Paul Manno's 10-16-2021

 We went to Paul Manno's with our best friends Tim and Vicki who were visiting from Minneapolis.  We know that there are very good places to get Italian on The Hill, but if you want to go out "nice" this is a great place.  It is smaller, quieter and more intimate.  The room is dim and the waiter was superb.  

When I called for a reservation they told me that they had one for 5 p.m. or 8:30.  So, we chose 5.  It is a good thing we did, because we were there until 8!

We started with a cocktail and appetizers.  For the appetizer we had the cold antipasto plate.  It was fine...salami, prosciutto, a hard cheese, a couple soft cheeses and some pickled veg in the middle with a very syrupy balsamic vinegar drizzled over it.  It was a nice start.   

We asked that a bottle of Chianti be opened to serve with dinner.  Vicki and I ordered soup (pasta fagioli) while time and Mike had house salads.  The soup was yummy.  

For dinner Mike had veal parm, Tim made up his own order (he wanted a linguini with a Bolognese meat sauce mixed with a cream sauce).  They happily accommodated and suggested he add some additional protein...he added chicken.  It ended up being very good.   Vicki ordered the seafood linguini (without clams...not her fav).  I had eggplant rigatoni.  Vicki really liked hers.  It did look better than mine.  I guess I just didn't think my dish through.  I expected a slab of fried eggplant with some rigatoni.  What I got was rigatoni mixed in sauce with some diced and fried eggplant mixed in.  It was just not enough eggplant for my liking.  It wasn't their fault.  I was think of an eggplant parm type of dish...they were thinking of a rigatoni dish that happened to have some eggplant in it.

We just had the best waiter.  He was super helpful and just kept sweeping by and looking over the table but not actually bothering us.  He took plates and poured more wine (2 bottles) as needed, but was not overly intrusive.  He allowed us to have some good hours talking.  

For dessert we ordered every dessert they had except the cheesecake, as our waiter said it wasn't make in house.  There was tiramisu, and chocolate cake (but I can't remember the 3rd thing).  They also brought a frozen chocolate drink from the bar in a martini glass that we shared that had a name like a "flying squirrel" or something like that.  

It was a wonderful 3 hour meal with wonderful service.  We had a "wonderful" time.  

The Scrambler House in O'Fallon 10-10-2021

 Hey, there's a place that has been packing them in for breakfast for quite awhile now (couple of years) and I only figured it out because the parking lot is so full of cars every weekend morning.  It is called the Scrambler House and it is right by my school in O'Fallon, MO.

Mike and I went on Sunday morning.  It is a busy place.  We arrived before 9 and had a 20 minute wait.  While we were eating I heard the wait get up to 35-40 minutes.  It is a basic breakfast/lunch place.  Mike and I both got the Double Up.  It has 2 eggs, 2 pieces of meat (sausage/bacon), hash browns, and 2 pancakes or 2 pieces of French Toast. 

The food was good.  Mike said it is hard to screw up breakfast, but we've all seen that done before (greasy eggs, overly done potatoes, floppy bacon).  This didn't do any of those things.  The food was good and done well.  

We did have quite a wait for our food and it was quite cool in the restaurant (but remember, Mike and I are getting old and are cold all the time anymore).  

The service was good and it was nice to try a new breakfast place so close to home.

If you want breakfast (they also do burgers and sandwiches for lunch), give it a try.

Carnivore 10-2-2021

 I know "The Hill" is known for great Italian restaurants, but what about a steakhouse??  We decided to give it a try.  Carnivore had barely gotten their feet wet as a restaurant when the pandemic hit.  The fact that they are still open boded well in my book.

We did begin with a bit of a hiccup.  There were a bunch of open tables outside when we arrived, but as we age, Mike and I both get cold easily, so we wanted to sit inside.  We had reservations at 6.  When we arrived the seating hostess sat us as a table for 4 that was RIGHT by the exit.  Mike didn't like it and asked to be moved further into the room.  They accommodated, but then they sat us at a VERY small table for two.  I am sure it is difficult to distinguish between diners.  We don't look any different than the mother and tween aged son who sat at a table four near us.  The problem is...there is a difference.  We are here to be diners.  We will order cocktails and an appetizer.  We will get a bottle of wine to share with dinner.  We will probably box up some of our dinner so we can have dessert and coffee.  We are hear for the long-haul.  We need a table that can accommodate all of that.  I can't really fault them...but Mike does.

Now...back to the food.  We started with cocktails.  I tried a strawberry and limoncello martini.  It was good, but still a little too sweet for my taste.  Mike had his standard gin and tonic with lime. 

We ordered the arancini appetizer.  This was the very first food we ever ate when we arrived in Italy and it has always held a special place in our hearts.  They usually have meat and peas in the inside of the fried saffron rice balls.  These had melted cheese in the center.  They were different, but they were still good.  Mike (who was still in a bit of a tiff over the table) commented how he didn't like that appetizers often come in odd numbers when they are often shared by 2 people.  I remember hearing on a food network show that presentations of food should always be in odd numbers as it is more pleasing to the eye.  I don't know if I think that is true...but when the arancini came...there were 3.

Our server was very nice and attentive.  We asked her to open a bottle of cabernet.  It was good and not too expensive. 

For dinner I ordered the lobster risotto.  It was creamy and yummy.  I was surprised that it was spicy.  I like spicy food, but I think it would have been almost too spicy for some people.  It was spicy enough that the lobster taste was somewhat lost...and that's a bummer.  

Mike ordered the filet.  The menu talked about Modiga sauce.  He asked our server.  She said it was super yummy, but it was a mushroom sauce.  Mike decided to get it and pick out the mushrooms (which I ate.  Our server also talked him into getting the carnivore potatoes...loaded (with sour cream, bacon and diced jalepenos).  Mike REALLY liked the steak.  He gave them big compliments on their steak grilling, but he didn't like the potatoes at all.  He wished he had gotten a regular baked potato...loaded.  These were small whole potatoes and all the toppings melted and slid right off.    

After dinner, Mike asked about cappucino, which they did not have (often Italian restaurants do).  We split a chocolate cake.  It was not really a lava cake and it wasn't super great...just a bite of sweet at the end of a meal.

Overall, I'd say the food was good.  I wouldn't worry about the desserts.  Next time go somewhere else for dessert.  But if you want good steak and you are near The Hill, this place is worth a try