Corner Pub and Grill in Chesterfield (Ellisville) 5-8-2021

 OK, I didn't take any pictures but I can give you some scoop...

I went here for lunch with 3 girlfriends.  It was a birthday lunch.  It was the first time the 4 of us had had lunch since the pandemic began 14 months ago!

One of our 4 is on chemo meds, so she has been very hesitant to go out into the public.  We had heard that St. Louis county still had the 6 ft. rule (St. Charles county didn't) so that is why we drove to Ellisville to this restaurant instead of eating at the one in O'Fallon, which would have been way closer.

We arrived at 11, when it opened.

We were actually the first diners in the building.  Our waitress was super friendly.

We started with drinks and some spinach artichoke dip.  It was warm and gooey.  

I ordered a bowl of the loaded baked potato soup with the crab cakes appetizer. The soup was good.  I would eat it again.  The crab cakes were super small and full of filler instead of crab.  They didn't have much taste.  The only thing that gave them a good taste was their aioli. 

Laurie had the teriyaki chicken healthy bowl with cauliflower rice.  She said the veggies tasted like they were frozen veggies from a bag.  That is disappointing.

Vickie had the Rudy sandwich, which we all think is misnamed.  It is a Reuben, so, it should be the Ruby sandwich.  Anyway...Vickie said it was good and she had it with sweet potato tots.

Beth had the same soup I did.

The food was fine but nothing was so good that anyone felt they NEEDED to come back. 

The bad part was that as we sat there (in a booth) they proceeded to put people at every booth and table around us...not leaving any booth or table empty.  So, that was disappointing.  That was the entire reason we drove to St. Louis county. 

I haven't been to this restaurant in O'Fallon, but I don't see any need to rush there as I wasn't impressed with the one in Chesterfield. 

Robust Wine Bar 5-1-2021

If your first thought is...hey, I think you've been there before...you are right and you have a better memory than Mike or me.  

We went to Robust Wine Bar in mid-December of 2019, and I even blogged about it, but it wasn't until we actually walked in the restaurant did either Mike or I realize this.  It looks soooo different outside than it did in on that dark, cold winter evening a year and a half ago.  Yesterday the sun was shining and it was lovely outside.  There were quite a few people outside and there were some guys playing guitars and singing.  

Right when walked in, Mike and I both knew we'd been there and where we sat the last time.  So, I pulled up the old blog. Yeah, I should have read it BEFORE we went.  We didn't really like this place much the first time.  The blog said the wine was fine, the meat and cheese trays were too small, and the entrees were WAY too small and over priced.

That did direct us a little.  I had done my research on the wine, and we ordered a bottle of Barnard Griffin Merlot.  It was fine, not great.

Then, since we thought the combined Meat and Cheese tray was too small last time, we ordered a full on Meat Tray and a Cheese Tray.  Yeah, that wasn't really much better.  

For almost $20 each they were still quite small.  The meat tray had 3 pieces of salami, 3 pieces of capicola, 3 rolled pieces of prosciutto, and what they called pate.  I like pate, and this wasn't pate.  It was something they had homemade.  It tasted like they had ground some kind of lunch meat (bologna?) and pressed it (along with some diced yellow peppers and diced olives and very few spices) into a loaf pan.  Then had cooked it and cooled it.  Then they sliced it.  It was not soft and creamy like a pate.  It was not good and not something we finished.  The center of the meat tray had some whole grain mustard with 3 little cornichons (super tiny baby dill pickles) on it.  Mike ate most of the mustard and I ate the pickles.  But I do have to tell you one discovery I made.  I have always hated yellow mustard.  This whole grain mustard was just the mustard seeds pickled in a vinegar...so I tried it.  I can eat that!!  It is twangy from the vinegar and has the taste of the seed.  Who knew that there was a mustard in this world that I would eat!!

On the cheese plate there was a very soft brie (I like brie, Mike doesn't) and a very twangy blue cheese (we both enjoyed that) and two semi-firm cheeses that had no distinguishing qualities whatsoever.  One was a little dry and sharper than the other but both were really quite boring.  In the center of that plate were some dried dates and apricots.  I like dried fruit, Mike doesn't.  Then there were almonds that were shiny.  I thought they were candied almonds...yum.  I was wrong.  I think they had been tossed in a bowl with some kind of oil and then salted.  So, they were shiny because they were oily.  Weird!

We didn't order entrees, we read the old blog and decided to skip right to dessert.  Mike had a dense brownie with ice cream, and I had the salted caramel pot du creme.  I had this last time.  Both desserts were good.  

I'm sure you know the taste of a fudge like brownie.  The pot du creme is like super thick pudding with a quenelle (fancy French word for a dollop that has been shaped with 2 spoons) of whipped cream and caramel sauce with flaked salt on top.  Again, it was yummy.  

Hopefully we will read our own darned blogs before we make reservations and go here again.  There were 4 guys who came in as we were eating dessert.  They looked like professors from Webster University.  They didn't want any food.  They said, "We are just here to drink!"  They know what's what!  That (and maybe dessert) needs to be what we use Robust for!

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.