Farmhaus in St. Louis

If there was a lunch spot like Farmhaus, I would by giddy with joy.  I didn't get to try Farmhaus for dinner, but I was able to try it on Monday's lunch.  Lunches are a set menu - for a very accessible price of $10, you get to a salad, main course, and tea.

That's right. For $10 you get an extraordinary lunch.  I wanted to visit Farmhaus several more times while I was in St. Louis, but alas, my schedule didn't allow it.

So here it is, my only meal at Farmhaus.  It started with a delicious spinach salad with a sweet onion dressing that made me reconsider my stance on salads.  I don't often have cravings for salads, but this one was darn good.  The dressing was amazing that I asked for the recipe to make at home. 

In addition to the preset lunch menu, I ordered an appetizer of porchetta slider.  It was topped with house made kimchee.  The luscious savory fat of the pork belly melted into the fluffy steamed bun topped with crunchy, tangy kimchee.  Ohhhhhh yes! 

The main course was fried chicken, mac and cheese, and mashed taters.  The chicken had familiar flavor quality that I couldn't quite put my finger on.  It reminded me of having fried chicken at a friend's house as a kid.  It was perfectly crispy, perfectly seasoned, and satisfying.  The sides were really fantastic.  They were well executed, had a subtle gourmet flair, yet they weren't over done. 

Last was the dessert - a baked peach dessert.  The dessert menu wasn't printed so I don't remember the exact name.  What I do remember and will recommend is to enjoy it!

Dad's Cookies in St. Louis

During my trip in St. Louis, we had a little meet up.  It was just a little meet up with beer, wine, and snacks.  I decided to pick up some desserts for the week.  A quick search on the Interwebs reveals a place called Dad's Cookies.  When I first drove by, I nearly missed it as it is located in a residential area. 

Dad's Cookies has been around since 1938, and they sell by the pound.  The cookies are kept in giant bins.  You order your desired amount by weight, and they are weighed out on an old fashioned scale. 

A large part of the charm of this place is the scale, and the history.  The owners also mentioned that these were the original recipes (made with lard).  The original recipes were created prior to the ice boxes being widely accessible. 

I purchased several flavors including the Scotch Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Double Chocolate, and Chocolate Chip.  The cookies weren't crazy flavors, but good and old fashioned - perfect for a gathering.