Pit Stop (on the Hill) 2-11-2023

I'd give this restaurant a 3/5

OK, so this restaurant used to be a gas station, so there are several VERY small rooms.  

We were there the weekend before Valentine's Day and they had some specials but we decided to go with items of their regular menu.  

Bummer:  I think I deleted my photos from this night

We started with a drink and then ordered a bottle of Malbec.  It was good (fruity).

I ordered seafood risotto for dinner.  It was good and had a lot of seafood but I didn't really like the cherry tomatoes in it.  They were wet and seemed to water down each bite they were in.

Mike decided not to order an entree and ordered two appetizers.  He got the brisket raviolis and the baby back ribs.  He liked both of them and together they were a nice sized portion for dinner.  

This was a nice place, I know they do a lot of outdoor business when the weather is better.  I felt a little crowded, even though there weren't many people in our tiny room.  The menu was good but not great.  It is a nice change from Italian on the Hill, but if I'm going to the Hill...I might as well go for Italian.  

Asador del Sur in Maplewood 2-25-2023

I'd give this restaurant 3/5

It seems like all the restaurants of note in Maplewood are within a couple blocks of each other all on Manchester.

This night we tried Asador del Sur...South American food.  I will have to say that many of these old buildings have saved the old feel and not done a lot of renovation to the inside of their buildings.  This was NOT the case with Asador del Sur.  The inside is all very renovated and has a sleek modern feel.  

We had reservations and were taken to the upstairs dining area.  There were many different sized tables (for 2, 4, 6, 8!).  It was a nice space.

The menu has a lot of grilled items and many things with chimicurri sauces.

I started with a signature Paloma cocktail.  I don't think it got stirred or shaken correctly because the first few sips (with my straw) were SUPER bitter.  I think the "bitters" were all in one place.  I really thought I didn't like it.  But then after a few more drinks it was much better.  Who knows if that was the alcohol playing with my empty stomach or if it was really bitter at the beginning.  

I got some calimari for an appetizer and Mike got some chorizo and toast.  The calimari was good as there was some cayenne style pepper in the breading.  Mike said he like the chorizo...it had spices in it, but not too much.  

For dinner I chose a grilled octopus with little potatoes.  The ocotopus had been marinated, boiled and then grilled.  It had a oil based garlic and herb chimichurri on top.  It was good, but I found the chimichurri overpowering.  The garlic in it was raw and I had a huge herb/garlic taste in my mouth for the next 24 hours!

Mike chose a grilled skirt steak and grilled corn.  The steak came with an herb/oil chimichurri (on the side) and the corn came with a herb/mayo sauce (on the side).  He said he liked that he had the ability to put how much of each on each bite and not overpower the dish.  

Final thoughts...I know grilling and chimichurri are big in South American countries, but I found the grill taste AND the chimichurri taste to be too big on my octopus.  I think having them on the side would be always a good idea.  This was an OK restaurant and an OK cuisine.  We don't feel the need to return.