Darcie Bakes //

Local Noms: Lulu’s Local Eatery.

local noms

Note: For more details on what this Local Noms post series is all about, please see my little preview post.

This installment of “Local Noms” features a local St. Louis business called Lulu’s Local Eatery. Let’s begin!

// Today’s “Local Noms” Review: Lulu’s Local Eatery.

// // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // //

+ Background Details: I had been itching to visit Lulu’s Local Eatery for quite some time. I got there for the first time last year, and I’ve been back several times since then. Sometimes I like to order the food to go, or I will get a bite to eat from their food truck at the farmer’s market.

+ Restaurant/Shop Location(s): Lulu’s is located at 3201 S. Grand Ave. in St. Louis, Missouri, 63118. They also have a food truck, which is always at the Saturday Tower Grove Farmer’s Market, as well as other food truck events. The brick-and-mortar restaurant sits along the business district of Grand Avenue.

+ Initial Impressions: It’s a fun place to visit; when you first walk in, you’ll notice the rustic chic vibe of the place. There’s reclaimed wood all over the place, plus fresh flowers on every table. [Personally, I’m a huge fan of fresh flowers everywhere.] Plus, it’s located in an older building, so it definitely gives you that old world St. Louis vibe. The “old world” style that is stereotypical of St. Louis is, of course, something that I love.

+ Pros: Everything is super healthy and delicious. You might think that vegan food can’t be good, but this place proves you wrong. I’ve never had a bad dish here, and I have tried several meals from here. When I’m in the mood for some tasty vegan food, Lulu’s is where I go. For this particular visit, I tried their jackfruit BBQ sandwich. It’s shredded jackfruit (which ends up being surprisingly similar to actual pulled pork) with Pappy’s (yay for more local places!) BBQ sauce on a pretzel bun. Pretzel buns are my favorite already, and then it’s topped with a fresh and crunchy slaw. I ordered a kale salad on the side, and ate some of my friend’s buffalo cauliflower bites. Finally, I finished off my meal with a fresh tea. I also ordered the “Buddha bowl,” which is an udon noodle dish that’s bursting with veggies for lunch the next day. Overall, it was tasty. My friend also enjoyed her sweet potato and black bean burger!

+ Cons: It’s a little pricey, but that is, again, to be expected with healthy and locally sourced food. That means that unfortunately, I can’t afford to go there constantly. But it is a really nice, healthy treat for me on occasion. Parking along Grand Ave. can also be a real pain, as it’s a busy area. The Tower Grove neighborhood is right around there as well, which, although it’s a pretty and old area, cars are everywhere! So be prepared for a little walk when you go there.

+ My Overarching {Ha! STL pun totally intended!} Review: Every single experience that I have had at Lulu’s has been a good one. The food is very good and filling, and it feels great to know that it’s both extremely healthy and locally sourced. The staff here is always super friendly, and the restaurant’s space is a pleasant place to chill and enjoy a meal. Whether you’re a vegan or carnivore, you are sure to enjoy Lulu’s Local Eatery. It’s a local place that St. Louis is lucky to have, so I’m gonna keep on supporting it! 🙂

// // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // //

Obligatory Disclaimer: I’m not a professional food expert in any sense of the word, nor am I compensated for any nice things that I may say about any of the restaurants I feature on my blog. All of my ramblings on here are just, like, my opinions, maaaannn. I just really like talking about and eating food, and I think it’s fun to feature local food establishments that I think are awesome, and if it helps them out in the process? Even better! Join me on my quest to EAT ALL THE LOCAL FOODS!

Local Noms // Clementine’s Creamery.

local noms

Note: For more details on what this Local Noms post series is all about, please see my little preview post.

Today’s installment of “Local Noms” features a local business called Clementine’s Creamery. As you can probably guess, Clementine’s makes ice cream! But not just any ice cream – Clementine’s is locally handmade in small batches. Plus, all of the ice creams’ ingredients are locally sourced. So, without further ado, let’s talk about ice cream!

// Today’s “Local Noms” review: Clementine’s Creamery, as aforementioned.

clementineslogo

+ Background Details: I was actually not aware that this ice cream existed until about a month ago. I think I posted something about my last Local Noms post on Twitter, and Clementine’s PR person contacted me about the ice cream. I decided to try it – I mean, why not?! It was a good decision, if I do say so myself.

+ Restaurant/Shop Location(s): They’re still working on their brick-and-mortar store, and it will be opening in Lafayette Square this spring. For now, the owner, Tamara, will make deliveries to your door! You can contact her via Clementine’s website.

+ Initial Impressions: Clementine’s has an abundance of flavors that all sound tasty. So I had to really be choosy when it came to picking the first four flavors to try out, as I have pretty limited freezer space! Clementine’s separates their flavors into two fun categories: “naughty” and “nice.” Naughty flavors are the booze-infused ice creams [boozy ice cream for the win!], and the nice flavors don’t contain alcohol.

The first four flavors that I picked were as follows: boozy banana rum ice cream with salted butterscotch swirls, southern sweet corn, front porch mint, and chocolate stout made with the local 4 Hands Brewery’s Milk Chocolate Stout [one of my absolute favorite beers!].

flavors

+ My Reviews of Each Ice Cream Flavor:
// Banana Rum: Whoa, this one packs punch! I tried a few spoonfuls on my lunch break, and was briefly paranoid that I would become a little tipsy! Needless to say, you can definitely taste the rum! It’s good, but I preferred the other flavors over this one. I like the butterscotch swirls, though, and of course banana is always delicious. 
// Chocolate Stout: This one was my favorite of the four flavors I tried. As I’ve said in the past, I’m a chocoholic. Plus it contains one of my favorite stouts. It was rich and chocolatey, and the stout flavor shined through nicely. Definitely a keeper!
// Front Porch Mint: I really enjoyed this one, too. It’s light and creamy, and it tastes like real mint [presumably because it contains real mint leaves!]. This flavor will be great to sandwich between some crispy chocolate cookies… *hint* *hint*
// Southern Sweet Corn: Admittedly, I was a bit apprehensive about this flavor. Corn in ice cream? WAT. But it really was pretty tasty. It’s got a strong corn flavor, and I think it might do well smashed between two bacon cookies… Hmmm… 😉

+ Pros: This is the good stuff, you guys. I love supporting local, small businesses. I especially love supporting businesses that make things by hand, and this creamy, rich ice cream is no exception. Creamy, rich ice cream in a variety of delicious flavors? What’s not to like? Also, I love how Saint Louis food/drink businesses all seem to collaborate with each other! We have a wonderful foodie community.

+ Cons: Umm, none? I’m not really a big fan of ice cream as a whole [shocker, I know!]. I mean, I like ice cream; just in small quantities, as I have very sensitive teeth, and I get brain freeze easily. The only con I can see at the moment is the fact that the shop isn’t open yet. But from what I hear, the shop will be open in St. Louis’ historic Lafayette Square this spring! I can’t wait to see what it looks like; I’m sure it’ll be a lovely space!

topviewicecream

handcraftedstl
{Handcrafted in Saint Louis. That’s what I like to see!}

+ My Overarching {Ha! STL pun totally intended!} Review: As aforementioned, this is good-quality ice cream. It’s real, it’s creamy and rich, and it’s old-fashioned. Personally, I don’t like soft serve; I prefer this kind of decadent ice cream. Plus, each ice cream flavor tastes, well, like what it says on its description! They’re bursting with flavor, and that’s probably my favorite part about this ice cream.  I can’t wait until I have the chance [and time, and money… ha!] to order more flavors to try! Thanks to Clementine’s Twitter account and Tamara [the owner] for getting me in the loop and having the opportunity to purchase your products. 🙂

{Taste-testing ice cream while sitting on the floor and holding the plate in your lap is totally normal, right? Right...}
{Taste-testing ice cream while sitting on the floor and holding the plate in your lap is totally normal, right? Right…}

// // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // //

Obligatory Disclaimer: I’m not a professional food expert in any sense of the word, nor am I compensated for any nice things that I may say about any of the restaurants I feature on my blog. All of my ramblings on here are just, like, my opinions, maaaannn. I just really like talking about and eating food, and I think it’s fun to feature local food establishments that I think are awesome, and if it helps them out in the process? Even better! Join me on my quest to EAT ALL THE LOCAL FOODS!

Local Noms: Blueprint Coffee + La Patisserie Chouquette.

Since I’m a Saint Louis transplant of about two years, I am still learning my way around. These “Local Noms” posts are here to help me work my way through my never-ending STL foodie bucket list, as well as allow me to get to know this amazing city that I now call “home.” This is my first official Local Noms post; it’s basically an attempt to get my feet wet at featuring local foodie spots. I really hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

local noms

Note: For more details on what this Local Noms post series is all about, please see my little preview post.

// First up in my “Local Noms” review: This is a twofer! Today I’m talking about Blueprint Coffee and La Patisserie Chouquette (known as “LCP” in this post, for short).

[Side Note: I would love to dedicate an individual post to both of these shops, but I really want to improve on my photography skills before I take on such an endeavor. I am just not entirely satisfied with my current skill (or lack thereof!) level for that. But I just want to reiterate that both of these spots are definitely deserving, otherwise I wouldn’t even be mentioning them at all!]

+ Background Details: I spent most of last Saturday eating a lot of treats in St. Louis. Let’s just say that I may or may not have slightly overindulged [that’s why I’ll be hitting up the gym a lot!]… But I must admit that it was a great Saturday, and I’ve been to both Blueprint and La Patisserie Chouquette several times. Each time has been a lovely experience, so I’m happy to talk about these spots.

+ Restaurant Location(s): Blueprint Coffee is nestled in the infamous Delmar Loop, and La Patisserie Chouquette is located in the Tower Grove neighborhood. It takes me about ten minutes to walk to Blueprint, and about ten minutes to drive over to LCP.

+ Restaurant Type(s): Blueprint Coffee is – as you can guess – a coffee shop. La Patisserie Chouquette is a French bakery.

+ Initial Impressions: Blueprint Coffee is a small shop, and it’s definitely got that “hip” vibe to it. I have to say – my favorite part about Blueprint is that its “open/closed sign” consists of giant Scrabble letters. When they’re closed, they simply spell out “OPEN” to say “NOPE.” 😀 LCP is a higher-end French bakery, so it’s kind of got that fancy, “tea party” vibe going on inside. I’d describe its interior style as kind of “shabby chic.” Also, I love the old building that it’s in; the bright yellow painted trim on the outside is attractive and welcoming. In summary, both places are unique, and nice places to hang out.

+ Pros: There are too many to list, honestly. Blueprint is a great place to hang out or do work. Personally, I think the coffee is spectacular. They also appear to have expanded their food menu beyond baked goods to lunch items [such as salads], so I’ll have to go back and try some of that stuff soon. LCP is a really cool place to get awesome, unique French pastries. It’s the only place around here (that I’m aware of) where you can get fancy, delicate, gorgeous French pastries! 

+ Cons: Both places are kind of pricey, but I don’t necessarily mind paying more for good quality and local drinks and baked goods. Plus, taking trips to these places is generally meant as a special treat for me. So as long as you’re not going constantly, you won’t break the bank! Also, for Blueprint, parking on the Loop can be a bit of a pain… Lucky for me, I can easily walk there! Otherwise, I have no real complaints about either place.

+ Photos from Both Spots:

blueprintcoffee1
Brian enjoyed coffee in a Pyrex beaker at Blueprint. I’m sure there’s a scientific reason behind its use; I just like how it looks!
bread
When I go to Blueprint, I like to order the nine [I think it’s nine; might be seven!] grain bread with the blackberry/blueberry preserves. Yum.
cappuccino
Lovely vanilla cappuccino from Blueprint.
thedarkness
“The Darkness” is a chocolate croissant with chocolate filling. This thing is insanely awesome. If you go to La Patisserie Chouquette, you MUST try it!
Darcie Cohee photo shoot
This “Let Them Eat Cake” chair is one of my favorite parts about LCP’s space. [Photo taken by R.J. Hartbeck.]
tablescenes
Scenes from our table at La Patisserie Chouquette.

 + My Overarching {Ha! STL pun totally intended!} Review: I have been to Blueprint about five times so far, and to La Patisserie twice. In fact, I’ve had the privilege of talking to the owners of both places. And each of the owners of the shops are great people; fun to talk to, and very helpful, knowledgable, and down to earth. I have never had anything but a pleasant experience at both the coffee shop and the bakery, and I’m so proud that I have the privilege of visiting these lovely spaces in my current city. STL, you’re pretty cool, and your people are even cooler.

PS: Special thanks to Brian for putting up with me taking a million photos. 😉

// // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // 

Obligatory Disclaimer: I’m not a professional food expert in any sense of the word, nor am I compensated for any nice things that I may say about any of the restaurants I feature on my blog. All of my ramblings on here are just, like, my opinions, maaaannn. I just really like talking about and eating food, and I think it’s fun to feature local food establishments that I think are awesome, and if it helps them out in the process? Even better! Join me on my quest to EAT ALL THE LOCAL FOODS!

New Post Series: Local Noms.

Hey oh!
Umm. So I’m still trying get into a good food blogging routine. My brain is just exploding with thoughts regarding all of the things I could write about. I’m like a hyper little kid, excited about a new toy or candy. It’s extremely inspiring, but it’s also very overwhelming. Therefore, in an effort to calm the madness that is my brain, I’m currently working out a system to organize all of my wacky thoughts [read: brain dump into an Excel spreadsheet… ha].

In the meantime, I decided to give you a preview of one of my ideas. It’s going to be a post series titled “Local Noms.”

I even made a fancy [okay, not really] little graphic for the post series. Behold:

local noms
As you can probably imagine, the theme of this new series will be related to the local food culture in St. Louis, Missouri, which is where I reside. In particular, I plan on working my way through my local restaurant bucket list, and then featuring the places in St. Louis that I’m impressed with on the bloggy blog. I’ll dedicate each post to an individual restaurant/coffee shop/bakery, plus provide a brief overview, some pictures of what I eat/drink at each place, and whatever else I feel like talking about. I’m going to do my best to keep all of this as positive as possible, so if I have a less-than-pleasant experience, I may not talk about it on here. If there’s room for improvement in an area, I might talk about it, but it will be done constructively, of course. The purpose of Local Noms is to keep a positive [but honest] light around our food scene. And it’s just a good way to work through my never-ending food bucket list. 😀

I’ve got a few “Local Noms” posts in the works, but it will likely be a few weeks before you’ll start seeing these posts. I just wanted to give you a heads up in case you have any ideas or suggestions on where I should go or what I should do. I’m fascinated by food culture, and I really enjoy exploring our local food scene and of course I love eating! So stay tuned. 🙂

Obligatory Disclaimer: I’m not a professional food expert in any sense of the word, nor am I compensated for any nice things that I may say about any of the restaurants I feature on my blog. All of my ramblings on here are just, like, my opinions, maaaannn. I just really like talking about and eating food, and I think it’s fun to feature local food establishments that I think are awesome. If it helps them out in the process? Even better! Please join me on my quest to EAT ALL THE LOCAL FOODS!