I’ve been making a list and checking it twice.
Though, unlike Santa’s list that fixates on the naughty or nice, my list focuses on the deliciously decadent and nice. I’m making a list of festive food finds and destinations serving seasonal specialties to make a culinarian’s holiday merry.
Before Santa splits and 2019 fades away, make a list of your own. Include the savory and sweet. along with destinations offering fanciful plates and yuletide libations. To start that list, check out my recommendations of holiday indulgences, which will create memories to savor on those Christmases yet to come.
The Holiday Cup O’ Cheer
Toasting the holidays begins and ends with the pop of a Champagne cork. David Bailey’s sparkling wine bar, POP, adds extra sparkle to Lafayette Square’s glittering lights. POP has 80 different varieties of bubbles. To welcome Santa or to ring in the New Year, consider celebrating with French Champagne
Sip, spin and raise a Champagne flute aboard Union Station’s newest illuminated attraction, The St. Louis Wheel. Book a trip inside the VIP gondola for a Champagne celebration spin. The luxury, climate-controlled car is outfitted with bucket seats and a glass floor, enhancing the bird’s-eye view of the city’s holiday lights. After taking a spin, catch the light show projected on Union Station’s lobby ceiling, best viewed at the lobby bar with a delightfully festive, seasonal cocktail.
Savor a cup of hot mulled wine and drink in the expansive riverfront views atop Cinder House’s patio at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis. Ask mixologist Jeff Ward, who stands ready to create the perfect cocktail to pair with the patio’s other holiday treat, toasted marshmallows.
Savory Seasonal Strolls and Trails
Missouri Botanical Garden’s Garden Glow will again offer steaming hot chocolate and fire pits for s’mores. However, for foodies searching for fancier fare, follow the garden path to the Spink Pavilion – the site of the holiday pop-up wine bar operated by Catering St. Louis – for stylish small plates, wine and warming winter cocktails.
For a taste of the past, stroll down Main Street in St. Charles. Here, chestnuts roasting and wassailing are preserved as Christmas traditions. Yuletide dinners are also staged with the Legends of Christmas (from vintage Santas to Jack Frost), and gingerbread will be the medium used to depict 250 years of Christmas in St. Charles – fresh-baked nostalgia, on display through Christmas Eve.
Serious connoisseurs gladly follow the Hermann Holiday Fare Wine Trail, which will be held Nov. 16 and 17. Trail travelers sample festive wine and food pairings from seven wineries. This year’s pairings include Dierberg Star Lane Holiday Tortellini Soup and Chardonnay, and Spiced Cranberry & Orange Linzer Bar with Toasted Oat & Nut Streusel Topping, paired with Stone Hill Winery’s Traminette. Return to Hermann in December for the Say Cheese Wine Trail and the town’s Christkindl Markt, where German delicacies are sure to be found.
Dining Decadence
When it comes to setting the table and decking the dining hall, remember, you can’t overdo Christmas. ‘Tis the season to decorate and splurge. Forget the turkey. I’m craving prime rib, luxury seafood and spectacular pastries served on silver and china, with real linens; ritzy elements found at the place that invented the concept, The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis. Puttin’ on the Ritz at the Ritz for the holidays includes Teddy Bear Teas, bountiful buffets and four-course dinners.
Another indulgent dinner destination that has defined elegant dining for countless generations is Tony’s, renowned for gourmet fare and service that sparkles brighter than the silver. When ordering your dinner, plan ahead. Save room for the Pumpkin Mousse Torte crowned with a ring of whipped cream and toasted pecans. It’s this year’s featured dessert, created and baked by pastry chef extraordinaire, Helen Fletcher. And she’s sharing the recipe with us, along with another for Pumpkin Cheesecake Tart with Caramel Rum Sauce on her blog, pastrieslikeapro.com.
What do carnivores want Santa to bring? Steak dinners; prime rib and thick-cut sirloins and filets, cooked to order. Sam’s Steakhouse, a landmark along Gravois Road near Grant’s Farm, has made a holiday reputation on its generous-cut, seasoned steaks served with a holiday light show – a dining room and bar covered in lights, garland and ribbons.
Don’t forget, the holidays are all about tradition. When it comes to Christmas steak, revisit the classics, such as Al’s Restaurant, and Kreis’ Steakhouse & Bar. Al’s opened back in 1925 as a saloon, before it transformed itself into a posh steakhouse, known for its unique show-and-tell menu. Kreis’ Steakhouse has taken pride in its slow-roasted prime rib since 1948. Available in sizes ranging from a petite 10-ounce queen cut to a bone-in, extra-cut king, weighing in at 54 ounces, the perfect choice for Santa.
