MO Restaurants

Since I overate all weekend, there are definitely some things still in my tummy that I think you should know about.

The first and probably most prominent is the Hot braised chicken from Showok.  This delicious masterpiece of breaded, deepfried, all white boneless chicken floating in a spicy, sweet brown sauce has got to be on my top 5 list of things most commonly in my tummy.  Showok is a family owned chinese joint in kirkwood on manchester just east of Woodlawn avenue.  They offer the same menu as pretty much every other chinese place, but their food just seems to be higher quality and, more importantly, more consistant than most other places I’ve eaten at.  In addtion to the Hot Braised chicken, they have provided many other notable additions to my tummy such as, the kung pao chicken, general tso’s chicken and mu-shu chicken.   If you are looking for a good chinese take-out (they do deliver locally), this is the place.¼/p>

Did you ever wonder how we end up eating the things we do and why people feel that Spam, tripe or haggis is GOOD?

Since today is the 4th of July which is pretty much a day dedicated to eating, I’ve decided to take another look at what’s in my tummy. 

In my tummy are chips and salsa, 3 flour tortillas, a mixed fajita combo and 3 large ice teas from one of St. Louis’s lesser known restaurants called Mi Ranchito.  Mi Ranchito is a new mexican restaurant situated just north of the Delmar Loop at the corner of Vernon and Kingsland and boasts a very inexpensive, extensive menu, with unbeatable service from our favorite server, Mario, with his new frosted hair highlights.  They pretty much do everything well and I tend to stick to the combo fajitas because you can’t beat the portion size which includes a healthy portion of chicken and beef, peppers and onions along with refried beans, mexican rice, and lettuce for just under $8.  I do have to note that for mexican food in general it is pretty good and I’ve had better, but for the price, there is only one other place that even comes close and I’m not going to tell you that until my best of mexican restaurants comes out later this month.  Okay. That’s it.  I’m audi 5000.

After several days of severe hunger (thank you moosehead for pointing out that I needed to eat more often), I’ve decided to enlighten all my readership, since someone pointed out that I have no fans, as to what’s in franchise’s tummy today.

In franchise’s tummy right now are the following contents:

Today’s menu included a breakfast of homemade Banana nut muffins with cream cheese frosting and a 16 oz coffee with a splash of half&half and one package of splenda.  In addition to this delicious breakfast idea (recipe available on request), I had a slimming salad from the downstairs cafeteria providers known as Aramark. This pre-made chef’s salad included: a heaping portion of iceberg lettuce, ham and turkey chunks, a good sized helping of one Missouri’s greatest food contributions, Provel Cheese and cherry tomatoes (hopefully safe from saminilla posioning).  I topped it off with a couple of ounces of the low fat balsamic viniegrette and promptly woofed it down at my desk while responding to the never ending sports banter emails that invade my Outlook all day long.¼/p>

I know many of my closest friends and fans are always wondering what I eat and by popular demand here goes.

Today, June 9th Franchise’s stomach includes:

16 oz coffee with one splenda and a splash of half and half

A delicious breakfast burrito composed of 2 eggs, 2 sausage patties, shredded american cheese all wrapped in a slightly warmed 12 inch flour tortilla.¼/p>

I’m pretty sure many of the readers, if not all, would not even dare go into an Indian Restaurant and I’m here to recommend that you SHOULD and you WILL live to tell about it.  So sack up and give it a try.  So, the question now is where to go?

Since I’ve pretty much eaten at all of them (about 7 I think).  Here is my top 3 that are worth the trip. 

Quick rules that should be applied to all ethnic foods you’ve never eaten before:

1)      Go at lunch.  Since most offer an “all you can eat” buffet style, you will be able to look and sample the ones that seem least “scary” first and work your way into the more obscure ones later.

2)      Sample all of them.  Since you don’t have to eat it, at least taste it.  If you don’t like it, go get another plate.

3)      Take someone with you that knows.  This may help to reduce the amount of items in #2 that you don’t have to taste because there are some dishes that are delicious regardless of who you are (think Panda Express Orange chicken).

4)      Take the necessary precautions for the next day as well.  Much like Hooters, it goes out like it goes in.

Okay….On to the top 3.

#3 – House of India – This is your bargain based, run of the mill, close to Clayton option.  It has all the expected entrée items such as Tandoori chicken, Nan and various vegetarian and meat curries.  If I recall correctly, it is average, however very good for the novice since most of it is pretty “Americanized”

#2 – Ruchi - This was very close to the top and offers the largest and most realistic collection of Indian food in the area.  The highlights include: chicken 65, a saffron, spicy potato dish and the still to be tried, Mutton Curry.  A majority of the dishes are spicy and vegetarian so be prepared to eat some chick peas, tofu and other delicious vegetarian options.  For the meat eaters, there are primarily chicken dishes. 

#1 – India Palace – This is the best in town.  They have a little bit of everything for everyone including meats, chicken and vegetarian dishes.  The reason this is better than Ruchi is that it is slightly more American (less spicy) and they offer the best dish in St. Louis - Beef Kofta.  If you decide to try Indian, this is the one dish I guarantee you’ll love.  IT’S DELICIOUS.  The combination of a beef meatball with a coconut milk based curry gives it a slightly sweet sauce that keeps the meatball warm and tender.  Add a little homemade Nan bread and it’s like making a downhill 35 foot putt for birdie.