The Brass Rail in O'Fallon 4-24-2021

 Anna was out with friends and Mike and I didn't want to go far, so Mike selected The Brass Rail at the south end of Highway K in O'Fallon.  We've been there many times and the food is always good.  We arrived at about 6 p.m. and because there were only 2 of us, we walked right in without a wait.  

We started with a drink and some "Cheesy Brass Balls."  They were colby and pepper jack cheese battered and fried, then served with marinara sauce.  (I forgot to take a photo of them, until they were gone!).  They were yummy (and just a little bit spicy).

For supper Mike had a Buffalo chicken sandwich.  You can get it grilled or fried.  Mike got fried and had it with french fries.  

I had a fish sandwich.  I is on a hoagie roll, so it is big and long.  I only ate about 1/3 of it, so I have left overs.  

Both sandwiches were yummy.  The Brass Rail is a sports bar that happens to have good food.  They have a good wine list, too.  

We will keep coming back here.  Nothing fancy, but good simple bar food. 

Fratelli's in St. Charles 4-23-2021

I think I have eaten at Fratelli's before, but it was over 10 years ago.  

I seriously think they moved down the strip mall about 5 stores and where they used to be (in the corner) is now a Bread Co.  

The restaurant they are in now, Mike and I realized we've NEVER been in.  I read online that they get very busy and have a long wait, but they use the Yelp online wait list.  So, about 5:15 I looked online and it said the wait was 15-20 minutes.  I waited a bit and at about 5:25 I put our name on the list.  At that time it said the wait was 20-40 minutes.  It took us about 20 minutes to get to 70 and Zumbehl.  We walked in and they told us we would have a 5 minute wait.  Some people waiting had masks and some didn't.  We waited about 2 minutes and our table was ready.

Because they have taken over the are of 2-3 strip mall stores, their restaurant is much larger.  They still are not using all the tables, so there is some social distancing.  I'd say they are using about 75% of their tables.  

Many things looked yummy on the menu.  They also had a pretty decent wine list (some wines that rate above a 4 that were very reasonably priced!!) which is kind of surprising (but great!) for a non-fancy restaurant.  

I ended up getting the linguini tutta mare with Pomodoro (tomato) sauce and a coke.  They did a very good job with it.  The seafood (shrimp, little bay scallops, and a little bit of crab) was just barely cooked and none of it was rubbery.  The sauce was simple and good.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  

Mike started with a side salad and then he had a pepperoni and hamburger pizza.  He said both were good.  He finished about 1/2 the pizza and brought the rest home for leftovers. 

Fratelli's was a nice comfortable Italian place that a person could take a family or go to for a nice evening and not spend a ton of money.  I enjoyed the food and would go here again.  

Ya Ya's in Chesterfield 4-17-2021

 This was a nice evening out.  We put on nicer clothes and expected a nicer evening.

We had been to Ya Ya's before, but it had been awhile.  

We had a reservation and were seated immediately.  They were only seating about every other table.  We happened to be seated by a large family birthday party.  There were about 20 people in their party and us in the same level.  

We started with cocktails.  Mike had a gin and tonic and I had a raspberry lemon drop.  My drink was very yummy.  It was sweet and tart at the same time.  Had it been a warm summer day, I could have drank many more of them!  

We ordered a bottle of Napa Valley Kith and Kin.  We thought we had had this wine before.  It was highly rated (4.4) by Vivino.  It was OK.  We didn't agree with the 4.4.  The reviews said it was "fruity."  Mike and I said it was overly "grapey."  It was a 3.8 at best.

Mike ordered an appetizer called Shrimp a la Plancha.  It was shrimp in a sherry, red chili, butter sauce.  It was served with warm bread and baba ganoush.  The baba ganoush was exceedingly good.  

For dinner, Mike ordered lasagna.  He said it was good.  It was better than Olive Garden, but not as good as somewhere on The Hill.

I ordered scallops over orzo.  They were overly salty but the "orange gastric" (which tasted like terriyaki sauce) helped cut the salt.  The orzo had pieces of crab which were totally lost in the flavor of the sauce.  But I do have to say that the scallops (minus the salt) were cooked very well.  

For dessert we split a chocolate souffle (which you have to order with your dinner as it takes that long to make).  It was good and I only wanted just a bite or two.  It is served with vanilla ice cream.  It is a nice way to top off a meal.

Of course, Mike had cappuccino with his dessert:

It was a nice meal overall, but not as good as I'd remembered.  I don't need to come back for awhile.  Service was fine, but a little hurried and not terribly refined.  

El Tio Pepe-O'Fallon 4-16-2021

 This was a quick decision on a Friday night.  We were out at Home Depot shopping for a new grill (I had the exact one we wanted saved in my phone from the recommendations from America's Test Kitchen).  We had sold our dining room table and chairs and a couple lamps earlier in the evening. then to Home Depot and then we stopped to think about dinner.  

We were afraid we would have a long wait, as there were people waiting outside all around the building.  Mike dropped me off at the front door and went to find a parking place.  They sat me immediately.  I think the people were waiting for big tables because there were open tables all over the place.

Mike ordered a medium margarita and I had a mango margarita (both on the rocks).  They were standard...nothing amazing but good with the complimentary chips and salsa.  

One thing I don't like about El Tio Pepe is that they don't have any dishes with shrimp...which are my "go to" dishes.  So, since I didn't want beef or pork I decided to go for just cheese.  I ordered a chili relleno with rice and beans on the side.  It was just the right size...not too filling, but full of cheese and salsa flavor.  

Mike got a combo plate that had a burrito, an enchilada and a taco.  He got all 3 in ground beef.

This is a nice casual place to get some good Mexican food.  We were probably in and out in about an hour. Service was very good.  It is also close to home and that is nice. 

We are Back (after 13+ months) Back to Bristol's in Winghaven

 Yes, after a 13+ month Covid hiatus, Mike and I are vaccinated and back to eating out.  We do take precautions.  

Mike and I getting ready to go out on our "date"

Last Friday night we had a reservation at 5:00 (so that we could dine on the Twilight Menu) at Bristol's in Winghaven.  The Twilight Menu  is a 3 course menu for a set $24.

Mike and I started with a cocktail and then we each had the gumbo.  It was good, but the ham in it kind of tasted like Canadian bacon (which was a little odd).  

Bristol's Gumbo

We ordered a nice bottle of red called Conumdrum Red.  It was yummy (maybe because I haven't had wine in 13+ months!!).  

For dinner I had the pretzel crusted trout with fingerling potatoes and haricot vert.  

It comes with a bacon/mustard vinaigrette.  I usually don't like mustard, but I hate to insult a chef who thinks this whole dish goes together.  I asked for it on the side.  It was very vinaigretty and not very mustardy.  YAY!  I ended up putting the entire little dish on my trout.  It was tangy and yummy.  

Mike had a steak/filet with mashed potatoes and asparagus.  

Mike said he'd totally return for the steak as it was cooked really well.  He usually doesn't get mashed potatoes when we dine out, but these were surprisingly good.  

For dessert we both had the lava cake with ice cream.  It is supposed to come with hazelnut ice cream.  Mike asked for regular vanilla, so I followed suit.  

The raspberry sauce was yummy and pulled it all together.  It was not a huge dessert and we both commented that it was just the perfect size for such a rich and gooey dessert.  It topped of the meal very well.  

Stay tuned, and next week we'll return to some other local eatery.  We're back...and as usual, we are always hungry for new food adventures.