rant: fine dining

[G. Keenan]

Generally Chicago's food trucks are overpriced, but the quality has gotten a lot better now that they're allowed to cook on their trucks. In my opinion they aren't as bad of a value as they used to be.

Was previously steamtable basically? Maybe weren’t allowed to use propane stoves?


There have been multiple food truck fires across the country with injuries and fatalities. Propane is nothing to play around with.

I'm not sure what kind of equipment they are allowed to use now. I think previously all of the cooking had to be done off site and all they were allowed to do from the truck was sell it. Maybe they could assemble a sandwich or a taco or something on the truck from what they'd already cooked offsite. There was also a city ordinance preventing food trucks from setting up within 100 yards, or something like that, of a brick and mortar restaurant. Given how many restaurants there are in Chicago it was very hard for food trucks to find places they could park. I think this ordinance might have since been lifted, but I'm not sure.

[lukethedrifter]

So maybe not a safety issue but a competition issue

[lukethedrifter]

Here’s my incomplete visitors guide to eating in St Louis. Left out some good spots due to location in a mall, distance from downtown, food available in specific visitors hometown.

I think what I’m going to is put the food recs in categories

Coffee and pastries:
*Comet Coffee on Oakland near Forest Park (incredible croissants and bear claws)
*Blueprint Coffee - Delmar Loop

Breakfast:
*Squatters Cafe near the Fox http://www.feastmagazine.com/the-feed/s ... e3604.html
*Rise Coffee in The Grove
*Osage in CWE- part of Bowood Farms Nursery
* Egg not too far from downtown. Haven’t been but gets good reviews.
*Winslows Home in U City west of Loop. Really good. Nice place. Lunch & dinner too.
*Clover & Bee in WG

Old school St Louis lunch:
*Gioia’s Deli on The Hill for hot salami. Opened an outpost downtown recently as well. https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/ ... affa7.html
*Crown Candy in Old North St Louis- for atmosphere, food is fine not spectacular
*Blues City Deli in Benton Park - sandwiches
*SmokiOs on N Broadway - takeout bbq, black St Louis bbq so get sauce on side



New school St Louis lunch:
*Union Loafers in McRee Town near Tower Grove- incredible bread, great soup https://www.vogue.com/article/insiders- ... s-missouri
*Balkan Treatbox food truck for Bosnian- if you can find them (instagram)
https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/ ... 84344.html
*Grace Meat + 3 in The Grove
*Guerilla Street Food on S Grand or Delmar Loop for Filipino

Cocktails:
*Taste in CWE
*Planters House just west of downtown
*Cielo (where we had Dad’s birthday) for the view
*The Grand Hall at Union Station because the lobby is beautiful

Old School St Louis dinner:
*Tony’s downtown -never been but it’s the old standard
*Al’s north of the Landing for an old school high end steak place frozen in time. Known for no prices, no menu. And being hard to find in industrial area.https://www.stlmag.com/dining/restauran ... estaurant/
*Charlie Gitto’s downtown for not great Italian and sports memorabilia etc on walls
*Broadway Oyster Bar just south of downtown. Cool atmosphere, fun, great music, Cajun/New Orleans food. Lunch too.
*Bar les Freres in Clayton - tiny little classic French place with very cool old French atmosphere. Kinda new school, kinda old school

New school dinner:
*Vicia in Midtown. Lunch also. Lots of raves. Veg centric. My experience was so-so. That said, they are getting big time national props. https://www.bonappetit.com/city-guides/venue/vicia
*Sidney Street Cafe In Benton Park- been around long enough to almost qualify for old school.
*Privado in the Loop - single seating, expensive, haven’t been but based on reviews and his other restaurants. Must buy tix in advance. Think you can walk in to bar though.
*Farmhaus off 44 & Arsenal - I want the wild mushroom salad right now.
*Billie Jean in Clayton. Same owner as Bar Les Freres. Cool space. Asian influenced.
*Louie on Demun - is really good but Michelle made me put it on here
*Olio in McRee Town- casual, cool spot in old gas station, highly rated sister restaurant Elaia attached

Neighborhoods:
Cherokee Street — lots of authentic Mexican, Vista Ramen, Frankly Sausages, Fortune Teller Bar featuring sandwiches from The Cut http://www.feastmagazine.com/the-feed/s ... 4909f.html

Loop— Blueberry Hill plus others named

CWE for lots of patio dining, Brasserie, Taste, etc

Maplewood — bars, other good restaurants including Reed’s, Benevolent King, Side Project for serious beer people

The Grove — Urban Chestnut beer hall w German style food, Everest for Nepalese, Ready Room for concerts, Gramophone for late night sandwiches, etc


I’m sure I left something out yet gave too much info.

Hope it helps

[tlombard]

I have one beef with your list. The other food at Crown Candy may be just OK but don't you EVER sleep on the BLT with a banana malt for what may be the perfect lunch as far as I'm concerned.

[haltz]

Anywhere I need to eat in Miami tonight?

Went to La Camaronera in Little Havana for lunch. Despite being on DDD it was great.

[thrill]

Anywhere I need to eat in Miami tonight?

Yardbird is really good.

[haltz]

That looks great but they are booked until 10pm and we have an early flight tomorrow morning. That is probably going to be an issue in general tonight.

[InvincibleCakeEater]

Eating at The Order in Springfield Mo tonight. Menu looks pretty damn good.

[33anda3rd]

I have questions for people who eat brunch in restaurants.

What are your go-to brunch dishes?

Are you looking for traditional breakfast food, or something different?

Are you interested in dishes that are super chef-y and playful and outside the box at brunch?

How heavy do you like to go?

If there was a menu with like 8 dishes and then under "sides" you could do eggs, toast, bacon, hash browns, but there is not a menu item that's a combo of those things, would you miss having that item on the menu that has all those side things as one dish? Is it weird to not have that one dish that's a traditional breakfast plate?

If you're in the mood for steak at brunch, would you rather have a grilled skirt with a couple fried eggs, or a country fried steak with gravy?

Edit to add another question: Do you go for the breakfast or the lunch part of the brunch menu?

[MrCrowesGarden]

I have questions for people who eat brunch in restaurants.

What are your go-to brunch dishes?

Are you looking for traditional breakfast food, or something different?

Are you interested in dishes that are super chef-y and playful and outside the box at brunch?

How heavy do you like to go?

If there was a menu with like 8 dishes and then under "sides" you could do eggs, toast, bacon, hash browns, but there is not a menu item that's a combo of those things, would you miss having that item on the menu that has all those side things as one dish? Is it weird to not have that one dish that's a traditional breakfast plate?

If you're in the mood for steak at brunch, would you rather have a grilled skirt with a couple fried eggs, or a country fried steak with gravy?

Don't go a ton, but when I do I think I'm looking for a menu that's at least 2/3 breakfast food, if not more. Even a brunch buffet is fine with me. I think omelettes have to be on the menu. I go fairly heavy when I do eat brunch. I think it feels out of place to have one dish that isn't a traditional breakfast unless that quirkiness for lack of a better word is what the restaurant is going for. Either steak option at brunch is fine with me-- I've done both, probably prefer chicken fried steak a bit more.