« September 2008 | Main | November 2008 »
Posted at 09:18 PM in Food and Drink, St. Louis, Steak, Wine | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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With the daytime temperatures in St. Louis dropping to around 65, its getting to be a great time to make home brewed beers. My first beer of the year is an Extra Special Bitter, or ESB.
Posted at 02:52 PM in Beer Culture, Cigars, Homebrewing, Slow Food, St. Louis | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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I recently got back from Austin, Texas were I attended a wedding and generally ate my way around the city and the outlying areas. Austin is an interesting city with a vibe that reminds me of Madison, Wisconsin and Burlington, Vermont.
Posted at 09:28 PM in Austin, Texas, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted at 12:00 AM in Beer Culture, Chicken, Food and Drink, Grilling, Slow Food | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
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From time to time I mention that I prefer to shop for meat at traditional butcher shops instead of local chain supermarkets and warehouse clubs. Most recently I discussed this idea in a post about cooking great steaks at home.
I've found that having first name relationship with a knowledgeable professional who is willing to discuss ideas and cooking processes with you leads to better results in the kitchen and your back yard barbecue. Finding a local resource for quality meat and customer service takes some work, but it does pay off with your finished product.
Since I posted that article on steaks, a few friends have asked me to explore this idea a bit further. I thought it would be a good idea to not only dig into what to buy at your local meat counter, but how to find one in the first place.
Here is a brief checklist that you can use to get started in your search:
Examples:
Posted at 12:00 AM in Chicken, Grilling, St. Louis, Steak, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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I have been struggling with the concept of “best” lately, especially what it means to achieve its largely objective status.
As one who often represents his own opinions as facts, I am trying to develop a healthy understanding of what the term “best” actually means. When applied to food, best seems to be a dichotomy. Best is an appreciation for perfection. Best also represents the end of the search for that perfection.
With this in mind I visited Llywelyn's Pub in St. Louis to try what has been deemed by many as one of the best burgers in town. Llywelyn's has several locations; Webster Groves, the Central West End and Soulard. Conversations with friends led me to the Soulard location, which is known for having the best service and friendliest waitstaff. Indeed our waitress was attentive and pleasant though out our meal.
The Llywelyn's Pub burger is a six-ounce chuck burger topped with caramelized onions, bacon and sharp cheddar cheese. The burger and toppings ride inside a thick English muffin which is browned on a griddle before serving.
The beef burger is quite good and cooked as requested, which for me is medium to medium rare. The patty was well caramelized, again appearing to result from a griddle and not an open flame, and added an additional layer of flavor to the interior juices and unadulterated beef taste. Kudos are deserved for the choice of an English muffin for this burger, its heft and dense structure absorbs the juice from the burger from start to finish without becoming soggy or weighted down.
Condiments are available table-side, but are quite unnecessary given the pub burgers choice of partners. The bacon is crisp without being burnt and while the onions were not caramelized in the true sense of the word, they had been sweat to the point where they were a sweet and savory addition.
I continue my tradition of being outwardly hostile to idea of adding cheese to a burger, but my wife thought the healthy slice of sharp cheddar fit well with the concept behind the burger - telling me exactly that multiple times throughout our meal.
It is at this point that the idea behind the “best” begins to fail me yet again. Is the burger at Llywelyn's Pub the best in St. Louis? I think probably not. It is however one of the most well thought out burgers I’ve had in a while and appeals to my appreciation for culinary simplicity. To often burgers hide behind toppings to compensate for poor technique and lack of attention. This is not the case at Llywelyn's and for that reason I can say it is one of the better burgers I’ve had in town - if only to not allow the idea of “best” end my search.
Opinion: Recommended
1732 9th Street
St. Louis 63104
314-436-3255
Posted at 11:37 AM in Food and Drink, Hamburgers, St. Louis | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted at 12:01 AM in Current Affairs, Environmental Issues, Food and Drink, Politics | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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Five More Wishes For Better Dining In St. Louis (And One Of Them Includes Provel) via St. Louis Magazine Magazine
Taco Time via Feast Magazine
Out To Lunch: Annie Guns via Feast Magazine
Out To Lunch: Joy Luck Buffet via Feast Magazine
Andrew Mark Veety's Five Food Wishes For the New Year via St. Louis Magazine Magazine
The Best Breakfasts in St. Louis via St. Louis Magazine Magazine
Out to Lunch: Water Street Cafe via Feast Magazine
The Dish: Woofie's Dogs via Feast Magazine
Out To Lunch: Kabuki Sushi & Fusion via Feast Magazine
Late-Night Bites via Feast Magazine
Out To Lunch: Cardwell's at the Plaza via Feast Magazine
Out To Lunch: Ranoush via Feast Magazine
Out To Lunch: The Ritz-Carlton via Feast Magazine
Nice Buns! 4 St. Louis Restaurant Breads That Make The Burger Even Better via Feast Magazine
Out To Lunch: Winslow's Home via Feast Magazine
Out To Lunch: Milagro Modern Mexican via Feast Magazine
Stewed by Niche w/Gerard Craft of Niche, Mike Emerson of Pappy's Smokehouse & Jeff Lehman via StewedSTL