St. Louis Aquarium 1-15-2020

I know it is not a restaurant, but it IS a St. Louis attraction.

Anna and I visited the St. Louis aquarium on a Wednesday afternoon.  The entrance fee is $25 per person.  There are a variety of things in the area that you can add on (The Wheel, a ropes course, mini-golf, a mirror maze, and a carousel).  We opted for just the aquarium.

When you first go in you stand in an entrance that has a huge domed TV screen overhead that keeps changing like you are underwater.  It is cool.  You stand there until the entrance area fills with 20-30 people.  Then the "conductor" tells you to come onto the "train."  This is obviously not a train but it is cool.  It is built to look like the inside of a train with a long seat down the middle facing outside on both sides.  The "windows" are really large TV screens.  When you begin moving the seats vibrate and shimmy like a train beginning to move (this all reminds me of shows at Disney world).  The show out the "windows" is only a few minutes long but it was very well done.  It is narrated by St. Louisan, John Goodman.  You "fly" over St. Louis near the turn of the 20th century and then go down underwater in the Mississippi.  It is a nice and impressive way to begin the visit to the aquarium.

When you exit the "train" the first display is one of the Mississippi river fish.  It is fine but it is about the same as the one at the St. Louis zoo.  Across the room is the river otters.  Anna and I were somewhat disappointed, as the zoo has so many and they are so fun to watch.  The aquarium has 3 (Thatch
er, Finn, and Sawyer).  Because there are only 3, it is only once and awhile you actually see one, as they might be above ground and not playing in the water.

Then there is a tank where you can put your hands in and what look like guppies "attack" your hand with little fish kisses.  We've seen these fish

before in Asian spas for your feet.  They will eat all the dead skin off your feet.  Fun for kids, but just a little weird.

Because they have so many "hands on" displays, I was happy to see hand washing stations in appropriate places.

In this area there was a sand table with these cool overhead lights that was all about climate.  As you moved the sand into valleys, it turned green...but if you built it up into mountains, the top of them turned white.





Next we went upstairs.  This area is actually open to the overhead of the old Union Station.  There are several more hands on areas up here.  Anna

especially enjoyed petting the sting rays and horseshoe crab.  Then we were able to touch star fish and sea urchins.

One thing I thought was cool was the display about Lord Stanley, the blue lobster, sent to St. Louis from a lobster place in Massachusetts.  I loved the stat that says "The St. Louis Blues were 8,000 times more likely to win the Stanley Cup than Lord Stanley the lobster was of being born blue."

Also on this floor, if you have children, is a large "stream/water table."  We didn't play in it, but the kids who were playing with it, seemed to be enjoying it.


Next we went into the shark area.  There is one very large tank with fish and 3 large sharks.  The sharks don't eat the other fish because they feed the sharks daily and they aren't hungry enough to eat

the other fish.  This was a cool tank.  It was big and spanned 3 rooms.  This area also had some smaller displays with a few tropical fish, some small jelly fish, and one very difficult to see octopus.

A couple of comments:
1.  I missed placards that told what was in the tanks or fun facts about the fish/animals.  It seems they prefer to have staff standing near to answer questions...but if no one asked questions, they didn't say much.
2.  I really wanted them to "compliment" what the zoo has, not replicate it.  I wish they hadn't spent any money or space on the Mississippi fish tank or the river otters.  I wanted some large tanks of bright colorful tropical fish.  I wanted some squid and other oceanic creatures...things I can't see at the zoo.
3.  The visit took us about 2 hours, but we went SLOW.  It was not busy, so we had plenty of time to stop and touch every display.  I think a normal visit would be 90-120 minutes.  I think $10-15 would be a more reasonable price for what is available to see and do.  If they keep adding on and maybe get some more to see and do, then the price may be worth the attractions.

Baked Bear in the Loop 1-18-2020

Anna was the first person in our family to discover Baked Bear in San Diego when her crew team would train there every January. 

It is a ice cream and cookie store.  So, they put the cookies and ice cream together in these wild ice cream sandwiches.  The 7 of us had a variety of sandwiches and even something called a Bear Bowl, where the cookie is on the bottom of the bowl.  Then you can get things like hot fudge, sprinkles, fruity pebbles, etc. 

The ice cream flavors are from simple (vanilla, chocolate) to wild (blackberry crumble and their signature blue "Bear Batter").  It was cold outside and the place was packed.  While we sat and ate our ice cream there was a line of probably 15-20 people the entire time. 

It's good ice cream and cookies.  If you are in the Loop, give it a try.

Pi Pizza in the Loop 1-18-2020

Anna, since she is home from Taiwan, got to choose our dinner spot and she chose Pi Pizza in the Loop.  I think she chose it for two reasons: she likes the pizza and because Baked Bear is next door.

I thought maybe it would be very crowded because it was a Saturday night and because the Loop was having their Ice Carnival. I was wrong. The ice carnival was super small.  We didn't see anything except small ice sculptures in front of a few of the businesses.  It is nothing like the Fete de Glace in St. Charles that closes down streets for the large, competitive ice sculptures.  Go, if you get a chance, it is Jan. 25th on Main Street... https://www.discoverstcharles.com/event/fete-de-glace-ice-carving-competition/1152/

We were seated right away (as soon as they pulled some small tables together).  We were close to the door and every time the door opened we were blasted with cold air.  We ordered some Fitz's root beer.  They were out of about 5 or 6 of the beers on their draft beer list (so that was a bummer).  We ordered a variety of pizzas: the Delmar (BBQ chicken pizza made with Pappy's BBQ sauce), the Hill (pepperoni, salami, banana peppers, kalamata olives, onions), the Lincoln Park (zucchini, feta, garlic) we added kalamata olives and artichokes, and a regular pepperoni and prosciutto.  We had all of them made with their thin crust. The pizzas were good, but I will have to say that a couple of them were a little burnt on the bottom.

Jon, Mollie and I also all ordered Bada Bing salads (greens, feta, slivered almonds, dried bing cherries). 

The food here is always good and we enjoy it.  I still miss the location in Kirkwood. 

Top Golf in Chesterfield 1-18-2020

This is not the first time Mike, Anna, and I have been to Top Golf.  We went for Father's Day last year.  But the 3 older kids are home for our family Christmas (since Anna is in town from Taiwan) and we decided to Top Golf together.

It is a fun thing to do together.  It is about $38 per hour.  The problem is there are some hidden charges.  EACH player has to pay a "once in a lifetime" membership fee of $5.  So, we had 4 new players, thus $20 more.  Also, if you don't want to wait for a long time, you can reserve a bay.  For a $50 reservation fee you can walk right in and begin playing.  This $50 doesn't go toward anything else, it just eliminates the waiting.  As we were wanting to do other things on this day, we paid this fee.  I know other people who arrived about the same time we did (2:30 on a Sat. afternoon) were waiting about an hour to play. 

It took 6 people about an hour to play a game.  We stayed for 2 hours and played 2 games.  There are a variety of games (hit the targets, distance, scramble, etc.).  We stuck with the one we knew. 

We had fun.  Some people are definitely better at this than others and that's why it is fun.  Everyone cheers for everyone else.

Just a side note...Since the first time I was at Top Golf was in June, I assumed that the big heaters they had would keep the playing area warm during the winter.  They do help, but I wouldn't say it was warm.  I still wore my winter parka the entire time.  It was about 35 degrees outside while we were playing.

I'm sure we will go again at some point.  I still think it is a fun thing to do once and awhile.

Bristol Seafood Grill in O'Fallon, MO 1-10-2020

I've discovered a nice thing about Bristol's...they have a "Twilight" menu that can really save you some money. 
https://bristolseafoodgrill.com/Portals/1/Menus/149/149_TwilightMenu.pdf?

The twilight menu features 3 courses (a soup/salad course, an entree, and a dessert) for $23.  The courses are limited to only a few choices, but they are regular sized courses (not smaller because of the smaller price). 

The twilight menu is only good until 5:30, but that means you only have to be seated by 5:30.  Mike and I made reservations for 5:00 last Friday night.  At that time the bar area was packed (with people enjoying happy hour specials on drinks and appetizers), but the main dining room was sparsely populated.  It was early.

We started with a cocktail...nothing special there.  When we tried to order a bottle of wine (J. Lohr Cabernet), the one bottle we wanted was "out of stock."  Mike asked if we could get the next upgrade for the same price, but we were told "no."  Thank goodness I had done my research (I know you are getting tired of hearing about my wine research, but it is soooo important), and I had printed out the wine list with all my notes on it.  I pulled it out of my purse and we were able to get a bottle of J. Lohr Merlot for $37.  It was good, but we both decided that the bottle of Scaia Torre Mellotti for $34 at B.C.'s Kitchen that we had a week or so ago was the best wine for the money that we've had in quite some time! 

For the soup and salad course, Mike and I both ordered gumbo.  It was good but it didn't the same dark roux that B.C.'s Kitchen's gumbo has.  I liked both of them, but if I had to choose...I'd choose B.C.'s. 

For my entree I got the pretzel crusted trout.  It came with roasted potatoes and haricot verts (little green beans) mixed with wilted frisee lettuce.  It said that there was a warm bacon and mustard vinaigrette on the side.  I asked the waitress if I could substitute some other dressing for this, as I don't really like the taste of mustard or bacon.  She said she would add a balsamic vinaigrette and both would be on the side.  When they came I looked at the bacon/mustard sauce.  It was very thick for a vinaigrette...I would almost have called it "jam" like.  It was heavy on the bacon taste and had pieces of bacon it in.  The mustard was a much more subtle flavor.  I was happy with my balsamic.

Mike got fried shrimp with french fries and haricot verts.  I was surprised he got something seafood when there was a filet on the menu.  His shrimp were large a
nd well-prepared.  They weren't overly fried.  He liked their cocktail sauce.

For dessert I had creme brulee and Mike got a chocolate lava cake with ice cream and raspberry sauce.  It is supposed to be a hazelnut ice cream, but Mike has never liked the flavor of hazelnuts, so he changed it to regular vanilla bean. 

All in all, it was a very nice meal.  The wait staff was great.  We were easily there a couple of hours and enjoyed a pleasant evening.  For $23 per person for the meal I think this is a great deal. 

Blue Sky Cafe in O'Fallon, MO 1-6-2020

This was a quiet supper with some lady friends.  We meet before we have a meeting on the first Monday of the month. 

Blue Sky is known for its martinis.  Often when this group is together several of us will try a new martini.  I've had some good ones and some that are just too sweet.  On this night, no one was up for martinis.  I don't know if it was New Year's resolutions or just the mood of the group.  But, if we had wanted a martini, this would have been a good night...Monday night has martini specials. 

Appetizers, sandwiches, salads, or flat bread pizza is the main fare on the menu. One of my friends had the "sloppy joe" sandwich and really liked it.  She said she is the only one in her family who likes sloppy joes, so she never eats them at home.  Another friend got a flat bread pizza (which was $4 off on Monday nights).  It looked good. 

I got the "Big Ass Fish Sandwich" and french fries.  It was large and I only ate 1/2 of it.  I don't like tartar sauce because I think it just covers up the taste of the food.  The fish was hot and crispy, but it really had no taste.  It was just OK.  The fries were good. 

I should try something new next time, as I think I got this sandwich the last time and thought it was just "meh" then, too.

B C's Kitchen in Lake St. Louis 1-4-2020

BC's Kitchen opened in Lake St. Louis in 2008.  Bill Cardwell (famous from his restaurant Cardwell's in Frontenac) decided to try a restaurant in the newly built Meadows Mall area.  I still find it a "nice" place to eat.  I think that Mike can always find something to eat because they always have two or three nice steaks on the menu, but if you are not a steak (or hamburger (I do eat hamburgers...I just don't usually feel like eating them in nicer restaurants)) eater, your options are more limited.  There is one seafood pasta dish, one salmon dish, one stir fry dish (which is what I often get). 

I find the lack of change in the menu from month to month (year to year) to be troublesome.  I think if I loved everything on the menu, I might want it to never change, but since many things don't appeal to me at the supper hour, I wish they'd change it up a bit.

Now, I do realize this is connected to The Meadows shopping area, so they do get a lot of lunch customers and I think they have the same menu for both lunch and dinner.  That may be why the menu is heavy with sandwiches, flatbread pizzas and salads. 

Let's talk things that are good...First off, they have Moscow Mules on tap!  They are the only place I know that does this.  They are VERY yummy.  I don't know if they make their own ginger beer, but they are cold and frothy. 

Secondly, their gumbo is always on the menu and has always been good.  I have often just had a large bowl of it as my meal.  It is full of shrimp, and andouille sausage and has a circle of white rice at its center.  It is thick, good, and served with homemade cornbread.  This night Mike, Jacob and I ordered a large bowl and 3 spoons and that was our appetizer.

Thirdly, I can almost always find a decent bottle of wine for not very much money here.  Last night was no exception.  We found an Italian Valpolicella called Scaia Torre Mellotti for $34 that was ranked a 4.0 on Vivino.  We have paid a lot more for a lower rating in many other restaurants.  All 3 of us liked this wine. 

I had the Asian stir fry and added shrimp.  It was broccoli, carrots, zucchini, onions and what I think were haricot vert (small french green beans) which was odd to put in an Asian dish.  It was supposed to be spicy, but the sauce tasted like a soy/terriyaki mixture.  It was served with white rice.  It was good, but nothing exceptional. 

Mike had a flatiron steak with smashed fingerling potatoes and a "seasonal side."  The steak and potatoes were good, but he found it odd that his "seasonal sides" were some cubed sweat potatoes and a herbed spinach/rice mixture.  That was 3 starch dishes on one plate!

Jake had a seafood pasta.  He said it was good, but there really wasn't that much seafood in it.  He did say the sauce was good.  It was lighter than a traditional Alfredo sauce, so it didn't overwhelm the seafood. 

The wait staff is always good here and it is one of the nicer restaurants in our area of the county.  I think the menu could use a little more variety, but that could be my personal preference.  We continue to enjoy the food here, so we hope it continues in the LSL area.

The Mad Crab in University City 1-1-2020

My son, Jake, is home for the holidays and he and I both love crab legs.  When he was growing up we would LOVE to go to Emperor's Palace Chinese buffet in Chesterfield valley and eat pound after pound of crab legs.  Who knew those would be the "good old days."  Now, you can't find any place with decent unlimited crab legs.  If they have them they are usually not fresh and cold.

The Mad Crab has a special on Wednesday nights.  Buy a pound of crab legs at market price ($25/lb.) and get the second pound for 1/2 off.  Yes, I know it is expensive, but it is the best deal I've found in town.

Mike, Jake and I went to Mad Crab on New Year's Day.  We were actually there around 5:30 p.m. which was a good deal because they have additional specials until 6 pm for "Happy Hour."  Mike got a shrimp basket that was 1/2 price.  Our drinks (soda and lemonade) were also 1/2 price.

The crab can be flavored with various seasonings.  I ordered 2 pounds with no seasoning at all.  They just brought out some clarified butter.  Jake ordered one pound plain and one pound with Cajun seasoning.
  He said the seasoning was good, but it kind of overpowered the taste of the crab.  You can also order sides like potatoes, sausage, corn on the cob
, etc.  We just stuck to the crab and that's all.

Mike said his shrimp basket was good.  The shrimp were cooked well and not overcooked.

Jake and I totally know how to crack and eat crab.  We powered through our 2 lbs. each.  It was good.  It was decent crab (It should be as Mad Crab on Olive is right next to the huge seafood supermarket).  It was cooked in water that had been well salted.

The restaurant is VERY casual.  The plank walls are covered in notes written in Sharpie by previous customers (like they do at The Shack breakfast place).  That doesn't really do anything for me, I find it messy.  We had a very nice waitress who tied bibs on Jacob and I before we ate and gave us rubber gloves.  Mine were way to big and since I didn't have any seasoning I ended up taking them off.  Jake used his and his Cajun seasoning must have had quite the garlic in it because he got a little cut in his rubber glove on one finger and that finger still smells like garlic 3 days later!  They do have an actual wash station on the way to the restroom where you can wash some of the crabbiness off your hands.



The food was good.  The prices are high, but with crab legs, that is expected.  The place is casual and easy going.  There were a wide variety of  people here, couples, families, singles.  It was a come as you are style of place.  People weren't there to be fancy or to be seen, they were there to eat seafood. Period.  So, if that's what you want to do...this is your place.