Hello, my name is Jenn.
I have a food blog.
I have been neglecting said food blog this week so as not to pull my hair out.
That said, I have missed you! I took my last final exam ever yesterday, and now I have just three more projects left in my college career. It’s a strange feeling, but I am looking forward to turning them in on Tuesday and spending my last two weeks focusing on friends instead of my grades.
There is so much I want to say, I don’t know where to begin! I had the most amazing time in St. Louis last weekend with my cousin Lisa and her husband. I took a lot of pictures and am going to spend the next few posts documenting my trip. I hope you enjoy!
Meet Me in St. Louis: Friday
Last Friday, I woke up extra early and caught the train to St. Louis. It was nice to have six hours to myself with no access to Internet – I found I was actually pretty productive! When I finally arrived, Lisa picked me up from the station and we immediately drove to meet my grandma and my aunt (Lisa’s mom) for dinner at a tapas restaurant: Modesto.
The restaurant was very modern and well-lit. I was intrigued by the mile-long menu with pretty much everything you could think of on it. It was my first time trying tapas. If you aren’t familiar with what a tapas restaurant is, I’ve included some information from their website below:
“Tapas are a time-honored and cherished part of Spanish cuisine. The tapa (from the verb tapar – to cover) originally was a slice of bread or cured ham placed over the mouth of a wine glass. As the popularity grew, so did the variety. In Spain, tapas are much more than a culinary delight – they represent a lifestyle – an opportunity to share good times with friends in an unrushed, carefree manner. We encourage you to do the same at Modesto.”
Basically, it’s a restaurant that serves tiny plates of food, so you order a bunch of different items and share everything with your table. We started out with a pitcher of delicious sangria roja.
Apologies for the flash – the lighting was pretty dim!
After looking over the menu, our group came up with a variety of items to try. Some of the pictures didn’t turn out, but everything was delicious. Here are some of the highlights.
1. Fresh bread with a kalamata olive tapenade (the spread was so amazing!!)
2. Aceitunas a la Sevillana (marinated Spanish olives)
The olives were marinated in a wonderful, tangy sauce and added quite a kick to the meal. Or, as my grandma would say, “it had a little wang to it.” Yes, my grandma really says that 
3. Croquetas de pescado (creamy seafood croquettes with lemon)
These were fried and filled with a creamy seafood mixture. It reminded me a lot of crab cake. This was also my grandma’s absolute favorite dish of the evening.
4. Portabello mushrooms with a creamy cheese sauce (it was one of the night’s specials)
I can’t remember exactly what kind of cheese this was, but it was definitely in my top three favorite dishes at the restaurant. The portabello mushrooms were perfectly tender, and combined with a taste of the cheese sauce in every bite, it was a little slice of heaven.
5. Queso de cabra al horno (baked goat cheese with tomato sauce and mushrooms)
This dish was served with bruschetta-style crackers. You can never go wrong with goat cheese and mushrooms! It was also slightly spicy, which I loved.
6. Albóndigas caseras (veal and pork meatballs with Manchego cheese and tomato sauce)
This was one of Lisa’s favorite dishes. I haven’t had meatballs in a long time – I forgot how good they are! The cheese complemented the flavor of the dish really well.
7. Patatas dos salsas (crispy fingerling potatoes with aioli and tomato sauce)
These potatoes were seasoned to perfection. Seriously, I love when other people make potatoes for me! I can never get mine to turn out as soft or as flavorful. These were both of those things.
8. Marinated shrimp (the second special of the night)
These shrimp were marinated in a butter and herb sauce. They were definitely high on my list of favorites because you can never go wrong with shrimp 
There were also grilled chicken skewers with quince sauce and grilled hanger steak with Cabrales cheese and port reduction. They were both amazing, and the hangar steak was by far my absolute favorite dish. Unfortunately, the pictures were very blurry!
After our delicious meal, we left the restaurant and headed over to Ted Drewes, the infamous frozen custard stand in St. Louis. You really can’t go wrong here! I decided to go with the “Hawaiian” in preparation for my upcoming trip It came with coconut, pineapple, banana and macadamia nuts. Holy yum!! This was one intense cup of deliciousness.
We sat around gabbing for quite a while and Lisa got a great video of all of us eating our custard. Then we said goodbye to my grandma and aunt and headed back to her house, where we lounged around for a while before heading to bed. The first night was jam-packed…but there was even more fun to come!
Stay tuned
Around-the-Blogosphere
I’m so sorry I haven’t been commenting lately. I really do miss you all and can’t wait to catch up once I’m done with school! Have a wonderful weekend!
XxXxXx,
Hello, my name is Jenn.
I have a food blog.
I have been neglecting said food blog this week so as not to pull my hair out.
That said, I have missed you! I took my last final exam ever yesterday, and now I have just three more projects left in my college career. It’s a strange feeling, but I am looking forward to turning them in on Tuesday and spending my last two weeks focusing on friends instead of my grades.
There is so much I want to say, I don’t know where to begin! I had the most amazing time in St. Louis last weekend with my cousin Lisa and her husband. I took a lot of pictures and am going to spend the next few posts documenting my trip. I hope you enjoy!
Meet Me in St. Louis: Friday
Last Friday, I woke up extra early and caught the train to St. Louis. It was nice to have six hours to myself with no access to Internet – I found I was actually pretty productive! When I finally arrived, Lisa picked me up from the station and we immediately drove to meet my grandma and my aunt (Lisa’s mom) for dinner at a tapas restaurant: Modesto.
The restaurant was very modern and well-lit. I was intrigued by the mile-long menu with pretty much everything you could think of on it. It was my first time trying tapas. If you aren’t familiar with what a tapas restaurant is, I’ve included some information from their website below:
Basically, it’s a restaurant that serves tiny plates of food, so you order a bunch of different items and share everything with your table. We started out with a pitcher of delicious sangria roja.
Apologies for the flash – the lighting was pretty dim!
After looking over the menu, our group came up with a variety of items to try. Some of the pictures didn’t turn out, but everything was delicious. Here are some of the highlights.
1. Fresh bread with a kalamata olive tapenade (the spread was so amazing!!)
2. Aceitunas a la Sevillana (marinated Spanish olives)
The olives were marinated in a wonderful, tangy sauce and added quite a kick to the meal. Or, as my grandma would say, “it had a little wang to it.” Yes, my grandma really says that
3. Croquetas de pescado (creamy seafood croquettes with lemon)
These were fried and filled with a creamy seafood mixture. It reminded me a lot of crab cake. This was also my grandma’s absolute favorite dish of the evening.
4. Portabello mushrooms with a creamy cheese sauce (it was one of the night’s specials)
I can’t remember exactly what kind of cheese this was, but it was definitely in my top three favorite dishes at the restaurant. The portabello mushrooms were perfectly tender, and combined with a taste of the cheese sauce in every bite, it was a little slice of heaven.
5. Queso de cabra al horno (baked goat cheese with tomato sauce and mushrooms)
This dish was served with bruschetta-style crackers. You can never go wrong with goat cheese and mushrooms! It was also slightly spicy, which I loved.
6. Albóndigas caseras (veal and pork meatballs with Manchego cheese and tomato sauce)
This was one of Lisa’s favorite dishes. I haven’t had meatballs in a long time – I forgot how good they are! The cheese complemented the flavor of the dish really well.
7. Patatas dos salsas (crispy fingerling potatoes with aioli and tomato sauce)
These potatoes were seasoned to perfection. Seriously, I love when other people make potatoes for me! I can never get mine to turn out as soft or as flavorful. These were both of those things.
8. Marinated shrimp (the second special of the night)
These shrimp were marinated in a butter and herb sauce. They were definitely high on my list of favorites because you can never go wrong with shrimp
There were also grilled chicken skewers with quince sauce and grilled hanger steak with Cabrales cheese and port reduction. They were both amazing, and the hangar steak was by far my absolute favorite dish. Unfortunately, the pictures were very blurry!
After our delicious meal, we left the restaurant and headed over to Ted Drewes, the infamous frozen custard stand in St. Louis. You really can’t go wrong here! I decided to go with the “Hawaiian” in preparation for my upcoming trip
It came with coconut, pineapple, banana and macadamia nuts. Holy yum!! This was one intense cup of deliciousness.
We sat around gabbing for quite a while and Lisa got a great video of all of us eating our custard. Then we said goodbye to my grandma and aunt and headed back to her house, where we lounged around for a while before heading to bed. The first night was jam-packed…but there was even more fun to come!
Stay tuned
Around-the-Blogosphere
I’m so sorry I haven’t been commenting lately. I really do miss you all and can’t wait to catch up once I’m done with school! Have a wonderful weekend!
XxXxXx,