Go Fish! Restaurant Review

Wow. It feels like forever since I had a chance to sit down and write. It has been at least a month, hasn't it? Don't worry, I'll get back to baking tomorrow! lol

Part of the reason for the hiatus is because my husband, son, and I took a long road trip out to Delaware to visit my family. My grandfather lives near Rehoboth Beach, which is an adorable shopping and family mecca along the Atlantic Ocean. (Hey, I've met people who didn't know where Delaware is before.)

Rehoboth is famous for it's boardwalk; one mile of adorable shops, great food, a few hotels, and a small amusement park. (They also have a huge number of outlet stores for shopping; which attract a large number of tourists due to their low prices and no sales tax.) Right off the boardwalk is a small restaurant called Go Fish! that specializes in British style fish and chips.

And they are phenomenal! My husband, mom, her best friend, and I went there for lunch before we went to the Funland amusement center. We all chose the English Beer Battered Fish + Chips made from Iceland Cod. It was sooo good; I wish they delivered to St. Louis! The fish was perfectly battered; not too thick, but nice and crunchy. The fish was high quality and practically melted in your mouth. My family tells me that the coleslaw that came with the meal was really good as well. The only downside is that the meal is a little pricey for lunch at $9.95 per plate. 

The restaurant itself is cute, but tiny. There is no room for a stroller in there! We had to fold it up and stow it under the bar. They also do not have a changing table in either of their unsex bathrooms; which is a shame because their restrooms are large enough to have one. 

All in all, though, I wish we had one here. The next time we go to Rehoboth, we will definitely go there!

Food: +++++

Drinks: +++++

Service: ++++

Overall: +++++

GoFish! - British Fish + Chip Shop

Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

Quaker Oats Vanishing Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

Yields: 2 dozen 

Ingredients:

1/2 lb (2 sticks) softened Butter

1 cup firmly packed Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

1.5 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Salt

3 cups Old-Fashioned Oats

1 cup Raisins 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well.
4. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Slowly mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture.
6. Stir in the oats and raisins.
7. Drop tablespoons of the batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
8. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Cool 1 minute on the sheet, then move the cookies onto a wire rack. 
10. Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container. 

Oatmeal cookies are one of my ultimate comfort foods, and, now that I am a breast-feeding mom, a dietary staple. (Oatmeal is supposed to help milk production. Who knew?) Eating oatmeal for breakfast every morning gets old, though. And so, I try and fit in oatmeal other ways. 

Recipes | QuakerOats.com

Chuck a Burger Restaurant Review

I haven't written anything new in a while! My old boss called me back in to work this week to help shoot a dance school. It was my first week of work since Nathan was born and, I have to say, it was exhausting. But it was a lot of fun! I love watching the little girls in their dance costumes!

Anyway, I have helped photograph this dance school for years. The first time I went along, my boss took me to this drive in/restaurant called Chuck a Burger. (When I heard the name I was like... what? But yes, that is the name!) Every other time I have shot at that school, I went there. So yesterday, I decided to take my husband and son there.

It really is a cute little place; like going back in time. Inside, they have photos of Elvis and Sonny and Cher on the walls. There are a bunch of oldies playing in the background. A waitress comes up to take your order. They make everything to order, so it takes a little longer then most fast food places.

Their menu is classic style; burgers, fries, shakes, etc with a few wilder things (The spaghetti with chili comes to mind). Their burgers are pretty good, I like them a lot. Their milk shakes are great too! 

The Chuck a Burgers used to be the St. Louis place to get a burger. Sadly, as people are always in a hurry now, the drive-ins are in danger of going out of business. If you are ever in the St. Louis area, you should check them out. If people don't continue to go to places like this, they will all be gone. Or do people not want to stop and appreciate their history anymore while enjoying a great burger?

Chuck-A-Burger Drive In, crusin’ every Wednesday & Friday in St. Charles

Outlaw Blues Restaurant Review

After another disastrous attempt at eating at The Pasta House, see previous review, we went to our new standby, Outlaw Blues in O'Fallon, Il. The food there is consistently good and they seem to be getting very popular. We found it just before Christmas and my whole family thinks that it is fantastic. (Which is a real feat in and of itself.) There is something there for everyone, although they seem to be shifting from the southern style cuisine to being a steakhouse.

We tried an appetizer tonight, which was their Fried Mushrooms. The coating on them was great, but the mushrooms themselves had little taste. I believe they were white button mushrooms instead of baby portabellas. 

For the entree, I had the Chicken and Waffles. Essentially, it is a waffle with maple syrup, tator tots, and fried chicken. It is pretty good, but a lot of food so I usually eat the waffle, then take home the chicken for lunch the next day. The chicken is great! You can even get it as a take-out family meal.

Matthew had the Liver and Onions, which is definitely not my thing. But he really likes it there! And so does my dad.

If you ever get dessert there, you have got to try their cheesecake! It is great!

Outlaw Blues Restaurant & Saloon

Food: ++++

Drinks: ++++

Service: +++++

Overall: ++++

The Pasta House Restaurant Review

One of my favorite restaurants is The Pasta House, which is a small chain located in the St. Louis area. We tend to go to the new/rebuilt one in Fairview Heights, IL. It is a nice place, and the food is really good, but we haven't been able to get food the last few times we went there.

Tonight, we were really craving The Pasta House, so we headed over there around 8:30 pm. The restaurant is divided into two halves; the dinner section on your right and a bar area on your left. Right inside the door on your left is a small space for a live band. As soon as we parked in the parking lot, we could hear the band blaring. We walked in the door but as soon as we got inside the amplified music was so loud it made our son wake up and cry. And so we had to leave. Which is really sad because I love this restaurant. The music there drives me crazy though. (The bands aren't bad, they are just so LOUD that it would be hard to have a conversation, let alone leave without a headache. It is like they want to be a club instead of a restaurant.)

And before someone says, sit on the other side of the restaurant, we did that last time and our son just got really upset (and we had headaches) so we left before we got our appetizers. 

If someone from the Pasta House reads this, PLEASE turn down the music. Bands do not need amplification in such a small space! I want to eat there again!

The Art and Soul of Baking: Cookbook Review

I received this cookbook as an anniversary present this year and, I must say, it is a great resource for learning to bake. Not only does it give you recipes and step-by-step instructions (many with pictures), but it gives you the reasons behind why you do what you do. Why you use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. Why you need to have butter and eggs room temperature. Why you need a certain type of pan for a certain project. Why you need to invest in an oven thermometer.

This book covers all the different aspects of baking; from breads, to cakes, to cookies, to souffles, to cheesecakes, to custards, and beyond. I really like the section towards the end about the finishing touches; chocolate curls, spun sugar, and some frostings.

This book was published by one of my favorite stores, Sur la Table. Like all of their cookbooks, the photos in this book are beautiful. It has definitely given me inspiration to try a few things later this year, both photographically as well as things to bake.

I have tried a few things from it so far, and all of them turned out pretty well (The Cooking Celtic Wife: Raspberry Souffles with Chocolate Truffles). The only one that didn't work was an error on my part; I didn't heed the book's warning about checking your oven's temperature so the cake that I baked just didn't rise. Everything else tasted good, the cake was just a funny texture.

This book would be a great gift for someone who is interested in baking, or someone who is interested in chemistry since baking is a yummy chemistry experiment. I love my copy; it has taught me so much that it is a permanent addition to our cookbook collection.

Amazon.com: The Art and Soul of Baking: Sur La Table, Cindy Mushet: Books

Harvest Restaurant Review 2

Date-night is one of my favorite days of the month, and it is even more important now that we have a 5 month old. This month we were also celebrating Matthew's birthday AND his acceptance into a great culinary program and so- we went to our new favorite restaurant, Harvest.

The reason that I love this restaurant is that the menu always changes; it is a seasonal restaurant so whatever is in season is what is on the menu. If they can't get it fresh they replace that option on the menu with one they can. Also, a lot of their produce is organic, and sustainable agricultural products. They even try to be as Earth friendly as possible, by using Wind Power and donating their used cooking oil to the St. Louis Bio-Diesel Club. 

And dinner was Awesome! I loved it!

For our appetizer, we both had Steve's Caesar Salad with shaved Wisconsin Parmeasan and homemade Garlic-Parmesan Croutons.

For the entree, Matthew had the Char-Grilled Marinated Hanger Steak with Salemville Amish Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes, creamed Spinach, and their homemade steak sauce. The flavor on that steak was amazing! And we have got to figure out how to make those mashed potatoes!

I had the Sou-Vide Beef Tenderloin Fillet with Sweet Potatoes, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Sugar Snap Peas in a Lemon-grass broth. It was the first time I have eaten something that was cooked Sou-Vide style and have never had beef that tender before. It was actually off of their Spa Menu, which means that it was not only healthy but low in fat. 

For dessert, Matthew had the bread pudding and I had their Triple Chocolate dessert; chocolate creme brulee, flour-less chocolate cake, and a homemade mocha chocolate chip ice cream. (Hey, I was good during dinner... I don't have to be good during dessert!)

I just can not get over how wonderful that dinner was. If you are ever in St. Louis, you have got to go to this restaurant!

The only downside to this place is the women's restroom is kinda gross. It was clean and all, don't get me wrong, but it was... old and not what I was expecting from this level of restaurant. 

Menu and Spa Menu

Food: +++++

Drinks: +++++

Service: +++++

Overall: +++++