Go Gin Chow: Missouri

Thai Gai Yang Cafe, St. Louis, MO

This is shadow reporting on another place from Pat's Thai Restaurant empire in the Delmar Loop. Nice modern decor, some seating areas had pretty cool looking seat cushions with pastel colors. There are some rare Thai dishes on this menu, which is a major plus. In particular they had Hung Lay curry, a Burmese influenced northern Thai curry dish. Really surprised to see this dish here. The only other restaurant that I know of in the U.S. that has this dish on their menu is the world famous Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas. Regrettably I did not try the dish during this visit so I cannot report on it. I went for the Yen Ta Fo. Just ok. No water spinach, no crispy squid, no white woods ear mushrooms, no solidified blood. Condiments tray was just crushed dried chili's and fresh crushed chili's with vinegar sauce. Default noodles were thin Pho style noodles "sen lek". Server did not give options for noodles, but I would have preferred flat noodles "sen yai". Broth was too sour, but at least this is better than being too sweet. I requested sugar to help with this and the waitress was happy to bring me some in a plastic cup (not a typical request, I guess). Sugar helped a lot. Good bowl overall, but not great. Generous portion size and very reasonable prices. Service was good, but again a bit indifferent to the customer. While I was dining the servers chatted to themselves in the background in Thai about school and other things. Good move on their part not to be gossiping about the customers who may or may not understand them (sounds crazy, but I have seen this happen in other places). Overall not a bad place for Thai food that is not too Americanized. Worthy effort.

                                                           Thai Gai Yang Cafe
                                                            6250 Delmar Blvd
                                                            Saint Louis, MO 63130
                                                            (314) 862-4400

Condiments Tray

Yen Ta Fo

Thai Pizza Co., St. Louis, MO

Shadow here checking out a place that is part of Pat's Thai Restaurant's Thai food monopoly on the Delmar Loop. Interesting fusion food idea.   I don't know if there are any other Thai Pizza restaurants in the U.S. I have seen similar fare (Green Curry Pizza, Tom Yum Goong Pizza) on Pizza Hut and Pizza Company menus in Thailand. They did have some Pizza varieties I have not seen before like Pad Thai, Laab, Sataay and Drunken. I wish there was a pizza sampler, but alas I had to choose.   I figured I could not go wrong the the Tom Tum Goong Pizza. The soup is a Thai trademark dish after all. Ordered it with the thin crust. Pizza came out very fast, about 5 minutes! Maybe a little too fast. Dough tasted like a stale cracker and not freshly baked, I am guessing they must have pre-baked the crusts in advance (at least the thin crusts) to save time. Pizza was loaded with cheese , too much cheese. Could not really appreciate the flavor of the sauce. The sauce did in fact have Tom Yum Flavor though. I could taste the lemongrass, galanga and kaffir lime, but it was very subtle. They should definitely cut down on the cheese. Mushrooms on the pizza tasted like they were from a can, not good. They also had some more traditional Thai dishes on their menu, but I did not get to try them. Decor was simple, clean and modern. Service was decent, but they did not really seem to make that personal connection with the customer. Overall quite a bit disappointing. Still this place is unique and for that alone I hope they stay open. I am curious of the other combinations and could certainly give this place another chance.

                                                             Thai Pizza Co.
                                                             608 Eastgate Ave
                                                             Saint Louis, MO 63130
                                                             (314) 862-4429

Tom Yum Goong Pizza, Thin Crust

Eclipse Restaurant, Moonrise Hotel, St. Louis, MO

Greetings from Shadow in St. Louis. Very cool place. Love the lunar theme in both the hotel and the restaurant. Dining room is very modern and stylized. Service is very ritzy, you are treated like royalty, surprisingly prices are very affordable. Went there for breakfast. Each table is set with a basket of brand new small unopened jars of various jams and honey. Ordered hot tea and the server brought out a giant fancy box of assorted teas for me to choose from. For my main course I had the Satellite Sandwich - two eggs any style dressed with capers and Hollandaise sauce over smoked salmon covered Texas toast. I ordered the eggs poached. Eggs were cooked perfectly. Wished there was a little more Hollandasie sauce, but this was not Egg's Benedict after all, maybe it is supposed to be like this. Smoked salmon was slightly overcooked around the edges, since it was baked with the toast, I was hoping it would be more cold smoked like lox. Bread was sliced a little thicker than I would have wanted, but that is Texas toast I guess. Overall not bad place if you want a fancy yet affordable dining experience. Also, at night be sure to check out the hotel Rooftop Terrace Bar for great views of the city.

                                                              Eclipse Restaurant
                                                              6177 Delmar Blvd
                                                              St Louis, MO 63112
                                                              (314) 726-2222

Satellite Sandwich

Close-up of eggs cut open

Moonrise Hotel at Night

Rooftop Terrace Bar

Gateway Arch, Levee Mercanile, St. Louis, MO

Shadow Here. If you are visiting Saint Louis, then the Gateway Arch is likely on your list of things to see. This structure is quite a unique landmark and is a key component in St. Louis's beautiful signature skyline.   The outside of the arch is truly a sight to see from all angles, at all times of day. It shimmers and sparkles in the sunlight and is illuminated at night. When entering the arch I was much surprised to see it quite packed with things to do. Along with a tram to the top of the arch offering spectacular views of Missouri and Illinois, there also was a museum, two movie theaters showing educational films, a gift shop and a Cheese/Meat Shop/General Store (Levee Mercantile). How they made room for all this is beyond me. They had some interesting offerings of sausages, cheeses, desserts, candy, toys, books, candles and more. Classic Colonial General Store fare. Gave the cheese curds a try, a little on the salty side, but not a bad snack to munch on while you are waiting in line for the trams to the top of the arch. various meats were just ok, relatively inexpensive, but still fun to purchase given the classic atmosphere and the fact that the proceeds support the museum is a plus as well. Staff were friendly, polite and efficient.   Must see tourist destination.

                                                                 The Gateway Arch
                                                                 11 North Fourth St
                                                                 Saint Louis, MO 63102
                                                                 (314) 982-1410