Stuff to eat. Mostly around St. Louis.

Spencer 2/16/16 Spencer 2/16/16

Ices Plain and Fancy

Very rarely does a visit to a restaurant (or in this case, an ice cream parlor) allow me to "review" two separate subjects. The main purpose of this post is to discuss St. Louis' only nitro ice cream parlor, Ices Plain & Fancy. The secondary purpose of this post—and of my visit to Ices—is to test out an apparent miracle drug, Lactaid. While I do dabble in dairy, as seen by my plentiful pizza posts, consuming large amounts of ice cream has been known to make for difficult drives home. What better way to test Lactaid then to have a midday ice cream feast?

With its brightly painted facade, Ices is easy to spot in its Shaw neighborhood location. I park just outside (not too many people are eating ice cream at 2pm on a Wednesday) and head in, greeted by the smell of waffle cones being made. As a chunky youngster who couldn't handle his ice cream, waffle cones were my jam. Those were the days when coconut milk ice cream hadn't been invented, soy milk was still only in Asia, and people who were lactose intolerant were shunned by society. I miss the 90's.

I'm meeting Troika Brodsky, one of Ices' owners and formerly my camp counselor, for this feast. While he talks business with his partners, Max and Darla Crask, I peruse the much larger than expected menu. There are normal ices, like chocolate, vanilla, and rocky road, dairy-free ices made of both soy and coconut milk, Sump Coffee collaborations, and soft serve. There are two fancy ice specials: Campfire Smores and World's Fair Jelly Donut. I want all of these.

Oh, there are also very boozy ice cream cocktails. I cannot make a decision, so I defer all ice cream orders to Max and Troika.

The first ice cream we get is Mrs. Marshall's Old Fashioned. I assumed they had some kind of Old Fashioned concentrate that they would mix into the ice cream base, but that is not the case. Our ice cream artist literally is making an Old Fashioned and pouring it into the mixing bowl. A full cocktail's worth of Old Granddad bourbon, Strongbow Cider, vanilla, bitters, Luxardo cherry, and orange peel all go in and the mixing begins. Because they pour in liquid nitrogen, the alcohol actually freezes, meaning the ice cream you get has retained all the proof of the booze that went in.

Yes. You can get buzzed (or hammered, if you're really dedicated) from these ice creams. The result is delicious—it has all the flavors of your typical Old Fashioned, but it's edible. This is like something out of the Jetsons, a world where all foods can be consumed in ice cream form.

Lactaid update: I take the Lactaid with my first bite of ice cream, as instructed.

Max tells us he's going to whip up something special, but needs a few minutes, so Darla, the wonderful woman she is, brings me a dairy-free version of the boozy Ancho & Lefty: Ancho Reyes, Aztec chocolate bitters, ancho powder, chocolate, cocoa nibs. This is absurd. It is simply too good. I've always been a fan of Aztec chocolate—that mix of chocolate and the heat of ancho or cayenne—but this it out of this world. I stealthily push the Old Fashioned towards Troika and position my chocolate out of his reach. This is more ice cream than I've consumed in the last decade.

Lactaid update: I've had a hefty amount of ice cream in the last 15 minutes and still feel fine.

Max beckons me behind the counter and immediately creates a ball of fire using an aerosol can and a blowtorch. I ask him what he's doing (I'm not sure if this is for ice cream making, for fun, or both) and he explains that he's torching absinthe—it's Sazerac time! Templeton rye and Sirene Absinthe go into the bowl, then the final product is given another spritz of absinthe, a few drops of Peychaud's Bitters, and an orange peel. This thing would sell like beignets down in New Orleans! Troika and I work diligently to eat our three large ice cream bowls.

Lactaid update: Three ice creams in and I feel fine. I'm scared to drive home, though.

We finish things off by literally drinking the now melting ice cream cocktails. After three ice cream cocktails in a matter of about 35 minutes, I'm wildly impressed by Ices and I completely understand the massive lines that form in summer. There's something about the way the ice cream freezes with the nitrogen that gives it a much creamier, smooth taste that I love. Max said something about ice crystals, but I was 3 cocktails deep and all I started thinking about was what color lightsaber crystal I would pick if I were a Jedi. I recommend you go to Guerrilla Street Food for a late lunch, then head over to Ices. Win/win.

Lactaid Update: I hesitantly left Ices feeling perfectly fine, but well aware I had a 25 minute drive ahead of me. Then, of course, there was a car accident, changing my drive to one that took almost 45 minutes. I'm happy to say the Lactaid worked like magic. I'm back in the dairy game, baby!

Spencer 2/8/16 Spencer 2/8/16

Lunch Pick: Annie Gunn's

I get that St. Louis has a little bit of city vs. county competition, but the number of times that knowledgable food enthusiasts that I trust have brushed off "The Gunn" is both disheartening and aggravating. If your aim is to eat at all of St. Louis' best restaurants, a visit to Annie Gunn's is in order. Actually, two visits are in order. Go for lunch and ask to be seated in the semi-outdoor atrium. Go for dinner and enjoy a decadent steak dinner with the finest wines. At some point I'll write about their dinner, but this post will serve as a lunch guide.

Many moons ago, I wrote about one of my favorite sandwiches in St. Louis: the French Dip at Annie Gunn's. My pictures do it little justice. It's got a perfectly buttery and soft bun, some of the best roast beef on Earth, and the right amount of cheese. Add to that the au jus and creamy horseradish dip and you're in heaven.

A French Dip might be a bit too heavy for you daintier eaters, so I figured now would be a good time to share some of my other favorites. First off, if you're an eater of chili, theirs is a must-try. I don't really have much to say about it besides "it's really good chili." If you're the kind of person who tells people that you're just big-boned, you should probably go for the potato soup.

For main dishes, there are almost always two fish specials, and they are always good choices. Chef Lou Rook and his team are constantly changing fish and preparations, based on what's available. This past weekend, for example, they featured both fluke and rainbow trout; below is the roasted trout with a badass salsa verde on top. The dish originally came with braised greens and some kind of starch, but my dad is watching his figure, so he opted to get green beans and asparagus instead.

If you really want to take advantage of The Smokehouse Market aspect of Annie Gunn's, you should do the smoked seafood sampler (or the WOW board—I'll cover that another time). I get this all the time because I'm fancy as hell. The plate is composed of their famous Vermont maple glazed jumbo shrimp, Viking Village sea scallops, Troutdale Farm trout, and sturgeon, served with onion, tomato, capers, Pennsylvania Dutch BBQ sauce, a dill sauce, and Guinness rye bread.

The shrimp are good, but overhyped. Your server will almost certainly tell you how you can get them individually as an appetizer. They're a little too smoky and a little too sweet for me. The sturgeon is a nice meaty chunk of fish, with a light smoke and a little sweetness. To me, it tastes a lot like swordfish. My Jewish soul loves it. But nothing tops my love for the unbelievable little sea scallops, something I've tried to replicate at home but failed miserably at doing so. Oh, and the trout—once again, perfectly smoked. I sometimes get a salad with a side of the trout, when I'm feeling particularly healthy—which is rare.

You can't visit The Gunn without stopping by the Smokehouse Market, the connected market and smokehouse. Bolyard's and Truffle's have both done an admirable job of bringing meat to the masses, but no one does it quite like The Smokehouse. There is so much meat in this store, it is unbelievable. Cured meats, fresh meats, sausages, steaks wrapped in bacon, bacon wrapped in steaks. Whatever you want, they have. Their smoked chickens make for a great dinner, their roast beef (the same as the French Dip) is always great to have for sandwiches, and butcher Andrew Jennrich (formerly of Farmhaus) is there to help guide you to the right meat choice.

The Smokehouse also has its own rather large take-out menu of sandwiches and salads. The not-secret but oft ignored sandwich that really shouldn't be ignored at all is the John's Smoked Trout. The same hickory smoked trout from the seafood plate with sliced red onion, capers, cucumbers, and the dill sauce. It is so good.

Spencer 1/14/16 Spencer 1/14/16

Asian Kitchen

The tables have turned—for the last few years, I've held JooJoo up as my #1 Korean restaurant in St. Louis, but it seems Asian Kitchen is making a move. The last time I was at Asian Kitchen Korean Cuisine was in late 2013 for Christmas dinner. I had just come back from Asia and, like every other Jew in America, was trying to get some Chinese food. Royal Chinese BBQ: packed. Lulu's: packed. Frustrated, hungry, and bitter, I turned around and randomly picked an empty looking restaurant that happened to be Asian Kitchen.

The restaurant was dead. There was a Thai family enjoying Korean BBQ, but no one else there. It was just that family, my family, and the server, an older Korean woman. The walls had some kind of off putting paint color on them that I can't recall—something very 70's. Robin's egg blue? Vomity yellow? I took a seat, ordered something meaty, then a wave of banchan (small plates) filled the table. It took our server 3 trips to get everything on the table. We're talking 20+ bowls of kimchis, pickled greens, sweet black beans, potato salad, seaweed. Insanity.

Between the time the banchan hit the table and our mains arrived, two memorable things happened. First, I got scolded by my new Korean mother for drinking soju out of the bottle. I hadn't kicked the bad habits I'd picked up from my Korean business partners. Secondly, an older couple came in after us and they were the rudest diners I've ever seen in person. They couldn't understand why this Chinese restaurant didn't have any of the dishes they were familiar with! The waitress tried to explain that Korean food wasn't Chinese food, but they weren't having it. They refused the banchan because it was "gross". They came over to our table to ask how to order the kung pao chicken. I kindly grabbed the woman's face and held it on my searing hot dolsot bibimbap bowl. Finally, they left and made sure to let the server know they would NEVER be back.

The food we got that night was fine. Definitely authentic, but the flavors were a little bland. Not a bad meal, but not a great meal.

I've since returned. Banchan: still excessive, still delicious. You can ask for seconds (or thirds...) of any of them, and they'll happily oblige you. We had so much kimchi last time we were there, I think I've been fermented. The interior has been redone, a big plus. But how was the food?

Spencer 1/8/16 Spencer 1/8/16

Southwest Diner

I am not a patient man. I can wait maybe—maybe—30 minutes at a restaurant, but only if it has a bar I can sit at and bitterly nurse a whiskey while eyeballing every slow eating diner in the place. That is why I haven't posted on Southwest Diner before. Twice I tried to go on the weekend for brunch, and twice I was greeted with a wait of over an hour. Sure, they have a bus outside the restaurant you can wait in, but the last thing I want to do on a Saturday morning is listen to people babble. I just want to shovel food into my face.

Now that I've got some newfound freedom, I can go to lunch whenever and where ever I want! I called up my friend, chef Russ Bodner, and we headed over to Southwest Diner for an early weekday lunch.

There were only two tables open when we got there, the rest filled with people enjoying what looked like large, bountiful plates of Southwestern fare. I don't know the history of the diner, and I'm too lazy to look it up, but I'm going to guess that this once was a typical American diner, which has since been renovated to look like a 1960's diner in Sante Fe. I can be a little indecisive when it comes to ordering, especially when the whole menu sounds so friggin' good. I'm a Southwestern food slut; one of my favorite places to eat in is Phoenix. All those fire roasted meats and veggies, heavy use of chiles and spice, little bits of Mexican influence—what's not to love? As I waffled back and forth (that's a pun, because this is a diner. Get it?), Russ just went ahead and got himself a cup of the pork and hominy red-chile posole.

Selfishly, he offered me none of his posole, but judging by the speed he scarfed it down and by how it smelled, I'd say it was good.

His main course was worthy of a lumberjack: a smattering of crispy homefries, two perfectly cooked eggs (later doused in hot sauce), and a country fried steak topped with a homemade sausage gravy. Once again, no tasting for me—why do I even eat with this guy?—but he assured me that it was really tasty and he'd happily order it again. Even if he won't share, his opinion on food can be trusted.

My original plan was to try the enchilada, and even after all my waffling, that's what I went with: the stacked enchiladas platter, Christmas-style. If Christmas-style New Mexican food sounds familiar to you, you've probably seen Guy Fieri talking about how righteous it is, brotha, at some family-owned diner there. Half the enchilada is topped with the smoky, slightly bitter red chile sauce, while the other half has the cheesier, tangier, mellower green chile.

There's a clear winner here for me: green chile. It's got a little heat to it, but mostly, it just takes you straight to flavortown...er, it's got a great flavor. I went with barbacoa for my meat of the day, which was a solid choice, but next time I'm going with the adovada, a red-chile braised pork. It's a house specialty and quintessentially New Mexican. Both the beans and rice had nice flavor, too. I was quite pleased with my choice and will proudly admit to sharing none of it with Russ.

By the way, we got a buttermilk cornmeal pancake as a side. Don't judge us. It's research.

I totally see why people are so into these—they're like enormous arepas. I saw a tiny woman dominate a stack of these like it was nobody's business.

I have to hand it to you, Southwest Diner: you are truly a wonderful breakfast and lunch spot. Part of me wishes we'd never met, because I fear that my interest in you will soon become an obsession. Jon's fiery scrambled eggs are next.

Spencer 12/4/15 Spencer 12/4/15

La Patisserie Chouquette

With the holidays just around the corner, you've got a lot of entertaining, gift buying, and, more importantly, gift receiving ahead of you. Impress your friends and family with a box of goodies from La Patisserie Chouquette, my go-to for all things sugary and delicious. I took it upon myself to go and try all their winter offerings so I could tell you what you need to be getting (or asking for). I'm sorry in advance for making you hungry.

The Darkness

You claim you love chocolate, but there's only one way to prove it: The Darkness croissant. If you can consume this monument to decadence, this vortex of dark Dominican chocolate, then I'll believe you. Simone spent years (decades?) perfecting this recipe and the result is, uh, perfection. Fellas, think of this as a "forgiveness grenade." Next time you do something wrong, swing by Chouquette, get one of these, and consider yourself out of the doghouse.

Turducken Croissant

Thanksgiving is over, but Chouquette doesn't care. All of December is Turducken month. These football sized croissants are filled with roasted turkey, duck, and chicken mixed with Simone's famous smoked bacon and cheddar cornbread (see below), cranberry orange chutney, and a smattering of French fried onions. Each croissant comes with a side of gravy. Good luck.

Red Velvet Cheesecake

This is the classic Red Velvet cake flavor in Chouquette's soft, sensuous cheesecake. It's topped with waves of rich chocolate cream and a macaron shell garnish. Additionally, it's cut into a rectangular shape so you can easily eat it with just your hands while driving. At least I think that's why it's cut like that…

Canelé

So many Chouquetters get caught up in the glitz and glamour of the cakes, eclairs, and macarons that they end up ignoring these little brown thimbles called canelé (can-ul-ay). That's a rookie mistake. These are my favorite pastries...ever? The outside is crunchy, the inside is soft and pillowy with hints of vanilla and, if you're lucky, lemon and thyme. It's like a tiny cake made with crepe batter. The flavor is sublime.

Chouxnuts

Just after scolding you for only buying the pretty pastries, I'm telling you to buy them. Chouquette's take on the Paris-Brest, a round eclair, are their chouxnuts. Get it? It's a choux pastry but it looks like a donut. The fillings change daily and have included matcha, strawberry, apple cheesecake, bourbon pecan, and Boston cream pie, to name just a few.

Bacon Cornbread Muffin

It's a muffin made out of cornbread mixed with cheddar cheese and smoked bacon. What else do you need to know?

Tiramisu Brownie

For a good portion of my life, I didn't like any desserts except for tiramisu. No tiramisu on the menu? No dessert for Spencer. I've since branched out (obviously), but it still holds a special place in my heart. This brownie—which is almost as massive as the Turducken croissant—hits the spot.

Macarons

You knew these would be on the list, didn't you? No one in St. Louis is doing macarons better than Chouquette. Each little sugary sandwich is packed with flavor, and their fall/winter selections so far have been particularly delicious, including gingerbread, eggnog, "skinny mint", red velvet, and more.

For the full range of what Chouquette has to offer, make sure to go on a Saturday!

La Patisserie Chouquette

1626 Tower Grove Ave

St. Louis, MO 63110

314.932.7935

Spencer 12/2/15 Spencer 12/2/15

Sidney Street Cafe

Eating like a boss runs in the family—I got it from my daddy. For my dad's birthday, he decided he wanted not one, but two birthday dinners. The first at Sidney Street Cafe (SSC), the second at Niche. Not in the same night, mind you, but just a mere 2 days apart. I had seen SSC's chef de cuisine Justin McMillen just a few weeks before our dinner, when he was cooking at the Bolyard's Burger Battle. He kept talking about all these new dishes and they just sounded so good that I used my powers of persuasion to convince my dad that is where he wanted to eat.

Then again, it's not too hard to sell a hot dog gnocchi dish to a man who loves meat. Yes, that's correct: SSC has a hot dog and pretzel gnocchi dish. It's the second time this year I've had a hot dog inspired dish at a fine dining establishment and that is totally cool with me. This version was made up of a sliced house-made hot dog, spicy ketchup, pretzel gnocchi, pickled mustard seed, pickle-tomato relish, and a beer mustard veloute. If someone has had a finer hot dog dish than this, bring it forward! I'm doubtful one exists.

In need of a meatless option for the ladies, we went with the octopus confit—a thick tendril of tender octopus over salsa verde and pozole, Eiffel Towered by Swiss chard chips. I didn't get much of the octopus itself, but I ate most of the pozole. I love the puffed up, juicy bites of hominy.

Our last meal at SSC was in late summer, just after the Spatchcock Quail was added. It's about to leave the menu to make room for another fowl dish, but my thoughts remain the same: the tiny, adorable bird is grilled and served over harissa tossed papas bravas (fried potatoes), charred carrots, and chimichurri. It’s a perfect dish for summer with its smoke and char flavors.

The two newer dishes we got were even better. Even more outstanding.

First, we have the wood grilled snapper—a dish that looks pretty simple, but it's anything but that. The fish was perfectly cooked, the flesh white and tender with hints of smoke and a nutty sweetness some a brown butter vinaigrette. To enhance the smoke, the fish rested over a house made nduja puree, a spicy, smoky spreadable sausage.

The accompaniments were just as bold and delicious: squid ink gnocchi, bok choi, finger limes, and manila clams. Justin told me to get the pork belly special, so that's what I did...even though I'm not a huge fan of pork belly. However, he's bigger than me, so I relented. And boy, I'm glad that I did.

The pork belly was the crispiest I've ever had. Anywhere. I had a video on my phone of me tapping on it so I could send it to friends and family to make them jealous. The slightly blurry picture below does a decent job showing that top layer, I think. Eating a chunk of the pork belly, simultaneously as crispy as can be and as tender as meat gets, with the pickled pepper salad, chicharrones, smoked pig heart, and Cajun grillade sauce, was one of those moments where the world goes dark around you and you just think about how good what you're eating is. As usual, the Bob "The Zuggernaut" Zugmaier's desserts matched the entrees in both looks and flavor. His take on sweet potato pie ('tis the season, after all), a collaboration with his pastry assistant, Kelsey, was composed of: candied yam puree, sweet potato pastry cream, orange cardamom semi freddo, spiced pecans, and a winter spice tuile. Just like the sweet potato pie you make at home.

The apple dish was the family's favorite, though. The combination of caramel glazed Granny Smith apples, cinnamon coffee cafe, a caramel apple puree, creme fraiche ice cream, and the espresso gelee is a tough one to top. I would have gladly just had the coffee cake and gelee, though. They were so good.

And so ends another successful trip to Sidney Street.

Sidney Street Cafe

2000 Sidney St

St. Louis, MO 63104

314.771.5777

Spencer 11/23/15 Spencer 11/23/15

Bolyard Burger Battle: Poletti vs. McMillen

There are a lot of reasons to hate the onset of winter—the bitter cold, people who can't drive when there's bad weather, shoveling snow—but none of those make me as angry as not being able to go to any more Bolyard's Burger Battles until spring. The first battle pitted Brasserie's Nick Blue against Annie Gunn's Andrew Jennrich; the camaraderie and friendship between these two chefs sickened me. I wanted to see trash-talking and sabotaging. I thought that maybe putting Sidney Street Cafe's Justin McMillen against Pastaria's Josh Poletti would do the trick. As you can see from the picture below, it did not:

bolyard's burger battle chefs poletti mcmillen

Disgusting. These two were even more complimentary and friendly than the last two! I wanted Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon, but alas, we can't always get what we want.

Unlike the previous battle, we got to see two different patties this time around. For McMillen's "Maw and Paw Burger," he had Chris Bolyard grind braunschweiger into the meat, then topped it with a pickled mustard seed and onion slaw, white cheddar, and a pretzel aioli (we'll come back to this). Poletti, a man who embraces fatty foods like few chefs I know, had his "Mississippi Burger" ground with bone marrow, which was finished off with sweet churned pickles, white BBQ sauce, onion rings, and American cheese.

Preparation (click the photos to open a gallery and see them larger): pickle slicing, patty making, butter melting, Busch drinkin'. And the winner's prize: The Golden Pig Skull!

Once the final preparations were complete, everyone moved outside and began setting up the burger and fry cooking stations. Bolyard himself took the reigns of the thick cut French fries, frying them in the sweet, sweet beef tallow that all battle attendees have come to know and love. Even if you're not a burger eater, coming to one of these battles and just drinking beer and eating Bolyard's fries would be a delicious experience.

Bolyard took it upon himself to once again light the enormous grill, and within minutes, it was as hot as the sun. I was sweating because of it and I wasn't even close to it!

The rest of the Bolyard's team finished up the final touches, like setting up the check-in table and grilling the buns, and then the madness began.

Once the horde of people arrived, it was go time. Like a well-oiled machine, burgers were quickly handed off from chef to the team plating up each burgers on the beautiful Refection buns. After the burgers were completed, Bolyard came through with fistfuls of searing hot fries. What a badass.

The Burgers:

Both burgers were excellent, in my opinion—though I won't tell which one I voted for. McMillen's patty was my favorite of the two, thanks to the braunschweiger giving it a slightly livery taste. I know that probably doesn't sound very appealing, but I think it makes for a unique burger eating experience, especially when paired with the pickled mustard seeds and onions. And let's not forget about the pretzel aioli. My god, that was a tasty sauce. I told him that it needs to be used at Sidney Street ASAP. I could dip fries in that all day. I was worried that his heavily German influenced burger would be too fancy for the battle, but it was a huge hit.

Unfortunately for McMillen, it wasn't as big of a hit as Poletti's—though the votes were close. His take on a more classic cheeseburger won the people over. Before the battle even began, I was snacking on those sweet, thick cut pickles with the white BBQ sauce (you may recall that I fell in love with it a year ago) in the back of the Bolyard's shop—once they were both on the burger, along with gooey American cheese and crunchy onion rings, it was pretty much game over. Gluttony and excess won out.

I can't wait for next spring's battles (but my body can).

Spencer 11/11/15 Spencer 11/11/15

Private Kitchen

2015 has quietly been a good year for St. Louis' Chinese food scene. We lost the always interesting Szechuan Pavilion (again), but we gained Tai Ke Taiwanese, Yummy17, Private Kitchen, Lona's Lil Eats (in late 2014, really), and revamps of Lulu's, Jia Xiang, Corner 17, and Joy Luck Buffet. Lona's has enjoyed continuous hype and publicity since they opened, though Private Kitchen seems to be the Asian restaurant du jour. The concept is unique to St. Louis, as far as I know, in that it's reservation only, you must place your order beforehand (they pick up the ingredients the day of your visit), and it's operated and owned by a husband and wife. He's the chef, she's front of house.

As soon as the reviews, Tweets, and Facebook posts started popping up about Private Kitchen, I knew I had to go. There was so much hype, it had me wondering: is this The One? Will St. Louis finally have a Chinese restaurant that will put all others to shame?

I've visited a few times now and I'm going to have to say no, this is not that restaurant. At this point, without having tried Corner 17 or a proper meal at Tai Ke, I would say that it does go in my Top 3 Chinese restaurants in town, along with Yummy17 and Jia Xiang.

The food is Shanghaiese, which often (but not always) means a heavy reliance on sugar and sweetened sauces, and that is my biggest qualm with it: it's just too sweet for my taste.

Their xiao long bao (soup dumplings) are easily the best I've had in St. Louis. If you don't know about soup dumplings, read this. Private Kitchen's don't hold a candle to Din Tai Fung or Paradise Dynasty across the world, but they're more than passable. The skin is soft but sturdy enough to hold the piping hot soup and meatball and the soup itself has almost a truffle flavor to it. If you've never had a soup dumpling, these are a must try.

The black mushroom and bok choy is a simple dish done very well, with each mushroom acting like an edible sponge full of delicious broth. The smoked salmon was a very literal version: raw salmon rolled around fruit salad, stuck under a glass full of smoke. It was my least favorite of everything I ate at Private Kitchen, but I respect the new attempt at a Jewish deli classic.

The three entrees I would recommend you get start with the squirrel fish. The fish is deboned, then each filet is cut into little slices (while still connected to the fish), then deep fried and served with something close to a sweet and sour sauce. I imagine it's a pain to prepare, but the end product is worth the work. It's like having fish french fries!

There's a page of the menu (found on their Facebook page) that is in Chinese only. Ask for dishes off of that. Highlights from it include the sweet and tangy shell-on shrimp dish, which I made a mess peeling my first visit. I found out on the return that you just eat the whole thing, shell and all.

I can't imagine there's a dish that's much worse for you than the beef, also found on the Chinese page. Cubes of meat are fried and tossed in a soy and sugar sauce. It's like popcorn beef, but even more addicting because of the sweetness. We got this dish at both meals, and both times the beef was gone in about 2 minutes.

The crab and lobster both came in similar sauces—some mix of ginger, scallions, and sweetness. They're both good, but nothing special (aside from the dragon's head carrot with the lobster). If you're looking for whole crab or lobster at an Asian restaurant, I much prefer Mai Lee's.

If you're looking for authentic Chinese food in a more intimate setting, Private Kitchen is where you should be going. The food is better than most of what you'll find in St. Louis, and I can guarantee there are some dishes you haven't had before. If you've got a sweet tooth, you'll love it, but those with savory palates and diabetes aren't going to be fans. When you call to make your reservation and order, don't worry about looking at the menu. Order yourself some soup dumplings, then tell them what you like. Besides the dishes above, they have lamb, chicken, and duck available, as well.

Let me know what you think about your meal there. You can leave a comment below or hit me up on Twitter or Facebook.

Private Kitchen

8106 Olive Blvd

University City, MO 63130

314.989.0283

Spencer 11/9/15 Spencer 11/9/15

Pita Plus

I go to Pita Plus for two reasons: to eat falafel and to talk to the owner. Every time I walk in, it's the exact same conversation.

"Hello! What can I get you?"

"I'd like the falafel platter (or, occasionally, falafel pita)."

"Pita. White or wheat?"

"Wheat."

"Pita. Wheat. Okay. You want borek? Is very good."

"No, just the falafel today."

"We have potato borek, cheese borek, chicken borek, spinach borek..."

"That's okay, I don't need the extra calories."

"Okay. So...no borek?"

The truth is that I want a borek. Very much so. It should be obvious from reading this blog that I am a disgusting glutton who can't say no to buttery, wonderful food. I feel guilty even looking at those stuffed phyllo pockets, though. In my fatter days, I used to scarf a borek down as I drove home with my sandwich. I still feel the shame.

Usually the owner has nothing to say after the borek discussion, but occasionally he'll be in a talkative mood. One time he wanted to know why I was taking pictures of my food, and when I told him I had a blog where I wrote about food he asked "Why?" then laughed to himself. Once he asked me not to speak until he was done checking out a woman walking to her car.

I've said it before but it bears repeating: Pita Plus' falafel is what you need to be getting. They show up on the table (on classy styrofoam plates) looking like brown and green ping pong balls, but then you crack through their crunchy exterior and that fluffy neon green interior calls you in. Their mix of chickpeas with onion, garlic, fresh herbs, and a mountain of spices—these have a hint of heat to them—is tough to top. Especially when slathered in tzatziki and their sweat-inducing chili sauce.

The platter comes with pita bread (white or wheat?), a Middle Eastern salad, pickles, olives, and hummus.

Get a borek while you're there, too. It'll make him feel good. My favorite goes to the potato.

Spencer 11/4/15 Spencer 11/4/15

Lunch Pick: La Tejana Taqueria

I have a tendency to get obsessed—with a specific dish, a restaurant, a chef, or, more often, a cuisine. A few weeks back, I watched a video of chef Alex Stupak making these incredible looking al pastor and immediately ordered his brand spankin' new Tacos. I started dreaming of tacos. That lead to a dinner at La Tejana, then a lunch at La Tejana, then visiting the taco stand at El Morelia, a trip to Publico, and so on. I know some people think that Taqueria Durango, La Vallesana, or Taqueria Bronco are better than Tejana, which is totally fine. They're all legit taco makers and I would happily eat tacos at any of them. I just happen to enjoy Tejana and the staff more than the other places.

Here are some quick picks for your next visit:

Al pastor quesadillas: This is a no-brainer. Tejana's al pastor is a delicious mix of spicy pork and sweet pineapple. Put that between two tortillas with gooey cheese? Duh.

Tacos: You can go healthy and eat a chicken taco and a veggie taco (top photo), or you can go big time and get some meat! I switch it up every time I go, which is easy when they have steak, carnitas, cow head (the only one I don't like), tongue, chorizo, tinga (chorizo/chicken), campechano (steak/chorizo), al pastor, chicken, pork skin, and barbacoa. Make sure to ask for the green salsa too.

Everything Verde: Tejana has daily specials, but none are as special as the mole verde or the pozole verde. Both dishes rely heavily on the use of tomatillos; as far as which I prefer, I lean towards the pozole verde. It's like my mom's chicken noodle soup if she was Mexican instead of Eastern European. The bites of hominy that have been plumped up with chicken broth (and wonderful chicken fat) and tomatillo are heavenly. Definitely a great choice for a cold winter's day or if you're feeling under the weather.

La Tejana Taqueria

3149 N. Lindbergh Blvd

Bridgeton, MO 63074

314.291.8500

Spencer 10/28/15 Spencer 10/28/15

Little Serow

If you're wandering down 17th Street NW in D.C. trying to find the signless Little Serow, just look for the enormous line—that starts forming at 4:30pm—leading to an ordinary old basement door. There were a number of reasons that Little Serow (sounds like arrow) was on my must-try list this last visit to our nation's capital: the chef-owner is Johnny Monis, who also owns the untouchable Komi next door. The food is authentic northern Thai food, something near and dear to my heart. Plus, both Gerard Craft and Nini Nguyen told me to go. I'm a good listener.

There are no reservations. You get there, get in line, then wait your turn. Once you make it inside, you'll be greeted by darkness and bright teal walls. You don't order anything besides drinks—it's a $45 set menu. You sit, it starts.

The chefs work in a small kitchen to the left, close enough where you can see them but far enough away that you probably won't go bother them. We were seated at the long white bar (which I recommend aiming for) and excitedly got things kicked off. The first dish out was the Nam Prik Thai Orn, a spicy chili sauce made with salted fish, shrimp paste, and green peppercorns.

There's a whole mess of nam prik varieties, including the roasted green chili nam prik noom you can find at Fork & Stix, all of which are meant to be eaten as either a condiment or a dipping sauce. It's like the funky Thai version of ranch dressing, in that sense.

The Thai Orn had a deep, peppery flavor with a mild hit of shrimp paste. Paired with the veggies—or, better yet, the pork rinds—it was a perfect start to the meal. It assured me that what we were eating was nothing but authentic, the kind of food you rarely see in the U.S.

Our next two courses, the Ma Hor (sour fruit, dried shrimp, pork) and Yam Makheua Yao (eggplant, cured duck egg, mint), arrived together. We dug into the sour fruit plate first, a wonderful mix of sour and sweet. Every bite of this took me back to eating near the beaches of Southeast Asia, sitting out in the the tropical weather.

The Yam Makheua Yao brought back a different set of memories. After my first forkful of smokey eggplant, my body lit on fire from the inside out. Flashes of a misunderstanding with a Thai food stall in Singapore flooded my mind. I had tried to ask for my Som Tom salad less spicy, but apparently all she heard was MORE spicy. The result was me abandoning my lunch in a hurry, running to Starbucks to get something milky to relieve me of the burning pain in my mouth.

I wasn't going to bail on Serow for Starbucks, but like an angel sent from on high, our waitress appeared and asked if we were interested in their sweetened rice milk to help us cool down. Never has a drink tasted so good. It was like a Thai horchata. We each ended up drinking 3 or 4 glasses of that sweet nectar of the gods.

Laap Pla Duk Chiang Mai is not the prettiest dish by any stretch of the imagination, but this catfish and galangal salad is a winner. If my tastebuds were correct, it's kind of like all Thai ingredients blended together with grilled fish. Lemongrass, chilies, galangal—it punches you in the face with flavor. You can eat it with your fork, or you can spread it over cabbage, sticky rice, or whatever vegetable you prefer.

The runner up for favorite dish of the night went to the Tow Hu Thouk, crispy tofu tossed with ginger and peanuts. It was a fantastic mix of crisp and creamy. We definitely could have eaten another one of these.

We didn't eat much of the Het Grapao, stir fried mushrooms with basil and egg. The flavors were good—it's a vegetarian version of of the basil chicken I'd get in Singapore—but at that point it felt too heavy, and the strong soy flavor was killing my tropical buzz.

The best came last. In fact, it was the best thing I ate the entire time I was in D.C. Si Krong Muu, pork ribs with Mekhong whiskey and dill. I was surprised to see dill in a Thai dish, but a quick Googling revealed that northeastern Thailand does, in fact, use dill fairly often. The flavor was unreal.

Seriously. This has to be in my 10 top favorite things I've eaten this year. We were so full by the time they came, but still managed to polish these off. The meat, finished with a nice char, fell right off the bone. Like so many Thai dishes, the flavor was all over—sweet, sour, charred, bitter, herbaceous—but it's absolutely perfect. I thought I preferred my ribs smoked and slathered in BBQ sauce, but it turns out I was wrong.

The meal came to a close with these tiny glutinous rice squares topped with coconut cream and toasted sesame seeds, a perfect final note for the evening.

If you're an Asian food lover, Little Serow should be at the top of your list of places to go. Sure, you'll probably be eating dinner at 5:00pm like an elderly person, but it's well worth the sacrifice.

Little Serow

1511 17th Street NW

Washington DC 20036

note@littleserow.com

Spencer 10/26/15 Spencer 10/26/15

Union Loafers

I'd heard the rumors for nearly two years: Ted Wilson is going to open a bakery, they'd say. It's going to be by La Patisserie Chouquette and Olio, they'd whisper. Ted's bread is better than any bread you've had before, they assured me. Years went by and not once did I see this mysterious Ted Wilson, nor did I find his bread anywhere. I'd sit at Chouquette staring longingly at the empty shop across the street while Patrick and Simone consoled me with caneles and frangipane. I gave up hope. I moved on. I filled that calorific deficit with fried chicken.

Then the flood of texts and tweets came: Ted had appeared in our time of need, much like Jesus or Gandalf, and he had bread in tow. Union Loafers was here!

It took me 2 weeks to get over to Loafers—leave off Union, like the cool guys do—which gave my chef and 'foodie' (I hate that word) friends plenty of time to ridicule me for not going there immediately.

To be honest, I didn't rush because I just didn't see how a bakery and sandwich shop could be that good.

It is that good. I don't know what Ted (and Brian Lagerstrom, formerly of Niche) do to their bread, but they've got me carbo-loading like I've got a race to run.

Loafers offers six bread options at the moment—I bought them all. I've never walked out of a bakery with a bag that not only was big enough to fit a toddler in, but weighed as much. They also have a constantly evolving lunch menu made up of salad, soup, and sandwiches.

I had just watched Brian prepare a batch of pork for the oven in the back, so I had to go with the Roasted Pork Sandwich, served on a small ciabatta roll (ciabattini, son). It may sound like any sandwich you'd get at Panera or Whole Foods—roasted pork with country ham, gruyere cheese, pickles, mustard, and a garlic mayo—but it's not. It'd be like saying a Toyota is the same as an Aston Martin just because they both have wheels, doors, and an engine.

This is a lumberjack sized sandwich with meat piled up high. If you're new to eating sandwiches without processed meat or vegetables that had been vacuum sealed weeks before, you may be shocked at the wonderful flavors and textures, but don't be alarmed. This is what a ham sandwich should taste like.

Other sandwich offerings include turkey & swiss, ham & cheddar, smoked beets, and almond butter and raspberry jam. I got serious order envy seeing one of the nut butter sandwiches get delivered.

Of all my food weaknesses, few can compete with what happens when I'm near sweet, sweet carbs. In my earlier days as a fat youth, I'd come home from school and chowdown on a bagel or whatever bread we had in the house like there was no tomorrow. Coming home with pounds of bread and trying to hide it from myself had the same result.

First off, the Rye bread: organic whole rye, organic sifted wheat, caraway seeds (there's something about caraway that sings to my Jewish soul, much like Neil Diamond), sea salt and water. It's airy and hearty, screaming to be sliced and covered in some kind of meat. I felt myself morphing into a New York Jew as I ate this, looking for chopped liver or smoked tongue to put on.

The Light & Mild is what I'd describe as an everyday bread. It's base is nearly the same as the rye, just omitting the caraway and using whole wheat instead of rye, but that makes all the difference in the world. It's...well, lighter and milder.

Ciabatta is much less exciting than the other two to me, but still—tasty.

While the breads above are wonderful and perfectly suitable for expanding your waistline and thighs, the bakery's 'snacks' are much, much sexier. The comically sized pretzel didn't even make it home. I started eating it as soon as I walked out the door and by the time I walked in the door, I was just flicking the salt flakes off my shirt. It's soft. It's pretzely. It goes fantastically well with their housemade grain mustard. If they add a cheese sauce to the menu, I'll have to bring a change of pants with me every time I go.

The pizzas, formally known as pizza rosa and cheesy bread, give the pretzel a run for its money. I watched Ted make both as I slobbered on the floor of the bakery like a dog. He foolishly set them in front of me to let them cool. I had visions of just taking the whole pie (loaf? sheet?) and running out the door, but Ted seems like he's fit enough to catch me.

Pizza rosa is simple tomato and chili oil slice, while the cheesy bread is a lot like the breadsticks you get from Dominos/Papa Johns if they were fucking unreal. When I got home, I tried every bread. I cut myself a slice of the cheesy bread. I cut myself a slice of the rosa. I triumphantly put the cheesy bread in some tupperware and set it aside.

One hour later I snuck back downstairs and finished both the rosa and cheesy bread.

I've never been hungrier writing a post. Brb. Heading to Loafers.

Union Loafers

1629 Tower Grove Ave

St. Louis, MO 63110

314.833.6111

Spencer 10/22/15 Spencer 10/22/15

Byrd & Barrel

A few years back, St. Louis got hooked on the idea of frozen yogurt. Everywhere you turned, a new place popped up. Yogoluv, FroYo, Chill, Red Mango dotted the city (or mostly the 'burbs, I guess) like pimples on a teenagers face. Two years later, barely any are open. Shockingly, people didn't want to eat a delicious frozen treat the 6 months of the year that it's goddamn freezing here. As the yogurt trend melted away, something new emerged: good quality BBQ shops. Tired of the garbage that is Bandana's, St. Louisans flocked to Pappy's and Sugarfire, both of which have expanded rapidly and successfully. It came as a shock to no one (except for vegans probably, but no one cares what they think) that people loved to be able to eat fantastic BBQ whenever and wherever they were.

It's like everyone collectively acknowledged that we, as Midwesterners, love huge portions of food with buckets of flavor. BBQ was the gateway drug—the next wave is fried chicken.

It seems that if there's one thing Josh Galliano taught his young Padawans at Monarch, The Libertine, and An American Place, it's how to expertly pull off fried chicken. His proteges include Rick Lewis, the man behind Southern, and Bob Brazell, the dude who decided to refurbish an old Popeye's and make it Byrd & Barrel.

Both Lewis and Brazell opened restaurants this summer, both with a focus on god's greatest gift to mankind, fried chicken. Southern's focus is on Nashville Hot Chicken and comfort food, while Byrd aims to use gourmet fried chicken in a whole mess of ways.

Months ago, Brazell (whose team includes former Gallianites Tommy "Salami" Andrews, Will "Tugboat" Volny, and Ryan "Ryan" Mcdonald) told me some of the ideas he was kicking around for his menu. The one that got my engine revved up right away was the South Side Poutine. B&B substitutes the fries typically seen in the dish with big tater tot balls, tasting like Waffle House hashbrowns that have been clumped together and deep fried. The balls are topped with tender smoked chicken, cheese curds, chicken (or mushroom) gravy, and chives.

If I ever make a "Top 10 Drunk Foods" for St. Louis, this will be at the top. Cheese, gravy, fried, meat. Winner.

It was a nice surprise to see that their chicken skins aren't done the way every restaurant seems to do it—that is to say, copy what Sean Brock's Husk has done and just dust them in a spicy southern seasoning. Instead, these skins are drizzled with a General Tso's style sauce, giving them a little tang and sweetness. Not eating this entire plate of skins took a LOT of mental fortitude.

Feeling guilty about our first two dishes, I had to throw some vegetables in. The roasted cauliflower came with toasted cashews, grana padano cheese, salsa verde, and a slightly spicy peppadew aioli. The plating style keeps with the other dishes of being sort of a controlled mess on the plate, but the flavors are clearly from experienced chefs. I would get these again, without a doubt.

If you can emphatically say that you love chicken livers, then you must get the banh mi. This is the most chicken livery thing I've eaten in St. Louis, and that includes all the chicken liver mousses. Crispy fried livers are tucked into french bread and topped with pickled carrots, cilantro, jalapeños, cucumbers, and aioli, like every other banh mi.

The one thing you must get your first time at B&B is the Mother Clucker: a giant, juicy, wonderful, fried chicken thigh topped with caramelized onions, a sweet and spicy pepper jelly, and provel cheese whiz (just typing that makes me aroused). To finish, Red Hot Riplets are delicately placed on top.

I've already vowed to name my first born (male or female) Bob Brazell Pernikoff because of this sandwich.

I knew going into the meal that I'd love Bob's thighs, but I had no idea how much I'd love his pickle.

The Tickled Pickle is probably the most ridiculous dish I've seen in St. Louis. A hot dog is stuffed in a pickle, then breaded and fried like a corn dog. It's preposterous, but it works so well. Dipped in the housemade sriracha grain mustard, it's perfect. I think for that drunk meal I mentioned before, the poutine would be my starter and this would be my entree.

I was worried about having St. Louis having two new fried chicken places opening at the same time, but now I'm wishing there were more Southerns and Byrd & Barrels all over. One day...

Byrd & Barrel

3422 S Jefferson Ave

St. Louis, MO 63118

314.875.9998

Spencer 10/5/15 Spencer 10/5/15

Shake Shack

I recently went to D.C. under the guise of seeing my brother, his girlfriend, KQ, and their adorable French Bulldog puppy, Taco (for proof, see the bottom of this post). Though, if I'm being honest with you, dear reader, I really went to D.C. because I had a free place to stay and lots of new things to eat. I've gone from world traveling businessman to that guy who shows up at your place and doesn't leave. I'm all about trying the best that D.C. has to offer—Masseria, Little Serow, Kapnos, etc.—but my super secret desire was to finally try Shake Shack. I never imagined I'd write about a chain on here, but there are always exceptions. Especially when the founder, Danny Meyer, is a St. Louisan who also went to the same summer camp that I did, Camp Nebagamon.

Basically, Danny Meyer and I are best friends but he just doesn't know it yet, so of course I'm going to check out my best bud's restaurant chain.

Like most people, I'm a fan of In N' Out. Double-double animal style with animal style fries, please. I like their simplicity, I like their flavors, and I like that things are made fresh. However, we St. Louisans do not have the opportunity to eat at In N' Out, nor Shake Shack. Instead, we have Five Guys and Steak & Shake, which is kind of like getting their fat, pimply, apathetic younger brothers.

I needed to see what the hype was all about.

I hit up the enormously popular Union Station location with KQ, a self proclaimed Shake Shack expert. As we waited, I began noticing the things around me—most notably Mast Brothers chocolate bars and Stumptown coffee. It's pretty surprising to see highly regarded companies like that in a fast food burger chain, though if Chipotle could take a quick Mexican concept that had already been done with great success and make it into something healthier, more sustainable, and with a higher level of quality and customer service, why couldn't a burger chain?

Based on KQ's recommendations, I went with a single Shack Burger, topped with lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce, an Abita root beer, and we split cheese fries. The most surprising thing happened when our order was ready: the food looked like it did in all their promotional shots. Everything on the burger looked fresh. Bun, lettuce, tomato—it all looked like something made by humans and not a machine.

So, was it everything I dreamed of? Yeah, I think so. I didn't go in with unrealistic expectations of the world's greatest burger. I wanted a tasty fast food burger. Something on par with a Big Kahuna burger. The edges were surprisingly crispy, more so than any fast food burger I can think of, which immediately gave it a big boost in my book. It wasn't Carl's Drive In crispy, of course, but still—impressive. With the creamy, tangy Shack Sauce and the crunchy lettuce, I was a happy diner.

The fries, once a point of contention there, from what I've read, were crunchy and salty, which is 90% of what I look for in a good fry. The cheese sauce wasn't my favorite, though. I was hoping for something cheesier and goopier—theirs was a bit thin and didn't have much of a cheese flavor. Still, I crushed these and made sure to get every last drop of the sauce. Even mediocre cheese sauce is still cheese sauce!

All in all, I liked my meal at Shake Shack and would happily go back there for some cheat-day meals. Can we work out a deal where they replace all the Five Guys here in town? You're from St. Louis, Danny! Where's the hometown love?

As promised, cute puppy pics:

Spencer 9/30/15 Spencer 9/30/15

Artichoke

Part II: Artichoke

Artichoke is the only modern Middle Eastern restaurant I've found in Singapore, but being unique is no reason to love a restaurant. I demand quality!

Artichoke was recommended to us by the chefs at Candlenut, and since they obviously know their way around great food, we trusted them.

I have no idea how Artichoke got the space they're in, but it's a welcome change from eating in another windowless mall basement. Flanked by malls and office towers, the restaurant is housed in a small spot next to a funky former church and an art studio, giving it an enclosed courtyard for diners to sit in.

The restaurant's interior is both bold and homey, much like the food itself. Most of the walls are covered in red and black patterned wallpaper, excluding the back chalkboard wall.

Artichoke Restaurant, Singapore, Interior

Artichoke Restaurant, Singapore: Dining Room

The menu is split into small mezze plates and larger shared plates. We started with three mezze, plus an order of fresh pita bread. The first plate was Beetroot Tzatziki, composed of sweet roasted beets topped with a pistachio dukka, a fat dollop of yogurt, and wormwood. Herbaceous, fresh, creamy—once it was all mixed up into an ugly looking mess, it was killer.

Following the tzatziki came the smoked anchovies. Seeing something smoked in Singapore is rare, so I couldn't resist. The dish was relatively straightforward and simple, with the anchovies resting over cherry tomatoes and olive oil, but the incorporation of seaweed 'caviar' and sumac really hit you with some extra umami.

The final mezze was not good for sharing, mostly because we were just fighting over who got to eat more of it. This was probably the best babaganoush I've ever had the pleasure of eating. Smokey eggplant mixed with sesame, yogurt, and, most importantly, a pomegranate molasses teriyaki. The way the tart sweetness paired with the smokey earthiness—it shut both of us up.

Artichoke Restaurant Singapore Smoked Anchovies

Artichoke Restaurant Singapore: babaganoush

The waitress recommended we get two shared plates, a decision that was made difficult by the fact that all 12 dishes sounded great. The victory ultimately went to the housemade feta 'burrata' and the slow roasted lamb shoulder.

In hindsight, he amount of feta burrata we consumed is fairly disgusting. A mountain of the creamy, salty, sumptuous cheese was set over Turkish toast—a play on Texas toast—plus basil, tomatoes, and pomegranate seeds. It was like the slutty, sexy cousin of a caprese.

I am an absolute glutton for good lamb, especially when it's been braised. Up until this point, the slow roasted lamb shoulder at Kapnos in D.C. was my all-time favorite lamb dish...but that's all changed.

Artichoke Restaurant Singapore Feta Burrata

20165287116_87d7faf297_k — Artichoke Restaurant Singapore Lamb Shoulder

The lamb at Artichoke is absurd. It's a huge bowl filled with meat, tomatoes, dirty onions, zhoug coriander sauce, and a toum garlic sauce. The meat itself was as tender as can be, with a crispy bark on the outside. Once it was all mixed together into a meaty mess, it was just too good. In Pokemon terms, this was like a doner kebab that had reached final form.

To close things out, we had to try one of Artichoke's famed Neh Neh Pops. The Mango Sticky Rice screamed our name: chunk of mango mixed into a coconut rice pudding ice cream, dipped in white chocolate, then sprinkled with toasted coconut flakes and Rice Krispies.

Artichoke Restaurant Singapore ice cream

Let that sink in.

It was so nice to be able to go somewhere with this quality of food in such a casual atmosphere. I had a hard time finding a restaurant where I could just hang out and have great food over there—most seemed to be good for one and not the other. Artichoke handled it swimmingly. If you're looking for a fun place to go for dinner, but don't want to miss out on incredible flavors, you must check out Artichoke.

Spencer 9/28/15 Spencer 9/28/15

The Best of Singapore: Candlenut

Singapore is a food lover's paradise. Everyone knows that by now, thanks to the likes of Andrew Zimmern, Anthony Bourdain, and me. The Singaporeans are in constant competition with the Taiwanese and Japanese to see who is more obsessed with food. To say the tiny city-state is chock full of restaurants would be an understatement. As a visitor (and even as a local), the question becomes: where should I eat? Nearly every magazine, TV show, or blog will say one of the following:

It's so cheap! You should just eat at these hawker stalls. You'll only spend $10 a day!

If you like sushi, you must try Waku Ghin. For $400 a person, it's totally worth it.

So those are your options: you either eat outside at a hawker center or spend hundreds of dollars eating at a "celebrity" restaurant.

The country is quickly becoming a playground for celebrity chefs, just like Dubai and Las Vegas. Gordon Ramsay, Mario Batali, Daniel Boulud, Wolfgang Puck, Jamie Oliver—I could go on—they all have restaurants in Singapore now. Some of these are excellent—Batali's Mozza and Boulud's DB Kitchen were both wonderful every time I ate at them, but they're all so heavily hyped by the Singaporean media (both bloggers and professionals), I think Gordon Ramsay could literally shit on a plate and the bloggers would be lining up to take pics and discuss how innovative it is—and how it's so much better than anything Singaporean restaurants are making.

On this last trip, Patricia and I wanted to eat at an unpretentious restaurant with great food, helmed by a local chef. Deciding to do that instead of spending $700 at JAAN proved to be a brilliant move.

The two best meals I had in Singapore this past trip (and quite possibly in all my time there) were at Artichoke, Bjorn Shen's funky modern Middle Eastern eatery, and Candlenut, Malcolm Lee's foray into contemporary Peranakan cuisine. Both restaurants have the fine-casual feel that American restaurants have shifted towards. Service is relaxed and friendly, the atmosphere is fun, and the focus is on creating great food that doesn't require a $250 tasting menu.

These two chefs couldn't be more different. Shen is brash and foul-mouthed. He's like Singapore's own Anthony Bourdain, and honestly, I think Singapore needs a guy like him. Lee, on the other hand, is quiet and contemplative, more like Thomas Keller. These are the two chefs cooking the best and most exciting food I had in Singapore.

Part 1: Candlenut

I can't think of another meal that has floored me quite like my first meal at Candlenut. After 3 years in Singapore, one meal completely shifted my perspective on what Singaporean food was and what it could be.

I knew about Candlenut before eating there, but only so far as knowing that it existed. The cuisine—modern Peranakan—I knew almost nothing about. I just knew they had some type of nut that, if not properly prepared, will kill you. Great!

Peranakan cuisine is a mix of Chinese, Indonesian, and Malay ingredients and cooking styles. Not satisfied with churning out the classics, Candlenut's wunderkind chef Lee is serving up beautiful modern renditions.

It's the most exciting food I ate in Singapore and what I would expect more restaurants to be doing: taking the food the Singapore was built on and letting a team of young chefs make it their own. Visiting chefs and foodies, this needs to be at the top of your list. Not Restaurant Andre.

Below are the menus from our two meals there; you probably won't recognize most of the dishes, but we'll get to that.

18 July Menu

Jiu Hu Char, Homemade Kueh Pie Tee Shell

Warm Relish of Minced Pork, Banana Chili, Dried Shrimp

Wagyu Beef Rib, Buah Keluak Sambal, Turmeric Egg

Tumbuk Prawns, Laksa Leaf, Starfruit

Pong Tauhu Soup, Prawn & Crab Meatball, Shellfish Bisque

Grilled Red Snapper, Dried Shrimp Sambal, Smoked Salt

Baby Sweet Potato Leaf Curry, Sweet Prawns, Crispy Whitebait

Maori Lake Lamb Rack, Dry Red Curry, Roasted Coconut, Kaffir Lime

Wok Fried Wild Baby Squid, Sambal Petai, Fried Shallots

Wing Bean Salad, Baby Radish, Cashew Nuts, Lemongrass, Calamansi Lime Dressing

27 July Menu

Jiu Hu Char, Homemade Kueh Pie Tee Shell

Warm Relish of Minced Pork, Banana Chili, Dried Shrimp

Grilled Spice-Marinated Chicken Satay, Peanut Sauce

Tumbuk Prawns, Laksa Leaf, Starfruit

Rawon Oxtail Soup, Buah Keluak, Fried Shallots

Grilled Red Snapper, Dried Shrimp Sambal, Smoked Sea Salt

Chap Chye Braised Cabbage, Sweet Beancurd Skin, Pork Belly, Prawn Stock

Blue Swimmer Crab, Yellow Turmeric Coconut Curry, Kaffir Lime

Wok Fried Wild Baby Squid, Squid Ink, Tamarind, Chilis

Local Chicken & Black Fungus Kerabu, Gingerflower, Mint, Kerisik

Buah Keluak Ice Cream, Salted Caramel, Warm Chocolate Espuma

"Kueh Salat", Kueh Bangkit, Coconut Sorbet

Candlenut's Signature Chendol Cream, Pandan Jelly, Gula Melaka

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Jiu hu char: dried cuttlefish and vegetable stir fry

Warm relish of minced pork

Tumbuk Prawns, Chicken Satay

Wagyu beef, buah keluak sambal

Buah Keluak is the name of the potentially fatal nut I mentioned, and it is the flavor I'd used to differentiate Peranakan food from all others. It's often referred to as the Asian truffle, given its black color and intense, hard to place flavor. I don't think it's actually similar in flavor at all to a truffle, though. To me, it's like a chocolatey Oaxacan mole.

It was served three ways during our dinners: the first, seen below, was my favorite. Wagyu beef rib, cooked until it was falling apart, sat over a turmeric crepe, accompanied by a spoonful of thick buah keluak sambal. We didn't know what hit us. This single bite was like some Willy Wonka candy that simultaneously tasted like a Mexican mole, a wintry braised beef, and a Southeast Asian sauce.

It was one of the best things I've eaten—not just this year, but ever.

Wing Bean Salads

Pong Tauhu Soup, Chap Chye

Wok-fried Squid

The term 'wok hei' refers to a flavor imparted by cooking in an incredibly hot seasoned wok. Both squid dishes at Candlenut had so much 'wok hei', I almost cried.

The darker dish, cooked with squid ink, had a more earthy, briny taste, but a little tang and sweetness from the tamarind. The other, cooked with a spicy sambal made with petai (otherwise known as bitter beans or stink beans) and fried shallots had a more familiar Southeast Asian flavor that we couldn't stop eating. Spicy and sticky from the sambal, it was just fantastic.

Swimmer Crab Curry, Sweet Potato Leaf Curry

If pizza didn't exist, I think curry would be my favorite food on earth. Americans love curry, yet every Asian menu has just two types: red and green. Get with the times, people. There's a whole world of curry out there!

The blue swimmer crab in a yellow turmeric coconut curry with kaffir lime was a sweet, delightful curry. The curry itself was similar to the one that made me fall in love with Chris Bailey's cooking, but the incorporation of the tender swimmer crab took it to another level. Our other curry, a thicker, vibrantly orange bowl of amazing, was full of baby sweet potato leaves, sweet prawns, then topped with crispy fried whitebait to add crunch.

Both curries were phenomenal, but the upper hand goes to the sweet potato leaf curry with sweet prawns.

Beef Rawon

When we sat down for our second dinner and I saw that there was oxtail soup with buah keluak, I squealed with glee. When it came to the table, things got tense. One bowl was brought to the table. Patricia and I both eyed the bowl, then each other. I knew I was supposed to be a gentleman and let her have it first, share it equally, blah, blah. She knew it too. The thing is...I didn't want to share it. I wanted it all.

Just before we would have gotten into a relationship-ending brawl over the beef, they brought out another bowl. Phew.

It had all the great flavors you'd expect from an oxtail stew; that thick gravy; the meat that's falling apart. Take the best beef stew or braise you've made, then add a few secret Southeast Asian ingredients, then add the chocolatey, bitter buah keluak. What do you get? An orgasm.

Lamb Rack, Red Snapper

Buah Keluak ice cream, Kueh Salat

Oh, dessert. You sexy temptress.

Buah keluak ice cream, you say? Yes, sir. On its own, it was almost too intense; the mix of high grade dark chocolate and the buah keluak almost create the taste of a boozy chocolate milkshake. A bite with the salted caramel, chocolate espuma, and pop rocks evened things out. One of the most intensely chocolate desserts I've had.

Kueh Salat is typically a two-layered gelatinous dessert. The bottom is made of glutinous rice, the top is a green pandan custard. Lee and his team break it down: an intense pandan custard topped with coconut shavings, crushed Kueh Bangkit (coconut cookies), and a coconut sorbet on the side. The coconut sorbet all by itself is almost good enough to be one of my top desserts of the year. This is Singapore in a dish.

Part of why we went back to the restaurant a second time was just for this. The balancing of coconut and the vanilla-ish pandan is just unreal. I would consider this a perfect dish. Of all the desserts I can ever remember eating, I've liked none more than this.

Chendol Cream

The photos may look like any decent Asian restaurant's, but I can assure you all the flavors were far beyond any I've had before. If Candlenut was in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, or even St. Louis (well, probably not), it would completely booked every night. If you're a Singaporean or planning to visit Singapore, you must go.

When I was picking my Top 5 Desserts and Top 10 Entrees this year, it was hard not to include more of Candlenut's dishes. I always sway towards Asian-influenced desserts, and all 3 we had could have made the list. This was, and still is, the best meal I've had this year.

Check back Wednesday for a post on Artichoke.

Spencer 9/24/15 Spencer 9/24/15

Bolyard's Burger Throwdown

The skies were more than ominous on August 22nd—there was no denying a storm was coming. I left my house at 5:15 PM, and by 5:17, the skies erupted. Manchester Road became more river than road in spots. My confidence that the Bolyard's Burger Throwdown would be starting at 6 PM was low, even if their Facebook page stated it was happening rain or shine. As I rolled up to Bolyard's, the skies cleared and the rain stopped. The burger gods were watching down upon us.

The battle that was about to take place was sure to be epic. Nick Blue, chef of Brasserie, prepared to battle Andrew Jennrich, butcher extraordinaire at Annie Gunn's.

Blue went with a Bibimbap Burger: a Bolyard's patty topped with pickled vegetables, a fried quail egg, and a piquant gochujang mayo. Jennrich gave his patty a spicy rub, then covered it with heirloom tomatoes, shaved lettuce, bread & butter pickles, remoulade dressing, and a hefty piece of andouille to create his Po Boy Burger.

The winner of the battle would be decided by the people. Each diner would get a ballot when they checked in (along with drink coupons to get Perennial Artisan Ale!). After the burgers were served, the people would decide who should win the Golden Pig Skull and who would have their hand lopped off by the master butcher himself (okay, that part isn't true). The pressure both Blue and Jennrich felt could only be described as immense.

I couldn't wait to get their meat into my mouth.

Let's check out the play-by-play.

The final plating. Two hefty sliders, plus Bolyard's mind-blowing beef tallow fries. Before even discussing the burger, I must explain how good these fries were. Think of the tastiest fries you've ever had. Now make them taste even better. It was sort of like the movie Inglourious Basterds: I went in excited to see Brad Pitt and Melanie Laurent and left talking about Christoph Waltz. So what I'm saying is these french fries were as good as Christoph Waltz, and he won the Oscar that year.

I won't say which way I voted, but both burgers pleased my palate. Even though they were inspired by completely different parts of the world, both had similar elements. They each had some heat (creole seasoning/gochujang mayo), a creamy element (remoulade/quail egg), and a vegetable crunch (pickles & lettuce/pickled vegetables). I would happily eat both burgers again.

In the end, Nick Blue took home the Golden Pig Skull. Will we see a Jennrich v. Blue rematch one day? I think, perhaps, this is the start to a great trilogy.

Be on the look out for more Bolyard's Burger Throwdowns in the near future. Who do you want to see battle it out next?

Spencer 9/14/15 Spencer 9/14/15

Wee Nam Kee

[two_third]You're a tourist in Singapore looking to try some of that chicken rice you've heard of. The guide books & blogs say to go to Maxwell Food Centre and go to Tian Tian Chicken Rice.

You can do that, if you want. The result will be you waiting in line for 30-45 minutes in the sweltering tropical heat of Singapore, then fighting to find a table, then sweating even more as you eat your spicy chicken rice (because you are dipping it in the chili sauce, right?).

Or you can go to the Marina Square mall—you're in Singapore, so I'm sure you're shopping—and eat great chicken rice in an air-conditioned restaurant. It's not like you can tell the difference between Tian Tian and any other decent chicken rice anyway, right?

The other nice thing about going to Wee Nam Kee (WNK) is that since it's an actual restaurant, they have a decently sized menu, and everything I've had there has been pretty good. Service is consistently terrible, but I almost like it more because of it. No waitress is coming to your table without you flagging them down. Most orders are answered with a grunt. Maybe smiling isn't allowed here?

After trying most of the menu, our standard order became half a roasted chicken in their sweet-savory soy sauce, kang kong greens in sambal, and cereal prawns, which is exactly what we got this last trip.

Once you place your order, you'll get a little sauce bowl and a tray of condiments. This includes a thick chili sauce, pounded ginger, pickled green chilies, sticky dark soy sauce, plus normal soy sauce. Everyone has their own chicken rice sauce preference. You'll see from my bowl below that I try to go half ginger, half chili, then a quick dab of the dark soy. The result is spicy, sweet, and it has that bright ginger burn. Perfect.

I'm not sure if it's a total ang moh move or not, but I like to take my sauce mix and pour it all over my fatty, chicken stock cooked rice. That way I can get all the flavors in every bite.

Just look at that chicken. You're not getting chicken that pretty at the hawker center. The roasted skin has this delicious flavor of, well, chicken skin, plus the soy. The meat is as tender as any chicken I've had before. I give it a good dip in the soy, then I drop it onto my plate so I can scoop it up with my now disgusting looking sauce and rice mix. It's truly one of the best bites you'll have in Singapore.

Wee Nam Kee Chili Garlic Sauce Singapore

Wee Nam Kee's sambal kang kong is something I've never been able to replicate. Sambal is a spicy paste that everyone makes a little bit differently. Shrimp paste is a component in it, but WNK's is light on the shrimp, heavy on the chili. Most jarred sambal you find here in the US has that really strong shrimp paste smell and taste to it, which I think ruins the delicate flavor of the greens. Kang kong, sold in the US as Chinese spinach or water spinach, is simply stir fried in the sambal.

Restaurants in the US need to add cereal prawns to their menus, pronto. All you do is deep fry some big ol' prawns, then set those aside. Then they take dry cereal and cook that with a shitload of butter, bird's eye chilies, and curry leaves. The hot prawns are then tossed in the cereal, et voila.

Cereal prawns will forever be one of my favorite guilty pleasures. They check off the whole list! They're sweet, salty, spicy, crunchy, and even a little floral thanks to the curry leaves. After the prawns are gone, I just pour the leftover cereal into my spicy chicken rice mush and spoon that into my mouth.

Then I go home and nap for four hours.

Wee Nam Kee Singapore Cereal Prawn Chicken

Spencer 8/19/15 Spencer 8/19/15

2am:dessertbar

The "World's 50 Best" awards are a bit of a sham, but seeing that Singaporean Janice Wong had won Best Pastry Chef in 2013 & 2014 had me intrigued. Her restaurant, 2am:dessertbar, is tucked away behind and above a bar in Holland Village. Known for their beautiful, inventive, and delicious desserts, I decided it was something I shouldn't pass up. 2am opens at 3pm and closes at 2am, making it a fun late night stop for a cocktail and treat. Patricia and I opted to go at 4pm on a weekday because we're just that wild.

From the restaurant's website, I thought it was going to be dark and moody, with spotlights aiming down at the table, creating an air of theater and mystery. Instead, it was like pretty much any other restaurant. Even the music seemed slightly off; I had imagined the kind of music you might hear at a W Hotel would be playing, all helping to create a very cool experience.

With only two other tables taken when we arrived, we had our choice of seats. We ended up at the bar, right where the wall curve upwards.

Reviews of 2am constantly reference terrible service and I will wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment. The waiter did everything he could to avoid us, and when we finally got him at our table, it seemed like every request was a chore. I think if we had asked for one more thing (god forbid we want some water), his reaction would have been like this.

Service and ambiance aside, we decided we'd get three desserts to split. Aggravatingly, all three were brought out at the same time. If we had ordered two desserts, for one person, I can understand that; but you would think that when two people order three desserts, that they would space it or at least give us a heads up—especially when each dessert has parts that will melt. Instead of a leisurely mid-day meal, we had to scarf down all three desserts in a hurry so we could actually taste them.

The first dessert was [symple_highlight color="blue"]Purple[/symple_highlight]: purple potato puree, blackberry parfait, fruit leather, lavender marshmallows, fruits of the forest sorbet. It seems like a waste to put so much work into so many elements when it all ends up tasting the same. As the dish melted (very quickly), we both agreed that it all just sort of tasted like a berry sorbet. We tasted no lavender and no purple potato.

2am dessert bar purple desserts singapore

The [symple_highlight color="blue"]Hojicha Sesame[/symple_highlight] was the highlight of the desserts, namely because of the tofu parfait and hojicha custard. The tofu was dense and creamy, and when paired with the smoky hojicha, it was perfect. The dish should have focused on that and only that.

The right side of the plate had a pear vodka sorbet, what tasted like ginger jellies, and a mushroom crumble. I don't even understand this side of the plate. I didn't think the flavors added anything to the idea of hojicha and sesame, nor did I think they were particularly good. Not only that, but the crumble itself was chewy and stale. The left side of the plate was the best of the day; the right side was the worst.

2am dessert bar hojicha sesame singapore

2am dessert bar hojicha sesame dessert singapore

2am dessert bar hojicha sesame tofu singapore

Our final dessert was [symple_highlight color="blue"]Popcorn[/symple_highlight], a mix of sweet and salty with a very, very tart passionfruit sorbet. Ignoring the stale popcorn (I still don't know if we were supposed to eat it or not—we asked the waiter and he just kind of raised his eyebrows at us), this dish didn't work composed as it was. You had to smash it all up into a mess, melding the flavors together to get it to work.

It did nothing for me. It didn't evoke the taste of popcorn. All it did was taste like salty passionfruit.

2am dessert bar popcorn dessert singapore

2am dessert bar popcorn passionfruit dessert singapore

Like many other people who have gone to 2am:dessertbar, I was hugely disappointed. The desserts are beautiful and complex, but all that work is wasted when it doesn't taste good. It's sort of like this famous Miss America contestant: she looks good, but that's about it. I thought this would be a no-brainer entry into my Best Desserts of 2015 list, but it won't be appearing there. Perhaps the 2am team should take notes from Bob Zugmaier and Sarah Blue about how to make a dessert that's both beautiful and delicious.

Spencer 8/13/15 Spencer 8/13/15

The Glory of Singapore Malls

The great American shopping mall is my personal hell. I went - out of necessity, not having time to order from Amazon - just before leaving for Singapore, arriving at exactly 10 am, aiming to avoid all human contact. Regrettably, it was full of fannypacked mall walkers, leaving me dodging the elderly left and right. I will never return. The typical Singaporean mall, on the other hand, is where I spent most of my time when I wasn't sleeping or working. Why? Well, when you're in a tiny country and not the urban sprawl, you don't have the luxury of space. You're limited horizontally, but not vertically. Your typical mall dives three or four stories below ground, with the bottom levels linked to the next closest mall or metro station. With everything connected, you rarely have to go out into the blazing heat to get from place to place.

The middle floors will be your typical stores, then the top will be either residential, a hotel, or office space. My apartment there was literally connected to the mall. From our pool deck, I looked into the restaurants and coffee shops. Think about all those lucky Starbucks customers who got to watch me sunbathe.

Speaking of restaurants and coffee shops: the malls are where you go to eat. There are, of course, tons of street-side restaurants throughout the country, but as new malls pop up monthly, the restaurants move inside. The biggest differentiation between U.S. mall restaurants and Singapore's is that their target clientele aren't mouthbreathers who think Cheesecake Factory is the greatest restaurant ever.

Seeing as I was living both above and next to a number of malls, it was only fitting I'd start my day there. Perhaps with Ya Kun's [symple_highlight color="blue"]kaya toast with peanuts[/symple_highlight] and a [symple_highlight color="blue"]kopi peng[/symple_highlight], the breakfast of fat champions. Kaya is this wonderful egg, coconut, and sugar spread that's sure to give you diabetes, and Kopi is the buttery Singaporean coffee, typically mixed with condensed milk, sure to give you diabetes.

Other healthy options include a wide range of donuts from J. Co, including Patricia's favorite, the [symple_highlight color="blue"]Avocado di Caprio[/symple_highlight]. Avocado glaze, avocado cream filling, chocolate flakes around the rim. Solid donut choice, right there.

Not a huge donut fan myself, I preferred to stop by Breadtalk and peruse. You get a tray and tongs, then you can just go crazy and grab all the breads you want!

Moving on from coffee shops and bakeries, you'll find a lot of small stalls that focus on one or two things. I'm a total slut for Japanese [symple_highlight color="blue"]takoyaki[/symple_highlight], so I'll usually hit up Gindaco once or twice. Takoyaki are molten balls of what is basically pancake dough, filled with octopus, green onion, crispy stuff, and who cares, just eat it. It's topped with a BBQ sauce, Japanese mayo, and bonito flakes. The temptation to eat it right away is strong, but if you do, you will burn your goddamn tongue off. TRUST ME.

Can't get enough balls? You could get the Hong Kong Egglet waffle from Far East Plaza for dessert.

Mall restaurants vary in size, with some seating 30 or so people, like Nam Nam Noodle Bar. Contrary to what the name would tell you, skip the noodles and get the bahn mi. You choose the meat (braised beef, caramelized pork belly, tofu, grilled chicken, chicken meatballs, lemongrass pork), then it's piled into a toasty baguette filled with chicken pate, cilantro, chilies, mayo, pickled carrots, daikon, and cucumber. If they would replace their bread with a better version, this would probably be the best bahn mi I've had.

Sick of East Asian food? No problem. Try Pita Pan, a Middle Eastern build-your-own pita shop. The setup is like Subway, except the food has mountains of flavor and they don't hire overweight pedophiles as their spokespeople (I don't think...). Speaking of Subway, all your favorite American chains are there: Kenny Roger's Roasters, KFC, McDonalds, etc. McDonalds Singapore has something called the McSpicy that packs enough heat to burn like the sun going in and out. A fitting punishment for eating McDonalds while in Singapore.

Something no one is making in St. Louis (and not even in the US, really) is Japanese curry. Most people think that the Japanese sit around eating dainty bites of sushi while drinking green tea. Wrong. They're at CoCo Ichibanya eating plates of curry the size of a small child. Just look at that pork katsu cutlet! And how about those shrimp? I'm getting hungry.

Maybe curry rice isn't your thing. Maybe [symple_highlight color="blue"]curry udon[/symple_highlight] from Tsuru-Koshi fits your needs better.

One of my all-time favorite spots to grab a meal in Singapore is at 4Fingers Fried Chicken. Korean style fried chicken brushed with either soy-garlic sauce or a fiery hot sauce with your choice of seaweed or kimchi fries. This chicken has megacrunch and great flavor. The gargantuan sandwich you see at the bottom has become my new go-to.

Finally, we have the food courts. Cheap eats cooked to order. I ate at the 313@Somerset FoodRepublic 3 or so times a week for nearly 2 years and didn't even get to try most of the stuff there.

A couple recommendations:

Popiah: it's a Singaporean vegetarian spring roll filled with all sorts of stuff. Crunchy stuff, soft stuff. Get it with chili.
Ayam Panggang, aka Indonesian Grilled Chicken: Holy sweet mother of God, this is it. This is my favorite of all the food court foods. You get grilled chicken topped with a sweet, thick black sauce, a mountain of rice, and an omelette. Then...the curry. I don't know what it is about this curry, but I'm 100% addicted to it. The woman at Indonesian Riverside BBQ in 313@Somerset knew me as "curry guy" 'cause I always wanted extra.
Roti Prata: Thin Indian bread that you can get plain or filled, served with a side of curry. Simple, fatty, wonderful.

If you ever make your way over, don't skip out on the malls: there are plenty of gems in there for you to eat.