Date Night: Katie's Pizza and Pasta Osteria

I've been a fan of Katie's Pizza in Clayton for a long time, so Katie's Pizza and Pasta in Rock Hill has been on my "Restaurants to Visit" list ever since it opened. Though the two are not technically a chain (one is owned by the actual Katie and one is owned by her father, our server was quick to inform us), anyone who loves the original Katie's is sure to love the new spot. 

Old Standard: More Than Just Standard Fried Chicken

This past weekend my husband and I finally paid a visit to Old Standard. I say finally though the restaurant has only been open for a month because I've been eagerly anticipating eating here since the restaurant was first announced last year. Fried chicken is probably my favorite food, or at least, it's what I usually *say* is my favorite food. My tastes have been veering a bit more towards the sweet and carby side of things since I've been pregnant, to be totally honest. Which is why I ended up really liking Old Standard. The fried chicken is the star, no question, it's even part of the logo, But what really makes this place stand out in comparison to most STL fried chicken places is everything else on the menu.

Dinner at Niche: Cause for Celebration

Recently, my husband and I celebrated our third anniversary with a visit to Niche. Back when Niche was in Benton Park it was our go-to restaurant for special occasions, but we had not returned since the restaurant relocated to Clayton almost over a year and a half ago. I’m not sure why it took us so long to get back, especially since Niche was just as fantastic as ever and remains my top choice in St. Louis for a fine dining splurge.

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Eating Adventurously at the Libertine

I recently got around to visiting the Libertine for the first time during Clayton restaurant week. If you are looking for a new place to try for Valentine's Day it would be a great choice; the space is very cozy and romantically lit without being too dark.

Image courtesy of the Riverfront Times

The only issue I had with the space itself was that we were seated at the table closest to the bar, and I felt a little like the people who were standing nearby waiting for a table were staring us down. If you prefer more privacy, request a table in the back when making reservations.

Crispy pig tails with polenta.

For the first course, I had the crispy buffalo style pig tails with whipped gorgonzola brown butter polenta. The pig tails were a bit greasy for my taste and I didn't get a lot of gorgonzola flavor from the polenta. I probably would not order this one again.

The terrine board.

My husband has to try any terrine he encounters, and the Libertine's housemade board with Pâté de Campagne, Porchetta di Testa, pickled carrots, apple butter, and crusty bread did not disappoint.  At $8 for a half order that was large enough to serve as a meal on its own, the board is also a great value.

The ramen bowl.

The dish at the Libertine that I had been most looking forward to trying was the ramen, which is served with a soft poached egg, pickled shitake mushrooms, and molasses bacon. While the molasses bacon was delicious, the pieces were so large that it was a bit difficult to eat. The pickled shitakes added some much needed acid to the dish, and in my opinion were the best part.

The highlight of the Libertine for me were the cocktails. My favorite was the Monseigneur Bocephus, a bright and complex mixture of bourbon, Benedictine, sarsaparilla soda, and local honey. I'm definitely planning to try to recreate this one at home.

For dessert, I had red velvet cake with cream cheese ice cream, candied cocoa nibs, and dried beets, which doesn't seem to be on their regular dessert menu. The cake and ice cream were great on their own, but the beets added an unexpected earthy sweetness and crunch that made the dessert truly outstanding. If they have it when you go, it's definitely worth a try.

Overall, the Libertine suitably lived up to its decadent name. I definitely plan to return for cocktails and ramen as soon as I can.

I Got Some Strange...Donuts

I visited Strange Donuts in Maplewood on the day after their grand opening. I've been hearing about this place for months and anxiously awaiting my chance to try some unusual donut creations. I would call myself a donut fan, and while St. Louis has never lacked excellent options, I've always felt like there was room here for a more eclectic take. However, if I'm being honest (and I always am) Strange Donuts did not entirely live up to the hype. Overall, the strangeness could stand to be turned up a few notches. 

Source: Feast

The only donut that was remotely strange to me was the gooey butter cake, and for the wrong reasons. Aside from the fact that the one I had was chocolate, which probably wouldn't be my first choice, it smelled chemically buttery, like fake butter from a movie theater. Plus, it just didn't deliver the decadent gooey-ness I expect (and love) in my city's most famous sweet confection.  I do think there is an opportunity to create something truly out of the box with this item by running with the butter smell and developing a popcorn donut. Sure, it might be out of some people's comfort zones, but isn't that the point? If Strange Donuts is determined to do a gooey butter donut, then I recommend adding some cream cheese. It isn't an ingredient traditionally included in gooey butter cake, but there isn't much in this world a little cream cheese won't improve.

My dislike for the gooey butter donut might lead you to believe that my experience at Strange Donuts was entirely negative, which was not the case. I actually really loved their raspberry fritter, which was crisp and crunchy, without being greasy, and tasted like real fruit- always a plus in my book. Not sure if it qualifies as strange, but it was definitely delicious.

The store is actually really cute on the inside. Source: Feast

I was quite disappointed to learn that they do not offer their chicken and waffles donut (seemingly the most unusual of their creations) in the daytime, which to me is a huge mistake. I, for one, would welcome a sweet/savory, sticky, fried start to the day. I suppose I'll have to wait until the next time I'm in Maplewood at night to try it, which honestly may be quite a while. 

Chicken and waffles donut: denied! Source: Strange Donuts

I don't know if I'll be revisiting Strange Donuts any time soon. There are just too many good donut shops closer to my house; I happen to live in a magical donut triangle on the south side of St. Louis between Donut Drive-In, World's Fair, and St. Louis Hills Donuts. None of these places ever have a wait time of over five minutes, which, judging from the line I stood in today, probably will never be the case at Strange Donuts. However, if anyone wants to share their raspberry fritter or chicken and waffles donut with me, you better believe I will be down.

Dinner at Olio

I had the pleasure of eating at Olio (http://oliostl.com/) over the weekend to celebrate a friend's birthday (ahem, Samantha Page). I've been wanting to try it out since it opened as I'm a huge fan of chef/owner Ben Poremba's other restaurant Salume Beddu (one of the best places to get a sandwich in St. Louis according to me and, well, everyone that goes there). Olio shares some of the same meats, cheeses and sandwiches as Salume Beddu, but also offers salads, dips, a huge wine list, and even pies in jars, which I regrettably did not get the chance to sample.

Photo courtesy of  St. Louis Post Dispatch

Olio is charming both inside and out. Our party sat in the wine cellar which unfortunately was too romantically lit for me to photograph. However, the intimate setting was perfect for our group. Though the main room of the restaurant was jumping with a Saturday night crowd, we were all able to talk easily across a large table without raising our voices. The staff were very accommodating of our group and split our check among several couples without any trouble.

My favorite dish was probably a pizza-like flatbread from the seasonal menu that involved anchovies, onions, olives and an amazing tomato sauce. I heard from fellow diners that the carrot harissa salad was wonderful as well, though I didn't get to try it myself.  The artisan meats and cheeses were, unsurprisingly to me, wonderful. The only disappointment was the rotisserie cornish game hen, which was a bit bland, though the vegetables it was served with were delicious. Most of the dishes we tried were around $10, aside from the game hen which was $22.

Don't you wish your kitchen looked like this?

Overall, Olio is a lovely place to get a bite and a few drinks with friends, especially if you have friends that are into wine. I also hope at some point to visit Olio's sister restaurant Elaia located next door, but since it is a bit more expensive than Olio I'll have to save up.