Edwardsville Scene » Restaurants

Review of Edwardsville’s Grace Manor

Editor — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:05:26 +0000

by Jesse Gernigin

Grace Manor Restaurant in Edwardsville has gone through quite a few changes. And no, I’m not talking about the fact that they are a pre-civil war house that has weathered the years since the civil war, nor the fact that in April an owner change caused the then Klingel Tea House to become Grace Manor Restaurant.

What I am talking about is their menu change! It is beautiful. I have had the pleasure of lunching at Grace Manor the past few weeks and I have to say I wasn’t impressed with the spring menu. Sure it had all of the spring fare you would expect, a shifting array of soups, a collection of quiches and some lightly adorned sandwiches, but honestly I wasn’t impressed.

The food was fine, well prepared and priced honestly, but it tasted uninspired. I went in for my last meal there before I wrote this and found that the menu had changed to the summer menu. All I can say is wow!

Edwardsville's Grace Manor.

The turnaround from their last menu to this menu was amazing. Obviously some things will remain the same. First of all there will still be pastas of the day, daily quiches, and a few of the same sides. But I don’t want to write about them, I want to write about the new things.

So what are the new things? Well for one, rosemary fries. Let me type that again, rosemary fries. I had those for my meal along with a sirracha spice aioli (there is a non-spicy version available for the heat-fearing diner) and they were amazing. They came out in a cocktail looking glass wrapped in paper. They were longer in shape (most of them cut the length of my hand) and they were just the right thickness, not so thick they became heavy and mushy and not so thin they tasted like potato straws. The fries had a good bite and were just the right mix of clean and dirty that you expect from great fries.

The rosemary fries are considered a side, so if you find yourself not wanting them (and I have to say you should try them) there are plenty of other sides, my other favorite being the quinoa salad. It is hard to get good quinoa, but Grace Manor does it right and not a lot of people get a chance to try it.

My main course consisted of a pulled pork barbeque sandwich topped with slaw. The sandwich was good, the pork was cooked just right and the balance between the sauce and the bun made for an enjoyable sandwich and not a mess of sauce, bread and meat. What set the sandwich off just right though was the slaw on top. It is a homemade slaw that comes out crisp and light on sauce. That is important because when they put the slaw on top of the pork (as in served on the sandwich) it gives a much needed “crunch” to the sandwich, making a good meal great!

I also got a chance to try the hamburger and I enjoyed it. Normally, I don’t seek out hamburgers when I’m dining. What I can say about Grace Manor’s hamburger is that it is a well proportioned mix of half pork, half beef pattied out to the right size and grilled until done. Okay, so that may just sound like a regular burger. But a hamburger is made complete by its simplicity and Grace Manor has understood that clearly, capitalized on that truth, and made an amazing hamburger. Another friend from Edwardsville Scene ate with me and stated, “This is the best hamburger in town.” As I have not eaten hamburgers throughout Edwardsville, I cannot fault or agree with this statement, but I felt it was well worth mentioning because that is a hell of a recommendation in my book.

There are a lot of new things on the menu I haven’t tried, but I am writing this review now for two reasons. One, it is long overdue. I have wanted to review the Manor for months. Second, my last meal was amazing and reflecting on the newly revised summer menu I have to say that I honestly look forward to it. Everything on the menu seems well considered and a lot of the staples are still there. Looking for kale chips? They have them. Still want a quiche and soup lunch? Yep, still there. But most of all are you looking for a good, chill place to grab lunch, I’d recommend Grace Manor.

See the Manor’s site here.

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Opening day at Fond’s Township Grocer

Editor — Tue, 11 May 2010 01:21:57 +0000

Monday, May 10 was opening day at Fond’s new Township Grocer, and Edwardsville Scene writer Jesse Gernigin was there to cover it.

Wasabi Review

Teauna — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:48:14 +0000

One of Wasabi's wonderful sushi rolls.

by Teanua Brosseau

Wasabi is a nice sushi choice in the Edwardsville area. The sushi was fair to good, the cooked meal was average, however two things that stood out were their green tea and Miso soup.

Wasabi in Edwardsville offers a premium selection of green tea served loose and with a plastic French press style steeping container. The Miso soup was a fine way to start off the meal, always on the salty side but not overpowering.

The sushi rolls were good, the selection is interesting although I must note that there is not a lot of raw fish. Not too surprising, and perhaps a good idea, considering how far the ocean is. They make up for this by using a lot of smoked seafood, such as salmon, crab, and octopus in the rolls. I would recommend the Wasabi Roll which has a delicious tempura batter.

The non-sushi menu is nice for those that prefer their meals cooked and is served in a bento box with a selection dishes. The Bento A with the teriyaki chicken is delicious, however the fried rice has a slightly burnt flavor.

If the only thing that can satisfy your craving is spicy green paste and raw fish then get your salivary glands down to Wasabi and order up some rolls. Don’t forget to try the green tea, good and good for you.

Review of Edwardsville’s 222 Artisan Bakery

Editor — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:22:31 +0000

by Jesse Gernigin

I waited to write this review. Edwardsville’s 222 Artisan Bakery had expanded their hours and I wanted to give myself enough time to experience the shop in the expanded hours.

The 222 Artisan Bakery in Edwardsville has expanded hours and great food and coffee.

This is not the first time they have expanded their hours though. Way back when 222 first opened they had toyed with staying open later, they were not happy with the results then and scaled their hours back. Thankfully I can say this is not the case now. 222, which used to be open till 3 p.m. on weekdays is now open till eight and serves as a wonderful refuge from winter nights.

With the expansion 222 has decided to offer a wonderful and reasonable lunch special which includes a sandwich of your choice (I’m always torn between the Matt and the Caroline, deciding between moist tuna salad or a hearty roast beef is always difficult) a drink of your choosing (as in any drink whether it be a cup of coffee, soda, tea, or a pristine iced caramel latte) a bag of Billy Goat potato chips and a cookie. All of this for a reasonable $8.75.

222 still has the classic half sandwich and soup deal (and the soups change daily although White Chili is a welcome reoccurrence about twice a week) so fret not there. And on Fridays 222 still serves the best pizzas in town, and when I say best pizza I am not joking. Their pizzas are baked in their ovens, allowing them to come out with the perfect texture mix of crunchy and chewy to match the simple yet precise toppings they have. There are two meat options and one vegetarian, I suggest coming with friends as to try them all. Word to the wise, come early Friday if you want a pizza, I have yet to show up for a pizza Friday where they have not sold out before three.

But perhaps a meal isn’t what you want, and that’s fine. 222 bakes their bread and pastries fresh every day. So whether you need a hearty flaky loaf to take home to the family or a sweet tooth fix, 222 has your back. And for those late in the day folk 222 has a happy hour deal. If you come in after 6 p.m. all pastries are two dollars. If you think you’d like a loaf of bread my advice is come before noon if you can. The bakery usually sells out their bread three days a week, and although I have yet to see a pattern to the days that loaves sell out or a reason why all I can tell you is that the days they do sell out they do so before noon.

Then there’s the coffee. 222 has the best coffee in town, with a selection that stretches both sides of the flavor continuum to appeal to all palates, disinterested to discerning. What is really cool (in my opinion) is that Matt roasts all of his beans right here in Edwardsville. Matt’s hard work is well rewarded as both Companion Bakery in the Central West End and the well known St. Louis pizzeria Pi use his roasts exclusively in their establishments.

But honestly, in my eyes, that is to be expected. Simply said, the hard and honest work put into 222 should serve as the guidebook and measuring stick on which all businesses in Edwardsville should be judged. So come get a cup of coffee, a pastry, a sandwich, a pizza, whatever, just come, come and meet your expectations, and find them well met.

Review of Peel Pizzeria in Edwardsville

Jesse — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 20:10:57 +0000

by Jesse Gernigin

I love pizza places. And not just artisan pizzas, I love all pizzas. I am an equal opportunity pizza eater. What do you have? Provel? I’m in. Deep dish? Great! You serve the pizza out of a cardboard box smattered with grease? Slide it my way! I am in no way a pizza snob. But don’t let that fool you, I know good pizza.

A good pizza place, at its heart, is a place that serves good food comfortably. The ovens heat lends even the most generic of venues ambient warmth and comfort. Prime examples of this are Shakespeare’s at Mizzou and the Mellow Mushroom in Lexington. They are both places that, when entered, you instantly are comfortable.

This was not the case at Peel. Entering Peel on a busy night (and they’ve all been busy thus far it seems) is a cramped affair. The entrance lies off to one side of the room were the majority of the waiting area space is consumed by the bar. Although Peel isn’t a heavy drinking venue, I have to imagine parents won’t enjoy their children sharing the same space as the bar. The turnover of tables is odd and twice when I went tables sat empty while we were told fifty minute waits were required.

However this is easy to overlook because Peel is a newly opened restaurant and not competing on the same level as St. Louis luminaries such as Niche or hometown heroes Erato and Fond. What I’m really here for is the pizza, and pizzas they have.

Peel offers a good number of pizzas (although no gluten free alternatives) that range a little in cost, but none are overly expensive. I had three different pizzas and two different salads on my visits. The pizzas were okay. What was mostly disappointing was the prosciutto and fingerling potato pizza. The first couple of slices were mediocre but for some reason one slice was a grand slam of flavor and after that I couldn’t eat the pizza because I knew what it was intended to taste like and therefore knew the level of disappointment to expect.

“Intention” it is the best way to describe Peel. If we are going to be honest, Peel is a less zazzy version of California Pizza Kitchen. The pizzas they serve seem to suffer from internal confusion. The confusion is not psychological though, it must surely be the oven. When cooking pizzas at an incredibly hot temperature, as Peel claims to do (and they do), you have little time to make (or correct) mistakes in. My first two trips to Peel the hostess excitedly informed me that it only takes the chefs ninety seconds to cook a pizza. By my third visit this had stopped (note: this may have just been the hostess, but I imagine it must be hard to justify a fifty minute wait, packed restaurant or not, if you are serving pizzas at ninety second intervals).

That said the food was less than extraordinary, in truth it was barely passable as average. The pizzas came out either burnt on the bottom and chewy in the middle (not in a good way) or just overcooked to hell. The salads were just greens on a plate and the appetizers weren’t worth the time it took to eat them. The wings were average, the wood fired goat cheese had a flat flavor and the tapenade was more sour than good. The sandwiches were either saturated with too many competing flavors (the chicken mozzarella) or were dull (the Italian job). I hadn’t tried the pastas nor had a chance to ask anybody about their experience with them so I can’t comment. As for the desserts I’ll say this, don’t. Putting nutella on graham crackers, adding honey, and cooking it in a wood fire oven in no way justifies charging eight bucks for a smore.

As for the service it was good, if not overly gracious at times. The first two visits I had servers who have served before. The third time I carried out (busy holiday season, read my blog). The beer selection was pretty good with a dozen crafts on tap (thumbs up) and a few ho hum wine selections (although no liquor).

In total I give the experience two stars out of four. I give it two stars because the idea they have works (as seen in the California Pizza Kitchen) and they have room to grow, but the 222 bakery has been serving pizzas on Friday for some time now and they are about the same price and far better than Peel’s. I’ll have to review the place again in six months (a lot can happen in that time) but for now my review stands. Eat there if you are interested, you might get lucky, but be warned.

Agree? Disagree? Write us a comment below!

Edwardsville’s Mr. Currys Reviewed

Editor — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:49:57 +0000

by Jesse Gernigin

Every city has their hidden treasure, a tiny out of the way place that serves remarkable food at a sane price. It’s the kind of place that requires you to talk to the right people to find out about, but when you do it’s worth it. In Edwardsville, that place is Mr. Currys, an Indian restaurant on the edge of Edwardsville proper (map below). It serves an array of Indian dishes six nights a week (closed Mondays).

One of the things that colors my reviews is that I am a heat junky. I love hot food. I don’t seek to burn my taste buds senseless, but I love it when a well-spiced meal takes you right up to the edge of discomfort. Spicy food can be good food if done right. Of course you might not like spicy, that’s understandable, and that’s why I love Mr. Curry’s. Other Indian restaurants I’ve been to over the years all suffer from not being able to accurately gage their food’s hotness.

You think you are getting something mild and end up sweating like it’s 3 pm in August in Edwardsville and you’re in the middle of a treeless field, stuffed in a black garbage bag with a swarm of Africanized bees. Alternatively, you’re looking to branch out into spicier food, only to end up with a plate that’s bland like a grey, drizzly day in October.

Mr. Curry’s does not have this problem. Their heat scale works on a 1 to 5 rating, 1 being the mildest, 5 spiciest and 10 (a by request-only option) being absolutely ridiculous.

I managed to try all heat levels on my visits, sometimes trying the same heat level I had last to make sure there wouldn’t be a sudden increase or decrease in heat level. Everything stayed even, and for me four was best, giving me just the kick I wanted but not masking the food’s flavors.

But Mr. Curry’s gets more than just the heat right. The food is amazing. Every plate offered a different flavor and texture. The lamb biryani was aromatic, with just the right texture and density to the rice to make every bite enjoyable. The chicken tikka masala was creamy enough to give the plate a focus, without smothering the curry and chicken flavors. Even the vegetarian plates, something I often don’t enjoy because they often seem like chef’s afterthoughts, stood out. They were hearty and didn’t rely heavily on one vegetable to bear the brunt of the chef’s boredom with cooking such plates.

For me the standout item on the menu were the biryanis. Each offered a different flavor when paired with the meat of choice and each succeeded in evenly balancing the simple but powerful flavors present in the dish.

When ordering at Mr. Curry’s, meals come with a tiny vegetable soup starter along with naan bread and papadum, which is a plus. Unfortunately, none of the appetizers offered stood out to me. They weren’t bad, they just weren’t great. I suggest saving your money and ordering an extra serving of naan to wipe up all the sauce left over at the end of the meal.

There is usually (at least the four times I went) one server working the floor, and on a busy night they can be handling at least ten tables. The service itself is well thought out by the owner, so although it might take a little while to get a drink refill, the food comes out when it is ready, and I was never forced to wait for a check.

In the end I strongly suggest taking some time out for dinner and going to Mr. Curry’s. The food is exceptional and the prices are amazing when you consider both the quality you receive and the quantity you get. If you are still wary I suggest waiting until the weekend and taking advantage of their lunch buffet so you can sample a little bit of everything and figure out what you really like.

I give it three out of four stars. Mr. Curry’s loses one star for the small oddities such as weird table layout and only having one server on the floor, but otherwise it is absolutely worth trying out!

Bigelo’s Bistro: Like Hot Chocolate in a Snowstorm

Editor — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:50:52 +0000

The dining room at Bigelo's Bistro.

story by Jesse Gernigin

photos by Christian Mayberry

Bigelo’s Bistro’s ambience is akin to the calm warm one feels when resting in front of a fire place, at night, during a snowstorm, with hot chocolate. Although that comment lays it on a bit thick, I think it’s entirely true.

Bigelo’s Bistro is a local lunch and dinner venue (sorry early birds, no breakfast) where locals, court folks, and SIUE students make their way for either a quick lunch or relaxing dinner. Bigelo’s is located on main street, across the way from the court house, right between Aroma Cafe and Mojo’s Music.

Walking into Bigelo’s you realize right away that no space is spared. Everything is snug, but manages to maintain a comfortable distance from claustrophobia. The main dining floor sits a good number of tables along with a smaller, more intimate section in the adjacent bar area where one can find half price wine after six on week nights. The ceilings are high inside the building and do well to stifle what would normally be an echo problem. Bigelo’s inside is comfortable, sporting an ambience that exudes a warmth akin to being fed directly from your friend’s kitchen. Although I doubt your friends would serve you expertly prepared barbeque chicken pizzas whose dough is just the right consistency of chewy and crunchy with just enough yeasty taste to offset the sweetness of barbeque sauce.

Pizza not your thing? Well your missing out! However Bigelo’s also serves a whole bevy of plates. If pasta is your thing, try their gorgonzola chicken pasta. It is filled with tender grilled chicken, mixed with a rich and creamy gorgonzola sauce all over a bed of noodles (be prepared for the doggie bag, you’ll be taking part of it home with you). Not a fan of heavy sauces with your pasta? Bigelo’s can cover that as well.

On the lunch side of the menu, check out the sandwiches. I can actually say I have had every sandwich on the menu (and most of the specials as well) and that every one comes out quickly and prepared just right. My favorite sandwich teeters back and forth between the King of Clubs and the Gentleman’s Club. They are both wonderful sandwiches that are filling, but leave you feeling light when finished. Every sandwich comes with a side too, so you can get an order of waffle fries that puts the Chick-Fil-A to shame or (and this is my suggestion) an amazing side of homemade potato chips. I’ve had a lot of home made potato chips in my travels across the country, and very few get the balance of crispy, salty, and chewy right, Bigelo’s does.

Need a drink? They’ve got you more than covered. Bigelo’s sports a full bar with great beers on draft (reminding us to work our way from the big names in beers) along with a great wine selection (and deal) and any mixed drink you could want. For dessert Bigelo’s offerings are often varied. I suggest you get the Tiramisu, if it is on the menu. If not, enjoy at your own discretion.

As much as I like Bigelo’s, this is a review, and there are some things I don’t like. For instance, I feel that the plastic menu covers are a bit tacky and make me feel that I am at a child-oriented restaurant. They’re completely out of whack with the rest of the atmosphere. Also, if it is busy, paying can be a chore. But these are minor complaints and in no way reflect the quality and care the restaurant provides. If I was to give a star rating for Bigelo’s (based on the traditional four star method) I would give it a solid three. The food is great, the venue wonderful, the staff knowledgeable, the ambience relaxed. My suggestion, go eat at Bigelo’s Bistro.

Jesse Reviews Erato

Editor — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:11:33 +0000

The long view of Erato's wine selection of premium alcohol.

by Jesse Gernigin

I just got back in town after being on the road for the fifteen hours. I had a show to do for Subaru in Indiana and a rehearsal at an art house in Missouri. I’ve driven over eleven hours, performed for six, and need a drink. I’m in no mood for loud music. I want a quiet place with good service and my favorite selection of beer and wine. Simply put, I need a place to relax. Enter Erato.

Erato is a wine bar on Main Street in downtown Edwardsville. It is loosely orchestrated by Tim Foley, a classically trained sommelier who on a particularly good night can morph into a marvelous troubadour. Tim stands with regal ease behind the bar most nights, dressed semi-casually and usually with a half smile lingering on his face like the trace of a good joke.

If you’ve never been in Erato you are missing out on one of the great finds in Edwardsville. To give you an idea of what you’re missing, envision this. Looking outside in you see the front of the bar, where people sit at high top tables sipping wine or cocktails, nibbling snacks off chef Kevin Williams’ menu (made with all local all fresh food) or drinking unique microbrews chosen from some of the world’s best. Looking off to the other side you’ll see groups of people bellied up to the bar. If you pay particularly close attention you’ll notice the wide range of people that make up these groups. They range all the way from SIUE music students to off-shift dentists and doctors, local business owners, to lawyers and every night townies.

Move deeper into Erato’s and you’ll find an anteroom with a couple of low sitting leather couches that precedes a cozy back dining area where Kevin serves up fresh fare every night. Beyond this you will find yourself outside again, this time on a nice back patio where people tend to group at the end of the night as the rest of the bar cleans and closes up.

I’m sure it is no surprise from my description that I enjoy this place. Because of its unique construction, three connected but different spaces with a patio, Erato’s is great place to go on any night of the week, whether you want to be surrounded with the excitement of a night’s buzz (front bar), have a semi-private moment with friends or someone special (middle room), have a dinner far greater than what is usually available in a college town (the dining room) or just sip and talk calmly with friends (the patio) you’ll find something to meet your needs.

Sure, there are things I don’t enjoy. There is only one bathroom per gender, so you might have to wait if you need to go (I do have to mention though, that the bathrooms are impeccably clean). If you show up after eight you usually have to wait for a good spot to open up. These of course are minor complaints, nitpicky at best.

Erato’s is a full service establishment and I know I should write more about the food, but Kevin’s work deserves its own article, so I’ll write more on that later. What Tim has done with Erato is essentially created an atmosphere that collects Edwardsville’s social spectrum under one roof comfortably. How does he do it? It could be the quality available to the drinker, the different atmospheres available in each section, the great staff, or just sheer awesomeness. Any explanation would do (although I imagine they all have something to do with it) so I may not be able to answer that. The question I can answer is this, ‘Where should I go in Edwardsville for a good time on my night out?’ The answer, “Erato.” If you liked this story or are a fan or Erato click the FaceBook and Twitter buttons at the top of the post to share with friends! You can also comment below.

Nori Sushi & Japanese Grill

Editor — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:38:22 +0000

Authentic sushi in Edwardsville.

This intimate little sushi bar is close to the SIUE campus making it a great choice for students. Never tried sushi or Japanese cuisine? Try them and they guarantee you will walk out hooked on Sushi (no pun intended). They make non-believers into believers that Japanese cuisine is the new comfort food. When you walk into a Nori Sushi & Japanese Grill you won’t be overwhelmed with Asian decor and music. What you will encounter is a casual atmosphere with pop music playing, people smiling and our friendly staff welcoming you through the doors.

Mr. Currys

Editor — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:33:05 +0000

Don't be afraid to ask for extra spicey.

This is a special innovative Indian restaurant specializing in traditional curries. This is a gem of a find in the middle of corn fields appears this great Indian restaurant. Try the Lamb Biriyani it is amazing. Don’t be afraid to ask the friendly well informed wait-staff if you have questions about the menu.