All Entries Tagged With: "Bridgeton"
NoCo’s Sweetest Deals for Valentine’s Day
Thinking of the best way to woo your sweetie tomorrow? Why not stay close to home and celebrate Valentine’s Day right here in North County? Check out these great deals from some of our most romantic local restaurants…
CORK Wine Bar – 423 S. Florissant, 63135
What’s more intimate than sharing small plates of food? Head to Cork and enjoy a three-course couple’s delight, including two cocktails each, for $65. From course one, choose between bacon salad, Greek salad, fried sprouts, crispy feta, grilled shrimp, cocktail meatballs, bruschetta, fondue, or sausage minestrone soup. From course two, try bacon hash, meatballs, pasta, chicken skewers, sliders, EBLT sliders, grilled portobello, short ribs, Match crab cakes, apple pizza, white pizza or sausage pizza. And finally, for dessert, select from carrot cake, apple pie or funnel cake. Sparkling wine & champagne are also 20% off.
Hendel’s Market Cafe – 599 rue St. Denis, 63031
As usual, Valentine’s dinner is already booked solid at Hendel’s, but there might still be time to grab a table tonight. Call (314) 837-2304 to reserve your very special five-course dinner with champagne. You can also stop by for lunch tomorrow, when the restaurant will be giving out roses to ladies from 11am to 3pm.
Ferguson Brewing Co. – 418 S. Florissant, 63135
Does your gal prefer beer over champagne? Then take her straight to the source! Ferguson Brewing will be serving a three-course “beer dinner” from 4-11pm, featuring their fresh local brew…
Yacovelli’s – 407 Dunn Rd, 63031
Feeling fancy? Why not go for a classic Valentine’s dinner at one of NoCo’s oldest establishments? Yacovelli’s, open since 1919, has two great specials to choose from… Get Steak Diane flamed right at your table, with your choice of toasted ravioli or crab rangoon, soup or salad, a side dish and cheesecake, for $60 per couple. Or, go for surf & turf: lobster tail and slow-roasted prime rib, served with soup or salad and a side dish, for $29.95 a person. Call (314) 839-1000 for reservations.
India Palace – 4534 N. Lindbergh, 63044
If you’re craving something altogether different, may I suggest India Palace. With its lava rock walls and sweeping 11th-floor views of the airport, there’s nowhere better for pure ambiance. Plus, the food is a sensual adventure! The Palace is setting up a special Valentine buffet tomorrow, so why not spice up your evening? You’ll get a huge spread for $21.95 a person, not to mention this, which looks even cooler at night….
Taqueria El Morelia: a perfect North County lunch
When I lived in Los Angeles, there was no food more glorious than the delicious Mexican fare sold at my neighborhood taco stand. Cheap and filling, often reflecting many generations of cherished family recipes, it was always my favorite go-to lunch. That’s why I was totally psyched today to stumble upon a wonderful L.A.-style taco stand right here in North County.
My husband had to run into the El Morelia Hispanic Supermarket on the Rock Road to buy some tortillas, and was surprised to find there was a line winding out the front door. Turns out, just inside was a small makeshift cafe churning out plate after plate of fresh-made tacos, with dozens of people waiting to eat.
At least four kinds of meat were sizzling on the grill, and just in front of the cooking area was a table covered with large ceramic bowls, each generously filled with fresh toppings like cilantro, salsa and radishes. We ordered two chicken soft tacos for $1.79 each, and they arrived just a few minutes later, wrapped in steaming hot corn tortillas. Yum!
Apparently, this delightful little stand is called Taqueria El Morelia and it’s only open on the weekends, 9am to 5pm. It’s also tacos-only and cash-only, but the flavors and the atmosphere are well worth it. You can even eat there if you’d like. They have a few tables set up just inside the front door, not far from the large and beautiful Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine. Check it out…
El Morelia Super Mercado, 12005 Saint Charles Rock Road, 63044, (314) 209-0014
Discover “Treasures of the Earth” in Bridgeton
Crack open your very own geode at the annual Treasures of the Earth gem & mineral show, going on today through Sunday at the Machinists Hall in Bridgeton.
When I wrote about the gem show last year, I got a handful of emails saying, “BORING! What’s so fun about rocks?” And the first thing I thought was…..well, you obviously haven’t been to the gem show! Because while not everyone has an interest in the science of geology (including me), I bet there are a whole lot of people who’d find it pretty awesome to hold a real dinosaur bone, or to be the first person on earth to see the sparkling interior of an ancient geode.
Add in glow-in-the-dark minerals, amazing fossils, luminous quartz crystals, carved stone sculptures and a huge mess of beads of other jewelry-making materials, and there’s definitely a little something for everyone at Treasures of the Earth, the annual show hosted by the Greater St. Louis Association of Earth Science Clubs for nearly 20 years.
This year’s show opens at 3pm today and will continue through Sunday. Stop by and you’ll find vendors from several states, as well as a neat selection of special exhibits:
- Fossils Through Geologic Time: Members of the Eastern Missouri Society for Paleontology present fossils from many periods of geologic time.
- Marine Invertebrate Fossils: Steven Holley (Farmington, Illinois) showcases four major marine fossil groups. His exhibits on Brachiopods, Ammonites, Crinoids, and Trilobites show the diversity within these groups and in the ancient seas.
- Missouri Mines State Historic Site: Art Hebrank, Director, is bringing a display of worldwide mineral specimens from the Site’s museum in Park Hills, Missouri, plus information on the history of mining in eastern Missouri.
- Fluorescent Minerals: Robert Morse (Troy, Missouri) is displaying his collection of fluorescent minerals and glassware in a separate room off the main exhibit hall. He will talk about the nature of fluorescence and demonstrate the appearance of the specimens under short wave and long wave ultraviolet “black” light.
- Touch Rocks: Willis Smith (Calverton Park, Missouri) is providing a collection of rocks and minerals that everyone is invited to touch. Children are welcome!
Treasures of the Earth will be held at the Bridgeton Machinists Hall, 12365 St. Charles Rock Rd, 63044. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for ages 6-17, and FREE for scouts & scout leaders in uniform. Hours are Friday, 3 – 8 pm; Saturday, 10 am – 8 pm; and Sunday, 11 am -5 pm.
Just in case you can’t make it, here are a few photos from last year’s show. In fact, all of the pics in this story are from previous events, so the 2011 lineup may be slightly different. Still, expect lots to look at…
Time Capsule: a fun hodgepodge for summertime
Ever notice the Chinese restaurant next to the Ferguson Farmers Market? Well, this is what it looked like as King's Pharmacy, one of the first pharmacies in St. Louis to have drive-thru service.
What happened to the time capsule? That’s what a reader asked me recently. She was talking about one of my most neglected NOCO categories, Time Capsule, which I admit has been a bit ignored. I usually like to focus on North County today, to keep reminding people that we still have a great community up here, but I was cleaning out my files this week and found some goodies that I just had to share.
I actually have a pretty large collection of paper (and digital) items related to North County’s history – maps, postcards, old shopping center directories, etc – so you can expect to see quite a few “capsules” opened in the coming months. Here’s a preview to get us started, just an odd mix of images from all over NoCo….
The old Woolworth's at River Roads Mall in Jennings, which opened in the 1950s and closed in 1991. Remember the lower level?
An early view of Lambert Airport, sans Highway 70
A swinging airport hotel, the Parkway House, in what has to be the 60s
Formerly located at 3570 N. Lindbergh, the Parkway House is described on the back of this postcard as such: “St. Louis’ most unique host. In the main building, each unit is a 3-room suite including living room, bedroom, kitchenette with executive bar, deluxe bath and private terrace. Heated swimming pool. Home of the famous Corinthian Room. Illustrated are two of the new, plush Sir Richard suites complete with sunken living room, executive bar and luxurious ultra-modern decor with king and queen beds.”
Here’s the kind of action you might have seen in the “famous Corinthian Room,” well before the Parkway House became a divey motel/apartment complex like it is today.
Don Cunningham Quartet at Parkway House, St. Louis, September 1965. Photo credit: Picasa/Richard A Oberle
An architectural drawing of the proposed new church building at St. Ann's in Normandy. I'm guessing the steeple didn't make the cut.
Finally, here’s a vintage matchbook made right here in Ferguson, commemorating a place I miss every single time I drive down Florissant Road. Can you imagine how awesome it would be if there was still a bowling alley in downtown Ferguson?!
Ahh, a girl can dream….
Are you getting ready for the big day? NOCO is a proud sponsor of the 3rd annual Live Well Ferguson 5K