kroppinkris's Profile
Indianapolis (east) - casual, inexpensive, perhaps a brewpub? pizza?
Just wanted to give you a quick report back on my trip. Unfortunately, we really didn't get to enjoy much of Indy food. We got a much later start on our drive and didn't realize there was e time change so we just grabbed something on the road. And I totally forgot about one of our nights in town being a Friday in lent so I wasn't prepared for non-meat options. We actually ended up at the chain, Old Spaghetti Factory which was rather nostalgic for me since I worked at one in college and really haven't gone since.
Our one Indy meal was at Bazbeaux's for pizza. I'm not sure if I read about it directly on a Chowhound thread or in the pizza blog someone recommended. I love pizza in all forms so I'm not the best critic since I'm so easy to please. But we enjoyed our meal quite a bit. The pizza was a bit burnt on the bottom but I appreciated the extra crispiness of that bottom crust. We were disappointed in that there were only 3 beers on tap and the other local beers were only available in cans so we could not taste those. In the end, we decided it was well worth the 2 mile round trip walk from the convention center.
We did pop in to the brewpub, RAM in downtown for a quick beer. I think it's a chain but it wasn't one either of us had seen. I appreciated that they were willing to give us a few tasters of the the beers that appealed to us without having to get the whole sampler containing beers that I knew I wouldn't like. It was a nice place to sit and wait out the storm that blew through.
Your city did a great job with our convention and I really enjoyed walking around the downtown area. I'm working on convincing my husband that he'd enjoy a long weekend there sometime. Thanks!
Indianapolis (east) - casual, inexpensive, perhaps a brewpub? pizza?
Thanks for the links. I guess I hadn't gone far enough back because the 2nd and 3rd threads were more of what I was looking for. Most of the threads I was reading were specifically talking about downtown options which I'd prefer to avoid.
I think we're about 10 miles east of downtown; no idea what that area is called.
I didn't find much specific to pizza or brewpubs. Am I out of luck?
Thanks for the links.
Indianapolis (east) - casual, inexpensive, perhaps a brewpub? pizza?
I'll be coming to Indy at the end of March for the Science Teacher's convention (yes, all of us nerds in one place!). We're actually staying east of downtown and from what I've been reading, downtown seems more "chainish" which we'd prefer to avoid anyway. We'll have a car and a teacher's budget. My friend and I particularly enjoy trying beers when we travel so a brewpub is always a good choice for us. We're in town for 3 nights so we're looking for several options. Otherwise, we're open for options. Is Indy known for any particular foods that natives love (and usually outsiders find "interesting" - I speak from the experience that no one gets St. Louis pizza but those born here.)
Thanks for your help.
Springfield, MO - single person
Thanks for the ideas. Googling addresses linked me to some other reviews and they sound promising.
Hoping to get out of STL early this afternoon so I'm not eating on the road and get a chance to try something tonight!
Springfield, MO - single person
I'll be in Springfield later this week for a conference. Lunch is included so I'm only looking for dinner ideas. Pretty much open to anything in the $15 and under range. I get in later Thursday so that night I'd probably be more interested in something for take out for that evening.
Thanks!
Kris
St. Louis Brewpubs
We love, love Urban Chestnut. Each beer is served in its particular glass or stein. Food is definitely limited but we've enjoyed the sausage/cheese platters they do offer. We describe the place as sort of a "Starbucks" for beer drinkers - with that just hang out, enjoy your drink attitude. It's good we don't live too terribly close, my husband would be a regular.
I remember liking Six Row well enough but don't remember what we've eaten there. Husband liked the cask beer that they had tapped. Seems to me, they rotate their beers a bit more and have more single cask, limited offerings than other breweries.
Ferguson definitely is a decent food option choice and they have a wide beer selection.
I didn't know there was a new one opening in Cottleville - that will my husband way too happy.
Kris
BBQ Pork Steak Potato Chips from Old Vienna
And buying a bag from Circle K means my husband makes that huge commission off it's sale :)
I'll be curious to hear what you think of them. They are interesting.
BBQ Pork Steak Potato Chips from Old Vienna
My husband just happens to be the OV route guy for this area so here's a pretty inclusive list. They do taste just like bbq pork steaks. I find that it a bit disconcerting in a chip so I'm not fond of them but he says they are definitely selling well in areas. I much prefer the red hot riplets.
Circle K at Olive and Hanley
Pete's Sure Save at Olive and Hanley and the one on Vernon
Mobil at Page and Hanley
Hanley Hills Market
Mobil in Olivette and Creve Couer both on Olive
Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg - Brew Pubs (and other casual types)
Just a quick report back on our stay in the Smokies.
We really enjoyed our dinner at the Smoky Mountain Brewery. Very good (and cold!) beers with a nice sampler. We had a difficult time choosing which beers to each get in regular size. We loved the naked wings. We had sides of several sauces and our favorite was the Thunder road although we liked the hot and spicy (but it's not in the Frank's hot sauce, buffalo style) and the ginger soy also. My husband's burger was good. My chicken sandwich as served was a bit blah but fortunately we had plenty of the sauces left over which made it a great sandwich. We went back on our way out to get a 6 pack of beer and a pizza walked by that smelled amazing - would have liked to have tried one.
We also enjoyed Calhoun's. We had the 3 sampler plate. The ribs were tasty as was the pulled pork. Still trying to figure out why chicken tenders was the third meat - seemed out of place. But - we were able to have the beers we didn't choose the night before so all was well!
Thanks for the recommendations.
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Smoky Mountain Brewery & Restaurant
1004 Parkway Ste 501, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg - Brew Pubs (and other casual types)
I've been to Branson in Missouri and had read some threads on PF/GB so I had a pretty good idea of what our eating options were going to be. It seems to be best that we're probably more interested in good beer than good food! We tend to stick to more casual places when we travel - hate to deal with packing hanging clothes. However, we do like to try something local & original; I don't want to eat somewhere I can easily find here in the STL.
As long as there's a brewpub, my husband will be happy and we enjoy comparing bbq styles around the country so Smoky Mountain and Calhoun's sound like our kind of places.
Anything unique or special about Tenn. pizza? I think I should add "eat a pizza in all 50 states" to my bucket list!
Thanks for the help. I'll report back.
Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg - Brew Pubs (and other casual types)
I've found a few older threads but nothing more recent than 6 months or so for the area. Hoping to see if there's anything interesting in the brew pub style since my husband loves to try out the local brews. Anything else in the casual, relatively inexpensive style recommendations would also be appreciated. Thanks!
Kris
St Louis for a week
And while it may be tempting at Crown Candy to just sneak in and get a to go order - don't do it! - at least not with kids. My own (who are now 18 and 21!) love, love getting that wonderful malt served with the metal mixing cup half filled with more malt. There's just something nifty about that no matter what your age.
Brewpubs in ST. Louis
The Post had a relevant article today:
http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/dining/restaurants/article_430686bf-43b1-5e3c-9d33-82308729e29b.html
We've been to many of these and all have their positives. My husband loves all the "interesting" beers; I always end up with the one that tastes most like Bud Light, much to his dismay - so I can't comment much on these. He did like the Winter Ale at Trailhead and loves the Scottish Ale at Schlafly.
Enjoy! We always find local brewpubs when we travel also.
Fun and celebratory in downtown KC
We're definitely more casual than anything - no cuisine preference except no Italian since we'll be heading somewhere for pasta/carbs the night before. I didn't realize Jack Stacks was downtown and I've seen that referenced several times here for KC bbq so that's intriguing. Price point - relatively inexpensive; part of the group will be college kids!
If we end up in the Power and Light district post dinner just for drinks, is there any place that would be good (or less bad)?
Fun and celebratory in downtown KC
A group of us are heading to KC to run the 1/2 marathon this weekend. Assuming we survive the 13.1 miles, we will want to celebrate on Saturday evening. I'm guessing we'll end up with a group of about 10 to 15. We are staying at various downtown hotels and will want to be within an easy cab ride. Our son is only 18 so we will need some place that he is welcome. A good selection of beers is a must; we're open to food options.
Thanks!
Brew pubs in Austin?
Thanks for the link. I did do a search first and only got hits where beer was mentioned in the thread and not the thread topic. Looking forward to doing my research!
Brew pubs in Austin?
We're heading to Austin for volleyball nationals next week. Saw a post earlier about suggestions for where to take the boys and I definitely will do some more research there about feeding our 18 year olds also but.........
this post is about making the adults happy! We love to find brew pubs whenever we travel and taste locally brewed beer. Would love to hear where we need to go on our visit. Thanks!
Seeking rennet
Our local IGA in the St. Louis area has/had it. I used to get it there when I made cheese as part of a Biochemistry lab. It was in the ice cream toppings and cone area there.
Seeking Good Beer Places (St. Louis)
My husband likes the selection of beers at Growler's. Food is basic pub fare but since that's what we tend to like, that's fine with us. A toddler would be fine at the Olive/Ballas Rd location.
Seeking Good Beer Places (St. Louis)
We like Hill Brewing also. Go to their website and sign up for their email list and you can get free coupons via email. Our last one was for $5 off and the most recent is for a free appetizer.
To the original poster, are you looking specifically for a brew pub that serves its own microbrews or a place that offers a wide selection of multiple beers - bottled or on tap?
21st birthday - STL - Lafayette Square?
We celebrated the birthday last night. We did go to Square One Brewery. We all had sandwiches which we liked. The beer sampler was tasty :) Service was not so hot. She never brought out my husband's salad and the beer he ordered after the sampler didn't come out until we were basically finished eating but she didn't charge us for either. However, we were charged for the birthday brownie sundae she did bring us when she found out we were celebrating a birthday. If we had asked for something to celebrate, I wouldn't mind paying but we didn't really ask.
We loved Bailey's. The martini's were delicious - the Bailey's and the coffee ice cream were both quite tasty. Desserts were good also but it was really about the ambience which was very nice. We did laugh when we realized we spent more on dessert than dinner!!
It was a nice night celebrating.
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Square One Brewery
1727 Park Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63104
Great new brewpub in Ferguson, MO
We went Friday night; mixed reviews. My husband and friend loved the beers. They liked that so many were on tap instead of rotating seasonal ones in and out.
Everyone but me ordered bbq and were very pleased with it. The two guys got the platters and had lots of food. BBQ sauce was in the sweet range versus spicy. I ordered the beer cheese soup. I was told it was the bottom of the pot so it would be a bit till they could bring out the next batch. It was cold when it did come out. I have never sent food back to the kitchen, but the soup went back. I think it would've tasted fine if it had even been a bit warm. They were apologetic and did give me a complementary french onion soup (not bad, but not special).
Service - very very slow. Not an especially big deal because we enjoyed the company and the beer but definitely slow enough to warrant a mention.
We'll definitely give it another whirl sometime.
Great new brewpub in Ferguson, MO
We'll definitely have to check this out. My husband loves brewpubs. Combined with some decent bbq, you've probably just hit upon his idea of heaven!
21st birthday - STL - Lafayette Square?
Bonwich reviewed Fire Company today in the Post. Looked interesting since we tend to like pub type food although probably not for a birthday celebration. The $7.99 Supper Club "cook's surprise" seemed like something my husband would enjoy trying. Anyone else been there?
Still leaning towards Square One - I think the multiple brews on tap will appeal to a 21st birthday night out. She's been to so many brew pubs with us, I think she might get a special kick out of actually being able to drink from the sampler we always start off with at each brewery!
21st birthday - STL - Lafayette Square?
33 Wine Bar sounds interesting. What type of food? Will our 18 year old son be welcome?
I didn't realize there were so many places in the Lafayette Square area. I can see us walking and eating (and drinking!) our way around the area.
We'll be there relatively early in the evening (she's only going to spend so much time with the family before she's off with friends - she's one of the last of her group to hit the big 21) - does that change anyone's opinions and suggestions?
Thanks for the ideas!
21st birthday - STL - Lafayette Square?
We're looking for some ideas to celebrate our daughter's 21st birthday. We'll probably end up at Bailey's Chocolate Bar - she's been before with friends and really wants to try some of the drinks along with the desserts! She'll be with us (her old parents and 18 year old brother) so we're not looking for the wild, bar scene exactly.
Thought about Square One Brewery. Any thoughts about that or other suggestions?
We're not locked in to the Lafayette Square area either.
Thanks.
Fun / funky / celebratory in KC (north)
So we ended up at a Japanese steakhouse (Tokyo Grill?) on Barry Rd. It was perfect for what we were looking for. The girls enjoyed the showmanship; the food was plentiful (which ended up being more important than I expected - we were starving!) and we enjoyed the flavors.
Hopefully, the next time I'm visiting my sister, my husband and I can try out some of the other suggestions.
Thanks.
Fun / funky / celebratory in KC (north)
So many ideas - so little time. $20 budget is a guideline and definitely didn't include tax, tip and alcohol - the two adults think it's nice to have those 20 year old designated drivers :)
I'll toss all these suggestions out to the group. I won't be surprised if we end up drawing out of a hat since no one will want to make a decision with all these great options.
What about dessert? Where would be a good place to replenish all those calories we burned in the morning?
Fun / funky / celebratory in KC (north)
I love KC barbecue and enjoy reading the debates about the definitive best place to eat. I'm a Gates gal myself but mostly because when I was in college in KC, it was so close that I had a lot of good times eating there.
However, my daughter is a severe disappointment to us in that she actually dislikes bbq so looking for other suggestions.
Fun / funky / celebratory in KC (north)
We're heading to KC this weekend and hopefully we'll be celebrating the fact that my daughter and friend survived the 1/2 marathon!! (the 2 moms will be almost as impressive if we finish the 5 K!!)
We're looking for somewhere to eat Saturday night to enjoy our accomplishment. Calories don't count on race day so we can go all out. Budget - probably under $20 a person. The girls are only 20 so keep that in mind when thinking "celebratory".
We're specifically in Gladstone but will have a vehicle and I'm decently familiar with the KC area.
Thanks for your ideas.
