Just call me for dinner...

So I’m not a restaurant reviewer and I’m not an event planner. I do have a job. Really. But the truth is, I eat out a lot. And much of my time is spent planning. And much much of my time is spent planning where to eat. And I’ve got ideas. So maybe, just maybe, I should review restaurants and I should provide people with the answers to their questions. I think maybe I should. In fact, sometimes I do.

Case in point: Friends are coming to town for a concert. One such question posed was, “where do we eat?” with the added stipulation that fine dining wasn’t on the agenda. Just “cheaper food and good drinks.” But of course, I read into this statement, thinking, “you can’t just go to dinner. There’s post show drinks and post-post show drinks, and then if you really do drink that much, you’re gonna wanna have some food along the way too!”

So here was my answer:

Dinner at The Scottish Arms or Newstead Tower Public House. I know that your traditional pubs are more like the O’Connell’s of the world, but I like a pub that has intelligent food. Typically, the Royale would come to mind; but I’m saving that for later, so hang on.

Pluses for The Scottish Arms: mushroom, tomato, goat cheese omelet, black tea (OH MY) scone with marmalade, and french toast with whiskey syrup. Now I understand that you might not eat this for dinner, but if the breaky is good, then I’m sure that the dinner abides, too.





Pluses for NTPH: cheese plate, yum! And other stuff too. Actually, the menu is pretty impressive.
Post-concert drinks at The Royale. Why I like the Royale: the Caprice Salad, the Hummus, among other things. I’ve eaten it all at least thrice. Oh and the drinks, too.



Post-post show drinks at Atomic Cowboy or Mangia.

Pluses for the Atomic Cowboy: vegetarian burrito, chips and guac, roasted veggie and rice bowl (this is actually quite yummy), margaritas, chips and guac again… again, you might not be eating dinner at this point, but still if the food is good, the bar beckons. Right?

And Mangia, sweet Mangia. I like the pastas, the salads, the artichoke hearts, and the late night cocktails.

If you actually make it through this tour (which is totally doable, by the way, assuming you're considering your portions), then post-post-show-drinks food is in order at City Diner. I recommend the veggie eggs benedict, but eat what you will.

So that’s a pretty good tour of the haps in STL, if you’re on a budget and you’re just looking for fun times. Right?


Next up? Tour of red curry. Stay tuned!!!!