A Taste of St. Louis

     College students are simple when it comes to food. Give them something that easy to get and, most importantly, cheap. Order these toppings, and Blueberry Hill in St. Louis is there to answer the call.

     During a recent stay at Washington University in St. Louis, my friend pointed me to a restaurant in “The Loop” that was unique to the city. Upon conducting some research, I learned that “The Loop” was not the latest slang term by Ludacris or Snoop Dogg that I had yet to hear of. Delmar Loop, its formal name, is a bustling entertainment, cultural, and restaurant district of St. Louis. Somewhere in the heart of it all lies Blueberry Hill.

     Blueberry Hill is very close to the WashU campus, so I decided to pose as a college student to represent most customers—a task which I must admit was not challenging for a master of disguises such as me. Of course, what college student goes to a restaurant alone? I decided to bring friends with me: four to be exact.

     At the entrance, we were greeted by a sign asking us to seat ourselves. As we walked into the next room, it hit me that the entrance room was just a large bar with bar stools for patrons to sit on. I found this very peculiar, but the thought soon passed as I found a seat.

     Upon sitting down, I looked to my left and saw a few arcade machines. On the other side of the room stood an old jukebox that made the room very retro. Almost immediately, the waiter came over and welcomed us.

     He asked us what we would like to drink. I would have liked to try out a specialty Anheuser-Busch beer, because the company comes from St. Louis, but I had to save that for a later trip. I decided to order something unique, and went with a blueberry soda to match the restaurant name. I had never seen it before coming here, and I must say it tasted exactly like blueberries.

     The waiter promptly returned with our drinks. He politely walked away to give us more time when he saw we were not ready. My first check upon opening the menu was the prices. Going to well-known, established restaurants generally means inflated prices that reflect the popularity. Not at Blueberry Hill. The prices generally floated around $6 a meal, with the most expensive being $9.25, which is not too bad at all. The menu is well organized, and it is clear exactly what the food contains. Finally, the middle of the menu includes a disclaimer. The food is “cooked-to-order,” meaning nothing is prepared before-hand. This characteristic is included in the menu to entice people, while also to warn them the food may take longer to prepare.

     As soon as we were ready to order, our waiter arrived, as if he knew to come over. As an appetizer, I ordered the toasted ravioli. Toasted ravioli is a food truly unique to St. Louis, so I had to see how this restaurant prepares it. Just as its name implies, the chefs boil some ravioli, and then toast them after putting seasoning on top. My main course was a jerk chicken breast with a side salad. There are nine unique dressings to choose from, and I picked the spicy cucumber/yogurt to try something new.

The friend next to me ordered a chili mac, which I figured would be too small for my eager stomach. This assumption would be disproven later during the course. The other group members ordered burgers, a specialty at Blueberry Hill. The service surprised me, because the waiter knew exactly how to interact with college students. He did a fantastic job of being on the same level with us. He even had a sense of humor we could relate to: a quality that is hard to find in waiters of most restaurants these days.

     One great example of this occurred when one friend asked for a burger. Rather than a side of fries, he asked for a side of pancakes, the breakfast specialty at the restaurant. The waiter didn’t lose his cool by the odd combination, and simply replied, “Somebody’s pregnant.” He left us to laugh at his joke as he walked away to give the chef our orders.

     This left us time to chat amongst ourselves and admire the ambience of the restaurant. The atmosphere is entertaining and relaxing at the same time. The arcades allow patrons to drive taxis or shoot aliens so they can distract themselves until the food comes. I personally prefer listening to the sweet sound of blues and jazz that St. Louis helped develop. One of the side rooms even leads down to a stage where musicians come and play every night. Chuck Berry is one of the most notable regulars, because he comes from St. Louis and returns to his roots once a month.

     The bowl of ravioli arrives. It comes with a rich tomato sauce that compliments it very nicely. The salad with the spicy cucumber/yogurt dressing also comes as the pancakes arrive. When the dressing says spicy, it means spicy. After only a light covering, I could really taste the spices coming out at me. I cannot speak on behalf of my friends, but the pancakes were some of the most golden-brown pancakes I have ever seen. Breakfast at Blueberry Hill’s sounds good for next time. Who knows, maybe it will be a novel some day.

     The food returns soon after, much to my surprise given the menu disclaimer. The plate is enough even for a freshman who has not quite reached his 15 yet. Both the chicken and rice seemed to have the right flavor, but they were lacking something, something important. First off, for a food that calls itself Jamaican jerk chicken, it sure did not jerk my tears like I expected. The rice had a very nice flavor, but I found both the chicken and rice to be quite dry. I am not making accusations, but it did not remind me of food that was “cooked-to-order.”

     As a second test, I looked over to the chili mac. This dish was deceivingly large from its name, as it was actually a mountain inside of a bowl. After my friend finished the peak, I had a taste. This mountain was also quite dry, much like my own meal. I sense a pattern here. I hope this does not ruin the pancakes for me next time.

     The bill came out to only $11 per person with tips, tax, and drinks included. Before leaving, I discovered the best part about the restaurant. I went for a walk around and saw hundreds of pictures of the owner with famous clientele. Also, there was really neat memorabilia of everything from The Beatles to Toy Story. It felt like a blast from the past, and I felt like a rock star hanging out amongst the stars. As my tour continued, I entered a quiet room that looked like the perfect place for a romantic dinner. After that came a dart room with five dart boards and plenty of video games, but the ruckus inside could not be heard from the other side of the wall.

     Leaving Blueberry Hill, I felt like I truly had an experience there, but I am not sure if I would come back again for the food or just the entertainment provided in other rooms.

     Overall, the ambience and restaurant layout were outstanding, and both the service and the price range were strong positive factors. Unfortunately, the food was not quite at the level Blueberry Hill has been famous for, leaving something lacking in the most important part of a dining experience.

Blueberry Hill:

Good