Casa don Alfonso (Ritz Carlton STL) 1-7-2023

I think I'd give this place a 4/5 just for the experience.  

A little background on this restaurant.  This restaurant started in Sorento, Italy.  It is a Michelan star restaurant there.  The owner/chef collaborated on what dishes they could make in America, and they opened this restaurant in STL.  

OK, the Ritz Carlton Hotel is like a different world.  The people who go in an out of there are the jet-setters of life.  They buy their coats in Switzerland and they come back here to see family and friends.  I had read a bunch of reviews of this place that said you go for the vibe.  You go to feel rich and special.  Actually the young people write that you go to feel "bougie."

Mike and I eat to early (6:00ish) to rub elbows with the really affluent people.  They were all coming in at about 8:00 p.m. (as we were finishing up).  

The interior of this place was stunning.  You could tell it was decorated by a very legit interior designer.  The entire ceiling over the open kitchen area was entirely brass.  It had to be some kind of special brass that doesn't need polishing.  It was metal but you could tell that they didn't have to polish it every day.  It was lovely.  Then they used brass as accents to everything.  The tables were a variety of small tables for 2 that look like they'd be in someone's breakfast nook to bigger tables for 4/6 that looks like 2 small curved couches pushed together with an oval coffee table (but not low) in between them.  It gave a warm, living room feeling.  There were accents of Italian tile and one whole wall was done in the tile of Sorento.  There are fun glass sculptures hanging from the ceiling and funky hanging lights and even though it is one large room (you can look over and watch the fancy chefs in their large white chef hats toiling away on homemade pizza crust or homemade pasta) you and your tablemates feel rather close and intimate.  Super cool!

The china they used I found odd.  It was plates and platters with a wavy edging.  The first thing we saw was when they poured pure Italian olive oil to go with our bread basket.  I thought it looked hilarious...it looked like an fried egg!

I am often disappointed when I order a cocktail that has unfamiliar contents.  But the Amalfitana (named for the Amalfi coast off of Italy) was super good.  It had fresh grapefruit juice, fresh lime juice, campari, tequila and fancy San Pellegrino orange soda.  They even bottle it and you can buy bottles of it and take it home (I didn't do that...but it was THAT yummy).  

The menu is probably one of the things Mike and I had the biggest problem with.  It was a small menu.  We are used to an Italian restaurant having a wide range of choices...like 30-40.  This was more like a dozen.  There were no super traditional items like toasted ravioli, arrancini ball for appetizers or spaghetti and meatballs, fettucini alfredo or veal parmesean for entrees.  

Mike had some barley and vegetable soup for an appetizer.  He expected pieces of vegetables.  They had all been pured into the soup and it was a mostly smooth soup.  He said it tasted good, but he would have liked something to chew.  It was also odd because it came in a little brass pot with a ladel (like you were supposed to dip it into a bowl, but no bowl was given).  Mike was given a spoon, so he ate t out of the pot.  I know...that seems wrong to us, too.  You can tell we are out of our element when we don't want to look like we are eating with the wrong utensils.  

I was just going to get the eggplant parmesean appetizer and eat it as an entree.  Our waitress assured me that it was too small for an entree.  So, I ordered an entree, too.  I disagree with her.  It was plenty big enough.  It was good.  It was probably one of the most traditional things on the menu.  

This restaurant, like some others in St. Louis is one of the "Wine Spectator" restaurants that owns the best wines in this city.  They also employ a sommelier.  When I asked for the wine list...they brought me an ipad.  That is always intimidating...there are SOOOO many wines to look through.  They hadn't had the list online.  Also, like so many of these fancy restaurants, there are only a half dozen wines (out of HUNDREDS) that are in our price range.  I chose an Italian one that had good reviews online.  

When we first tasted it, we thought it was OK...pretty good.  It has a slight sour taste...I read online that it has hints of sour cherry.  Well, THAT was a game changer.  It was fine to drink alone, but when you drank it with food...it was not very good at all.  I ended up drinking water with the end of my meal and then drinking the rest of my wine after the food. Super weird. 

For our entrees, Mike got a Sorento, Italy style lasagna.  It had very little read sauce to it and included peas and eggs.  It had liquid (pureed basil) over the top.  He said it was good and he'd eat it again.  

Remember, I was good with my eggplant and I didn't know what to have for my entree, so I just chose some fried seafood (calamari and shrimp).  I had no idea what it would be served with.  It had been lightly dusted with a seasoned flour and flash fried.  The seafood was very good.  It was accompanied with 3 mayonnaises:  garlic, beet, and lemon.  I liked the garlic the best, but actually I liked the seafood without any mayo.  It was served with a bitter field green salad that was dressed with almost straight lemon juice.  It was bitter and sour.  It actually worked to cut through the fried/mayo taste in your mouth.

We each only ate about 1/2 of our entree because we always leave room for dessert and Mike's cappucino.  

So,  just like dinner, the dessert menu was small and vague.  When it listed gelato it said: vanilla, dark chocolate and hazelnut.  I assumed those were the 3 flavors.  So, I ordered one flavor.  No, no...the waitress said, you just order gelato and you get all 3 flavors.  

Mike wanted a cannoli.  Their cannoli were highlighting the Amerena cherries.  They are small bitter, sweet and sour cherries grown in Italy.  It was mostly a small cannoli with cannoli and chocolate cannoli cream on the inside with 2 of these little cherries on the ends.  Mike took off the cherries and gave them to me.  They were not as bad a maraschino cherries, but they weren't good.  The shell of this cannoli was thinker and harder to eat.  Mike couldn't cut it with his fork, he had to pick it up and use his teeth.  It was good, but expensive for the 3 bites he got.

Mike's cappuccino was super cute with a little penguin in a sweater on top:

I agree that this is a place you go for the EXPERIENCE.  The food was fine but nothing was the best thing I've ever have and I want to go back and have it again.  It was fun to go here and if I see they have seasonal changes to their menu, I'd probably come back.  But I have no need to come back now.  

They do have a restaurant bar AND a lobby bar that would be fun to go to and have a snack without all the effort of a full on reservation and dinner.   That might be something to try.  

 

Sportsman's Bar and Grill in Clayton 1-6-2023

 I'd give this a 3/5 but I think Mike would give it a 4/5

On the suggestion of Nina O'Daniels (one of the librarians at our school, who is also a foodie type person) we tried this place.  She said it was so good that she and her husband went two times in one week!  

We had been to Lester's Bar and Grill across the street a couple of times but didn't know about Sportsman's.  Both places are sports themed, but there is a definately more old, established vibe to Sportsman's.  Lester's feels like it could be a chain.  Lester's feels like maybe Albert Pujols could have actually come here and signed the big painting of him.  It has a Ladue/Frontenac feel to it.  

It was full when we arrived at 6 pm.  We were very lucky to get a table (very close to other tables...I could've easily entered their conversations) against the back wall.  I know waiting for a table is a typical thing.

The menu is mostly burgers, sandwiches, and some local style pizza.  It is bar food.  Mike got a cheeseburger and tater tots and I got a fish sandwich.  

Mike was surprised when his cheeseburger came that it had absolutely nothing on it...no lettuce, tomato, pickle, onions, etc.  There were ketchup and mustard on the table.  He doesn't know if it was a mix up or if you have to ask for those things.  But even lacking these items, he said his burger was really good.

BTW, Mike is wearing his new Battlehawks sweatshirt!

My fish sandwich (I asked for it with no tartar sauce) also came with no lettuce, tomato, pickle, etc.).  It was fried and it was a little dry.  It didn't have a great batter, so there really wasn't much taste to it.  It was OK but not great.  

There must be some reason this place is so packed.  I think we may have to go back and I'll have to try something else.  I will say the service is good.  The waitress was "on it" and made her way deftly through tables that are too close together.  

Tiger Soup Dumplings in Fenton 1/1/2023

I'd give this restaurant a 3.5 out of 5. 

I had read that this was one of last year's best places to eat in St. Louis.  So, today, New Year's Day, Jacob and Mollie rode with me down to Fenton to try it out.

It is VERY like the soup dumpling place called Soup Dumpling STL on Olive.  I wonder if maybe they are the same family.  This one seems to be run by a bunch of young people (in their 20s).  

The menu is small (beef, chicken, or pork soup dumplings).  The dumplings can be steamed or fried.  Then there are a few sides.  Mollie got a cucumber salad that she really liked (cucumber in a soy, sesame sauce).   The cup was full when she got it...I just forgot to take a photo until it was half gone!

We ordered chicken steamed, pork steamed, and pork fried dumplings.  This Fenton location also has fancy (rather expensive) smoothies.  Mollie got one that was dragon fruit and mango (it was $10).  Jake got a strawberry one (it was $7).

The dumplings were good.  We liked the pork better than the chicken.  We liked the extra crunch and how the dumpling had a little more structure of the fried.  There are 6 in an order for $10.  An order was enough for 1 person, but we found that we were hungry in a few hours.  

The smoothies were really good but Mollie and Jacob said they were almost too big.  They were trying to give you your money's worth since they were expensive, but you need to somehow split them.  They don't have any other drinks except bubble tea and water.  Even water costs $1 (bottled).

I don't think this is any better or worse that Soup Dumpling STL on Olive.  The smoothies are a nice addition, but not enough to drive to Fenton for.

Bishop's Post in Chesterfield 12-10-12

I'd say we give this one a 2/5 stars.  

In the 35+ years we lived in Missouri, this establishment has been many things...Crazy Fish, Andriana's Steakhouse...we've tried them all.

Now, it is Bishop's Post.  The sign at the front said "Classic Comfort Fare"  To me that is comfort food, like meatloaf, mashed potatoes, chicken and noodles, etc.  

There was one meatloaf dish and one friend chicken dish on the menu.  Most of the menu is full of steak and seafood.  It is not a place to go if you are looking for a lot of what I would call "comfort food" dishes.  It is also too pricey for regular comfort food.

I started with a Honey Kissed cosmo.  It was a little odd, as it is made with peach/orange blossom vodka and has a big smell of peach.  

Then I had a small cup of gumbo.  That was really quite good.  It was more filled with meat than seafood.  I'd rather have seafood, but it was seasoned really well and very yummy. 

I had done my homework with the wine list and we ordered a red blend that has a very odd name: Gundlach Bundschu.  It is a 160 yr old family of winemakers in Sonoma Calif.  This red blend is good and not terribly expensive.  

 

 The problem was me when it came to most of the food here.  They have several dishes that many people might like:

Seared sea scallops on angel hair pesto pasta.  I don't love pesto pasta.  

Pan seared halibut on smoked tomato risotto.  I don't like smoked items...sometimes the smoke is too strong and ruins the taste of the entire dish.

The "special" was shrimp, scallops, and lobster linguine with a Dijon cream sauce.  I don't like mustard.  I asked them if they could do any other sauce...they suggested alfredo.  I said no, it would cover the subtle taste of the fish.  

So, I got their Shrimp and Scallop Pasta.  It had sun dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and herbed olive oil over pasta and the seafood.  It was not very good.  The oil was just that...oil.  It had no taste.  The pasta tasted like pasta with olive oil on it.  Butter would have been boring but better.  They need to learn to make a seafood stock and with a little white wine and butter turn the seafood stock into a seafood sauce.  Alas...they didn't.  So, I ended up eating the seafood out of the dish and leaving a lot of the pasta.  

Bonus points for them.  While I was enjoying my dessert, the general manager came over and said, "I notice you didn't eat much of your pasta.  Can I ask why?"  I told him the oil sauce was just too bland...even with sundried tomatoes and Kalamata olives.  He was nice, but I doubt they change it.  I had crème Brule for dessert. 

Mike had a fairly good experience with his dinner.  He ordered the prime rib.  He knew he wanted extra to take home for leftovers, so he ordered the biggest piece they had.  It came with twice baked potato, Yorkshire pudding (which, as you know is not pudding but a starch that should have had some kind of gravy for it) and green beans.  The meat and beans were good.  He said the potato tasted like maybe they made a huge batch of twice baked potatoes a couple of days ago and then kept them in the refrigerator and just heated them up in the microwave for dinner tonight.  

For dessert Mike had some gooey butter cake and ice cream...with a cappuccino (of course).  

The restaurant was fairly nice.  The wait staff was fine.  The wine list was rather small.  I found the overall menu small and lacking variety (they had asparagus in almost every dish...I had to ask for it not to be put in my pasta).  The gumbo was really quite good, but there really was nothing that made me need to return to this restaurant.  

On a side note...they do have a lovely, HUGE outdoor patio that is mostly covered for summer dining.  

Prasino-Streets of St. Charles 12-3-22

 I'd give this 3.5 out of 5 stars.

I have talked to other people at school who LOVE this restuarant.

There are things I like about this restaurant.  I like the semi-nice/semi-casual vibe of the restaurant.  You could dress up but we came in jeans and were fine.  Mike was in a hoodie and felt underdressed for a Sat. night.  

I like the decor.  There are distinct areas that you can eat: at the bar, at the hightop tables in the bar area (louder, TV screens), or in the dining room.  I liked being given a choice.  

I like that they take reservations.  

I thought they had an adequate wine list.  I'm not even being a wine-snob here.  They have this big room with wine coolers on 3 sides.  It is all very "wine-ish."  So, they look like they are trying to be a wine restaurant and they they have a kind of small adequate wine list.  It is fine...but not if you are trying to impress people and seem like some big deal with wine drinkers.

The thing I found confusing is their menu.  It just doesn't have any kind of rhyme or reason.  It has burgers and wraps with a couple steaks, a seafood, and a pasta.  That's all OK together.  But then they have a section of a bunch of different tacos.  That is weird.  But then they also have a section of a bunch of different sushi.  None of the sushi is vegetarian or without raw fish.  So, it isn't a complete list (kind of like their wine list).  If you know and like sushi (and I do). these few sushi rolls seem rather incomplete and sorely out of place with no other japanese items (miso soup, sake wine, etc.).  

Mike and I had just driven 7 hours home from Nebraska and drove straight to this restaurant, so we were tired and hungry.

We ordered cocktails, which were fine...but my glass was mostly ice and not much "cocktail."  We ordered a bottle of Decoy cabernet.  The waiter couldn't wrap his head around the fact that we wanted all the drinks to come out together, even though we weren't going to drink the wine until we had dinner.  We tried to explain that we wanted the wine opened and allow to "breathe" but this seemed foreign to him. 

He ordered a steak sandwich and fries.  The waiter had to explain to him that the steak was chopped up and then put on the sandwich.  I thought that was weird.  We laughed about it with the waiter.  Did someone actually think there was just a whole steak on a bun??  He said, "Yes, that's what some people expect."  After all of that...Mike liked this sandwich.  They edges had been crisped up on the grill and the meat was flavorful.  The french fries were really more like potatoes that had been oven roasted and then dusted in a heavy dose of paprika.  Mike didn't really care for them.  He would have liked regular fries better.  

I ordered the lobster ravioli.  It was just OK.  I don't know why anyone puts something with such a delicate taste like lobster in a cream sauce.  The sauce overpowers the taste and you can barely taste the lobster.  The pasta was nicely made and was still firm enough.  The escarole in the sauce gave some color but nothing else (it added no taste or texture).  The squash in the sauce added a little sweetness and texture to a rather "soft" dish.  The little pile of cheese in the center just melted into one lump and couldn't be spread out.  That was disappointing.  

Overall this restaurant was OK.  We didn't eat anything that was so amazing that it made us want to come back soon.  

Tubby's Pub n Grub in St. Charles 11-12-2022

 3/5 Stars

We were looking for a casual place for a Sat. night.  Lauren Mitchell, at school, had recently told me several places in St. Charles that she liked. This was one of them.

It is in the end of Parkway Lanes bowling alley.  It is separate enough that it totally seems like a restaurant.  We sat in the first room and it has no entrance to the bowling alley.  

They are known for their steak dinners.  So, that is what Mike had.  For something like $25 he had a NY Strip steak, baked potato and a side salad.  He said it was good.  But sometimes we go out to Wentzville to West Allen Grill on Sat. nights and for the same price as this steak, he can get a big piece of prime rib with the same sides.  He likes that better.  

I had the fried shrimp dinner.  It was OK.  The french fries didn't have much taste.  They were hand cut and that is nice but they were greasy and had no salt on them.  The shrimp was just OK.  

The beer was cheap.  Mike got a beer glass full of Budweiser for 2.75.  That is cheap.  

This was not bad, but there are places that are just as cheap that are better.  

China Bistro inside of Pan Asia Grocery Store at 141 and Manchester 11-11-2022

 Mike and I knew that on Veterans Day many restaurants feed Veterans for free and the places are packed.  We tried to stay away from that type of restaurant.  

I had recently read an article about the 26 Best Places to Eat in STL right now.  The first one was this Chinese restaurant tucked into a corner of an Asian grocery story.

It was cold and windy as we made our way into the store.  All the people in line were super friendly.  The workers weren't friendly, but they weren't "not friendly" they were all just working super hard and super fast.  This place has about a dozen or so tables, but they also do a huge amount of take out orders.  

Mike had read that this place has the best BBQ pork fried rice in the area.  So, that's what he got.  It was $8.  He was happy with it.  He said it had plenty of pork and just enough vegetables.  Everything was fresh and you could tell that it had just been made in a wok.  It came out quickly and it was steaming hot.

I ordered spicy seafood soup with thick noodles.  It was good, but it wasn't great.  I wasn't unhappy.  It was HUGE.  There were scallops, shrimp, and squid in the soup.  There were carrots, celery, mushrooms, onions, and a bit of cabbage in there, too.  The broth was somewhat spicy, but it seemed a little watery.  The noodles were good...not too thick or large.

This is a very authentic Chinese restaurant, so they don't have things like beef and broccoli or general Zao's chicken.  But they do have a lot more things I'd like to try.  I'm not a big Peking duck fan, but they do have that and you can just get a few slices with some vegetables and rice.  

It is also super fun to walk around the grocery store.  Check out the fish counter!!  

We will totally come back here.  It is exactly 30 minutes from our house.  So, not too far for decent Chinese food.