A St. Louis weekend has a lot to offer visitors as well as locals. There’s an abundance of food and sports events, exhibits, and scenic wonders to behold. I had overnight guests this past weekend. When I have visitors, I like to show off the best of St. Louis. So here’s what I did.
Sidney Street Café has a warmly inviting atmosphere and tantalizing menu.
We went to Sidney Street Café, one of my favorites, for an evening of fine dining. I could make a meal on the beignets and veal dumplings alone. But I demurred, pacing myself and allowing for the splendid roasted scallop entrée with zucchini, green tomato romesco, and bone marrow jus. For dessert, I had a few nibbles of our shared white chocolate brownie dessert. Exquisite!
During our table-side visit with Chef Kevin Nashan, he told me he’s opening a Basque restaurant in Santa Fe next spring. I’ve not had Basque food. Hmm. . . I’m thinking this would be a great reason to make a trip to New Mexico.
Don’t Miss the Many Sports Events
And because St. Louis is the sports capital of the Midwest, we had to take in a sporting event. Since baseball, basketball, soccer, and hockey were not in the cards, what better than watching my granddaughters, Addie and Coco play volleyball 🙂 My friends agreed. (They humor me, as one does women of a certain age.)
Addie and Coco take a swing at volley ball.
Munching at the Art Fair
Then it was off to downtown Clayton for the closing hours of the St. Louis Art Fair. The eclectic array of street vendors and sidewalk cafes highlighted the variety and goodness of St. Louis cuisine.
This woman has a catering service. Here she happily serves up one of her signature dishes: a hearty helping of jambalaya.
The St. Louis Wheel Will Soon Be Spinning
Ahh! But the year-round attraction for tourists will be the return of an iconic Ferris wheel to the city. The Ferris Wheel was the crown jewel of the 1904 World’s Fair in Forest Park. The new version at Union Station, dubbed the St. Louis Wheel, is 200-feet high with 42 enclosed, climate controlled and ADA compliant gondolas, that each seat 8 people.
Passengers will get a 15 minute skyline view from the wheel, that will operate 365 days of the year. Like the original wheel, it will be lighted, but this time by 1.6 million LED lights.
I do hope they serve ice cream cones and iced tea nearby, a la the 1904 World’s Fair.
Due for opening in October. The next time I have guests, we’ll head for the Wheel!
Can’t wait!!
I can’t believe that 2019 is half over. It’s time once again for the semi-annual report of my favorite restaurant dishes. Admittedly, my selections are arbitrary and unscientific. The items are in no particular order, but each made my camera and taste buds snap to attention within the last 6 months.
