Schlafly Bottleworks (St. Louis)

Schlafly Bottleworks
7260 Southwest Avenue
St Louis, MO 63143
(314) 241-2337

After visiting the Magic House and hanging out in Forrest park for a while, we headed over to Schlafly Bottleworks to have dinner with some Memphis friends who were also in town for Spring Break.

As you can see, it is a very large place. Inside is the actual brewery, a bar, a large family-friendly dining area, and a store with lots of merch.



The weather was still chilly, so their amazing patio/beer garden was not open. I imagine it's the place to be when it's warm.



Schlafly's is THE local brewery in St. Louis, and it is what Chuck Skypeck modeled Bosco's after locally. It is pretty impressive inside, and I can definitely see how Bosco's grew from it. (If you've ever been to the Ghost River Brewery downtown, just imagine Bosco's being attached to it and you get a fairly close approximation of Bottleworks.)

The coolest thing about the Bottleworks is that they offer tours of the brewery about every hour. We unfortunately planned our visit for a Sunday, and arrived just after the last tour.

Once our friends arrived, we quickly and easily secured a table for seven--three adults and four wild monkeys (Satchel, 9, Jiro, 6, E, 7, and S, 5). There were several other families in attendance and since the dining room was well lit and separate from the bar area, I wasn't worried about disturbing any of the serious drinkers. However, I was interested in having a drink.

Warren and I, after consulting with the waiter, got a sampler. (The waiter told us it was equal to a pint and a half, which we considered a reasonably amount of alcohol to consume with food over a two hour period and still be able to drive our children safely back to the hotel.)



Our friend was not a fan of beer, so she went with a refreshing cocktail instead.

Warren started with the darkest beer and worked his way down. I did just the opposite.



The kids had been given menus to color and were pretty happily doing so, until our friend whipped out her kids' iPods. So naturally, we followed suit. I think it was probably the right move since we were outnumbered and interested in having an adult conversation. (I do normally have a no iPod/DS rule unless we are in for a long wait.)



When it came time to ordering food, I was torn between salads. I planned to do a half soup/half salad combo, but the waiter recommended the Sesame Tuna Salad ($11
Black sesame seed encrusted tuna medallions--seared, served rare--on top of our spring mix with sesame-roasted cashews and creamy sesame dressing.) which wasn't a half soup/half salad contender. But, I'd had a mini beer already and was feeling as though I should take his advice. My friend followed suit. It was a lovely salad, though I wasn't a fan of the creamy dressing.



Warren inexplicably went with the Veggie Chicken Enchiladas ($12 Match vegetarian chicken & cheese enchiladas with black beans, green chili sauce & rice blend). I failed to get a photo, but he seemed to enjoy them.

Schlafly's uses a number of local purveyors and has a pretty fantastic menu. Had I not been focused on my friend and drinking, I might have paid a little better attention to what we ordered. I probably would have ordered more too! (Hello Farmer's platter, bison nachos, and Bottleworks bacon sandwich!)

They didn't technically have a kids' menu but they did offer a kid’s version of their bison burger ($6, 4 oz. w/ Jack cheese on bun served with applesauce) and half size pizzas.

Three of the four monkeys went with the burger. For Jiro I asked if I could sub the applesauce for one of their other amazing sides--Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Sautéed Vegetables, Billy Goat Chips, Rice Blend, Smoked Gouda Gratin, Three-Grain Blend, Pan-Fried Corn, Slaw, Creamy Potato Salad and Grilled Asparagus--and was given the go ahead. I opted to get him the pan fried corn and my friend went ahead and ordered a side of grilled asparagus for the kids to share. Satchel asked for a pepperoni and artichoke pizza. It was awesome to have vegetables among our choices.



When the kids' food arrived, they all very agreeably stopped playing their games and got down to eating. They all pretty much polished everything off too. The corn and the asparagus were a big hit and the burgers must have been yummy because I never even got a bite. Satchel did save me a slice of his pizza and it was world's better than the kid's pizza Jiro got on our last trip to Bosco's.

Our bill came to $61.50, which is more than we usually spend, but totally reasonable considering both Warren and I had the beer sampler ($6.75 each). I coudl have easily dropped another $50-$100 in the merch store buying t-shirts and growlers of beer to bring home, but I controlled myself.

On our next visit to St. Louis, I definitely want to go back and try a few more things. And if it's nice, I definitely want to sit outside! Schlafly's has a second location near the City Museum downtown, but I'm not sure if the atmosphere is as family friendly.



And a quick note on the bathrooms--they may be the coolest bathrooms we've ever come across. They're large, clean, and eco-friendly. The toilets even have a special flusher for #1 and #2 which conserves water.

That's right--good food and educational!

Crown Candy Kitchen (St. Louis)

Crown Candy Kitchen
1401 Saint Louis Ave
St Louis, MO 63106
(314) 621-9650



We first heard of Crown Candy Kitchen on Man vs. Food. We were not interested in doing any crazy milkshake challenge, but we liked the idea of going to a local institution. It was a short drive from the hotel in a part of town that is seemingly deserted (Old North St. Louis). Crown Candy--and maybe a bank--seemed to be the only place in business.

We arrived just before noon on Sunday, and were able to get the last booth available. (It's a seat yourself kind of place, and by the time we had our menus there was a line out of the door.)

Satchel (age 8), who was still exhausted from our two trips to the City Museum the day before, was barely keeping it together. "I feel like my legs could disintegrate," he noted.

When you walk in, the first thing you'll notice is candy. They weren't kidding about that.



I was able to convince Jiro (age 6) that he could have some candy AFTER lunch. (When I realized how pricey it was, I was later able to convince him to get a treat elsewhere.)

Behind the candy is the soda fountain, and old timey booths make up the rest of the space which was built in 1913. It was very Wiles-Smith minus the pharmacy. The walls were lined with clippings and cartoons, and everything felt very homey. I especially liked the mini juke boxes on the table. (They were just for decoration, but the song titles provided a good chuckle.)



The menu was pretty limited--sandwiches and shakes for the most part. I was hoping for a good burger, but went with what they had. Turkey club for me, Reuben for Warren, Ham & Cheese for Satchel, and Grilled Cheese for Jiro. They all came with chips and a pickle. Warren also got a chocolate malt and Jiro asked for a cherry shake. (Satchel was under the impression he'd be able to eat a sundae after finishing his lunch.)

Our waitress, Breanna, was very nice and got our orders in right away. The shakes came out very fast and again reminded me of Wiles Smith, due to their enormity.



I had planned on only having a sip, as did Satchel, but it was clear that this was going to be a team effort.




Jiro repeatedly rubbed his tummy and said, "So good."

As we sipped, we easily understood why the food won in the Man vs. food episode. Five malts would kill you.



While we waited for the food, Satchel asked us a million questions about Daylight Savings time. (We "sprang forward" the night before.) Needless to say, it made me feel stupid and gave me a headache. Or maybe that was the milkshake.

Speaking of the shakes--they pretty much ruined our appetites. By the time the food arrived, I don't think any of us was hungry, but we did our best.



The sandwiches, like the shakes are massive. They're grilled, which makes them really yummy (and fattening).



If we were smart, or had agreeable children, we would have let them share a sandwich. Likewise, Warren and I could have easily shared. In the end, the kids ate their chips and a few bites of sandwich. I forced myself to eat half of mine.

Turns out, Warren ended up with a BLT instead of a Reuben. It took me awhile to get Breanna's attention, but once I did she happily sent it back for a replacement. Unfortunately, the replacement came about twenty minutes later. Suddenly our quick bite to eat was turning into an ordeal. I had to eventually let the kids play on their iPods just to pass the time.



Warren's additional wait time did give him the advantage of working up a bit of appetite. He polished off his entire sandwich, much to my amazement.

Once he was finally done, I wasn't sure if Breanna was going to bring us a check, or if I should pay at the counter. Again, it took me awhile to get her attention, but once I did, we managed to settle up fairly quickly. Our bill was $29 plus tip, which was reasonable. (We could have easily spent half that if we shared.)

I'm glad we went and experienced Crown Candy Kitchen. I'm not sure we'll venture back though unless we're craving giant milkshakes...or a little girl made of chocolate.



A final note--I did visit the bathroom, which was a one seater. Clean, but definitely no room for changing a diaper.

Pho Grand (St. Louis)

Pho Grand
3195 S Grand Blvd
St Louis, MO 63118-1022
(314) 664-7435

During our Spring Break weekend in St. Louis, I was determined to eat somewhere awesome. A couple of friends recommended Pho Grand, which considering our love of Vietnamese food, was a pretty easy sell. We headed over on Saturday night, between our morning and late night visits to the City Museum.

It was a short drive from our downtown hotel and I was also excited to see a new part of town. South Grand had a lot of Asian restaurants up and down the street, including our very own Sekisui. I would have happily eaten at Sekisui were I not on the lookout for somewhere "new."

We arrived around 7:30pm and could see people waiting outside for a table. When we went in to add our name to the list, we were given a buzzer and sent upstairs. There we found several other people waiting and became somewhat concerned that we might be in for a long wait. The monkeys (Satchel, 8, and Jiro, 6) only cared about getting back to the City Museum as soon as possible. They could care less about eating!

I kept the monkeys entertained by playing hand slap with them, which was fun. Several of the people around us--mostly couples--had drinks. I can only guess there was a bar downstairs and that they knew the drill. If we were smart, we would have asked for a menu to review, or at least looked online. When we were buzzed for a table fifteen minutes later, we soon found ourselves staring at a long and unfamiliar menu.

The restaurant was on the fancy side--I'd say it was closest to our beloved Vietnamese Bistro, which recently burned down. There were no other families dining, and I could see the look of fear on people's faces when we walked through the small dining room to our table.

I asked our waiter to recommend some dishes since we were at a loss. Jiro had already announced he wasn't eating and Satchel had decided on our standard noodles with eggrolls and pork. The food came out very quickly and looked great.

I especially liked the Cari Ga--chicken curry with rice.



Warren was a fan of the Tom Sautee--shrimp with garlic and onions.



I liked everything except the calamari that was mixed in with the shrimp. It had a chalky texture, which I attributed to the large cut.

The Bun Bi Cha Gio looked like we expected:



Satchel definitely enjoyed eating the pork off the top and slurping the noodles. (Yes, he has a bad habit of eating with his fingers!)



He also pointed out that one piece of pork looked like a dragon.



Warren and I ended up helping him finish off the noodles and egg rolls. Jiro agreed to have a small portion of rice and a few noodles, which he painstakingly tried to eat with chop sticks.



I'm pretty sure the waiter suggested "safe" dishes for us. If we go back, I'll try something more exciting like the lotus root salad.

Our bill was a very reasonable $30 plus tip.

Another selling point of Pho Grand is the gelateria next door--Gelateria Del Leone. We popped in for a little dessert and coffee before heading back to the museum.

Las Delicias (East)

Las Delicias Mexican Bar and Grill
4002 Park Avenue
458-9264

It's been nearly four years since we took the monkeys (Satchel, 8, and Jiro, 6) to the original Las Delicias. Although my review was fairly positive, I can only attribute our lack of a return visit to our methodical and time consuming sampling of every Mexican restaurant on Summer Avenue and Macon Road.



When the East Memphis location opened up a while back, there was renewed buzz, so I went for lunch one day. It was good, but I didn't consider it anything special after having tried so many other Mexican restaurants in town. Over the summer, I did buy the chips and salsa and guacamole from the stands at the Cooper-Young Farmer's Market and Memphis Farmer's Market, and enjoyed them very much. (I do think the thick, greasy-ish chips are a bit of an acquired taste.)

Finally, a few weeks ago, we decided to check it out with the monkeys. It was always Friday night when we tried to go, and it was always busy. The idea of actually standing in a line to get in did not appeal to me.

Two weeks ago, we headed over again on a Friday, but at 6:00pm. It was clearly before the rush, and we had our choice of tables. We sat down at a large table in the center of the restaurant. It was round and had little flaps that folded down to make it square. I immediately started trying to fold down the flaps because the table was way too large for four people, despite having only four chairs. The chairs are extremely large too. In general, I'd say that the furniture is ridiculous. Before the space was Las Delicias, it was Wang's Chinese Restaurant. (Right?) Clearly the furniture was leftover from that, but even at a Chinese restaurant, I'd think it was too large and ridiculous.

Since they weren't busy yet, we asked to move to a smaller table by the window. The table was smaller, but the chairs were still on the large side.



We were immediately given chips and salsa, which got our minds off of the furniture. I ordered a round of waters, cheese dip for the kids, and a frozen margarita for myself. (My back was killing me and I needed it!)



I noticed lots of people starting to filter in, and I can only assume it threw our waitress for a loop. She brought the kids' waters in styro cups with tops, but with no straws. It took me a good 5 minutes to get her attention and ask for straws. (Satchel just took his top off, but due to their size, I wanted them to keep the lids on.)

Soon my margarita came and it was perfect, minus the coffee stirrers I was supposed to drink it through.



Enough complaining about straws. On to the food. I'd been craving tortilla soup, so I ordered a bowl of that. Jiro wanted tacos, so I got him two chicken tacos minus the cilantro and onion with the addition of cheese. (I'm pretty sure the menu has a listing for gringo style tacos. That's basically what he wanted, I suppose.) Satchel, claiming not to be hungry, said he only wanted beans and rice. I knew that Las Delicias had the charro beans, which he liked elsewhere, so I ordered him those. Warren has been on a burrito kick, so he went with a pork one.

To pass the time while we waited for the food, the monkeys engaged us in conversation about Justin Bieber's new haircut, which I thought was hilarious. They also noticed when Simon (from American Idol) made an appearance on the TV behind me. And no dinner conversation would be complete without a thorough discussion of what they want for their upcoming birthdays.

The food came out fairly quickly. My soup was smoky and spicy. The chips they put in were already a tad on the mushy side which kind of made it less than awesome. Satchel wanted a taste, but it was too spicy for him. I ate about half, passed it to Warren and then ordered some guacamole.



There's no question that the guacamole is the star of the menu. However, I don't think they do anything special beyond using fresh ingredients. I'm pretty sure that Warren could replicate it at home.



Jiro was very happy with his tacos, which came out looking more like tostadas. He ate them in their entirety which is rare for him. (Apparently he ate them quick since I seem to have no photo!)

Warren was happy with his burrito but didn't think it was anything special. "I don't get the hype," he said. "It's good, but there are better places with better atmosphere."



Satchel ate all of his rice, which came out looking quite fancy.



The proliferation of cilantro on top of his charro beans marred them in his eyes. Warren tried some mountain top removal which got him to eat some, but most of them came home with us. (I have to add that the small to go cup we were given for the beans was a bit kersplunkleflunkel and the beans dripped everywhere, which really sucked.)



When we got our ticket, which was $29.85, I explained to Warren that people like Las Delicias because it's good enough and it's cheap, plain and simple. ($30 is pretty standard for our meals, but I don't usually order alcohol, so $30 with alcohol is pretty cheap in my opinion.)

By the time we left, the place was mobbed. I think Las Delicias has done a great job catering to their clientele. The East location is decidedly more gringo-fied than the original. Also participating in local farmer's markets is commendable. I'm not sure we'll be rushing back to the restaurant anytime soon, but I plan to continue my love affair with their chips, salsa, and guacamole as soon as the market season begins.

YoLo Midtown

YoLo Midtown
6 S. Cooper
343-0438

Jiro (age 6) and I went to the new YoLo Midtown last night in what we anticipate to be the first of many visits.

The Midtown store, located next to Lenny's where the old convenience store used to be on the corner of Madison and Cooper, has everything we've grown to love at the Erin store...and more. In addition to multiple frozen yogurt flavors and numerous local toppings, the Midtown store also offers house-made, all natural gelato and freshly baked yummies from the now in-house Lady Bugg Bakery.

The inside is set up pretty much like the other stores where you choose your flavor, add your toppings, and then weigh at the register.

Adjacent to the register are the baked goods and gelato selections. (Gelato is not self-serve.) A few of their current gelato flavors include: Mint Chocolate, Nutella, Mascarpone, Tiramisu, Pistachio, Strawberry, and Roasted Almond. (Yum!)



A few bakery offerings include: Vegan Muffins, Hello Dollies, cupcakes in various flavors (changes daily), Lemon Tarts, Lady Fingers, and fresh cookies, baked daily. (Um, double yum!)

The interior features the bright colors and clean lines of the other stores and already feels like its been a part of Midtown forever. YoLo did an amazing job tailoring the store to Midtowners' tastes. Case in point--the addition of a variety of coffee selections from Millington-based McCarter's coffee. And that's not all--they plan to add a patio as well.

For our inaugural visit, we stuck to the basics--frozen yogurt and our favorite toppings.



Jiro, who has been properly instructed in the best way to enjoy self-serve yogurt, allowed me to dispense the yogurt for him, and then said, "I'm only going to get two toppings. Maybe three." He carefully inspected his choices and added M&Ms, one Thin Mint cookie, and a few Reese's Pieces. He offered me a taste, and they perfectly complimented his selection of half peanut butter, half cookies & cream yogurt.



I went for a mixture of espresso (my fave) and white chocolate mousse. I added a teeny bit of candy bar and lots of delicious looking blackberries.



We took a seat and enjoyed our yogurt with several other Midtowners who wasted no time packing the store.

I should also mention that the new store is also Project Green Fork certified. That means recycling, earth-friendly containers, non-toxic cleaners, and energy-efficient practices.

(PGF is having a gelato flavor naming contest too!)

The new store is just the tip of the iceberg for YoLo. They are also unveiling their mobile airstream which will be available for private parties and other events. (Once City Council passes the new food truck ordinance, you will see it in public venues as well!) Look for the YoLo mobile at the upcoming Levitt Shell season and at future Rock-n-Romps!

Seriously, could YoLo be more awesome??

Why yes, they can.

If you visit the store today between 3-4pm, you can take part in the official ribbon cutting and sample some gelato for free!

La Michoacana

La Michoacana
4109 Summer Avenue
phone number not found

I noticed La Michoacana on one of our many drives down Summer Avenue a few weeks ago. It's in the same strip as El Palmar (near Graham). Since it's set back from the road a bit I just assumed it was a Mexican restaurant. In fact, I thought Caminos de Michoacan had opened a second location.

Then a friend of mine emailed me and said she heard that it was a paleteria, which is a popsicle store. My regular readers know that I am a serious fan of paletas, so this news totally excited me. In fact I found the news too good to be true and prepared myself for a let down. I assumed they would be mass produced rather than made in house, but I decided to get the monkeys (Satchel, 8, and Jiro, 6) and check it out just to be sure.



Much to our delight--and surprise--we walked in to find hundreds of house made paletas in every flavor imaginable!



They are actually made at the store's second location on Winchester, but they are definitely made in Memphis and shipped over in batches. La Michoacana also features homemade ice cream, agua frescas, and a few other things. The girl seemed to really want to sell us on the ice cream, but we had popsicles on the brain! There was no listing of flavors, so we had to rely on her memory and ability to translate the flavors into English. Here are a few that she remembered: Oreo, rice, cocoa, prune, tamarind, strawberry, kiwi, grape, guava, and cantaloupe.

Jiro wanted the cocoa and Satchel requested rice.



I kept looking at the popsicles and finally found what I had been searching for--pineapple chili. Score!



I paid up ($1.95 each) and we went to sit at a booth and enjoy our dinner. (We agreed to have vegetables for dessert.) My pineapple chili wasn't as elegant as the one I had at the Meltdown in New Orleans, but it was good enough--just a bit on the chunky side.

Jiro gave me a bite of his and it was quite tasty.



However, we all agreed that Satchel's was the best. (I think the flavor is technically arroz con leche which is a type of rice pudding.)



As you can see here, Satchel soon felt like we were taking advantage of his generosity. "You took a bite this big!" he croaked at Jiro.



Since it was 7:30pm on a coldish Thursday night, there weren't very many customers. The girl came over to wipe off the tables behind us and chatted with us a bit. She said they had been open about a month and that they definitely had some pretty busy days. Since the bulk of the customers were hispanic, she was curious to know how we'd heard of it.

After we chatted for awhile, Satchel asked if he could have some elote. The menu board advertised it as corn on the cob, but when he got his it was in a cup. It didn't matter, we are fans of the corn mixed with cream, lime, cheese, and chili pepper anyway it is served.



Since we were making another transaction, Jiro and I decided we should probably try another popsicle. This time he went with the Oreo.



I continued to quiz the girl about the flavors and was thrilled when she said, "Coffee." Sold!



The coffee was really, really good. Again, not as fancy as the popsicles at the Meltdown or Las Paletas in Nashville, but perfectly delicious.

"I want to work here," Satchel announced. "I could wipe tables and sweep the floor."

"Why do you want to work here?" I asked.

"To make money," he said (with a "DUH!" tone of voice).

"I want to make popsicles here," Jiro added.

"Why?" I asked.

"So I can eat them!" he announced excitedly.

Satchel was taking his time enjoying his corn and refused to give me and Jiro more than just a bite. Jiro asked extra nice if he could have one too. So, I went up and made our third transaction in fifteen minutes. The girl laughed and said, "Next time you come, you can pay when you leave."

As Jiro worked on his corn there was much talk of having a birthday party there--the monkeys highest compliment.

I think that once the temperatures start to creep up there's going to be a line down the sidewalk here like you see at Jerry's. (There's plenty of seating inside, a water fountain, and restrooms--so it's three up on Jerry's there. Oh, and air conditioning--that's four!)

Check it out and tell me if you find a good flavor we missed. I'm also curious to hear how the ice cream tastes. The girl kept saying it was made with cheese.

In addition to elote, they also sell nachos and chicharrones preparados, which were described as pork rinds with cabbage, cheese, avocado, and salsa.