OT-St. Louis

[Ken Robb]

My wife will be at Chase Park Plaza next week for meetings. She likes to eat. Any recommendations for restaurants nearby?

[Louis]

How close is "nearby?" Walking distance only?

[Louis]

If she does have a car, one that isn't too far that I like is Harvest. Link (http://harveststlouis.com/)

Reviews at Urban Spoon: Link (http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/28/320980/restaurant/St-Louis/Richmond-Heights/Harvest-St-Louis)

[nrs5000]

Walk to bar italia

[dogdriver]

Dunno where Chase Park is, but I get to STL a good bit with work and dig Charlie Gitto's for Italian. A pretty strong Italian food presence in the city-- ask the guys who park the cars at the hotel (not the concierge-- they're usually on the take) where to eat. Toasted Ravioli (basically ravioli cooked in a deep fryer) is a local thing.

[Louis]

I get to STL a good bit with work and dig Charlie Gitto's for Italian. A pretty strong Italian food presence in the city

Trattoria Marcella (http://www.trattoriamarcella.com/) is also a very good Italian option.

[Ken Robb]

She won't have a car but a cab is ok for a meal that's worth a not-too-long ride.

[jischr]

A block east is Euclid ave. Turn left and the next 7 blocks is the central west end with a couple dozen eclectic restaurants offering a wide range of anything, except steaks.
The boat house restaurant in Forest Park is very good and maybe 1.5 miles by cab. Its in the middle of one of the countries biggest urban parks and with next weeks weather will probably be a great experience.

[Louis]

A block east is Euclid ave. Turn left and the next 7 blocks is the central west end with a couple dozen eclectic restaurants offering a wide range of anything, except steaks.

And if she's into books, Left Bank Books (link) (http://www.left-bank.com/) at the corner of Euclid and McPherson is cool (and right across the street from what used to be Balaban's, one of the restaurants where the CWE beautiful people used to hang out. They closed and that spot is now Herbie's link (http://herbies.com/index.cfm). I haven't been, so don't know anything about it, but I think they're still somehow connected to the old Balaban's folks - at least the name is).

[buldogge]

OK…If you let me know what she likes, I can focus in…but...

-Walk down to Euclid and Laclede and take in Taste and/or Brasserie.

-Metrolink + walk west on Forsyth, or cab to Niche (dressy) or Pastaria (casual) in Clayton.

-Pi on Euclid/McPherson if she likes deep dish pizza.

-Bissenger's on Maryland Plaza (basically next to the Chase) for chocolates/desserts/coffee.

-Sidney Street Cafe in Benton Park…for a nice sit-down/table-cloth meal.

-Banh Mi So 1 on deep S. Grand for excellent Vietnamese sandwiches and spring rolls.

-Cherokee St. for excellent street Mexican (tacos/tortas/etc…I like La Vallesana…also a Neveria/Paletas). Alternatively Tortilleria (Euclid) and Misssion Taco (The Loop) are decent alternatives owned by the same people.

-The Good Pie, in The Loop, via Metrolink, for Neopolitan pizza.

-Gokul, also in The Loop, for vegetarian Indian.

-Metrolink Downtown for Bailey's Range for burgers or Rooster for breakfast/brunch (Creperie)…also Wasabi or Hiro for sushi (Washington Ave.)

-On South Grand…Metrolink/Grand 70 bus, or cab…King and I, Basil Spice, Pho Grand, Lemongrass, TreeHouse, Meskerem Ethiopian, The Vine (excellent Lebanese), Baida (Moroccan), Wei Hong for traditional Chinese, Gelateria Del Leone. (this is my hood)

-McGurk's Pub in Soulard…for better than pub food, and live Irish music.

-Bogart's in Soulard for BBQ (highly recommended).

-Crown Candy Kitchen in Old North (cab) for old school ice cream parlor/sandwhich joint (another classic).

-Blues City Deli on McNair is South City.

-Carl's or Protzel's for Jewish deli…both in Clayton.

-Iron Barley, deep on the SouthSide (Virginia @ Bates).

-Demun Oyster Bar, on the other end of Forest park…Kaldi's across the street for coffee.

-Trattoria Marcella for Italian (as already mentioned), SW City, Watson Rd.

-Aya Sofia for Turkish (SW City, Watson Rd.)

-Wonton King, Wei Hong, or Lu Lu on Olive in U City for Dim Sum.

I could go on (obviously)…give me some direction…

-Mark in St. Louis

[Louis]

King and I is my favorite place for Thai.

[buldogge]

I've eaten there too many times to count, seeing as I've lived around the corner for 20 years…but…their sister restaurants in The Loop are also good and more accessible to Ken's wife…and Basil Spice on Grand is also very good…different, but good (and cheaper).

In The Loop:
Thai Cafe
Thai Country Kitchen
Thai Gai Yang
Thai Pizza

There is also a newer Northern Thai place in The Loop, very close to Metrolink… Fork & Stix.

-Mark

King and I is my favorite place for Thai.

[Louis]

Mark, when my mother and sister are in town later this summer I'll need to have them call you for restaurant recommendations ;)

[buldogge]

You can just take them to "The Valley"… ;)

Well there is Annie Gunn's, at least!

-Mark

Mark, when my mother and sister are in town later this summer I'll need to have them call you for restaurant recommendations ;)

[Louis]

I've eaten there too many times to count, seeing as I've lived around the corner for 20 years…

Years ago I was in Jay International wandering the aisles with my then gf and I heard some folks speaking Haitian creole. I almost went up to them and said something, knowing that they would be shocked to have some white guy speaking creole accost them, but decided against it. Jay reminds me of the grocery stores of my youth - places that really smelled like food stores. Not like the antiseptic places in West County.

[Louis]

Well there is Annie Gunn's, at least!


I can't bad-mouth them too much - Thom Sehnert, the owner, lives one or two properties over from mine. When his house burned down a few years ago you could easily smell it from my driveway for days, even though you couldn't see it. Plus he's pretty friendly with cyclists.

[Louis]

You can just take them to "The Valley"… ;)


Whenever my sister (who's lived in "real" cities like Boston and NY) comes to St Louis she comments on how everyone in West County looks alike. Not a whole lot of variety and not much hip culture. Of course, now she lives in the boondocks of Maine, so she can't complain too much.

[buldogge]

That was a genuine compliment…there really is nothing else in that multi-mile strip.

Having said that, I heard (but have not tried) that PM BBQ was pretty decent…

-Mark

I can't bad-mouth them too much - Thom Sehnert, the owner, lives one or two properties over from mine. When his house burned down a few years ago you could easily smell it from my driveway for days, even though you couldn't see it. Plus he's pretty friendly with cyclists.

[buldogge]

I really do miss the ethnic diversity of the East Coast…and I live in the most ethnically diverse neighborhood in St. Louis (by the numbers)!

-Mark

Whenever my sister (who's lived in "real" cities like Boston and NY) comes to St Louis she comments on how everyone in West County looks alike. Not a whole lot of variety and not much hip culture. Of course, now she lives in the boondocks of Maine, so she can't complain too much.

[Louis]

That was a genuine compliment…there really is nothing else in that multi-mile strip.

The Subway next to Lowes has a pretty long line at lunch time...

[CDollarsign]

Mark you killed it on the recs. Reading those almost brings me to tears due to the abysmal food scene in Cincinnati...

[buldogge]

Hey Colin...You've got Skyline…stop complaining! :help:

(Skyline is Chili flavored water for those not familiar with Cincinnati)

-Mark

Mark you killed it on the recs. Reading those almost brings me to tears due to the abysmal food scene in Cincinnati...

[godfrey1112000]

http://www.pappyssmokehouse.com

Just down the street get there early if there is a baseball game go really early

[buldogge]

2 miles down Lindell, from the Chase…#10 bus…Same owners/pitmaster as Bogart's…I prefer Bogart's (slightly), crowds are smaller.

Bogart's has a couple "different" BBQ items:
-Tri-Tip
-Pastrami
-Sausage Fatty
-Burnt Ends (can't quite compare to Arthur Bryant's though)

-Mark

http://www.pappyssmokehouse.com

Just down the street get there early if there is a baseball game go really early

[Ken Robb]

Thanks guys. I will pass these on to Leslie. :banana:

[dogdriver]

Another thanks from me. I'm downtown during my stays, but may investigate the public transit system next time...

[buldogge]

Feel free to drop me a line and I can give you specific recommendations.

From downtown you have easy Metrolink access to the Central West End (Euclid/Maryland Plaza), The Loop (Delmar), and Clayton…South Grand is a combo Metrolink and 70 Grand bus…Soulard can be walked to or easy cab ride, or bus from Convention Center.

-Mark

Another thanks from me. I'm downtown during my stays, but may investigate the public transit system next time...

[dogdriver]

Feel free to drop me a line and I can give you specific recommendations.

From downtown you have easy Metrolink access to the Central West End (Euclid/Maryland Plaza), The Loop (Delmar), and Clayton…South Grand is a combo Metrolink and 70 Grand bus…Soulard can be walked to or easy cab ride, or bus from Convention Center.

-Mark


Thanks! No STL on my schedule now, but that could change in 10 minutes. I'll drop a line-- always up for a good meal/adventure!

[Ken Robb]

Brasserie was a winner tonight. Les and her friends loved their meal..Thanks Guys!

[Russell]

get a concrete at Ted Drew's

[makoti]

Toasted Ravioli (basically ravioli cooked in a deep fryer) is a local thing.

Not GOOD toasted ravioli. There are actual iron toasters used to heat the ravioli. The outside is crisp, the inside nice & hot. Dip in some sauce, and you have good, old St Louis Italian heaven.
Man, I haven't had those in too long!

[Ken Robb]

Brasserie for the second night in a row. More folks arrived, it was raining, so a proven good restaurant near the hotel won more business. Leslie thanks you for the recommendation. :banana:

[buldogge]

Glad she liked it.

Gerard Craft (owner/chef Niche/Pastaria/Brasserie) is a client of one of my top guys…have never heard a bad thing about any of his 3 places.

-Mark

Brasserie was a winner tonight. Les and her friends loved their meal..Thanks Guys!