Billy G's in Chesterfield 12-13-24

 Billy G's in Kirkwood is a place we've thought about trying several times.  Last Friday I needed to run an errand in Chesterfield, so I suggested we find a place to eat supper in that area.  

I noticed that a new Billy G's had opened at the corner of Clarkson and Baxter.  When I looked online I was surprised by the menu.  They had breakfast and sandwiches and pizza and pasta.  It was all different kinds of foods.

When we arrived, we were surprised to see they had taken over the entire area that used to be Balaban's and Which Which and Noodle & Co.  It was totally remodeled but it wasn't anything like the Billy G's in Kirkwood.  It was shiny chrome.  It was diner tables and chairs.  It looked like a breakfast place.  

They still had the Italian dishes of their heritage, but they had sooo many other things.  

We each got a drink (Mike got a beer and I got a glass of wine).  It just felt weird to be drinking in a place that felt like a breakfast place.  

I got spaghetti and meatballs and Mike got lasagna.  We both thought they were good but the ambiance was just odd.  

Maybe they decided that this area could use a diner.  Maybe they are open for late night partiers and early morning diners.  

Who knows??  I don't think Mike and I will be back to this location

Kreis' Steakhouse

 Kreis' is a staple.  It is always nice and it is always good.

We got reservations just a week earlier, so we didn't have the "best" seats in the house.  We were in the basement dining room.  That bugged Mike.  Our waiter was good, but he was spread a little thin.  

We had a cocktail, and the vodka collins was just OK.  No one knows to blend it and make it foamy like Cunnetto's does.

We ordered a bottle of Ferrari Carano Siena red wine.  It was pretty good.  

The special appetizer of the evening was crab stuffed shrimps.  They were good.  We ordered 2 each.  They were something like $5-10 a piece!

For dinner I ordered the scallops.  They were OK (they could have used more seare), but the rice pilaf they were served with was not.  It was slightly greasy and not warm.

Mike got a large piece of prime rib.  We both got big baked potatoes.  

It was a nice meal in a nice setting.  

Trattoria Marcella 11-16-24

 It has been years since we've been to Trattoria Marcella.  All I remember is that they have lobster risotto.  

We arrived at about 4:55 and there was an entire family of about a dozen people (all in one group) waiting outside to get in in front of us.  You could see the people inside, but they let us all wait for the full 5 or 6 minutes (in the cold) before opening the doors.  That is not a great first impression.

Then, we were put in a way back room.  Mike didn't like that.  We were some of the first people there and we by-passed the main dining room.  I don't know why.  

Our waiter told us that one of the specials for the night was the lobster risotto.  As I get older, stuff with cream sometimes makes me have a stomachache, so I decided against it.  We had a cocktail.  I ordered some Italian kind of orange martini.  It was OK, it was too strong alcohol taste.  

Then we asked for a bottle of Edge cabernet to be opened.  It was good, we liked it...but red wine goes so well with red sauce (and chocolate dessert)!

Mike ordered a salad, and that was fine. Then he got the spaghetti and meatballs.  He said it was OK, but when he went to eat the leftovers 2 days later, he said he had decided that he didn't really like their sauce and we didn't need to go back there.  

I ordered the eggplant parm appetizer as my entree.  I usually love eggplant.  This was their "new" way of preparing it.  It was layered with cheese, like a lasagna.  It was not near as good as it would have been if it had just been fried and put out on the plate.  I also don't understand how this is supposed to be an appetizer.  It was totally unsharable.  I took 1/2 of it home for leftovers and ended up not eating it.  

The most redeeming thing of the night were the desserts.  Mike and I usually split dessert.  He gets one and I eat 2 bites and I'm done.  But he wanted tiramissou and I wanted the chocolate creme brule.  So, we each got dessert.  His was very coffee forward.  He liked that.  Mine tasted just like my mom's chocolate pie (which I love).  So, the food wasn't our favorite, but the desserts we a nice end to the meal.

Brasserie by Niche 11-9-24

 It has been several years since we have been at Brasserie.  It was pouring rain when we arrived and parked on the street.  They do have valet parking, just don't have a 5:00 reseration and expect the valet to be up and running yet.  He gets going by about 5:15.  

We started with a cocktail and then ordered a bottle of red French wine called Volcae.  It was good.  

Our waiter was super great.  He was about our age and he was super knowledgeable.  Mike ordered the braised beef with mashed potatoes and jus.  My photo of it sucks but he loved it.  He said it is just like really well cooked roast with a great jus.  I got the mussels.  They were good as always.  

Then we decided to get dessert.  They have a "black and white" creme brullet.  It has a chocolate ganache on the bottom of the ramiken.  Then the cream mixture is poured on top.  The entire thing is topped with a classic black and white cookie.  It was really yummy!

Sam's Steakhouse 10-26-24

 It had been years since we'd been to Sam's Steakhouse in South St. Louis county.  It was nicer than I remember.  It definitely has a following.  We ended up getting a table that was off of the bar area (we could see into the bar area).  Mike didn't like that, he would have rather been in the main dining area.  We watched the musician guy set up and sing a little.  He was just a guy with a computer and a mic.  He was just OK, but the regulars thought he was amazing.  

Sam's is mostly a "nice" place and people there are 40+ age.  For the most part they were dressed up.  I saw a few people in jeans, but not many.

We had cocktails and bread.  It is such a St. Louis thing to think of the bread as an appetizer.  I wanted to save my bread to eat with my dinner, but the bus boys kept trying to take our bread away before our dinner arrived. 

We ordered a bottle of kind of expensive cabernet call The Counselor.  It was good, but when you get to ratings like 4.2 and 4.3, the extra cost is kind of lost on Mike and me.  We don't have sophisticated enough palates to tell the difference once it gets past 4.0.

For dinner Mike chose the prime rib (of course) and I got crab cakes.  Our food was good and I'd say we would come back here again.  We just need to remember that we like this place.  

Annie Gunn's 8-3-24

 I don't know that I need to write ANOTHER review of Annie Gunn's but I did have something different on the menu, so what the heck.

I usually over eat and then am mad at myself because I ate too much and spent too much on dinner.  So this time, we got the cheese plate and I only got soup for dinner.  Much better plan!

I didn't take a photo of the cheese plate, it was great as usual.  Mike got steak frites and I got their famous potato soup.  It was really good and enough to be a meal.  

Annie Gunn's...good as always.  

Napoli Sea (Streets of St. Charles) 7-11-24

 It was my birthday and I got to pick, so, of course, I picked seafoo

We had a fun time at Napoli Sea.

We had never been there before, but when looking online I found out that you have the option of making reservation for upstairs or downstairs.  The upstairs has a glass bannister, so you look out over the rest of the restaurant and bar.  That is kind of cool.  So, we had a table for two right on the bannister.  

The restaurant is much smaller than I thought it was by looking online.  The upstairs probably only has 6-8 tables.  Downstairs the bar fills about 1/2 of the entire restaurant.  I know it was a weeknight, but there was a nice crowd.  I can see that it might be difficult to get a reservation on a weekend, as there just aren't that many tables to fill.  I would say sitting at the bar and ordering would be a good option if you can't get a reseravation.

So, they bring you a pretzel bread appetizer while you wait.  

They have some crazy cocktails, so we each tried one.  Mike got the "Doc" of the Bay which has Blue Curacao, Midori, light rum, pinapple juice, club soda and a pineapple wedge and maraschino cherry

I don't remember what I got, but I do remember that they had cool ice cubes that had scuba gear on them. (see photo below) 

I ordered the ceviche appetizer.  It was way too big for one person, but it was super yummy and had these lovely buttered crackers that were warm.  As I was eating it, one of the servers realized I had some ceviche left and was going to run out of crackers, so they ever so quietly placed on my side of the table a small dish that had about 5 more warm buttered crackers.  THAT is a good serving team!

They do have actual menu items, but they have a large platter that they can show you all the fresh fish items they have and tell you all the ways they can prepare that.  I got the scallops, which were lovely.  Mike got a lovely fried grouper, which he actually liked.  

Just because it was my birthday and because I wasn't driving, I decided to try one more cocktail, because it was just too intriguing on the menu.  It was a pepperoncini martini.  It is exactly what it sounds like.  It was made with pepperoncini juice.  It was spicy and very full of alcohol and if I would have had any more alcohol, I would have not been standing!  

Because it was my birthday they would have given me a small piece of cake, but we don't really like cake, so we ordered a key lime tart and they put the candle in it.  I was almost too full and I'd had too much alcohol (because we also had wine with dinner!) to eat much of this, but it was tart and good.  

The food here is good.  The wait staff it good.  It is expensive, but I'd definitely come back.