we'd been waiting months to try ernesto's wine bar, but we just kept putting it off in favor of other groupon offers. finally, after nearly six months of waiting, we found a reason to go: some of our friends wanted to meet up for some post-grading-please-kill-me-now wine and cheese debauchery.
mission:
ernesto's wine bar
benton park
terrain:
located in the confines of tucked-away benton park, ernesto's is a tiny little wine bar that offers up an intimate atmosphere (only a handful of tables) and contemporary furnishings. we sat at the largest table, which was situated comfortably in the corner next to the large front window, offering us an excellent view of the quiet, tree-lined street. plating was straightforward and unpretentious, though sometimes a little uninspired (see grilled cheese photo).
personnel:
our waiter was competent, though he lacked the sincerity we like to feel at fine dining restaurants, especially ones as intimate as this. (a smirk and a givemeyerdamnorder attitude is just fine with us at qdoba, but show us a little more love when we're forking out 10 bones for some pinot freaking gris.) anyway, he was noticeably attentive with the water refills, something we chalked up to restaurant policy (y'know, to keep the wine drinkers from getting out of control).
rations:
since the larger plates were primarily meatcentric, we decided to skip entrees this night and go with a smorgasbord of appetizers. we started the night with a trio of nuts, opting for rosemary walnuts, curried cashews, and lavender marcona almonds. 
though each flavor struggled to shine through, we have to admit that there's a whole lot of bang for the buck (all three helpings for only six dollars!). midway through the nut snack plate, the cheese arrived, which was a good thing because the nuts combined with the cheese beautifully. our cheese selections were the stilton, the gouda, and the "purple haze," a goat cheese infused with lavender and fennel pollen. the purple haze was by far the best of the bunch and is definitely worth returning for. on the heels of the cheese came our last starter: a trio of spreads, including a double order of white been hummus and a single order of tomato, eggplant, and pepper sauce. 
to the point: neither of these things is good enough to order again. moving on... the final component of our snack extravaganza was "the best grilled cheese." with wild mushrooms, sharp cheddar, black truffle fontina, and white truffle oil, we figured there was no way to go wrong. right? wrong. so. much. grease. 
for some reason, despite the richness of the ingredients, ernesto's chef decided it was a good idea to add an insane amount of butter to the bread. yeah, we get it, grilled cheeses are traditionally prepared with buttered bread, but there's also such a thing as discretion. make no mistake, the sandwich was incredibly tasty, but the oil and butter deathlock was simply overkill, and it ruined what could have been a transcendent sandwich. quite literally, our hands were glistening with sandwich runoff. ewwww.
overall, ernesto's is really close to doing things well enough for a return visit, but for now they're just not hitting the mark.
assessment:
b-
vegetarian-friendly score:
b
this kirkwood tapas joint has received a lot of good press lately, so when we saw a groupon for it, we jumped on the opportunity. (very) generally speaking, tapas restaurants in the states consist of clever restaurant owners who have seized the tapas trend to make lots of money selling overpriced and undersized portions of food. unfortunately, one 19 north is no different.
mission:
one 19 north
kirkwood
terrain:
nestled among the many shoppes on big bend avenue, one 19 north's unassuming storefront is easily missed (we've driven by it multiple times and never noticed it). the interior consists of warm colors, "vintage" posters, and tacky walls (sort of faux-tuscan or adobe or something, perhaps meant to evoke images of old-world wine cellars, they just feel a little "trading spaces"). there are a couple of nice tables perched near the front windows, and there's a cool bench along one of the walls that allow the vertically challenged among us to swing our feet. in any case, nothing much to see here. move along.
personnel:
our server was quite good. full of energy, quick to please, and highly attentive, he made sure we knew exactly what vegetarian options were available to us. (turns out, too, that this guy has a reputation, as one of our servers at ernesto's wine bar spoke very highly of one 19's head waiter.)
rations:
as you know by now, we're suckers for hummus, and whenever we see hummus on a menu, we're gonna get it. the saffron hummus at one 19 was tasty, no doubt, but we struggled to find any hint of the saffron the restaurant promised. furthermore, the naan we were promised wasn't really naan at all; it's just a regular ol' flatbread, and not even warm. anyway, we can put up with a little misrepresentation, but we will not put up with skimpy portions. as you can see, this place has pushed "tapas" to the extreme. the salt and pepper shakers are the perfect scale to illustrate just how minuscule this "serving" of hummus was. eesh. we were not amused.
from there, we moved on to the crispy artichokes hearts, which boasted a wonderfully seasoned tomato and crushed almonds sauce.
the artichokes, however, were lackluster and simply did not taste fresh.
we finished the meal with two salads that do not merit a full write-up. suffice to say that they were uninspired but competent, with very poor dressing (one actually separated in its ramekin).
we're convinced that things would have gone better for an omnivore, but we cannot endorse this restaurant if you're a vegetarian. from the too-small portions (even for tapas) to the mediocre flavors, this is a restaurant that needs an overhaul if they're to appeal to a more diverse crowd.
c-
vegetarian-friendly score:
b-
oh, sweetart, how we love thee. there are few things in my life more comforting than walking into a strictly vegetarian restaurant, and when the food is top notch, well, fuggitaboutit. from the moment we set foot in this shaw neighborhood cafe, we knew we'd found a new friend. (we only wish we'd discovered it sooner!) since our visit a year ago, sweetart has been building a bit of a following in the st. louis foodie scene. in fact, their vegan brownies are featured on the cover of this month's sauce magazine. all the attention they've received is justified, no doubt, but most of the attention seems to be aimed at their desserts (they're delicious, by the way, if a bit on the sweet side). for this review, we'll be focusing exclusively on the savory fare.
mission:
sweetart
shaw
terrain:
tucked away in the underrated shaw neighborhood, this lovely little cafe is decorated with cbabi bayoc's fluid, vibrant, jazz-improv paintings, and the seating is eclectic mix of vintage chairs and tables. the muted palette of the furniture balances nicely with the brilliant colors of cbabi's art, but most of all the place just feels "lived in"--unpretentious, comfortable, and inviting. to be sure, the place is a bit cramped during lunch rush, but when the food is this good, it's a minor inconvenience. plus, for the most part (except for that one dickhead sitting next to us this summer), the patrons are friendly and interested in being descent human beings. once you visit sweetart, you'll understand that this is not a place where jerks hang out.
personnel:
without fail, the service at sweetart is on point. even though there's minimal interaction with the staff (one orders at the front counter, after all, and one does bus his or her own dishes), we're always greeted with a smile. we frequently see cbabi helping out in the front, and if you're not too shy, he's very approachable. again, it just wouldn't make any sense for the owners to be jerks. still, cbabi and reine are both wildly talented people, so it's nice to know that they're grounded. you get the feeling that they're the type of people you'd want to spend a lot of time with.
rations:
we've tried many things at sweetart over the last year, but there's always one constant: the sweet burger. it's a beautiful melange of onions, lentils, carrots, and textured vegetable protein (we think?). 
it's topped with tomatoes, organic greens, house vegan spread (to die for!), and, in their own words, "magic." you can also opt for avocado for a little extra dough, and though it's a lovely addition, the burger is so good that you're fine foregoing the extra expense.
for this visit, we wanted the "tower grove," a delectable un-chicken salad sandwich, but since it's out of season, we went with the "39th." the best vegetarian blt in the country (the world?) is in northampton, ma, at green bean cafe, but sweetart's version is a more than competent substitute. what sets the two apart is that green bean's blt comes with homemade tempeh for the "bacon"; at sweetart, they use smart bacon, which is a tasty soybacon for sure, but it just can't quite shake the processed feeling/texture. to be clear, this is still a very good sandwich, even if it feels a bit too savory. again, though, this sandwich is topped with the house vegan spread, and if you missed it before, we'll remind you that this stuff is to die for.
a quick aside: you'll notice that there are tortilla chips on one of the plates. ordinarily, sandwiches come with either fruit or locally-made billy goat chips, but after many disappointing experiences with the billy goat chips, we now make a point to get tortilla chips. to be fair to the billy goat chip company, the only time we've ever had bad experiences with their product is at sweetart. we have no explanation for this. more than anything, we'd just like to know if other visitors to sweetart have had the same experience. nevertheless, we love the sandwiches so much, we'd return again and again even if sweetart only offered a lump of dirt for a side dish.
assessment:
a-
vegetarian-friendly score:
a+
mission:
pi | euclid avenue location
central west end
terrain:
as is the m.o. of all pi restaurants, the euclid avenue location tries to fit into the neighborhood aesthetic. the decor is a blend of ironic pop art and antiques. tres chic. the lighting is dim, to say the least, and there are large windows that allow diners to watch the omnipresent euclid foot traffic. we have been less than impressed with the eating space--table, seating, and proximity to other diners--and this night was no different. nevertheless, the euclid avenue location is very good looking, and comfort was clearly sacrificed for ambiance.
personnel:
the first time we visited euclid avenue pi, our waiter was horrible. he seemed completely disinterested, and his attitude screamed douchebag hipster. yeah, we get it, we'll never be as cool as you and your neck tattoo. bravo. anyway, this time our service was exceedingly improved. since we're quite familiar with the menu, though, there simply wasn't much work for our server, but at least she shared many warm smiles with us and was attentive without being intrusive.
rations:
as is the case with all pi locations, we always order a large "western addition"; it's the pre-pizza nosh that changes (depending on location and/or mood). this night, we ordered the hummus. it's a fairly straightforward, westernized hummus (read: not oily), but it's flavor was exceptional, blending just the right amount of lemon and tahini. the accompanying roasted red peppers were a bit too limp for my liking, but they tasted good enough. the green and kalamata olives packed huge flavor, and it was clear that they were fresh fresh fresh. finally, the flatbread "spears" (our word) were great for dipping; we just wish pi would season them to cover up some of the dough-iness. if you're listening, pi, we're thinking rosemary would be money.moving on to the thing matters most: the western addition pie. for anyone who will listen to me long enough, i always explain that the western addition will change a person's life, and i mean it. it's the type of experience that sticks with you for a long time, the type that makes you dream about returning again and again. i've always been a fan of deep dish pizza, having grown up with pizza hut pan pizza as a weekly staple and then moving on to the deepest of deep dish pies in chicago (shout out to gino's east but not giordano's!). seriously, i'm a deep dish snob. and i thought i knew all there was to know about deep dish. not so. what pi does to separate itself from chicago-style deep dish is exactly what makes it better: the cornmeal crust. technically speaking, pi is san francisco-style deep dish, and it truly does feel "cleaner" than the deep dish found to our north. the sauce is impeccable, incorporating fresh herbs and gorgeously vibrant chunks of tomato. the mozzarella is always delicious, but it's the addition of creamy ricotta and salty feta that send this pie to the moon. add some spinach, mushrooms, and onions, and you have the perfect vegetarian death row meal. there is nothing we'd rather eat for our last meal (though lois would insist on adding a bowl of ben and jerry's on the side). it's the type of meal that makes your mouth water instantly, makes your eyes roll into the back of your head, makes your whole body swoon. it is perfection.
assessment:
a+
note: though not reviewed this time, the salads served at pi are some of the best in the city.
note 2: here's the final word on eating vegan deep-dish at pi: you must call in advance so that they can prepare the deep-dish dough without butter.
vegetarian-friendly score:
a (with match meat and vegan cheese options available, this pizza joint is head and shoulders above the others)
we'd been waiting months to try ernesto's wine bar, but we just kept putting it off in favor of other groupon offers. finally, after nearly six months of waiting, we found a reason to go: some of our friends wanted to meet up for some post-grading-please-kill-me-now wine and cheese debauchery.
though each flavor struggled to shine through, we have to admit that there's a whole lot of bang for the buck (all three helpings for only six dollars!). midway through the nut snack plate, the cheese arrived, which was a good thing because the nuts combined with the cheese beautifully. our cheese selections were the stilton, the gouda, and the "purple haze," a goat cheese infused with lavender and fennel pollen. the purple haze was by far the best of the bunch and is definitely worth returning for. on the heels of the cheese came our last starter: a trio of spreads, including a double order of white been hummus and a single order of tomato, eggplant, and pepper sauce. 
to the point: neither of these things is good enough to order again. moving on... the final component of our snack extravaganza was "the best grilled cheese." with wild mushrooms, sharp cheddar, black truffle fontina, and white truffle oil, we figured there was no way to go wrong. right? wrong. so. much. grease. 
for some reason, despite the richness of the ingredients, ernesto's chef decided it was a good idea to add an insane amount of butter to the bread. yeah, we get it, grilled cheeses are traditionally prepared with buttered bread, but there's also such a thing as discretion. make no mistake, the sandwich was incredibly tasty, but the oil and butter deathlock was simply overkill, and it ruined what could have been a transcendent sandwich. quite literally, our hands were glistening with sandwich runoff. ewwww.
