STL: Satisfied Tastebud Living

Bit of a stretch with that acronym, you think? Think again. While sprinting through the NAFSA: Association for International Educators conference with 8,199 of my fellow colleagues, I fell into several delicious St. Louis locations.

A disclaimer: I had a bit of a headstart, having been to St. Louis before. I knew all about the secrets of gooey butter cake from Park Avenue Coffee, crunchy and fabulous toasted ravioli, Imo’s Provel cheese pizza, and Ted Drewe’s Frozen Custard. A true St. Louis experience would be truly lacking if you did not check these off of your To Eat list.

This time, with a packed conference schedule, my touring looked a lot like Business Barbie gone mad. Luckily we were staying right next to the Arch, so we filled our eyes with the iconic structure every day – in thunderstorms and sunshine. Our conference took place at the America’s Center smack in the middle of downtown STL, so we were well placed to explore .. I mean, work.

Bella’s FroYo

Robust Wine Bar

Rooster

Food & Drink:
* Pi @ 610 Washington Avenue (Mercantile Exchange): Roasted veggie bruschetta, along with the refreshing Pi Squared Cocktail: basil, vodka, something sweet.
* Rooster @ 1104 Locust Street: s’more sweet crepe? Um, yes. Apparently also a grand breakfast place, but I was focused on the crepe situation.
* Local Harvest @ 9th & Locust in the Old Post Office: A multitude of sandwiches, salads and some smoothies. Although I was crushed the Winter BLT was no longer available, the Mediterranean sandwich + green salad was excellent.
* Renaissance Hotel @ 800 Washington Avenue: again, while conferencing there is a lot of speed eating / dating / networking / meeting. This was a nearby, healthy, delicious option: Chicken Cobb salad. (unhealthy side note, they totally have gooey butter cake + Ted Drewes custard in ONE).
* Robust Wine Bar @ 635 Washington Avenue: Two words / “wine flight.” Try three wines at once, and stack up the appetizer plates. I tried Bright Whites, and we dined on cheese, olives, figs, crab cakes … it was positively decadent. No wonder it was voted Best of St. Louis 2012.
* Bella’s Frozen Yogurt Cafe @ 1021 Washington Avenue: Imagine my surprise when we discovered such a thing as froyo happy hour .. 50% off on Wednesday afternoons! Sea salt caramel pretzel was a win in my book.

Other lovely locations:

* Left Bank Books @ 321 N. 10th Street: As if my bag wasn’t heavy enough already, I picked up a used copy of Geography of Bliss, $6! Note to self: driving to conferences is bad for your suitcase / car / back.

Was also charmed by Windows on Washington (rustic and open), the Old Post Office (gorgeous venue), Four Seasons roof deck (holy posh), and McGurk’s Irish pub (outdoor patio perfection). Additional thumbs up to the Becky Thatcher Riverboat where we had breakfast, thanks to one of our British partners.

….. just think, next year NAFSA will be in San Diego. I’ll need at least 3 posts for that one.

City Sprint: Chicago

Back to the Windy City, a favorite only a train ride away. Forget the hideous train mates I had on the way up, because there was Chicago waiting for me after a long morning. With several days dedicated to an international education conference, I hopped in and out of restaurants with colleagues and made a splash with friends on the weekend. Bites, beds and other fun below.

BITES:

* Quartino’s – 626 N State Street – Italian – small plates. Shockingly affordable, quite large and home to some outrageously quick service. Proscuitto-wrapped dates, veal meatballs, beet salad and a fresh caprese salad were a perfect way to end the day.
* Grand Lux Cafe -  600 N Michigan Avenue – Americana – a chain restaurant and a gigantic venue. Our waiter was speaking so fast that I suspect there may be a drug problem in the kitchen, but my entree of chicken and gnocchi was quite good. So, rock on!
* French Market – 131 North Clinton – perfect for lunch upon Holly’s arrival at nearby Union Station. We settled for crepes – mine was some crazy Brie, fig, walnut, spinach situation. Sweeter than I expected, but divine. Space to sit and rest your bones after shopping for lunch, dinner or just a weekly batch of produce. Three cheers for markets!
* Giordano’s – (multiple locations) Let the great pizza debate begin. Holly and Kelli had never had Chicago deep dish, so I took them to where I had my first pie. There is really no possible way to eat more than one piece of a stuffed pizza. We made an effort but failed among all the vegetables and cheese. Good place to fail, no?
* The Bongo Room – 1470 N. Milwaukee (multiple locations) – Really, how many times can I pay this place homage? BLT Benedict this time, perfection. Wicker Park location remains my favorite. This is also my #1 breakfast + dessert combination place. See: Chocolate French Toast Tower for dessert.
* Rodity’s - 222 S. Halsted (Greektown) – delicious Greek, and a really cranky waiter. He actually removed silverware from our hands. We tried flaming saganaki cheese, lit on fire just inches from our startled faces. The lamb was recommended tenfold on Yelp reviews, so I went for it. It was good, but I wouldn’t yelp about it!
* Yolk – 1120 S. Michigan Avenue (multiple locations) – While the rest of Chicago chugged along on an 8K run along Michigan Avenue, we headed out for our last meal in town, and one of our favorites. My first time at Yolk (one of three locations) led me to a carnita egg sandwich which was a curious combination, but delicious. Useful for the long morning of transportation that followed.

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BEDS:

* Acme Hotel - 15 E. Ohio – What a funky and fun hotel. At the risk of giving away their entire decorating scheme, let’s just note that there are glow-in-the-dark items in the bathroom, closets outside of their confines, funky fixtures and a sweet chalkboard on the door, college dorm style.
* Silversmith Hotel & Suites - 10 S. Wabash – A quietly luxurious and totally affordable gig (courtesy of Hotels.com deals). Our double room was so spacious and well-appointed, and the hotel is really well located for all sorts of running around in and out of the Loop.

OTHER:

* Signature Lounge @ Hancock Tower – 875 N Michigan Avenue – One of my favorite, dramatic, places in the city to have a drink. It’s 96 floors above the city, and although there is sometimes a wait, it’s well worth it. You do have to cope with multiple tables of amateur paparazzi tourists that take 82 photos of the view, but still – worth it. This beats the Observation Deck because you don’t have an entry fee, and just pay for a drink!

* Thrifting .. the girls can debrief on this way more than I can, because I literally napped through the Goodwill expedition (1201 W. Washington). They had a good look through some of the Wicker Park shops, as well, although some of those – save a $3 basement sale – were a bit pricey.

See you soon, beautiful Chicago!

Rainy day Chicago

There I was: Friday afternoon motoring along in my car on a two-lane highway through the cornfields. Then suddenly – what’s this? Another lane? More cars? A toll booth!? Oh heyyyy, big city!

You know I’ve reached an all time low in my Midwestern experience if I get this much joy from a toll booth. But to be fair, there was more than one (3 tolls total) AND I got to slip back into the traffic dance, complete with aggressive driving and ill timed lane switching. Add this to my anticipation of a weekend in Chicago, and there you find true bliss.

Katie and I posted up at the Four Point Sheraton* by the O’hare airport, both for convenience and price. I experienced some sticker shock while searching for a room, after several visits into the city with someone else footing the bill for my sweet South Loop digs. Thankfully, FPS was clean, comfortable and just right. It also gave us a chance to explore the nearby suburbs. We drove into Des Plaines, Illinois thanks to a recommendation from my new favorite book: A Food Lovers’ Guide to Chicago* (thx Holly!). The review promised delicious Vietnamese* food and we were not disappointed. It was Katie’s first time with the cuisine and I went straight for the pho. Little did I know I would also drink the best bubble tea of my life. I chose avocado and it turned out to be more of a creamy smoothie than a drink.

pho @ Dung Gia

Full & happy, we slept like the dead.. until the alarm clock in our room went off at 6 a.m. Who thinks to check that? I think I will start doing so in future hotels.

So, with a very early start, we headed out via the free hotel shuttle which deposited us at O’Hare airport. We hopped on the blue line and about 30 minutes later we found ourselves in Wicker Park. Our destination was The Bongo Room*, the first breakfast place I ever enjoyed in Chicago, and still one of my top choices. We beat the crowd and only had a 20 minute wait and walked around taking in the view (“oh look another hipster.”) As true foodie friends do, we each ordered different dish and agreed to split. Our savory dish was a chorizo, avocado, and potato omelet and the sweet dish was raspberry Oreo pancakes. The sweet dish took the cake, literally.

Bongo Room ftw

Once again full and happy, we waddled back out to the metro in the gathering rain, and headed to Michigan Avenue. While making use of a brand new TripAdvisor app on my Droid, we started to follow “the arrow.” The app has a feature called take me there and it will literally point an arrow in the direction you need to walk in order to get to your destination. When your GPS is on the fritz, this leads to much laughter and some frustration. Needless to say we accomplished a lot of walking before finally reaching our destination: 900 Shops @ Michigan Ave.*

And then my shoe broke. While walking through Bloomingdales I tripped over my own foot. My Timberland loafer had lost its elastic and literally split in two. Our MacGyver instincts kicked in and we went on a mission to find what we would need to fix this shoe. What can I say.. I would rather spend my money on food then a pair of new shoes. We ended up with a nylon footie from the Bloomingdale shoe department and a paper clip from a nearby intimates store. I was holding out for a safety pin, but this would have to do.

upscale shoe repair

By the time the shoe excitement was over, we needed a drink. We weaved our way to the Cafe des Architectes* and chose our afternoon itinerary: a movie. Again the damn arrow let us in the wrong direction. Or so we thought. There was Katie double checking with her GPS, “I swear GPS says we’re standing right on top of it.” One block down we encounter a Marriott Hotel valet and ask him if he can direct us to the movie theater. He laughs and motions for us to follow him, and when we got to the end of the block he gestured to the third floor movie theater with huge LOEWS sign on the side of the building. I can’t imagine how many times this guy has answered this exact question. Time for some signage on the ground level!

The movie Argo was incredible. If you haven’t seen it yet you need to bust a move and get to a theater immediately. After two and a half heart pounding hours with Ben Affleck, it was time for dinner. Following a recommendation from Nate, we headed out for Italian. As proof of my continued Midwest experience, I completely neglected to think about making a reservation for dinner on a Saturday night in the city. What am I, a novice?

The guy at the door laughed in our faces and said the restaurant was booked through 10 o’clock. At this point, an elderly gentleman turned to me and indicated that perhaps if I took off my hat, let my hair down, and smiled a bit more, we could be seated within an hour. Needless to say I was not in the mood to work for my meal with my broken shoe after a rainy day. We decamped to the hotel and were barely awake by the time our pasta entrees arrived.

With Katie on an early flight, I was out the door soon after. This time consulting the good old internet, I found Egg Harbor Cafe*, just south of the airport in Elmhurst. Apparently this place is a chain, but I’d never seen one before. Thanks to reviewers for pointing me toward a delicious and affordable breakfast. Hot apple cider with free refills, pumpkin pancakes, and a place to do my work uninterrupted. How soon can I get them to Charleston?

hot apple cider

The drive down state was full of wind, up to 20 mile an hour gusts – great for the gas tank and fun for the car. Pushed onward by a brewing storm, I was home by 3:30 and napping by 4.

Next weekend, back to beautiful Madison, Wisconsin for conference, cheese and friends. October is turning out to be a lovely endeavor.

—-

* Four Points Sheraton – 10249 West Irving Park Road, Schiller Park
* Food Lovers Guide to Chicago by Jennifer Olvera
* Dung Gia Annam - 1436 Miner Street, Des Plaines
* The Bongo Room – 1470 N. Milwaukee Ave., Wicker Park
* 900 Shops at Michigan Ave – 900 North Michigan Avenue
* Cafe des Architectes (Sofitel Water Tower) – 20 East Chestnut Street, Downtown
* AMC Loews Theater, 600 N. Michigan (Rush & Ohio)
* Egg Harbor Cafe, 140 North Robert Palmer Drive, Elmhurst

Bright lights, big city

Call it small town detox. Call it Midwestern rehabilitation. Call it the great urban escape. Whatever you wanna call it I’m getting the hell out of Dodge for the weekend!

I’m on the road this weekend heading for Chicago. Its my first time driving north to the city, rather than taking the train. At this point, in an effort to preserve my sanity, I’m pretty sure I would ride a donkey North to Chicago.

This wasn’t a random point and shoot. My dear friend Katie is in the city for a conference so it makes good sense to drive up to spend the weekend with her. Yes, it is Homecoming weekend here in town.. but the lure of friendship, food, and humanity is far too much for me to ignore.

If anything, my time in the Midwest has shown me that there is really no distance  too great for me to drive to get out of the cornfield. I recently wrote about the issues of trying to shop in a small town. While I may not always be willing to make a two hour round trip for a box store, I think nothing of it when there are friends, and food, involved.

Some things I’ve learned about making a road trip.
1. You really have to love your car and love spending time in it.
2. You need a good audio book, a rocking iPod or a talkative companion.
3. You will probably benefit from having a cell phone charger in your car.
4. Towns with a population of 200 really do exist.
5. There are way less rest stops than there ought to be.
6. Don’t underestimate how much corn can change a landscape.
7. Those straight flat roads were meant for speedng. Cops know this, too.
8. A curve comes along once every 100 miles. Don’t miss it, stay alert!
9. Roads without lights are very, very dark at night. Don’t take your well lit roads for granted.
10. Nine times out of ten, roads are numbered, not named. Tricky..

Is it weird I was excited to see a 3 lane highway? Whatever, I’m ready.

Houston & the 2nd deadly sin

For those of you paying attention, I’ve been out of town for a week. Not basking in the sun on a sandy beach or climbing some exotic mountain range – but visiting Houston, Texas. If you’re thinking “what the hell..” don’t worry, I understand. What you need to know is that I had a conference in town, and yes, presumably someone consulted the climate charts before they made that decision. Aside from conferencing, I joined my best friend and fellow foodie Thao for a week of gluttony. So for those of you feeling sinful, pay close attention.

Houston skyline

Most of these restaurants span the Houston area from the suburbs (Montrose, the Heights) to downtown to the further reaches of civilization. Yes, I did have a car at my disposal. For lodging purposes during the week, I camped out at the Magnolia Hotel on Fannin and Texas. This hotel was positively brilliant – spacious, clean, modern. Add that to a rooftop pool, bedtime cookie and complimentary breakfast and I’m a happy camper.

BRC – 519 Shepherd - http://www.brcgastropub.com – If you want to know what BRC stands for, consider the brightly painted rooster on the corner of the property and consult a thesaurus. What jumped out on the menu? Ten dollar pitchers of sangria or mimosas .. and chicken fried spam. How could we say no? *

Fadi’s Mediterannean – various locations – http://www.fadiscuisine.com/ – This place was a bit overwhelming for a first timer. A long and winding line of cold and hot choices flank the side of the restaurant and chefs dish out whatever you point to. The fattoush was perfect for me, and more than six kinds of hummus dotted the line toward chicken, lamb and fish entrees.

Christy’s Donuts – 1103 W Gray (Montrose) – A recent review on Yelp says “If you blink, you could miss this place.” So, don’t. This tiny postage stamp of a shop reminds me of Bryant’s in Memphis – simple, quick, and possibly the best breakfast to go in this ten gallon state. Grab yourself a kolache, and chow down.

Pappasito’s - various locations – http://pappasitos.com/home/ – Nine times out of ten, I make a request to go here. I’ve been lucky to have friends pointing me toward several epic Tex Mex places, but this one never disappoints. Queso is the name of the game. This time I also had shrimp broschette and pulled pork tacos. Believe it.

tilapia tacos @ Irma’s

Irma’s Southwest Grill - 1314 Texas (downtown) – http://www.irmassouthwest.com/ – walkable from the GRB Convention Center and thank goodness, because I was stuffed with tilapia tacos and spicy white queso when the lunch hour came to a close. An interesting note – this place doesn’t have menus, and your waiter will tell you everything you need to know.

Max’s Wine Dive – 4 Texas locations – http://www.maxswinedive.com – Recommended by Thao and reserved for seven, we cabbed it to this wine bar and we were not disappointed. With a glass of cava in hand, Morgan and I split pan borracho (you read that right, drunk bread) and fried chicken. Also gracing the menu were favorites like “max” & cheese and strangers like roasted bone marrow.*

Mai’s Restaurant – 3403 Milam (fourth ward) – http://maishouston.com/- A little known fact about Houston is that it houses the largest Vietnamese population outside Vietnam. What does this mean? Residents can stand the heat, and there is damn good cooking on every corner. Despite the fact the waiter forgot to put in our order and we were stranded for over 90 minutes … the lemongrass beef sandwich and coconut bubble tea made it worth the wait.

Andalucia – 1201 San Jacinto (downtown) - http://www.andaluciatapas.com/ – hay que pasar la casa de Blues y sentarse aqui. If you’ve never had tapas, please start here. The small appetizer plates made famous in Spanish culture will make their way to your table at this cozy corner restaurant. Gazpacho, shrimp aioli, tortilla española, patatas bravas, tres leches cake .. you would swear my señora herself was in the kitchen.

Chocolate Bar - two locations – http://www.theoriginalchocolatebar.com/ - I may never recover from this place. The amount of sugar we consumed here gave me heart palpitations. A sweet talking salesman got us to go for the “Trinity” – cake, ice cream, chocolate covered fruit. I realize this doesn’t sound like a big deal, but get a load of that cake. This is a religion I could subscribe to.*

cake the size of a dinner plate

Sambuca – several locations in the South – http://www.sambucarestaurant.com/ – packed wall to wall during happy hour, we grabbed a seat at the bar to pick at shrimp & crab dip and chicken & beef satay. Perfect for the bar crawlers, as evidenced by the overly friendly lawyer at my elbow. A loud location, with prices up several octaves as well.

Liberty Kitchen – 1050 Studewood (Heights) – http://libertykitchenoysterbar.com/ – A haven for oyster lovers and new roost for hipster Heights dwellers. Our foursome sat down to quality cocktails and a serious quantity of food. Two sandwiches larger than the plates they were served on (open faced tuna melt, reuben with brisket); half a dozen oysters on the half shell; and a generous serving of mac and cheese. Go here, go hungry.*

Dacapo’s Pastry Cafe – 1141 E 11th at Studewood (Heights) - http://www.dacapospastrycafe.com – the perfect light lunch stop. Somehow we resisted the piles of baked goods (!) and settled on a pick two option – gorgeous Adam & Eve salad and half a chicken salad sandwich made me long for a Northeastern deli. Or any deli, if you’re coming from a midwestern index.. ok, and we did have a cookie.

Fung’s Kitchen – 7320 Southwest Freeway (Chinatown) – http://www.eatatfungs.com - My first introduction to dim sum, which Wing tells me stands for “anything your heart desires.” Paying homage to it’s namesake, little carts are pushed around by the waitstaff, bringing you exactly that. My heart doesn’t typically desire chicken’s feet or duck tongue, but those are available as well.

Miscellaneous:
Miller Outdoor Theater at Hermann Park – great shows in the great outdoors – http://milleroutdoortheatre.com/
Agora – 712 Westheimer – a small cafe / coffeehouse with character and a liquor license – http://www.agorahouston.com
Minute Maid park – 501 Crawford (downtown) – Home to the Houston Astros .. and as a result of their poor rankings, some really sweet ticket deals abound – http://houston.astros.mlb.com/hou/ballpark/index.jsp

Minute Maid park

* Kudos to local HTX tweeters:
@BRCgastropub, @LibertyKitchen, @winediveMAX, @ChocolateBarHTX