Dining at a Local Italian Restaurant – St. Louis MO

During our recent visit to St. Louis Missouri, one evening Laurie and I got together for dinner with her sisters Karole and Bonnie and their husbands Bob and Bill.  For this outing we headed to the Sappington neighborhood on the south side of the city…

This is Liliana’s Italian Kitchen.  It’s a casual family friendly neighborhood restaurant.  Bill and Bonnie had eaten there before so we weren’t exactly ‘flying blind’.  Liliana’s was named after the owner’s daughter and it is a relatively new restaurant, having opened in July of 2108.

Liliana’s dining area with its red and black color combination is well lighted and has a bit of casual charm.  The staff was very helpful with the menu and they didn’t rush us…

This big bright menu board adds to the casual feeling in the room.  As you can see, the day’s specials are posted here as are the dessert choices.

Even the dishware is casual here… Dishes are an interesting mish mash of types, sizes and styles.  Bonnie actually brought half of Bill’s family’s china and gave it to the restaurant for their use. (Younger folks don’t have much interest in sets of china anymore)

I have several different pieces like those plates at the upper left of the photo.  Ours were passed down to me via my great aunt Elsie.  Of course, those Elvis ‘blue suede shoes’ salt and pepper shakers fit right into the ambiance at Liliana’s…

First of all, I have to confess that I forgot to take photos of our appetizers.  We ordered Calamari ($10.00), lightly dusted and fried calamari with fried spinach and spicy aioli and Cheese Garlic Bread. ($5.50) Liliana’s takes Italian bread, dips it in garlic parmesan butter and baked with mozzarella cheese.  Both appetizers were very nice with the cheese garlic bread being particularly satisfying. 

The photo shown above isn’t either one of our appetizers.  The waiter felt bad that I’d failed to take photos so he stopped by so I could take a photo of a St. Louis specialty, the Toasted Ravioli with meat sauce. ($10.00)

Several salads were served at our table.  A side salad came with some entrees and it cost $4.00 as an add-on.  The first salad pictured above is a house salad with iceberg lettuce, provel cheese, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, house made croutons, parmesan cheese and sweet zesty Italian dressing.   The second salad is the Caesar with Romaine hearts, house made croutons, white anchovies, parmesan cheese and Mayfair dressing.  

Laurie caught a whiff of an entrée being served at a nearby table.  Based on that luscious smell, she ordered the special entrée for the day.  It was fried shrimp and calamari served with spaghetti noodles, fried spinach and parmesan in a garlic butter sauce. ($23.00) It was very good…but it was just too richly flavored for her taste.  She couldn’t finish this big stack of seafood and noodles so Bill took some home for a later meal.

Bill ordered the Chicken Spiedini…roasted chicken with bacon, spinach, mozzarella, and bread crumbs over rigatoni and spinach with a nice roasted garlic cream sauce. ($16.00) He really enjoyed his meal and despite the large serving, he didn’t have to take home any leftovers.

For my entrée, I picked the Chicken Piccata. ($14.00) As you can see, my bowl overflowed with lots of pan seared chicken on a stack of spaghetti with a caper white wine lemon butter sauce.  It was a very nice entrée but I think that a little garlic would have kicked it up a notch… Bill was happy to be able to take home part of my entrée for a work lunch.

Karole and Bob decided to order a pizza as their entrée.  This was their large Meatlover’s thin crust Pizza. ($24.00) It was loaded with St. Louis’s own provel cheese, hamburger, bacon, sausage and pepperoni.  They were very happy diners…and they took a little pizza home as well.

Liliana’s Italian Kitchen is a relaxing place to dine on quality, interesting and adventurous Italian cuisine.  In addition to the entrees, they also offer a large number of sandwiches.  The servers are friendly and the owner is eager to please.

Liliana’s Italian Kitchen is located at 11836 Tesson Ferry Road in St. Louis Missouri.  Phone: 314-729-1800.  You can check them out on the Internet at https://www.lilianasitaliankitchen.com/restaurant-menu.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

St. Louis Car Museum and Sales (II)

…continuing with our tour of the St. Louis Car Museum.  Even if you’re not ‘into’ cars, you should be able to appreciate many of these autos as first class design art!

I love this car!  It’s a 1948 Chrysler Town and Country Convertible. (It’s also a “Woodie”) That gunmetal gray works for me!  This beauty is powered by a 324 cubic inch Spitfire L-head straight 8.  It has 87,820 miles on the odometer and it is for sale.  The owner is asking $109,900.  It’s listed on-line at the Hemmings website with more photos.  You can check it out at https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/chrysler/town-and-country/1891015.html.

There are only 35,535 miles on this classic 1953 International Harvester Travelall R-110.  International Harvester produced the Travelall from 1953 through 1975.  This early SUV could be yours for only $48,900!

Here are a couple of Corvettes for those of you out there that are fixated on these sleek beauties.  The gray Corvette is a 1972 Stingray while the other one is from 1977.  These cars are apparently being stored for their owners as neither of them is up for sale.

Here is another privately owned auto that is apparently being stored for its owner.  This is a Ferrari GTB.  This model was chosen as the 2017 Motor Trend Magazine’s Best Driver’s car.  This auto only weighs 3,412 lbs. but it’s powered by a 661 HP engine and it can go from zero to 60 in 2.7 seconds!

There are several 2017 Ferrari GTB’s for sale on car gurus.  Prices start in the neighborhood of $250,000.  You can check out the offerings at https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-2017-Ferrari-488-GTB-Coupe-RWD-t70063.

This 1973 Cadillac Coupe De Ville also appears to be a privately owned car that is kept at the museum in storage.  Nifty deal… The car is stored safely and the Museum gets to display it with the collection for visitors like us!

These big luxury cars were truly big, measuring at roughly 19 feet long and weighing in at about 2.5 tons.  They were powered by either a 472 cubic inch (7.7L) or a 500 cubic inch (8.2L) V8.

This is a 2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage.  This car isn’t for sale.  It’s powered by a 426 cubic inch (4.7L) V8 and a 7 speed Sportshift.  The coupe version retailed for $118,370 and the Roadster originally sold for $132,870.

If I owned a classic 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air I wouldn’t sell it either.  But it would be in my own garage so I could drive it whenever the mood struck me.   Top notch fully restored Bel Airs can sell for over $100,000.  Auto Trader currently lists 311 Chevy Bel Airs for sale.  Check them out at
https://classiccars.com/listings/find/1957/chevrolet/bel-air?s=price.

I’d never heard of this car either… This is a 2006 Ariel Atom.  This is a road legal high performance sports car made in England and also under license in North America by TMI Autotech, Inc.  In 2006, the Atom won Autocar’s 0 – 100 mph challenge as a new Ariel Atom supercharged edition went to 100 mph in 6.86 seconds and then stopped in 3.8 seconds. 

Part of the key to its speed is its lightweight body.  Power is provided by a 500 horsepower $48,000 engine.  If you want one, you’ll have to shell out over $160,000.

For more about the Ariel Atom go to https://www.arielna.com/arielatom.

Finally an SUV I can afford!  For only $18,900 we could buy that SUV that Laurie wants… This 1926 Ford Model T Depot Hack sports 12-spoke wood wheels and gum dipped tires and it’s powered by a 177 cubic inch 4-cylinder engine!

This is a 1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Limousine.  Only 2 of these 4-wheel drive limos were built.  This one was used in Jim Carey and Jeff Daniel’s movie comedy “Dumb and Dumber”.  While it isn’t for sale, the other copy (used in the movie “Harry and the Hendersons”) recently sold for $13,425.

This turquoise 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air has a 265 cubic inch V8 engine along with a 4 barrel carburetor.  It’s for sale…only $79,900!

This is a first class “street rod”!  It’s a 1937 Ford Tudor Humpback Sedan.  It’s powered by a 2005 Corvette LS1 V8 and it has a 4L60E 4-speed transmission.  This major award winner is priced at $99,900.  For those among you who are real ‘gear heads’, the plaque provides a bit more information…

This is a 1954 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible.  1954 was the second year of production for the Corvette.  About 300 were built in 1953 with 3,640 produced in 1954.  Only 4 colors were offered in 1954 and ‘polo white’ was one of them… This early Corvette was powered by a 235 cubic inch Blue Flame 150 Incline 6-cylinder engine.  Price: $79,900.

That’s a 1965 Chevy Corvette Coupe just beyond the 54 model…

Back in the day, what young guy or gal wouldn’t have wanted to own this 1966 Pontiac GTO!?  It has great curb appeal!  I can just imagine “dragging the Ave” in my hometown of Jackson Michigan while behind the wheel of this eye-catching beauty.  With a 389 cubic inch V8 and a 4-barrel carburetor it has some ‘get up and go’ to it too…  Price: $69,900.  

Just a gorgeous automobile!  Love the classic British sports car ‘look’ combined with that amazing carmine red finish.  This is a 1959 Jaguar XK-150 SE Roadster.  She is equipped with a 3.4L inline 6 and a 4-speed transmission.  Price: $149,900.

I actually rode in one of these fast low slung sports cars back in the early 1960s.  It felt fast when I was just sitting in it!  This is a 1964 Jaguar XKE – Series 1 E-Type Roadster.  This one has 65,836 miles on it and you can purchase it for $65,836.

Time for a change of pace… This classic RV is a 1968 Westfalia Campmobile.  Look at everything that comes with it!  It would be an attention getter wherever you went.  It can be yours for only $42,900.

Here’s another vehicle that we could afford.  The St. Louis Car Museum certainly offers a variety of visual and actual purchase opportunities.  This is an updated 1950 Ford F5 Tow Truck.  Price: $16,900.

Would you like to cruise around in your own Border Patrol car?  Sorry but this 1967 Dodge Polara isn’t for sale. 

This is a 1966 Excalibur Series 1 Roadster.  It came to St. Louis from Texas to be refurbished.  That’s Danny standing next to this beautiful car.  He’s the one who refurbished and rebuilt the belts and the upholstery for this car.  Nice job!

This was one of only 87 of these cars built in 1966.  Its only owner has put a measly 7,300 miles on the odometer.  It’s powered by a 350 HP engine accompanied with a Hurst 4-speed transmission.

I’ll bet that you have never seen one of these cars before.  This is a 1919 Cole Motor Company 870 Touring Convertible.  It is owned by an older woman who is a descendant of the company’s founder.  She shows up at the Museum about once a month and takes her car for a ride…

The Cole Motor Car Company was based in Indianapolis Indiana.  The company built automobiles from 1908 until 1925.  They were considered to be quality-built luxury cars and they were one of the pioneers of the V-8 engine.  In 1919, depending on the model, prices for a Cole automobile ranged from $2,595 and $3,795.

This attention grabbing 1941 Packard one-twenty convertible isn’t for sale either.  But I did find one on-line listed at the Hemmings website.  It’s priced at $49,995 and you can thoroughly check it out at https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/packard/120/2271394.html

Apparently this 1951 Ford F3 pick-up truck is someone’s ‘toy’.  It’s not for sale…

These 2 Fords are someone’s idea of ‘collectibles’.  The closest one is a 1926 Ford Model T Touring car and the other one is a 1927 Ford Model T Roadster.  Neither are for sale.

Variations of the Ford Model T were manufactured and sold beginning in 1908 and ending in 1927.  A total of 14,689,525 Model T’s were built.  In 1918, half of all the automobiles in the USA were Model T’s.

 

Considering that Model T production ceased in 1927, it’s pretty impressive that this line of autos still ranks eighth among the best sellers of all time.  Number 2 is the Ford F-Series trucks with over 40 million sold and number 1 is the Toyota Corolla with 43 million…

This is another Ford classic collectible vehicle.  It’s a 1937 Ford Delivery Truck.  Love the gray and black with the red stripe!

This classic car is a 1936 Packard 12 Model 1408 Convertible Sedan.  Equipped with a V-12 engine, this is one of only 682 of these cars produced in 1936.  I found one on-line listed for sale at $249,900.  Check it out at http://smclassiccars.com/packard/287174-1936-packard-twelve-1408-1964-per-month-convertible-sedan-new-interior-ampamp-top.html.

Sitting right next to the Packard is another beauty.  This is a 1935 Pierce Arrow Twelve-55 Limousine.  Pierce Arrow only produced 875 autos of various types in 1935.  This gem has a 462 cubic inch engine with twin Stromberg carburetors developing 175 HP…a lot of power in 1935.  The price for this limousine is $89,900.

The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company was based in Buffalo New York.  Best known for its expensive luxury cars, the company was active from 1901 to 1938.  Pierce-Arrow also built commercial trucks, fire trucks, camp trailers, motorcycles and bicycles…

This is the last car for this post… It’s a 1926 Rolls Royce Phantom I Sedenca Deville by Barker.  That yellow and black color combination is an attention grabber!  This car is powered with a 468 cubic inch inline 6 cylinder engine.  The price for this 93 year old car is $114,900.

There will be one more post regarding St. Louis Car Museum and Sales in the next week…but it won’t be focused on cars, but rather a series of miscellaneous collectibles.

The St. Louis Car Museum and Sales website is found at www.stlouiscarmuseum.com. 

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Fast Food and a Popular Sports Bar

…continuing with our visit to the St. Louis Missouri area. 

We found time for a quick lunch and the choice was easy.  We stopped at Freddie’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers.  While we have 2 Freddie’s in the Knoxville area, they are both about 45 minutes from our home.  Since we discovered Freddie’s on a trip to Nebraska, it has replaced Steak ‘n Shake as our favorite fast food restaurant!  As usual, we had a great burger and fries experience…

This Freddie’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers location is at 10457 Olive Boulevard in Creve Coeur Missouri.  Phone: 314-801-7628.  Company website: https://freddysusa.com/.  This company is growing fast!

Note: In St. Louis at least 8 Steak ‘n Shake restaurants have closed…appears to be a franchisee issue.  Freddie’s only has 1 store in St. Louis County with 4 more in adjacent St. Charles County.  Looks like a big opportunity to fill a burger vacuum!

Latter in the day, Bill and Bonnie took us to a local landmark.  O’B Clark’s is a true neighborhood sports bar!  Although it moved to a new building in the summer of 2000, this family owned operation has been in business for 21 years as of 2019.

 

This is a real sports bar!  One can’t argue with the label given the fact that over the years some serious sports trophies have been displayed on the premises.  These include the Stanley Cup, Super Bowl Trophy and the World Series Trophy.

O’B Clark’s is completely casual with minimal décor…the ambiance being provided by the 17 flat-panel TVs as well as 2 big screen TVs.  Wherever you’re seated, you have a clear view of whatever sporting event is being featured. 

FYI…the KMOX Radio Station’s St. Louis Blues Post Game is based at O’B Clark’s every Thursday night after Blues home games.

Laurie’s sister Bonnie and her husband Bill brought us to O’B Clark’s for a purpose…and it wasn’t ‘just’ to eat!  We were there on May 15…for the third conference final game with the San Jose Sharks.  By the time that the game started…the excitement was palpable!  

This is the beer menu at O’B Clark’s.  Unlike many bars and restaurants these days, although there are plenty of choices, the number of choices don’t overwhelm you…

The menu is similar with this bar/restaurant sticking to the basics.  There are appetizers ranging from chicken wings to toasted ravioli and Fried Green Beans…11 choices in all.  There are a number of salads and soups available, the latter including French Onion.  Twenty-one sandwich options plus 12 inch and 14 inch build your own pizzas round out the dining choices.   

We started out with beer and appetizers.  This was what was left of our very tasty Cheese Garlic Bread ($4.50) by the time I remembered to take a picture.  It was so good!

We followed up with an order of O’B Clark’s Chicken Wings. ($10.95) They were good but the sauce just didn’t do it for me.  I was the exception however, with everyone else being very happy with the choice.  These are Bonnie’s favorite chicken wings… 

We arrived at O’B Clark’s well before the game started…so we had to keep eating and drinking!  Our next food offering was a 14 inch pizza with pepperoni and sausage plus half with black olives. (I think it cost $16.70)

The crust was super thin and cracker crisp.  Like most traditional St. Louis pizzas, the cheese used on this pizza was provel.   While I prefer mozzarella, provel does have a gooey and semi-buttery texture at room temperature…but it does impart a much different flavor to the pizza.    

Note: Provel is a white processed cheese product that is a combination of cheddar, Swiss and provolone cheeses.  Provel cheese is rarely used outside of the St. Louis area…

O’B Clark’s is located at 1921 South Brentwood Boulevard in Brentwood Missouri.  Phone: 314-961-8900.  Website: https://www.obclark.com/.

We had fun at O’B Clark’s, leaving after the first period to finish watching the game at Bonnie and Bill’s home.  Unfortunately the St. Louis Blues lost this game…but subsequently came back in the following games with 3 wins in a row to win their conference championship.  They are now in a monumental struggle with the Boston Bruin’s for the championship and the Stanley Cup!   

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave