Home on the Range in St. Louis

    I love researching and finding famous places to eat in cities.  I love even more when people give me recommendations of their personal favorites.  But my absolute favorite is when I stumble upon a suprisingly delicious and foodblog worthy restaurant when I least expect it.  It's like finding $5 in your jeans pocket.  You aren't expecting anything and then suddenly your whole day is made brighter.  That is exactly what happened with "Bailey's Range Burger and Fries" on Olive Street in downtown St. Louis. 
   A group from my cast had just gone rock climbing (which was super fun if you've never tried it) and were hungry.  And not salad hungry.  We had just climbed walls...  We needed something substantial and manly.  As we were walking home we came upon Range and were sold at the word "burger".  But when we were seated I was pleasantly suprised to see that their menu looked inventive and unique.  Plus, they use all locally raised Missouri beef in their burgers and make their own ice cream in house.  I was already impressed and I hadn't even tried anything yet.  Not to mention that the restaurant has a super cool and fun atmosphere and allows you a complete view of the kitchen.  I always take it as a good sign if a place lets you see how they cook your food. 
   I ordered a peanut butter milkshake and the PB&J Burger.  My shake came out first and was amazing.  It was chock full of bits of peanut butter and the ice cream was delicious.  Not overly sweet and nice and smooth.  You can drink the entire thing with just a straw; no spoons required.  It reminded me of my Mom's homemade ice cream, which is a huge compliment to Range.  It had just enough peanut butter to make it taste like it but not drown your taste buds in creamy, saltiness.  The only place I've had a better peanut butter milk shake is at "Bare Burger" in Astoria, Queens, but Range made a very close second. 
    

 

    My PB&J came out shortly after I had devoured my milkshake.  This PB&J is unlike anything your Mom ever packed you for school.  Range's version is a Bison burger with arugula pesto, house tomato jam, fresh goat cheese and baby arugula.

     It was great!!  I love bison and this bison burger was juicy and tender and full of flavor.  The arugula pesto and tomato jam worked beautifully together, creating a fun mix of sweet and slightly spicy.  The tomato jam on this burger worked the same way as cranberry sauce on turkey, it just added such a nice, sweet flavor to the whole thing.  The goat cheese was creamy and brought all the tastes of this burger together.  It was fantastic and unlike any burger I've ever had.

  

  http://www.baileysrange.com/