Our Restaurant of the week is the best Restaurant I ate at this week.  Keep an eye out every week for a new place to eat.

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Week of September 16, 2007

Yemanja Brazil Restaurant
2900 Missouri Ave
St. Louis, MO 63118
Phone Number: 314-771-3457
Website: www.brazildining.com

Yemanja Brazil Restaurant is locatd close to the Anheuser Busch Brewery on Missouri Avenue in St. Louis City. Yemanja has a nice mix of Brazilian food. They have beef, pork, chicken, seafood and vegetarian dishes. The dishes have some spice to them and taste very good. When you walk into Yemanja you walk into a little bar, or lounge area. This is a cool little area where you can order a drink, wait for a table, or wait for friends to show up. Be sure to get the house drink, the Caipirinhas, which is lime, sugar and Brazilian rum. It will run you about $6 but it is strong and will give you a nice little buzz. Yemanja has an outside patio, and an inside dining area. I wish we could have sat on the patio but it was raining on the night we went. But, the inside dining area was nice. It looked like a converted building with exposed brick. The place is very casual. It has a nice laid back atmosphere.

The food at Yemana Brazilian Restaurant is very good, but, it is a little pricey. I ordered the Salmão Barra da Tijuca, which is sauteed salmon in a white wine sauce, served with black beans, rice, farofa, and potato salad. The salmon was good, but it was not $18 good. It was a little pricey for a small filet of salmon. The beans and rice were excellent. They had nice flavor to them. One of my friends ordered the Feijoada de Ogum - The National Dish, which is Black beans stewed with Brazilian dried beef, smoked sausage and smoked pork ribs; served with rice, "farofa", collard greens, and oranges. This came out with a bowl of the stew and a plate full of rice, farofa, and collard greens. The waitress told him to mix all of the stuff together. I had a bite of this and it was good. But, the dish did cost $19 dollars.

I would recommend eating at Yemanja Brazilian Restaurant, but if there are other good Brazilian restaurants in the St. Louis area that are cheaper, let me know, I would like to try them.

Prices: $18 for a salmon dish; $12 for a double Caipirinhas, the house drink; $4.50 for a rum and coke

Week of September 23, 2007

Crazy Bowls and Wraps - Multiple Locations

Crazy Bowls and Wraps is an under rated place to eat in St. Louis, MO. CBW is a fast food restaurant and serves food that does not taste like it is a fast food restaurant. With a variety of wraps and bowls with chicken, rice and vegetables. Some favorites that Crazy Bowls and Wraps are the buffalo wrap, teriyaki chicken, and ceasar chicken wraps, just to name a few. Crazy Bowls and Wraps also has a variety of bowls with chicken, vegetables and rice. Crazy Bowls and Wraps also has a good vegetarian and vegan menu for the people who don't eat animal product. One of the best things about CBWs is that they have a salsa bar with a about five different sauces. They have pico de gallo, buffalo sauce, cilantro and jalapeno salsa, corn salsa, and a few others. I love when places let me choose how much sauce I want to put on my food. To wrap it up, at Crazy Bowls and Wraps, the food is fast, the food is fresh and they have a salsa bar with multiple different salsas.

At Crazy Bowls and Wraps I ordered the hot and spicy chicken bowl. This was grilled chicken, nappa, carrots, and onions seared in a jalapeno cilantro sauce and served over rice. This was very good and the best part was that the salsa bar has the jalapeno cilantro and I added more to spice it up a little. I ordered the small bowl and this was the perfect size for lunch. I should have gotten a bag of chips for and extra 50 cents. If I would have ordered chips I could have dipped them in different salsas from the salsa bar. This was one of the better lunches I have had in a while. Crazy Bowls and Wraps is a great spot to eat lunch and dinner. It is quick, good and well priced.

Prices: Hot and Spicy Chicken Bowl for $5.46 with tax

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Week of September 30, 2007

Hammerstone's at 9th and Russell
2028 S. 9th Street
St. Louis, MO 63104
Phone number: 314-773-5565

Hammerstone's gets it. What a contrast this place is compared to Phelan's, another Soulard bar. Read about Phelan's here. Hammerstone's has great food, cheap beer and they know how to treat thier customers. This place actually had people in the bar.

Hammerstone's is located at 9th and Russell in Soulard. The inside of Hammerstone's has a few booths, some tables, and a bar streching the whole length of the place. Hammerstone's has live music seven days a week. There is also an outdoor patio, which is very nice. An outside bar is situated in the back corner of the patio. We went there on a Friday night to eat and drink. We got to Hammerstone's around 7 p.m. and we were able to get a table outside on the nice patio. A strange thing that I did not know about Hammerstone's is that people can bring their dog if they sit on the patio. The waitress brought some dog treats and water. It was a great atmosphere. The inside was packed with people listening to the band play. The outside was full of tables and people sitting around drinking and talking. Like I said, the patio was very nice and it seemed like a private courtyard.

Hammerstone's serves all of the favorite bar foods. Hammerstone's has some bar food appetizers and they even have hummus dip and oysters on the half shell. They also have sandwiches, burgers and house specials, like pizza kebabs, fajitas, and pasta. One thing I saw on the menu is that Hammerstone's had a breakfast that consist of two eggs, two pieces of bacon, and two pieces of toast for $2. If I lived in Soulard I would eat here for breakfast every day. The food at Hammerstone's was delicious. I ordered the steak kebabs with mushroom gravy. The kebabs come with two skewers with steak on them, served with grilled peppers, grilled onions, and mushroom gravy. The steak was done perfectly and and went great with the peppers, onions, and gravy. I recommend this plate very much. It had a very reasonable price of $8.95. I would get it again if I went back. I also got to taste a hamburger, and philly cheesesteak. They were both very good. The philly cheese steak was excellent. The meat was tender and it was very cheesy. I am looking forward at eating at Hammerstone's again.

After we were finished with dinner we stayed to drink. Hammerstone's has some great deals. When we were there on a Friday night Hammerstone's had $4 pitchers, and $1 drafts. The prices were at the outside bar on the patio. These are some refreshingly great prices for a bar, especially in Soulard. We originally went to Hammerstone's for dinner, but once we saw the cheap prices on beer we stayed to drink for the rest of the night. We sat outside on the great patio and drank all night. This is a great bar in Soulard. There are spots to hang out and talk and there are spots to listen to live music. You are not forced to listen to blaring music if you don't want to. By the time we left, at around 1 a.m. the outside bar was packed with people. I had a great time at this bar. Hammerstone's is a great place to hang out in Soulard. I will be going back very soon.

Food Prices: I paid $8.95 for the kabobs. Prices are very reasonable
Bar Prices: $4 for a pitcher of beer, and $1 for draft beer. Prices are very cheap.

Week of October 28 , 2007

Shogun Japanese Steak House
10550 Baptist Church Road
St. Louis, MO 63128
Phone Number: 314-842-8889

I have never been to Shogun before, but I always have fun at the place where the people cook the food in front of you, so I was excited. We sat at a table that seats eight, there was six of us, so I felt sorry for the two people that were stuck with us. Inside Shogun there is a bar with a sushi bar. There are also tables around the bar area that do not have the grill, if you are looking to order something that is not cooked in front of you. We wanted to be entertained so we sat at the table with the grill. The menu for what you can order and have it cooked in front of you consists of chicken, steak, shrimp, scallops, and lobster. And they also have various combination of two meats. Most dinners came with fried rice, soup, salad, and two shrimp.

I ordered the combination of steak and scallops. Our salad and soup were the first things to come out. The soup was just a broth of some sort, but the salad had a good tasting oriental dressing to it. After we were done with the soup and salad the chef came out and brought all of the food. He started out by lighting a big fire on the grill and threw the rice on shortly after. When the rice went on the grill he also threw the vegetables on the grill, started chopping them up and throwing them at people. I didn't catch one. But, he did squirt a bunch of sake in my mouth out of the bottle. It was a nice surprise. I was expecting water, but it felt like I was in Cancun again with people blowing whistles and squirting alcohol down my throat. Back to the food. The chef did all of his little tricks and cooked the food, portioned it out and went about on his way.

The steak was very good and tender, but the best part of the meal was the scallops. These scallops were tender and delicious. Next time I go I am going to get all scallops. That's how good they were. All in all it was a great experience and I would go again.

Prices are a little expensive. It is about $20 for a dinner. Some are a little more and some are a little less.

Week of November 3, 2007

Seamus McDaniel's
1208 Tamm Ave
St. Louis, MO 63139

Seamus McDaniel's is a bar and grill located in the heart of Dogtown. Seamus McDaniel's is a pretty big place with three different rooms and an outside patio. We went for lunch around 11:45 and we were able to get a table, but by the time noon rolled around the place was packed. Seamus McDaniel's has all of the bar food favorites like the potato skins, nachos, burgers, sandwiches and plenty of other great food. Seamus McDaniel's is also a great place to hang out and drink some beer.

I ordered the philly sandwich. The philly sandwich was piled high with roast beef, peppers, onions, and cream cheese. The cream cheese makes the sandwich. I wish more places would put cream cheese on their philly. The sandwich was huge and it was on of the better philly sandwiches that I have had in a while. This thing was good. The sandwich came with a side of fries. All of the sandwiches at Seamus McDaniel's are huge. I definitly got my monies worth at Seamus McDaniel's. I would go back and order the same thing again. The sandwich was great.

Prices: $7.50 for a huge philly sandwich and fries.

Week of November 18, 2007

Blues City Deli
2438 McNair
St. Louis, MO 63104
Phone Number: 314-773-8225
Website

Blues City Deli is a great little deli that is close to Gravois and Highway 55. From the minute I walked into this place I knew this was a good deli. The feel of Blues City Deli encompasses what a deli should be. A deli should be simple. And this place is simple. There is a counter to order sandwiches and about 10 tables for customers to sit.

I arrived at about 11:30 and there was not a line and about 2 tables that were open. I walked right up to the counter and ordered my sandwich. But, by the time I left the place was packed and there were no seats available at all. The staff was friendly and brought my sandwich to me when it was ready. Blues City Deli has all of the sandwiches that you would expect from a deli. They have roast beef, turkey, salami, ham, meatball, and they have some original sandwiches like pulled pork.

I ordered the Italian beef and a salad with the house dressing. The salad was good. It was a bed of lettuce, provolone cheese, and tomatoes. The house dressing was an Italian dressing that was pretty good. The Italian beef was very good. The roast beef was very tender and the peppers were spicy. Blues City Deli is a great place to eat lunch in St. Louis. I can't wait to go back.

Prices: $4.95 for an Italian beef and $2.95 for a house salad.

Week of November 25, 2007

Vito’s Pizzeria

3515 Lindell Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63103
Phone Number: 314-534-8486

Vito's is a Pizzeria bar located just off St. Louis University's campus. Vito's looks fancy and a very nice place, but it was a spot that a lot of business people and students ate at. We arrived at about 11:40 am and we were able to find a seat, but by the time we left, there wasn't a table available. Vito's is located on Lindell close to the soccer fields at SLU. There is a pizza buffet for lunch Monday-Friday.

The pizza buffet was better than any CiCi's or Pizza Hut buffet that I have ever been to. But, it was also more expensive than those places. Vito's will run you about $9. The buffet is stacked with pizza, like pepperoni, sausage, cheese, vegetable, etc. And the salad bar is also a decent sized salad bar with a variety of different toppings. Baked mostcaccoli, and soup is also available and included in the buffet. All of the food on the buffet is very good and I would eat it again. Vito's is a very good pizza buffet located by St. Louis University.

Week of December 2, 2007

City Deli

3139 South Grand
St. Louis, MO 63118
Phone Number: 314-772-6100

The City Diner is a contemporary diner in the Tower Grove Park area in St. Louis. The City Diner is a big place that has a huge menu. The menu consists of the usual diner food, the breakfast all day long, burgers, fries, but they also have a good vegetarian menu. One thing that is disappointing is that the whole place is not smoking. I am not a smoker, but I expect diners to be smoking, it just adds to the atmosphere.

I ordered the Southsider, and this consists of 2 eggs, hash browns, and a biscuit and gravy. I also ordered a cup of chili. The cup of chili was sweet tasting and not very warm. The Southsider was very good and the biscuits were some of the best that I have ever had. The prices were pretty high for a diner. They were not what I expected them to be. To sum it up, the food was good, the prices were high and the service was slow.

Prices: About $12 for a cup of chili, and the Southsider.

Week of December 10, 2007

Big Mama's BBQ
5110 N. Belt W
Belleville, IL 62226
Phone Number: 618-239-0695

Big Mama's BBQ is located in Belleville, IL in a small little corner place. The inside is a lot bigger than what it appears to be from the outside. Big Mama's is a sit down BBQ place that serves great food. I could see the meat smokers from the parking lot. The inside is decked out with chalkboard paint and written on the chalkboard are different specials that the restaurant offers. Inside of the restaurant it has the feeling of a down home restaurant, and that the people want to serve good food. Big Mama's BBQ is a great lunch spot and the food comes very quick.

I ordered the special. It was a pulled pork sandwich, one side, and a cup of chili. This only cost $4.99. The pulled pork sandwich was good, but the pork was already mixed in BBQ sauce. I wish they would leave the BBQ sauce off and let me add it if I want it. The chili was very good. And, the side I ordered was the corn casserole. This was corn and some corn bread mixed in. It was very sweet and very good. The place was great. It was cheap, and I would definitely go eat there again.

Prices: $4.99 for the lunch special