Food-Trip

Isn’t this terracotta lion amazing? He’s from 1892 and was a detail on a St. Louis building. Loved seeing the lions and more in the Urban Archeology exhibit at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation.

Headed to Amsterdam? Our quick itinerary packed in the best of world-class museums, amazing chocolates and pastries, gourmet food and rijstaffel! Check it out and let me know your Amsterdam tips...

Amsterdam adventures Making the most of a few days in Amsterdam includes the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum and rijsttafel, chocolate, pastries and more!

Santa kindly granted a last minute opening at the bar at Louie. Merry Christmas to me! I’ve taken this same photo so many times that the pork gnoccho is like one of my children. I love this dish so much with its hearty pork ragu and creamy bechamel. The lemony, tangy Brussels sprouts are the perfect side. The bar seats are fun, where you can watch the action of the wood fire oven, the talented and attentive bar staff and see what everyone else is eating. I ❤️ Louie!

Food-Trip: Christmas Tree Cake and More!

Amsterdam at night.

Dinner in Amsterdam at Kaagman & Kortekaas. Fancy food in a relaxed, bustling open dining room. I don’t even like oysters, but what a cool presentation! We had pumpkin 3-ways, partridge and a scallop, venison mousse and pears, the weirdest dessert ever—crispy, fishy rice with mango and a visit to that fabulous cheese cave. Food adventures with

I love brunch! Bowood makes it hard to choose—the offerings are so good. Today I went for the croque Madame with a lovely salad so I could pretend it was healthy.
Good company too 😁

The building at the High Museum is part of the art. Such a cool building. Love the new Paris exhibit.
thanks for the visit

Gourmet Club Turkish style!
Our cooking club is going strong and it takes a bunch of work to make it all come together.
Starting with dessert first, this syrup soaked semolina cake was perfect mix with freshly whipped cream and pistachio dust. I made muhummara (red pepper walnut dip with pomegranate molasses) and a whipped feta with honey accompanied by pita from Global Foods. We enjoyed a beet salad with olives and almonds, chicken in a creamy sauce with a date-studded rice and a side of leeks stewed with carrots.

Still thinking about my butter soaked grilled lobster at The Optimist. The rolls were maybe the best restaurant rolls I’ve ever eaten, especially when dipped in lobster butter!

The fish dip was tangy and smoky, the beignet style hush puppies were a treat and then we shared a Smith Island stacked cake. And then the best dessert was (omg!) the extra rolls our server gave us on the way out. Such a great dinner. Loved that this restaurant was mentioned in the Elin Hildebrand book I just read too!

Pizza Margherita. Haven’t perfected my skills in the outdoor Ooni knockoff oven, but I’m having a good time practicing.

What a sexy fish this branzino was with the gorgeous harissa sauce. The lobster Mac and cheese was also dramatic. But the ringer was the sky high peanut butter and chocolate cake with a pour over sauce. Also enjoyed a strawberry St. Germain cocktail the bartender invented for us. Fun hall of mirrors on way to restroom. Nice addition to Caesars Las Vegas.

Caramelized catfish//sweet and salty and moist with lots of rice to soak up that great sauce. Started with a fun giant Bahn Bao stuffed with pork and a hard boiled egg. Balanced with a light fish sauce Vietnamese chicken salad. Just what my daughter wanted before she heads back to dorm food.

Just realized the pizza I made looks like a ❤️! I’m not great at the shaping yet, but each pizza is getting better in my outdoor Ooni-knockoff oven. The Italian 00 flour from Pastaria Deli and Global Foods helps. Not overloading the sauce helps. Having fun experimenting with pizza.

Splurged on some Nathaniel Reid Bakery treats — can’t decide which one was best. Lemon, chocolate or raspberry pistachio. All fantastic! Best French pastries outside of France. 🇫🇷

RIP P*e Wee.
Love that The Blue Duck had an Ode to P*e Wee special at brunch today…and the St. Louis Monte Cristo with smoked ham and LouBerry jam was a decadent salty sweet side friend (kinda like Chairy or Ms Yvonne). Saw P*e Wee on Broadway in the 2010s stage show and adored him from the third row.

My favorite part of a visit to Charlie Gitto’s is when the gigantic mixing bowl of Parmesan comes out and the server makes it snow all over your pasta. We hadn’t been here in years and I’m so glad we went back. Everything was delicious—Arancini with two sauces (the best was creamy walnut pesto), gnocchi, lobster spaghetti, rigatoni with chicken and spinach and they do birthdays really well. My husband felt special and we all benefited from his restaurant choice. The place was packed on a Saturday night, but loud and lively and fun (unlike some places where you can’t even hear each other). Lucky to live in St. Louis with The Hill!

Lunch or art?
Yes.
Love the plating at Winslow’s, along with the delish flavors of this beet and strawberry salad with pistachios and summer herbs.

Thanks for lunch

First, I love food. Second, I love a deal. Clayton Restaurant Week in St. Louis is the best. 801 Fish is always delicious…but even better when it’s $50 for three scrumptious courses. The generously sized scallops were perfectly seared. I love that they were sitting atop a creamy base of corn. It was the perfect summer heat relief July dish. The peach salad with peppery arugula and a balsamic glaze was light and lovely, allowing room for dessert. We shared the Key lime pie tart and the flourless chocolate cake. Yum!

Dinner with an unbelievable view!
Go City!

Gourmet Club goes Golden Age of Hollywood⚜️
We glammed up and had a fancy dinner with duck breast with cherry sauce, potatoes au gratin, fancy peas, shrimp with aioli, a chilled corn and basil soup (my personal highlight), and an Atlantic Beach pie (a lemon-lime mashup with a salty saltine crust). Lots of cocktails to match: French 75s, Co**se Revivers and The Grable-a bourbon cherry drink. So lucky to cook, eat and get creative with this group ❤️
(how did we end up with 2 delicious piggy 🍷?😂 )

Spent my birthday in Kansas City with great food, BBQ, my husband, Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis and Weird Al. Read all about it!

Big Slick Kansas City Big Slick celebrity filled weekend in Kansas City

Brunchy at Little Fox! Italian eggs Benedict with polenta, mortadella and a crisp peppery arugula salad. Loved the kitchen watching seats. Mike liked the meaty sandwich with cheese fondue sauce. Yum!

Excited to land a last minute reservation at one of the best restaurants in Park City, Utah—Riverhorse on Main. The best fried green tomato dish ever—blue cheese creamy sauce, avocados and a fried egg. Genius combo. Followed by a lovely wild salmon with eggplant and a candied brittle—sounded bizarre, worked perfectly. Dessert was a berry crumble, almond cookie and vanilla gelato. This entire dinner was fantastic and the place lived up to the hype.

A visit to a Webster Groves classic—Big Sky Cafe—was a reminder to visit old favorites, not just the new. Loved happy hour cocktails on the patio followed by crab cakes, mushroom toast, shrimp tomato flatbread and outstanding desserts: a peanut brittle sundae and a caramel apple pie. No wonder this place has been around for so many years!
🍎

This pasta glows. It needs no editing or filters. A little oily, a little creamy, al dente perfection with Calabrian chilis and lobster. Plus, so rich I held off to make sure I had lunch leftovers today. Pizza was enjoyed and a sweet, fruity salad with tangy dressing was a healthy addition. The service was perfect and afterward we had a private wine bar experience and a citrus-rosemary cake that paired perfectly with the herbaceous flavors of natural wine. Great night/double date night ❤️at Olive + Oak and Clover and the Bee.
+oak

Dinner at Bulrush STL was a highlight of our weekend being a tourist in our own town...see more about a long weekend of arts and eats on the blog.

Dessert first! Can’t resist the vanilla ice cream on a hot chocolate brownie at The Crossing. It’s perfectly sized and packs a punch with each bite. I also snapped a photo of my goat cheese beet salad, which is so pretty it looks like a dessert. The tasting menu here is such a value and you get so many fabulous flavors. Don’t miss the homemade pasta or the fish or well, anything at this St. Louia classic restaurant in the heart of Clayton.