Jessica S.'s Profile

As far as bar and grills go, this one is pretty good. They have a pretty extensive menu with few surprises, but everything they make, they make well. Once you're seated, service is quick and friendly. Truthfully, I haven't been there in a few months because it's usually pretty crowded on Friday and Saturday nights (wait time can be 45 minutes or more), but if nothing's changed, then I heartily recommend it!

Free cupcakes? Yes please! Check the website for free tastings dates. The cupcakes are inconsistent. The eggnog and white chocolate with raspberry filling are divine, while others leave you disappointed. The eggnog was so gooey you had to eat it with a spoon, very unique. The fruit flavored cupcakes are very sugary, which I don't mind but can turn many people off. The Valentine cupcakes were definitely better than the winter ones. The layout of the space is awkward, not really a place I feel comfortable hanging out in. I haven't been there on a non-tasting day so i don't know how diverse the array of cupcakes is normally.

I'm with Chip. This place is always dead and that's a shame, because the food is pretty good.

They have a cheap onion/sumac/pita bread appetizer that I love, and the main courses are usually tasty, too.

I won't rave about their "signature" dessert though, which is their "home made double vanilla bean ice cream" and a cookie. I've had better ice cream, and the cookie is invariably burnt for some reason.

Anyway, I recommend going as it's something different in the area and the food is good!

I'm sure sad to see Steve's review about that guy's "special meatball" pasta!

I go here only for the pizza. I  love St. Louis style pizza, and this is quite simply the best I've ever had. It's always packed during weekend dinner rushes, and for good reason. To be honest, I've never had anything else there besides the pizza because it is just so good. Pizza.

***For the record, I hate St. Louis style pizza. This review is written by my crazy boyfriend who is misguided by his upbringing in the land of nasty cheese-like junk. I'll let him have his fun though ;-) ***

A great new Indian/Pakistani restaurant in the area in the remains of the pathetic "Mexican" restaurant that was Chihuahua's.

Lal Qila (Urdu for "Red Castle") is an off-shoot of Al Riaz Catering, and I'd presume that their catering gig keeps this place afloat. It's always almost completely empty, though that must be due to a lack of marketing because it in no way reflects the quality of the food.

They have a buffet even for dinner, which is somewhat unusual for Indian restaurants where a lunch buffet/dinner menu is the norm. The selection isn't as huge as some places, limited to around 10 or 12 items maybe, but it is all really flavorful and varied. The last couple times I was there they didn't feature a lot of vegetarian dishes. They have some of the best naan I've had in the area.

The atmosphere is nothing to rave about, as the interior is basically untouched from the Chihuahua days.

The guys that work there are exceedingly accommodating, polite and friendly. The buffet format makes it a great option if you're pressed for time. On my last visit, my guest and I were in and out within 25 minutes.

This is a great addition to West County's growing number of Indian food options, and I encourage you to try it!

To be honest, I'm not sure if this place is still in business. I haven't been in the area for a couple months and it was always dead when I went.

That said, the food was really satisfying here. I've been at least 5 times, and it's always a buffet with the same items. This isn't a knock against it, though, because each of those is really good.

It's sort of like soul food for me. I could eat their stroganoff till my gut exploded, and then I'd come straight back from the hospital to enjoy the borscht.

If they're still around, definitely give them a try. Be aware that almost none of the dishes are vegetarian, so only go if you have no problems with meat.

Good, cheap, and fast Pakistani food. Go a few doors down to their Lal Qila (Red Castle) restaurant for a real restaurant experience, though. (Well, real in that you're sitting at a table. The food's great but you can tell costs were cut on decor.) Al Riaz is more of a room and you walk in and pick up your food and leave.

I'm usually not too big on sports bar type places, but I think this one is different. Like Rachel said, it has a more upscale vibe. It's clean and spacious. The menu has a decent selection, and everything I've gotten there has been pretty good (usually from the center panel featuring BBQ sandwiches). Every once in a while the fries won't be exactly crisp, but overall Lester's is very consistent. I'm pretty sure this place exists in the 5th dimension because the parking lot is always packed and overflowing into adjoining lots, yet I can almost always walk right in and find a table and get served right away.

Good food and service. Definitely recommended!

I think this place has really gone downhill. I used to eat there somewhat frequently because of a general lack of ethnic dining options in the area, and it was always pretty good. Apparently there are new owners and, in my opinion, the food has suffered because of it. The flavors are much more generic and bland, almost like the Thai version of Chinese restaurants that use "Chef's special brown sauce" for 40 different dishes.

If you'd like something Asian that's a little more exotic than Chinese in Ballwin, I'd go down the street to Monsoon Vietnamese Bistro, they're usually pretty good.

Edit: Oh, and regarding Rachel's comment about the peppers, the way it works is that 1 pepper is sort of like the default level of hotness. Then, if you want it hotter, rather than the waitress trying to interpret what you mean by "Extra hot," you say "3" or "4" or whatever level you think you can tolerate.

Related to this, and as a fan of extra hot food, I wouldn't recommend going much over 2 on most dishes because they do make it nice and hot, but as I noted in my review, the flavors aren't that strong to begin with and it's easy to overpower them with the heat. At that point you might as well be eating hot green chiles dipped in fish sauce, that's what the experience will be like.

I've given this place 2 chances. The first was on their first Friday after opening, so I excused mediocre food and slow service as "working out the kinks."

We went back on New Years Eve, this time with a reservation. I understand that it's a busy night for restaurants, but we were seated 45 minutes after our reservation. Okay, let's give them this one again, since it was a busy night and all.

The menu itself was as uninteresting and bland as the food. I don't usually go to Italian restaurants expecting cutting edge culinary innovation, but something beyond "white wine garlic sauce" and a generic, flavorless tomato sauce would be nice on a few dishes.

I got a seafood risotto, and while it was cooked well, the flavors didn't pop and I honestly grew tired of eating it. About 1/3 of the way through, I decided to just pick all the protein out, eat that, and save myself the unrewarding calories of the boring rice.

Other dishes at the table were similarly unexciting to eat.

They've been around for a few months at this point, and seem to do a steady business, so I see no excuse for such disappointing and vague flavors.

Even if you're okay with the menu's limitations, and you're fine with "blah" food, the experience is not worth the price of admission. At a restaurant where the average meal is between $20 and $30, I'd like to enjoy each bite, finding a new flavor or texture at every chomp.  If I were told I had to spend $80+ for 2 people to enjoy a meal, I would NOT spend it here. There are many places in St. Louis where you leave feeling like that $120 evening was worth it if only for the joy of eating; Sapore is not on that list.