Scape Easter Brunch – God Golly Miss Molly

Date Dined: April 20, 2014

Rating: 5 Stars!

I’ve only been to Scape once for dinner, and I found it very tasty, but nothing to draw me back there for the prices. It was almost like they were trying too hard. Everything had a weird little twist to it. For example, I think I ordered the pork and it came with a watermelon based sauce. The tastes clashed in a weird way.

But brunch there is nothing short of amazing. Of course when rating a buffet brunch, you can’t expect everything to be amazing (for example the bacon is going to be prepared in batches), but Scape tried its damndest.

Two days before Easter and we still hadn’t made reservations for our brunch with our parents. We called Scape and they were unfortunately booked, but placed us on our waiting list. With some trepidation we were headed to central table for overpriced porridge and pancakes. Luckily, Scape decided to open up their patio and we were in.

Upon parking we were promptly greeted by the hostess and she took us out to the back courtyard. On the way we passed an omelet/traditional breakfast station, a dessert station, a raw bar, and a grill. The courtyard was beautifully decorated, brick floor, arch gables, and ivy. Our table was parked in the shade. Unfortunately, later on a band set up right next to us, but luckily, we were almost done with our meal so got out of there before it got too loud to hear.

The first station I hit up was the grill sporting ham, round steak, large chicken legs, and chorizo. The steak was far and above my favorite, ranging from medium rare to rare mostly. There was a tasty crust on the outside that tasted of garlic and caramelized onions. The chicken leg had been marinated in a greek styled herb marinade and was likewise tender and savory. The chorizo was nicely charred, but a little too spicy for my taste. The only lackluster dish was the ham. I couldn’t taste any of the maple and it was ridiculously salty.

Next, I ventured to the raw bar. We are talking impressive: crab legs that had been pre-split, oysters, cocktail shrimp, grilled asparagus, an assortment of nice salads, and beef Carpaccio! Oh… my… god, the beef Carpaccio. It was sliced thinly, raw as the day it was culled, topped with slivers of parmesan and capers, and drizzled lightly with olive oil. I could have eaten two entire plates alone. The oysters were my second favorite. They were either freshwater or thoroughly rinsed, although I do wish they had been a little sweeter. Everything tasted fresh, delicious, and the station never went empty.

The omelet station was located near the entrance and also featured bacon, eggs, and sausages. The eggs and sausages were nothing special, but the bacon was delicious if you like it crispy and thick. The omelets were really above and beyond. You could tell that they didn’t dilute the egg mixture, it was just like I made it at home. A wide assortment of fillers were available including ham, bacon, green onions, red onions, two cheeses, tomatoes, peppers, and a few others. Something I truly enjoyed about this particular station was that the chef actually listened to you. I don’t like the omelets running, and he actually listened! There was just something about the egg scrambled delight that made it above average.

Lastly and definitely not least were the desserts. Oh the desserts. Jess and I sampled approximately twelve different desserts and there were at least ten more left. I’ve pictured them above, but among my favorites were the chocolate mousse tart, a lemon meringue tart, a rich chocolate cake, and a chocolate box filled with mousse, and liquor filled cherries. And no wonder! They were all prepared by an in house pastry chef. There was also a crepe station, while not serving anything special, at least they knew what a crepe was supposed to be like, light, fluffy, and slightly sweet. I could go on for pages, but I don’t want to bore you.

Mimosas made the meal perfect. The only thing you have to watch out for is the bill. A table of six, including coffee/espresso, and a few mimosas will cost you $400 after tax and tip. Definitely a special occasion sort of deal, but Jessica and my parents meeting for the first time was just the right opportunity. If you have the cash, I’d suggest checking out their mother’s day brunch. You and mom could probably get out for about $130. Not exactly an everyday bill, but affordable.

Kreis's Steakhouse - Just Go to Annie Gunn's

Date Dined: April 20, 2014

Rating: 3 Stars

There are some nice things about Kreis’s and you will get a good meal, but you will pay premium prices. If you’re looking to try a new steakhouse, by all means go and give it a try, but this place was… only okay.

One thing I did love about Kreis’s was the atmosphere. Dim, but not dark, and wood paneled all around. Traditional, but not offensive artwork lines the walls, museum lit. I liked it, so far well done Kreis’s. In addition, we were immediately seated, which was to be expected since there were only five full tables, but still nice.

Our server came over and I think that was when things started to go downhill. This guy definitely had a slightly douche vibe. Nothing you could put your finger on, but it was in the curt answers we were given and the lack of personality that signified that he’d rather be anywhere but here.

Service in general was strangely picky about some things and ridiculously bad about others. For example, we always had full water glasses, and new silverware was continually brought out to replace the dirty. However, we were never asked if we wanted another round of drinks, how our meal was and most annoying, the bread!

When we were seated, another couple, obviously regulars were seated next to us. Did I mention that there were only 5 tables seated in our areas? Well done host, well done. Bread was then brought out by the busboy and after looking at our table and theirs, they were handed the bundle of warmth. Not a big deal. Expect another 20 minutes later, after our orders were placed, and our appetizers given, still no bread. Even though the server said “I’ll put in your orders and bring you out some bread”. Again, at an outback, not a big deal. For a $40.00 steak, I best be getting my bread.

Neither Jess nor I ordered an appetizer, but her parents ordered the bacon wrapped scallops. They looked tasty, but I can’t really speak for their quality since I didn’t taste them.

Jess and I split the Caesar salad and the Kreis’s cut of prime rib with a twice baked potato. Apparently the prime rib is supposed to be the best in all of Saint Louis. I did not find this to be true. What they did not skimp on, was the size. This thing was a beast. I ordered the prime rib rare and it came out medium rare, not a huge deal. What was a huge deal was the large amount of fat that encircled the meat, as well as the toughness of said meat. The au jus was a nice tough, not overly salty, and adding a measure of moisture to the meat, but there wasn’t nearly enough crust on there for me. Mostly, it tasted like it had been placed under a heat lamp for about an hour and then served to me. This thing took some cutting with my knife. (Upon getting it home, I tried to bite into it caveman style and could not sever the meat with my teeth). Plus, they give you this plate that’s just a little larger than the cut, which makes cutting it almost impossible.

The Caesar was good, but nothing special. The twice baked potato was possibly the best part of the meal. It had a nice cheddar crust on the surface and the potato underneath was pleasantly whipped and seasoned with some sort of flavorful spice (tasted like Lowry’s seasoning salt).

All in all, not an awful meal, but for that much money I’d rather hit up Annie Gunn’s. The service was lacking in odd spots and the steak just isn’t up to snuff. If the steaks were $10.00 cheaper, I might up my rating, but not for the price they make you pay. All in all, go somewhere else for a quality steak.

Sugos - Where Half of Everything is Fantastic

Date Dined: April 28, 2014

Rating: 3.5 Stars

After a week of eating nothing but leftover burgers it was time for a change. We decided to hit up Sugos, a cheap Italian place in Frontenac. Nestled in an unassuming building in the Frontenac plaza, Sugos was satisfying, but not amazing.

The décor is fairly simple. A long, wooden table sits in the middle of the room and divides the two sides. Through an arched doorway a second room sits. The tables are all a dark brown wood and fit the overall theme well. There’s a partially concealed kitchen. From the right table you can see into it and witness everything that is happening. There is no bar so don’t both asking for a draft beer or mixed drink of any sort.

The bread they bring out is plentiful and there is a variety. You have your traditional white Italian bread that most restaurants serve, a potato bread that was a little too tough for my liking, and a pre-roasted garlic bread which I found delicious. In fact, if I could have ordered a side of pasta sauce, I think the garlic bread would have been the perfect appetizer. It was crispy with just a hint of softness in the middle, soaked in butter and garlic. Wonderfully bad for you.

Next we ordered the Caesar salad, as people have noticed is usually my staple. As Caesars go it was pretty delicious, I’d probably give it 4.5 stars. There was nothing fancy about it, it was just a good hearty salad. The dressing was just the right amounts of creamy, fishy, and in just the right amount, the lettuce was dark green and crisp, and it was an appropriate size for the price.

For our entrees we ordered the veal Milanese and the pollo pizza. Neither of these in my mind was outstanding, but the veal was tasty. They had done a great job of pounding it flat and making it fork tender. The breading they used was crispy with just the right hint of Italian spices and salt. The garlic lemon pasta was lackluster. It came out with the boiling water dripping onto the plate and you could barely taste the garlic or lemon. It also wasn’t al dente at all, instead being overly cooked and slightly mushy.

The pizza looked delicious on first glance, but I found it to be a little lackluster. (This is a pitcure of the Margherita, we ate the pollo too fast to take a picture!) The pollo had tomatoes, chicken, and caramelized onions. Unfortunately, the chicken was dry and tasteless, the caramelized onions were sparse and undercooked, and the tomatoes likewise barely made an appearance. Now I love a white pizza, but you have to do something with the olive oil. Sugos didn’t. They just layered on some olive oil, put some cheese and toppings on top and then baked it. The crust was crispy, but tough at the same time. You could especially taste the insane amounts of flour they used when you got to the edges of the crust, I almost choked on it. Now I’ve heard that traditional Italian style pizza is crispy and tougher, but if this is it then I don’t want to go to Italy.

The price is really what saves this place from a lesser rating. Most entrees are $10.00 and even the meat dishes are under $20.00. If you’re looking for a cheap place to eat where you’ll leave full this is probably a step up from Olive Garden, but don’t expect to be wowed.

DBGB - Mmm Decadance

Dated Dined: March 30, 2014

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I recently had the good fortune to be in New York for a Pitch conference for my new novel (shamless future plug). Among this good fortune, I was able to enjoy the presence of some wonderful friends and my baby brother. Most of my diet while in the city consisted of pizza by the slice (no complaint here), but on our last night we decided to live the good life and try one of the few things Saint Louis is lacking, a French styled restaurant.

Now I still start out by saying that in hindsight it was more French-American fusion with heavy emphasis on the American, but I had no complaints. I won’t speak much about the décor, but I will say that it was comfortable, the booths were high backed so as to give you a sense of privacy, and the tables spaced widely apart. The open kitchen was also enjoyable, although my back was turned to it most of the time.

Let’s start with the amazingness, the wine list. While many places have an equally impressive list, what made DBGB stand out was the wines by the glass. Straying from the traditional Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Pinot mixture, I found a wide variety of delicious varietals not usually served the glass. I started the night off with a tempernillo, which was not on the ordinary menu, but was made available to me on request. Then, as a Riesling snob, I had to try theirs and it was perfect with just the right amount of tartness and wetness that most Rieslings are missing nowadays.

I started with a selection of various oysters. For New York market price, they were very affordable, ranging from $2 to $4. While none of the oysters disappointed, they also didn’t delight. It was likely that they were getting a new shipment in soon (as it was Sunday) so that might have explained the mediocre taste.There was just a lack of anything except an extreme seafood taste. No sweetness, no saltiness, no buttery aftertaste.

The table followed this up with three sausages. The thai, a pork sausage with basi fried rice, chili sauce and a quail egg. The egg was nice, but this was probably my least favorite. There was nothing to distinguish it from an excellent sausage you could find here. Likewise the toscane, a pan roasted Italian sausage, while tasty, was almost exactly like a high quality breakfast patty.

Finally, there was the lamb sausage, and what a sausage it was! Served on a bed of spinach with chickpeas and braised lightly with lemon, this was perhaps one of the best sausages I’ve ever tasted. It was soft and flavorful, but lacking the unique taste that lamb can sometimes carry with it, making it palable for everyone. In simpler words, it was so moist, it was like eating jello. Delicious!

I ordered the black angus beef duo as my entrée which was a flat iron steak paired with glazed short ribs. Knowing the high quality of beef that awaited me, I ordered it rare. The flat iron steak was charred and cooked perfectly, and they did an excellent job considering usual quality of that meat. Tender enough to be cut with a fork, my only complaint was that there wasn’t enough of it! The glazed short ribs were good as well, but a little bit of a disappointed. I was expecting them to be on the bone, but these had already been taken off an shredded. They were a little on the fatty side, but still no complaints.

Jess and her best friend Emma ordered the Petit Plateau de fruits de mer. It came with east and west coast oysters, mussels, clams, shimp, tuna tartare, periwinkles and whelk. The description sounded delicious, but I would recommend upgrading to the next level up (the grand plate). Also shy away if you don’t enjoy raw seafood, because you’ll be getting a lot of that. She said she enjoyed the oysters, mussels, shrimp, and tuna tartare. The clams were a little off, probably better cooked to be honest, the periwinkles were difficult to get out of their shells and a few were even empty, and the whelk was just plain weird. Again, nothing major to complain about, bu the level up has lobster and crab claws, yum.

To finish we decided to get three desserts as a table. My favorite was the molten lava cake. It was chocolaty and rich an everything you could want. The tables favorite was the soufflé chaud, a small  baked soufflé which was popped at the table and filled with grand marnier. I think I would have enjoyed it more if they used a grand marnier syrup of some sort. The straight liquor overpowered the dish a little bit. We ended the night with a baked Alaska. Now I’ve never had it, and I’ve always longed to try one, but I feel like maybe this was a little disappointed. Instead of being baked, it was flambéed at the table. The meringue was mediocre and the ice cream in the middle very hard. Definitely a dessert for the kids.

So with my wonderful dining experience, why only a 4.5? Because it just didn’t bowl me over. Everything was very good, but only one or two things were fantastic. Everything in New York is overly expensive, but for the price, I needed just a little something more. Maybe a smaller sausage selection that was just a little more unique, or an inspired pairing to the beef duo. Just something.