The Block

This place is beyond fabulous. From beginning to end, our time was great. We waited roughly 15-20 minutes for a table on a Saturday night. The staff was extremely friendly and attentive. We tried both the block and asparagus salads and they were both fresh and delicious. The menu is full of amazing choices and I settled on an egg sandwich with bacon...it was off the chain. My friends had a pulled pork sandwich and their famous mac and cheese with bacon...all equally as insane as the next. Can't wait to go back!

The Block has served me the best steak I've ever had, three times in a row. More than just perfectly cooked and tender meat, the service is fantastic and the local beer selection makes this place one of STL's hidden gems.

To recap our latest visit, it was a busy Friday evening. We were seated within five minutes. The wait-staff was quickly upon us, serving me a local STL brew in its respective mug/glassware. Meaning, if you order an Urban Chestnut, it's served in an "official" mug from the Urban Chestnut brewery.

We started with the shrimp and grits appetizer. Coming fresh off the grill gave the shrimp a nice smoky flavor, along with a hint of bacony goodness.

For my main dish, I chose the rib-eye steak, medium with steamed broccoli. It was cooked perfectly, and despite how busy the restaurant was, all of our table's entrees were out in less than 25 minutes. The original "Block" steak sauce is solid, giving some flavor variety to an already tasty and tender steak. It's pricey ($29), but after a few bites, you realize it's worth the price of admission.  

My wife chose the chicken dish, which is some of the most tender chicken I've ever encountered. The steamed veggies were so good, they rivaled the meats.

Our friends finished off with a bowl of homemade ice cream. Again, excellent.

On a final note, the wait-staff has always been in a great mood, they're very attentive, and their enthusiasm for the meats and beers only make the experience more enjoyable.

I'll definitely be back, again and again.

We were totally blown away with our first visit to The Block. I will say, it is by far the BEST BURGER and Best Mac - n - Cheese in the city. Both of these menu items were totally off the charts.

Our lunch started with two salads; Asparagus Salad and Block Salad. I enjoyed a small Asparagus Salad, which was the perfect size to enjoy before a Block Burger. I'm confident that a large would be a meal by itself. Which would be a dream for a vegetarian. It was not only grilled asparagus, but it also had mixed greens, roasted beets, goat cheese (my favorite), toasted walnuts and tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette .
The BF enjoyed The Block Salad which was not your typical chef salad. It may sound like it, but when you add their bacon, smoked ham, smoked cheddar to greens, tomato, egg, red onion and toss it with a Buttermilk dressing it becomes a culinary masterpiece. He too, enjoyed the small size. Again, the large would be a perfect meal for someone who is watching their weigh or just wanting a health choice for lunch.

Now let's talk about the two items that are taking the #1 position on two of my Yelp list. The Block Burger was a huge 8 oz. grass fed beef, grilled medium and topped with farmhouse white cheddar. It was the most juicy, well seasoned and grilled burger I have had in a long time. I do not know what kind of grass those cows were eating, but it made that burger the best. If that wasn't enough, the Garlic Herbed Fries were the perfect accompaniment with a little cup of ketchup.

I had heard so much about their amazing Baked Mac -n - Cheese, that I had to have some. Since we both had salad and entrees, we ordered a small so we could experience a little bit of heaven. It was rich, creamy and baked in a little cast iron casserole dish to give a perfect crunchy top. The table of three next to us, ordered a large portion and it was perfect for sharing. It would of been enough it they had a fourth.

Paula Deen may be in need of some comfort food right now and I know what would make her feel better. A healthy portion of the Shrimp & Grits at The Block. Their grits can put a smile on any Southern Belle or Gentleman. Add 4 huge shrimp on top of the cheddar grits and you've got a great lunch.

My only negative is that we arrived early for lunch early and as others arrived they clustered them around our table. They had everyone on top of each other. In a large dining room, it made us feel cramped. However, making 7 of my list and a cute water faucet  that resembled a old fashion water pump in the men's room gives them a solid 5 Stars.