Category: News and Features

Posted in News and Features

Spend a Day Series – Ideas for a Cozy Fall Day, Bookish Girlie Edition

Posted on by Amanda

Over the summer I started a new once-a-monthish series called Spend a Day. The thought behind the series was to give people ideas on how to spend a day in their local communities. I try to keep my ideas varied according to seasons, budgets, and interests.

The first Spend a Day Series was on things to do in the town of Rosebud, while my second was on Meramec Caverns, a local business that has opportunities for guests to spend the day, or longer, at its facility since there’s ziplining, caves to explore, a restaurant, and lodging onsite.

For the latest Spend a Day, I focused on how I enjoy spending the cozy days of fall, when the weather is cooler and perhaps there’s a bit of bluster in the wind or some raindrops. On days like that I love curling up with a good book and a cup of coffee.

Generic latte art and fall leaves. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

For this Spend a Day series, I chose activities to do in Washington, like visiting the local book stores The Novel Nook and Neighborhood Reads, or heading to the library for some quiet reading. Of course, I also suggest getting your fall beverage of choice. While I love all the coffee spots in WashMO, my fave autumn drink is a pumpkin spice latte and I have a couple spots I love to visit when ordering that drink.

I love them hot or iced, and, of course, I have my go-to places for each. When I want a hot PSL, for me, it doesn’t get any better than The Washington Coffee Shop’s recipe (I think they add caramel!) and for the times when I want that pumpkin spice iced, iced baby, it’s Exit 11. Call me bougie, but I love that the iced latte comes all decked out with whipped cream and a little dash of extra pumpkin spice flavoring crowning the top.

Get into the fall vibes with this short Reel I made about spending a cozy bookish day in WashMO.

Have a suggestion for a future Spend a Day series? Send your ideas to smalltownsocialitemo@gmail.com

Posted in News and Features

Dine on Tasty Dishes at The Tilted Skillet

Posted on by Amanda

Whether we’re taking our friends or family who live outside of the Franklin County area out to lunch, or we want a date night, my husband and I love visiting The Tilted Skillet in Washington. Not only is the food good, like really good, there’s a wide variety of menu items, which makes it a great place to take a group, since there’s salads, sandwiches and burgers, as well as pizza and entrees like whiskey glazed salmon, steak, and pasta dishes.

In addition to food, there’s also craft beer selections, which are typically a variety of local and national craft brews. The full bar also features cocktails, wines, and a substantial spirit selection, including extensive whiskey and bourbon offerings, as well as soft drinks and mocktails.

Shrimp skewers appetizer served over wild rice. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

But, back to the dining options. As I mentioned in my last food review, I’m working on getting healthier, through exercise, as well as eating more protein, and watching my carbs and sugar intake, which basically means no beer for me right now *insert sad face*.

When we dined out at The Tilted Skillet recently, we were both quite hungry, so we did something we rarely do and opted to get an appetizer as well as each order a meal. We ordered the shrimp skewers from the appetizer menu, and while I can’t remember if the menu mentions the glaze or sauce they’re finished with, it tasted similar to the delicious whiskey glaze that I’ve tried on some of the other seafood dishes at The Tilted Skillet.

Bunless burger with the zucchini and squash side. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

As for our meals, I chose a burger and asked for it without a bun, and the side I selected was the zucchini and squash, which is served sautéed with a sprinkling of parmesan. I think the burgers are my favorite menu items here, since they’re thick and juicy and get loads of flavor from the grill. This was my first time ordering my burger without a bun (at least at this establishment) and I really appreciated that it was served on top of romaine, making it easier for me to make it handheld like a traditional burger.

My hubby ordered the brat burger, a huge burger made from brat meat, served on a pretzel bun, with bacon, cheese, avocado, and he added sauerkraut, and ordered the sidewinder fries with Cajun seasoning. He loves this sandwich, but usually ends up removing the bottom part of the bun since it’s so huge!

The brat burger with cajun seasoned sidewinder fries. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

On previous visits I’ve ordered the whiskey salmon, chop salad with chicken, rueben and brisket sandwiches, and the meat lovers pizza – and I have enjoyed everything I’ve ever ordered.

The Socialite recommends The Tilted Skillet!

The details:
323 West 5th Street, Washington
Browse the menu online
Find the restaurant on Facebook

Posted in News and Features

Try Organic Eats in a Colorful, Eclectic Atmosphere at The Wolf Cafe

Posted on by Amanda

I love supporting local businesses in my immediate community, but every once in a while I do venture outside of the Franklin County area. And, the most recent venturing out looked like celebrating my birthday. When it came time to pick where I wanted to eat, I weighed a lot of options, but decided on The Wolf Cafe in Ballwin, because the establishment offers loads of healthier food options, so that my celebratory meal didn’t set me back on some of my current fitness goals.

The Wolf Cafe serves breakfast, brunch, and lunch, plus a second concept that’s located in the basement that serves New Jersey style pizza and cocktails. We visited on a weekend for lunch and the establishment was pretty busy, a good sign in my book, not a complaint! The menu has a little something for everyone, with grass-fed burgers, vegan options, gluten-free choices, including gluten-free and vegan dessert options.

The Breakfast Club and ‘Stang Chicken with air-baked tots. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

For our meal, I chose the ‘Stang Chicken, a chicken sandwich that’s breaded and air-baked (there’s no fryers or microwaves at The Wolf Cafe). The sammie is topped with Gouda, bacon, BBQ sauce, chipotle mayo, pickled red onion, and served on a multigrain bun and opted for the air-baked tots as my side. Hubby ordered the Breakfast Club, which has a lot of the same components of a BLT, + two fried eggs and an avocado smear.

The cafe serves a variety of draft and bottled beers, which excited my hubby, and he got a draft Vienna lager. There’s also a selection of coffees, tea, and bottled drinks like lemonade, juice, water, and healthy prebiotic sodas, like Olipop, which is what I chose.

Peanut butter pie. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

Since we were celebrating my birthday, I wanted a sweet to finish off the meal. The glass bakery case was filled with yummy looking things, like chocolate covered cookie dough balls, carrot cake, and peanut butter pie, to name a few items. I’m a complete chocolate lover, so I chose the peanut butter pie, which has a chocolate rice crispy crust, creamy, sweet peanut butter filling, and a dark chocolate topping. It was delicious, and slightly decadent, so I’m glad we split it.

The Socialite recommends The Wolf Cafe!

The details:
15480 Clayton Road, Ballwin
View the menu online
Find the cafe on Facebook
Follow on Instagram

Posted in News and Features

Get Caffeinated at Riverbend Coffee in St. Clair

Posted on by Amanda

Whether you live in or nearby St. Clair, or you’re just passing through, and you find, as I often do, that you’re jonesing for some caffeine, stop into Riverbend Coffee, located on Main Street. Although I’m partial to coffee, which is offered in traditional drip, as a latte hot or iced and cold brew at the shop, they also serve lotus drinks in a number of flavors and teas for those non-coffee drinkers.

I typically stick to ordering an iced latte (salted caramel + white chocolate), but when I like to switch up my flavors because of the season (white chocolate + peppermint in winter, obvi) or I’m just feeling adventurous, the shop has a great selection of syrups to choose from. And, if I want to watch my sugar intake, I can still have my little treat, because there’s also a number of sugar-free flavors available.

I’m a sucker for an iced latte, and I love that Riverbend has a lot of flavors to choose from. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz

Many of the food selections rotate, since most items are made fresh in house. The options range from pastries and smaller bites, like sweet or savory scones, yummy cakes like gooey butter or carrot cake, and the unique gravy-stuffed biscuits, which are not available all the time, but are delicious and served warm, filled with a rich, creamy sausage gravy. There’s also breakfast sandwiches, and lunch offerings like sandwiches, salads, and soups.

There’s plenty of seating inside and strong wifi if you want to get some work done after you enjoy your beverage or food. The seating is a mix of tables and soft seating. And, if you choose to take your item to go, take note of the interior decor while you wait for your order. The decor centers around nature and life near the water, with landscape photography throughout the space of the Meramec River.

The Socialite recommends Riverbend Coffee!

The details:
35 North Main Street, St. Clair
Find on Facebook
Follow on Instagram
Visit the website