Category: News and Features

Posted in News and Features

Grab Some Excellent Food and Margs at Que Pasa in Union

Posted on by Amanda

Whether I’ve had a long, tough day, or we’re celebrating the big and small wins in our household, Mexican food is always our choice. While I don’t think I have ever met a Mexican restaurant I didn’t like, some places just keep drawing me back again and again.

Que Pasa in Union is one of those spots! The staff is always warm and welcoming, and the service is speedy, which just makes the fact that their food is delicious even better. For starters, I love their salsa, with its balance of flavors, and the crispy, warm tortilla chips that accompany it.

I tend to be a creature of habit when it comes to Mexican food, and so is my hubby, who can’t get enough of their nachos. My go to order is typically taco salad with ground beef, but don’t let the word salad fool you here. It’s loaded up with lots of meat, shredded lettuce, and cheese, and it’s large enough that I can rarely eat the whole thing in one sitting.

When I don’t go the salad route, I really enjoy their tacos. I know, I have such a diverse palette. The combination plates are also excellent and typically are big enough to share, or provide you with an additional meal to take home. I am not much of a drinker, but in the sweltering summer months, nothing hits the spot like a strawberry daquiri, (non-alcoholic, please).

Four soft shell tacos on a plate with rice and refried beans.
Tacos with beans and rice. Photo via Que Pasa’s Facebook.

My hubby’s order never deviates: the full order of their nachos that comes loaded with gooey queso, shredded chicken, ground beef, refried beans, and topped with shredded lettuce, sour cream, and tomato. He also adds jalapeños, cause he likes to sweat while he eats. We always have enough for a second meal the next day, since he doesn’t mind it being reheated in the oven at home.

He loves to pair the nachos with a margarita, on the rocks with salt.

Margarita in a Mason jar
Beverages like margaritas are served in Mason jars at Que Pasa. How fun is that? Photo via Que Pasa’s Facebook.

Now, I am one of those people who can’t tolerate the taste of tequila, and don’t even get me started on how dead-set I am against consuming extra salt via the salted rim of a glass. However, I find that the margs at Que Pasa are excellent, not too sweet, not too tart. Although I could never drink a whole one myself, from time to time, we will get the larger size and I will enjoy a few sips, from a straw, because see above feelings about salted rims!

The Socialite recommends Que Pasa!

The details:
116 S. Oak St., Union, MO.
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Posted in News and Features

Find Sandwiches and Sweets at Joe’s Bakery & Delicatessen in Washington

Posted on by Amanda

Tucked away on Main Street in downtown Washington, Joe’s Bakery & Delicatessen is a place to grab lunch to go or stick around and eat inside the cute dining area that features bits of nostalgia like a working cuckoo clock, old dairy milk pails that have been repurposed into a seat, and vintage-style stained glass lighting.

The menu is centered around delicatessen offerings like sandwiches, wraps, and a few rotating soup selections. Sides include chips, potato salad, or pasta salad. There’s also a wide variety of desserts like cookies, cakes, pies, tarts, and more.

Sandwiches include numerous classic deli offerings like clubs, a French dip, Reuben, and BLT and the wrap selections range from items like a chicken Caesar to chicken salad or a meatless option that is loaded with veggies like spinach, artichokes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and more. Traditional salads like chef, Caesar, and Greek as well as a few others can be found on the menu.

When it comes to the sandwich choices, I can’t pass up The Angelo, dubbed “The Ultimate Italian Sub” by the establishment and with good reason. All truly epic sandwiches start with great bread, and since Joe’s bakes its bread fresh daily, the sub roll forms the perfect soft, pillowy foundation for this loaded Italian sandwich. The Angelo features a number of deli meats: Genoa salami, mortadella, smoked ham and roast beef, provel and parmesan cheeses, shredded lettuce, diced red peppers, red onions and artichoke hearts, plus it gets even more flavor from the Italian herb mayo and balsamic vinaigrette.

Italian sub cut in half with a side of potato salad in a styrofoam container
The Angelo Sub and potato salad. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

Another favorite of mine is the Reuben, made with a generous amount of sliced corned beef, and topped with kraut, Thousand Island, and Swiss, and served on toasted rye. Although I keep promising myself I will branch out on a future visit and try the French dip or one of the two clubs offered (roasted turkey ranch or the standard variety), I just love the Italian sandwich a bit too much to pass it up when I’m there.

In addition to the food, what I really like about Joe’s is that there’s a big selection of desserts, yet they’re made in individual-sized portions, allowing you to get that satisfying feeling of finishing your meal with something sweet without leaving you feeling stuffed. The desserts often rotate and can be anything from small, personal-sized pies to little cakes, and cookies large enough to share, or nibble on throughout the day.

The Socialite recommends Joe’s Bakery & Delicatessen!

The details:
9 West Main St., Washington
Follow Joe’s on Facebook

Posted in News and Features

Work, Dine, Or Just Hang Out at BB Coffee Lab in St. Clair

Posted on by Amanda

As a writer, I’m always looking for places to work. I typically do my writing from home, but from time to time, getting out and working somewhere else can really help get the creativity flowing. Although I love my public libraries, as a coffeeholic, when I find a place with good wifi, spacious tables with lots of electrical outlets, and good coffee? I’m all about it.

BB Coffee Lab in St. Clair offers a spacious interior with a blend of table styles, two-and-four top tables perfect for meeting a friend or two, or for setting up your laptop to squeeze in a little work. For groups, there’s a long table in the main dining area and a couple of nooks with couches and chairs that make for a slightly cozier experience. And, there’s also a drive-thru so guests can get their breakfast and drink orders quickly.

Although there’s ample space for gathering, the caffeinated beverage selections are likely the real reason many people visit a coffee shop. You’ll find a number of different ways to enjoy your java here, with offerings ranging from the classic drip style, to cold brew and hot or iced lattes.

In terms of lattes, there’s several standard syrup flavors, think caramel and vanilla, along with sugar-free options, and BB Coffee Lab typically features a weekly drink special often made with seasonal flavors. Depending on the time of year, and my mood, I usually opt for an iced caramel latte (sugar-free when I’m being good) or a drip coffee, which I find has a pleasantly robust flavor, and I add cream and stevia. Can I just add how much I LOVE that they offer stevia packets, since many places stick with those pink and blue packets that we all know aren’t the best for us.

Non-coffee drinkers rejoice! The drink menu is extensive and features hot and cold options including matcha and chai, along with smoothies and energy drinks.

On the food side, my favorite breakfast order is the Mediterranean breakfast burrito, filled with eggs, spinach, feta, red onion and a delicious aioli, that comes with a side of fruit. There’s also other breakfast options, including bagels, pastries, avocado toast, a loaded breakfast burrito, and breakfast sandwiches.

Breakfast burrito, iced coffee, and jar of fruit on a metal tray
Mediterranean breakfast burrito. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

For lunch, there’s salads, my favorite is the chicken Caesar, there’s also sandwiches and wraps, plus a rotating soup option. I personally love the loaded baked potato soup during soup season.

The Socialite recommends BB Coffee Lab!

The details:
335 N. Commercial Ave., St. Clair
Find BB Coffee Lab on Facebook
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Posted in News and Features

Grab a Cocktail and a Bite at Sip on Main in Union

Posted on by Amanda

A place that’s as ideal for date night as it is for an evening spent chatting with friends over drinks and appetizers, Sip on Main in Union offers the intimate setting of a cocktail bar you’d typically find in a city, right here in Franklin County.

Sip on Main bar. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

The space features warm, inviting lighting as well as a blend of textures like leather sofas, velvet seat coverings, and a beautiful wood bar that also serves as a centerpiece to the space. Although the overall aesthetic leans a bit on the upscale side, the fare is casual, delicious, and shareable.

Sip on Main is a cocktail bar, but there’s also a decent mocktail menu available. On a recent visit with a group of ladies, I had the establishment’s non-alcoholic Mule. The drink combines lime juice, honey, and ginger beer. The mocktail was balanced, not too sweet or tart, and refreshing, plus I loved that it was delivered to me in a copper mug, just like a traditional Mule that’s made with liquor.

Non-alcoholic Mule. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

For food, I sampled a number of delectable snacks, such as the Fry Board, an option dedicated to fry lovers and the indecisive alike. A tray of crispy, starchy goodness, the Fry Board features four types of fries: shoestring, curly, sidewinder, and sweet potato waffle, plus three dipping sauces. Although all were tasty in their own right, I liked the sweet potato fries best, since those aren’t often found on restaurant menus.

Another menu item I tried and really liked (much to my surprise!) were the fried pickles. While I like the taste of fried pickles, typically I’m the kind of girl that will tap out after one or two, since I usually find them too salty or just too…pickle-y to keep eating beyond those first few bites. One of the women in the group I was with ordered the fried pickles and I tried one, expecting to only eat that solitary fried pickle. However, I found them just right, not too salty nor was there an overwhelming pickle flavor, and they remained crispy long after they were served to us (we ordered a LOT of food on this visit so we could chat and nibble on the snacks throughout the evening).

My favorite item I had that evening was the BBQ Pork Belly Flatbread, a balance of salty, sweet, with a slight hit of spice. The flatbread is topped with chunks of pork belly tossed in barbecue sauce, sliced jalapeno and pineapple, melted pepperjack cheese, and topped with a drizzle of ranch. The flatbread crust was a pleasing texture, neither too crisp, nor too soft, and all the toppings just worked together to create a sort of umami magic that made me want to eat the entire flatbread, however, I summoned my willpower and ate half.

BBQ Pork Belly Flatbread. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

The Socialite recommends Sip on Main!

The details:
201 E. Main St., Union
siponmain.com
Find Sip on Main on Facebook
Follow Sip on Main on Instagram