La Bonne Bouchee Bakery in Creve Couer 8-28-2021

 For years Mike has thought that St. Louis needed more dessert spots that are open in the evening.  One of our favorite things to do is go to Farrara's bakery in NYC after a Broadway show or after an evening meal.  So many of the bakeries in St. Louis close after lunch.  St. Louis Baking Co. on the Hill has a wonderful array of cakes, pastries and cookies.  But they close most days at 4 p.m.  

After going to One 19 North Tapas in Kirkwood, I googled for someplace to go for dessert.  Happily we were led to La Bonne Bouchee Bakery in Creve Couer.  I can't believe we've never been here before.  It is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary.  Almost as long as Mike and I have lived in the St. Louis area.  

I looked it up (for you, like me, who don't speak French).  The name means...the good mouth.

They are a full-fledged restaurant with a French theme.  They do soups, sandwiches, quiche, and best of all...desserts.  I think are open as a restaurant most of the day, and then after dinner, they just serve desserts.  The restaurant part was closed when we arrived...around 8:30 p.m.

Their dessert cases are vast.  I didn't take a ton of photos...just look on Yelp.com!  They have dozens of kinds of macrons (I only learned this summer the difference between the macron and the macaroon). 

Mike ordered a chocolate éclair and I got a blueberry tart.  Mike also had a cappuccino.  We sat outside in their outdoor garden area and had a nice end to our evening.  

   

I KNOW this is some place we will return to.  Now that I know it is there, I think I want to try it for lunch/dinner, too.  

 

One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar in downtown Kirkwood 8-28-2021

Mike isn't usually a "tapas" kind of guy, but tonight he went right along with me in the idea of eating tapas.

Let's just start with the fact that our waiter was a "flake" for lack of a better word.  He seemed like a 40 year old unemployed actor (grand gestures and over exaggerated facial expressions), but he just wasn't a very good waiter.

First we ordered 2 cocktails and asked for a bottle of wine to be opened.  He said "Both?" like he couldn't imagine we would drink that much.  Mike said, "We're going to be here awhile."

After about a good 15-20 minutes he arrived with the cocktails (that is a REALLY long time to wait) and my cocktail was wrong.  So, he left the one that was wrong and went back to the bar.  After about 10 more minutes he brought the correct one.

He asked for our dinner/tapas order.  He was helpful in telling us when we had enough but not too much food.  He did bring and open our wine.  I had read the wine list online and for the 2nd weekend in a row was disappointed that the one online was different than the actual list.  Several of the wines were the same, so we were able to order one of the ones I had researched.  It is called Requiem and it is from Walla Walla, Washington.  It was nice.  

As we sat and waited for the food, we heard the other waitress explaining to people how the tapas vs. the entrees work and what the specials for the evening were.  We never heard any of that.  It would have been nice.

After about 15 minutes our waiter came back and apologized because he hadn't written down our order and couldn't remember what we wanted.  So, we told him again.  

About 10-15 minutes later, the first of our 4 tapas arrived...fried artichoke hearts on a marinara sauce. I didn't do a good job taking photos of our food.  

Next came the carnitas fries.  These were just OK.  The french fries were good and hot and you could tell they just came out of the fryer.  The white cheese over them was yummy, but the little bit of carnitas meat and the tablespoon of pico de gallo did not make them have an overall "carnitas" flavor.  They were just cheese fries with a little meat on them.

Next we had some goat cheese one a puttanesca sauce with crostini.  It was good, but there was not much to it.  Mike said, it is just king of like ricotta cheese on some marinara with toast.  He wasn't wrong. 

Then Mike had some mac and cheese.  I am not much of a mac and cheese person and I had read that their mac and cheese was good.  So, I finished off the goat cheese while Mike ate some of the mac and cheese.  He did say that it was good homemade mac and cheese.

Back to the flakey waiter.  We go to the end of the evening and asked for a couple of "to go" boxes...and then the waiter said thank you and brought our check.  I guess he just decided for us that we didn't want any dessert of coffee, etc.  I knew from online they had a small, but OK dessert list. 

So, we left.  

I would say the food here was good, not amazing.  It is always fun to try a few things at once.  Their wine list is nice but not huge.  

I didn't like that to use the restroom you literally had to go through the kitchen to get there.  

So...we decided to go out for dessert (see next review). 

 

Nudo House in Creve Couer 8/27/2021

 For many years Mollie and I have been fans of Mai Lee, a Vietnamese restaurant in Brentwood.  It is owned and run by Lee Tran.  Her son is now and adult and married a person of Japanese decent.  Thus, the Vietnamese and Japanese fusion restaurant of Nudo House was born.  

This is good for us because I really like pho (the Vietnamese soup with the clear broth and rice noodles).  Mike and Anna prefer ramen (the Japanese soup with egg ramen noodles and a more milky broth).  

We tried a bunch of different things on this trip.  I ordered the papaya salad.  I LOVED it.  Hint: mix it up before eating.  It is shredded papaya and carrots with some cucumber in it.  There is a few bits of pork about 1/2 way down.  There are peanuts about 3/4 of the way down and the citrus sauce/dressing at the bottom is the best!  Mix it up and enjoy the peanuts and dressing all over it all.  I could eat this often!

Next we also had spring rolls.  Mike had pork and I had shrimp.  They were good, but they were typical spring rolls served with a thicker tamarind sauce with peanuts on top of it.  Just an FYI...Anna and I were watching a show about Asia the other day and we learned that what Americans call "Spring Rolls" are actually "Summer Rolls" because they are cold and meant to be eaten in the summer.  True "Spring Rolls" are the small fried rolls.  They are different from "Egg Rolls" which are fatter and contain a lot of cabbage...and are more Chinese.  

We also tried the tamarind fried chicken.  I had read online that this was good.  It was good.  It had some kind of sweetness in the breading.  It was also dotted with fried shallots and green onion.  It was a nice appetizer.  

Anna ordered Classic Nudo Ramen with pork.  She said it was really good.  The bowl had a nice amount of pork, plus the extras you get with ramen...like egg, green onion, sesame seeds, bamboo shoots, and seaweed.

Mike didn't know if he would like all that "stuff" in his ramen, so he ordered "Kid's Ramen" that just had noodles, chicken and broth.  I think he regretted it.  His broth was rather lackluster and his pieces of dark meat chicken were rather bland.  

I like pho.  In pho it is all about the broth.  Nudo house does a really good job with their pho broth.  I know this sounds "foodie" and somewhat snobby, but I find their broth to be "complex."  It just really has a lot of tastes and smells in it.  You can tell they have boiled a whole bunch of things and then strained it off to a clear broth.  I could smell meat and vegetables and warm spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.  It was a broth that had the umami taste of protein with an ever so sweet finish.  It was super yummy.  I had them add shrimp.  It comes with the customary plate of cilantro, mint, bean sprouts, raw jalepenos and fresh lime.  I add all of that except the mint.  I also add siracha.  It was a nice sized bowl and I didn't know if I'd finish it after eating my entire papaya salad...but I was able to stuff it down!!

This is a popular place...when we left at about 7 p.m. on a Friday night, there was a line that stretched outside (probably 15 people).  They also do a booming take out business.  I would totally recommend trying this.  It was good. 

Napoli 3 in St. Charles 8-21-2021

 Mike and I have like going to the other Napoli restaurants.  Probably our favorite is Napoli 2 in Town and Country.  

We like Italian and a quiet, fancy restaurant.  

This was different.  It wasn't bad, just different.  The Streets of St. Charles has a totally different clientele.  There are quite a few 20-30 year olds, so places need to be a little more casual and hip.  (I don't even know if hip is a word people still use).  So, this place had a lot of men in what I would call "dress shorts" and loafers.  The main room was kind of one big room.  It was a little loud with music that was a little loud.  Nothing was bad, I just wouldn't call it quiet, fancy, or intimate.  

We both started with a cocktail.  Mike got his usual gin and tonic but I tried one of their signature cocktails.  It was a Fig flavored Moscow Mule.  It was different but good. 

Mike started with a salad and I tried their cioppino soup. The salad was good.  Cioppino is a seafood stew.  This was good, but it was very odd with very little seafood but it had some roast beef in it!!  Weird.  The broth/sauce was good, it tasted like their red sauce.  

    

While we were eating our soup/salad we asked them to open the wine.  We chose a bottle called Bonanza (lot 2).  Weird that they have 3 different wines called Bonanza, they are just different lot numbers.  I think I'd give them different names.  Anyway, the waitress asked if we'd like it aerated and decanted.  We said yes.  I don't know that they actually aerate AND decant it, but they do aerate it.  They put the aerator on and turn the bottle upside down and put it back on your table.  Ours started leaking about 2/3 of the way through.  I signaled the waitress who came and took it and fixed it.  After aerating it, they just put it back in the bottle.  Yes, it fits better on your little table, but to truly do this correctly, it should be left in an open mouthed decanter, so it can continue to open up.  Oh, well, since she had made a mess, she told us that an after dinner drink for each of us was on the house.  

       

For dinner Mike had veal parmesan with a side of pasta/red sauce and a 2nd side of broccoli.  I had the special.  It was a linguini with mushrooms, clams, and shrimp in a citrus sauce.  I had no idea what a "citrus sauce" was going to be.  

Mike's veal was good.  I asked him about the red sauce.  He said it was good, but not as good as Cunnetto's.  He wished they would just steam the broccoli instead of blanching and them broiling it.  He's old school and doesn't love "roasted" vegetables.  

I ordered the special which was a linguini with mushrooms, clams and shrimp in a citrus sauce.  I don't know what a citrus sauce is, but I like mushrooms, clams, and shrimp...so I decided to try it.  It was dry.  I think the seafood and mushrooms had been cooked in a little broth and lemon juice and then poured over some linguini.  The linguini was drying on my heated plate.  I added a little water out of my water glass and stirred the whole thing up a bit and it was better.  It just needed some kind of broth/sauce.  The items were all cooked well and when I ate the mushrooms, I could taste the lemon (as they had soaked it all up).  

Mike ordered tiramisu for dessert with a cappuccino for his after dinner drink.  I was too full for dessert, so I asked for something "sweet" to drink.  I got a "creamy limoncello" cocktails.  It was good...think lemon dreamsicle.  

Overall nothing was wrong or bad with this restaurant.  It is nice that some "nicer" restaurants are trying to make it in St. Charles county.  This just isn't quiet and intimate enough for me if I'm going to spend around $200 for dinner.  

Balkan Treat Box in Webster Groves 8-20-2021

 This place is all the rage.

In a recent Feast Magazine (a STL foodie type mag) it won best in two categories: Best Fast Casual and Best Food Truck (Savory).  Its chef/creator was also nominated for a James Beard award.  That is a huge deal in the cooking world.  

I expected a lot.

There were 4 of us: Laurie, Vickie, Anna and me.  We arrived around 12:15ish.  There was a line, but since it was hot outside, the line was mostly inside.  Laurie currently doesn't do inside dining, so we asked for our food "to go" and snagged one of the two picnic tables out back.  It was hot and there were a lot of flies and gnats, but we survived.

Now, about the food.  Laurie and Anna got the same thing, so between the 4 of us, we got 3 different entrees.  

Laurie and Anna got the Cevapi.  It is like a split pita with a bunch of beef sausages piled on it.  There is a side of onions and tzatziki sauce.  It also came with a side of red cabbage "slaw."  I tried one of the sausages.  They were just OK.  You know how sausages need spices added to the meat to make them taste like sausages???  These didn't seem to have those spices.  It was just bland.  So, bland meat on plain pita bread with onions and tzatziki.  It is kind of like a gyro with blank meat and no tomatoes.  

Vickie got their most popular dish the Pide.  It is like a boat shaped bread with chicken and then 2 sauces: one made of roasted red peppers and one that is like tzatziki.  Even though we were eating outside, we were eating with real cutlery and since the bread is made on a big wood-burning oven, the bottom gets tough.  You really need someone to cut it up with a pizza cutter.  They don't, and Vickie had a heck of a time cutting through it to get smaller sections.  The chicken was probably dark meat that had been roasted on a spit.  It was good but nothing spectacular.  The sauces sure helped it have some flavor but again, were nothing terribly new or wonderful.  Vickie felt it was "fine" but she didn't like having to work so hard to cut something.

I got the Balik Ekmek.  Basically this is a grilled piece of fish in a pita.  The menu says "fish of the day."  I don't know what kind it was, but it was super thin...something like tilapia.  Since it was grilled it was pretty dry.  It was on the pita with some lettuce and a BUNCH of cherry tomatoes.  I don't like cherry tomatoes, so I took them off and gave them to Laurie (who put them on her sausage sandwich).  There was a little spicy yogurt sauce (but not enough).  I actually threw the red cabbage "slaw" and squeezed my lemon all over it to make a little crunch and acid.  This helped!  It wasn't bad...it was just kind of dry and bland.  

We did try the rice pudding for dessert.  It is just chilled rice pudding.  It has some cinnamon and spices in it.  On top they sprinkle pistachios and rose petals.  It was simple and good.  We shared that because Anna had noticed that we were across the street from Serendipity and Anna and Vickie love a good bowl of ice cream.  

Balkan Treat Box might be all the rage, but I just don't get it.  The fire roasted items and fire baked bread are OK but nothing had much taste.  The sauces they add are OK but not enough to really flavor the meats.  I know this place has hundreds of 5 star ratings on places like TripAdvisor and Yelp, but to me...meh...3 stars for being interesting and from a different part of the world.  

 

Long Row Lavender in Wright City 8-4-2021

 Again, in search of bridal shower venues, we (Mollie, Jon, Anna and I) headed out to Wright City to look at Long Row Lavender.  I had been here before for a PEO event a few years ago, but didn't even think of it as a venue until one of my PEO friends said her daughter was having a shower here in August.  

It is just so cute.  They have a small gift shop in the front and then coffee shop/diner off to the side.  They actually dry and package the lavender upstairs.  

Mollie liked this place right away.  

For lunch we tried several things:

Anna had a gourmet grilled cheese with some fruit on the side.

Mollie had a turkey sandwich with some fruit.

Jon and I had chicken salad sandwiches with tortilla soup on the side.

All of these were tasty.  We each also got some kind of drink with lavender in it: lavender hot tea, lavender lemonade, lavender cold tea.

We also split (4 way, so about 2-3 bites each) a piece of lemon and lavender bread/cake.  It was super yummy.  

Sorry, I don't have photos, but they aren't working.  

This place is super fun for ladies (or gentlemen) who lunch.  There are cute places outside to sit (including several porch swings (a couple of them are by a small lake).  

I would recommend this for a fun afternoon getaway.  

London Tea Room 8-2-2021

 We were looking for possible places to have a bridal shower.  So, Jon, Anna, and I went to lunch at the London Tea Room in St. Louis.  It is just south of Tower Grove Park.  

It is very small, (about 6 or 7 tables), but they do have a bigger room in the back that can hold about 20-30 people.  

Their menu shows the WIDE variety of teas they have.  We all got different kinds.  Mollie got a chai, I got an African bush tea, (sorry, I don't remember what kind Jon and Anna got).  As the teas are all loose tea, they steep them and then make a pot of tea for each customer.

We also tried several things for lunch: chicken salad sandwich on a croissant (very yummy...very crunchy, buttery croissant), homemade tomato soup (had bits of tomatoes and celery in it...but they were small...it was yummy).  Anna had a Cornish pastry.  It was like a meat pie.  It had meat, onions, and turnips in it.  She found it delicious.  She also said it was the "perfect size" for lunch.  

Lunch was not cheap, but it was fun.  If it wasn't 45 minutes from my house, I would totally go here for tea more often.  

Sapore Italian Cafe 7-17-2021

 Mike and I had seen this place when we went to the French restaurant Cafe Provencal.  They are in the same sort of strip mall.  Both have very nice outdoor dining.  They seem to both get the same sort of clientele (50+ Kirkwood type of people).  

Sapore was good Italian.  I found their menu limited.  They didn't have some of the traditional things like spaghetti with meatballs.  They were heavy on seafood.  I love seafood, but when I try a new Italian restaurant, I usually try something with a red sauce, to compare it to other Italian restaurants.  

Mike and I did start with the fried artichoke hearts.  They are breaded, fried and top with prosciutto and cheese.  They were hot and yummy.  I forgot to take the photo until there was only 1 left.  

I will give this restaurant props for their wine list.  It isn't extensive (but some places (like Annie Gunns) it is TOO big to even read), but the wines are very reasonably priced.  I do wish they'd publish it online, with their menu, so diners can do wine research before visiting the restaurant.  

We ordered an old favorite, a Valpolicella.  It was very nice.  

For supper I had the Linguini with seafood.  It was in a white wine sauce.  It was very good.  Sometimes there is too much butter/oil mixed in the sauce.  This was light and yummy.  It let the seafood taste come through.  

Mike had the jumbo shrimp dinner.  The shrimp were good, but his dinner was just OK, overall.  The veggies on the side were fine, but kind of boring.  It would have been better with a side of risotto or pasta.  

I would totally go back to this place, but I would be prepared to eat seafood.