Music, Food and Drinks at Brandt’s Cafe
Posted on December 6th, 2010 by Alicia McColl
There are many St. Louis institutions in the University City Loop. One of
them is Brandt’s Café, 6525 Delmar Blvd., which has been serving patrons in the Loop for 25 years. Brandt’s patio is usually packed during warm-weather months, but it’s the inside that rocks the rest of the year. There’s live music on Tuesday and every weekend night, and check the schedule for karaoke and trivia nights.
If you are coming simply for the food and drink, you will not be disappointed. Brandt’s is known for its wide beer selection, which it bills as the top 100 beers in the world. The food menu is just as diverse. Appetizers include crab cakes, beef Wellington bites and buffalo chicken wontons. For entrees, try shrimp and cheddar grits, or the vegetable lasagna. Brandt’s also has a unique Sunday brunch menu, which features various omelets and standards such as biscuits and gravy. For more information, visit www.brandtscafe.com.
Tags: St. Louis Dining, St. Louis Nightlife, The Loop
Get Happy at Herbie’s Vintage 72
Posted on December 6th, 2010 by Alicia McColl
For years, Balaban’s was a staple of the Central West End. In 2008, the restaurant/bar located at 405 North Euclid Avenue was closed, leaving the many regulars with nothing but memories. But all seems well again in this pocket of the world now that Herbie’s Vintage 72 – named after the late founder of Balaban’s Café Herbie Balaban – has opened and is thriving in the old Balaban’s location.
Herbie’s is a perfect place for an after-work drink, with happy hour starting at 4:30 p.m. and running for two hours. Appetizers are half price during this time, and include exotic selections such as escargot and shrimp dumplings. Budweiser bottled products are $2 during traditional happy hour, while Guiness pints are $3. Herbies also has a late-night happy hour from 10:30 p.m. to midnight Sundays through Thursdays when drink and dessert specials can be had.
For more information, visit www.herbies.com.
Tags: Central West End, Downtown St. Louis, St. Louis Dining, St. Louis Nightlife
The Drunken Fish: Sushi for All Tastes
Posted on November 29th, 2010 by Alicia McColl
If you love sushi–or even if you have never tried it and you’re curious–The Drunken Fish is the place for you. The Drunken Fish has three convenient locations in St. Louis, Westport Plaza, Laclede’s Landing and the Central West End. In each, you will find the best Japanese delicacies that St. Louis has to offer, including sushi and sashimi galore.
Many people are uneasy ordering items with which they are not familiar, but the wait staff is knowledgeable and more than happy to help you make a selection. Try the supreme sashimi, which includes 18 pieces of sashimi, including tuna, salmon, white tuna, flounder, octopus, yellowtail and shrimp. You can also get a sushi & sashimi combination.
The signature makimono menu has more than 15 choices all of which are around $15. Philadelphia natives might like the fried cheese steak roll, which features the ingredients you would find in the signature Philadelphia dish, and is topped with eel sauce and garlic mayo. The signature drunken fish roll includes shrimp, tempura, may and asparagus, and is topped with red tuna, Japanese mayo, eel sauce, masago, tempura crumbs and sprouts.
For the less adventurous, there is stir-fry–try chicken-fried rice, which is a bargain at $11, as well an entrée menu that features items such as miso-marinated black cod.
For more information on The Drunken Fish, visit drunkenfish.com
Tags: Central West End, Downtown St. Louis, St. Louis Dining
A Good Bet for Lunch or Dinner
Posted on October 29th, 2010 by Alicia McColl
The Over/Under is a common sports wager on the total number of runs, points or goals that two teams will combine to score in a game. With a name like The Over/Under Bar & Grill, naturally, sports are a central theme at this Washington Avenue bar and grill. The Over/Under, located at 911 Washington Avenue in the Loft District, features 37 large LCD TVs, making it the spot to be for all Rams and Blues games.
In addition to being a great place to watch the game, it is also a good value. Most items on the lunch menu are under $10, including the Grilled Mahi Mahi Poor Boy and the Pulled Pork Sandwich. The dinner menu features such items as Portobello and Cheese Ravioli and Horseradish Encrusted Salmon.
The Over/Under is located 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 am. to midnight Sundays. Call 314-621-8881 for more information.
Tags: Downtown St. Louis, St. Louis Dining, St. Louis Nightlife
The Hill Comes to Chesterfield
Posted on October 20th, 2010 by Alicia McColl
Enter the newly opened Charlie Gitto’s and you won’t feel like your in Chesterfield anymore. Fortunately, you don’t have to click your heels to experience this slice of the Hill.
The restaurant, located in the former Pizzaria Uno at 15525 Olive Blvd., is spacious with two main dining areas and a large bar. Arrive around dinnertime and the atmosphere is bustling, to say the least, and the food from its already tried and true recipes being served at its two other locations, is served in a flash. The wait to be seated may be a tad on the long side, though, so reservations are highly recommended.
To start off, you can always count on the toasted ravioli ($9) being good as well as any of the salads, including classic caesar, mixed green salad, The Wedge and an Italian chopped salad among other choices ($3.50-$13).
Their Brick Oven pizzas ($10-$12) are hot and fresh and filling with five options from a Margherita variety to a white clam topping of fresh clams, thyme, pancetta, garlic, caramelized onions and white sauce. Popular pasta dishes are the signature Penne Borghese with pink Cognac sauce, Bucatini Amatriciana with spicy tomato sauce and Chicken Nunzio, topped with jumbo lump crabmeat, fontina cheese and lemon butter. The six-layer homemade lasagna is also a favorite and the veal entrees are tender and tasty.
Steak options include a 22-oz. Bone-In Rib-eye ($36), 6-oz. and 8-oz. filets ($25-$29) and 8-oz. and 14-oz. NY strips ($19-$28), which can all be ordered Sicililano, Bourbon or Nunzo style for a few dollars extra. So if you are in the mood for something besides their pasta, chicken and seafood dishes, it’s available.
The desserts are traditional cheesecake, Sicilian cake, Tiramasu, cannolis and Italian cookies all only a few dollars and very split-able.
Charlie Gitto’s has had some time to perfect and present as effortless. Their other locations are on The Hill at 5226 Shaw Ave. and at Harrah’s Casino, 777 Casino Center Dr. in Maryland Heights. For reservations or to inquire about party orders call 636-536-2199.
Tags: St. Louis Dining
Go Bowling for Cocktails
Posted on October 10th, 2010 by Alicia McColl
Head to the bowling alley for a Pink Mojito and a night out with friends? Sure, why not?! Flamingo Bowl on Washington Avenue combines a fun pastime with an eclectic drink menu.
So it makes for a perfect place to land if you are not ready to go home after a weekend sporting event or as a destination in and of itself any day of the week. Flamingo Bowl is open noon to 3 a.m. seven days a week and features an array of tantalizing cocktails, a healthy selection of beer and aged rum plus an appetizing food menu that goes beyond the typical bowling alley fare of popcorn, nachos and rubbery pizza slices.
Come, sit a while and enjoy a Green Genie ($9), a Spiced Chocolate drink ($9) or any of the other specialty drinks. For those who don’t do bowling without a brew there’s domestic choices ($4 per bottle, $4.25 to $11 for draught) or for the more adventurous beer drinker, a Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale or a La Fin du Monde ($6 per bottle) among others.
Hungry? Appetizers include a crab dip served with baked pita bread ($6.95) tomato or Southwest chicken soup ($5.95) and a side salad choice. Sandwich choices include a veggie panini ($6.95), grilled cheese ($4.95) and a veggie or BBQ pork wrap ($7.95). The 16″ pizzas ($11.95) are fresh and include your choice of toppings for an additional $1 each.
There are eight lanes within the main room (there’s a private room with four lanes, a pool table and small bar) and bowling is offered on a walk-in basis or by reservation. A game of bowling is $3.50 from Sunday through Thursday (after 9 p.m. it’s $4) and Friday and Saturday the cost is $4 ($5 after 9 p.m.). Reserve a lane for $30 per hour during the week and $40-$50 Fridays and Saturdays. Shoe rental is $3.
Children are welcome accompanied by an adult up until 9 p.m. when it’s an over 21 crowd only.
Flamingo Bowl is located at 1117 Washington Avenue. Just look for the colorful neon sign with the flamingo and you’re there.
Tags: Downtown St. Louis, St. Louis Dining, St. Louis Nightlife
Dramatic Dinners
Posted on September 30th, 2010 by Alicia McColl
Normally when a restaurant advertises a four-course meal to DIE for, one may be a little suspect. Food poisoning? A rude staff? But when it’s a murder mystery production at a local mansion the intrigue is nothing short of inviting.
St. Louis is lucky to have two such venues and can they ever serve up some stories! The Bissell Mansion, at 4426 Randall Place in St. Louis, features the interactive murder mystery “Coldfinger” every Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m through October. As the story goes, United States and British intelligence agencies failed to capture the most dangerous criminal ever after he tried unsuccessfully to rob Fort Knox several years back. He could, however, be among the guests, who are divided up into his henchmen and those who are chosen to track him down, including James Blonde, Agent 007. Guests are given roles when they arrive; dinner is served between acts.
The Bissell Mansion, built by Captain Lewis Bissell in 1812 and thought to be one of the oldest homes left in St. Louis, sits high atop a Mississippi river bluff. Besides the cast of characters during dinner, legend has it that visitors have seen the ghost of the Captain in the parking lot, looking up at his house and that a friendly female ghost, perhaps one of his wives, graces the hallways with a smile on her face.
The murder mystery menu includes a choice of an 8 oz. New York strip, chicken parmesan, baked white fish with almondine sauce and sides of vegetables and a potato. Appetizer choices include crab rangoon, toasted ravioli, a cheese ball with zuchinni bread and fresh vegetables with dip. Guests also get a salad, two glasses of wine with dinner, coffee or iced tea and dessert. The cost for the four-course meal is $52.95 per person. For reservations call 314-533-9830.
The Lemp Mansion Restaurant & Inn has a bit more startling history behind it and is somewhat of a local “haunt” this time of year. The downtown mansion, a 33-room Victorian, was built in the 1860s and purchased by John Adam Lemp who arrived here in 1838
from Germany to start a grocery business. Lemp eventually made a fortune making lager beer at a brewery he established, and by 1870 it was the largest brewery in town holding most of the St. Louis market until Prohibition. His son William J. Lemp succeeded his father and the business grew. The empire started to crumble with the first death of William’s beloved son Frederick who died under mysterious circumstances in 1901. William then died by his own hand they say from grief over losing his son. His son William, Jr. took over.
Prohibition forced the brewery to close and William Jr.’s sister committed suicide and two years later the Lemp Brewery, which covered ten sprawling blocks, was sold at auction for a paltry $588,500, although it had once been worth $7 million. Four more deaths would occur in the mansion; William Jr. shot himself in the same bedroom where his father died and his brother Charles killed himself as well. William Lemp III and William Jr.’s brother Edwin both died of natural causes.
Lemp’s murder mystery dinner, which begins at 7 p.m., is “Haunted Hunter” and includes a soup
of the day, salad, entree, wine, coffee, tea and dessert. Call for changing menu items. The cost is $48.95 per person. For reservations call 314-664-8024.
Another option at Lemp is Supernatural Investigation’s The Hunt for Paranormal Activity featured every Tuesday and Thursday in October and Nov. 4 & 18. For $25 guests can enjoy a soft drink or cocktail, light appetizers and the use of an infrared camera to spot paranormal activity while wandering the three floors of the darkened Lemp Mansion. For another $100 guests can check into one of the suites and stay the night – if you dare!
Tags: Downtown St. Louis, St. Louis Attractions, St. Louis Dining
Fall on Tap
Posted on September 28th, 2010 by Alicia McColl
With football season in full swing and cooler weather threatening to settle in, you may be looking for a place to grab a beer and catch a game. Or grab a buddy and order a beer bong.
The Brick House Tavern & Tap in Chesterfield is a comfy place – try to get a booth with couches for benches – lined with TVs for optimal sports viewing and offering a menu full of stick-to-your-ribs fare. For starters try an order of soft pretzels, the Big Onion Stack or the signature Deviled Eggs appetizer, filled with crispy bacon and fire-roasted jalapenos. Their Roughage, manspeak for salads, includes a Bad Boy Chopped Salad, a Caesar Salad or a Beefed Up Steak Salad with tenderloin beef medallions, grilled onions and creamy balsamic.
Entrees, averaging abuot $10, include a Doublewide Sloppy Joe, dripping with beef, cheddar, onions and jalapenos, a Tavern Fish & Chips platter and numerous burgers, sized from 1 brick XL to a whopping 3 brick XXXL 1-1/2 lb. super size. The Kobe includes 100 percent ground Wagyu, brie, balsamic caramelized onions on a knot brioche bun.
At first glance it’s hard to miss a table with a beer bong, a tubular serving apparatus that serves hand-pulled cask beer on tap as needed. The Brick House has an assortment of imported lagers, ales, stouts and pilsners plus domestic labels on tap, in cans or bottles.
There are tables on a patio and fire pits for cool evenings. The Brick House is located in Chesterfield valley at 2 McBride & Son Center Dr. off Chesterfield Airport Rd.
Tags: St. Louis Dining, St. Louis Nightlife
Casual Lakeview Dining
Posted on September 17th, 2010 by Alicia McColl
Every once in a while the weather seems to cooperate and beckons diners to restaurant patios across the area. Two local cafes include a bonus – a lakeside view within scenic St. Louis parks.
The Boathouse in Forest Park, a manageable walk from the zoo, serves an identical lunch and dinner menu with a variety of salads, burgers, pizzas and specialty items to choose from. The menu includes a Salmon BLT for $8.15, Boathouse Baby Back Ribs (half-slab for $9.99 and full for $18.99) and a Black Bean & Corn Veggie Burger ($7.99) to name just a few of the popular options. A kids menu offers tot-friendly items such as chicken fingers, pb&j and turkey and cheese plates for $4.15. Sunday brunch, served from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., features an a la carte menu that includes a hearty Boathouse Breakfast Platter with eggs, bacon, sausage links, hash browns and cheddar biscuit, for $8.15, and Smoked Salmon & Smoked Trout Salad Platter for $8.99.
There are tables inside or out, alongside the Post-Dispatch Lake, and in the Beer Garden, where bands perform Friday and Saturday evenings weather permitting. (See www.boathouseforestpark.com for schedule.) If you feel inclined to work off lunch or dinner, you can rent a paddle or row boat ($15-$20 per hour) and explore Forest Park’s Grand Basin. Thursdays through September there’s even a Moonlight Paddleboat Picnic option for $32 per person that includes a basket with wine, cheese spread and flatbread, your choice of wrap, popcorn, fruit and chocolate biscotti and a boat until 10:30 p.m.
The Boathouse is located in Forest Park at 6101 Government Dr.
The Creve Coeur Lakehouse is on Creve Coeur Park’s smaller lake, a popular walking and bicycling destination. Many people park here to access the paths which wind around both lakes. There’s a bar and small sitting area inside, but the attraction is the large patio facing the lake where diners can have a bite to eat and a cold drink. The appetizer menu includes a heaping Chicken Nachos Plate that’s $9.49, Stuffed ‘Bellas (portabella mushrooms filled with spinach, artichoke, melted provolone cheese and roasted red pepper) and Pretzel Bites for $6.99. Wraps, salads and sandwiches such as the Lakehouse Bleu, two chicken strips, melted Swiss with sliced ham with mayo and bleu cheese on the side for $8.99, fill the menu for lunch and dinner. Breakfast is now served on the weekends.
There are no boats to rent here, but a few words of caution if you are not an animal lover. It is possible to look up from the menu and see a Marmaduke-like creature seated next to you. Well-behaved dogs are allowed to accompany diners here on the patio and bowls filled with water appear next to some tables for just this occasion. Bands perform Friday and Saturday evenings (see www.cclakehouse.com for a schedule).
The Lakehouse is located at 2160 Creve Coeur Mill Rd., just off the Maryland Heights Expressway.
Tags: Forest Park, St. Louis Dining
Valentine’s Day In and Around St. Louis
Posted on February 8th, 2010 by Erin Callier
The question on what to do for Valentine’s Day is always a difficult one. And, since the big day falls on a Sunday this year, it’s not just a day, but a whole weekend full of romantic events and special menus at some of St. Louis’ best locales and restaurants.
So, what to do, what to do? Shall you go out? Stay in? Make it a big to-do or simply rely on a little something from the fine and emotionally pithy folks at Hallmark? Well, we can’t make that decision for you, but if your decision is to go out on the town, read on for some of St. Louis’ most original and romantic Valentine’s Day happenings.
On Valentine’s weekend all three locations of Drunken Fish (Laclede’s Landing, Central West End and Westport Plaza) will offer three nights of “Drunken Love.” Dine on a sushi sampler menu, and for groups of four or more, enjoy a free bottle of champagne at one of St. Louis’ most seductive sushi spots. Make your reservations online at the Drunken Fish Website or call the location of your choosing.
If you’re not currently coupled, Drunken Fish is also tossing a “Sexy Single’s Siorre” at all three locations on Sat., Feb. 13 from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. There will be a $5 cover for men, no cover for the ladies, plus a free “flirtini” for the first 100 gals to arrive at any of the three Drunken Fish locations. Additional specials include $1 sake shots, $2 wells and $3 Anheuser-Busch beers.
On Valentine’s weekend, spend an evening at one of the Cheshire Lodge’s most romantic rooms for just $79. 
You will be greeted by a bundle of fresh roses and the Cheshire will make dinner reservations for two at LoRusso’s Cucina on the Hill. A driver will deliver you to LoRusso’s, where you will enjoy a bottle of champagne, compliments of the Cheshire. The price of dinner is not included in the $79 room rate.
On Saturday, Feb. 13, The Boathouse in Forest Park will offer a casual, yet romantic lakeside Valentine’s celebration. Featuring a special dinner menu for the evening, the Boathouse offers one of the most beautiful locations in St. Louis. To view their Valentine’s specials, visit the Boathouse Website. Make your reservation online or call 314-367-2224.
Over Valentine’s weekend, Monarch in Maplewood and Herbie’s Vintage 72 in the Central West End will each feature special menus for the romantic occasion. Some menu standouts include a dynamic cheese course and Coquilles St. Jacques at Herbie’s or Maine Lobster Ravioli and Broken Arrow Ranch Axis Venison Duo at Monarch, which is just as much of a mouthful to say as it will be to eat.
Click here for Herbie’s special Valentine’s menu and here to view the superb offerings at Monarch.
In Midtown, The Fountain on Locust is offering three very different ways to 
celebrate Valentine’s Day. Purchase decadent handcrafted chocolate candy and receive another for half off with The Fountain’s coupon. For a more offbeat Valentine’s, check out The Fountain’s Valentine’s Sweet and Sassy Burlesque on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 9 p.m. Then on the big romantic day itself, The Fountain will feature their “Valentine Sensuous Dinner Special for TWO” for just $19.99 per couple, which will include a free glass of wine.
On Saturday, Feb. 13, the Grapes to Glass Tour at Stone Hill Winery in Hermann isn’t billed as a Valentine’s Day event, but wine, cheese and more has the makings for a perfectly divine day that St. Valentine himself would envy. For just $25 per person, 
Stone Hill’s Grapes to Glass Tour is a special VIP wine tour and tasting, in which a member of the Stone Hill staff leads an insightful tour of their Norton vineyard, tasting room, press house and more. Enjoy a special barrel and tank sampling, a wine & cheese tasting, and free souvenir wine glass.
Tour begins at 2:45 p.m. and size is limited to 40 people. Advanced reservations are accepted. Call 800-909-9463, ext. 21 for reservations.
Afterwords, dine at Stone Hill’s Vintage Restaurant and keep the romance going.
For a memorable Valentine’s Day for two, the Untamed Hearts” Valentine’s Day Dinner at the Saint Louis Zoo will feature a four-course meal for $125 per couple (gratuity and tax included) at the McDonnell Center at River Camp in the heart of the Zoo. In addition to a romantic and scrumptious meal, you and your Valentine will get a special perspective on the Zoo’s fascinating inhabitants.
6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. seatings on Saturday, Feb. 13 and Sunday, Feb. 14. Limited reservations. Call 314-646-4857 by Friday, Feb. 12.
Tags: Herbie's Vintage 72, Ice Kitchen, LoRusso's Cucina, Monarch, St. Louis Dining, St. Louis Nightlife, St. Louis Zoo, Stone Hill Winery, The Boathouse, The Cheshire Lodge, The Drunken Fish, The Fountain on Locust