HOT SPOTS
Wednesday is Wine Day
With many appetizers offered at half price, happy hour at J. Gilbert’s is already a good deal, but on Wednesdays it gets even better. In the bar from 5 to 7 p.m., a sampling of three wine varietals (or regions) arrives just for the asking, a short description of each accompanying the flight. Next week, Pinots will be featured, then California Cabs, then the Oregon Trail… This week, we discovered a wine far richer than its price tag—a 2012 Sonoma Merlot from Benziger. And more glasses were available…at a discounted price, of course. 17-A West County Center, 314-965-4600.
INSIDER TIP
Pooches on the Patio
We love dogs and we love beer (and dogs love beer, but that’s another story). It just so happens that many of StL’s craft breweries have beer gardens/patios that are dog-friendly, so feel free to bring a leashed pooch to Molly's in Soulard, Civil Life Brewing Co., Square One Brewery and Distillery, both Schlafly locations, all three iTap locations, at A-B’s Biergarten during Wednesday Night “Yappy Hours,” and both locations of Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. (Super insider tip: well-behaved dogs are welcome indoors as well at UCBC’s location in the Grove).
MICRORANT
Super-Thin Taco Chips
OK, it’s not so much a rant as a dilemma. We love our taco chips warm, thin, and slightly salty. And we like our guacamole fresh-made, chunky, and preferably made with Haas avocados. The two don’t get along at all. Broken-off chips require deft retrieval; fingers accidentally but inevitably slip into the guac; doubling up the chips barely increases the strength factor… It’s futile. Now we know why Frito-Lay invented SCOOPS.
Follow George on Twitter @stlmag_dining or send him an email at gmahe@stlmag.com. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
