Cruise down 170 and get off at Olive you have now entered the small but growing China Town in U-city. A couple of good Asian markets and lots of tasty eateries line Olive for a few blocks here Lui-Lui's, Wei-Hong, Oishi the list goes on and on, I have yet to try every eatery along the strip but am slowly ticking them off one at a time and as of yet have not been disappointed -knocks on wood-.
There have been a lot of odd looks at me as I stroll through the isles of Seafood city and Olive Farmer's market, two of my favorites stores, but I smile slightly and bow a little at the waist receive the same and move on. A few of the clerks have learned my name, probably because it's embroidered on my coats and I hit there in between work and school... but anyways if it's from the east and you're looking for it odds are if those two markets it can't be found Under the Arch.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Haveli: A home away from home
I am white, my grandparents, all white... but if I had an Indian Grandmother I imagine going to see her would be a lot like going to Haveli. Part of that probably comes from the fact that the owner/manager is a good friend of mine, Parth is a couple years older then I am and a friend who fills the role of big brother that I normally fill with my friends. That and the food that they serve is some of the best in St. Louis. Not kidding, it's one of the few places that if I could afford it would happily hit three or more times a week and still be happy.
You walk into the front door and are hit with Indian music, some Bollywood mixed with traditional and the smell, you'll likely see the tall scraggly man that is Parth fluttering around the tables checking on everyone before his eyes lock onto you and he greets you from across the room before pointing at an empty table telling you to sit and enjoy, I recommend sitting and when he walks by ask for chai his way, he'll smirk a bit nodding before telling you to go and eat. The Island o'food as I have come to call it is full of chaffing dishes that carry wonderful dishes that feel homemade while the taste is definitely professional. Every once in a while you'll see a middle aged Indian woman come out of the kitchen like a queen before calling her son over, that is Mama Parth a force of nature that could orginize and run even the most disorganized of armies.
I don't have a favorite dish... it's all so good... normally a carnivore I'll load up my plate with vegetarian dishes just as easily as meat filled ones... As I stated I am a sucker for good goat, and the best I've had in St. Louis is with out doubt at Haveli. It's a buffet on Sunday Night, Thursday night and every day between 11 and 3, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday Nights it's a sit down place that really feels like home with large share able portions and good atmosphere, with the blinds closed you almost feel like your not in St. Louis anymore, instead you're at Grandmama's house sharring food and drink with your large family, while not a secret... exactly it's more of a club with who knows about Haveli, and this is my invitation to all of you to come and join the family.
You walk into the front door and are hit with Indian music, some Bollywood mixed with traditional and the smell, you'll likely see the tall scraggly man that is Parth fluttering around the tables checking on everyone before his eyes lock onto you and he greets you from across the room before pointing at an empty table telling you to sit and enjoy, I recommend sitting and when he walks by ask for chai his way, he'll smirk a bit nodding before telling you to go and eat. The Island o'food as I have come to call it is full of chaffing dishes that carry wonderful dishes that feel homemade while the taste is definitely professional. Every once in a while you'll see a middle aged Indian woman come out of the kitchen like a queen before calling her son over, that is Mama Parth a force of nature that could orginize and run even the most disorganized of armies.
I don't have a favorite dish... it's all so good... normally a carnivore I'll load up my plate with vegetarian dishes just as easily as meat filled ones... As I stated I am a sucker for good goat, and the best I've had in St. Louis is with out doubt at Haveli. It's a buffet on Sunday Night, Thursday night and every day between 11 and 3, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday Nights it's a sit down place that really feels like home with large share able portions and good atmosphere, with the blinds closed you almost feel like your not in St. Louis anymore, instead you're at Grandmama's house sharring food and drink with your large family, while not a secret... exactly it's more of a club with who knows about Haveli, and this is my invitation to all of you to come and join the family.
India Palace: Take out fit for a King.
Right off a highway, a couple miles down from the Loop lies one food institution that one shouldn't neglect to mention if they're on an Indian Kick... guilty as charged... but I can't help the craving for good Naan and selections of curry. With that being said it really is a great Indian place good food at a decent price, as most of my posts are about. The meal for two is enough for three of my family and we are... generous eaters for the most part and quality is not sacrificed by the quantity produced. I'll say it now and I'll say it again, I'm a sucker for good goat, and India Palace has some damned good goat on it's menu.
I ate in the restuarnt for dinner one time shortly after it opened for the days service. My father and I were both after Indian food and our favorite place was closed since it was a Monday, we watched at how as soon the clock struck five the phone in the place started blowing up call after call coming in, dinner for three, dinner for two, Chicken Tikki massala with extra Naan, order after order taken by the hostess at her station and within twenty minutes they started coming in, well dressed women in mini-vans, suited fathers in SUV's with a daughter from one of the catholic girl's schools the middle and upper-middle class of st. Louis stopping by on their way home from work to pick up their food.
The most impressive part was the hostess, she remembered names of children, events in the family, my father and I watched in awe as we enjoyed tandoori chicken and a medium goat curry respectively, the calls stopped coming in around six o'clock and the last of the Parents on the go had their food and out the door by six thirty. Under the Arch take out is the savoir of several working families, and to spice it up why not throw some Indian flavor into the mix with India palace.
I ate in the restuarnt for dinner one time shortly after it opened for the days service. My father and I were both after Indian food and our favorite place was closed since it was a Monday, we watched at how as soon the clock struck five the phone in the place started blowing up call after call coming in, dinner for three, dinner for two, Chicken Tikki massala with extra Naan, order after order taken by the hostess at her station and within twenty minutes they started coming in, well dressed women in mini-vans, suited fathers in SUV's with a daughter from one of the catholic girl's schools the middle and upper-middle class of st. Louis stopping by on their way home from work to pick up their food.
The most impressive part was the hostess, she remembered names of children, events in the family, my father and I watched in awe as we enjoyed tandoori chicken and a medium goat curry respectively, the calls stopped coming in around six o'clock and the last of the Parents on the go had their food and out the door by six thirty. Under the Arch take out is the savoir of several working families, and to spice it up why not throw some Indian flavor into the mix with India palace.
Mr. Curry, also known as the Restaurant formally known as Curry in a hurry...
You're in downtown St. Louis... it's the middle of the work day and you're hungry... what do you do, you only have thirty minutes before the boss comes breathing down you're neck for the reports that were never your responsibility to begin with but did anyways. Luckily near the corner of Olive and Seventh lies the answer to your hunger, Mr. Curry's Buffet Express.
You walk up and pay the very fair price and walk up to the buffet, as you look around you see a group of college kids in the corner, maybe interns from one of the local universities, maybe a study group, an old couple chatting over a stack of paper plates, and three men having a power meeting over lunch their designer jackets hung on the back of their chairs and their free hand pressed against their ties as a plastic fork carries the delectable bits of slow cooked meat and veg from plate to fork or a torn piece of delicious Naan sopping up curry only to be quickly popped into their mouths before a single drop of the precious liquid can make contact on the tailored shirts. A diverse crowd to say the least. as you reach the buffet line, a ten compartment steam table, a rice cooker and a collection of platters and and thermoses you are fully hit be the smell of good curry, grabbing this and that you stack up on Naan and Bathora breads, find a spot and start eating. In and out in fifteen minutes and back in the office with plenty of time to check over those stupid reports one last time.
Limited hours (11am-1:30 pm) and a set rotating menu allows for the low cost at the door without compromising on the flavor of the food. Under the Arch if you're in a hurry try Mr. Curry.
You walk up and pay the very fair price and walk up to the buffet, as you look around you see a group of college kids in the corner, maybe interns from one of the local universities, maybe a study group, an old couple chatting over a stack of paper plates, and three men having a power meeting over lunch their designer jackets hung on the back of their chairs and their free hand pressed against their ties as a plastic fork carries the delectable bits of slow cooked meat and veg from plate to fork or a torn piece of delicious Naan sopping up curry only to be quickly popped into their mouths before a single drop of the precious liquid can make contact on the tailored shirts. A diverse crowd to say the least. as you reach the buffet line, a ten compartment steam table, a rice cooker and a collection of platters and and thermoses you are fully hit be the smell of good curry, grabbing this and that you stack up on Naan and Bathora breads, find a spot and start eating. In and out in fifteen minutes and back in the office with plenty of time to check over those stupid reports one last time.
Limited hours (11am-1:30 pm) and a set rotating menu allows for the low cost at the door without compromising on the flavor of the food. Under the Arch if you're in a hurry try Mr. Curry.
Indian in the Lou
There are a few places in St. Louis where one can feed the need for Naan and curries, they range from the in and out five item, plus desserts buffet of Mr. Curry in the downtown area to the come sit and enjoy an evening atmosphere of Haveli on Page with a couple of stops in between. Where you go depends on what you are after: if it's really good take out for a good price hit up India Palace; in a rush and on lunch break in the downtown area, hit up the small selection high quality lunch only operation that is Mr. Curry's Indian Buffet; and my favorite place to go for cuisine from the Indian Sub-continent Haveli. Indian, well good Indian at least, is a fairly new beastie in the STL. Due to the Food Network, the Cooking Channel, and other media about food people are more and more willing to try new food, and luckily Indian is on the list of growing cuisines.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
The Perfect pour
Not all pours are created equal, a steady hand is important be it with Beer, Wine, or the Alcohol of your choosing. Instead of a cocktail this week will be over what's needed to pour a good glass of alcohol.
Beer/Cider :
The easiest on the surface a good pour can make or break a beer. With most beers you want both the bottle and the glass cold, I always keep a few glasses in the freezer in case I desire a good cold Cider, I prefer them to beer but the pour is similar between the two. When you pour you want a nice steady stream of the liquid to go down the side of the glass, you'll see a head beginning to form as you straighten out the glass ending with the bottle and glass at a ninety degree angle with each other. Your goal is a thin head of foam that lines up with the rim of the glass.
Wine:
I don't have the time or knowledge to go into everything that goes into pouring and decanter wine though at some point I'd love to take Sommelier classes, put that doesn't mean that even the absolute basics cant be shared. The most important part with wine is the stream, a slow steady pour that allows the wine and air to mix in the glass. Don't try and go over board and do a super high pour unless you know what you're doing if you do go big with out knowing what your doing you'll most likely wind up with a red stained tablecloth and a splash of wine in the glass. When filling a glass pay attention to the curve of it, you'll notice when it starts to curve back in on itself, that is your equivalent of a maximum fill line anymore then that and the glass will be over filled affecting both the flavor and increase the likely hood of someone spilling.
Hard Alcohols:
Add rocks, pour to desired fullness and enjoy.
Beer/Cider :
The easiest on the surface a good pour can make or break a beer. With most beers you want both the bottle and the glass cold, I always keep a few glasses in the freezer in case I desire a good cold Cider, I prefer them to beer but the pour is similar between the two. When you pour you want a nice steady stream of the liquid to go down the side of the glass, you'll see a head beginning to form as you straighten out the glass ending with the bottle and glass at a ninety degree angle with each other. Your goal is a thin head of foam that lines up with the rim of the glass.
Wine:
I don't have the time or knowledge to go into everything that goes into pouring and decanter wine though at some point I'd love to take Sommelier classes, put that doesn't mean that even the absolute basics cant be shared. The most important part with wine is the stream, a slow steady pour that allows the wine and air to mix in the glass. Don't try and go over board and do a super high pour unless you know what you're doing if you do go big with out knowing what your doing you'll most likely wind up with a red stained tablecloth and a splash of wine in the glass. When filling a glass pay attention to the curve of it, you'll notice when it starts to curve back in on itself, that is your equivalent of a maximum fill line anymore then that and the glass will be over filled affecting both the flavor and increase the likely hood of someone spilling.
Hard Alcohols:
Add rocks, pour to desired fullness and enjoy.
Oh Fish... A whole Fish...
Starting at 170 and Olive lies Asian Row, great restaurants and shops line this area this entire area falls under my rule of authenticity:
Weighing in at about 7 lbs I had the nice men at the fish counter dress it for me removing all the nasty gooey bits for me while leaving on the fins
1 lime a half an orange and a half a lemon slice 'em and mix with vinegar of choice, Vom Fass has a great selection of high end vinegars and oils to choose from from your basics to the not so basics like a Cream Fig and Chili vinegar. Make sure to add Garlic and your herbs of choice, in this mix there was some Parsley and Cilantro.
Set up your smoker, we use Lump oak charcoal and different woods at my house, the oak is a nice base flavor with good smoke with the fish I used some Hickory and Apple mixed together.
FIRE!!
The Glaze is the Juice from the other half Lemon and Orange, a lime, some Soy Sauce, a splash of Sweet Chili Sauce and a decent splash of Toasted Sesame Oil (also courtesy of Vom Fass).
Have a nice trip Mr. Fishy.
45 minutes in and looking good. I think he's enjoying it don't you?
"When entering the restuarant does everyone stare at me because I'm the only White boy in the building."
Two of my favorite places to shop are in this area, one is Olive Farmers Market, the other is Seafood City.
Today we're going to look into Seafood City. Walking down the aisles you can see anything you could think off, from Wild Boar quarters in the meat counter to schools of Bass and Talipa in the fish section, swimming in tanks. Point at a fish and ask for a size and one of the gentleman behind the bar will reach down and grab a net and snag you a fish. IN my case this little guy.
This is the Keel, it needs to come off the fish, don't throw it away though theres some good meat on it!
1 lime a half an orange and a half a lemon slice 'em and mix with vinegar of choice, Vom Fass has a great selection of high end vinegars and oils to choose from from your basics to the not so basics like a Cream Fig and Chili vinegar. Make sure to add Garlic and your herbs of choice, in this mix there was some Parsley and Cilantro.
It caught on the first try... trust me it doesn't always...
Hour and a half later we have a Perfectly smoked fresh Tilapia, everything was from St. Louis, the Produce from Soulard Market, the Vinegar from Vom Fass, the Fish From Seafood City. Here Under the Arch we aren't known for our seafood, it's hard to be hen were so far from a good source of it. But with a little know how, some adventuring to parts unknown and an open mind dinner for four is simple and affordable.
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