A Passing and a Birthday Dinner in Webster Groves Missouri...

The second part of our Thanksgiving family road trip was our three night stay in the St. Louis Missouri area.  The goal was to visit with a variety of Laurie's family members including sisters Glenda and her husband Ken, Karole and her husband Bob and of course, Bonnie and her husband Bill.

On a very sad note, we also visited with a number of Laurie's cousins...at a hospice care facility.

Cousin Johnny Templeton had been fighting cancer for quite a long time and he'd recently been admitted to hospice care.  His wife Rose, his brother Alan, his best friend, his children, our little group of 6 and a number of other family members paid him a visit on 12/3/24.  He passed on 12/4/24.  Rest in Peace Johnny... He would have been 82 on 12/16/24.

While in St. Louis, we celebrated Laurie's birthday.  Although it was a couple of days before her actual big day, we were headed home before then.  Bonnie and Bill had selected an upscale restaurant in Webster Grove Missouri for Laurie's birthday bash.  The timing was right for both Laurie and I as we both were a bit under the weather.  When we got home we determined that we both had bronchitis.  Just lovely...

This is Madrina.  The restaurant offers a 'modern take' on classic mid-century Italian-American dining, providing handcrafted cuisine in a casual atmosphere.  The menu is contemporary but its inspired by traditional recipes.

The atmosphere at Madrina can best be described as a contemporary throw-back version of an older Italian steak house straight from the Frank Sinatra/Rat Pack era.  Dark wood, burgundy leather banquettes, relatively low lighting, etc., all part of the restaurant's 'feel'.  FYI, Madrina translates to "Godmother" in Enlish. 

A thoughtful server volunteered to take this photo of our little birthday group.  From the left, Bill, Bonnie, the birthday girl Laurie and yours truly.

While I'd heard of beer 'flights' and wine 'flights' and even moonshine 'flights', I'd never heard of martini flights.  The first grouping was coffee and chocolate orientated "Espresso Flight" and it's a standard item at Madrina. ($20.00) The second grouping is Madrina's "Holiday Flight" and it included peppermint, latte, etc. ($25.00) We all shared portions of this adult martini extravaganza experience.

Our primary server actually was the sommelier or professional wine steward at Madrina.  She was probably frustrated in that we didn't consume a couple bottles of her finest wines.  Laurie gave her a little satisfaction when she described a type of wine that she liked.  Then Alisha showed her the bottle of wine she believed fit the description, provided a taste, and then filled Laurie's wineglass.  This was Farro Falanghina Campi Campi Flegrei. ($13.00 glass) Laurie really enjoyed her wine...

As is our norm when dining with Bill and Bonnie, we went a bit overboard with the appetizers.  This was the Beef Carpaccio, very rare chilled beef with arugula, frisee, capers and fresh parmesan. ($22.00) It came with the little toasted slices of baguette.  It was good, but I would have preferred it with lemon, a little olive oil as well as a bit of salt and pepper.

FYI... Carpaccio was invented by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry's Bar in Venice Italy.  He originally prepared it for a local Countess who's doctor had recommended that she eat raw meat.  The dish was named after Vittore Carpaccio, a Venetian painter known for the characteristic red and white tones of his work.

Our next appetizer was a real winner with the whole table.  This is Madrina's Whipped Ricotta, smooth ricotta cheese, drizzled with local honey and sprinkled with eatable blossoms and served with two types of warm grilled bread. ($14.00) The only problem was that it was very filling and we practically licked the serving plate clean...

As has been noted many times before, Bill loves seafood!  We all like it but it's a passion with Bill.  So our third appetizer was Mussels Alla Crema...Gulf of Maine mussels in a garlic cream sauce and served with warm toasted bread for dipping. ($18.00) There were a lot of mussels...all good...and we all agreed that the garlic cream sauce was just about the best shellfish sauce we'd ever had.

At this point, we were getting full...but we still had salads and our entrees coming up!  Three Mayfair Salads were served.  They included Little Gem lettuce, Pecorino, prosciutto, croutons and Mayfair dressing. ($12.00 each) 

Fortunately, the service at Madrina is slow paced allowing diners to enjoy their various courses and beverages...as well as providing time for chatting.  This also allowed up to pace our food intake!

I was the outlier who veered off course, choosing an alternative salad.  This is Madrina's House on the Hill Salad.  It features iceberg greens, tomatoes, red onion, artichokes, mozzarella and a creamy vinaigrette dressing. ($11.00) It was a satisfying break from our appetizers.  I left the onions off the salad.

Now onto the entrees... While a number of steaks were available, only one of us wandered onto the "Secondi" or meat portion of the menu.  Among the steaks are a 16 oz. prime ribeye as well as Bistecca Florenina, a three-finger-thick porterhouse steak that comes with 2 side dishes and up to 3 sauces.

I wanted to try something different...something other than the norm for me in an Italian themed restaurant.  So I ordered the Spaghetti Chitarra Carbonara, with crispy guanciale, creamy eggs, pecorino and black pepper. ($25.00) Sadly, my entree was too sweet tasting and salty for my liking.  It turns out that guanciale is Italian salt-cured meat prepared from pork jowls or cheeks.  You can't win them all!  I should have ordered the Shrimp Capellini.  

Laurie loves veal and despite a number of other tempting possibilities, she ordered Madrian's Veal Parmigiano, with crispy veal, pomodoro sauce and fresh mozzarella. ($40.00) It was good but she had expected thinner more, tender slices of veal.  The 'crispy' designation might have been a forewarning.  I ate a bite of it and I agreed that it was OK but not great.

Bill once again did his 'seafood thing'.  For his entree, he went for the Shrimp Capellini, roasted shrimp with artichokes and a mustard creme sauce over capellini noodles. ($33.00) He also chose the Roasted Mushrooms, shown just above his shrimp, as a side dish. ($12.00) Not only did this entree look appealing, but he really enjoyed it too!  He did share some tasty roasted mushrooms with Bonnie and Laurie...

Bonnie ordered the most intriguing listing on the 'primi' portion of the menu.  Her giant Raviolo was stuffed with ricotta, mascarpone, Ozark forest mushrooms and duck egg and it was slathered in a rich hazelnut butter sauce. ($24.00) With the mushrooms, it wasn't for me but everyone else tried it and they raved about it...just how rich and fantastic it tasted.

The atmosphere at Madrina is outstanding and our service was fitting given the setting.  Opinions on the food ranged from amazing to OK, but let's face it, it's often a matter of choice and personal tastes.  Given the prices for this upscale restaurant, to us it falls into that 'special occasion' type of dining venue.  One upside for Bonnie and Bill was that they were able to take home a portion of everyone's entree!

Madrina Restaurant is located at 101 West Lockwood Avenue in Webster Groves Missouri.  Phone: 314-963-1976.  Madrina is open Sunday through Thursday from 4 PM until 9 PM and they stay open on Friday and Saturday until 10 PM.  Website: https://madrinastl.com.    

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by to help celebrate Laurie's birthday!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Shopping...and St. Louis Italian Cuisine

Continuing with our road trip visiting family in St. Louis Missouri and Omaha Nebraska....

Shopping...not my favorite thing to do.  After a career in retail, I just don't like being in retail establishments unless they're really different with the quality of the goods offered or the type and variety of items for sale.  Antique malls are OK for example.  Even a classy home decor store is OK.  However when your better half likes to shop and browse and both her sister and brother-in-law like to do the same, one must suck it up and go along for the ride.  Who knows, one might see something that is new or different... 

In this instance, a new shopping mall had opened not far from where Bonnie and Bill live in the St. Louis area.  Later I discovered that Painted Tree Boutiques is a chain of outlets that rents space to small entrepreneurs so they can sell their goods...be it clothing, decor, collectables or whatever.  I've learned that there are at least 46 Painted Tree locations in operation, with another 6 opening soon.

After checking out the first couple 'boutique' booths...both of which were nicely merchandised and presented, my concerns about our acquisition of more 'stuff' greatly increased!

However, much to my delight I quickly discovered that not only was this Painted Tree location new, but much of it was also unoccupied!  Hooray for my side!  So much less to consider buying...

Despite the dearth of boutique 'shops', there were a few that really made me sweat.  Decor items are always dangerous and linens are true heart stoppers.  Laurie loves quality linens.  My only hope was that although the product looked great, any quality issues that might come up would be hard to resolve long distance.

When we arrived at the check out area of Painted Tree, I didn't escape totally but Laurie's purchases were relatively small and not very costly.  Dodged another bullet!

Well, I almost dodged another bullet.  After researching The Painted Tree I discovered that they have a location here in Knoxville Tennessee.  I had to confess to Laurie...or pay the price when she found it on her own.  Website: https://paintedtree.com/all-locations/. 

A bit later, it was time for dinner so off we went...

When in St. Louis we do like to go Italian, not just pizza, at least once per visit.  In  this case Bonnie and Bill chose Rigazzi's on the Hill.  This restaurant has been serving customers since 1957...over 67 years!

Here's a little background.  St. Louis is a preeminent city for anyone looking for quality Italian food and "The Hill" is the center of Italian cuisine in the metropolitan area.  This 52-block area in the near south side of the City welcomed its first Italian immigrants in the 1880s.  They worked in the clay mines in the area that provided the material for fire brick used in coal powered plants as well brick for homes and businesses.  

As demand for labor increased, Italians sent for friends and relatives and the community grew exponentially.  As a result, the need for grocers, bakers, barbers, merchants and construction workers became obvious.  Initially, taverns dotted most corners of the neighborhood.  After all before TV and radio, they were a place to relax, network and exchange news.  

The dominance of restaurants began growing slowly after WWII.  The Hill became a self-contained neighborhood with many residents only leaving this self-sufficient area on rare occasions.  The neighborhood is mostly intact today although new housing is being built in sections further away from the core area.  The Hill is dominated by a plethora of quality Italian restaurants, delis and Italian grocery stores.

The interior of Rigazzi's is definitely appropriate for a neighborhood Italian restaurant on The Hill.  A large wooden bar with chandeliers, checkered tablecloths...and crowded even on a Tuesday night. 

Rigazzi's is located in an historic building that was constructed in 1901.  Rigazzi's holds the title of the oldest restaurant on The Hill.

Wait!  Who in the blazes is this character?!  It turns out that this is likeness of gangster Al Capone.  The plaque on the wall proclaims that Capone was captured in St. Louis at Rigazzi's.  It isn't true as Capone was in prison and was deceased by the time Rigazzi's opened for business.  Nevertheless, this is a popular table for dinner as patrons can have their photo taken with "Big Al", aka "Scarface".

So how about some food!

Of course we needed a couple of appetizers!  We'd had 'so little' to eat over the previous 3 days... So, we ordered Fried Calamari ($13.99) and Garlic Cheese Bread. ($7.99) The calamari was nicely breaded...not overwhelmed...and it was tender.  The garlic cheese bread actually contained garlic, something we rarely encounter in East Tennessee.

Other appetizer options included Flash Fried Spinach, Burrata e Crostini, Bruschetta, Arancini, and toast ravioli.  Toast ravioli is ubiquitous in St. Louis Italian restaurants as it was invented here.

All of the meals came with a side salad so between a salad and the appetizers, the sisters decided to split an order of Rigazzi's Signature Fettuccine Alfredo. ($18.99) The fresh fettuccine noodles were tossed in a house made roast garlic Alfredo and then topped with Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper.  It was quite enjoyable and very rich indeed.

I think that if Laurie hadn't eaten any appetizers, she would have favored the Classic Fettuccine Carbonara. ($20.99) In this fettuccine dish, salt-cured pork belly is included in the Alfredo sauce and the dish is topped with raw egg yolk and Parmesan cheese.

As I've reported many times, if there is seafood on a menu, that's what Bill will order.  In this instance he went for the Linguine and Clams. ($23.99) This consisted of littleneck clams, chopped clams, chardonnay, shallot, garlic and herbs, tossed in linguine and finished with parmesan cheese and fresh basil.  Bill thought that it a was pretty decent entree.

The only other seafood and pasta entree on the menu was the Scampi...tiger shrimp, seared and seasoned with tomato, shallot, garlic and herbs in a white wine lemon butter sauce served over linguine. ($23.99) I would have ordered it myself except for the fact that white wine lemon butter sauce tends to seek out whatever shirt that I'm wearing.

So when it came time for me to order dinner, I went for the Chicken Parmesan. ($19.99) The chicken breast was pounded thin, then breaded and pan fried.  Then it was 'dressed' in house made marinara sauce and a blend of cheese and then served over an oil, butter and garlic capellini.  

Yes...with the oil, butter and garlic sauce as listed, there was a risk to my wardrobe.  Actually I was disappointed in that the capellini was really quite dry.  The chicken Parmesan was good but not great.  I might have been better off ordering the Chicken Spiedini...marinated chicken breast breaded, skewered and broiled...then served over an herb cheese risotto that is 'dressed' in garlic butter and parmesan cheese. ($22.99)

The menu at Rigazzi's is quite broad, including soups, salads, sandwiches and pizza in addition to the entrees and pasta offerings.  There were at least 2 sandwiches with descriptions appealed to me.  One was The Famous Parmiciano...a breaded beef patty deep-fried, layered with St. Louis style cheese and then baked in house made meat sauce and topped with parmesan cheese. ($13.99)

Rigazzi's is a better Italian restaurant than anything that we've found in East Tennessee but it doesn't measure up to other top restaurants on the hill.  Our food at Rigazzi's was competent for the most part but it wasn't outstanding.  The Linguini and Clams was OK but not great...not to mention that Bill's order was lost in the kitchen...and arrived well after we'd started eating.  My meal was just passable.   

If you're on The Hill in St. Louis and looking for the best, check out Adriana's, Charlie Gitto's, Anthonino's, Zia's on The Hill or one of our longstanding favorites, Cunetto's House of Pasta.  There are literally dozens of Italian dining venues on The Hill. 

Rigazzi's is located on The Hill at 4945 Daggett Avenue in St. Louis Missouri.  Phone: 314-772-4900.  Website: https://www.rigazzis.com/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for shopping and dining with us!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Family and Bar-B-Que Too!

Continuing with our road trip to visit family in both St. Louis Missouri and Omaha Nebraska...

Bill and Bonnie's grandchildren are heavily into sports and parents as well as grandparents attend games as well as many practice session.  Softball, soccer, baseball, acrobatics, volleyball and hockey are among the sports the extended family is involved in.

So...as part of this St. Louis family tour de force, we accompanied Bonnie and Bill to watch hockey practice for one of their granddaughters.  At the right of the photo and sporting those black and white socks is 9 year old Charley.  She is the only girl on a championship boys hockey team.  Charlie's mom Kasey is Bill and Bonnie's daughter... 

A Photo of the Girls Hockey team... Charlie is in front, second from the right.

Isn't she sweet looking?  This is Charley when she recently celebrated her 9th birthday.  Don't let her looks fool you!  On the ice she is fierce...doing most of her team's scoring and 'taking no prisoners... FYI, she is also on a winning all girls hockey team.

We also stopped at Kyle and Melissa's home for a visit.  Kyle is Bonnie and Bill's son.  Kyle has worked for law enforcement agencies or companies that train law enforcement agencies for his entire career.  Melissa is a teacher.  From left to right, the grandchildren are Keaton and Collin.  Keaton is a soccer player and Collin is a top notch and enthusiastic baseball player.  The furry critter attempting to get Kyle's attention is named Lincoln.  

Next...it was time for dinner!

Laurie and I seem to have a trend underway.  We recently had quality Indian cuisine in a gas station in Lenoir City Tennessee.  In this case, it was all about a Bar-B-Cue destination located in a gas station, convenience store and car wash!  

Jim and John O'Brien are well known in St. Louis.  They've operated O.B. Clark's sports bar in Brentwood Missouri for decades.  The brothers enlisted John Maness, pitmaster for the world famous "The Salt Lick BBQ" in Driftwood Texas, to convert a small takeout counter in this gas station into a St. Louis BBQ destination.

As is appropriate for a Bar-B-Que joint, the decor is simple and straightforward.  Customers order at the counter and then the food is delivered to your table when its ready.  They did quite a bit of take out business while we were in the restaurant.  There is a drive-in window and outdoor seating as well.

Here is the menu at O.B'Que's but there also are printed menus that patrons can peruse.  Bar-B-Que options include chicken, turkey, pulled pork, beef brisket, pork ribs, burnt ends, tacos, wings and a number of flatbreads.  Note the second special on the lower left...smoked prime rib.  I've only had smoked prime rib once and I loved it.  Too bad we were there on the wrong day for prime rib!

The ladies shared as usual and other than my meal, I'm not sure who ate which BBQ items.  Pictured above was the BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich Plate. ($12.50) The pulled pork was a winner but the coleslaw, vinegar based in this case, received mixed reviews from our group.  A lot of tasting/sampling went on at the table.  Creamy coleslaw is available but I do like the vinegar based version.

This was a Burnt Ends Plate...sided with corn bread and baked beans. ($17.95) The burnt ends were tasty, the best I've had in recent years.  Every one that tried the beans liked them...except yours truly.  I'm difficult.  Two different sauces were sampled with the burnt ends.

This was the first time I'd ever seen Burnt Ends Flatbread, an interesting concept.  Personally I prefer my burnt ends 'straight up' but the table decided that this offering was a winner.  I don't know what the price of this unusual offering was...but it's not on the on-line take out menu...or at least I didn't see it.

So what did I order?  I just had to try the pork ribs... Consequently I ordered the Half Rack Rib Plate with the baked beans and the vinegar based coleslaw.  As you can see, I'd devoured 2 ribs before I remembered to take a photo.  I did ask for a 'hotter' BBQ sauce and it was perfect.  The ribs were very good indeed...meaty and very well seasoned.  They had a little 'chew' which we prefer...vs falling off the bone pork ribs.  FYI, the best baked beans I've ever had were at 'Jack Stacks' in Kansas City.

Note: There was no way we could finish all of this food.  Consequently Bill had plenty of leftovers to enjoy over the next few days.

We would recommend O.B Que's to anyone seeking quality BBQ in the St. Louis area...but then again there are a plethora of BBQ options in the area that we haven't sampled.  O B. Que's is located at 158 Long Road in Chesterfield Missouri.  They are open daily but can run out of some items early.  Website: https://www.obques.com/. 

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit...and a little BBQ!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

First a Movie and Then PIzza Too!

Continuing with our road trip to St. Louis and Omaha to visit family.

Bonnie and Bill had returned from a wedding up in Peoria Illinois, so as usual when visiting Laurie's family in the St. Louis area we were out and about with Laurie's sister Bonnie and Bonnie's husband Bill.

We decided to take in a movie...by actually going to a real movie theater! 

I didn't note the name of the movie theater and I wasn't ready for the 'accompaniments' shown above.  Some vestiges of the above 'look' exists at our favored theater in Farragut Tennessee...but this St. Louis County theater in Missouri has taken on a multi-functional role in its attempt to attract customers, hopefully to watch movies!   Even so, the huge game room was almost empty and  the bar was devoid of any customers.  

Oh yes...we did come to the theater to watch a movie.  It was the first of Kevin Costner's planned four part exploration of the western USA.  This segment/movie is titled "Horizon - An America Saga (Part 1).  Apparently we were among the few who saw this movie during its opening week.  It was about 3 hours long and kept cutting back and forth introducing the viewers to the primary characters.  It lacked clarity and it didn't seem to conclude at a meaningful point.  Release of the second part of the "American Saga" has been postponed. 

One thing  that our little group does well is to seek out and consume varied types of food... In this instance it was time for pizza.  Dewey's Pizza is a regional chain with 25 locations in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky.  This is the Dewey's restaurant in Webster Groves Missouri.

Laurie and I have eaten in one other Dewey's Pizza restaurant.  It was in Kirkwood Missouri.  In both restaurants the pizza kitchen was really busy!  Dewey's seems to be very popular.

Dewey's bar was almost overwhelmed and the dining room had very few tables available.  We were lucky and were seated in quick order.  As you can see, the decor is simple and colorful...with that industrial 'look' in evidence...very appropriate for an upscale pizza joint.

Using ingredients of his choice Bill 'built' and ordered his own 11" Pizza.  The items included olives, artichokes, bell peppers, onion, tomato and pepperoni.  As you will note, I forgot to take any photos until a fair amount of 'damage' was done to each pizza.  

Yours truly also built his own 11" pizza.  It included pepperoni, Italian sausage and fresh jalapenos. ($19.00) I thought that it was better than any pizzas we've found in East Tennessee...with one exception.  I really appreciated that extra 'pop' provided by the jalapenos!

Laurie and Bonnie decided to split a 13" pizza.  Dewey's features a number of 'specialty pizzas' and this one is the Edgar Allan Poe.  It featured olive oil, mozzarella and fontina cheeses, mushrooms, whole roasted garlic cloves, kalamata olives and goat cheese.  After baking, both pieces of tomato and parsley are added. ($21.75)

We all enjoyed our pizzas but no one could finish their servings.  Bill ended up with a lot of nice leftovers!  Nothing like cold pizza for breakfast!

Dewey's Pizza in Webster Groves Missouri is located at 122 East Lockwood.  They feature 15 different specialty pizzas or you can 'build your own'.  In addition Dewey's offers calzones plus 5 entree or side salads.  The company's website is found at https://deweyspizza.com/.  

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit! 

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave