I live 90 minutes north of STL, so I'm in town at least once a month, seeking respite from the corn- and soy-encircled. pleated-khaki, unseasoned carb-heavy, capital of the Land of Lincoln. I'm slowly becoming familiar with STL and environs, beyond the casual visitor's level and the route to the airport and/or Trader Joe's. Mostly I seek off-the-beaten track food and beverage options.
Beer: in the city and county, been to Urban Chestnut-Grove (awesome), Civil Life (very good), Square One (meh), Side Project (great sours, weird space and clientele), Alpha (excellent, mostly); environs: Old Bakery in Alton (very good), Ferguson Brewing (OK). I plan to work my way down the list. Help me prioritize.
Food: tried two ramen places but seek better (one in Ballwin, but Midtown is the best so far, and enjoyable as long as I forget about comparing it to options in Chicago--which seems a good rule of thumb for appreciating STL)
-need a reliable taqueria
-Vietnamese: the one that all the whities like in Tower Grove is OK, Kim Ngan south of there was a notch above, but I still seek funky pho
-Chinese: especially dim sum, Lu Lu in Clayton was usable
-Bosnian: what's the best? I'm more of a Serbian cevap guy, but will go with the Bosnians in a pinch, and STL is one of the Bosnian capitals of the US
-Hipster farm-to-table, probably something with "&" in the name
-Coffee shop: require excellent beans, comfortable chairs at a normal table, reliable wifi, tolerable clientele--for days when I want to camp out and do some work. So far, 222 Bakery in Edwardsville wins but I need variety
Any tips to fill out my list?
Beer: in the city and county, been to Urban Chestnut-Grove (awesome), Civil Life (very good), Square One (meh), Side Project (great sours, weird space and clientele), Alpha (excellent, mostly); environs: Old Bakery in Alton (very good), Ferguson Brewing (OK). I plan to work my way down the list. Help me prioritize.
Food: tried two ramen places but seek better (one in Ballwin, but Midtown is the best so far, and enjoyable as long as I forget about comparing it to options in Chicago--which seems a good rule of thumb for appreciating STL)
-need a reliable taqueria
-Vietnamese: the one that all the whities like in Tower Grove is OK, Kim Ngan south of there was a notch above, but I still seek funky pho
-Chinese: especially dim sum, Lu Lu in Clayton was usable
-Bosnian: what's the best? I'm more of a Serbian cevap guy, but will go with the Bosnians in a pinch, and STL is one of the Bosnian capitals of the US
-Hipster farm-to-table, probably something with "&" in the name
-Coffee shop: require excellent beans, comfortable chairs at a normal table, reliable wifi, tolerable clientele--for days when I want to camp out and do some work. So far, 222 Bakery in Edwardsville wins but I need variety
Any tips to fill out my list?
