The Liquor Store

The Liquor Store
2655 Broad Avenue
901-405-5477



I've already thoroughly documented my love for The Liquor Store over on the I Love Memphis blog, but I still wanted to see what the monkeys (Satchel, 15, and Jiro, 13) thought. So for this year's (really last year's) lunch with Chip and his fancy camera, which doubles as our annual family photo, we went to the Liquor Store.

Read: All photos by the amazing Chip Chockley!

In addition to my monkeys, my mom, and Chip, we were joined by Chip's wife, Steph, and their two monkeys (Connor, 14, and Chloe, 11).

Before lunch, I insisted we all go to the newly restored Grand Carousel at the Children's Museum to work up an appetite. It's really quite fun, and it goes faster than you'd expect. (Chip got a lil queasy standing backwards snappin pics.)



There's a separate entrance and it's $3 per person, per ride. Rides are every 15 minutes on the quarter hour.



Ok, on to lunch! The building used to be an actual Liquor Store and owners Lisa & Luis Toro were inspired by that lovely hunk of metal pictured above, hence the name. In reality it's a diner, but they also have a full bar.

I called Lisa to let her know I was bringing 8 people, but considering the size of the place, they really can't guarantee anything. However, we got lucky and were able to get seated together after just a few minutes.



I had done a LOT of talking up of the Loaded Fries so Satchel knew he wanted them. However, he wanted them all to himself, not as an appetizer. This caused a bit of teenaged angst when I informed him that meant he had to wait and eat them when everyone else got their main dishes.

This angst was further fueled by the fact that Team Chockley had easily agreed to share an order as an appetizer.



Now, I will say that having ordered these multiple times, they do come out different every time. I would attribute it to the fact that the Liquor Store has only been open, what, two months? And like any new place, they are working out the kinks. However, no matter what the proportion of gravy to Cuban pork to aioli to cheese to fries is, it ALWAYS tastes great. (One time they even ran out of their standard skinny fries and it came out with girthy fries and ...still good!) The way the cheese gets crispy around the edges on the grill is my favorite part.





I didn't want our end of the table to die of jealousy, so I put in an order of papas rellenas.



Looking at the current menu, they appear to have been cut. Which is understandable because they did not, in fact, cure our jealousy.

When Satchel finally got his very own Loaded Fries he was super cranky about sharing...until he realized there was no way he was going to be able to finish them.

Jiro, who is my breakfast lover, went with the Pancake Stack (which comes with 2 eggs and a side of breakfast meat) and an extra side of hashbrowns. The Liquor Store serves breakfast all day! Actually all menu items are available all day! Yay!



His side of hashbrown's was accidentally given to Chloe who was next to him, and by the time the replacement came, he was stuffed. No worries, he took them home and ate them about an hour later.

My mom went with the Breakfast Hash with Cuban Pork at my recommendation.



It was a little heavier on pork than I had previously experienced, but that just meant that she had leftovers for a sandwich later.

Speaking of, none of us ordered the Cuban, but Chloe did. It was bigger than her head. (And she's got a big head.)

I think she ordered it without pickles though, which is CRA-ZY.



Chip & I both got the Blue burger which comes with applewood smoked blue cheese, caramelized onions and bacon. It's so good. It's preventing me from trying other things on the menu.



Oh hey, BIG NEWS for my VEGAN and VEGETARIAN homies. The Liquor Store just added the Impossible (TM) Burger to the menu! You may have heard of it as the "vegan burger that bleeds." I had one in New York and it really, really could fool a meat eater.

Ok, back to our meal. I am not sure what Connor ordered as it isn't photographed, but Steph had the Grilled Cheese (white cheddar, Swiss and American cheese) with potato salad instead of the usual choice of tomato soup or fries. (Apparently Steph is as weird as Chloe.) Actually, I think Connor maybe shared the Grilled Cheese with Steph? Anyways...



Sadly, we didn't save any room for pie.



I love looking in the pie case by the front door. Well the PIES in the pie case, that is.



All of the pies and most of the breads are made in house. Don't be like us. Save room for pie!



All in all, we had a great meal. There were a few bumps along the way, but the more I go to the Liquor Store, the more I am impressed with the service and the food. And I like that they are adapting the menu along the way.

Hope to see you there soon!

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.

Three Angels Diner

Three Angels Diner
2617 Broad Avenue
452-1111



Every Wednesday, my mom comes over and we take the monkeys (Satchel, 8, and Jiro, 6) to Taekwondo practice. When practice is over, we take turns picking a restaurant for dinner. This week was technically Jiro's week to choose, but because my mom just had her birthday we let her choose. Her choice was for me to pick some place new. I'd been looking for an excuse to take the monkeys to the newly opened Three Angels Diner by our house, and now I had one.

Three Angels is owned by the Severs, who also own Bari, and who have three monkeys (aka angels) of their own. Even though the restaurant has a full bar and is in the hip, Broad Avenue arts district, it is very welcoming to families. I went for lunch the day they opened, and Warren and I went for dinner one night when the monkeys were at a sleepover. Both times I was impressed.

My plan was to let the monkeys play pinball while we waited for our delicious dinner. As soon as we walked in, they made a beeline for the machines. Sadly, they both had an "Out of Order" sticker on them (as you may or may not be able to see in my crappy picture).



They actually took the news pretty well, probably because it was delivered by David Parks, famed midtown bartender and server. He is also a father and knows how to keep monkeys laughing. (i.e. The first thing he asked Satchel was why he was in his pajamas.)



Within minutes of sitting down, the monkeys had befriended David and were placing their orders. They wanted hamburgers with "meat, cheese, ketchup, pickles, and bread." David tried to trick them into asking for mustard or onions but they couldn't be fooled. He mentioned that they had potato and squash soup, and after I assured them that Daddy put squash in the potato soup at home, they agreed to have some of that too. "I want cheese and bacon on mine," Jiro said. "Me too," said Satchel. I reminded them that we weren't at Huey's, but David assured us that cheese and bacon was no trouble and in fact, it was a great idea.




Jiro and "Bruce Lee" chowed down while my mom and I pored over the menu. We were both indecisive as everything sounded good. David read us a long list of daily veggies and we were both tempted to just get veggie plates, but in the end she ordered the organic beef short ribs and I went with the Momma's Veggie sandwich and brussel sprouts. (Yes, I was trying to make a healthy choice.)

The monkeys literally licked their bowls clean. (I begged them to stop.) And then, declared the soup as good as Huey's. That's a pretty big compliment!

Once the soup bowls were cleared, we had a brief discussion about how they know Santa isn't real because there's no way he could get down our chimney and that I should just stop telling them that he's watching. "We know you use your money to buy us presents," Jiro said. Now that they are both in the elementary class, I see no reason to keep up the ruse. "Fine," I said. "Then you can rest assured that I am watching your every move and making MY list of who's naughty and nice."

That shut them up! Haha.

When our entrees came out I was immediately sad that I did not order a burger.



It looked and smelled a lot better than this picture lets on. (The "mood lighting" in the diner made snapping good pics near impossible. If you want to take pictures of your food, go in the daytime!)

Jiro and "Jackie Chan" wasted no time digging in, and I feared I wouldn't even get a bite! Thankfully, Jiro hooked me up. Nothing against the Momma Veggie sandwich (house baked tofu, red bell pepper, lettuce, red onion, pickle, house made mayo, veggie bacon, and oil & vinegar), but the beef has WAY more flavor.

Here's a sad picture of the Momma Veggie:



You can't see the tofu, but if it was baked it was just barely. It had a very soft consistency. I think the fake bacon and the red pepper saved the sandwich from complete blah-ness. It's pictured here with homemade chips (yum!) and the standard Three Angels deviled egg. When I reminded David of my brussel sprouts he quickly told the kitchen. They were fantastic. Next time I am definitely getting a veggie plate.



I wondered what my mom would think about the short ribs since Jennifer Biggs, in her CA review, made a point of saying they were actually brisket. (Turns out that was just a snafu.) However, my mom said that they reminded her of what she grew up calling "soup meat." I was surprised to see the grits look more like polenta, but the green beans looked tasty.

Another horrible picture:



My mom saved me the last bite of everything and my only comment was, "Huh, kind of bland." She'd eaten the whole thing without complaining, but noted that growing up she would have had the meat served with horseradish sauce to spice it up.

Overall, I'd say we had two very happy monkeys and two satisfied adults. We all had room for dessert, so we kept going. Jiro got the banana cream pie, Satchel got the cookies, my mom got the lemon ice box pie, and I got two spoons.





I was tasked with selecting the best dessert, and while they all three tasted great, the banana pudding was the clear winner in my mind. And, much to my delight, Jiro could only eat about half of it.

When all was said and done we had half a hamburger, some chips, 3 deviled eggs, some brussel sprouts, and one chocolate chip cookie to take home to Warren. David packed the leftovers up in two eco-friendly containers much to my satisfaction. (Three Angels and Bari are not Project Green Fork certified, but I understand they do several PGF-type things on their own.)



Satchel successfully covered himself in chocolate and Jiro needed to use the restroom, so I escorted them to the Men's room. (The restrooms are the back storeroom and you can get a sneak peek in the kitchen when you visit.) I glanced in the Men's room briefly and didn't notice a changing table. I'm pretty sure there wasn't one in the Women's on my last visit, but I didn't think to re-check.

My mom picked up the tab, but I made her tell me what it was so that I could report it here: $48 plus tip. Not bad considering the monkeys had soup (I'm pretty sure David had them split a bowl) and we ordered three desserts.

And I couldn't leave without having my picture taken on one of the awesome orange sofas in the front under the even awesome-r Bobby Spillman painting.



I think you can *almost* tell that Three Angels is lovely and bright and colorful in this shot.

David walked out with us and made sure we got to our car ok, which was very nice of him.

We'll be back.