The problem with sourdough toast is that it can truly be used as a weapon. Eleven Eleven Mississippi, a restaurant in downtown St. Louis, had this problem when they first opened. They had a sandwich that was soooo good, but it also scraped off the skin on the roof of your mouth, a burn that you could feel for days. My friend Pamela nicknamed it "The Scraper Sandwich". I don't know what it is about this bread, and why no other bread is as lethal once it's been toasted. I'm open to theories. This was about the only unpleasantness I experienced yesterday at 3 Monkeys, a fairly young pub in South St. Louis, on South Morgan Ford. For those who are familiar with St. Louis, a few blocks over, on South Grand, you can get some of the best international fare the city has to offer (I wrote about Lemon Grass in a previous blog, a well loved restaurant on South Grand). If you want fabulous pizza, Black Thorn Pub is in the neighborhood, but if you're in the neighborhood at lunchtime, it doesn't do you much good, because being first and foremost a bar, Black Thorn isn't open until the evening. So if you don't want international food, 3 Monkeys is a great option. They offer hamburgers that receive rave reviews on webboards, and their pizza looks delicious--I will definitely come back and try it. I was in the mood for a sandwich, and while they don't have very many vegetarian options, the portabella mushroom sandwich on sourdough seemed like a good way to go. For many restaurants, this is the old vegetarian stand-by. They might as well call it Old Faithful. But anyway, it was a good sandwich, the mushrooms were juicy, the cheese was melty; it was just painful for my mouth. Was it worth $8.95? Meh. I'll try the pizza next time. They also have a decent selection of beer, especially on draft, including Delirium Tremens, a tasty Beligian Pale Ale that I don't very often see on draft.. But the best part about 3 Monkeys is definitely the decor. Gorgeous mahogany wood runs throughout, and it has a true pub feel. I was surprised to notice that a sign hung above the bar reading: No cigar or pipe smoking, because it seemed to me a place where fat old men with white beards should be hanging out, drinking good beer or scotch, puffing away at pipes and cigars, and discussing politics and literature. It would be a very cozy place to relax with friends on a St. Louis winter evening.
I also visited a couple of antique stores on Morgan Ford, and even wandered down to an estate sale that was taking place on one of the side streets. This part of Morgan Ford has grown incredibly over the past 10 years or so. The owner of one of the used car dealer ships there will talk about how once upon a time, it wasn't at all unusual to open up in the morning and see needles scattered all over the parking lot. But like so much of St. Louis, Morgan Ford has been a blessed recipient of the renovations that have taken place.
Bel Biv Bevo, Now You Know. . .
The Old Bevo Mill. It's not "Poison,"
but it is rumored to be haunted.
I used to live a few blocks south
of here.
Mannequin legs above a vintage shop I visited.
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