UPDATE: This article first appeared on Sept. 3. Patch has added additional details and corrected the price per pound of choclate previously listed as $18.99. Anyone who has read the last three "summer sweets" columns might have begun to wonder if I love all sugary treats equally. I’ve gushed about everything from Grandma’s chewy cookies to Rosciglione’s crunchy ones and professed my undying love for J. Noto’s Godiva-topping chocolates. I’m toning my love down a small notch this week for my review of Riverside Sweets. Don’t get me wrong—they’re still good. They’re just up against some stiff …

Visiting Bass Pro Shop must be an exhausting experience. The massive store is ringed by a pair of strip malls chock full of restaurants to help restore your energy once you're done with a hard day of shopping. Little Tokyo is sandwiched between a Mexican and an Italian restaurant with a sport's bar only a couple doors further down. The inside feels exactly like what you'd expect from a strip mall restaurant with it’s bland grey walls and ceiling plus aging rickety tables. But in the middle of all that is a lovely black lacquer sushi bar lined with 10 dark wood and leather chairs. It feels …

Grandma’s Cookies on South Main Street delivers huge, old-fashioned treats for prices out of an earlier era. Cookies, like everything else, go in fashionable trends. Your supersized mall cookies lead to a pendulum swing to miniature bite sized cookies. Crunchy grocery store cookies lead to super soft gooey cookies. The average dessert labeled “cookie” changes every few years. Except at Grandma’s. Whenever I visit, this tiny Main Street storefront always has a line out the door. The building is just wide enough that once you pay for your loot, you can elbow your way back past the line and …

Trailhead is a microbrewery that anchors the far north end of Main Street. I’ve heard both the food and brews were good, so it was time to check them out. I dragged along a teetotaling friend just in case the beers were too good. We were seated in the small non-smoking section. The broad patio doors were mercifully shut in this killer heat, but in nicer weather, it was obvious this would be a nice place to enjoy a fresh breeze along with a brew. The interior wall had windows opening to the fermentation tank room, giving a nice reminder that you're in a brewpub. At $8-10, most of Trailhead’s …

Concetta's is a quintessentially St. Louis Italian restaurant. Every cream sauce on the menu is made with provel. The side dishes include fries, house salad or mostaccioli. Toasted ravioli are not only an appetizer, but a lunch entree as well. Out-of-towners might find the food unusual, but for anyone born and bred in St. Louis, the menu is classic comfort food.When you walk in, the mostly windowless dining area has the feel of a grandparent's basement. The tan walls are accented with dark wooden beams, all topped by collectible porcelain sculptures. One room is lined with American historical…

When he saw me coming up the parking lot, a man tucked his cellphone in his pocket and told his son to get away from the giant inflatable panda. Sushi Ai opened a second location in St. Charles, and any kid who likes Japanese animation is going to fall in love with inflatable bear on the sidewalk. I gave Dad a wink and offered to take a photo of them both. Inside, the adorable larger-than-life animations give way to a tastefully decorated sushi bar. The open interior is functionally divided into three more intimate dining areas by rows of leafy green bamboo stretching from floor to ceiling. …

In honor of summer’s return, I decided it was time to break out of crowded dining rooms and enjoy some fresh air with outdoor patio dining. Due to the 10 a.m.-4 p.m. hours, I’d never eaten at the Garden Café Ala Fleur on Main Street. If you work nearby and are in search of a quick, affordable lunch, the Garden Café Ala Fleur belongs on your rotation. The building at 524 Main Street is used by three businesses. The café offers some indoor seating in the basement. Above ground, the first floor hosts a hair saloon at one end and an espresso bar at the other. Outdoors, the café made me wonder if …

It’s hard not to compare Grappa Grill to chain restaurants. The owners know their competition and therefore did a very good job making the interior comfortable and familiar to people who enjoy Olive Garden while the long and diverse menu is reflective of T.G.I. Friday’s. The large restaurant with its multiple dining rooms and outdoor patio section offers the same seating convenience as a national chain--you can walk in with a party of eight and probably won’t have to wait more than 20 minutes. The diverse menu includes everything: a good selection of pastas, steaks and sandwiches, as well as …

I hadn't expected a strip mall restaurant on the wrong side of ongoing road construction to be so crowded, but La Carreta was bustling when I walked in. A big basket of chips, salsa, and a glass of water were at my table seconds after I was seated. If I already knew my order, the waiter was ready to take it that instant. That level of attention to a busy lunch crowd explained why people were willing to brave the inconvenience of getting there. Well, that and good Mexican food. La Carreta’s grim strip mall setting alongside a post office and a Curves gave way to a cheerfully painted interior …

You know you're in for something good when the homemade iced tea is poured from a pitcher kept in the fridge and the cashier leans over to ask one of the other employees what she put in the peanut butter balls this morning.The aptly named 2nd Street Bike Stop Café  was founded by cycling enthusiasts. While I ate, two regulars parked their bikes in front of the café, proving this really is somewhere cyclists stop for a healthy lunch, although you certainly don’t have to be a cyclist to enjoy the mix of vegetarian and lean meat sandwiches and salads.The open, airy interior is full of small, all…

I’m a big fan of eating lunch at fine dining restaurants. You usually get 80 percent of the experience for 50 percent of the price. That was certainly the case when I visited Pio’s. You’ll find Pio’s in a century-old remodeled dry goods building on First Capitol Drive, just a few blocks from the Main Street. The windowless interior makes it easy to feel like you’ve stepped back in time. The wood ceiling beams and exposed brick remind you this is an historic building, while the wood paneling, frosted glass privacy windows and floral wallpaper give the interior the charming feel of your …

I really wanted to like Ham's Deli. You see, I'm a sucker for a good sandwich.  I stopped in because I heard they had sandwiches named after local celebrities such as “The Skipper” named for coach Tony La Russa of the St. Louis Cardinals or the "Tim Ezell" from the reporter on KTVI FOX-2. That seemed like a fun twist on a boring lunch. What I found was a place with sandwiches twice the price of Subway with about the same level of quality. I ordered the "Tim Ezell." It seemed like the man making my sandwich carefully rationed his cucumber reserve, giving me one slice on each half of the …

This tiny, quaint restaurant on the far edge of South Main Street is unashamedly targeted at female retirees. Considering the sheer volume of sports bars in St. Charles, it’s refreshing to find a successful restaurant targeted at the opposite demographic. You’ll find Magpie Café in a quaint, narrow converted house at the far edge of South Main Street. Soft listening hits of the 1970s play in a small front room decorated with a sign reading “The Witch Is In,” handblown glass bowls, and heart-shaped candle boxes on the tables. When I stopped in, the dining room was bustling with women from …

How can you resist a restaurant that offers both freshly made donuts and freshly made hummus? Mario's Donuts is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in a generic strip mall. This setting usually means the restaurant will be one of two things: an under appreciated gem or a bland, anonymous horror. I’m pleased to say Mario’s was the former.The restaurant is a small store front with four booths, six tables and a few bar stools. Because Mario's offer free Wi-Fi, I ate my breakfast with a pharmaceutical sales rep who was training a new employee, a Web designer out with a client, and a couple with …

Gingham's Homestyle Restaurant is a 24-hour diner located off Highway 94, well away from the bustling Main Street strip. The country decor has a pleasant, authentic feel. Instead of lining the walls with random, broken farm implements picked up at auctions, the restaurant has a cheerful wallpaper border full of inspirational messages separating hunter green and rust red halves of the wall. The decor feels like it was chosen by someone's grandmother, rather than a kitsch committee. Daily specials greeted me at the door (chopped steak and stuffed cabbage on my visit).  Although Gingham's was …

I had mixed feelings walking into Quintessential Nightlife on Main Street. Opinions drift to the extremes - people either absolutely love it or hate it. At 7:30 on a Thursday night nearly every table was full - always a good sign. My first impression was that the bar was trying way too hard. It has a very late 90's upscale feel. Bare brick lay behind the bar while the restaurant's other wall was grey half curtains above paneling. Plain black Formica tables flecked with matching grey glitter and dull grey steel appliances are brightened slightly by dark mauve chairs with muted navy accents. …

We all have that picky group of friends. One is lactose intolerant, another has celiac disease and everyone is dieting. I decided to look for a restaurant where you could take people with diverse dietary needs. Therefore, this week we're back on Main Street for another trip to a restaurant by day and bar by night.Cobblestones is a narrow building with bare brick walls and marbled tile. A wrought iron staircase adds to the rustic feel. Only eight four-top tables litter the interior. There are almost as many chairs by the well-stocked bar as alongside tables. You'll find a couple of …

The New Town planned development on the fringes of St. Charles seems like the right kind of place for a restaurant named Beatniks. The holistically planned neighborhood is carefully sculpted to feel like an idealized small town in miniature. Mixed use houses and apartments are all a quick walk from a city core which hosts a surprisingly diverse and useful selection of businesses including a dentist, veterinarian, beauty salon, fair trade market, title office, insurance office, and, of course, an assortment of restaurants and bars. For people who work in North County but crave the walkable …

It's Thursday night. You've had a long week at work are looking for somewhere you can relax with an affordable drink or two and some unpretentious food. Big A's on the Riverfront is a good choice. Rumor had it the food was decent and the drinks were cheap - these things don't often go together, so a friend and I decided to investigate. Good decision. Our table had a flip display with a broad assortment of drinks for a very reasonable $4.50 to $6. I like a restaurant where the drinks cost less than the food. I tried to tempt my dinner companion with the $9 Bucket O' Rum (my name, not the …