit of Shatta on top of it, which is a jalepano spread that you can get in either sweet or spicy. A little bit of the spice goes a LONG way!

Going back to Green Dirt Farm, the last one we tried was called “Dirt Lover” and it was a triple crème, like butter! I had to have a cracker or knife to be able to eat it and this was paired with a strong red wine so that the tannins could balance out the creaminess.

Last but not least, we finished the class with a Prairie Breeze cheddar that is actually produced by a Mennonite family based in SE Iowa (Milton) - http://www.miltoncreamery.com/. We spread cranberry chutney on top of the mild cheddar and it was just like eating dessert!

In future Whole Foods news, there will be one last seafood class in November!

September Post

2010-10-01T18:41:00.001-07:00

Wow...I just realized that it's almost been a month since I last blogged. I guess I was definitely busy with holidays and traveling (found a new love for mimosas) and so I have a few classes to write about at once here. I would say that I hope next month would be better but I highly doubt it. hehe

My friends and I are enjoying taking over Ernesto's (http://www.ernestoswinebar.com) wine and food pairings once a month there. There were nine of us and luckily we all arrived at different times so there was no waiting in the food or drink lines. Angie, aka STLWinegirl (http://www.stlwinegirl.com/), served two whites and two reds with the 2nd white aimed at the special dish for the night prepared by Chef Cassy, who was able to find locally grown pears!

On one half of a pear, Chef Cassy gave a healthy dollup of goat cheese and secured it with a wrapping of prosciutto. I loved the combination of the sweet pear with the savory goat cheese doing without the piggy, but it did add a third salty flavor.

Since attendance was sparse and the cheese table was somewhat limited, I went ahead and ordered the shrimp sliders on the appetizer menu. These were delicious, especially thanks to the layer of goat cheese on top, and it even paired well with the wine.

This Monday event was followed up by Whole Foods' (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/) seafood class the very next day with a "shrimp" theme. Michael kicked off the class with a "shrimp pizza" of his own before Chef Matt took over. This was one of the best courses along with the Spicy Thai Peanut Shrimp and Asian Slaw. My buddy Curt even made the slaw for me at a later date he liked it so much. The other courses were a beer boiled shrimp cocktail and shrimp etoufee, which was good but hard to find the shrimp in it and it's quite spicy. Each course was served with white wine except for a token one.

Since the rare Whole Foods seafood class (once every 2-3 months) coincided with Angie's class at Provisions (http://www.provisionsmarket.com), also with a seafood theme, I only made it to one in September. At least it was one of the best ones: Chef Scott's Top 5! You know we all had HIGH expectations since Angie polled several people to find out their favorites.

I would talk about the pairings but Provisions classes are all about the food and this one was no different. By far, the best meal...probably the best I've ever had from Chef Scott...was the Salmon Wellington. The puff pastry just melted in my mouth soaked in a hollindaise sauce. The salmon was light and it came with a stuffed mushroom spread on top. Out of this world. It was paired with a Chardonney, but since it wasn't oak-y or buttery, I was able to guess it was French! (I don't think I'm quite ready to take the sommlier class but it is pretty fun playing "guess the country".)

Seriously, the best pairing was the first one (because I love the light stuff) with a gewurtraimner matched up with spicy cajun rice and andouille sausage. Chef Scott loves his cajun! Angie (and I agree) always prefers light, sweet wines to offset spicy foods like Thai or Indian.

And of course I always learn something from Angie's classes. This time, the five grapes of the Bordeaux region are the following: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.

My next favorite was dessert...Chef Scott's French Toast paired with a Petite Syrah. The Syrah was fairly dry without being overbearing, and that matched up well with the super sweet syrup and strawberry flavors.

Here is the full lineup:

Dirty Rice with Andouille Sausage
Gewurtraimner

Salmon Wellington with Mushroom Pate
French Chardonney

Grilled Canneloni with Chicken, Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Lirac (Granche/Syrah)

Muffaletta Sandwich with Roast Beef, Tapenade, Swiss Cheese
Red Zinfandel

Loaded French Toast
Petite Syrah

Next month is more of the same thing, which is a GOOD thing. Angie is kicking off a new cheese series at The Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton with country themes of Spain, France (November), and Italy (December). (First Thursday of every month, which is October 7th.)

SIP.City's theme in October is "Women in Wine", which will take place October 11th and butts up against Angie's "Ocktoberfest" class where she will pair a beer and a wine with each course and let YOU decide which is best. Unfortunately, I will have to miss since Whole Foods is dusting off its cheese classes on October 12th.

So plenty of activities for you to come and join!

Beer and Cheese Sept 2nd

2010-09-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

At first I was going to post that this was the last of three cheese classes held at The Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton (http://www.wineandcheeseplace.com/), but Angie Ortmann, aka STLwinegirl (http://www.stlwinegirl.com), gave me the heads up that there will be THREE more classes planned for the fall - one for France, Italy, and Spain!

I was a little nervous about this class because I don't have much of a beer palette. My preferences lean heavily towards the lighter beers, even more so than white wines, so it's hard going in knowing that I probably won't enjoy the tasting as much as I normally would. I find that beer does not have as much give when it comes to being influenced by food.

But the moment I walked in, I saw a familiar friend, Midnight Moon, waiting for me in the first slot. I even called it out from a few feet away! Now I was surprised that my favorite went first because I think MM has a little bite at the end and would have been paired with something stronger than the first beers...the lighter, Belgium wheat beers. It was actually a good pairing because it calmed down the citrus/spice flavors.

The second pairing featured a young, pecorino toscana and that was a real treat because I've never had a soft version like this before. I think of parmesean when I hear pecorino! I also didn't realize it's a sheep's milk either. Unfortnately, because this cheese was so soft and young, it didn't have the bite to keep up with brown ales that it was paired with. Angie was trying to pair the nutty, tangy flavor but I think an aged version would have held up its flavor a little better to the beer.

We moved on to the IPAs next so an English Cheddar was paired with it but once again, the cheese was just not sharp enough to stand up to the beer. I would have liked something with more bite again. But the cheddar was still good enough that I bought some later (to go with my Midnight Moon)! hehe

I didn't recognize the name, Fourme d'Ambert, so I was surprised when I got hit by a blue cheese. I usually expect a blue for the last pairing with a dessert wine, but this one was mixed with two barley wine beers. Now here, the blue cheese overpowered the beer but I'm overly sensitive to blues.

Most interesting was the double creme paired with a beer that tasted more like a Rose wine! The rich, creamy flavor really broke up the tartness of the "beer" and was probably my favorite pairing of the night, although the Midnight Moon definitely stood out as the best cheese by far.

Here are the pairings:

Midnight Moon
DePreof La Grande Blanche and Boulevard Two Jokers Double Wit

Pecorino Toscana
Sierra Nevada Tumbler Brown and Corsendonk Brown Ale

Barbers English Cheddar
Southern Tier 2XIPA and Lagunitas Hop Stoopid

Fourme d'Ambert
Amager Batch One Danish Barley Wine and Hofstetten Barley Wine

Fromage d' Affinois Double creme
Drie Fonteinen Oude Kriek

Sushi, Sake, and Wine

2010-08-13T19:28:00.000-07:00

Sushi, sake, and wine was the theme for this Provisions (http://provisionsmarket.com/) class and I was stoked because I love sushi so much. I have only tried sake once, thanks to my friend Anne, and it wasn’t too bad but it doesn’t have the easy-drinking flavor that I enjoy with sweet wines.

This class was totally different than previous classes at Provisions because we were given all our beverages first…two types of sake, a sparkling wine, a plum wine, and Schlafly Summer lager (http://www.schlafly.com). I think Angie was trying to knock me off my game, especially since she did not provide a menu for me to follow and take notes on. Not only is it tough to read my own handwriting but I’m having to write this review via napkin notes.

Yet, there was a method behind this madness because this allowed us to try a variety of flavors with each course. At times, this presented quite a challenge because it was hard to have enough bites of sushi to last all five beverages. And then you had to make sure to ration all five to make it through all the courses. Luckily, my buddy Joe asked for seconds so I was able to get seconds as well…especially seconds of my favorite…sparkling sake!

I was very surprised that there was even such a thing as sparkling sake but it added the missing sweetness to sake that it so desperately needed. We also drank both sakes cool or at room temperate. It turns out that sake is often heated to hide imperfections or lower quality sake.

I thought that the sparkling wine or plum wine would go best with all the courses since sparkling wines tend to go well with everything, while plum wine is frequently served at Japanese restaurants. But I found them both to be far too tart for the courses. Instead, the sparkling sake was easily paired with everything because it held that hint of sweet.

The first course was tempora vegetables and anything fried is well cut by bubbles. That’s one of Angie’s top ten wine rules. Someone should create a list…hmmm…she could probably write a book of them.

Anyway, the second course was a salmon avocado cucumber roll…definitely one of my favorites of the night because that’s typically what I get a at a sushi restaurant. I even tried it with the wasabi, but it just overpowered all the beverages, although the plum wine almost stood up to it.

The third course was a seared ahi tuna with ginger, which had a light flavor so again, only the sparkling sake was light enough to match up.

Another first, I had a Korean-style sushi roll with egg and ham inside and an overall sweeter flavor. So one more time, no heavy drinks went well.

Finally, the last course, beef tenderloin in a teriyaki sauce, could handle the regular sake. The beef was so soft and tender, I was definitely wishing for seconds.

Unfortunately, I will be missing the next Provisions class due to a concert but it looks like it will probably sell out: August 24th – A Taste of the Mediterranean (http://www.stlwinegirl.com/UpcomingEvents.html).

Ernesto's

2010-08-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

I went to my first SIP.ciety event at Ernesto’s (http://www.ernestoswinebar.com/) earlier in the week, located in Benton Park, and it was neat to try a new wine bar. Ernesto’s is a reference to Hemingway and there are some great pictures along the walls. There are a handful of bar stools and not too many tables, but there is a nice patio in the back. Hopefully someday soon it won’t be too hot to actually use it!

My friends and I got there early to beat any crowds but I don’t think there were any since we stayed until 7:30pm. It worked out great for us because we took over the bar, got easy access to the wine for tastings, as well as great service from the bartender. hehe I even managed to leave some cheese to share with everyone else!

I actually started with the pulled pork sandwich station that was ran by Execute Chef Cassy herself. I was a little nervous pairing a rose wine with it but since the pork was not too greasy, it was a good pairing, but I still preferred the pinot with it. The best part of the sandwich plate, though, was the strawberries and sauce that adorned the side of the plate. The sauce, with a brown sugar flavor, was fantastic and I ended up dipping my pork sandwich into it! Delicious!

Of course I enjoyed all the cheeses that were provided...the brie definitely paired well with the Cava, (which was my favorite rose wine of the night) while the smoked gouda and blue cheeses went well with the heavier pinots. I was expecting the pinots to be high in tannins but both were smooth with a hint of fruit. Ernesto’s also has a full menu but my friends just ordered some appetizers while I had no problem filling up on the sandwich and cheeses.

The next open house, entitled “Red, White & Green”, will be on September 13th from 5:30-8:30pm. There is a cost of $15 but Chef Cassy will give a cooking demonstration in addition to the wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres.

Summer Reds with Cheese

2010-08-13T19:17:00.000-07:00

It’s been a busy week of classes with Angie Ortmann / STLwinegirl (http://www.stlwinegirl.com) and so I have a lot to write about tonight. We’ll start with the first one, and the best one, which was cheese class at The Wine and Cheese Place (http://www.wineandcheeseplace.com/) entitled “Summer Reds and Rose Wines”.

I was a little worried about attending a class full of reds but was pleasantly surprised that there were a couple of rose wines listed. I think rose wines are sweet and refreshing, perfect for summertime. Angie picked a lot of my favorite cheeses but everyone else liked them too so there weren’t too many leftovers at the end. The first rose was paired with a triple crème that looked like brie. The creaminess of the cheese helped to break through the tartness of the wine.

The second rose was a little stronger, so it was well paired with a thicker Chevre. It reminded me of peanut butter…sticking to the roof of my mouth…so it definitely needed a fuller body wine. But neither flavor was really changed by the other and I prefer a combination that is better than the individual flavors by themselves.

The first real red was Beaujolais and I was actually interested because I have gotten to take part in Beaujolais Nouveau (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaujolais_nouveau) the last couple of years. The wine comes from the same region in France and had a very fruity bouquet but ended up tasting quite dry. Luckily, it was paired with aged cheddar, with little moisture, so it had a sharper flavor to match up to the stronger red wine.

For the first time I had an aged Manchego, which is a sheep’s milk cheese from Spain. I wasn’t sure how it would go with the Shiraz it was paired with because it had a pepper smell and burned all my nose hairs! But it did not taste spicy at all and the lower tannin flavor went well with the cheese.

Of course you gotta finish strong so the Blue Stilton was paired with a Napa Valley Cab. It had an oak smell and was high in alcohol – 14.2%! So I figured it would have some legs and walk across the table to start a fight with the stilton. I only had small samplings of both!

This means that there is only one cheese class left, beer and cheese, on September 2nd. Hopefully these cheese classes have been successful enough that Angie will have more themes in the future.

Menu:
Delice de Bourgogne Triple Crème
Schramsberg Rose

Homboldt Fog Chevre
Maiple Rose of Malbec

Vermont Clothbound Cheddar
Manior du Carra Beaujolais Villages Unfiltered

Aged Manchego
Thorn Clarke Shotfire Shiraz

Blue Stilton
Rubus Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Boogaloo

2010-08-03T18:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a Groupon (http://www.groupon.com/stlouis/), my friends and I hit another tapas restaurant, Boogaloo (http://www.boogaloostl.com/), in downtown Maplewood - but with a Cuban flare. We definitely lived up to the FAC tradition and ordered just about every tapas item on the menu in addition to three desserts.

I actually had been to Boogaloo before but I never turn down the chance to try other things on a menu. One friend ordered what I had last time, the plantain encrusted tilapia, with sweet potato-andouille hash, orange scallion remoulade. The tilapia is so light and the cream sauce that has sweet flavor.

Another friend ordered the muffaletta sandwich, which came with a good amount of meat, but you gotta like olives! Hehe Still, I was there for tapas. While I was a little nervous about all the spicy-sounding items, it actually worked out in my favor because most of the items were not spicy at all. So it might be disappointing to you if that is what you were expecting, but the spices just brought out subtle flavors instead.

The jerk chicken wings just had a hint of spice and came with a coconut sauce but even that was not too strong of a flavor so neither one overpowered the other.

The Louisiana crawfish cakes, again, were not fishy and you mostly tasted the breading. The jalapeno tartar sauce had no kick at all either. More tangy than hot.

The Brazil nut encrusted manchego cheese was definitely my favorite by far but like my friend said, it might as well had been a giant cheese stick. I did enjoy the romesco sauce since it was lighter and sweeter than typical marinara sauce.

My second favorite was the wasabi pea encrusted tuna with mango slaw. The wasabi sauce gave the tuna a little flavor but it was not hot at all like you normally associate with wasabi anything. The tuna was perfectly cooked. I was definitely wishing for more on the plate.

Of course the ONE item that surprised me is the one that didn’t really mention spice, so of course I was totally caught off guard. The andouille sausage had quite a bit of heat to it even though the Worcestershire glaze gave it a sweet flavor at first.

The spinach and artichoke empanadas were like fried baby tacos stuffed with the cream sauce but it had a stronger spinach flavor and not the creamy-dip flavor that we were expecting. At least the fried shell made it easier to eat. Hehe

Saving one of the best for last, the island style pork ribs were very good and the meat just fell off the bone making it very easy to eat. It still had too much fat for my taste but definitely one of the best items on the menu.

For dessert, we ordered the bread pudding, the tres leche cake with caramel sauce, and I got the chocolate brownie after being peer pressured into ordering the chocolate item since that’s normally what I get. But after all those tapas and taking bites off of everyone else’s plates, I was so full!

The brownie was very disappointing because it came out hard inside and out. After taking a Facebook poll, brownies should be somewhat moist or soft in the middle at least. But my friends loved their desserts…the bread pudding was sweet but was way too heavy to eat on top of a large meal while the leche cake looked light and fluffy.

The last couple of times the FAC has gotten together for “FACing” (a new verb that was coined), we were all dying to meet up for some sushi so I have a feeling that is going to be where we end up going next. But I still haven’t forgotten about Quintessential on St. Charles Main Street.

We thought Boogaloo would be too much of a bar atmosphere but it was just casual dining and as long as you don’t sit in the bar, you won’t get any smoke odors.

Summertime means burgers!

2010-07-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

I am very late on writing this blog post, which I really shouldn’t do because then I forget all the juicy details and flavors, but I wanted to get this done before August starts and it’s back to back classes again! Next week is Angela Ortmann’s (aka STLWineGirl) second cheese class at The Wine & Cheese Place (http://www.wineandcheeseplace.com/) in Clayton and then Provisions is hosting a “sushi and wine” class...another one of my favorite foods!

In honor of summertime, this Provisions' class theme was “Burgers” and for variety, each “burger” was a different kind of “meat”. I use that term loosely because we started off the class with a portabella mushroom and it was paried with a sparkling Vouvray from France. The best part was the cheese that was melted on top of the mushroom and it really helped to mellow out the wine, which had a mineral flavor to it.

The salmon burger was a large salmon patty but was actually a little bland. I expected something striking to be mixed in with the patty, but instead came with a creamy tarter-like sauce added on top. Maybe if I had a little more sauce? It was paired with an equally creamy Chardonnay. Angela then had us pour our wine into a plastic cup so we could taste the difference! There was really NO smell whatsoever and your hand warmed the plastic much quicker without a stem to hold on to. Not to mention that it’s way too easy to spill your wine! Alcohol abuse! Let’s just say, I learned my lesson and we all quickly dumped our wine back into our regular Riedel (http://www.riedel.com/) glasses. (Guess what I'll be asking for Hanukkah this year!)

I also think I had my first ever course that I didn’t like at a Provisions class…a pork sandwich. To make matters worse, there was bacon on top of it too! It just oozed with grease which is such a turnoff for me when it comes to food. The cheddar cheese melted on top of the bread was clever, but it couldn’t save the sandwich. I did try two bites so as to give it a proper chance but the pork meat had that piggy flavor that I cannot stand. What was really sad is that I had none of my piggy-loving friends to help me finish it off. Not that they would have had room in their tummies at this point anyway! The pork sandwich was paired with a Burgundy from France.

The old-fashioned “beef burger” came in “Big Scott” style since he used a similar style of sauce like in a Big Mac. It was definitely my favorite burger of the night by far and it was covered with havarti cheese on top. This was paired with a Tempranillo, which I still need practice saying. For this wine, Angela let us try a very young 2009 and compare it with a 2006 version. You could easily tell that the 2009 was “quaffable” by itself since it was a lot lighter than the older version, but the 2006 held up to the beef flavor much better.

For dessert, calling it a “burger” was a bit of a stretch but it consisted of a chocolate mousse “patty” surrounded by pound cake “bread” with a strawberry. So delicious! Of course this was paired with a Muscat dessert wine which was way too strong and sweet.

This class probably served the biggest proportions out of all the classes I had been to and I didn’t even eat too much of the pork burger. Although, it was easy to fill up due to needing a couple of slices of some type of bread which helped make the burgers even more filling. Still, Chef Scott is most generous!

Angela has a chock full of classes coming up in the fall so be sure to check out her events page on her web site. http://www.stlwinegirl.com/UpcomingEvents.html

Be sure to pick up a copy of Feast (http://www.feaststl.com/) as well, in which Angela is a featured writer!

2010-07-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to report that wine and cheese classes are back! Thanks to STLwinegirl, Angie Ortmann, The Wine and Cheese Place (http://www.wineandcheeseplace.com) has agreed to host a class for this month, as well as August and September. You can see all of Angie’s summer classes here: http://www.stlwinegirl.com/UpcomingEvents.html

I just got back in town and I didn’t have football practice so I totally lucked out that I could go!

In addition to focusing on cheese, all the wines served were white so it really was a good class for me to go to. I feel like I have lost some cheese knowledge since I hadn’t gone to any classes in awhile so I really enjoyed the refresher course.

Three out of five of the cheeses were soft and creamy, so I could have used a fork and knife to eat the cheese instead of using two crackers as utensils. hehe

Of course we started out with the lightest wine, a sparkling wine, and worked our way to the fullest body wine, a Chilean Chardonnay. It’s funny how white wines can have such range and even wines like Rieslings can have a wide range of flavors.

I would say the class was a big hit because all of the pairings were great at contrasting each other, which I feel is what improves the taste of wine. In combination, the pairings should improve each other but I am biased in that the cheese improves the wine. Hehe

Angie says that sparkling wine goes well with just about everything, but I definitely think it is best paired with a light cheese, such as a triple crème. The creamy cheeses really help cut through acidic wines well.

The second pairing featured the local Baetje Farms, http://baetjefarms.com, and their goat cheese. We just had the regular flavor but they also come in a variety of flavors as well. It has such a sweet finish! It was paired with a Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.

I was super excited to see a German Riesling on the list, but it was paired with a blue cheese. Ugh. At least it had a mild flavor but Angie swears by pairing the super sweet wine with the pungent blue cheeses. I guess the two extremes help both calm the flavors…

Another treat in the next pairing was the Taleggio paired with a white blend, mostly Pinot Gris. The Taleggio is rich and creamy, but has more of a strong aroma and flavor. A full-bodied wine is definitely needed.

And the last pairing was very full-flavored as well as a Spanish Mahon was paired with the Chilean Chardonnay. Let’s just say I helped to finish of what was left of the Mahon at the very end of class! Hehe

In addition to discussing the pairings, I always enjoy listening to Angie’s stories of her time in San Francisco, where she learned everything she knows first-hand and on the job! It certainly makes learning a lot easy for the rest of us who don’t have the time to eat and drink our way through a city. Hehe

Here are my takeaways:
· Cheese is always freshest when cut from the wheel as opposed to wedges that have already been cut and wrapped. Although, cheese stores go through their cheese pretty quickly so it’s not like it really sits all that long anyway.
· Store cheese in the bottom of the fridge, not in the deli tray, and wrap it in plastic.
· Never freeze cheese…it will quickly break down if you do! And that’s cheese abuse!

Somehow we got on the topic of pricing and restaurants usually charge three times the price of a bottle of wine but then you also have to deal with corkage fees if you bring your own.

And the most expensive meal I’ve ever had? With Angie. Hehe

The next cheese class is August 5th!

2010-06-16T13:45:00.000-07:00

I know it’s been awhile since I blogged but hopefully it was worth the wait in between posts since this week was seafood class! Now that the cheese classes are defunct, I don’t get to go to Whole Foods too often anymore. They do have a monthly wine class but they’re always on Thursday nights when I have football practice. (http://wholefoodsmarket.com/storesbeta/st-louis/store-calendar/) Rumor has it that the instructor, Jill Aboussie, always pairs the wines with quite a few cheeses and other Whole Foods goodies during the classes, but I prefer to hold out for the real thing.

Wine Merchant in Clayton had a couple of Friday night cheese classes this month but I called too late to sign up for them. I guess I should let a few others learn how awesome cheese can be!

I have been attending Angie Ortman’s (STLWineGirl) classes at Provisions on a regular basis since those are on Tuesday nights and she has just finished her summer schedule. (http://www.stlwinegirl.com/UpcomingEvents.html) Not only does she have her regular food/wine pairings, but she will also be teaching wine and cheese pairings at The Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton on Forsyth (http://www.wineandcheeseplace.com/).

Anyway, this month’s seafood class theme was Alaskan Seafood, which we had done at some point last year so the Cod Cakes were a repeat, but it was one of my favorites so I didn’t mind. The cod cakes actually had some chipotle peppers so they had a little bit of a kick by themselves but when dipped in the mustard sauce…watch out! I think there was more than just a pinch of Cayenne pepper in them. That’ll teach me not to fill half of my plate with sauce!

We actually started with halibut tacos which was a light course. Chef Matt heated the tortilla shells so they were crispy, which made them hard to fold. I probably would have left them room temperature, especially since the tacos also had other “cool” toppings like mango, avocado, and shredded cheese.

One of my favorites for the evening was a Yukon (potato) wrapped sable fillet. I have never had sable before much less eating anything wrapped in a potato slice! The potatoes were sliced very thin (using a mandolin slicer…that’s fun to say!) so they could be wrapped around the cut of fish and held together with a kabob stick. After the kabob stick was full, he cooked them in a skillet with vegetable oil, using the stick to flip ‘em. I thought that was pretty slick.

When it came time to eat, the fish really didn’t stay inside of the potato blanket, but the fish was super tasty because it had the flavor from the potato grease. Not to mention the fish was so light and soft…it melted like butter! I definitely would be interested in trying more sable if it always tasted that light.

For the first three courses, white wines were paired, which is typical for fish, but for the salmon course, a red wine was paired and held up pretty well. The last course is always something special and this class did not disappoint. Chef Matt pulled out a full Copper River Sockeye Salmon that had been caught on Saturday and delivered on Tuesday morning! That’s pretty darn fresh for St. Louis!

Luckily the fish had already been beheaded and gutted so all Chef Matt had to do was cut the fish into steak slices. It definitely put me in the mood for some sushi! Hehe The steaks were just salted and peppered and squirted with olive oil…that’s almost something *I* could do! Even the Dijon mustard marinade (with balsamic vinegar and a heavy dose of honey) even seems like something I could handle, and it made for a very sweet topping for the salmon.

I learned that fish should only sit in marinade for fifteen minutes at most or else the fish becomes mushy. The salmon was cooked with the skin and bones to hold in the flavor so you had to be careful while eating, but the meat was so soft the bones came right out. Chef Matt said there are fewer bones from the stomach to tail than from the stomach to the head too.
Since Whole Foods does not hold classes in August, the next seafood class won’t be until September.

Even though I haven’t been going to as many classes, I haven’t been starving by any means and have been going out quite a lot lately. I took a friend who was new to the St. Louis area to one of my favorite brew houses, Trailhead Brewery on St. Charles Main Street (http://www.trailheadbrewing.com/), and I finally got to try Iron Barley (http://www.ironbarley.com/). Great steaks, incredible beer selection, but super far away.

Earlier in the month, I went to visit a friend in Ames, Iowa so I also got to make stops at Dublin Bay, which I’m pretty sure is THE Irish pub of Ames (http://www.dublinbayames.com/), and Prairie Moon Winery (http://www.prairiemoonwinery.com/). At Dublin Bay, I had “Irish nachos” for the first time…all the usual nacho goodies on top of waffle fries! Hehe At the winery, I picked out a gouda, gruyere, and an aged cheddar to bring with me and we had their sweet white, Moon Beam White. Since most of Ames is surrounded by farmland, it was nice that we didn’t have to go that far to get to it! Hehe Definitely the highlight of my trip.

Gluten-Free class

2010-05-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

Last week, Angie held a special “Gluten Free” class and I thought the menu might be interesting to see how she creatively came up with some tasty alternatives.

This class, the topic of aging wines came up and as usual I learned something new. For red wines, the higher the tannins, the better it will age. For white wines, the higher the acid, the better it will age.

Course 1:
Vegetable Stir Fry
2009 Kung Fu girl Riesling $16.99
Washington State

I definitely found a new favorite Riesling with Kung Fu Girl which is made by Charles Smith. This was paired with a vegetable stir fry so both food and wine balanced each other nicely but neither stood out. But it’s all about what you prefer.

Course 2:
Black Bean & Shrimp Tostada
2008 La Cana Albarino $14.99
Rias Baixas, Spain

Moving to a little more kick, the black bean and shrimp tostada was spicy enough to chill out the white wine that was paired with it. The wine had a mineral taste and was too dry for me. I think the wine would have gone well with a cream sauce too.

Course 3:
Parmesan Chicken & Quinoa
2008 G.D. Vajra Dolcetto d'Alba $16.99
Piedmont, Italy

The best meal of the night was the Parmesan Chicken and Quinoa...and definitely in the top 5 of meals I've had by Chef Scott. The chicken had such a creamy, cheesy sauce…WOW. It was so good that Chef Scott has won awards for this gluten-free number using a cheese coating instead of bread crumbs. The wine that was paired with it was low in tannins but still too dry for me.

Course 4:
Open Face Chili-Cheeseburger Polenta Cake "Bun"
2007 Rombauer Zinfandel $26.99
California

I was quite happy to see that for the third course in a row, cheese was a factor in the dish! And there was NO bacon OR ham throughout the whole meal! What a treat! The chili went great with the cheese on top and polenta underneath, almost like cornbread. The sharp cheese and spices held up great with a dry red!

Course 5:
French Vanilla Creme Brulee
2005 Le Tertre du Lys D'Or Sauternes $18.99
France
Dessert was also tasty and sweet (even though it wasn’t chocolate) but unfortunately the Crème Brulee was a little runny. Something creamy was definitely required to go with the dessert wine!

Angie is already planning her summer course schedule…BBQ is next, then burgers, and beer vs wine!

Beer class at Provisions 4/27/2010

2010-04-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

Angie, STLwinegirl (http://www.stlwinegirl.com/), took a break from the norm this month and hosted a beer and food pairing for Craft Beer Week (http://www.stlbeerweek.com/). I was hoping the beer theme would get a few new folks out to a class and I managed to get a couple of newbies. Unfortunately, the class overall was pretty small. I don’t know if it’s a busy time or year or the wine drinkers refuse to branch out?

As usual, I always learn a lot from Angie since she always does her research beforehand. Germany has the largest number of beer drinkers per capita (40 gallons per person per year) and beer is the third most popular beverage behind water and tea.

I was a little nervous with this class because I’m not the biggest beer fan and there were TWO beers paired with each course. (Yes, you all really missed out big.) Angie’s goal was to introduce an old-style beer versus a newer craft beer, which I thought was creative.

The best part of the class was the food (of course) but more specifically, the combination of the beer and food REALLY stood out…more than any wine class.

Below is the menu:

BREAKFAST:
Crab and Cheese Frittata
Saison Dupont vs. Goose Island Sofie (http://www.gooseisland.com/)

LUNCH:
Chicken Mole Enchilada
Newcastle Brown Ale vs. New Hollands Mole Ocho.

AFTERNOON SNACK:
Ham and Potato Croquettes, Meatballs, Cheese Straws
O'Haras Irish Red vs. Moylans Danny's Irish Red

DINNER:
Smoked Beef Brisket with Onion-Tomato Au Jus
Aecht Rauchbier vs. Haandbryggeriet Norwegian Wood

DESSERT:
Caramel Cheesecake
Young's Luxury Double Chocolate Stout vs. Boulevard Smokestack Dark Truth Stout

I think breakfast was one of my top favorites because like wine, I prefer lighter beers. Not that I would drink one for breakfast, but it was light enough to go well with eggs. The Saison was still too spicy for me so I prefer the milder Goose Island beer. (I normally drink the 312 so I was definitely biased there.)

I don’t know that I’ve ever had an enchilada (I’m a quesadilla kind of girl) but it was quite tasty and it made sense to pair the fuller flavored beers with it. The Newcastle was way too plain but the Mole Ocho definitely goes well with spicy foods. Woah!

Another top pairing was the smoked beef brisket with smoked beers. These two beers caused me to make the “bitter beer face” by just SMELLING them! I could barely stand to taste them! The Aecht Rauchbier actually had a bacon flavor to it! (Just when I thought I was safe from bacon on the menu!) As for the Haandbryggeriet…it tasted like leather.

Luckily both these beers tasted SO much better once paired with the food….definitely tolerable so I could swallow at least but those both immediately were handed over to my friends.
My favorite pairing probably had to be the dessert one since the cheesecake was phenomenal (and a huge slice!) to begin with. I’m not a dark beer drinker so I had my doubts about the stouts. It was a little strange that the Chocolate Stout was better by itself and yet when paired with the dessert, the Boulevard Dark Truth actually was better because it could stand up to the creaminess of the cheesecake.

This is the first class where I wasn’t able to finish my neighbor’s leftovers either! I even tried not to drink too much beer.

I still don’t have any other classes lined up since I still have a couple more months of football left, but unfortunately, there is no more monthly cheese class at Whole Foods. Luckily, the Wine Merchant still has some cheese classes but they are on the same nights at football practice. So hopefully I can pick up my class attendance in the second half of the year.

The New Chez Leon

2010-04-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

I got to try out the new Chez Leon in Clayton for my Dad’s birthday earlier this month. Really it just moved from the Central West End. We selected the prie fixe meal option for $40 so we got to select courses from three different sections. (http://www.chezleon.com/Chez_Leon/__Dinner_Menu_~.html)

I decided to start with the cheese plate as an appetizer while my stepmom got escargot. The cheese plate included six or seven slices ranging from soft to hard and included quite a few crackers and dates on the side. I would have preferred larger slices myself but enjoyed the fruit. The escargot doesn’t do anything for me since it has a chewy texture like mussels.

I opted for a salad course instead of a dessert course because the cheese really could have been dessert by itself. I didn’t share any cheese, while I still was able to steal a bit of the chocolaty dessert!

The hardest part was deciding on the main course. I was torn between the filet and the veal. Luckily, my Dad ordered the veal and it was just as delicious as I had imagined. They both were excellent choices so I couldn’t go wrong.

I was a little disappointed that the restaurant really crammed the tables in and we were seated by another early table. There wasn’t much privacy or quiet but it did help for scoping out the food on the other tables. But by the time we left, there were only two small tables left so I guess it’s smart to get in as many tables as they can.

Creole Cuisine seafood class March 23rd

2010-03-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

The theme for this month’s seafood class was Creole Cuisine so I knew I was in for some spice. We started out with oysters (paired with a sparkling wine) that came with a side of tasty jalapeño sauce - a flavorful upgrade from just tossing hot sauce on ‘em.

Next came oysters wrapped in bacon, also known as “angels on horseback”. Not sure why. I wasn’t sure which one was the angel and which one was the horse either. I was thinking maybe it should have been “angels on a piggy”? Anyway, I took the bacon off so as not to ruin the oyster part but everyone else seemed to love the combination. Luckily, my friend Ellen was there to rescue me and took my bacon away!

We finally moved on to some meatier courses after that and I have to admit that I had a hard time picking my favorite from the last three courses.

The etouffee was delicious and had quite a kick and was paired with a refreshing Riesling.

After that we took a spice break with a simple salmon filet. So soft it melted in my mouth! Michael was a little daring and paired it with a pinot noir (a red!) from Australia.

And the last course was Shrimp & Sausage gumbo. The spice was more manageable in this course and it was paired with a strong Chenin Blanc from France.

Comfort Foods and Restaurant Reviews

2010-03-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

I finally made it back to a Provisions class with STLwinegirl, Angela Ortmann. Unfortunately, I haven’t had much time for classes these days. Whole Foods is no longer hosting my favorite cheese classes so I’ve been really bummed about that. At least Seafood class is coming up next week.

Angela came up with a really interesting menu with the theme of “Comfort Foods” so it was everyone’s favorites…but with a little spin…and paired with wine of course.

We started with Fish Tacos and they were covered in shreaded cheese! This was paired with a 2008 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. This wine had a screw cap and I learned that how you store the wine is not near as important as one with a cork, but it still doesn’t keep as long since no oxygen can seep in as with a cork. So no aging! But then again, no cork rot either, which has a 10% chance. Anyway, this wine is only harvested at night when it’s cooler so there is less stress on the wine.

My favorite pairing was probably the Breaded, Baked, and Bacon Mac and Cheese. If there had been no bacon, it would have been perfect, but I can’t escape Angela’s class without SOME bacon. This was paired with a 2008 Four Wines “Naked” Chardonnay. Turns out that “Naked” means that it is not stored in oak barrels but stainless steel, which in turn makes the Chardonnay a lot less full or buttery. More of a calm finish.

The next two pairings were chicken and dumplings with 2005 Domaine Alain Michelo Bourgogne from Burgandy and a stuffed meatloaf with a 2006 Estancia Meritage from California. Both were red wines that were too strong for me and the food did hold up against them. The chicken and dumplings were at least thick and creamy but the meatloaf was way too bland for the tannins in the Meritage.

We finished the class with apple pie and caramel with a 2002 Blossom Late Harvest Riesling. Normally I like all Rieslings but this was a “dessert wine” and extremely sweet. For those who REALLY know me, know that I like chocolate sauce on my fruit pies and that would have helped match up against the wine in this case. Definitely too sweet to be drank regularly.
In addition to the “Comfort Foods” class, I have also been to a few great restaurants recently that I highly recommend.

First, I went to SubZero (http://www.subzerovodkabar.com/) in the Central West End, right across from Drunken Fish, which is a little strange location since I’ve only heard about SubZero for their sushi, in addition to their vodka drinks. I thought the sushi was fantastic and I ordered a citrus-flavored vodka drink. I admit that I love “foo-foo” sweet tasting drinks and they had plenty of them! And for vegetarians, they even had no-meat pot stickers.

This past week I went to the Boathouse in Forest Park for the first time and every Thursday from November until April, they host a “shrimp boil” for $16 per person! Each meal comes with soup or salad to start out with (salad was really sweet but I didn’t like the spicy white bean soup flavor) . Then the main course comes out on a huge plate all mixed together: andouille sausage, potato wedges, and GIANT shrimp!! These were the biggest shrimp I have ever eaten. And I couldn’t finish them either. Got to have quite a delicious meal the next day too!

Last weekend I went to Sasha’s Wine bar on Shaw (http://www.sashaswinebar.com/), which is much bigger than the location in Clayton. It was not too crowded at 8pm but really hoppin’ by 10pm. In addition to the extremely large wine list, I was really impressed with their menu, which had quite a few choices for light meals. Of course I was stoked to find SIX different cheese plates to choose from! We ordered the World Tour and the French plate. Everything I had was fantastic!

For my main course, I thought I’d try something different and ordered a Triple Crème Brie, Apple and Mango Chutney crepe. It was delicious. And the chef was nice enough to make a mistake and make us a second one! I hope that was because we bought two bottles of wine…first an Argentinean cabernet and then a Chilean pinot noir. I definitely cannot wait to go back!

February St. Louis Cellars

2010-02-14T12:52:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday I went to St. Louis Cellars (http://www.saintlouiscellars.com/) for their monthly wine tasting and I was happy to see Angie Ortmann/STLWinegirl (http://www.stlwinegirl.com) there as well. It turns out that she will be teaching classes at the NEXT Cellars wine tasting on Wednesday, March 3rd.

This tasting was a little disappointing from the quality of their previous food offerings since they only served appetizers such as two kinds of cheese, strawberries, chips and salsa, pita bread and hummus, bread slices, and chocolate brownies. All of the food went very quickly and the chocolate brownies were a big hit.

They also moved the serving station to behind one of the kitchen counters and there was quite a bit more traffic altogether.

I was running an hour late so I did my best to catch up with my friends in tastings. It’s hard to get a fair taste in when you’re rushed and the snacks don’t hold up to the wine. The white wines were a little bland but the Salvatore Principe Prosecco sparkling wine from Italy was light and delicious. Only cost $17.99.

I actually skipped one of the reds, the Cab (gasp!), to skip ahead to the dessert wine, which was Chocovine from Holland. They were selling it for $13.99 but I found it in Schnucks for $9.99. I think it tasted like a chocolate milkshake with a hint of red wine!

STLWinegirl and Provisions cheese class

2010-02-04T09:35:00.000-08:00

After months of begging Angie, she finally created a cheese pairing class for me at Provisions. Angie really outdid herself because not only did she provide a small plate of the raw cheeses, she also had Chef Scott Phillips come up with a dish with a cooked version of the cheese.

In addition to the pairings, Angie also provided some cheese facts for us:

--China is the only major country that does not produce any cheese.

--The U.S. is the largest producer of cheese but most of it is sold domestically.

--This was also the first class where there was no bacon! Hehehe

1st Pairing:Saint Andre Triple Crème

featured in a puff pastry with a caramelized onion and fig compote Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco

The first pairing was one of my favorites because I tend to prefer lighter wines and cheeses. Triple crèmes just melt in your mouth like butter. I learned that a “double crème” must be 60% milkfat and a “triple crème” must be 75% milkfat.

2nd Pairing:Mt. Vkos Feta

featured in a torta with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes & pine nuts 2008 Frog's Leap Sauvignon Blanc

The feta was paired with the sharp Sauvignon Blanc because the cheese has a high salt contain which helps to cut the acidity of the wine. Much like putting salt around the rim of a margarita.

3rd Pairing:Fontina Cremalpina

featured in a stuffed Italian meatball with a rustic marinara sauce

2008 Damilano Barbera d'Asti, Italy

The fontina had a very mild taste and this went well with the Barbera, which I find to be a mild red, one of the few reds that I like, for that reason.

4th Pairing:Aged Manchego

featured on top a polenta "flatbread" with chorizo

2007 Atteca Old Vines Grenacha, Spain

The aging of a manchego makes the cheese a little sharper, so it stood up pretty well to the Grenacha.

5th Pairing:

Bleu d'Auvergne featured in honey "blue" cheesecake with shortbread crust & candied pecansGraham's "Six Grapes" Reserve Porto

Another great pairing was the "blue" cheesecake with the port. It really pulled the best flavor of the blue cheese and was strong enough to match up to the port. Probably the best non-chocolate cheesecake I have ever had.

Unfortunately, Friday's Wine Merchant cheese class is sold out so it may be awhile before the next class....

Sort of new cheese class

2010-01-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

There was a new instructor for cheese class this month at Whole Foods and the theme was “Spain”. I definitely was spoiled with Mike and Dave because they pre-cut all the cheeses and gave everyone their own plate ahead of time. Then a specific cheese was paired with a specific wine. So it was a little harder to pay attention to the instructor with all the fidgeting going on. At least the cheese trays contained a nice variety of olives, grapes, and nuts which is always an extra treat at Whole Foods.

Still, I had a lot of confidence in the instructor because it was the same person who helped me pick out a primo Scotch for my Uncle’s birthday present. I was really impressed with all her knowledge and once again I learned a lot.

Italy and France are the top two producers of wines and Spain comes in third. While Spain has the largest area of the three for growing grapes, their dryer climate produces a lower yield. Also, the Spanish government only started to allow irrigation in 1996.

Of course we started with a Cava sparkling wine paired with goat cheese, and of course there was a Manchego for the second pairing. But it was nothing but reds after that, which I learned is because Spain is more known for their reds, especially Rioja.

My favorite pairing was a red Rivola with a cheese called Mahon. I think the cheese is what made the wine taste so good but the wine was nice and mild.

My least favorite was the dessert pairing of sherry and blue cheese. But you all knew that already didn’t you? Hehe Yet, I did learn that “port” is fortified during the fermentation process to make it sweeter while “sherry” is fortified after the fermentation process to make it dryer.

Two classes next week...STLWineGirl's cheese class at Provisions and another cheese class at Wine Merchant in Clayton.

Giving the gift of cheese!

2010-01-21T20:23:00.000-08:00

It’s been another cheese and wine-filled week thanks to my brother bringing me cheese from his neighborhood cheese store, Marion Street Cheese Market, in Oak Park, IL. They were all out of Zingerman’s goat cheese (foiled again!) but instead brought me three great cheeses: Bucheron (France), Les Feres (Wisconsin), and my favorite, Ewephoria, a sheep’s milk gouda from the Netherlands. This one reminded me a little bit of Gruyere, a firmer cheese with a small kick to it.

On another high note, I also received two new cheese knives and a protector for your hand while you're cutting. Hmm...I now wonder if that was intentional?

Three days later, it was time for another Provisions food and wine pairing hosted by @STLWineGirl (http://www.stlwinegirl.com/UpcomingEvents.html) and this month's theme was "Winter Warm Up". The best part about Angie's classes is that I always learn a lot and she encourages a highly interactive class.

"Legs" on a wine are actually generated by the alcohol content and not necessarily an indication of quality.
White wines tend to turn more brownish as they age.
Old world wines are named by where they are from whereas new world wines are named by their grape.
And most importantly, don't wear white to a wine tasting but if you do, have "Wine Away" handy! (http://www.wineaway.com/)

1st Pairing:
Winter Salad with Goat Cheese "Fritters" and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
2006 Argyle Burt Sparkling Wine – Oregon $21.99

As with most wine classes, we started with bubbles and Angie said you really don't have to use tall flutes for sparkling wine. Flutes do cause the bubbles to release slower but then it's harder to smell. The likelihood of your champagne going flat while you drink it is pretty low.

The sparkling wine was mixed with a goat cheese "fritter" and I just don't think grease goes well with sparkling wines. Angie pointed out that while you have every right to eat French fries with champagne, it's probably not the best pairing! hehe

2nd Pairing:
Cajun Jambalaya with Crab Claws
2007 Treana Viognier/Marsanne - Central Coast, California $19.99

Chef Scott Phillips LOVES to cook Cajun food so the best serving was the Cajun Jambalaya with Crab Claw. It was paired with a wine that had some bite to it. Sometimes liked paired food and wine calm each other down but in this case, they both became too spicy.

3rd Pairing:
Traditional Coq au Vin
2007 JL Chave Crozes-Mermitage - Northern Rhone, France $24.99

The third pairing was a match of the milds: Tradition coq au vin, or chicken and dumplings, French-style. The wine served with it also had a smooth finish so neither overpowered each other.

4th Pairing:
Lamb and Root Vegetable Masala
2008 Gascon Malbec - Mendoza, Argentina $11.99

Malbecs are one of five grapes that are grown in the Bordeaux region and is usually paired with “gamey” meats. This was a good of example of sweet food and spicy wine pairing well together for a good balance.

5th Pairing:
Mexican Chocolate Pot de Creme
2003 Dr. Parce Rimage Banyuls - France1/2 bottle $33.99

The dark chocolate had a very thick consistency and was a little spicy with cayenne pepper mixed in. It was so rich, that it totally stood up to the bitter dessert wine. This was definitely the best pairing even though not my favorite flavors. In fact, the chocolate was SO rich, that I couldn’t even finish it!

Anyway, I consider this to be a good “warm up” for the next class…Angie has finally heard my begging and pleading and has created a cheese pairing class for me on Feb 2nd!

http://www.wineandcheeseplace.com/cart.php?target=category&category_id=32

She is going to serve the cheese plain and then cooked in a dish. Unfortunately, this means she will not be serving Epoisses (French for “the best cheese ever”) but I am still thrilled that she is using cheese. I hope to continue to bug her so that “the cheese class” will be a special event once a year!

New Year of Reviews

2010-01-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

So the New Year picked right back up where last year left off…lots of restaurants and lots of classes to attend and review!

Thanks to a Groupon (http://www.groupon.com), I got invited to try Jade (http://www.jadestl.com), a sushi restaurant located downtown. The restaurant is beautiful inside and there is a parking garage directly across the street. We had great service and my favorites were the Rainbow and Alaska rolls. I also go to try hot Sake, which I think is much better than when served cold because it seems a lot less potent when served hot. Hehe

The Food Adventure Club was supposed to go to Quintessential on St. Charles Main Street but I got a call the day before from the manager that they were going to close the restaurant for a staff meeting during our Sunday 5pm reservation. That’s our prime time for meeting so who knows if we’ll get to try it. It’s a really snazzy place, more like a lounge, and there is a bar area upstairs from the restaurant.

I was really disappointed about the cancelled reservation but Curt and Amy came to the rescue by picking out HuHot (http://www.huhot.com), which went into the spot vacated by Ruby Tuesday’s in West County. It’s Mongolian BBQ, which we have done before, so I didn’t have high expectations, but I was really pleased. They use much smaller bowls than other places but you are allowed to go back as many times as you want. The selection was MUCH better so there is something for everyone. Although this was a problem for me because I wanted to try everything!

My first bowl, I loaded up with all kinds of meats so that when I went back the second time, I did mostly vegetables. They have sauce suggestions with the amount of “heat” clearly labeled. VERY clean and good service.

A FAC meeting wouldn’t be complete without ordering dessert and I got to try the Khan’s Cake (chocolate) and the Molten Muffin. The muffin had hot fudge coming out of the middle and that was the better of the two. Curt and Amy had the Cheesecake Rangoons and we’re all hoping to go back sometime to try the Sweet Victory S’mores. How much fun would it to make your own at the table! Hehehe

Last but not least, the demise of the Whole Foods Galleria (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/st-louis/storecalendar.php) classes was greatly exaggerated and their first of the year was their famous seafood class! Curt has also become a convert now as well.

We started off with Oysters Rockefeller and yes, if it’s covered in cheese, it’s going to be fantastic! The oysters were followed by Panko-encrusted Sole with White Wine Butter Sauce. The best item of the night was the Ciopino Stew, which used tomato paste from a tube! None of us had seen anything like it before but they sell it at Whole Foods under the brand 360. The stew was amazing because it had so much quality seafood all mixed together: crabmeat, mussels, clams, squid, scallops, and cod. Several people ask for seconds on the stew because it was so good but I knew better and saved room for the last fish.

Chef Matt showed us how he cut the tilapia almost in two separate wings…but left them still attached at the very bottom. With one “wing”, he cut it down the middle, but just in the center. This way it could be folded on top of the other “wing” to form a pocket to hold the stuffing!

Unfortunately, the tilapia was a little fishy for me on a couple of bites but the stuffing really helped wash it down.

And the best thing about seafood class? Almost all the wines are white with one red at the very end.

Unfortunately, the cheese class at the Wine Merchant was cancelled for this month but I still have more classes coming up this month.

2010 Classes!

2009-12-30T18:10:00.001-08:00

I know I haven't blogged in awhile but there isn't much going on with the holidays. Been busy cleaning out my fridge instead...

I DID get a lovely bottle of wine as a present so details on that forthcoming when I crack that open.

The highlight of the holidays was splitting a 2004 Stag's Leap Cabernet (http://www.stagsleap.com/). I probably could have drank the whole thing by myself it was so smooth. I also ate Stacy's Pita Chips (http://www.stacyssnacks.com/) as an appetizer. Probably could have eaten the entire bag of those in one sitting as well.

Anyway, here are some links to 2010 classes...email me if you're interested in attending anything with me. You KNOW I will be at all the cheese classes!

Provisions Schedule: http://provisionsmarket.com/?p=253
Wine and Cheese place: http://thewineandcheeseplace.blogspot.com/2009/12/thursday-night-classes-2010.html

Whole Foods Galleria: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/st-louis/storecalendar.php

The Wine Merchant: http://www.winemerchantltd.com/html/clayton.html

Having to deal with fame and Italian cheeses

2009-12-18T19:36:00.000-08:00

Word about this blog is starting to spread and one of the downsides to fame (hahaha) is that there is more pressure to perform…or in this instance, to keep my blog updated! ACK! So yes, I am a week late in writing about Italian cheese class held at the Wine Merchant in Clayton (http://www.winemerchantltd.com). I could make the excuse that I left for Chicago (again) last weekend, and that I have been sick and busy all this week, but instead, I will just write.

After visiting France last month (via cheese class), it was time to visit Italy. I wish I could say that each country has a specific style, but I have a feeling that tasting six cheeses does not quite cover the full gamut of styles of cheese for just one country. That is why I keep going back month after month…there is always something new to try and always new wines to be paired with. My studies will never be complete, as there will always be more.

I was disappointed that there were only a couple of white wines offered for the evening, and both had a bit more edge than I usually like, but it worked out well because it meant more stronger-flavored cheeses were offered.

I didn’t get excited until the third cheese, a Robiola - a cow, sheep, and goat blend from the Piedmont region. It was soft and creamy, much like a French chevre, with just a little bit of gooey edge. What a full-flavored cheese! This paired GREAT with the Barbera red wine. Unfortunately for my buddy Curt, he was completely turned off by the goat smell and taste but it worked out well in the end because it meant more for me! Hehehehe

Another top pairing was the Testun, a cow’s milk cheese from Barolo, which was paired with a Barolo red wine. “What grows together, goes together.” The cheese had a hard texture and wasn’t too far off from the next cheese, a Pecorino Toscano, but the Pecorino was almost too bitter to be eaten straight.

The evening was finished off with a Gorgonzola…a moldy, stinky cheese that I could certainly do without. Of course it was paired with a dessert wine that was also over-the-top in its sweetness.

Simon Lehrer, returning as cheese monger at the Wine Merchant, was kind enough to provide a few bonus treats on the table in addition to the six pairings. An assortment of crackers, salted Italian olives, and the classic, Parmigiano-Reggiano (that I could eat everyday of the week) were also offered to us for mixing and matching with the various wines.

Here is the complete listing for the class. Cheeses are listed by name – milk type – and region of Italy:

2007 Villa del Borgo Pinot Grigio $13.99 – Toma Piemontese-Cow-Piedmont
2007 Abbazia Di Novacella Kerner $24.99 – Veneto de Estate – Cow – Veneto
2006 Sandrone Barbera D’Alba $39.99 – Robiola – Cow, Sheep, Goat – Piedmont
2005 G. D. Vajra Barolo “Albe” $35.99 – Testun - Cow - Barolo
2006 Petrolo Torrione Toscana $42.99 – Pecorino Toscano – Sheep – Tuscany
2004 Nicoli Recioto $44.99 – Gorgonzola Picate – Cow - Milan

And while I did eat out MANY times this week, the meals worth reporting came during my weekend in Chicago. The first night of Hanukkah was celebrated with an assortment of dishes from Maggiano’s restaurant (http://maggianos.com/) – one of my all time favorites (special thanks to Hector). And for my trip home, thanks to my big bro, I got to bring back some Chicago-style pizza from Edwardo’s (http://featuredfoods.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/a-store/c-EdwardoAns.shtml?E+scstore+edwardo)

While attending two wine events in the same week was hard, I am a little sad that all classes are pretty much on hiatus with the holidays. On the bright side, there are more classes coming up in January that I’ve already signed up for!!

St. Louis Cellars holiday celebration!

2009-12-08T19:49:00.000-08:00

After taking some time off for the Thanksgiving holiday, I am back at it this week with two classes in the same week! I will briefly mention that I ate quite well in Chicago thanks to my family: Local ale house the first night, another delicious turkey dinner by my bro and sister-in-law, and then finished up with a fine meal at a Greek restaurant in the city, called Parthenon (http://www.theparthenon.com/). Each of those places and meals probably deserve their own blog post too. But even blogs need vacation time....

Anyway, tonight I attended my 2nd event at the St. Louis Cellars Wine Club (http://www.saintlouiscellars.com/), which of course makes me an expert by now. Unfortunately, I could not get there right at 5pm so I had to endure the brunt of the crowds that ran pretty thick for the first hour I was there. But I have definitely learned to go with the flow and being polite helps. Grab food while the wine lines are long and that way you'll have a snack while you wait. Make sure you get in the correct line for whites or reds (only two people serving). White wine lines are busiest early in the night while the red wine lines get busier later.

Again, I got to try 4 whites and 4 reds and all the wines were under $20. The Blue Christmas wines were featured (Elvis on the label) as the first (a champagne) and the last (Cabernet Sauvignon) wines of the evening.

My favorite of the whites was the Relax Riesling. I think this was one of the very first Rieslings I ever tasted and it is still among my all time favorites. I felt foolish taking a tasting because I knew I would love it. It definitely outshined the other whites, which included a blend and a Chardonnay. My personal rule of thumb is when picking out a Riesling from a restaurant wine list, always pick the German version. You can't go wrong. Not too sweet, not too dry.

As for the reds, I thought the Meditrina blend was very smooth but my favorite, as usual, was the Beach Dog Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabs are definitely becoming more and more my favorite red wine...I am assuming it is low in tannins?

Before I list out all the wines, let me rave about the food once again this month. I wish they had a list of the foods being offered as well because I've already forgotten the homemade potato chip brand that was offered. I know you can get them at the Wine Merchant too.

Anyway, they had a few familiar favorites from last month: sautéed mushrooms, red pepper hummus, and tortilla chips. New this month were the coconut chicken paired with a peanut dipping sauce, shrimp and cocktail sauce, and French bread topped with olive pate, tomato, and prosciutto.

And for dessert: Several types of cookies, lemon bars with a cream topping, and samples of Mom's Original (http://www.momsoriginals.com/), provided by Taran herself! I met Taran on Twitter and those that know me know that I try to support my friend's (women-owned) businesses. You can also follow them at http://twitter.com/momsoriginals. They are homemade pretzels covered in a variety of chocolate toppings. They make for great Christmas gifts!!

Here's the lineup:
Blue Christmas - Brut Champagne - California - $19.99
*Relax - Riesling - Mosel, Germany - $10.99
Evolution - White Blend - Dundee, Oregon - $19.99
Novellum - Chardonnay - Languedoc, France - $13.99
Indian Creek Christmas Tree- Sweet White & Sweet Red Wines - Augusta, MO - $19.99
Meditrina - Syra/Pinot Noir/ Zinfandel - Oregon - $19.99
*Beach Dog - Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley, California - $8.99
Blue Christmas - Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley, California - $19.99

Happy Beaujolais Nouveau and French cheese class

2009-11-21T11:24:00.000-08:00

It just dawned on me that perhaps The Wine Merchant (http://www.winemerchantltd.com/) set up their French cheese class the same week as Beaujolais Nouveau! Or maybe it was just lucky. Not that I need a French cheese class to get me hyped up for the holiday. I think it's pretty funny that I was all excited this year when I had barely heard of it years ago.

The only way to keep my wine snobiness in check is by sharing information with my friends. I finally roped in another unsuspecting victim to one of my cheese classes. I was sorry we didn't get to go to Whole Foods (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/st-louis/) this time around to meet those pals, especially since it's a great bargain at $20, but they were having "blue" class. Blue cheeses are my least favorite.

I know I've been going to too many cheese classes when I know half of the cheeses already. But it's always good to retaste and re-remember. hehe My favorite part of the class was talking then having the instructor repeat what I had just said. At least Gail knows I am not just full of it (bull, not cheese - which I am definitely full of)!

Or maybe the best part of class was getting seconds and thirds of the cheeses?

Highlights were the whites of course...
2008 Domaine de Beauregard Musacdet paired with a Chevre
2007 Helfrich Pinot Gris paired with a Racclette
2006 Marc Morey Chassagne-Montrachet "Les Chenevottes" paired with Morbier (A fav!)

Another favorite cheese of mine was the Ossau Iraty...it's a sheep's milk cheese! Nice and light but still full of flavor so therefore usually served with a red.

My friend also bought several bottles of wine, some from the class, so hopefully the Wine Merchant will read this and send me the appropriate commission!

In addition to getting to share cheese class this month, I also got to celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau for the second year in a row. Those new wines always have a bit of a bite and I wish I could let it sit out for a little bit. But it got better as I let it sit in my class. And having cheese to go with it helps balance it out!

A Beaujolais Nouveau wine is also a nice, inexpensive wine to bring to your Thanksgiving dinner as well.

FAC visits Gulf Shores

2009-11-16T17:10:00.000-08:00

I forgot that this past Sunday was FAC meeting in my last blog post and Curt picked Gulf Shores (http://www.gulfshoresrestaurantandgrill.com/) in Creve Coeur. I admit that I don’t eat too much fish in St. Louis so I was a little skeptical.

I had a very hard time picking something from the menu because I was torn between choosing a fish item that I knew I’d like (tilapia, lobster ravioli, shrimp) and picking something Cajun-style. After having been to New Orleans recently, I wasn’t sure the Cajun-style meals would be able to hold up to my expectations either. But I figured the FAC is all about trying new things so I gave it a shot.

Luckily for me, I was able to try a variety of items by selecting one of their signature dinners, the Bourbon Street Combo. This came with homemade jambalaya, Andouille sausage on top of a bed of red beans and rice, along with a homemade crab cake and corn muffin. Oh yeah…and some cole slaw to help cool off my tongue. It came in handy after eating a few bites of the jambalaya! My meal was quite good and plenty of spice so not too far off from the real thing down south.

As a group, we started with calamari that was heavy on the batter so they weren’t too chewy but there wasn’t much flavor beyond the batter. Their in-house Cajun ranch dip was very tasty and my friend Lori ended up using it on her salad. We also were daring and tried the Gator Prudhomme, which again, didn't have any standout flavors other than the highly seasoned batter.

All the meals came out on large plates, which could easily be 2-3 portions so don’t be afraid to ask for a box at the end.

I knew I needed a box because the FAC always orders desserts. We try to sample as many as possible and we’re not ashamed! Ok, maybe a little bit. But anyway, I ordered my usual super chocolatey dessert, which this time was the Bourbon Street Chocolate Pecan Pie. (PE-can? Or Pi-CON?) This was just fantastic! It came out warmed with plenty of whipped cream and chocolate. This is how EVERY dessert should be dressed!! Although I admit that I don’t think I heard any complaints from any other dessert eaters. I think I forgot to share too…

The FAC is going on hiatus in December due to all the holidays but I think we have some crepes lined up for the new year!

Tuesday night FOOD blow out!

2009-11-12T18:03:00.000-08:00

While this week was not near as action-packed as the week before, it was still full of surprises! In addition to attending my first STLWineGirl (http://www.stlwinegirl.com/) event in awhile, I ended up going to a spur-of-the-moment party at Chef Ashley’s house later that same evening!

Normally I am not a big beer drinker, but I figure I just need to take the time to learn about it, just like I did with wine, so I can appreciate it more. And like with wine, I tend to lean to the lighter side. I don’t want to be weighed down by my alcohol and prefer a refreshing flavor. So it was pretty easy for me to pick out my favorite beer of the night: Great Divide Tripel Belgian Style Ale. A close second goes to the Bell’s Winter White Ale that was served as the reception beer.

I could probably write a lot more about the beers I don’t like; the strange beer that came in a wine bottle, IPAs (too much aftertaste!), or anything dark that requires a fork and knife to drink it (Porter). After the last and heaviest beer, the bitter taste caused me to make that “bitter beer face” just like on the commercials: the Dieu du Ciel “Aphrodisiac” warmed.

As for the food pairings…they were out of this world as usual. I am never disappointed and always come away feeling like I’ve eaten two meals even though they’re tasting portions. The salad came with a delightful “Blackberry Vinaigrette” which went well with the fruity beer to start with. Next came the IPAs, so an equally spicy Chicken and Sausage Gumbo was paired with it. Chef Scott said that Cajun food is his favorite to cook and this was excellent, although it’s a little too spicy for me.

One of my favorites was the Wiener Schnitzel with Gruyere Spatzle. (Say that a few times for fun!) The schnitzel tasted like “chicken fried steak” to me but it was covered with a fried egg on top so it became more like a greasy comfort food, especially since the spatzle (looked like bow tie pasta) was covered in melted gruyere. This was paired with my favorite Tripel.

As with wine, the beef item was paired with a heavier and darker beer. I almost didn’t mind the heavy porter since the beef item was actually a mini bison burger with tomato relish. I don’t get to eat hamburgers too often so this was such a treat! I definitely wanted seconds.

And no matter how good the food is, the dessert is always outstanding. I often think Chef Scott should just become a pastry chef because they are so incredible. We finished with a chocolate bread pudding with vanilla bean mousse. Both flavors of the mousse and the bread pudding just melted in my mouth. At this point, I was ready to start picking leftovers off of my friend’s plates.

Luckily, I didn’t mind leaving a little bit of beer in my tasting glasses because I still had more partying left to go. Someone suggested that Chef Ashley throw a last minute get together…and I seconded! Hehe By the time I got there, I was wishing I hadn’t filled up on my first meal because Chef Ashley had a lot of goodies prepared for her guests! I saw a couple of familiar friends…a bowl of guacamole and the vegetarian chili that I’d had a couple of weeks ago. But I also made a NEW friend: Thai vegetable soup! A miso-based soup that included the following: red chili paste, coconut milk, leeks, new potatoes, fresh green beans, bamboo shoots, roasted red pepper, garlic, lemon grass, lots of ginger and curry. It was FULL of flavors to go with all the vegetables in every bite, which is how I prefer my soups. Since it was a Thai soup, it was a bit on the spicy side and so I had to finish off my meal with one scoop of the vegetarian chili.

Since I was eating such spicy and hearty foods, a red wine was definitely in order and I washed my…wait…what meal comes after dessert?...last course with a Chateau Ste Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage 2005. Cabs are so smooth. J

In other cheese news…unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I was stuck with quite a bit of cheese leftovers for a birthday party that didn’t happen over the weekend. The scale at the gym is definitely showing proof of all the cheese I’m “being forced to eat” to clean out my fridge. I had a slightly aged red wax Gouda, Kerry Gold’s Dubliner, and now I’m working on Kerry Gold’s Aged Cheddar. I can never tell which I like better…the Dubliner or the Cheddar…which is why I always have to buy BOTH of them. Then I had an Alouette coupon to use so I picked up some crumbled feta for salads and a brie. I’m looking forward to finding out how creamy the brand is…stay tuned for details!

I have been really bumming all week because it looks like I’m going to have to work late on my monthly cheese class night at Whole Foods Galleria (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/st-louis/storecalendar.php). The class is on November 17th at 6:30pm. But in a way it has all worked out because it is a “blue” cheese class and that is my least favorite cheese.

On that same night, the Wine Merchant (http://www.winemerchantltd.com/html/clayton.html) in Clayton is also having a cheese class, starting at 6pm.

Other than that, nothing else planned except for the big turkey day. My stepbrother and sister-in-law are excellent cooks. But that doesn’t mean the next adventure isn’t waiting right around the corner!

This Week in Food and Wine

2009-11-06T20:06:00.000-08:00

I used to watch “This Week in Baseball” as a kid and made a point to watch it every Saturday morning. I had quite a jam-packed week and now that it’s Friday, I can finally stop and take a look back at my food adventures…

Sunday night, I was invited out to my new favorite restaurant, Three Monkeys, (http://3monkeysstl.com/) introduced to me by my friend Anne. Three Monkeys is located off of Morgan Ford near the Tin Can. Incredible food and portions at a very reasonable price. Since it was the holy day, “Football Sunday”, they have $4 chicken wings and $12 domestic buckets of beer. I made the wise choice of copying my table mates and ordering the “sweet and spicy” version, which we all agreed tasted like General Hso’s chicken. Probably the best wings I have ever had. I keep meaning to go there and have a full meal because I keep hearing how good the food is there!

Tuesday night, the main event was Celtic Thunder at the Fox with my friend Amy, and she kept telling me that we were going to meet her parents for dinner at “that one restaurant”. I thought she was referring to Best Steak House (http://www.beststeakstl.com/) but it turned out we went to Vito’s (http://www.vitosstl.com/) near Saint Louis University. This turned out to be a great surprise because Italian is my favorite food and I have only been there once before for drinks.

I ordered the eggplant cannelloni and it came with ricotta on top. Amy’s parents kept with tradition and ordered the spinach and artichoke dip as an appetizer. Amy was also loyal and ordered pizza, which is all she ever orders. Hands down, she was right. The pizza was incredible. My guess is the spices in the sauce that grabbed my attention, but I definitely will have to go back and have pizza there for sure.

Wednesday night also was a pleasant surprise since I ended up skipping out on gym night at the last minute to meet up with my “cheese class” friends. Yes, I’m not the only one who attends EVERY cheese class at the Galleria Whole Foods (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/st-louis/ ). Speaking of cheese class, the next class is on November 17th but you can have to call the customer service desk to register.

Anyway, my friends are also members of the monthly wine club at St. Louis Cellars (http://www.saintlouiscellars.com/ ) and once a month, they host a special event for members to pick up their wine. At this event, appetizers are served to go along with several wines to taste. This was my first time going in after my friends had raved about the place, mostly about the food! It turns out that St. Louis Cellars also has a deli counter with a wide-variety of freshly made dishes.

The event definitely lived up to the hype. The food counter was a little hard to get to and you could only use napkins but again, it was worth the struggle against the crowd. On one end was hummus, red pepper and traditional, glazed mushrooms, toasted ravioli (stuffed with ricotta – not meat!), cubed cheese, and a couple of others that I know I have forgotten. But the outstanding item of the evening was the turkey and swiss sandwiches on a slightly crispy bun. The bun had some type of honey-glaze, I believe, and it was an incredible melting of flavors with the meat and cheese!! All of us tried to grab as many as we could and they were the first item to run out. It is my hope that they sell full samples of these sandwiches!!!

Of course I couldn’t leave there empty-handed since I had run out of wines at home. Mike and Lara took me to the “Great Wall of Wine” and showed me their favorites, one red (Malbec from Layer Cake) and one white (Torrontes by Crios) and the funny thing is that they are BOTH from Argentina. Mike and Lara are famous for saying that they refuse to buy wine over $20 a bottle because there are just SO many good wines under their limit.

And speaking of wines that are under $20, all the wines that were at the tasting that night were also under the magic limit. Here is the list:

Seguar Viudas Aria – Sparking Wine, Brut Cava, Spain - $12.99

Altanuta – Pinot Grigio, Alta Adige, Italy - $13.99 (This was my favorite…not too sweet, not too dry, as a Pinot Grigio should be!)

Mulderbosch – Chenin Blanc, South Africa - $15.99 (A little too dry for me.)

Valley of the Moon – Chardonnay, Sonoma County, California - $15.99 (Not as sweet as I like my Chard’s to be!)

Jailhouse Rock – Merlot, California - $12.99 (Did you know there is a whole LINE of Elvis Presley wines???!!!)

Evodia – Grenache, Caltayud, Spain - $10.99 (Very smooth.)

Windsor Sonoma – Zinfandel, Sonoma County, California - $19.99 (Also, not too much tannin.)

Now Thursday night was a little bit different. I was actually IN the kitchen for a change. And I mean a BIG change for those of you who know me. I somehow got volunteered to assist my chef/friend, Ashley, in throwing together several dishes for a small party. (Same friend who cooked amazing chili for me.) And I say “throwing” because it’s amazing to see a chef work close up…you have to be quick or else you will get RUN OVER. Hehe

Thankfully, Ashley was very patient and showed me exactly what she wanted me to do since I had never done ANY kind of real cooking before! (I don’t think licking the bowl as a child counts.) First thing, I had to slice avocados and get the pits out. Like everything else, there’s a trick. Wielding a giant knife, scary enough, the avocados are so soft and the pits so hard. Hack at the pit, turn, and wall-ah…it’s out. Then I got to scoop out the insides.

Next task was a little harder…chopping onions. I am guessing there is a trick to that too because I had a lot of difficulty with that one…my eyes were burning so bad…it was hard to see. My pieces were NOT chopped as finely as they should have been but I couldn’t stand it any longer!

Since I was on a roll with the knife, I cut up orange and lemon slices. At this point I was wishing I had paid more attention to my Mom because even that became harder than I thought it should be. I’m probably too much of a perfectionist.

Anyway, after adding the magic spices, I got to mash the whole thing together into one, big green gooey dip. I actually made guacamole! It was really darn good too, except for the giant onion chunks.

After all that chopping, I was off the hook and got to resort to easier tasks such as buttering bread and washing dishes. I felt much safer and more in my comfort zone there. hehe

So maybe if I get tired of computers and social media and sports, perhaps a new career is waiting for me? Don’t worry…won’t be any time soon! My favorite place is still at the table for now.

And today is my day of rest. Stay turned to see what’ll come up for next week’s adventures! Or maybe it’ll be nice and boring for a change?

Home-cooked meals are always the best!

2009-10-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about Facebook is catching up with friends and family that you haven't seen or talked to in years and then trying to catch up on the last 2-5-10 years that you missed! hehehe Thanks to Facebook, I got to go to a friend's wedding to Seattle and went out to KC last weekend to try and make up for lost time by visiting friends.

One friend that I recently got back in touch with, has become a chef in the time that we were apart. So OF COURSE the first thing I said was, "When are you going to cook for me?" As part of fair trade, I brought the wine.

Since I had left that Pinot Grigio back in KC, I was down to my LAST bottle of wine in the house: a semi-dry red from St. James Winery.

Yeah yeah yeah...I know wine purists may turn their noses up at Missouri wines but @STLWineGirl (http://www.stlwinegirl.com/) recently held a class at Provisions to show off how good Missouri wines could be. (Sorry I missed it, Angie!)

As someone who doesn't normally drink red wines, a semi-dry was just perfect because it had a smooth taste with very little tannin. This also was an excellent choice since the main dish was a spicy chili. I ended up having to put in two big glops of sour cream to mix with the chili. hehe

But for the appetizer, we actually started with a white "daily drinking wine" that is inexpensive and you can get anywhere: Barefoot Chardonnay! (http://www.barefootwine.com/) They're just so easy to drink an accessible to everyone. Plus I can't help but think the baby footprint on the label is just SO CUTE! I can't resist. hehe

Anyway, as I last mentioned, I have a couple of classes already marked down on my calendar so I encourage you to check them out as well.

November 10th - Beer and food pairing class with @STLWineGirl at Provisions (http://www.stlwinegirl.com/UpcomingEvents.html)

November 17th - Wine and cheese pairing at Wine Merchant (They just released their class list via their mailing list!) http://www.winemerchantltd.com/

Unfortunately, it does not appear as though Whole Foods Galleria will have any more classes the rest of the year.

Fun food and wine trip to KC inspires serious blogging...

2009-10-27T05:17:00.000-07:00

Up until now, this blog had just been a diary for me to record some fantastic cheeses, meals, and wines that I have enjoyed through all the classes that I have been taking as a hobby. Not to mention the monthly restaurant outings that I have been scheduling with my friends.

Another favorite hobby as of lately is social media and social marketing. While I enjoy Facebook and Twitter for myself, I am trying to learn how to use social media to its fullest potential. So I think now is the time to promote my blog if I can actually keep up with it and have interesting content to post.

While I have been trying to cut back on the number of classes I am taking lately to save some money, there are always opportunities for me to eat and drink, and I really want to share all the fantastic foods and wines that I partake in on a regular basis. A good friend of mine recently asked ME for advice and that was definitely inspiring.

This past weekend I went to Kansas City to visit a friend and some family. This was an excellent chance for me to use what I have learned and share it with others. It’s always good to be around people who know more than you so I took a wine expert into Trader Joe’s (http://www.traderjoes.com) with me so I could find the right “gift”. She helped to pick out a bold, red wine…the Rosemount Shiraz (http://www.rosemountestates.com)…since my friends are particular about their wines.

Since I was bringing a stronger red, I knew it was important to bring some cheeses that could stand up to the flavor. I brought one of top favorites, Midnight Moon (http://www.cypressgrovechevre.com/cheeses/PDFs/midnightMoon.pdf), which is a goat cheese, as well as a fairly young Gouda with red wax. I also brought some Drunken Goat (http://cheese.about.com/od/internationalcheese/p/drunken_goat.htm), from Spain, although it had a real mild flavor.

Another gift that I brought along with me is some Funkadelic Salsa, mild flavor. Spicier foods go well with red wines I think. They’d be too strong for a white wine for sure. The salsa was also a big hit and you can contact Nicki Funk at funkn69@hotmail.com to place your order. Her salsa comes in three levels of heat and I was able to purchase it at the St. Charles Farmer’s Market, which unfortunately, is done for the season.

While I thought the Rosemount Shiraz was smooth enough for me to drink, I still prefer white wines and I happened to have a Cycles Gladiator Pinot Grigio (http://www.wineglobe.com/21747.html) that I had been saving to enjoy with company. I felt this was the perfect wine for my trip because it’s not sweet like a Riesling nor too light like a Chardonnay, but a mellow flavor.

Although the best treat from the weekend was all the home cooking I got! Hehe My sister-in-law made a beef stew with a tomato base and my stepbrother cooked an omelet for me in the morning. I really meant to watch his secrets because the omelet came out perfectly folded in thirds with no burning…I still have a lot to learn in the cooking field myself!

Food Energy Whole Foods 9/9/09

2009-09-09T19:22:00.000-07:00

Yes...I did go to a second Whole Foods class this week...back to back. But I saw a new class that I was interested in and it was reasonably priced. I figured this was going to be more of a cooking class but I am always interested in eating healthier.

I really thought this class was going to be about eating foods that provide more energy, and therefore were healthier, such as not eating processed foods and why vegetables are so much better for you.

This was completely different.

This class had to do with macrobiotics. I'm still not sure what that is because I haven't gotten the chance to read the information about it. But this class had more to do with spiritual energy and finding balance in the food that we eat. Some foods feel heavy while others feel light. We were encouraged to mix and match those foods and pretty much stay away from all processed foods, which are really considered dead.

Tonight's theme was going back to the basics...so ate a lot of vegetables and REAL grains.

We started out with a butternut squash soup that had just a hint of onion taste to it. Other than that, it was very simply made. My favorite part was the texture of the soup.

Later on, we had a lentil soup that was filled with other vegetables. You could really taste the difference in how the squash was very light compared with the lentils. Not that one was bad for you...but it was more about how at different times of the year, you may prefer a heavier food for winter. Or perahps you're feeling uptight...you might want a lighter, calming, more flowing food.

We also got to compare plain brown rice....much different than white...with couscous, which is extremely light and fluffy (and one of my favorite foods). Shoot. I just love SAYING couscous.

I had seconds and thirds with everything. I certainly wish I could eat more nonprocessed foods but as someone who hates to cook, I know it won't happen. But it certainly makes me appreciate these foods a lot more.

Seafood Class 9/8

2009-09-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

These seafood classes seem to be coming up quickly and there is already another one scheduled for October 6th! I'm not sure I can keep up!

This class again is a seafood lover's wet dream because each course was better than the next, even though there wasn't anything flashy on tonight's menu.

We started off with Creole Crawfish Cakes...in other words crawfish tails were used instead of the typical crab and Seafood Chef Matt said that it took him four tries to get it right...basically, he needed to stop chopping the fish so fine so that the cake would stay together. And these were giant, meaty cakes with quite a bit of cayenne pepper to give it quite a kick.

Chef Matt was inspired by a seafood and pasta dish that he had at a wedding over the weekend but decided it would be better as a Smoked Rainbow Trout Penne Pasta. I thought the trout was a little fishy and not my first pick but the light oil dressing with parmesan cheese was really tasty without weighing you down. I was just about full after we each got two servings of pasta.

Keeping with the New Orleans theme, next up was a catfish Po'boy and for sure I thought the catfish would have a fishy taste but with the cajun seasoning on top of french bread, tomatoes, and pickles, it was just the right amount of fish flavor. It's probably the first time I've enjoyed catfish. This course required extra napkins!!!

The last course was my favorite...although not to take away from any of the other courses, but we finished off with a fried walleye. I've never had this before...again...expecting something totally fishy tasting but it was incredibly light! It might as well have been tilapia! I couldn't believe it. This fish was breaded and served with a sweet, light sauce and I definitely overdid it on this course.

I am hoping to recover in time for next month!

Provisions Wine and Food pairing #2 9/1/2009

2009-09-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

Being the loyal friend and customer that I am, I immediately signed up for my second Provisions class which was just a couple of weeks after the last one. I did NOT want to miss out!

Word had definitely spread about Angie's classes as this class filled up a lot quicker and was much more crowded. This time the tables were in a U-shape and that helped a LITTLE bit with the acoustics, but it was still difficult to hear with Provisions' high ceilings. If nothing else, it definitely forces you to talk to those around you. I ended up making friends with the same couple I sat next to the week before.

Anyway, on to the important information...the courses! This evening's theme was "The American Melting Pot" pulling meals from specific cities, although most of the foods and wines were borrowed from their original European styles, although made into their own Americanized version.

Appetizer starter was Baltimore - Crab Cake paired with an Oregon Pinot Gris. Normally I tell folks that Oregon is known for their Pinot Noir but really, it's any Pinot grape. I really liked it this white wine because it had a sharp finish to it.

I was really looking forward to the next course, from New Orleans, having just been there, but the Shrimp Etouffee was a little disappointing because I only got one little baby shrimp on my plate. I mostly had brown goo. And the Chenin-Blanc paired with it was too dry (although Angie kept saying overly sweet).

Next from San Francisco was Cioppino which came from the early 1900s when the fishermen would come in and chop up all the leftover fish and put it into a tomato rother soup. Typically it comes with lots of shrimp and shellfish so everyone got two clams. Not too bad. The wine was actually a little bit better here...a Monte Volpe Primo Rosso....real smooth finish. That's the only way I can handle red wines....low on tannins.

From Miami, we had Cubano Beans and Rice but when I think Cuban, I think spicy chicken and rice...but noooo...Angie insisted that Cubans liked pork. So I tried the piggy and it was full of flavor but finished with a greasy aftertaste. Luckily it was paried with a Grenache but the wine was too strong, so you could wash down the grease but it totally overpowered the pork.

Last was cheesecake from New York and it was only a tiny bite. Chef Scott from Provisions is EXCELLENT in his desserts. THis was fantastic even though I could only roll so much chocolate onto the cheesecake instead of smothering it like normal. This was paired with the super sweet wine, a Moscato...which is one I could actually drink...well a little it...almost too sweet for me! hehehe

The best part of the class is all the things I learned. Dessert wines should be stronger than the actual dessert.

More importantly....buy a half bottle of wine...they look like baby wine bottles...and save the bottle when you finish. THEN you have a better sized container to keep your excess wine from any full bottles you don't finish. This is better because there is less air in the bottle since oxygen is what is the enemy when trying to keep wines.

OH...and the most fun thing I learned is "seasoning my glass". We were enouraged to heavily swirl our wines to get the sides of the glass coated in the wine to improve taste.

Unfortunately, I'm going to miss the next Provisions class (when there won't be any piggy) for a "fall food theme". I'm a little bummed I'm going to miss but it's because it's the same night as cheese class and you better believe I won't be missing cheese class!!!

Wine Merchant - Wine/Cheese Pairing 8/21

2009-08-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

I debated whether or not to go to Wine class tonight after a VERY long week, but since I had to miss the week before, I felt I had earned the right to go and treat myself. Although I probably didn't really need to treat myself after not working out all week long!

As always, it turned out to be the right choice because three of the best cheeses were served. Epoisses du Bourgogne, Saint Marcellin (both super creamy French cow's milk cheeses) and then Midnight Moon (a firm goat's cheese).

I could not lick the plates good enough let me tell you!

This was the first time I have had a Gewurztraimner in a class...that was a nice treat for me although everyone else thought it was too sweet. hehe

OH...we also got to have the "Maserati of Ham" again: Iberico

And so glad that I finally watched Sideways because we had a Merlot and the wine expert made the reference to Merlot. It actually was not bad....smoother than the other reds.

I also learned a lot in this class...like you shouldn't rinse out your glass with water as I always used to do! It's better to put wine on top of wine!

Provisions Wine and Food pairing

2009-08-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

Officially, I attended the second Provisions Wine and Food pairing hosted by @STLWineGirl, otherwise known as Angie. I felt bad for missing the first one so I made sure to come to the second one.

Having a class at Provisions was very different than other classes at Whole Foods and Wine Merchant because we're in the cafe section of the store. With the high ceiling and 30 people in the class, it just didn't have an intimate feel and it was hard to hear. Angie is a little bit soft spoken and so the environment just didn't cater to her voice.

Luckily it was easier to talk to the people sitting at my table even though I couldn't discuss the food with anyone else. Discussions were pretty limited and that's usually what makes a class more fun when they're more intimate.

Anyway, on to the food! I will say that wine and food pairing classes are a little more enjoyable in that you get a full meal for your money and get to try incredible meals. These are meals you'd have to be pay top dollar for in a restaurant. So I always feel like it's a very unqiue experience.

This class' theme was Tour of Europe so each course had a theme from a different European country. We started out with the most amazing Austrian Potato Pancake. It was more creamy than like hash browns, as I am used to. It almost was a dessert it was so smooth! Then with the caramelized onion-pear chutney....to die for!

This was served with a Kurt Angerer Gruner Veltliner Kies. I forgot that I'd had a Gruner Veltliner before...it's also known as the "asparagus wine" because it's got a mineral flavor to it and it is the best wine to take on the strong taste of the veggie. Although it is a crisp wine, the mineral after taste isn't my favorite.

My favorite wine was definitey the Vouvray. I hope to keep saying it until I remember!

Here are the other menu items;

Sea Scallop in a Puff Pastry - so rich! But a little fishy
Chanterelle Risotto with Lamb - Excellent
Spanish Paella with Monkfish and Chorizo
Portuguese Chocolate Tart - TO DIE FOR!!!!!

The chocolate tart was SO tiny...I licked it in small portions so as to savior it. Of course it came with a port, which I just cannot drink.

But Angie's class definitely taught me a lot. Usually I think, light food, light wine...such as serving white wines with fish and then red wines with beef, veal, or lamb. But Angie taught me that contrasts can sometims work too. So if the wine is a bit too harsh or too much tannin...then the food will bring it down. So the combination of the two is better than the portions separately!

Momos Ouzaria Taverna

2009-08-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting time to write about my dinner at Momos from several weeks ago. I wish I had written sooner while the food was still fresh in my mind. The main thing that I have not forgotten was how much I ate...way too much. Momos serves its meals tapas style, which for me and my friends, is like when they bring the buffet TO you!

This was our second tapas type meal in a row and the Food Adventure Club was definitely more experienced at sharing our meals. Although I am now thinking that the meals were much smaller at Ice Kitchen and therefore, we over-ordered at Momos. Everything we ate was super filling and I know I had "treat tummy" for quite awhile the next day.

But when you're at a Greek restaurant, you have to start with the Greek salad. One friend ordered an extra side of Greek olives too! (They're too salty for me and watch out for the pits!) I didn't realize it too had a Greek name: ELLENIKI

I don't think any of us ordered any of the cold side dishes or "mezes", although I did eye the cheese sampler.

We each ordered a couple of hot side dishes as warm up before the main meal. This is where we made our mistake because we all were plenty full after splitting some of these dishes. I believe we had the SPANIKOPITA as well as the TYROPITA (THREE CHEESE SPANIKOPITA) , sea bass, and meatballs. Everything was delicious. The sea bass was the biggest surprise. Light adn not fishy tasting! Crab cakes are always a favorite too.

My friends ordered gyros and they both were huge. This was meant to be our "main course" dinner but I had already ordered the Grilled Lamb Kabob as my main course and wasn't planning on helping out. Well, both of them needed help!

And to make matters worse, we each ordered our own dessert to try! OY! You KNOW I got the chocolate tort (super soft and rich) and my second favorite is the baklavah.

All this food also caused us to have an overweight bill as well. Hopefully we will use more restraint for the next FAC meal!

In addition to all the eating and drinking, other highlights include flirting with our waiter and dancing with he belly dancer, whom I recognized from other events.

Wine and Cheese Pairing - Wine Merchant - July 31st

2009-07-31T18:57:00.000-07:00

I have to say that even though I was not in the best of moods, I still managed to enjoy myself as I always do. The cheese staff are always terrific and I enjoy sharing comments and meeting new people at the classes. And of couse the cheese always picks me up.

Tonight's theme was California so all the wine sand the cheesese (as well as the salamis) were from there.

For the first time I had a chicken and duck pate. It reminded me of a milder chopped liver actually. VERY tasty. It's officialy name: Fabrique Delices Truffle Mousse by Haward.

You can't have a California class without a super buttery Chardonnay! Ours was a 2007 Kistler Les Noisetiers which was priced at $65.99. You KNOW I gotta finish my glas of a $65 bottle of wine! hehe Our cheesemonger said that normally Kistler is only offered to restaurants so it was a real treat that they had it.

Another highlight of the class was the Cypress Grove Truffle Tremor. It was a VERY rich and creamy goat's cheese that paired wonderfully with a Pinor Noir. You had to have a strong red to wash it down because it really did get stuck on the tongue. "Heavenly" is definitely a good term for it.

That would ave been my favorite but the next cheese, the Midnight Moon, is probably my all time favorite cheese. At least top 3. I didn't want to drink any wine with it so as not to ruin the flavor of the cheese.

Plus Iam sure tha tI am embrassed myself yet again since I had two platefuls of cheese. But no reason for the whole thing to go to waste.

I did leave the blue cheese behind tho...

Whole Foods Seafood Class 7/31

2009-07-31T18:46:00.000-07:00

This month's seafood class at Whole Foods had to do with the more obscure types of seafood that one doesn't have that often...especially not in the midwest!

The class started with an appetizer of Kabuki Oysters from Washington state. My buddy Griffen said they were cooked JUST right since they were not too chewy like rubber when they're overcooked. I just think they're cold and slimey but putting a dash of hot sauce on it helps. hehe But I probably would have been just fine with the lemon juice that Griffen used. That was only my second time having oysters. They're OK...no strong flavors that stand out to me. It definitely is a weird texture.

And that was just the warm up! Next was Clams Rockefeller. The claims were a little easier to eat because the shell was shallower than the oyster. But you still had to use a spoon to scoop up all the topping goodness that covered the clam meat.

Next up was my favorite...Fried Calimari. As if you could go wrong with anything fried! hehe The sauce was the best. I probably could have had the sauce all by itself.

For the trifecta of shelled seafood...I had mussels. They were a little harder to eat because you had to open up the shell like a pistachio nut to get to the meat. Again...just a little chewy, slimey middle. But it came in some type of yellow broth that was quite tasty and good with the pieces of french bread.

The last was the best though...monkfish. Reminded me of a poor man's lobster meat.

Since this was a seafood class...mostly white fish was served except for one red wine...a cab! Cab is the only the red wine I can actually drink so I am embarrassed to say, I finished all my glasses. since the focus is not on the wine, I don't remember anything I had. Ok...because I finished all my glasses is the real reason that I don't remember all the names of the wines. Next seafood class, I think I need to eat a little something before I go!

The Schmidt's brought a wine appetizer...the one bottle of wine I do remember...it was a Kim Crawford Pinot Grigio. This was definitely the best wine of the whole night.

The In Spot Lounge

2009-07-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my wine friend, Angie Ortmann aka STLWineGirl, I got the chance to attend another wine and food pairing at a new hip restaurant called The In Spot Lounge in the Delmar Loop. http://www.inspotlounge.com/

I rarely get to visit restaurants when they first open and this pairing took place about 3 weeks after they opened. The inside is just beautiful and I was wishing I had brought my camera. But it is still an intimate cafe with a small stage and the kitchen area is wide open right in front of customers! The perfect color of chocolate brown on all of its wall...it definitely says groovy dessert bar and lounge. hehe

This tasting's theme was strawberries since we are in the middle of summer. David, the owner and chef, came up with a brilliant menu to incorporate strawberries with each of his courses. Not to mention each of the courses were generous helpings so that I got a full meal out of the evening for only $15! (I did spend an extra $5 on a raffle ticket and won a bottle of wine!)

First course was a Sua Strawberry sparking wine which was paired with a raspberry vinagarette salad dressing (on a salad containing strawberries of course). I believe this was everyone's overall favorite wine because it was so sweet and perfect for drinking by the pool. The sparking wine is really infused with real strawberries too!

Second course was a talapia covered with a mustard sauce and strawberries on top. This was probably my favorite but unfortunately, the chef isn't big on fish. It really doesn't go with the rest of his menu. But the mustard sauce really gave an otherwise blande talapia great flavor. Then the strawberries were put on top of the sauce. The sweetness really helped to balance out the tangy-ness of the mustard sauce. Of course a nice white wine was paired with the fish...not too dry but not too sweet, called The Other Wine. It is a mixture of 3 grapes, mostly Chardonnay and Sav. Blanc.

Third course was probably everyone else's favorite because it was cold bow-tie pasta with a light dressing and strawberries on top. This was a great mix because everything was light and chilled. Definitely a good summer meal that isn't heavy. I think it could have used a little MORE dressing...more zip or kick of some kind...and then it would have held up better against the Oregon Pinor Noir that was paired with it. The wine was a dry red and the two didn't work well together. The Pinor Noir would have gone better with the pasta if there was a heavy cream sauce to cut through.

The last two courses were the dessert courses! The first dessert was a white cake...starwberry and pistachio mousse! WOW! Delicious! ANd then you get to put "the drizzle" on! I picked the best one...Spicy Chocolate. I didn't taste enough of the pistachio mousse...but that was totally the best part for sure. The other flavors of drizzle were raspberry and regular chocolate. This was paired with a Moscato D'Asti which is much like a sparking wine since it's a wine with some bubbles. It almost was a little TOO sweet but definitely a good match with dessert. I love Moscato so I have to admit that I did enjoy it.

And the second dessert was the chocolate but it had strawberry mousse inside of it. So when I was expecting a strong chocolate flavor...I got sweet strawberry instead. I think others will like this but I'm too much of a chocolate freak. I want nothing but the chocolate flavor and THEN maybe add some raspberry drizzle on top. This was paired with a real dessert wine, a Madera, which tasted like a brandy or sherry and I just can't drink those. They burn my throat all the way down. I did at least try it. It's supposed to cut the sweetness down but I'd rather have the sweet flavor ANY day. hehe

Unfortunately, the wines often were outdone by the foods they were paired with. Since the menu items were all light, summer items, a couple of the wines were too dry to match up. I do admit that sometimes when you have a sweeter food item, you need a drier wine to calm it down, but in each of these cases, a lighter wine would would have been a better paring. But I know that Angie had to pick the wines on short notice and wine/food pairings are really a great way to try NEW wines that you might not otherwise taste. I know I would never try all the reds or drier wines if it weren't for someone like Angie.

It is also hard to find parking for the In Spot. There IS some parking in the back but you have to drive all the way around the block to access it. So be sure to give yourself some extra time to find the place and parking the first time you go.

Wine and Food Pairing July 7th

2009-07-11T08:25:00.000-07:00

Even though I was unemployed, I broke down and went to another Wine and Food pairing class at Wine Merchant in Clayton. I called them up that morning and they said they had ONE spot left so I took it as a sign as I should go. And yes, it was well worth it.

Normally I am more interested in the cheese pairings but the plate had a lot of cheese on it so I was happy. And it really is a chance to try different foods that I normally would never taste.

Apparently, Wine Merchant is the only place that sells bill Goat Potato Chips and they were actually paired with the sparkling wine! That was different. And the chips were excellent.

Other highlights included the Hudson Valley Smoked Duck Breast, which was paired with the $119.99 2006 Serafin Morey-St.-Denis 1er Cru "Les Millandes". Again, I would never buy a $100 bottle of wine so had to finish that glass' worth. hehe

I can also tell people that I had the "Maserati of proscutto" since we each got 3 paper thin slices of Iberico de Bellota Lomo from Spain. It's just fun to say that, even though I'm not tat into proscutto.

The best cheese of the evening was the Chaubier which is a cow and goat's milk mix from France. It was semi-soft and a great flavor at the end. It was paired with a rose. It got added to my favorites list for sure. AND I broke down and took some home with me. It was very reasonably priced so I don't feel as guilty for that purchase. hehe

Now that I am no longer unemployed, I can continue to attend classes guilt free now. I will be skipping this month's Whole Foods Cheese class since it is the same night as the All-Star Game. But Wine Merchant has another Wine and Cheese pairing class on Friday, July 31st.

Schlafly Beer and Cheese Pairing

2009-06-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

Since last night's beer and cheese tasting at the Wine and Cheese place was cancelled due to a power outage, I was totally psyched up for tonight's Schlafly Beer and Cheese Pairing, which they host once a year. This year's class was held during STL Craft Beer Week!

This class was hosted down at the Tap Room, which will hopefully be easier to get to once they reopen 40!

Anyway, it was a very eclectic crowd and I was trying to guess if folks were there because they were beer fans...cheese fans...or both. I sat at the "young people" table and I guessed beer...I was right. hehe Luckily, some "both" fans sat down on the other side of me so we could "ooooh" and "aaaah" over the cheeses together. But, I do admit that I appreciated my tablemates' knowledge about the beer.

My first thought was "Awww...look at the cute mini-beer glasses!" So I was schooled that the glasses were from an annual beer festival that Schlafly hosted. Each glass came from a different year and was in a different style. The beer folks then actually tried to match up the beers with each glass. I really wanted to take the beer glasses home so bad. I really need to start bringing a camera to these classes for this very reason.

Of course I noticed the cheeses! Don't be silly! My favorite cheesemonger, Adam from the Wine Merchant, made sure we each got HUGE pieces of cheese so I was QUITE pleased. (Especially since this ended up being my dinner!)

Overall, ALL the cheeses had a strong flavor and were able to stand up on their own. No wussy cheeses tonight! I do think that was on purpose because we were dealing with beer. The only beer that was super light (and my favorite) was the Hefeweizen. The cheese that was matched with it, Tumbleweed, was way too overpowering. Sometimes opposites work in pairings but my poor light Hefe just couldn't keep up.

In reverse, the Oatmeal Stout was way overpowering over the Dry Jack. It probably went better with the APA. The APA actually was matched with the Humboldt Fog (a crowd favorite) and those went pretty well together because they both calmed each other down...took the edge off.

The worst cheese and the best cheese were put together with the Biere de Garde (which comes in a bottle no less!) and both were pungent cheeses in their own way. The worst cheese was the Menuet which was totally barnyard tasting to me. Hopefully you catch my drift when I say "barnyard". The best cheese was the Cabot Clothbound Cheddar. A sharp aged cheddar...YUM! That beat all the other cheeses by far.

At the end of the class...I looked around and could once again tell who the beer lovers were versus the cheese lovers. I saw A LOT more plates full of cheese (ACK!) and mostly empty beer glasses. I'm sure you can guess that I finished my plate of cheese completely while leaving 3 of the 6 beers. I just can't do those heavy beers. I'm sure people were sneering at me for being such a beer wuss too.

Here are the pairings as provided by the class but we were encouraged to mix, match, and then discuss some more! Lots of good descriptions and teaching from the brewer as well as from Adam about the cheese.

Dortmunder with Carmody (Bellwether Farms, CA)
Hefeweizen with Tumbleweed (5 Spoke Creamery, NY)
Pale Ale with Osage Orange (Goatsbeard Farm, MO)
Oatmeal Stout with Dry Jack (Vella Cheese Co, CA)
AP with Humboldt Fog (Cypress Grove Dairy, CA)

Special thanks goes out to my Personal Beer Instructor (PBI)...I knew right away Hefeweizen was perfect for me.

Best of luck to Adam since he is off to work for Cowgirl Creamery in Cali next month. I am immensely jealous. St. Louis will miss him for sure!

Chihuahua's

2009-05-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

Now I don't go to ritzy, trendy places all the time. This is more my speed...an authentic Mexican restaurant. So much better than a chain!

This little gem is hidden at the end of a strip mall behind the Mobil station at the Dorsett and McKelvey intersection. I know my cousin likes Mexican food so it was my chance to go there for only the second time. The first time had been years ago.

I always get a chicken quesadilla wherever I go and it was a little on the small side. Regular tortilla sized. But I was fine with that because it came with a huge pile of rice and beans. Quite filling. And that was the lunch sized portion. Only $7!

So it's worth it to seek out your neighborhood Mom and Pop owned restaurants. They have more reasons to serve quality foods.

May Seafood class at Whole Foods

2009-05-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

I went to my first Seafood class at Whole Foods yesterday. This was the second one for the year put on by the Seafood Team Leader, Matt Hoffmeyer. This class' theme was Alaska. Matt and some other Whole Foods folks really did get to go fishing off the coast of Alaska offered by their distributer! You can email him for any of your seafood cooking questions at matt.hoffmeyer@wholefoods.com.

This was more of a cooking class than a tasting class like all the cheese classes that I go to. Unfortunately, this means you have to wait for the item to actually be cooked! ACK! Luckily, the wine is poured while you wait and it becomes a wine pairing as well. Really, most of the food is already prepared and just needs that last part...the heat! hehe I could have done without the 20 minute oven cooking for the last course though...

Anyway, on to the food! We started out with a Chipotle Cod Cake with Lime Mustard. I didn't taste the mustard part too much because the chipotle takes over after I dipped the Cod Cake into it...it starts out as a teaser and then WHAMO...it sneaks up on you! But really, it is a great compliment to the Cod Cake. I couldn't tell it was Cod from any other fish either.

Next was the King Crab legs. Yes, they were giant...longer than my forearm and plenty meaty. Matt was nice enough to slice them for us but I still had to fight with it. Matt provided butter sauce for us to dip it in of course, and they were awesome. But I hate it when I have to struggle to eat my food. I still needed a bib! ACK!

Luckily, the next fish just laid there calmly...fresh salmon! It started out BRIGHT PINK and then was broiled for only about 6-7 minutes. Matt was wishing he could have grilled them for us but that's hard to do in a retail store! hehe The salmon just melted in my mouth...

And the last fish...(4 COURSES!)...was a Roasted Red Pepper and Ridder Stuffed Halibut Fillet. Matt came up with this with Michael's help. Michael is the cheese guy. The halibut was wrapped around the Ridder cheese. That probably could have been a meal all unto itself. So filling....

Normally I don't pay attention to the wines because that's not my area of expertise, but Michael, the specialty/cheese guy, mentioned that the Austrian Gruner Veltliner is really good to serve with asparagus or brussel sprouts. I thought this was noteworthy since those veggies can be a bit strong depending on how they are cooked. And I always try to eat my veggies when I'm at the parent's house! hehe

To top things off...as if 4 glasses of wine wasn't enough...one for each course...Whole Foods let us get a scoop of gelato from their selection...of COURSE I got the Chocolate flavor! Wow...I couldn't tell it wasn't ice cream. (Not that I really minded.)

Matt is always looking for themes and ideas for future seafood classese. We suggested sushi. Next one probably won't be until July though...but I definitely will be going back.

Certainly worth the $35!

Wines from SLeeK

2009-05-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

I finally found the name of the red wine from my dinner at SLeeK: Stag's Leap Artemis. It was a very smooth red with not much tannin.

My favorite white for the evening was the Qupe Chardonnay.

Tomorrow night 5/26 is Seafood Class at Brentwood Whole Foods at 6:30pm! More to report then. I am curious if I will be having lobster three times within six days!

IceKitchen at Westport

2009-05-24T19:27:00.001-07:00

So tonight's excursion is the real reason I am starting this blog. This was the second meeting of the Food Adventure Club (F.A.C.), which I just named tonight since meeting twice makes it official. hehe

My friends and I had tried a Japanese steakhouse in St. Charles County before because there was interest in trying sushi, which I cannot get enough of. While the newbies didn't like the sushi, I was very proud of them for being willing to try.

The IceKitchen was reviewed in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch a couple weeks ago and of course I always share those articles with the F.A.C. members. This is important to me because being single, it is hard to find people to go out to dinner with. I am not quite able to go out to fine dining by myself, which is a big reason I volunteered to go with STLWineGirl to SLeek in my last post.

Normally it's not wise to hit a newly hyped up restaurant right away. It's usually better to wait for the hype to die down. But I made a reservation so we'd be ready. Turns out it wasn't necessary for a Sunday night! Or maybe because everyone is BBQing over Memorial Day weekend? We were one of two tables in the whole place for most of our stay. They put us in the back...where it was dark. Maybe we weren't pretty enough? I dunno.

Right off the bat, I could tell that this would be a great happy hour place if you like martinis or "foo foo" drinks. Their drink menu was just as long a their food menu with crazy names for their mixed drinks. I had a "Dreamsicle" which had Ameretto in it so I was happy. I really wanted to try the "Son of a Peach", which was very fun to say. All drinks were $8 and up so you really gotta like flavored drinks. Not the place for beers although they had quite a few typical bottles so everyone would be happy drinking there.

The decor is really what stands out when you pass by, walk around, and in the bathrooms. It's worth it just to go inside once to check it out. We were hoping they really had some drink that could be set on fire like in their logo. The ambiance is really for hip folks since they played techno nonstop mixed with some current hip hop and a DJ stand behind us. At least during happy hour, drinks are half price.

We went ahead and tried the "fusion" tapas. I have been asked what does "fusion" mean? I dunno exactly but my definition is "combination of flavors to make something new you've never had before". While the descriptions of the items sounded calm, the actual plates had quite different sauces and garnishes. We kept having to look back at the menu to see exactly what it was that we ordered. And yes...they all had some strange flavorings to it. Definitely different.

I started out with the House Salad...perfectly sized and the rice wine vinagrette had a great, light flavor to it.

My friends ordered a soup flight which is a smart way to try more than one soup. The Roasted Corn Chowder stood out from the rest. Tortilla Soup...you really need to like Mexican for that one. Elephant Garlic Soup came in 2nd. Slight hint of garlic so not overpowering at all.

I ordered the Beef Kabob as my "light tapas" and it was excellent...served on a bed of rice. I could have used a few more than the four small pieces. Of course that was the most expensive "light tapas" at $9.75. Light tapas seemed to be smaller sized too.

My friends ordered the "Trio of Wonton Tacos". I only tried one and was overpowered by the crispy shell and avocado so I couldn't taste the "meat" of it.

Since there were four of us, I got to try quite a few of the "Signature Tapas". The Acorn Squash Gnocchi came out first and was the most disappointing. I think of the Gnocchi at Maggiano's but this was in a heavy mushroom sauce. We could not taste ANY of the other flavors except for the mushroom. We were hoping for more Acorn or Squash flavor. Only a few bites of lobster mixed in couldn't save it either.

Fortunately, everything else was much better. The Chilean Sea Bass was probably my second most favorite due to the mirin shisho broth...which again was a sweet, rice wine flavor. My friends didn't like the sicky, pasty rice (like the kind used for sushi), but when you had the fish and rice dipped into the sauce - heavenly.

My favorite that I ordered was the Petite Surf and Turf. I knew this would be the best from my SLeek experience and it was the most expensive at $18.25. The filet was big enough so I could cut it in four and have a good tasting. The lobster meat was buried in the ...well I'm still not sure what it was. I probably would have liked bigger chunks of lobster.

Anyway, my friends ordered the Chicken Lollipops, which were delicious but so small it was hard to enjoy the taste of it for too long, and the Duck Breast. The duck was cut into small bite-size slices and was completed glazed in an Asian plum-flavored sauce. Covered in the sauce, the duck was excellent...no greasy or gamey taste at all. But the sauce was very sweet...a little strong.

I really was curious about the Ahi Tuna and the Grilled Wild Salmon.

And of course we had to order dessert! And of course I ordered the chocolate one...Chocolate Crepes. They were bigger than dollar-sized pancakes but a good size since I was so full. They were real thin and soggy. But once I pushed them into the chocolate sauce, all was good. There was a strong berry flavor to them so that the chocolate is not overpowering. I prefer my chocolate desserts to be overpowering though.

Cookie Dough Wontons were small and bite size. I could only taste cripsy outside for the most part. The Funnel Cake Sticks were definitely the sweet taste that you think of although it was more crispy than soft. It was so large, that the four of us couldn't finish it at all.

We were sad we didn't have enough room for the French Apple Tart though!

So overall...the food is very different...different textures and flavors. If you love new tastes and food adventures, this is something new to try. But unfortunately it was a bit too pricy for my friends and I to try more often.

The next meeting of the Food Adventure Club is hoping to land at Mongolian Beef. While nothing new, not your typical Chinese.

SLeeK Lobster Extravaganza

2009-05-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

I had the most amazing fine dining experience ever and it's hard when you don't have anyone to share it with. So I figured this way I could share it with a world full of strangers! hehe

I recently started chatting with STLWineGirl on Twitter and Facebook, who spent five years in SF in the food/wine industry, and is also a sommlier. So I have the ultimate respect for her knowledge. Every time she posts about a wine, I always try to reply back with a cheese suggestion. But she knows cheese pretty well and could probably school me in that too.

Anyway, she tweeted that she was looking for someone to go with her to a special dinner that SLeek was having for their anniversary. SLeeK is a fine restaurant in the Lumiere Casino that is located on Laclede's Landing, on the Mississippi River, downtown St. Louis. It is definitely the classiest casino in town...plus it is the newest casino. I had been to the Burger Bar, where they serve Kobe beef hamburgers, which I believe SLeek was created by the same chef. Chef Keller.

I volunteered to go with her to SLeeK, not thinking she'd take a total stranger seriously but she was really needing someone to go with her.

Now this is something I know I would normally never get the chance to do. Ever. This kind of restaurant for this kind of special night to spend this much money drinking that much wine. Wow. It was nice for one night to live like royalty. What's really funny is that when you're in the industry, it's quite normal. I tried to look like I did it all the time. hehehe

Rusty, the general manager, looked like a rock star. The hostesses looked like his groupies. But he was all business. And he knows his business. Rarely is the GM out front either! Impressive. Rusty also shared his beliefs on service. It just seemed like common sense but really...how many restaurants struggle with it! Rusty said he enjoyed City Diner due to the quality service of his favorite waiter. That really stuck with me.

This definitely was my first time for a 6-course meal. Each one building on the other. I was lucky to have STLWineGirl with me to pick out the wines but it actually turned out to be quite difficult because certain things were full bottle only, half bottle only, and by the glass. We were trying to get half bottles and pair our glasses with the food but it was difficult to time it all. The white wines weren't chilled enough so that threw the timing off. Probably would have been easier with just three glasses of wine, especially since we fell behind.

The first three courses were the decorative portions as I like to call them. We started out with the Canapes...the one that stuck out for me was the Lobster Corn Dog. I dipped that in some spicy mustard and it was a little party in my mouth. hehe I definitely would have liked more than just the bite. I was trying to find something else to dip into the mustard too! There was a strange Lobster bisque that came in a test tube...kudos for the unique delivery but was relieved that the waitress explained that you could sip it or chug it. Since it was hot at first, I just sipped. Delightful. Definitely could have used more as well.

Unfortunately, our courses came out of order and we jumped to the Lobster Cappuccino. I thought it was more Lobster bisque with a slightly heavier flavor. It was quite filling so I definitely wish it had come later. My friend STLWineGirl accurately guessed that the side dish was a Corn Madeleine...it was perfectly shaped like one. So cute! I dipped mine into the Lobster Cappuccino, which I slowly sipped like a cup of soup.

The most beautiful decorative plate was the Symphony of Lobster. I couldn't taste much lobster in the four adorable items on the plate, but they were more for the eye. My favorite was the baby lobster ravioli. the pasta was so thin and shear, like a jellyfish. Almost like a mini-dessert were two watermelon dice...with the Creme Fraiche filling in. Almost too cute to eat anything on this course but of course I did.

Then the courses started to get more serious...next was the "Thermidor". It was half a lobster cut long ways (so clever!) with the toppings on one half and the meat down the other half. I thought how wonderful it was to get to the lobster meat as opposed to having to crack open one of those suckers by hand (which I did for the first time a couple of months ago). I certainly could get used to this fine treatment. I went a little crazy and tried hard to scoop out all the lobster meat still stuck to the shell since the meat inside was so good. STLWineGirl explained that they make good use out of every part of the lobster!

Of course the best part was the Surf & Turf. The Lobster Tail with a Petit Filet. I would have been thrilled with just this portion since it was the largest and meatest. And the lobster mashed potatoes...heavenly. I definitely wanted to lick the plate on this one.

And then there was dessert. There was no lobster in the dessert but I was fine with that because all four items were CHOCOLATE! While I was in love with all the desserts, I definitely had the BEST chocolate mousse EVER. So light and fluffy, yet full of sweet chocolate flavor. Happy mouth time for sure.

I wish I could talk about the wines but that is STLWineGirl's area of expertise. I hope to link to her review sometime. She even took pictures of all her meals so I am hoping there is even further evidence of my amazing dinner.

The real cherry on top was getting to meet Chef Keller himself. Such a gentle and kindhearted man. Very generous with his time. I cannot wait for him to come back!

Araka

2009-05-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

After having my third unique fine dining experience this month, I decided I finally had something to blog about. Even though St. Louis is far from the hub of fine dining...it still is fun to try new places to eat.

A few weeks ago, a friend posted on Facebook that she went to Araka for lunch so when I went to their web site, I saw ads posted for Mother's Day. My family and I are always looking for places to go on Sunday nights for Mother's and Father's Day as well as birthday dinners. So we were sold.

It turns out that Araka (in Clayton near the Ritz-Carlton!) has a special 3-course meal on Sundays so we did not get to review their complete menu, but it is posted on their web site. http://araka.com/

The restaurant is just beautiful...the bar area and high, open ceilings are just amazing.

My parents and I all started with the Bibb Lettuce salad. The goat cheese and avacado really stood out but I always feel weird when I need to use my knife for my salad.

For the main course, my parents were not that daring and both went with the Amish chicken. The meal was not that adventurous and reminded me of homemade, comfort food when you're home for the holidays. Two pieces of chicken with whipped potatoes in a dark gravy. I would have been ready for a nap in front of a football game with that meal. The chicken was very tender and I admit I used some bread to mop up the gravy and potatoes altogether when I was allowed a taste.

Normally I'd get chicken but there was no breast available and the Almond Crusted Salmon actually sounded more interesting. The almond coating was light and flaky and not overpowering. The salmon was laid on top of a spicy hummus...that really gave it a unique kick to liven up the salmon. I had them hold any extra peppers though because I think it would have been overkill.

I had really been wanting to try the Lobster Ravioli or the Braised Missouri Lamb so hopefully I'll go back someday.

Their wine list is extensive, in my mind, so I was appreciative. I still only ordered a Reisling. Not too dry and not too sweet.

The best course was dessert, which was included in the Sunday 3-course meal. Of course the best one was the chocolate mousse over a wafer cookie (we each picked that!). To die for. Totally worth saving room for!

Which reminds me...very reasonable portions.

Overall...not overly ambitious but the food was excellent and everyone was happy.