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Taste of Maplewood 2012

By on May 18, 2012 in Central St. Louis County, Events, Featured, Good Eats, The Weekender

Calling all Foodies – It’s time for Taste of Maplewood! This is one of my favorite food festivals (mostly for the deep fried twinkies from last year) because of all the different types of food, the Schlafly beer selection, all the cute dogs that attend, and the unique shops in the area that also participate. I love that the main strip in Maplewood offers so many locally owned boutiques with fabulous offerings.  This weekend they are showing off their stuff.

Here are the details:

When: Saturday, May 19th

Where: Sutton Boulevard (just South of Manchester)

Time: Noon – 9:00pm

Click here to see all the participating venues.  And now for the entertainment…

Main Stage Entertainment

12:30-1:45 p.m. The Blue Devils Rhythm & Blues Band

3:30-5:30 p.m. The Funky Butt Brass Band

6:30-8:30 p.m. Hudson and The Hoo Doo Cats

Community Stage

12:15-1:15 p.m.  Studio Forte

1:45-2:30 p.m   Piwacket Theatre for Children

3:00-3:45 p.m.  Three Rivers Aikido

4:00-6:00 p.m.  Focal Point

Make sure to  bring your sunscreen and your dancing shoes – it should be 90 degrees and sunny on Saturday!

Brought to you by Mills Properties
Photo courtesy of Maplewood Chamber of Commerce
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Mother’s Day 2012 in St. Louis

By on May 8, 2012 in Events, Featured, Good Eats, The Weekender

Mother’s day is almost here (hopefully you are not surprised, it’s May 13th)! Time to thank one of the most important people in your life for everything they have done for you.

One of my favorite things about Mother’s Day are the amazing buffet options in St. Louis, oh, and the mimosa’s. When looking for a great place to go this weekend I noticed many traditional places are already booked like the Zoo, the Boathouse, and the Botanical Gardens.  So, I thought I would help and give you some options so you can make your reservations now.  Here are some of my favorite Mother’s Day eating excursions…

The Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows – Located in Belleville, IL.  The Shrine has breakfast (8-11:30), lunch (11:30-3:00), and dinner (3:00 – 7:00) covered for a perfect mother’s day. Great buffet options available all day and a cool place to visit in general. Kids 4 and under are free all day, kids eat for $6.99, and adults range from $11.99 – $15.99 – can’t beat that!

Eckert’s – Super tasty and you can make a whole day fun at Eckert’s during their festival weekend with lots of activities and live music happening outside. And, their custard shop is now open and strawberries are in season, so get to pickin’! The restaurant is open from 7am – 9pm and they are taking reservations from 7:30am – 6:45pm. Make sure to get your reservation in fast – 618-233-0513 x3, and don’t forget to try their amazing biscuits and apple butter – delicious!

Bixby’s at the Missouri History Museum – A great way to spend mother’s day is to head out for a Champagne Brunch and live music at the history museum.  Bixby’s is located on the 2nd floor of the museum and is seating for brunch at 10am, 12pm, and 2pm. Adults are $32, kids 4-12 are $15, and kids 3 and under are free (price includes tea or coffee).  For reservations: 314-361-7313. After breakfast (or before), from 1-2:30pm, skip on over to the MacDermott Grand Hall in the museum for a free concert by the Landolfi Quartet.

Ari’s – Opa! One of my favorite Greek restaurants and a great place for their breakfast buffet.  The breakfast buffet is open from 8am-10am and the brunch buffet is from 10am – 2pm.  Breakfast (includes tea or coffee) costs $6.95 for adults and $3.95 for kids (amazing) and brunch costs $14.95 (kids $7.95).  They will also have mimosa and bloody mary drink specials all day. The only bummer is they offer mostly Italian items on their brunch buffet instead of their tasty Greek.

Cielo – Located downtown in the Four Seasons Hotel next to Lumiere is hosting 2 Mother’s day brunch options. The Ballroom brunch offers 50 buffet items for $48 per person and the Cielo brunch offers over 75 buffet options and beautiful views of the Arch and costs $78 per person.  Both include free mimosas and/or bloody marys and free valet parking at the hotel.  In addition, they have great arts and crafts activities for children and a fun gelato station!  Reservations: 314.881.5759.

Pietro’s – I went here last year for mother’s day and it was decent.  The brunch buffet is from 9am- 2pm.  Adults $18.95 and children $9.95.  They have a good mix of breakfast items, Italian favorites, and desserts.  Make reservations – 314-645-9263.

Salt – Looking for a unique experience for mom? Accompany your meal with some great eye candy…not the traditional eye candy, but amazing artwork within the restaurant. They will have brunch from 10am – 2pm and are located in the Central West End.

Bristol Seafood Grill –The Creve Coeur location is hosting a Mother’s Day Brunch from 8:30am – 3pm.  Adults pay $28 and kids $13. Dinner will be served from 4:30 – 8:30pm.

Eclipse – Located in the loop within the Moonrise Hotel, this one-of-a-kind restaurant will offer a brunch buffet with a wide variety of options from breakfast to seafood.  Adults pay $45 for food and drinks (non-alcoholic) – moms get a free mimosa and kids pay $22.50.  The buffet is open from 9am – 2pm.

Sqwires – This Lafayette Square favorite has 2 Mother’s Day options for you!  The Champagne Brunch buffet in the annex has 3 seating times – 10, 11:45, and 1:30.  Cost is $32 for adults and $15 for kids 12 and under. The second option is the Ala Carte brunch where you can just order off their menu.  You must make reservations by calling 314-865-3522.

Top of the Riverfront – Take mom to the only revolving St. Louis restaurant located on the 28th floor of the Millennium hotel. Buffet open from 10am-4pm and costs $49.95 for adults and $17.95 for kids (5-12).

Triumph Grill – Located on Olive in Mid-town.  Brunch Buffet – $30 for adults and $10 for kids. They are open from 9am – 2pm on Mother’s Day. Great mix of items on their buffet.

Also, don’t forget the gift and card – mom’s like that.  Did I miss any great places to visit?  Please share your favorites in the comment section below!

Photo courtesy of Ari’s
Brought to you by Mills Properties
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What’s Your Neuro?

By on May 7, 2012 in Good Eats, Random


So for the past few months I’ve been harping about getting healthy in 2012 and giving you all kinds of health tips and reviews of diet fads and other useful information.  This week I would like to keep with tradition and tell you about a nifty new product I have found and absolutely LOVE and enjoy and I am certain you will too!  Get ready for Neuro

Neuro is a water based product that is deemed “The Operating System for Life”.  They have several different types of Neuro Water each carries its own benefit and purpose.  I am going to review a few of these that I have tried and encourage you to check out their website to see the full line of products they offer.

Neuro Sleep - This is first on the list because it is the first one I came across.  It’s a brightly colored orange bottle shaped similar to a lava lamp.  The principle behind Neuro Sleep is that it helps you fall asleep and stay asleep the natural way and you awake feeling refreshed and well rested.  I can attest to you that this does indeed work.  I drank my first bottle of Neuro Sleep several weeks ago and had one of the best nights sleep I had gotten in a long time.  I woke up bright eyed and not groggy and felt like I really got good solid sleep!  So if you are someone who finds it difficult to hit the pillow at night, or are a toss and turner, check out Neuro Sleep, it may just be the thing your tired body and mind need!

Neuro Bliss- This was the second product I tried from the Neuro line up.  Neuro Bliss is a lightly carbonated bottle of happiness.  The benefit to Neuro Bliss is that it helps elevate your mood, enhances positive thinking and gives you an overall sense of happiness and calm.  One sip of this bubbly beverage and you will feel not only your taste buds perk up, but you can’t help to put a smile on your face!  A bottle of Neuro Bliss is the perfect cure to those stressful Monday blues that we all get, or for any time when you need a positive pick me up!

Neuro Trim- I recently drank a bottle of Neuro Trim and while I wasn’t instanly skinny, the ingredient in Neuro Trim is a soluble fiber that helps curb your appetite as well as promote healthy digestion.  It is non-carbonated so it won’t leave you with a bloated feeling.  This would be a product I would think you would benefit most from by drinking it every day, if not multiple times per day, at least 1 hour prior to your mealtime each day per the directions.  Neuro Trim is a slimmer you inside every bottle!

Neuro Sonic - Finally on our tour we have Neuro Sonic.  This deep red colored bottle is for energy and mental performance enhancement.  It allegedly makes your mind more alert and provides you with sustaining energy when you need your mind the most.  It is not an energy drink however it does contain the same amount of caffeine as about 3 cups of tea, but the main ingredient L-Theanine can mitigate the usual side affects of heavy caffeine consumption so you get the benefit without the jitters.  Put on your thinking cap and down a bottle of Neuro Sonic and who knows what your mind will conceive!

Neuro also offer Neuro Sun, Neuro Passion, Neuro Aquaand Neuro Sport, each with its own purpose and benefit.  I came across this product at Dierbergs after I decided to kick the soda habit altogether and was looking for an acceptable water substitute.  On the website you can use the locator to find the store nearest you that carries Neuro as well as download a Finder App on your smartphone to find Neuro on the go – or you can order them by clicking on our affiliate links above!  It should be noted that Neuro water products are not 0 calorie, most have about 35 calories per bottle.

“Neuro Drinks™ offer consumers an alternative to products that perpetuate our self-medicating sugar-dependent society. Designed to sustain and enhance your active lifestyle with natural ingredients, each beverage is packed with essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids and botanicals at dosages backed by scientific research. Just real results — no marketing hype.” – Diana Jenkins – Founder

I highly recommend this product to anyone who is looking for a unique, tasty and life enhancing nutritional supplement.  Especially if you have had it with soda and sugar laden drinks that offer no nutritional value and add to your waistline.  Find the nearest Neuro supplier near you and take the Neuro challenge, your body and your life will thank you for it!  If you have tried it and are a fan, what’s your neuro?  Enjoy!

That’s all I have for today!  Remember no matter what you do, keep it safe and keep it healthy! 2012 is the year for you!  Know before you go, knowledge is power!

Stay tuned for next time, we’re going to visit the world of “Insanity” and give you an inside look into this new workout trend that is sweeping the nation……

 Brought to you by Mills Properties
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St. Louis Microfest 2012

By on May 3, 2012 in Events, Featured, Good Eats, St. Louis City, The Weekender

This weekend, the best beer city (in my opinion anyway) is hosting our 17th annual Microfest in Forest Park at the Upper Muny parking lot.  St. Louis is known for our Budweiser but we are also home to a ton of great local breweries. This is your chance to check them out in addition to dozens of other craft and international beers during this 2-day event.  Here is the breakdown:

Friday evening - May 4th (Session I), will feature international beers

Saturday afternoon - May 5th (Session II) beer from American microbreweries.

Saturday evening - May 5th (Session III) will be craft and international beers.

All the VIP tickets have been sold, however, you can still purchase general admission Tickets (via this link or at the event).  Online pre-sale tickets are only available until midnight tonight, otherwise you will have to pay an increased fee at the box office the day of the event – so get them now.  A general admission ticket will get you tastes from over 75 breweries and 100 international and craft brews, a tasting glass, access to cooking demonstrations and brewing discussions in the Demo Tent, live music, silent auction items for bid, and food available for purchase.  Food vendors include Henrick’s BBQ, Michelle C Catering & Events, Pointer’s Market, and Steamroller Bagel and Deli.

Now for the music schedule:

Friday, May 4th 8-10:00pm – Billy Barnett Band
Saturday, May 5th 12:00-1:30pm – Social Distraction
Saturday, May 5th 2-4pm – The Melissa Neels Band
Saturday, May 5th 6-7:30pm – Foggy Memory Boys
Saturday, May 5th 8-10 pm – Aaron Kamm and the One Drops

For more information check out the St. Louis Microfest website.  All proceeds from the event go to the Lift for Life Gym.

 

Photo courtesy of St. Louis Microfest
Brought to you by Mills Properties
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Cinco de Mayo in St. Louis

By on May 2, 2012 in Events, Featured, Good Eats, Music Scene, St. Louis City, The Weekender

Yay! Another holiday! You know us St. Louisans love having an excuse to celebrate so I’ve put together a list of all the fun Cinco de Mayo celebrations happening this Saturday!

#1. Of course, is the Cinco de Mayo on Cherokee Street Festival. An all day festival (11am-9:30pm) that offers handmade art, live entertainment from over 10 bands with traditional Mexican performances as well as a variety of local St. Louis bands, plus fun street performers and 2 DJs, delicious food from local restaurants, drinks galore including the all favorite, margarrritas! and of course, it wouldn’t be a festival without a parade! The People’s Joy Parade will start at the corner of Minnesota and Cherokee at 1:11pm and end on Texas. It includes everything from floats to colorfully painted cars, Gigante puppeteers, Elvis impersonators, literally everything! It’s a must see!

#2. The street festival on Washington Ave in downtown St. Louis hosted by Rosalita’s. There will be delicious food (of course!), live music, and door prizes. The fiesta starts at 11am and goes until the bars close…if you make it that long.

#3. Wave Taco is hosting a Cinco de Mayo Beer Bash, basically an all day (11am-6pm) sand volleyball tournament/drinking marathon. You can join a team and the team cost is $180, which includes Bud Light draft beer all day and a buffet from 1-3pm. If you want to just come to watch the festivities, you can pay $25 to hang out, drink beer, and cheer on your favorite teams.

#4. Catch 22 Gastrolounge in downtown Belleville, IL is hosting a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta from 1pm to 10pm. They will be featuring a special Mexican cuisine including a Rum Chata Cheesecake! and Crown Valley Brewery will brew an exclusive Lobo Blanco craft beer just for the event, among others. If you register in advance, you will also receive a CrownValley souvenir glass to take home to remember the special occasion.

#5. Hacienda Mexican Restaurant in Maplewood will be hosting their traditional Mexican fiesta with live music from 3 different bands, their amazing Mexican cuisine, drink tents, a photo booth, prize giveaways, and they have the coolest outdoor patio I’ve ever seen! The party goes from 10am-11pm and they’re providing a free local shuttle.

#6. The Eagan Civic Center in Florissant will host the Cinco de Mayo Village celebration at the Valley of Flowers Festival this Friday and Saturday. Saturday, beginning at 10am, there will be crafts,  delicious Latin food and drinks, and live music and dancing including the merengue and salsa. And since the Valley of Flowers Festival will also be happening, there will be a parade, rides, activity booths, and much more.

#7. Diablito’s Cantina on Laclede Ave, home of the largest tequila selection in the city, is hosting their First Annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration. It’s a 2 day fiesta that begins at 11am on Friday and then again at 9am on Saturday, May 5th. Get there at 9am on Saturday for the tequila sunrise broadcast, breakfast tacos and morning tequila cocktails. The rest of the day will include drink specials, taco carts, games, contests, live music, and a special appearance by Lux from 105.7 The Point.

#8. Cinco de Mayo Tent party at The Babylon in Cottleville near Mid Rivers Mall. 6 bands for $5; Wyld Stallyns, Plastic, Bad Habit, Contagious, Bitter Pill, and Extremely Pointless. Party starts at 1:00pm.

#9: Cinco de Mayo Alton Block Party. From 4 to 10pm, there will be great Mexican food and drink specials, authentic Mexican music, and street performers in downtown Alton on 3rd Street, and then Whiskey Dixon plays at Mac’s Time Out at 6:30pm! This is a free event.

If by chance you live in or will be visiting Columbia, MO this weekend, here’s a great festival to attend: Cinco de Mayo at El Harpo’s. The first 200 people through the doors receive sweet prizes like shot glasses, sombreros and t-shirts. The party starts at 2pm so don’t be late. There will also be live music and great drink specials.

So much going on, only 2 more days to decide. Good luck! And enjoy the festivities (and margaritas) no matter what you decide!

 

Brought to you by Mills Properties
Photos courtesy of eastcountymagazine, wave-taco and rft
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One Man, Three St. Louis Food Challenges

By on April 20, 2012 in Featured, Good Eats, How To, Random, Retail Therapy, St. Louis City, The Weekender

Randy Santel currently resides in Overland Park, Kansas, but he has made a name for himself here in St. Louis. He had already capped off a hat trick of St. Louis food challenges by conquering challenges at Crown Candy, Pointer’s Pizza, and Surf Dogs Grill when he returned to Crown Candy recently with Tim Ezell from Fox 2. He had previously downed the shakes in 4 minutes and 50 seconds,

This time around,  he shattered the previous record for the challenge.

Did you hear that time? 2 minutes and 29 seconds. That doesn’t mean anything to you? Adam Richman of Man vs Food fame couldn’t handle the 120 ounces of milkshake in 30 minutes. Randy flipped his hat around, pressed play on the iPod and did work on this challenge that over 1,000 people have tried and under 50 have completed.

For the Pointersauraus Challenge at Pointer’s, Randy, or “Atlas” as he uses in the videos, brings along a sidekick to help eat the 28″ monster pizza. They become one of 16 teams to complete the challenge.  Randy then asks what’s for dessert before accepting the $500 check that each winning team receives.  

The third challenge in this little hat trick is one that is a favorite of mine. When I worked in Chesterfield, I found this awesome hot dog and hamburger place called Surf Dogs in Chesterfield Valley. I ate there so much right after they opened, I probably paid a month of their rent. The owner, Brian, couldn’t help but talk to me. It was like I bought a friend. One day, we ended up talking about the need for a food challenge at Surf Dogs.  Originally, Surf Dogs had 10 different dogs on their menu. Each one had different toppings, ranging from the typical in chili, cheese, and slaw to 1,000 Island dressing and sauerkraut. The unnaturally green relish from Chicago is also available. My picture is actually still on the wall as the 10th member of the “Hang 10″ club, which means I ate all 10 dogs, just not in one sitting.  It was more like a week.

We decided that if someone could eat all 10 in a set amount of time, they deserve an award.  We brainstormed, and the “Big Kahuna Challenge” was born. Eat the original 10 dogs in under 30 minutes and you win. Prior to “Atlas” sitting down in the challenge chair, the record for all 10 dogs was 10 minutes and 55 seconds.  Randy demolished that record by swallowing his last bite at the 5:54 mark.

A new challenge was born that day.  Mr. Surf Dog decided that if Randy could eat all 14 specialty dogs that were currently on their menu in under 42 minutes, he would get to design and name the 15th dog on the menu. His time for all 14 dogs? 10 minutes and 15 seconds.  I recently tried his creation, “Randy Santel’s Atlas Dog”. It is nothing short of amazing. Watch the end of the video to see it.

Impressed? Check out the records currently held by American Joey Chestnut, currently ranked #1 in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating.

Also, check out this article on Randy from RobRains.com that explains why he was in St. Louis and what he is up to next.

Would you ever take on a food challenge? What would it be?  Maybe garlic knots from Epic Pizza? Fried Twinkies from Hamburger Mary’s?

Post brought to you by Mills Apartments

Picture brought to you by RandySantel.com

Featured photo brought to you by the Columbia Missourian

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