These are three of my favorite restaurants. As a confirmed foodie, it can be difficult to become a regular anywhere. But each of these restaurnts have warranted repeat visits and for good reason.
First, LoRusso's Cucinis is billed as Italian on the Hill. It is not really on the Hill in my mind but close enough at Watson and Arsenal. It is however, very authentic Italian and holds its own uniqueness. The decor is warm, the staff is always attentitive and will remember you if you come often enough. The wine list is very approachable with some great chiantis. My favorite entre is the squash ravioli with dried cherries in a creamy white sauce. The flavors of sweetness and tartness marry together so well and it keeps me coming back.
Felix's, in the Dogtown neighborhood, is the place to go for a quick happy hour bite on Friday afternoons. They have great drink specials( the mango martini is outstanding) to go with your pizza. The four cheese and sun dried tomato pizza is very good, featuring a thin crust and lots of great cheese. The lobster, pesto and cream cheese is a must try and it will keep you coming back for more. The food is great, the price is perfect and the service is always friendly. On the last visit, we chatted with our young waiter who was headed toward a culinary career.
Finally, Zoe's has a lot to offer. It is on the pricey side compared to the other two. But it offers outside dining in the great people watching area of the Central West End. The first time there was in our pre-sushi days and it was the very rare tuna that convince my partner and I to try sushi which has become an obsession, but that is for another review. On my last visit, I had the grilled Asian Bar-B-Que salmon with a ginger vinaigrette over mixed greens and Chinese mustard. It was outstanding with a nice crisp white wine. I even saved room for dessert in the form of Tahitian vanilla ice cream with fresh mango puree and cashews. It was a refreshing, wonderful meal.
Sep 2, 2006
Three St. Louis Area Entertainment Experiences
Over the course of several weekends, I had the chance to experience a variety of dining/entertainment spots in the St. Louis area. The first was Jazz at the Bistro where we went to see a favorite jazz artist, Patricia Barber. She has an incrediby unique style and tours primarily in Europe. She and her band provided a first class show with drum solos that were out of this world. She was fun to watch as she played with "Schroder" like intensity, giving lots of credit and solo spots to her band. I spent every minute of the show, hoping it would go on and on. Because the second show was not sold out, we were at least able to stay and otherwise, I would have felt like it just wasn't enough. We began the evening with dinner at our assigned table that came with the ticket. The food was surprisingly good. I had the bistro chicken, it was chicken topped with a pecan cream sauce and finished with Brie cheese. The meat was moist, the topping unique and well done. The wine list was good and we had no trouble finding a suitable match to our dinner. Later, I made the evening complete by enjoying the concert while sipping a bit of Grand Marnier. The dining crowd was eclectic, with many same sex couples as a result of Barber's varied fan base that includes many lesbians.
Finale is a totally upscale restaurant in Clayton that also gives you the whole experience if you plan it right, a first class dinner followed by a show right next door. The entrees are a bit pricier but reflect a different dining style. The service was impeccable beginning with a chef's treat in the form of a tiny crab appetizer. The wine list was top notch and we chose a fabulous Oregon Cabernet. The next course included a fairly typicle Gorgonzola cheese, walnut salad that we were able to split. For an entree, I chose Duck Three Ways and it was fabulous as well as unique, serving the standard sliced duck breast, duck sausage, and duck wrapped in a cabbage roll that was along the lines of an egg roll. I passed on dessert, thinking I would have it during the concert. Once we were seated in the next room, it became apparent that table two, though sounding like a good thing, had its drawbacks. First, it was a small table for four and we were seated with strangers who had already picked the better of the four seats. They were a mother/daughter pair and both dressed right out of a Clayton style book, with the younger one dressed in evening wear.They were hardly friendly but I didn't take it personally. The real problem was that we were just too close to the stage and not in any position to order dessert. But the Frank Sinatra tribute was awesome anyway. The band was quite good and the singer defintely be spoke a middle aged Sinatra. He chose a nice variety of tunes and finished with "Chicago, Chicago" only to come back for an encore of "New York, New York". He was able to give lots of historic tidbits with the songs and it made for a most enjoyable evening.
The third event of this trifecta included a night at the races, horse racing at Fairmont Park, Illinois. We arrived and opted for valet parking as we were running late for a chance to see an appearance of the Budweiser Clydesdales. We then paid the $10 Party at the Park admission price that included an all-you-can-eat buffet and $1 long neck beers. We found our way upstaris to the smokiest room I had seen in years, it was like a typical Bingo room, with everyone marking on their racing sheets. We went through the buffet line and sat in the only open spot, right up by the Honky Tonk band that was playig. They were very good, though they looked a little rough around the edges, the music was perfect for the moment. The buffet had fried chicken, catfish, french fries, various potato salads and slaw. It was very good, particularly the catfish.After eating our first round and drinking our first round, we went off in search of betting windows. As we figured out how to place our bets, we discovered there was a non-smoking section downstairs. So we took refuge in cleaner air and found a table with a small TV that kept you aprised of the minutes before the next race and showed each of the 10 races. We placed $2 bets on each race and at the end of the evening, one of us won about 10 bucks and the other two had minimal losses. We wanted to go outside and actually watch the horses firsthand but the weather had turned and the wind was just too much. Inside, things got a little wild as the evening went on and longnecks flowed but it was probably much calmer than the upstairs smoking section. All in all, it was a great, very inexpensive way to spend an evening.
Finale is a totally upscale restaurant in Clayton that also gives you the whole experience if you plan it right, a first class dinner followed by a show right next door. The entrees are a bit pricier but reflect a different dining style. The service was impeccable beginning with a chef's treat in the form of a tiny crab appetizer. The wine list was top notch and we chose a fabulous Oregon Cabernet. The next course included a fairly typicle Gorgonzola cheese, walnut salad that we were able to split. For an entree, I chose Duck Three Ways and it was fabulous as well as unique, serving the standard sliced duck breast, duck sausage, and duck wrapped in a cabbage roll that was along the lines of an egg roll. I passed on dessert, thinking I would have it during the concert. Once we were seated in the next room, it became apparent that table two, though sounding like a good thing, had its drawbacks. First, it was a small table for four and we were seated with strangers who had already picked the better of the four seats. They were a mother/daughter pair and both dressed right out of a Clayton style book, with the younger one dressed in evening wear.They were hardly friendly but I didn't take it personally. The real problem was that we were just too close to the stage and not in any position to order dessert. But the Frank Sinatra tribute was awesome anyway. The band was quite good and the singer defintely be spoke a middle aged Sinatra. He chose a nice variety of tunes and finished with "Chicago, Chicago" only to come back for an encore of "New York, New York". He was able to give lots of historic tidbits with the songs and it made for a most enjoyable evening.
The third event of this trifecta included a night at the races, horse racing at Fairmont Park, Illinois. We arrived and opted for valet parking as we were running late for a chance to see an appearance of the Budweiser Clydesdales. We then paid the $10 Party at the Park admission price that included an all-you-can-eat buffet and $1 long neck beers. We found our way upstaris to the smokiest room I had seen in years, it was like a typical Bingo room, with everyone marking on their racing sheets. We went through the buffet line and sat in the only open spot, right up by the Honky Tonk band that was playig. They were very good, though they looked a little rough around the edges, the music was perfect for the moment. The buffet had fried chicken, catfish, french fries, various potato salads and slaw. It was very good, particularly the catfish.After eating our first round and drinking our first round, we went off in search of betting windows. As we figured out how to place our bets, we discovered there was a non-smoking section downstairs. So we took refuge in cleaner air and found a table with a small TV that kept you aprised of the minutes before the next race and showed each of the 10 races. We placed $2 bets on each race and at the end of the evening, one of us won about 10 bucks and the other two had minimal losses. We wanted to go outside and actually watch the horses firsthand but the weather had turned and the wind was just too much. Inside, things got a little wild as the evening went on and longnecks flowed but it was probably much calmer than the upstairs smoking section. All in all, it was a great, very inexpensive way to spend an evening.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)