Reviews

Tasty Tuesday–Fleet Landing, Charleston, SC

We only went out for one meal while we were on vacation in Charleston, and I got to pick the restaurant. After much research, I chose Fleet Landing on the waterfront, and it was the perfect choice!

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Located in a former Naval building, the restaurant looks pretty much exactly like you would expect it to:

The interior decor is perfect:

And the outside is gorgeous! We even saw a dolphin family playing in the water while we were there!

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We really splurged on this meal. Ryan and I both got drinks…he had the Planter’s Punch, and I had an amazing basil lemonade:

We ordered an appetizer to share…hush puppies stuffed with lobster, shrimp, leeks, and corn, with a Creole tomato sauce. They were fantastic!

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Ryan and I each ordered soup. He tried the gumbo, which he said was great, and I had the famous Charleston specialty of she-crab soup. It was one of the most amazing things I’ve eaten, and I loved that it came with a small bottle of sherry to add to the soup. I’d walk back to Charleston to eat that again!

The biscuits, which were served with a honey butter, were also delicious.

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On to the entrées. The children ordered either the fried flounder or the fried shrimp, and they all loved their meals. Ryan had the crab cake, and he loved that, too.

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I may be biased, but I really think my meal was the best. Yellowfin tuna (cooked rare) with a lemon dill shallot butter, served with greens beans and garlic mashed potatoes. It was amazing…definitely the best seafood I’ve ever had!

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Fleet Landing was the perfect place for our midwestern family to enjoy a seafood dinner on the waterfront in Charleston…I just hope that someday, we might have a chance to go back!

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Tasty Tuesday–The Best Burger in St. Louis!

A few months ago, the morning news show for our local NBC affiliate, KSDK, was looking for the best hamburgers in St. Louis. I was only too happy to volunteer the name of our favorite restaurant, Seamus McDaniel’s, because they make the best burger I’ve ever had. I was kind of shocked when KSDK contacted me and asked if they could take me to lunch and interview me about the food, but I wasn’t going to turn down a free lunch at Seamus, so I met with Nichole Berlie and introduced her to the wonder that is the Seamus burger. The segment aired in May, and even though I felt completely awkward when they were filming me eating, I’m happy with how it turned out!

Tasty Tuesdy–Beast Craft BBQ–My Favorites

I’ve tried quite a few different things at Beast Craft BBQ now, and I’ve decided to make a list of my favorites by category of meat.

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In the poultry category (and I have tried both the turkey and chicken at Beast), The Jive Turkey is my favorite. Any Beast turkey is excellent, but I especially like the combination of flavors (including tomatoes, cucumbers, and smoky mayo), in this sandwich!

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In the beef category, I have to go with The Beefcake. Why, you may ask? First of all, burnt ends. They were the first thing I tried at Beast (other than the fried brussels sprouts), and the reason I fell in love with Beast. Aside from that, The Beefcake also has tobacco onions (onions straws in my world), that are amazing. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, if I could pay Beast to give me a box full of just those, I would! The rest of the sandwich, especially the white BBQ sauce, is great, too!

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In the pork category, I have to go with the biggest sandwich of all–The Pig Daddy. This is the sandwich that actually made me appreciate pork steak, plus it also has ribs, pulled pork, and candied bacon! Of course, you need an army to finish this particular beast, but given that we’re a family of seven, that is not a problem!

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And, the obligatory other category. The things that I include here (The Big NY, The Big Oscar, Pastrami Hash, and Nachos, brisket or otherwise), could go in one of the other meat categories I guess, but they’re such special items, I think they need their own group. Plus, the Brisket Nachos, my favorite item in this category, could fit in with all of the other meats at one time or another, depending on how Beast is serving them (I think I’ve seen both chicken or pork options at different times, as well)!

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Finally, side items. Now, Beast has a lot of good sides. But this one is a complete no-brainer, and I think the only side I’ve ever actually ordered (even though I’ve sampled the different things Ryan has tried)–the fried brussels sprouts. I’m weird in that I like brussels sprouts anyway, but when they’re fried with pork belly…AMAZING. Can’t get enough of them!

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So, those are my current favorites at Beast. Of course, this list may be revised in the future, depending on what new menu items Beast comes up with. But really, everything I’ve tried at Beast has been excellent, so you can’t go wrong, no matter what you order!

Tasty Tuesday–Smokin K’s BBQ & More

Apparently reviewing BBQ restaurants in the Metro East is my thing now…

We ate at Smokin K’s BBQ and more in Millstadt last week, because our church’s youth group was working there for a fundraiser. Like most places around here, the outside is fairly unassuming, although I did appreciate the smoker out front.

The inside is bright and colorful:

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The decor is mostly all of the awards the Smokin K’s BBQ team, 4 Smokin’ Butts, have won, and there are a lot of them!. There are trophies, ribbons, and other various prizes everywhere! Very impressive!

On to the food. I ordered the pastrami reuben and fries, and it was amazing. Definitely the best pastrami I’ve ever had. I liked that the fries were beer battered, and I took the suggestion of one of the owners and sprinkled them with Smokin K’s special seasoning, which was also good. (I also had the 4 Smokin’ Butts Bloody Mary, and it was fantastic…best Bloody Mary I’ve ever had. Very unique presentation, and it was just the right amount of spicy!)

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Ryan tried the slider trio, which included pulled pork, brisket, and pastrami, with a side of beans. He also loved the pastrami, and said the other meats were good, too, but was a little disappointed with the buns, which were somewhat flimsy. He also like the beans, even though they weren’t BBQ beans like he was expecting. That’s ok, though, because he really likes baked beans, and he thought Smokin K’s did a good job of making them!

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We didn’t try any of the desserts, but it sure was fun to look at all of the options in the pie case!

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Smokin K’s isn’t as conveniently located near us like Beast is, but you certainly won’t have to twist our arms to get us to go back there if we’re looking to go out to eat when we’re in Millstadt!

Tasty Tuesday–Tim Hortons Comes to St. Louis

The big day is finally here…St. Louis now has a Tim Hortons!

Now, I’ve never been to a Tim Hortons before. I’ve heard a lot about it, and how awesome it is, especially the Timbits, so I was looking forward to finally trying it for myself. I certainly wasn’t disappointed! Although it was extremely busy, the line moved fairly quickly, and we soon had an assortment of donuts and Timbits, plus some Nutella pockets and a coffee for me. It was all amazing! I really liked the way the restaurant was decorated, too, with a little local flair, and the employees were very friendly and helpful.

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I’m looking forward to visiting Tim Hortons again…but maybe when it’s slightly less crowded, so we can actually sit down and enjoy our treats in the store!

Tasty Tuesday–Righteous Pig BBQ: The Cuban

I’m taking a break from talking about the amazing food at Beast Craft BBQ to talk about another Belleville BBQ location: Righteous Pig.

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Ryan and I recently tried their Cuban sandwich (pork belly pastrami, pulled pork, mustard, BBQ sauce, and pickles).

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The pastrami was amazing…sliced super thin (I was actually shocked by how thin…I was expecting chunks of meat, so this was a very pleasant surprise), and almost prosciutto-like. We both loved it. The pulled pork, however, was dry. Maybe it was just because we ordered near the end of the day, but it was not nearly as remarkable as the pastrami was, and not what we were expecting. The bun was good–an onion roll, it appeared. It did start to fall apart before the sandwich was gone, but the taste was good. The mustard and pickles on the sandwich both added to the flavor, and the BBQ sauce was good…I thought it had a bit of a kick, but Ryan found it to be pretty tame. Go figure.

We also tried the pit beans and the potato salad. Both were good. Ryan really liked the beans, and while he’s not much of a non-mustard potato salad person, he liked that, too. I thought the potato salad was excellent, and I could admit the beans were good, even though I’m not a huge baked beans fan.

Righteous Pig certainly won’t replace my favorite BBQ place, Beast, but it’s worth a try, for the pastrami alone, especially if you’re spending the day in downtown Belleville!

Tasty Tuesday–Beast Craft BBQ: Brisket Nachos

Did you know that Beast Craft BBQ makes brisket nachos? Now, I’ve done brisket nachos at home before…actually, I make them every year with our Fourth of July leftovers. But I may just have to give that up this year, because Beast’s are so much better!

What makes their brisket nachos great (you know, aside from the wonderful Beast brisket)? Let’s start with the…brussels sprouts?!? Yes, the nachos are topped with brussels sprouts, and being a huge fan of them, I love it (there is someone in this house that insisted on picking around the sprouts, however). But, there’s more than just brisket and brussels sprouts on Beast’s nachos. There are also tomatoes and jalapeños, smoked cheddar cheese, a lime sour cream (which is AMAZING), and of course, Beast’s fantastic BBQ sauce.

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The tortilla chips managed to hold up under the weight of all that pretty well…they did get pretty soggy by the end. But when I say all that weight, I really mean it. None of us could believe the amount of toppings on the nachos, and it was a full family effort to finish them.

As always, I’m impressed with the menu items Beast creates…they sound familiar, but they always have a unique Beast twist, which has made everything I’ve tried unlike anything else I’ve ever had before!

Tasty Tuesday–Beast Craft BBQ: Apple Bottom Pork Steak Sammich

Yesterday, the Beast Craft BBQ menu featured the Apple Bottom Pork Steak Sammich:

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This is a no frills creation…everything that is on the sammich is in the title. A whole pork steak, which is drenched in apple butter BBQ sauce. Other than the pickle slices (have I mentioned how it tickles me that they put them on top of the bun instead of inside?), that’s all there is to it.

I mentioned that when I tried the “Pig Daddy” that Beast turned me into a pork steak convert. Before tasting their rendition of this St. Louis staple, I was simply not interested. But once I discovered how good Beast’s pork steaks are, I knew I’d try this sammich eventually. I wasn’t disappointed…the pork steak was as good as I remembered from the first time I tried it. And the apple butter BBQ sauce…it seems fairly unassuming at first, but the more you eat of it, the more the heat builds…it definitely has a kick to it!

This was another great Beast creation, but it was way too much, even when sharing. I had no idea how big a whole pork steak is! I was also worried about reheating the leftovers, because I was afraid that doing so would result in the dry pork steak that I’m familiar with and dislike. Any tips on how to manage a good reheat in the future are welcome!

I’m looking forward to seeing what else Beast may do with that apple BBQ sauce in the future!

Tasty Tuesday–Beast Craft BBQ: The Big Oscar

I’m not going to lie…the Big Oscar is one Beast special that I was reluctant to try. All beef smoked bologna, bologna burnt ends (who knew? I sure didn’t!), smoked bacon, Tabasco, and…mac ‘n’ cheese?

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The definitely struck me as a strange combination, and I’m not that much of a bologna fan anyway, so I wasn’t going to bother. Ryan convinced me I should give it a shot, though, and I’m glad I did!

First, the bologna. It was amazing. I’m not going to lie, it didn’t really even taste like bologna…at least not the kind you buy pre-packaged from the grocery store. It was more like a really good sausage…maybe that’s what bologna is actually supposed to be like. And Beast makes amazing mac ‘n’ cheese, and pairing it with the bologna was a fantastic idea!

At this point, I’m willing to try just about anything Beast offers, no matter how strange it sounds at first (except snoots…I just don’t do snoots). They’ve definitely earned my trust when it comes to creating excellent, albeit unexpected, combinations!

Tasty Tuesday–Beast Craft BBQ: Brisket Philly

Beast does an amazing job of creating new, unique sandwiches that highlight their many amazing food items, but they are also great at making standard favorites with a Beast twist. Enter the Brisket Philly:

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Brisket and burnt ends on a bun, with cheese sauce (no swiss or provel here!), grilled onions, and poblano peppers. I can’t even decide what it is that makes this sandwich great! The homemade cheese sauce (instead of the standard Cheez Whiz), is amazing. I think the genius of this particular creation, though, is the poblano peppers. They add a smoky quality to the sandwich that is amazing, and really give it that Beast touch, setting it apart from other Philly sandwich creations. I highly recommend giving this a chance the next time it appears on Beast’s menu!