Stuff to eat. Mostly around St. Louis.

Spencer 4/13/15 Spencer 4/13/15

I Fratellini

Why does no one talk about I Fratellini? The only logical reason I can think of is that all the other publications and blogs want to keep this gem hidden as best they can. I must admit that even I thought about skipping this review or lying and saying it's terrible, don't go. Instead, I chose to share the truth with you: this is an excellent restaurant that you need to try.

Fratellini is located off Wydown and Hanley. In a word, the restaurant is romantic. Lots of dark wood, sexy lighting, and marble. Gents, if you need to propose/apologize/woo your lady, this is the place to do it - but make sure you call at least a week in advance. Reservations can be hard to come by due to the restaurant's small size and popularity.

Picking a starter was difficult, but ultimately we decided that the Caprini would suit our needs. Warm, mild goat cheese is surrounded by roasted garlic, capers, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, and crunchy crostini. This is my favorite kind of Italian food: simple ingredients that pair together beautifully.

I think Fratellini does seafood extremely well, so that is what I usually go for (though I have heard a number of recommendations for their lamb chops). The majority of the time, I end up with their Pistachio Encrusted Trout. Since I was a wee lad, I have been obsessed with pistachio. It's absolutely one of my favorite flavors, and often my gelato choice at Pastaria. I have tried a number of times to recreate this dish at home, but I just can't get the same pistachio crust that they do. It's a mix of very finely ground pistachios and larger chunks, all of which go so well with the trout. I can't get enough of it.

The fish is lightly drizzled with a citrus butter and rests on a bed of sauteed spinach.

Another staple menu item is the Whole Roasted Pompano, served with roasted tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers, and scalloped potatoes (as well as asparagus the night we went). Once again, very simple flavors and cooking technique, but the end product is fantastic.

If you're there on a date, get this and impress your partner. They'll be impressed by your ability to eat a whole animal and will likely reward you with sweet lovin'. Or you'll make a fool of yourself trying to eat around the bones and end up alone forever.

After getting the other people at the table to order the things I really wanted, I picked out something I'd never had before: Pan Seared Salmon with shaved fennel and citrus over sauteed spinach in saffron broth. I won't put it on the same level as the trout, but I really enjoyed this summery dish. I was worried it was going to be overly citrusy, but it all balanced out nicely. Salmon and fennel, in particular, works nicely. The salmon itself was perfectly cooked and had potato chip crunchy skin, so I was happy.

Fratellini's tiramisu is the best I've had in town, but we rolled the dice and tried the Lemon & Coconut Roulade. I've been thinking about this since we ate there. Lemon. Coconut. Cake. Filled with tiramisu cream. Orgasmic.

You'll never find me on The Hill eating at some of those 'classic' Italian restaurants St. Louis has touted for so long. There's more to Italian cuisine than chicken parm and shrimp scampi. I'll take I Fratellini, Pastaria, and Katie's Pizza & Pasta over those places any day.

I Fratellini

7624 Wydown Blvd

Clayton, MO 63105

314 727-7901

Spencer 2/19/15 Spencer 2/19/15

Mai Lee

Here we are with another edition of Whiskey & Soba goes to Mai Lee, St. Louis' best Vietnamese restaurant, and tries stuff he's never had before.

Things kicked off with a top secret off the menu item: salt and pepper frog legs. Owner Qui Tran knows my affinity for all things with their salt and pepper dipping sauce - you must try the S&P calamari, soft shell crab, and/or shrimp - so when he asked if we'd be down for S&P frog legs, the answer was a resounding yes. Don't fear the frog legs. They taste just like chicken. If I blindfolded you like we were in 50 Shades of Grey and fed you bites of chicken and frog, you'd never know the difference.

Forget about the French-influenced Vietnamese dishes - give me more of these Jewish-Vietnamese dishes! This is a Southeast Asian latke. The #50 Banh Tom Chien is made of shredded sweet potato is wrapped around shrimp then deep fried. Like most Southeast Asian fried dishes, it comes with lettuce to wrap around it. That way you can pretend it's not bad for you!

I always poll Twitter before I head to Mai Lee since everyone has different favorites. One of the more intriguing recommendations was for #145 Dau Hu Sot Ca, a vegetable and tofu stir fry served in a tomato sauce. Tomato sauce? Vietnamese restaurant? I was hesitant about ordering this, but Qui assured me it was good and, as usual, he was right. This is killer. I've never had another Asian dish with a similar sauce.

You've seen this off the menu special in previous Mai Lee posts: it's the seafood charred rice. Get it.

#121 Tom Rang Muoi is a dish that would be perfect after a long night of drinking. Shrimp are stir fried with butter, garlic, onions, and scrambled eggs. It may sound strange and may not be the prettiest dish, but it is addictive.

A friend and Mai Lee expert insisted (in the same way Tony Soprano "insisted") that I try the often overlooked Chinese menu, so I picked General Tso's Chicken. This was the last plate to arrive at the table but that didn't stop it from being swallowed up instantly. The quality is much higher than your typical American Chinese restaurant, which is to be expected, and it has these monster slices of ginger in it. I come from a long line of ginger fiends, so that definitely gave this dish some bonus points.

Mai Lee. It's the best.

Mai Lee

8396 Musick Memorial Dr

St. Louis, MO 63144

314.645.2835