St Louis - Strata and Holisticity

Brunch on Sunday was at Soulard Coffee Garden, a neighborhood cafe that seems custom-designed for a lazy weekend brunch. There are works from local artists on the walls, hip and mostly-pierced servers, and a full bar is available. While I appreciate the consistency and professionalism of corporate chains, I find that I'm a big fan of quirky, specifically-local establishments that don't mind showing off some character. The atmosphere of the place is colorful and relaxing, and the clientele ranged from families to quiet older couples to frat boys. The service is quite slow but the servers are not just lounging around, they chat with customers and are in permanent, low-key, unhurried mode. My friend ordered a bloody mary with gin and a server other than our own stopped by our table to tell us that she thought that sounded delicious, and we launched into a lamentation of Ian Fleming's influence in making people think that martinis are properly made with vodka (they're not; a true martini is made with gin). This is not the place to go if you're in a rush because chill is just how they roll. I ordered the Slinger, which is 2 eggs, 2 sausage patties, cheese, home fries, large pieces of raw onion, and chili with beans and cubes of meat ~0.75" on a side (a little less than 0.5 cubic inches by my estimate). As an aside, I learned from a Texan that chili does not contain beans. You can have chili with beans, but if it has beans you can't just call it chili. The chili here was alright, with sharp notes of chili powder, not much heat, and more than a hint of sweetness (molasses?). I always get eggs sunny-side up which seems to be an infrequent request from most, but I highly recommend it. I've never gotten salmonella poisoning and the creamy, luxurious yolkiness is a great way to start the day. The second image below shows a little of the Cholula hot sauce that I applied liberally to the dish. I like Cholula for the same reason I prefer Crystal hot sauce over Tabasco; Cholula and Crystal provide relatively neutral heat whereas Tabasco makes things taste like Tabasco (which is not always a bad thing). Cholula uses arbol and piquin peppers; the sauce is not too hot and the heat appears early and sweet like jalapenos, not late and diffuse like habaneros. The meal was about as ridiculous as it sounds, with a quantity of food that is not likely to be recommended by the Surgeon General. Because the ingredients are layered on top of each other instead of being compartmented separately, every bite was a mix of randomness, with the raw onions providing unexpected fillips. Washing it down with a local beer (Schlafly, unfiltered wheat) completed a very satisfying meal. Click on the pictures for a large-format vision of breakfast indulgence. Adelle Davis -- a mid-20th century pioneer in the then-fledgling field of nutrition -- often gets credit for saying: "eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper." It's good to be the king. All day.







It took me a while to realize that my favorite restaurants are not necessarily the ones with the best food. There are a number of places with incredible food that are not at the top of my list of places to go. It's the places where I know I'm going to walk away happy that really do it for me; dining happiness has multiple facets -- ambiance, service, food, etc. -- and restaurants that consistently deliver a great overall experience get gold stars. Just as beer companies sell a lifestyle and cosmetic companies sell hope, restaurants sell more than just food. Soulard Coffee Garden is not likely to win awards for its food or its service, but I'll be back next time I'm in town. After I hit Roper's for ribs.

Miles driven: 0 / 1020
Songs I helped add to my friend's list of 100 river-party chill songs from the 60's and 70's: 17
Speed traps noticed between Chicago and St. Louis: 3
Cracker Barrels noticed between Chicago and St. Louis: 3