annie gunn’s

Annie Gunn’s

by Stephanie on April 6, 2012

in American, Burgers, Dinner, Steakhouse

Howdy! Remember when I visited Annie Gunn’s for the Bread Pudding Challenge? Let me refresh your memory:

IMG_11302

Banana Bread Pudding, drowning in caramel sauce. Yum.

Well, while I visited Annie Gunn’s, I also had some savory food. As much as I’d love to eat a huge hunk of bread pudding for lunch, I knew that I needed to get some ‘real’ food into my system first.

I pored over the menu. While Annie Gunn’s is best known for their steaks, I wasn’t in the mood for something quite that heavy. I went with the next best thing – a hamburger!

Annie Gunn’s offers a number of different burgers (and even a mini burger for mini appetites!). I went with Annie Gunn’s Hamburger Special Blend. Freshly ground prime striploin, ribeye, angus tenderloin and brisket made up this unique burger. I ordered it topped with pepperjack cheese and bacon, of course Winking smile

 

IMG_11102

Looks pretty amazing, right? It was served with a side of fantastic french fries. Seriously…those babies were amazing!

But back to the burger.

IMG_11142

 

I ordered it cooked medium, as usual.

 

IMG_11162

They actually did a pretty decent job! I prefer my burger a tiny bit pinker, though. Maybe I should start ordering my burgers medium rare?

In any event, my burger was delicious. It was juicy and flavorful. The cheese and bacon added a wonderful touch. And you know I had to top it was BBQ sauce too, right? Smile Uh. May. Zing.

Service at Annie Gunn’s was a little less than stellar, to be completely honest. I was surprised – I expected a restaurant of this caliber to have flawless service.

First strike? My waitress didn’t acknowledge me until 10 minutes after I was seated! Unacceptable.

Strike two: when she finally did acknowledge me, she asked me if I would like a menu. Say what? This question would make sense if I was seated at the bar, but I wasn’t – I was at a table in the dining room. Why wouldn’t I want to see a menu? Weird question, and it was a little off-putting.

Another slight annoyance: no bread was brought to my table. I realized that every other table around me had bread, while I was left breadless. By the time my waitress came around, she had my burger in hand, so I didn’t mention the absence of bread. Not a big deal, but I was disappointed that the attention to detail wasn’t completely there.

These comments are not to bash Annie Gunn’s or try to dissuade anyone from visiting the restaurant. It’s a pretty good restaurant, and I would probably go back. But the service is something that left a bad taste in my mouth, and I feel that it’s only fair that I mention it.

Again, aside from the spotty service, Annie Gunn’s did a pretty decent job. And the food was near perfect, which is all that this food blogger can ask for. Winking smile

See you next week!

{ 3 comments }

The best bread pudding in St. Louis is…

by Stephanie on April 4, 2012

in Bread Pudding

The votes are in! You voted on my Facebook page. You voted on Jess’s Facebook page. And we’ve tallied up the votes:

Remy’s: 2

McCormick & Schmick’s: 3

Annie Gunn’s: 12

Herbie’s: 12

That’s right – it’s a tie! Congrats to Annie Gunn’s & Herbie’s!

Now that the announcement is out of the way, we can move on to my thoughts (this is my blog after all, right?).

I’ve kept this bottled up inside for the past week, because I didn’t want to influence anyone’s vote. But I wanted Remy’s to win. Don’t get me wrong – each of the finalists had good bread pudding. But there was just something about the golden raisin bread pudding at Remy’s that stole my heart upon first bite. And nothing has been able to compare, in my opinion.

And look – Remy’s placed last! I guess it just goes to show that everyone’s tastes are different.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Congrats again to Annie Gunn’s and Herbie’s!

I’m already thinking about my next food challenge…any ideas? I have a few up my sleeve…Winking smile

{ 9 comments }

Bread Pudding Challenge: Jess’s Top 3!

by Stephanie on March 28, 2012

in Bread Pudding

Hey friends! Stephanie here. So you read my overview of the Bread Pudding Challenge this morning, right? Now it’s time for my buddy Jess (and her blogging partner in crime) at Show Me The Sugar to share her thoughts! Thanks again, Jess, for doing this challenge with me — it’s been so much fun to get a different take on this amazing dessert.

With no further ado, here’s Jess’s take on the Bread Pudding Challenge, as well as her top 3 picks.

laconfectionista

After ten weeks of tasty Bread Puddings all over town, our heads are spinning in brioche, whiskey sauces and whipped creams!  For those of you who don’t know, we over at Show Me The Sugar do NOT normally share our opinions on desserts, we just try to describe them as objectively as possible so YOU can be the critic.  But today we are taking off the “objective hat” just for a tad to share our honest opinions of some of St. Louis’ most popular bread puddings.  Though I should note there are probably tens if not hundreds of puddings we haven’t tried, so in no way is this the conclusive list.  But without further ado we present our synopsis of yum. In the order we tried them.

Remy’s

Remys bread pudding

This one was a strong bready classic.  We loved the hardened brandy sauce, though I wish it were stronger in flavor.  Also our bread pudding didn’t arrive warm enough to melt it, so we were eating chunks of it.  It had lots of apples and raisins, which translates to “Stuff-in-the-stuff” for me personally.   It was very cinnamony, not too mushy, and a solid traditional.

Café Eau

Photo Jan 14, 5 45 05 PM

I apologize for the confusion in advance.  Because if you read Steph’s opinion of this you have a clear picture painted and, it isn’t pretty.  Then here I come with the following…  “We loved it!”  Now I will admit, I didn’t think it was the greatest representation of Bread Pudding, in fact they could’ve called it something else entirely and I wouldn’t have thought of bread pudding at all. Also for those who hate the creamy custardy texture, you wouldn’t like it. That being said it was smooth and creamy and tangy and just crisp on the outside, and we devoured it.

Harvest

Photo Jan 21, 6 50 29 PM

Definitely on the more bready side of bread pudding, but not dry. Like BREAD pudding.   Firm and filling. Good brioche base and we liked the sauce (though it could’ve been stronger).  The currants didn’t add much or take away, but I personally liked that there were no add ins. This was the kind of bread pudding I would serve to a friend who had never heard of Bread pudding, so they could start with a good basis, simple and classic.

Bridge Tap House

DSC03456

This was another case of, “if they’d called it something else…”   If they called it a banana bread cake, I would’ve really liked it.  Very moist and dense, but I didn’t really get the “Bread Pudding impression” as I ate it.  Very banana-y flavored, and it had the caramelized bananas on top.  The coffee flavor scared me (not much of a coffee drinker) but it wasn’t strong at all.  It wasn’t bad, but I must say the whole team LOVED the brownie and the chocolate cake there.

Cyrano’s

Photo Feb 04, 2 44 13 PM

It’s a restaurant famed for its dessert.  This cute café is home to a bread pudding that’s a lot more on the pudding side. Like bread PUDDING.  Very buttery and “caramelly” and the cherry Bourbon sauce was a nice addition.  No other add-ins, but lots of fresh fluffy whipped cream.

Annie Gunn’s

Photo Feb 11, 4 23 53 PM

All I can say is I swear they are not paying me for this. Maker’s Mark caramel sauce…a lot (of both sauce and booze).  Moist, thick, rich, dense, whole slices of bread (rather than pieces). Well balanced flavors and generous sizing made for a great treat the next day too! If you hate bananas, they didn’t go crazy with them, but I love them so booze-soaked bananas were a plus.

Eleven Eleven Mississippi

Photo Feb 18, 9 25 39 PM

We missed the white chocolate on this pudding.  But we really thought the caramel sauce stood out here. Like the caramel sauce on popcorn, unique and yummy.  This was a bready pudding that was moister on the outside.

McCormick & Schmick’s

Photo Dec 28, 8 50 16 PM

This was a smooth creamy chocolate Bread Pudding.  It had to be good to make Stephanie break her “no chain” rule.  This was worth breaking rules and diets alike.  It reminded me of what would happen if you combined bread pudding and chocolate soufflé.

Herbie’s Vintage 72

Photo Mar 05, 5 42 15 PM

This was crispy on the outside, and melty and moist in the inside. It was generously spiked with Bailey’s.  It had no sauce, but just a drizzle of chocolate.  Not too dry, not too soggy.  Yum…just yum

Frazer’s

Photo Mar 12, 6 59 43 PM

We liked that it was crisp on the outside and moist on the inside.  The sauce was pretty thin and not very strongly flavored, but the pudding could stand on its own.

Overall I think our top 3 are

Annie Gunn’s

Herbie’s Vintage 72

And I’m torn between Café Eau and McCormick & Schmick’s, neither is a very traditional version, but new and different.  I think I’ll say McCormick’s for number 3.  And I’ll give Café Eau a shout out for most unique take.

There you have it St. Louis, that’s our take, what do you think? Who wins the crown of “best BP” in town?

{ 2 comments }

Bread Pudding Challenge: My top 3!

by Stephanie on March 28, 2012

in Bread Pudding

Good morning and happy Wednesday! How are you doing? Ready to chat about food?

So ever since I finished up Week 10 of the Bread Pudding Challenge, there’s been one question that folks have been asking me:

When are you going to announce the winner?

It makes me smile that people are so excited about the Bread Pudding Challenge — I’ve had so much fun doing it, and I know Jess has too. We’re just as excited to announce the top 3 as you are to hear who they are!

Did you catch that? That’s right — Jess and I aren’t picking the winner (although we both have our favorites, trust me!); you are. This week, we’re announcing our top 3 choices; we’re each going to put up polls on our Facebook pages. The poll will be up for at least a week; during this time, we invite you to check out our top 3 choices for bread pudding and vote for your favorite.

This time next week, we’ll announce the winner for the best bread pudding in St. Louis. Sound good? Alright. :)

Before I announce my top three choices for bread pudding, I’ll do a quick rundown of each place I visited (in order). Ready? Let’s go!

Week 1: Remy’s

Who could forget Remy’s Warm Apple and Golden Raisin Bread Pudding?

IMG_08042

This decadent creation was definitely one of my favorites; I couldn’t resist the sugary sweet caramel and brandy hard sauce! Even though I’m not a huge fan of "stuff" in my bread pudding, this was so good that I didn’t mind the raisins and apples. Did I mention that the texture of this BP was pretty darn perfect?

Week 2: Cafe Eau

Oh, Cafe Eau. Or is it Cafe No? I was not a fan of this Gooey Butter Bread Pudding at all.

IMG_09592

I’m big on texture, and this BP failed big time. It was crispy on the outside and — true to its name — gooey in the middle. Not good. Aside from the texture, I wasn’t crazy about the flavor of this bread pudding; it was quite bitter!

Week 3: Harvest

Ahh, Harvest. When it comes to bread pudding in St. Louis, Harvest is often at the top of the list. They are definitely known for their bread pudding, and for good reason — the stuff is awesome.

IMG_4922

The french toast-like texture makes my toes curl, and the bourbon sauce? To die for! I’m not a huge fan of the currants that garnish this BP, but since it’s not baked into the dessert, they’re easy to avoid.

Week 4: Bridge Tap House

Another winner! For a while, the Banana Espresso Bread Pudding at Bridge was near the top of my list.

IMG_09972

I love how dense and rich this bread pudding is. If you’re a coffee lover, you’ll go nuts for this BP. There was a strong banana flavor in this bread pudding, which was nice; the caramelized sliced banana on top of the BP added to the awesomeness of this dessert. If you don’t like your bread pudding swimming in caramel sauce, this is the one for you.

Week 5: Cyrano’s

Once upon a time, before I really became a bread pudding fanatic, I adored the Caramel Brioche Bread Pudding at Cyrano’s. And so did the rest of St. Louis; it’s consistently at the top of many ‘Best Bread Pudding’ lists.

IMG_10172

Sadly, which the bread pudding at Cyrano’s is decent, it’s no longer one of my favorites. The texture was off, and this bread pudding was approaching that custard-like stage that I’m not a fan of. The flavor was good, but there are much better bread puddings out there, in my opinion. Sorry, Cyrano’s!

Week 6: Annie Gunn’s

Week six was a turning point in the Bread Pudding Challenge for me. After I took a bite of Annie’s Banana Bread Pudding, I realized that picking a winner was going to be difficult. This was perfect, in every sense of the word.

IMG_11302

The texture? Spot on — I love BP with a french toast texture. The flavor? Amazing; the Maker’s Mark caramel sauce was like nothing I’ve ever tasted, and the BP was swimming in it! If I could marry this bread pudding, I would. Can someone make that legal?

Week 7: Eleven Eleven Mississippi

Another great week of bread pudding. The White Chocolate and Pecan Bread Pudding at Eleven Eleven rocked my world.

IMG_11832

Although I couldn’t taste any hints of white chocolate in this BP, the texture (perfectly firm) and taste (caramel!) made me one happy chick. The standout in this bread pudding was the caramel sauce; it didn’t have a thin and runny consistency like the others. No — this was thick and sticky. So good.

Week 8: McCormick & Schmick’s

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I operate by two rules: 1. Always keep it real (even when my opinion is unpopular!), and 2. No chains. Well, I had to break the second rule during Week 8. Sorry, friends — I’ll do just about anything for good BP! And boy, did McCormick & Schmick’s deliver! Their Chocolate Bailey’s Bread Pudding was some of the best bread pudding I’ve ever had in my life.

IMG_12252

As I was eating this chocolatey creation, I almost felt like I was cheating on ‘traditional’ BP. Why? This tasted like a rich brownie. The texture of this bread pudding was a little softer than I usually prefer, but I almost preferred it that way. I can’t put into words how delicious this bread pudding was!

Week 9: Herbie’s

After Week 8′s amazing BP adventure, I knew that Week 9 at Herbie’s was going to have some big shoes to fill. I ordered their bread pudding with high hopes.

IMG_12712

Unfortunately, while this bread pudding was decent, it wasn’t my favorite. While I do enjoy a firmer bread pudding, this was almost too firm. In fact, it was dry! Nothing about the flavor of this bread pudding wowed me, either. I’d skip this one if I were you!

Week 10: Frazer’s

And finally — Week 10! I was hoping to go out with a bang with Frazer’s BP, but I was sorely disappointed.

IMG_13912

This time, it was a flavor and texture issue. The flavor wasn’t remarkable — the chocolate tasted a bit bitter — and the texture? It was crispy on the top, but way too custard-y in the center. Not good! I wasn’t impressed by this at all.

So what are my top 3 choices? This was so hard to narrow down, but I did it:

1. Remy’s

2. McCormick & Schmick’s

3. Annie Gunn’s

So there you have it! 10 long weeks, thousands of calories worth of bread pudding consumed, and lots and lots of caramel. It’s a tough job, but someone had to do it, right? ;)

I invite you to make a visit to my top 3 choices; I promise you won’t be disappointed. After you decide who your favorite is, cast your vote on my Facebook page!

Later this afternoon, I’ll post Jess’s thoughts on each BP, as well as her top 3. Stay tuned!

{ 2 comments }

Bread Pudding Challenge, Week 6: Annie Gunn’s!

by Stephanie on February 15, 2012

in American, Bread Pudding, Dessert, Dinner, Lunch, Steakhouse

Good morning and happy Wednesday! I hope your Valentine’s Day was lovely. Me? I chilled at home with my favorite Valentine:

308896_779892292764_33300054_38173842_668470451_n

Say hi to Walcott! She’s my baby Smile 

Okay, enough mushiness. Let’s talk food! For this week’s Bread Pudding Challenge I headed to Annie Gunn’s in Chesterfield. This fancy pants restaurant is well-known for their steaks, but I was here for one thing and one thing only: bread pudding!

Annie Gunn’s has a banana bread pudding with Maker’s Mark caramel sauce. Sounds delish, right?

IMG_11272

It was. This was served in a giant bowl. I’ve never been served bread pudding in a bowl until now! And with the crazy amount of caramel sauce that was served, I now understand why. It was practically swimming in it!

 

IMG_11302

When this was first presented to me, I was wary. I was almost sure that this bread pudding would be soggy and custard-y, due to all of the caramel sauce.

But somehow…it wasn’t. It was a little soft, but not so much that it was custard like. It still had the firmness that I love in bread pudding. So texture-wise, it was spot on.

Taste-wise? Another home run! The banana flavor was pretty pronounced, and I loved how it was garnished with banana slices. This dessert was like bananas foster in bread pudding form! Delicious.

I give the bread pudding at Annie Gunn’s two thumbs up. But how does it compare to the other 5 spots I’ve tried so far? Here are my personal standings (1 is the best!):

1. Remy’s

2. Annie Gunn’s

3. Bridge Tap House

4. Harvest

5. Cyrano’s

6. Café Eau

As you can see, the BP at Annie Gunn’s didn’t knock Remy’s out of first place for me, but it’s a very close second! Poor Café Eau is still at the bottom for me. Blech.

I can’t wait to see what BP ends up being Jess’ favorite! Only a few more weeks left of the bread pudding challenge!

See you this Friday with a restaurant review! Smile

{ 4 comments }