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Dining/Bar Scene Near Campus


derunnin

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I'll be in town Dec 22nd for the Loyola Marymount game and possibly again late January for the Butler game. I started following the Billikens a little following Majerus' move there and have developed a rooting intrest for some unknown reason, even though I have no real ties to the team or University and am a die hard UNLV fan. I caught a few games last season in person but will have a little more time this year to take in the City.

Anyone able to give any direction on were to find a great steak dinner? Would also love to know if there are any unique (non-chain) bars in the area to visit. Any can't-miss dining or unique eateries would also be appreciated.

Thanks and good luck - kill the Lobos!

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I'll be in town Dec 22nd for the Loyola Marymount game and possibly again late January for the Butler game. I started following the Billikens a little following Majerus' move there and have developed a rooting intrest for some unknown reason, even though I have no real ties to the team or University and am a die hard UNLV fan. I caught a few games last season in person but will have a little more time this year to take in the City.

Anyone able to give any direction on were to find a great steak dinner? Would also love to know if there are any unique (non-chain) bars in the area to visit. Any can't-miss dining or unique eateries would also be appreciated.

Thanks and good luck - kill the Lobos!

Bonwich should be able to help you out. Hope you have a good time! However, to fully become a Bills fan you need to go to Humphrey's.

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Derunnin, welcome to Billiken Nation. We are glad to have new fans regardless of the reason. Humphrey's is the true Billiken hang out pre and post-game, but there are an increasing number of dining and drinking establishments around the SLU campus for you to enjoy. I'll let someone else recommend a steak place, but if you want the world's greatest barbecue, Pappy's is just a couple blocks from the arena and The Field House on Theresa is generally packed on game nights and has great atmosphere.

Yes, we owe the Lobos some payback and would love to destroy them in "our house".

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-great steaks near Chaifetz, i am not having places come to mind, perhaps others could help

-Humphreys and pappy's bbq would be the must visits, Triumph is good

-hope you enjoy your visit, if you are renting a car, i advise to not leave anything on the seats, floor or dash that would tempt a break-in

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I'll be in town Dec 22nd for the Loyola Marymount game and possibly again late January for the Butler game. I started following the Billikens a little following Majerus' move there and have developed a rooting intrest for some unknown reason, even though I have no real ties to the team or University and am a die hard UNLV fan. I caught a few games last season in person but will have a little more time this year to take in the City.

Anyone able to give any direction on were to find a great steak dinner? Would also love to know if there are any unique (non-chain) bars in the area to visit. Any can't-miss dining or unique eateries would also be appreciated.

Thanks and good luck - kill the Lobos!

Easy enough. Some can add to this list, but here's a few I would recommend.

For steaks, Prime 1000 in downtown is considered very good and has a cool location (pricey, but most steak places are) http://www.prime1000.com/ You could also do a place like Sidney Street Cafe, which is an STL original and also has good steak options http://www.sidneystreetcafe.com/

Pappy's BBQ is fantastic and is very close to campus. Sometimes the line can be ridiculous though. http://www.pappyssmokehouse.com/Menu.php If it's too long, Bogart's in nearby Soulard is equally good. http://bogartssmokehouse.com/

Some of St.Louis' local favorites include Pi pizzeria, which has locations in downtown and the nearby Central West End neighborhood http://www.restaurantpi.com/, Crown Candy in Old North St. Louis (http://crowncandykitchen.net/menu/lunch-and-dinner/), and a number of Italian restaurants in the Hill neighborhood (http://www.thehillstl.com/ ).

You really can't go wrong with any of the above, but I'm sure some others on this board would have additional suggestions.

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-if we are expanding the radius, for steak Citizen Kane's in kirkwood and the filet at Kries' on lindbergh get my vote (yes the filet and not the over-hyped prime rib), and some of the spots on the Hill will do a good steak as well as regular italien fare

-ruth's chris and morton's are both in clayton and i have had a surprisingly good ribeye at JBucks in clayton, not sure if a special or a menu item

-sydney street is fantastic

-this thread screams for bonwich

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Prime 1000 is a great steakhouse on Washington Avenue downtown, just a short drive from Chaifetz. I've been there three times now and have had great meals each time.

I've never been to Carmine's Steakhouse downtown, but have heard good things about it.

Like everyone else has said, Sidney Street Cafe in Benton Park (by the Anheuser-Busch Brewery) is phenomenal. You could also stop at Venice Cafe while you're in that neck of the woods - it's one of the most unique bars you'll ever see. In that general area, 33 in Lafayette Square is another great bar (with no sign) and McGurk's in Soulard is a popular Irish bar. Lafayette Square and Soulard are both very unique neighborhoods with amazing historic architecture.

There are lots of good bars in the Central West End, just west of campus. Brennan's on Maryland and Dressel's Pub on Euclid are two of my favorites. There's also Scape, which is a good place for steaks, and a variety of other restaurants.

Near Chaifetz, Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. is outstanding. And of course, Humphrey's is the quintessential college bar.

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Kind of shocked nobody has given a shout out to Fieldhouse in this thread. While Humphrey's will always be the quintessential Billiken bar, Fieldhouse became a great place to hang out pre- and post-game last season. It is within walking distance of the 'Fetz, and also very close to other restaurants like Triumph's, Pappy's and Vito's, for those who want to eat somewhere else and then hit a bar to grab a drink. They have the standard pub grub, but also a decent amount of variety on the menu if you are looking for a meal. They also have tons of TV's for sports watching.

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i am shocked that neither box or bizzle gave kudos to "the social house" in soulard for a "great meal". would have thought that was in their wheel house. ;)

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Prime 1000 is a great steakhouse on Washington Avenue downtown, just a short drive from Chaifetz. I've been there three times now and have had great meals each time.

I've never been to Carmine's Steakhousedowntown, but have heard good things about it.

Like everyone else has said, Sidney Street Cafe in Benton Park (by the Anheuser-Busch Brewery) is phenomenal. You could also stop at Venice Cafewhile you're in that neck of the woods - it's one of the most unique bars you'll ever see. In that general area, 33 in Lafayette Square is another great bar (with no sign) and McGurk's in Soulard is a popular Irish bar. Lafayette Square and Soulard are both very unique neighborhoods with amazing historic architecture.

There are lots of good bars in the Central West End, just west of campus. Brennan's on Maryland and Dressel's Pubon Euclid are two of my favorites. There's also Scape, which is a good place for steaks, and a variety of other restaurants.

Near Chaifetz, Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. is outstanding. And of course, Humphrey's is the quintessential college bar.

It may be a bit cold when you visit, but I would highly recommend checking out UCBC's bier garden.

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Vito's is also good though I usually find service to be lackluster. Two Pizza places both great not mentioned and close by are PW's on Choteau and The Good Pie. You can't go wrong with either but I prefer PW. It's a couple of blocks east of Jefferson. The Good Pie is on Lindell across the street from Pappy's. Also SLUballs and I hit Triumph's before the soccer game the other night and they had some great happy hour deals. We had a pitcher of Schlaffly's APA plus an order of wings and an order of onion rings (which were fantastic) for less than $20.

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I typically go to Pappy's which is walking distance but also like The Tap Room, http://schlafly.com/tap-room/, which is a close drive and has an ambiance about it.

In the microbrewery department, like http://sixrowbrewco.com/ right next to campus along with Urban Chestnut.

I wanted to mention the Fountain, http://www.fountainonlocust.com/fountainonlocust.com/Fountain_On_Locust.html, just because it got voted best public bathroom in America or something like that.

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Vito's is also good though I usually find service to be lackluster. Two Pizza places both great not mentioned and close by are PW's on Choteau and The Good Pie. You can't go wrong with either but I prefer PW. It's a couple of blocks east of Jefferson. The Good Pie is on Lindell across the street from Pappy's. Also SLUballs and I hit Triumph's before the soccer game the other night and they had some great happy hour deals. We had a pitcher of Schlaffly's APA plus an order of wings and an order of onion rings (which were fantastic) for less than $20.

Agreed on PW. Good place.
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Kind of shocked nobody has given a shout out to Fieldhouse in this thread. While Humphrey's will always be the quintessential Billiken bar, Fieldhouse became a great place to hang out pre- and post-game last season. It is within walking distance of the 'Fetz, and also very close to other restaurants like Triumph's, Pappy's and Vito's, for those who want to eat somewhere else and then hit a bar to grab a drink. They have the standard pub grub, but also a decent amount of variety on the menu if you are looking for a meal. They also have tons of TV's for sports watching.

Backhand says the Fieldhouse also serves a mean appletini.

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Thanks for the repies so far. Definitely going to try several of the steakhouses since I'll be in town around 9 days in between the two visits.

When I was in town for the sweet 16 a few years back, I drowned my sorrows in a cool little bar that must have been the Venice Cafe (was trying to recall the name as I want a return visit). I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to the spirits in my drinks and they had all the premiums and were very reasonable compaired to here locally. I'm going to try the other bars on the list like 33. Love experiencing a place through unique food and drinks. I'll try my damndest to plow through as many regional micro-brews as I can as well.

Without restricting the target area, any soul food joints anyone could recomend? How about Polish/German/homemade sausage cafe's?

Really appreciate the responces. This board has given me great info everytime I have ever posted a question.

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Thanks for the repies so far. Definitely going to try several of the steakhouses since I'll be in town around 9 days in between the two visits.

When I was in town for the sweet 16 a few years back, I drowned my sorrows in a cool little bar that must have been the Venice Cafe (was trying to recall the name as I want a return visit). I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to the spirits in my drinks and they had all the premiums and were very reasonable compaired to here locally. I'm going to try the other bars on the list like 33. Love experiencing a place through unique food and drinks. I'll try my damndest to plow through as many regional micro-brews as I can as well.

Without restricting the target area, any soul food joints anyone could recomend? How about Polish/German/homemade sausage cafe's?

Really appreciate the responces. This board has given me great info everytime I have ever posted a question.

Hit Sweetie Pie's for the soul food.

Two excellent steak places not mentioned so far on her are Al's downtown and Sam's in Affton.

http://alsrestaurant.net/

http://www.samssteakhouse.com/

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I'm going to try the other bars on the list like 33.

You should know that 33 doesn't have a sign. It's not hard to find though - it's right next to Bailey's Chocolate Bar.

Speaking of Bailey's, you might also like Bailey's Range and Bridge, both downtown. Bridge has an awesome beer selection.

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Oh, well, I suppose I'll have to come out of retirement for a Billiken fan.

There are several places downtown that serve prime beef: Al's, Prime 1000, Mike Shannon's, Ruth's Chris and, I think for at least one of its steaks, F15teen. (Don't ask.) Last I knew, Prime 1000 was still serving dry-aged (the only of the above to do so) as well as grassfed. The ones I had there a couple years ago were the best steaks I've had in St. Louis, except for perhaps Annie Gunn's -- but that's a good 20 miles west of SLU/Downtown.

But speaking of best steaks, the Best Steak House (No. 2?) on Grand has a damn fine under-$10 budget steak, and it's a major retro throwback.

It would be very easy to do a microbrewery tour near Chaifetz, and I'm sure some of the board members would love to host. You've got Six Row, Urban Chestnut and Buffalo, plus Cathedral Square, which doesn't have a facility, but I think Cafe Ventana has it on tap. All are within staggering distance of campus, and Schlafly is only about 10 blocks east. For an absolutely massive beer list, there's place called iTap (International Tap House) in Soulard, and there should be one in the Central West End by the time you get here. The guy who originally opened 33 Wine Bar also now has his own microbrewery, Civil Life, near Gravois and Chippewa.

If Scotch is more your thing, you might try the Scottish Arms, about a block west of campus.

To be more specific, Sweetie Pie's Upper Crust is just a few blocks north of campus. The Sweetie Pie's that's been most often on the Oprah Network is in the Grove, about a mile south of campus.

There aren't any good Eastern European sausage restaurants in town, but there's a place called G&W below the southwestern edge of Tower Grove Park that has any number of excellent wursts (although most are uncooked). There's also Piekutowski's on Florissant near Grand that has what was said to be John Paul II's favorite kielbasa.

If you don't mind a geographic shift, however, Salume Beddu on Hampton just north of Chippewa was cited as the best salume in America by Forbes -- really amazing stuff from heritage pigs that they have custom-raised.

Some of the hot-shot chefs in town are Gerard Craft at Niche/Pastaria by Niche/Brasserie by Niche; Kevin Nashan at Sidney Street (his wife went to SLU); Anthony Devoti at Five; Josh Galliano, who may have his Louisiana-theme place open by then; Vito Racanelli at Mad Tomato; Grace Dinsmoor at Franco and Josh Roland at Salt.

I shall now recede back into dining oblivion. B)

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