St. Louis, MO - Restaurants

[Rik Brown]

RESTAURANT REVIEW:

The Everest Cafe is located at 1916 Washington Avenue in St. Louis. It is St. Louis' only restaurant serving Nepali dishes. So if you wish to experience those tastes, this is the place.

I didn't expect a lot from the location and exterior. But, upon entry, one notices the white tablecloths (glass covered), linen napkins, wine glasses, and Nepali decor. There was an ever-constant but peacefully quiet sound of Nepali music adding to the effect of being in Nepal.

As for the food, there were both vegetarian and non-vegetarian sections to the menu. Our family enjoyed both types of meals. I personally ordered a meal that was a sampler of many dishes including lamb. It was very good and at $12.00 it was the highest priced meal on the menu. Many dishes were around $8.00.

Our server was very gracious and explained in detail what was in each dish as well as the background of the restaurant.

So if you have never experienced Nepali food, here is your chance. A very pleasant change of pace and fragrances. Drop on by.

Restaurant phone: (314) 621-2021

(Date of visit: September 12, 2005)

ps: See pictures in our Photos section.

[Rik Brown]

We have eaten at Nobu's Japanese Restaurant off-and-on over the years. Nobu's is now one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in the St. Louis metro area. Its located in a strip mall on the north side of Olive Blvd. just east of I-170.

Actually, this evening (Saturday night) was our 2nd visit in only the last 30 days or so. As always, Nobu has about the freshest fish and the authentic Japanese tastes. And, if you like Japanese "sake," you'll find some nice upscale (certainly for St. Louis) selections.

And, yes, that is Nobu creating sushi delights behind the sushi bar. Nobu's is a family-operated restaurant and other members of the family are usually about. Give Nobu's a try if you've never been there. Or, perhaps its just time again to visit one of the top sushi chefs in St. Louis.

Ato de. -- Rik

[Rik Brown]

Fellow St. Louisians & Visitors:

I'm a native and know quite a few restaurants in St. Louis, but certainly not enough. I would like to start a definitive list to be posted here online. Please let me know your favorite restaurants in any category but also your picks especially for the top dining experiences in St. Louis. I hope to start giving my own favorites plus upload pictures in the Photos section here at TRAVEL.com.

Any good leads are appreciated. Thanks. -- Rik

ps: I'll start here with the most recent visits.

UPDATE (12-30-05): We are in the process of building a review engine for restaurants. We are now placing online over 300 St. Louis restaurants. If you would like to review a St. Louis restaurant or search for a St. Louis restaurant, please check out this link: http://forums.travel.com/reviews/showcat.php?cat=13 (it is also posted in the center column of the TRAVEL.com home page). You can use the search box to search for a restaurant name, a cuisine (i.e. Japanese), a location (i.e. Central West End, Clayton, etc.), or even scan for a street name.

This new review area is barebones at the moment. But we plan to build it up fairly quickly over the next several months (and add many more cities). Currently, there are about 30 reviews and probably about 60 restaurants with pictures.

If you have a St. Louis metro area restaurant that you would like us to add, please leave a message in this thread and we'll see about getting it online. It you have a picture, let us know and we can place it online for others to view.

Thanks. -- Rik

[Rik Brown]

Review: Tenderloin Room, Chase Park Plaza Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri

I had lunch at the Tenderloin Room of the Chase Park Plaza Hotel on October 25, 2005. We were late in the lunch cycle (arrived after 1 PM) and so during our meal there were few other diners.

The restaurant is decorated in a Victorian style with white tableclothes and gold-rimmed plates. The menu was a mix of sandwiches and entrees. I ordered a Tenderloin hamburger which came with a Greek salad. There didn't appear to be French fries on the menu and they were not missed. I find most Greek salads too salty for my tastes but this one was pleasantly NOT salty for a change for which we complemented the Chef.

It was simply a nice lunch in nice surroundings. What made it all the nicer is that the restaurant is located on the ground level of the Chase Park Plaza Hotel which has gone through a $100 million restoration starting in 1997.

The hotel itself dates back the to 1930s and is historically famous among St. Louisians.. We were directed to a basement level housing a small hall with pictures of Presidents and entertainers that have frequented this hotel property.

All in all, a nice lunch at a historical setting in St. Louis nearby Forest Park. A stroll about the premises makes for a further feel of this St. Louis landmark.

[Rik Brown]

Review: Eau (O) Restaurant & Bar, Chase Park Plaza Hotel, St. Louis, MO

We had a very enjoyable dinner at "Eau" on the ground level of the Chase Park Plaza Hotel in St. Louis on Friday, October 28, 2005. The restaurant in located a few steps up from the hotel lobby. For those who do not know (is that possible in St. Louis?) this landmark hotel, it is located on the corner of Kingshighway and Lindell.

The hotel has undergone a $100 million refurbishment starting in 1999. The restaurant itself is very modern and kept dimmed to accent colors with low intensity lighting. The bar had what appeared to be a steel countertop and was interestingly cool to the touch. It is worth a stop even if you are not having dinner.

The menu, although not extensive, is quite diverse in its offerings. And that is the beauty of it. Everything from Missouri venison, bison ribs, beef fillet, duck, and other elements not often found on the typical menu are included. I tried the beef fillet which was very thick and cooked to perfection. They do have an extensive wine list as well.

We called to make reservations the day before and requested a quiet seating area. Our party of five was accommodated in a nice alcove room for six. For privacy, one could close a curtain but we left it open to enjoy the ambiance of the entire restaurant.

I found the service to be very gracious and the manager came to our table to check on us. All in all, we had a wonderful dinner at a gracious old hotel. If you are looking for a special night out with family or friends in a historical setting, "Eau" is most definitely very hgh on my list.

-- Rik

[Rik Brown]

Review: Emporer's Palace, Chesterfield Valley

If you drive on Airport Road through Chesterfield Valley at night, you can hardly miss the large burning "dings" of the Chinese restaurant, Emporer's Palace.

I had the pleasure of trying the lunch buffet there today. At about $8.50 per person, the price is quite close to other Chinese buffets around town. However, the similarity stops there. What makes this Chinese buffet excel is the decor and wider variety of foods.

Beyond the normal Chinese buffet there is a Japanese section with limit sushi, a Vietnamese noodle section, a basically Americanized Italian food section (i.e. American pizza and noodles) called Marco Polo, a Mongolian BBQ, and an expansive desserts section. The overall selection is so large that it would take several visits just to sample it all.

And, then back to the decor... The entire restaurant appears to be designed to mimic a Chinese garden (a la Suzhou style) crossed with a street vendor theme that is much more developed than any other Chinese restaurant I've seen in St. Louis.

It is not "fine dining" Chinese food here. No white linen table cloths. Its buffet style and the only service is to have drink refills. But the restaurant is enjoyable to the eye and the taste is pretty good. I just wish they would just "can" the Western rock and roll music and play Chinese and other Asian music (even modern) here.

I hope to return soon and have a dinner at the Emperor's Palace so another review will be forthcoming.

Visit date: November 14, 2005

[Rik Brown]

Review: Annie Gunn's, Chesterfield Valley

Annie Gunn's is well-known throughout the St. Louis area and especially popular among its West County clientele. Annie's is a place I've visited quite a few times and so this review will just be a compilation of things that come to mind from various visits.

First, the decor is British pub style. I guess I haven't paid enough attention over the years, but I've always assumed its Scottish, by the name. You can dine at the bar, in private booths, a main dining area, and outdoor seating depending on the weather. It is currently autumn as I write this review and they have curtained off the outdoor seating with a tent-like material with windows and gas heated.

I personally enjoy their lunch-time hamburger and fries. Evening fare offers excellent steaks. All of the food is somewhat pricey, but not over-priced based on the quality of materials and service. Indeed, at peak times such as weekend evenings, it can be pretty hard to get a reservation (I was once asked "How many days ago did you make your reservation?").

Even so, Annie's has told me they normally keep a percentage of seats available which can be be had if you are willing to wait. The lesson here is to make a reservation if its a peak evening period or come early.

You will notice a fair amount of the crowd drinking wines. They do have good wines here. And, one thing I would like to add: if you like the German beer Warsteiner, you can normally get it here on tap!

Annie Gunn's is great for lunch or dinner. Its close by Spirit of St. Louis Airport. So whether you are a local or someone flying in to St. Louis County, give this favorite a try.

Cheers! -- Rik

[Rik Brown]

Review: Tachibana Japanese Restaurant - near Clarkson and Fee Fee

Over the years, I've eaten more at Tachibana than any other Japanese restaurant in the St. Louis metro area. Probably, that's because Tachibana is one of the longest running Japanese restaurants in the area.

At its early beginnings, Tachibana was one of only a handful of Japanese restaurants in the area. But, these days, there are many more places to dine Japanese. My last visit to Tachibana regarding this review was on November 22, 2005.

Tachibana has indeed seen better days. The interior, which years ago was created with much attention is getting somewhat worn around the edges. The upkeep simply isn't there recently. I expect that is due to the fact that there is more and more competition around town and business may not be as brisk as it once was.

Even the menus are looking somewhat ragged. But the good news there is that they probably haven't needed to update the menus for some time as it appears the prices haven't gone up like they have at many other places. And, the prices are much more reasonable than some other places around town.

In recent years, one of my complaints about Tachibana is that the restrooms had become in severe need of remodeling. The good news is that they finally not only remodeled the restrooms, but also made them larger. Thank you, Tachibana.

Food-wise, I can't say that things have changed a lot over the years. The sushi did seem noticeably smaller than in the past (but not yet too small). However, the taste has been pretty consistent over time.

Sadly, we found out that our favorite server, Sachiko, had moved out of St. Louis with her husband. She will be missed my family!

We enjoyed our last visit eating in one of the Japanese booths (you know, the kind where your feet go through a hole beneath the table). And, we will continue to come because the food is still pretty good overall and reasonably priced.

If you haven't given Tachibana a try. Please do so. We hope to see them around for many more years to come.

[Rik Brown]

Review: Villa Farotto, Chesterfield Valley, St. Louis, Missouri

I've been wanting to visit Villa Farotto for months. I have often driven by this unique looking Italian eatery with its bright mustard colored exterior and have wondered what its like inside?

Well, the interior is divided into three areas. I visited for lunch on a Sunday and only one area was open at that time: a sandwich and coffee area. This area has its own side entry on the east side of the building.

Villa Farotto appears to be mimicing St. Louis Bread Company (SLBC) in this area although the interior decor is much darker. The foods are basically Italian-style sandwiches. But the menu and seating are much more sparse than at a typical SLBC. Sandwiches ran us about $7.95 and drinks $2.00. In the area, they also had wines for sale (I assume for carryout) and I also noticed customers drinking beers with their meals. For coffee lovers, they also boast a Starbucks menu, too.

One thing that I personally enjoyed was watching the small jets on final approach coming in to land at Spirit of St. Louis Airport. We could watch them landing west-bound from the window where we were seated. There is outdoor seating that looks to be enjoyable at other times of the year.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see the rest of the restaurant in action and the dining/bar areas appear to be the real reason to visit. I walked around and spoke with an employee who was organizing things at the bar which is at the main entry of the restaurant. Cocktails are upscale in price (seemed to be around $8). The bar has a grand (or baby grand) piano. The employee I spoke with said they have live music there Thursday through Saturday evenings (call ahead to be sure). I believe they had about 5 different beers on tap.

On the west side of the building is the dining room. I wasn't able to see a menu but I've heard at least one person indicate that the food here is very good. Looking at the cocktail prices, I would likewise assume we are also speaking about upscale dinner prices.

I definitely plan to come back another time when I can try out the main areas of this nice looking addition to Chesterfield Valley. In the meantime, check out the sandwich area for a change of pace when you are in the Valley.

Visit date: December 4, 2005.

Contact Info:
Villa Farotto
17417 Chesterfield Airport Rd.
Chesterfield, MO 63006
TEL: 636-519-0048