Author: gatorgirl.outoftheswamp@gmail.com

Drussel’s Pub – St. Louis, MO

Located in the Central West End of St. Louis sits Drussel’s Pub, since 1980. You really can’t miss it with the bright red door. When I walked in I gravitated to their beautiful wooden bar. My seat at the bar allowed me to see into the kitchen and all the chefs hard at work.

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I was there in between lunch and dinner so the menu was limited, which was fine since I was just looking for a quick snack and something to drink. Since I like Belgium Lambics I was excited to try a new brand; this one was ironically called St. Louis. It had a great tart cherry flavor.

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For snacking I tried the homemade potato chips. The kitchen cooks them to order so when they came out they were nice and hot. They were crispy with just a little salty taste. They reminded me of the chips that my dad use to make.

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I was looking over their dinner menu to see what I would be missing out on. I noticed that they had poutine listed. Their version uses sweet potato fries, pork belly, and cheese curds then covered with pork jus. It really sounded delicious and will be the main reason that I have to come back.

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Check them out at: http://www.dresselspublichouse.com/

Enjoy!

T

Laurel – Shenzhen, China

The second city in China that I got to visit on my family trip was Shenzhen. I had previously written about Frankie’s – the American pub that gave me a little taste of home. In this post I am writing about a very traditional Chinese meal we had at Laurel. The restaurant is located in the giant shopping mall where we spent most of the day.

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The meal started off with an appetizer – some pickled seaweed and chicken feet. The seaweed was salty and a little chewy. However, I cannot tell you about the chicken feet because I could not bring myself to try them.

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We got a sweet and sour pork that came with pineapple and green/red peppers. It was an awesome sweet/tangy combination. The sauce was wonderful.

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I got a bowl of minced beef soup. It was like a cross between an egg drop soup and a hot and sour soup you would find in the states. It too was really flavorful.

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The next dish we tried was an onion pancake. It was almost like a tortilla that had scallions mixed in. It was unique and different.

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The scallops were large and came with a plate full of fresh vegetables. This dish was simplistic and did not have a sauce. The only flavor you got was from the garlic it was cooked in.

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Dumplings were a must at dinner. They were extremely fresh and the filling was nice and tender.

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For dessert, I had a coconut pudding with sweet beans. It may look funny but it was a great ending to the dinner. The sweetness helped balance out all the salty flavors that we had.

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Enjoy!

T

 

Jumbo – Hong Kong, China

As I have written about previously, I was very fortunate to get to go to China with my family. One of the cities we got to visit was Hong Kong. It is such a vibrant city that has so much going on. Once you get over the fact that they drive of the other side of the road, it feels a lot like New York City.

There is a famous restaurant that we had to try while we were there called Jumbos. Jumbos is a floating restaurant that has been around since 1976. It looks like a Chinese Imperial Palace that you see in history books.

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In order to get to the restaurant you actually have to take a ferry.

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Jumbos is known for fresh seafood. You can actually walk their fish tanks and pick out the fish you would like them to cook for you. Since I do not like to see my food alive before I eat it, I decided to let the chef pick out my fish.

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We ordered a bunch of dishes for the table to share. They just came out when they were ready which was fun. I actually found myself trying to keep track of everything that we ordered.

We had shrimp chow main. The shrimp was in a great sauce over crunchy noodles. The greens on the side were bok-choy.

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We ordered a seabass with a great garlic sauce. The whole fish comes out – head attached. This was a little freaky to me, but I went with it for the experience.

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The scallops were fresh and huge. They melted in my mouth as soon as I took a bite.

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We ordered a fried rice for the table that was perfect. We also tried fried tofu that was simple but tasted wonderful with all the different sauces from the other dishes on the table.

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It was a really fun dinner and definitely something I would recommend to anyone visiting Hong Kong. You can visit the English version of their website at: www.jumbokingdom.com/eng/main.php

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Enjoy!

T

 

Post Office Pies – Birmingham, AL

The Avondale area of Birmingham is a growing hot spot with breweries, clubs and great restaurants. Post Office Pies is one of these hot spots.

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Not only do they make fresh, homemade pizza in their wood fire oven, they make homemade sausage, meatballs, and mozzarella cheese!

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I started with the meatballs while waiting for the pizza to come out. The meat was extremely tender and moist. I could taste all the fresh seasonings and cheese in each bite.

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There are so many pizzas to choose from on the menu. I went for the “Swine Pie”, which was covered in their homemade pork sausage, pepperoni, bacon, and then topped with mozzarella and fresh basil. I could tell that all the ingredients were fresh simply by the taste. The pork sausage should be an item by itself on the menu – that’s how good it is.  The pizza dough is sweet and cooked perfectly with that added crunch from the oven.

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The pizza was much bigger than I expected which worked out well because I knew I had lunch for the next day. It’s a fun place to go and they are open late which is always a good things for a Saturday night.

See their menu at: http://www.postofficepies.com/

Enjoy!

T

Pepperfire – Nashville, TN

As I tell people visiting Nashville, you have to try hot chicken at one of the many great places around town. I decided to take my own advice and try someplace new – Pepperfire.

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Located in the eastern part of the city, Pepperfire offers a unique dining experience. You walk up to the window to order then sit and enjoy the chicken at one of their picnic tables. The chicken is made to order so you will have to wait a few extra minutes to get your chicken but it is well worth it.

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They have 7 levels of heat to choose from – no heat all the way to XX Hot! I went for Medium because that is currently the max I can handle. I could not wait to bite into the chicken. It smelled so good. It was extremely juicy, especially since it had just come out of the fryer. It was perfection; perfect crunch, perfect taste, and perfect amount of heat!

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What I found out after I finished my chicken is that they have a deep fried “grilled” cheese sandwich called Peppercheese. Just hearing about this I just put Pepperfire back at the top of my list to come visit again.

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Plan your visit at www.pepperfirehotchicken.com

Enjoy!

T

 

Red Mill Burgers – Seattle, WA

When visiting Seattle it’s natural to want fresh seafood. Everywhere you go it’s available. However, sometimes a person just needs a burger. That is why I was excited to find Red Mill Burgers. Judging by the line that was out the door, several other people were hungry for a burger too.

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You need to be prepared for what you want to order when you get to the counter – they move fast. I went for the Verde Burger because it came with roasted peppers and their “mill sauce”. I also got a side of onion rings – I saw many other patrons ordering them and they looked good.

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I was worried about finding a seat since the inside of the restaurant is small. Luckily by the time I got my burger a seat opened up.

The burger was cooked perfectly – extremely juicy and not over cooked. They used pepper jack cheese which paired nicely with the roasted peppers. It was the mill sauce that tied the whole burger together. It added a sweet taste to the slight heat from the peppers.

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I am not forgetting about the onion rings – they were huge. They had a great crispy coating and the onion was sweet on the inside. After eating two I was almost full. They are definitely meant to be shared.

So if your taste buds are wanting something other than seafood check out Red Mill Burgers (except on Monday’s when they are closed): http://www.redmillburgers.com/

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Enjoy!

T

 

Taco Mama – Homewood, AL

I was hanging out with my sister and we wanted to get a quick bite to eat. We decided to try a newer place called Taco Mama. This place had a cool vibe as soon as we walked up. The music they were playing made me feel like I was on vacation. Instead of traditional windows, they had garage doors, which were open because the weather was nice.

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You walk up to the counter to order but they bring your food to you at the table. Since we felt like we were on vacation we knew that fun cocktails were needed. I went for the Sangria and my sister tried the Pomegranate Margarita. Both were excellent choices!

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After looking over all the choices on the menu we settled on sharing nachos. We got to build our own starting with our choice of meat. There were over 8 choices which made it a challenge but we agreed upon chicken. If we thought choosing a meat was hard, it was now time for the toppings.

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They have a ton and it was really difficult not to get every single things on the list especially when you have items like queso and cilantro-lime rice. So we did our best and put together what we thought would taste best. We were not disappointed. Every aspect of the nachos was perfect, right down to the chips that were nice and light. It was the best dish to get and share between two people.

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We had a really fun time at Taco Mama. The staff was friendly and the food was great so we will be back for sure. I would recommend this place to anyone. Check them out at http://www.tacomamaonline.com/

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Enjoy!

T

The Southern Steak & Oyster – Nashville, TN

I was going to a Predators hockey game in Nashville and I got downtown early. Since I had some time till the game started it was recommended that I try the Southern Steak and Oyster. The restaurant was just a short walk from the arena.

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It smelled wonderful as soon as I walked in. The menu was diverse having everything from steak and burgers to hot chicken and Cajun. I was not in the mood for steak but got excited at the thought of oysters.

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I took a seat at the bar because I got to watch them shuck all the oysters. It is cool to me how fast those guys can open them up. I can barely open one. They had several varieties of oysters to try from around the country. When it came to which variety to try, I left it up to the experts to choose for me.

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I went for the Lemon Herb chargrilled oysters and asked them to top them off with parmesan cheese.

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The kitchen grilled them up flawlessly. They were still bubbling when they came out. There was an awesome smoky flavor from the grill and a tangy bite from the lemon that was a nice change from the usual flavor I get.

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Sticking with the New Orleans theme of my dinner I saved room to try their homemade gumbo. The cup was a great size. It was a savory broth with lots of fresh shrimp. It was the perfect finish to my meal.

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If you are in downtown Nashville and want to try a fancy place, check out The Southern Steak & Oyster. http://www.thesouthernnashville.com/

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Enjoy!

T

Shot & Pepper – Franklin, TN

Driving around Franklin I came across a new restaurant called Shot and Pepper. The name caught my attention so I decided to check out the menu.

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The best way I can describe their menu is Mexican with a Southern flare. The atmosphere of the restaurant is inviting because of all the reclaimed wood but also adventurous with all the accents of stainless steel throughout.

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I love tortilla soup so I was happy to get to try theirs. The presentation of the soup was beautiful and it all started with the type of bowl they served it in. The soup was a creamy base unlike a broth that I usually find and that made it very filling. They had nice pieces of fresh chicken throughout the soup too. I ended up eating the soup with extra tortilla chips to add extra crunch.

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So to validate my description of their menu being Mexican with a Southern flare, I knew I had to try their Hot Chicken burrito. The burrito was filled with the chicken and a homemade slaw and topped off with their creamy homemade queso. Their hot chicken was great on its own, not too spicy. Their slaw was a perfect complement to the chicken and it was all kept together with the tortilla shell. The queso was a nice addition to the flavor that you normally would not get with other hot chicken dishes.

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So if you are out and about in Franklin and you get hungry, try something new. Stop by Shot and Pepper www.shotpeppercantina.com

Enjoy!

T

 

Blue C Sushi – Seattle, WA

If you want a fun and different sushi experience then stop by Blue C Sushi in Seattle. When I walked through the door the first thing I noticed was this conveyer belt going around the center of the restaurant which had all of these colorful plates. It was explained to me that the conveyer and the colors were modeled after the subway lines in Tokyo. Completely unique and clever!

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I sat in a booth next to the belt so that I could watch all the action. Different colors plates would go by carrying different dishes like spicy tuna rolls, tempura rolls, edamame; you name it they had it on the belt. Each color corresponded to the price of the dish. If for some reason you didn’t see anything you wanted on the belt, you could order it from the regular menu.

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It was so fun to watch for a dish I wanted to try and then grabbing it off the belt before it passed the table. It became like a game. I was able to have dinner and be entertained at the same time.

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All their fish was fresh, which I would expect in Seattle. I also tried their sesame noodle dish that had great flavor. Their portions from the belt are the perfect size so that I was able to try a few things without getting too full.

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If you are looking for a different experience I recommend Blue C Sushi. They have several locations around the Seattle area and a few locations in California. Check them out at: www.bluecsushi.com

Enjoy!

T