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. 

Pastaria in St. Louis

One of the delightful things I learned about St. Louis was that their food community was blossoming strong.  The chefs are close with each other, and they have the "rising tides lifts all ships" mentality.  It made me feel, amazingly, like I was home in Austin.  Pastaria, Farmhaus, and Libertine are some of the newer restaurants pushing their community forward.

When I was glancing at the menus, I saw this raspberry black pepper soda.  I've been intrigued with the idea of black pepper in sweet offerings.  This drink had just a bit of berry tang and zing of black pepper with the pop of carbonation.  This is something to would have paired well with a sandy beach and warm sun. 

I saw the chicken ramen on the menu, and I had to try it.  The parmesan broth was intense with flavor, but not overly salty.  The well-executed chicken was well-balanced against the broth and springy noodles. 
My favorite part was the egg.  I've been fascinated with poached, sous vide, or fried; I love eggs with the runny yolks.  I am a bit (actually very) sad that I only got to try one dish.  However, it was my second lunch for the day, and I needed to save some stomach space.  I hope to visit Pastaria during my next trek to St. Louis. 

Yuji Ramen in New York City

I recently took a trip to New York City - one that was right around 24 hours long from touch down to take off.  Even in my short time frame, I was able to stuff myself silly.  When I got there, who else but Pichet Ong took me for an eating adventure of the Big Apple.

Yuji Ramen, owned by Yuji Haraguhi, was one place that he insisted on.  He didn't just suggest it.  He insisted.  So off we went to Whole Foods on Houston Street.  Yuji was supposed to be a rotating pop-up on the second floor of this Whole Foods.  But I guess they became so popular that at they stayed.

Here's another write up of Yuji Ramen by Serious Eats.


Something you might find curious about Yuji is that he didn't eat ramen growing up.  It wasn't a part of his comfort food or college food for that matter.  As a result, he says that his ramen is unique and different because he doesn't have an ideal ramen that he's trying to emulate or replicate.

Yuji's history starts with an education in business and then sales at a seafood supplier.  He has no official culinary training so he says, with a shy grin.  I have a plethora of respect for those in the culinary arts who learned it on the job or out of passion - and you can taste that passion.

While we were there, admiring fans would come by for a bowl and smile cheerfully at him.  He's pretty darn lucky as I saw many, many young women exploding with giddiness at the counter.  Oh, what is it like to be a Ramen God? 


The first dish I ordered was the salmon and cheese mazeman (ramen with little to no soup) - a pretty amazing dish.  The goal of his seafood offerings is to "showcase seafood through ramen."  And he hit the nail on the head with this one.  The cured salmon is sweet, savory, and has the flavor of the sea.  The texture was tender yet had structure that said "someone took great care of me!" 

I can't really find words to explain the flavor of this dish.  I can only describe it as a mashup of subtle gastronomy on a bed of noodles.  You just need to try it.  And then you'll understand my inability to describe it.  

The second dish I got was the daily special, a clear fish broth that was beautifully clear and flavorful.  This dish does have the comfort feel of soups that my mother made, and the careful execution that would can impress even the pickiest of ramen connoisseurs.  If I'm back in New York, I'd definitely visit Yuji Ramen again!