Pubs, Cafes and Coffee Shops

I missed the Food Photo Competition on this sight but thought I would share some of my favorites from Munich's Viktualienmarkt Food Market. Not that they would have won anything but I like them.

I love traveling in Europe and seeing the differences in how we eat. In Germany, France, Italy and all over Europe they tend to use the whole animal. Waste nothing. Americans may see this and think how weird it is, but in fact we are the ones missing out. The parts we throw away are the only parts regular people could afford. They took them and learned, over centuries, to make them taste really, really good. When in another country, I try and what they eat.

This photo pretty much sums up my impression with Germany. Neat, Detailed and Organized. Whether it is the fruit stands, roads, towns or gas station bathrooms it was clean and well thought out. Even the vomitorium in the Hofbräuhaus was spotless!

I go to Starbucks. Sue me. Not so much in my hometown but at least twice a day while traveling. Why not, it is easier to find a Starbucks than a water fountain. I mean, I secretly enjoy sucking down a Frappachino®, browsing the Bob Dylan and Feist CD's and enjoying the latest Jack Johnson on the speakers. BUT THEY HAVE GONE TO FAR! What you ask am I all jacked up about? THE SKINNY LATTE!! What the fuck. I have been drinking Non-Fat-Sugar-Free-Vanilla-Latte's for years. I mean a regular Vanilla Latte or a Mocha is like the same as eating a Big Mac. If I had one of those everyday I would be fat as fuck. And, sure the name is unwieldy, but that is what it is called in every other coffee shop I go into and I don't sound like a pussy when I order it. I refuse to ask for a SKINNY LATTE. So I ask for a Non-Fat-Sugar-Free-Vanilla-Latte. Yet when they repeat the order back to me the call it a SKINNY VANILLA LATTE! They are not going to let up until I call it a SKINNY LATTE. Some marketing fuck has spent a year working on a way to make this drink ownable to Starbucks. No doubt they lumped me and others like me (ie. guys who drink Non-Fat-Sugar-Free-Vanilla-Latte's ) into a demographic. (ie. women). I feel disenfranchised! I might as well say "can I get a SKINNY LATTE, oh yeah, and can I also have my BALLS back?" But I will not give up. I encourage you to bring back the Non-Fat-Sugar-Free-Vanilla-Latte before this injustice spreads to the "you might as well have tits - muffin", er, the "fat free blueberry muffin".

This place was once voted Best Place for Rock Chick Bartenders. Now, most or all of the rock chicks are gone but my favorite dive bar in St. Louis thrives. It has all of the elements that, to me, make up a good dive. Set off of a main drag filled with bars, stores and ethnic restaurants, this place sits on a side street in a working class neighborhood on St. Louis' south side. Music. An eclectic jukebox, but the bar tenders play the best music of any bar in town. Don't be surprised to hear the Old 97's or Spoon playing over the house speakers. Nice bar. It has its own little roof complete with shingles. Shabby Decor. Exposed brick, drop ceiling with dollar bills stapled sporadically, as if that concept started years ago but never took off, shuffle board, old guitars splattered with paint and a mish mash of tables for seating. Beer. Good, not great beer selection. You can get a Guinness or a pitcher of Fat Tire. That's all I need. And Food. No menu. They serve one thing. Pizza. Deep Dish pizza. The best in town. In a thin crust town, you are hard pressed to find a good deep dish. The crust is thick (even on the thin crust) and the sauce has a nice spice to it. Order at the bar and they call your name over the insanely loud speaker when your pie is ready. No table service. There is a real neighborhood feel to the Black Thorn. Beware anti-smokers. You can smoke here. And why not. It is a dive bar not a gastropub. So, light up, order a pie and a pitcher, sit back with good friends and enjoy each others company, while tapping your foot to some great music. And if you are really lucky you might get served by a rock chick.

Black Thorn Pub & Pizza.
3735 Wyoming (at Spring)
St. Louis, MO 63139
Phone: (314) 776-0534