A Non-Disney Food Review? That's Unpossible!!!

Annie Gunn's...Not to be Confused with Tim Gunn (2/17/08)

Annie Gunn's is the name of a restaurant that's affiliated with The Smokehouse Market in Chesterfield Valley. The market has been in operation since 1937, when Chesterfield was nothing but acres of farmland commonly known by the more colorful, if less pretentious name, of Gumbo Flats.

The restaurant is recognized as one of the better ones in Stinktown, although its outward appearance is a bit deceptive. It's a single story brick structure with an outdoor patio for additional dining - the restaurant comprises half of the building while the market occupies the other half. Jay and I like to shop in the market during prime grilling season - they sell wonderful cuts of meat and glorious fresh seafood. We've even been known to purchase artisan cheese from them, although their selection is not as varied as some of the other places we like to frequent.

Here's the link to the restaurant and market - check it out when you have some time!

http://www.smokehousemarket.com/index.html

As much as we've visited the market over the years, it's been a long time since Jay and I have eaten in the restaurant. The whole reason for our dinner was to celebrate a belated Christmas with his mom and dad. What do you give the parents who have everything but will never splurge on a nice meal for themselves?

You give them dinner Jay and Brenda style!

Our reservation was for 5:30 on Sunday evening and we were quickly seated at a snug little table for four with menus and Annie Gunn's wine bible. The interior is dim with paneled walls and hardwood floors; it's reminiscent of a sprawling farmhouse. It's comfortable but not fancy - the dining room is incidental ... the food takes center stage at this establishment.

I had already warned Jay that I needed a cheese plate, and if I were going to be expected to do the polite thing and share...well, we'd better order something else in addition to the cheese because the parasitic twin within was gnawing a hole in my belly.

The Cheese plate was described as follows on the menu: Shaft's Blue (Cow - California); Chimay ala Biere (Cow - Belgium); Coupole (Goat - Vermont); and L'Edel de Cleron (Cow - France). The cheeses were accompanied by a warm, fresh mini baguette, fruit, quince butter, and Nocellara olives.

I'm overwhelmed by the bacterial bounty.

From the top left you'll see the Chimay ala Biere, and following a diagonal down the plate to the lower right are L'Edel de Cleron, Shaft's Blue, and Coupole. I had high hopes that were rather dashed ... not every cheese plate can be a nose-hair curling experience comparable to that of Jiko or Victoria and Albert's. Let that be a lesson to those of you traveling to Stinktown - if you want a cheese plate that's going to tingle your tastebuds stop by our house 'cause we do it better!

The Belgian cheese had a very strong, earthy flavor and I only ate one slice because it left a dirty aftertase in my mouth that the wine just couldn't seem to erase. The biggest disappointment of the entire selection was the French cheese, which our waiter told us was a triple cream. I loves me the double and triple cream French cheeses, especially when smeared on warm bread and chased with grapes on a diet - aka raisins - but this creamy cheese tasted of nothing but rind. I've created an entirely new form of performance art based just on scraping the gooey guts from the inside of the cheese while leaving the rind in place just to avoid any hint of moldy, mildewy, taste. And it usually works like a charm ... but not this night.

I only had two more choices and one of them was a blue cheese - gack! I took a deep breath and stabbed bravely into the goat cheese where I at last discovered thick, crumbly, slightly tart success! This cheese was lovely and mild but a little drier than I am accustomed to in a goat cheese. Surprise taste combination of the evening: it tasted really good with figs!

Our second appetizer platter choice was the House Smoked Seafood Platter which included the following: Vermont Maple Glazed Jumbo Shrimp, Georges Bank Sea Scallops, Troutdale Farm Missouri Trout, and Irish Salmon with Traditional Garnishes and House Made Guiness Rye Bread.

The Burns Omni-Net: Sweeping the Seas Clean.

Tasty doesn't even begin to describe this platter, which was the unexpected favorite of your devoted, gluttonous author. I love shrimp, and these two big boys were sweet and slightly smoky and cooked to perfection. The scallops were also very good although they were cooked inconsistently; one was lovely and light - barely needing to be chewed - while the other was somewhat gummy. That little dab of paleness between the shrimp and the salmon was the trout - it was quite tasty but I was surprised that we hadn't been given more of it. The portion size seemed a little on the cheap. The salmon was delicious, made even better when smeared with some dill spread and draped across some of that rye bread.

Before I forget, Jay's dad and I were drinking Pinot Grigio: Danzante 2006, Venize, Italy. This was a very light wine, which tends to be my preference, with a subtle aroma and a clean taste. I really enjoyed it, which is why I had two glasses! Jason went with a Syrah - Bridlewood 2004, Central California Coast. As many of you know, I don't care for a lot of red wines because they often leave this fragile flower with a raging headache, but I will say that this wine had a stunning, deep red color and a surprisingly fruity aroma. Jay liked it well enough to have a second glass, too!

Jason and his parents are big salad eaters so of course they had to order some greens. Interestingly enough they all chose the same thing: Sweet Gem Lettuce Salad with Irish Black Bacon, Hard Boiled Egg, Sweet Onions, Salemville Blue Cheese Dressing, and Garlic Croutons.

Salad, Part I


Salad, Part II

I rarely eat salad - it's an intestinal gamble that I don't often take - but my three dining partners all agreed that this was one heck of a tasty plate o'greens. I actually said that it reminded me of a cobb salad after a three-month diet.

No one other than me seemed to find that very amusing ... maybe it was the wine. ;-)

And who needs salad anyway when you can order Annie Gunn's Incredibly Famous Potato Soup???

Famous taters, precious.

I only ordered a cup of soup ... I wonder just how big the bowl of soup would have been? I love potato soup and this was very good - hot and creamy with just the right amount of salty bacon crumbled over the top. If I had a single suggestion it would be that they include fewer potatoes and a little more soup. I'm one of those people who likes potato soup creamy to the point of puree'. At least when I'm ready for the nursing home I won't mind having my meals liquified.

For our entree, Jay's mom and I ordered the exact same thing: Grilled 6-ounce Aged Filet Mignon w/Cabernet Cracked Pepper Butter and Whipped Yukon Gold Potatoes. Vegetables for the evening: Asparagus and Butternut Squash.

Quite possibly the perfect plate ...

This time it's alright to be crabby at dinner

As if two appetizer platters, soup, and salad weren't enough, the mother-in-law and I decided that we each needed a side of buttered poached jumbo crab meat to accompany our steaks. The entire course was incredible. The steak was tender and flavorful - coooked medium - and the cabernet pepper was noticeable but not overpowering. I experienced a slight sensation of heat on the back of my tongue but it was subtle. The potatoes were light and fluffy with just a hint of butter whipped into them; the butternut squash was delicately sweet and soft without being mushy. And the asparagus was crisp and flavorful.

And the sweet, sweet crab was drowning in butter and I still don't know if it tasted better all alone or sprawled across the filet. I may need to return another day and try it again before I can make up my mind.

Jay's dad ordered Grilled Berkshire Pork Tenderloin and Braised Pork Cheeks on Cornbread Stuffing with Redeye Gravy.

A man raised on a farm can never say "no" to pork.

Jay's dad seemed to like this just fine - what man doesn't like pork two ways? He pretty much licked the plate clean, which I took as indication that the meal had met with his digestive approval. He did allow Jay to try a piece of his pork cheek, which Tony Bourdain always raves about and Jay said it was pretty damn tasty.

Jason's entree represented his attempt to try something completely new - inspired by recent viewings of No Reservations with Tony Bourdain. So his selection was perfect given Tony's recent love affair with animal cheeks. Braised Marcho Farms Veal Cheeks on Whipped Yukon Gold Potatoes w/a Caramelized Winter Vegetable Sauce.

It's Cheeky!!


Jason really liked this dish. The veal was incredibly tender and flavorful. I even tried it and thought it was quite good - the veal had the consistency and texture of meat that had been slow cooked to perfection. Think of the best beef stew or beef brisket you've ever had and how the meat practically falls apart at the slightest touch and you'll have a good mental picture of this veal cheek.

We find that nothing aids the digestive process like a nice cappuccino. And since the weather had been cold and miserable all weekend it sounded very appealing before we faced the 30-minute drive back to our homestead on the outer fringes of Stinktown. The air doesn't smell quite as bad out in the sticks, hence the name Funky Odorville for our section of the metropolitan area.

Now that's foam!


Wow! One of the best cappies we've had in a long time. A great mix of espresso and milk, neither too bitter nor too milky, and a lovely foam cloud. And since I like my coffee drinks a little bit on the sweet side, these two raw sugar cubes were perfect!

And even though we really didn't have room for dessert I ordered it anyway! I actually thought the dessert menu was pretty boring, but the Bread Pudding with Caramel Whiskey Sauce caught my eye and I gave Jason the "pretty-please" eyes and viola!

Since when do I like bread pudding?


This was served piping hot...it must have come right out of the oven because we could see the steam rising from the pudding. And it was so good - whiskey caramel sauce should be bottled and sold to hardworking people like you and me so that we can take it to the office with us daily and pour it over everything from Yoplait Whips to Peanut Butter sandwiches.

I can think of no higher praise for this dessert than to say ... I don't normally like bread pudding. But when it's paired with some kind of alcohol (thank you Commander's Palace ... we love your bread pudding souffle with the whiskey cream sauce!) then I'm all over it like Grimace with a scratch-off lottery ticket. Annie Gunn's bread pudding was Yummy to the nth power.

There you have it my friends - a long, satisfying meal with wonderful service that I neglected to mention until now. I highly recommend Annie Gunn's for a hearty and inventive dinner - their menu has a nice mix of classic dishes that appeal to pickier folks like me as well as more exotic / gourmet dishes for folks like Jason. They had Hudson Valley Foie Gras on the appetizer menu and they also had a specialty meat menu which included Kobe Beef. Just to be nosy I asked our waiter how much the Kobe was going for that evening ... the order was a 5 ounce minimum at $28 per ounce. Now that's indulgent!

Thanks for reading!!