The Coffee Stamp in St. Louis Has Mastered the Art of the Empanada

On our coffee sojourn this morning, my dad, my son and I went to a local spot we enjoy called Coffee Stamp. The coffee is excellent and fairly inexpensive. But that is not the blog today. While at the coffee shop I decided I wanted some breakfast. I hadn't eaten, was going to be running later and decided I didn't want to do it on an empty stomach. The food product that Coffee Stamp is known for is their empanadas. I adore these things. I had never had a traditional one until I had one from here. I want to tell you all how delicious these things taste.

For those that may not know, an empanada is a fancy, flaky, crusty type of dish. It can be savory or sweet. I went with the savory route today. The empanadas I got had eggs, sausage and cheese. My son had one with peppers, prosciutto and cheese. Don't get me wrong, the filling at this spot is fantastic. I wish I could get my eggs that fluffy. I love the little hunks of sausage they use. And the cheese, it is ooey and gooey and delicious. But what makes these so good, what separates them from all the other spots is the crust. This crust is incredible. It is light and airy. When you break open the empanadas, the crust flakes to the side. But you don't just brush these crumbs to the side. No way. You eat these. You try to get as much of this crust as possible. When you bite into the crust it cracks and gives the empanada this excellent texture. It is the fanciest hot pocket you could ever want. The crust is buttery and flaky. It is hot and glistening. They fold it over perfectly. The empanada comes to you in a package, and when you open the package and take out the treat, it looks tremendous. They put the fork marks in the crust. It is folded like a nice present. It looks like a work of art. And then the tasting begins. I mentioned the butter. It is there, and then some. The butter gives it the right amount of extra fat. I don't know what all goes into the dough, but I would imagine they use some kind of shortening. That makes it even better. I assume the shiny glow comes from some type of egg wash, which adds even more flavor. The filling is nicely packed into the dish. It doesn't spill out. You get a good bite with each bite you take. You can taste it all at the same time. These empanadas are simply amazing. But it makes me want to try even more. I want to go to an even more authentic restaurant that specializes in these. I'm going to Mexico later this summer and I am hoping to get some real good ones. I want to try more combos of flavor. I want sweet. I want salty. And I want the two flavors mixed together. While eating this morning my mind was wandering thinking of what else they could put in these. I would love a cinnamon roll flavored one. Or maybe a pizza like one, to really get the full hot pocket feel. I would love a seafood empanada. I think a banana pudding empanada could be amazing. But what all these empanadas need to have is this delicious crust. If the crust is no good I have to imagine that takes away from the whole experience.

I am very happy to have Coffee Stamp in close proximity to fulfill my empanada craving. These things absolutely rule. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

If You are in St. Louis, and Love Cats, Go Check Out Mauhaus Cat Cafe

My daughter is obsessed with cats. She loves them. I, unfortunately, do not. I have never really liked them. My mom has always been very allergic and that set me off as a kid. I did not like them because of what they did to my mom. I also do not like their attitude. My sister in law stated it perfectly, "dogs are roommates, cats are landlords". Truer words have never been spoken.

Cats do things on their terms. They will let you pet them when they want to be pet. They go to the bathroom indoors. The owner has to clean it up when it hardens. They play when they want. They climb wherever they damn well please. Cats do what they want when they want and no one will tell them to stop. Or if they do, cats look at them like they are the dumbest people in the world.

Yet, my daughter loves them. And since she loves them so much I have done research. My dad has done research too. I'm still not a cat person, but I am more willing to talk about them and pet them. I will never own one, but I am more willing to be around them in small doses. My dad found a spot here in Saint Louis that is perfect for a small dose meeting. We go out for coffee twice a week. This is our thing. We have hit up almost every hot spot in my hometown. But we had never been to this place called the Mauhaus Cat Cafe. We looked past it because of the CAT on the signage. But my kids are off this week for winter break. We are looking for things to do. My daughter hasn't had a day that has been specific for her. She has been along for the ride all week.

We broke down and took her and my son to the Mauhaus Cat Cafe this morning. My mom could not go so it was me, my kids and my dad. Luckily, Mauhaus still has a rule in place that you have to be masked. This eased my willingness to take my daughter. Any allergy I may have was negated by my N95. And they are strict about it, which I very much like. So we made our reservation. We had an hour to sit and play with cats. They have very strict, but very smart rules. You cannot pick up the cats. You cannot force the cats to come to you. You are the tenant in this scenario, and that is the way it should be. You can pet the cats and play with them if they choose to play with you. Right after we ordered our drinks we found a table and sat down. There was a cat already chilling right there. This hooked my daughter more than she already was. My son lit up immediately when the cat approached and nuzzled him. The cat did the same to me for a minute but quickly returned to my son. My dad was standoffish so this made the cats stay away, which is exactly what he wanted. We took my kids there for them, mainly for my daughter. And she loved every single second we were there. She was walking around to all the cats and playing with them. When one would sit down by her she would pet it. She kept telling me to take her picture. This is her utopia. I could see her face smiling behind her mask. It never left her face the entire hour we were there. She is still telling me about the cats we saw today. My son was a little nervous, but after that cat nuzzled him he was hooked. That cat was his buddy. It stuck around him for almost the full hour. And when that cat moved on another would come right to him. He might not want to admit it, but he had just as good a time as his sister. I was good with the few cats that made an appearance towards me. I did have to move my lanyard from my pocket because cats kept pawing at it. But otherwise it was fine. If a cat approached me I pet it and we both moved on quickly.

This was a perfect place to give my daughter her cat fix. She got a full hour to play with so many different cats. And as I said, she was smiling and happy the whole time. If you or your kids like cats and coffee, I recommend the Mauhaus Cat Cafe. The staff was great, the coffee was solid and my kids were thrilled. We had a very good time. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Chicken Out Adds to an Already Great St. Louis Food Scene

I am a sucker for a good chicken sandwich. I have written about my many different spicy chicken sandwich adventures before. I love a good fried piece of chicken between bread with some toppings. It is a delight. So when a friend took me to a local chicken sandwich spot in STL, I was intrigued.

The place is called Chicken Out and it is wonderful. There is a local BBQ spot here called Sugarfire, which is dynamite, and the owners of that own Chicken Out. That, to me, is a very good sign. So when I went the first time, I expected a good visit. It went above and beyond. I was wildly impressed.

The menu is fairly simple. There are about half a dozen or so sandwiches, some salads, a wrap or two and sides. This is another feather in their cap for me. When I go to a restaurant with a massive menu it makes me nervous. My anxiety jumps. To me it shows that you do not know how to make a few things great. It shows me you can make a lot of things mediocre, but not one thing really well. So when the menu is small, like Chicken Out, that lets me know that they know what they do, and they know they do it well.

On my first visit I got a chicken sandwich with cheese sauce and bacon. Again, super simple. I am also a sucker for a liquid cheese sauce, so this was an easy order for me. The sandwich was amazing. The chicken breast is fried to perfection, it is juicy and crisp and fills the sandwich. It is a big piece of chicken, but it also feels like the perfect size. Then they add this cheese sauce, it is liquid gold. It is so tasty. It smothers the sandwich but it doesn't take away from the taste of the chicken. And it is messy, but in all the right ways. The bacon is peppered and thick cut. I love bacon on all things, so this is no different. It is a nice salty addition to this already excellent sandwich. Then they use a potato bun. Potato buns are an absolute homerun. I remember the first time I had potato bread. I was a skeptic. Then I tried it and have been a fan ever since. It is not as heavy as white bread. I am a wheat bread fan, but potato bread takes it down. So a potato bun is perfect for me. They are buttery without butter. They have a hint of sweetness. They are the perfect accompaniment to this delightful chicken sandwich. And this is across the board for this menu. My dad loves the chicken burger. It too is on a potato bun, has lettuce, tomato and Duke's Mayo on it. He loves it, and the taste I have had was great.

I had a chicken parm sandwich on a different visit and it was good. It was on Italian bread, had tomato sauce and mozzarella and was really tasty. My son has had their BBQ chicken sandwich, and what makes it so awesome is the way they hold back and do not overload it with BBQ sauce. It is on there, you can taste it, but it doesn't take away from any other flavors.

The chicken fingers are outstanding. They are massive and taste great. The sides are also dope. I have had mac and cheese before. It is creamy and delightful. The potato salad is strong. The baked beans are good. But the trophy for best side is the fries. Fries are pretty common and pretty good at most sandwich or burger spots. What makes Chicken Out fries even better are two things, they are crinkle cut and they have chicken salt. I adore crinkle cut fries. They, to me, just taste better. But this chicken salt, which I have zero idea what it is made of, I love. It is extra salty. It adds a ton of flavor. You do not need dipping sauces. If you want to dip it in anything, get the cheese sauce that oozes out of the sandwich. They are divine.

I am a big fan of this restaurant. I just ate there yesterday and it was as good as the first time. I told my dad that, if Chicken Out is offered to me right now, I am going to pick it. I have been six times now and have gotten the Cheep N Cheddar sandwich three times. I will be trying everything on this menu in the near future. Check this place out if you live here in STL. For non STL residents, find a spot like this to try. Go to local chicken spots and support them. Their food is so much better than chain restaurants and they need your business more. Chicken Out is awesome.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.  

There is Nothing Wrong with Bread Slicing Your Bagel

Best idea since sliced this

Some time last week there was this story circulating around the internet talking about how some people in Saint Louis like their bagels to be bread sliced. For those that may not know, bread slicing a bagel is taking a fully formed bagel, and slicing it into smaller pieces. Instead of cutting it in half, some people around here like it sliced into bread slices.

I really thought nothing of this story, I have lived in Saint Louis my whole life, and spent three years working at Saint Louis Bread Company (Panera to all you non-St. Louis people), bread slicing plenty of bagels. But man did this story blow the hell up. Soon, it was everywhere. I saw it on Buzzfeed, Uproxx, Deadspin, pretty much most rags and sites that are pure clickbait, although I do love Deadspin. It was everywhere.

What struck me most was the pure hatred and vitriol that was being spewed about the way some people like to eat bagels. Within a day, if even that, people were talking about how stupid people in Saint Louis were because they liked their bagels bread sliced. I saw some idiots "trying to prove a point", by dumping a carton of milk into a perfectly good box of Chips Ahoy cookies. I also read a bunch of people criticizing this way of eating by simply calling it "lazy", "unnecessary", "appalling" and "gross".

Why?

Who in the hell cares how someone consumes food? Why do people on the internet have to be so mean about something so trivial? I know that I can hate on things sometimes. I have written about sports teams and food and restaurant mascots that I think are absurd. But I have never once been critical of people that eat food differently, or gotten on someone's head about a food they like that I dislike. I simply don't care. If you want to sandwich 2 pieces of pizza together and eat it that way, be my guest. You want fries piled on your sandwich or burger, go for it. You want to cover you noodles with cheese sauce, or tomato sauce, or eat them with just butter, that's fine. You're on a low carb diet and you eat your burger lettuce wrapped, more power to you. And if you want to eat a bagel bread sliced, that is your own god damn decision. Eat that shit bread sliced, and eat it with a big smile on your face.

I will say, while it was a pain to bread slice the bagel, I tried it a few times, and it was just fine. It was kind of nice to spread as little or as much cream cheese as I wanted on each slice. I really liked the cinnamon crunch bagel bread sliced because I got a piece of the crunch on each bite. When it was sliced in half, the bottom half was just bagel. I used to throw that part out. But, the bread sliced gave me the pleasure of plenty of sugar within each bite. Bread slicing is way better for this kind of bagel.

I guess what I am trying to say today, people will find anything to complain about, blow it up and drag an entire city while they are at it. This is the bad part of the internet. People can hide behind screen names and post as much mean nonsense as they want. I mean, a bread sliced bagel was a form of ridicule for a solid week on the internet. That is really sad people. And it is really petty. Who cares how people in different cities eat food. Let Chicago have their deep dish. Let Pittsburgh have their fries on their sandwiches. Let California have great tacos. Let New York have dope ass deli's. And let Saint Louis have their bread sliced bagels. It's just food after all.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is going to start slicing his bread loves like a bagel just own all you anti-St. Louis snowflakes.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The Mall of Our Youth is No More

Picture taken in the middle of the day

My piece today is very Saint Louis, and even more so, West County specific. If you are from Saint Louis, or the West County, or spent a good amount of time here, you will most definitely get what I'm going to talk about today. And even if you are not, I still think it will resonate, especially with people my age.

So, my daughter likes to go to malls and walk around for a bit, and finish off the day by playing at the indoor playgrounds. This activity is perfect for getting her out of the house, get her moving around and helps her to meet and play with kids her age. She loves it, and I love watching her play. She also likes to go into shops with me and shoe gaze. We never really buy anything, but we like to look at stuff and point out how cool the stuff is. It is a nice little bonding date for the 2 of us. We do this, especially now that it is getting colder outside, 1 or 2 times a week.

My daughter wanted to do that today. I said great. I asked her if she wanted to go to our regular mall, West County Mall, or as it is better known around here, "The Dove Mall", but she said no. We were just there 2 days ago, so I wasn't surprised. I asked her which mall she wanted to go to, and she said the one by our house with the movie theater.

Perfect I thought. The mall by us with the theater is called Chesterfield Mall. This was my mall as a kid. This was the place to be when I was in middle school. This was our hang out. I went on some of my very first "dates" at this mall. I got in trouble with my folks for not meeting them at certain spots in this mall when they asked me to. I used to go school clothes shopping at this mall. When I was a much younger kid Chesterfield Mall used to have a pet store in it. I spent most of my time there between the ages of 6-8 whenever we would go as a family. Even in high school I used to go there. It was a fun spot. Then, even after college, meeting my wife and getting married, moving out of West County, I would still go shopping there. I have many fond memories. Hell, even as little as 5 years ago, when my son was about a year and a half old, and I was a new stay at home dad, we would go there and do lots of Christmas and birthday shopping. I can remember when they built an American Girl Doll store there and my son and I had to buy something for my niece. I have never been so out of my element and overwhelmed. Then, when they built the movie theater, I thought this mall was never going to die. I saw "The Simpsons Movie" there twice. I took my dad to lots of movies there. And, it was the first place my son had seen a movie, "Big Hero 6". Again, I have many good memories of this place.

In the past couple of years, everything has kind of turned, and it is for the worst. It wasn't too noticeable at first. We would still go there, especially after moving back to West County about 4 years ago. My folks still liked to go there because the clothing store Dillard's always had deals. They had the kids play area. They had some cool toy shops. They had some decent CD and DVD stores that I frequented. But, businesses just started to vanish. We would eat at Houlihan's almost every time we went there. One day, after shopping, we decided to eat dinner there, and it was gone. No signs, no tables, no chairs. Just a big empty room. There was no warning, it was just gone. I was stunned.

The disappearance of stores started to happen more and more. Random, smaller shops and restaurants started to juts vanish. There was no warning. We'd go there one week, shop at a store like Crazy 8's, a kids clothing store, and the next week it would either be gone, or have a sign that said "Store Closing. Everything 50-80% off".

Then there was the 2015 Christmas time flood. My mom, ever the Dillard's shopper, called one night when we were supposed to go shopping there, and told us that she heard there was a flood . Apparently the entire Dillard's store was under water. It wasn't too deep, but it was deep enough to shut down the whole store. The Dillard's in Chesterfield Mall was enormous too. It took up three floors and about an entire quarter of the mall. They had to close down the whole mall for awhile. When we were finally able to go back, the whole Dillard's was closed off, but there were notes everywhere saying that it would reopen. It never did. It fell by the wayside much like Houlihan's and Crazy 8's.

That seemed to open the gates. A bunch of other stores started to close or go out of business. The Bread Company (Panera to all you out of towners) was gone within a week. The candy store was next. The sports apparel stores followed. The random weird gift shops vanished. And then the music stores fell down. The food court and the random little off shoot food places, for snacks, started to go. Auntie Anne's Pretzel's, one of my favorite spots, was gone. California Pizza Kitchen, my son's favorite place to eat there closed. Then Cheeburger Cheeburger, a burger place where I got my picture on the wall, closed. The food court started to lose the rest of it’s business. Panda Express, Subway, Dairy Queen, basically any random food court place closed down. The American Girl Doll store moved out. It was a ghost town in the mall.

So, when we went today, I was curious to see what was still standing. I haven't been there in awhile because it is kind of upsetting, to be honest. When my daughter and I walked in we went through the main entrance and the new 2 story used book, DVD and music and video game store was still open. It's called V-Stock, and it feels like they crammed all the toy stores, arcades, book stores, music shops and video game stores into one. It is 2 stories, but it feels tight. There was one sports shop, but it is a hyper expensive, personally owned shop that has no affiliation with Chesterfield Mall. They had a few off shoot clothing stores, like Hot Topic and Journey's that were still running, but they look like they might get the ax next. There were a lot of sales going on in these stores, which should be cause for concern. They have 2 sports apparel shops, Foot Locker and Hibbett Sports, but NO ONE was in either. The food court only has a Philly Cheesesteak's left. The only restaurant left is Cheesecake Factory. It just feels like a creepy abandoned place. They have a the old shops there with signs that say you can have a meeting, or work outing or group hangout there. That's a bummer. I did see a sign that said to look forward to something new in 2019, and I hope that is true, but now, I just don't really buy into it.

The fact that Chesterfield Mall is a shell of what it used to be is really sad to me. Going there today was very eye opening. I know malls are a thing of the past, but we still have a good amount here in Saint Louis that are thriving, including "The Dove Mall" that I mentioned before. I will keep those good memories I have from childhood and adulthood from Chesterfield Mall, but today was sad. It really bummed me out. This mall is just not the same. It feels different. I don't feel like they are taking good care of it anymore. And while the kids area was fine, other malls are much, much better in Saint Louis. I will miss Chesterfield Mall, even if it somehow gets a rebirth. It will not be the same. RIP to the mall of my youth.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Back in the day Ty would check out the latest video games at Babbages, look at the birthday cards with grannies giving the finger at Spencers, and end the night with a nice sandwich at Kent’s Deli. The only thing the past leaves us is our memories.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Cloves and Fedoras: If You Watch Movies, Then You Need to Listen to the Great Podcast "Reel Spoilers"

Cloves and Fedoras is Seed Sings reviews for little known pieces of pop culture.  Feel free to contact us with your own submissions of undiscovered gems that must be known.

Recently, thanks to some advice from RD, I have started listening to a podcast called "Reel Spoilers". First off, the name says all you need to know what it is about. The hosts,Tom O’Keefe, Kevin Brackett, Dan Graney,Joe Buttice see movies, then explain what they liked or didn't like about the specific movie that day. Also, they spoil every single thing in the movie. Up front they tell you that they are going to spoil everything as well, so you have no reason to get mad if you are listening to it.

What I like so much about the "Reel Spoilers" podcast is how informative and smart they are about movies in general. These dudes know what they are talking about when it comes to movies and films. They understand the business and seem to have studied all things involving movies. They talk about the movies so well, I feel like they are all in the industry. They may or may not be, but they sound like they are involved some way, some how.

The second thing I love about the podcast is that the guys are from, and record in my home city, Saint Louis. I am super supportive of people that do things in my home city. I love when someone from Saint Louis goes out there and tries to make it big. These guys have sponsors, so they are, even if it is little, making some money off their podcast. That is something that RD and I are striving for with our own podcast. So, mad props to these dudes from Saint Louis, out there making money while simply talking about movies.

When RD told me about this podcast, he said that he listened to their episode about "Logan", and he was getting ready to listen to their podcast on "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". I hadn't seen either movie, so I wasn't going to start with either one of those recordings. I was going to save them. So, I started with "John Wick Chapter 2". First off, I love both "John Wick" and "John Wick Chapter 2". I have sung those 2 movies praises from the high hills. They are incredible action movies. I was curious to see what the "Reel Spoilers" guys thought of this movie that I hold in such high regard. When they got into the movie, I was blown away by how well informed about every single second of this movie that they were talking about. they were bringing up stuff from the first movie that I had forgotten about. Hell, they brought up stuff from the second movie I had forgotten about. But, what really blew me away was their knowledge of the cast, and all the stuff they had done before. They were also super informative about the effects and all the kick ass fight scenes in the movie. In fact, when they talked about John Wick going to the wine dossier, or whatever the hell those guys are called, and talked about that scene in depth, I was fully on board with this podcast. The way they broke that scene down was amazing. As they went on and talked more about the movie, the more I found myself really enjoying these guys conversation. They really broke the movie down, I am glad I saw this movie before listening to this, but they talked about "John Wick Chapter 2" beat by beat. And, I loved every second of it.  

I had to listen to some more of their episodes. As I wrote last week, I finally saw "Logan", and one of the first things I did after seeing it was download the "Reel Spoilers" episode of "Logan". Again, the guys gave me a bunch of information that I did not know, or that I missed. They are much more well versed in comic books and super hero stuff than myself. I like that type of stuff, they seem to love it. They were referencing stuff from old comic books that I had never heard of. I feel like they introduced me to a whole new side of my favorite super hero. But, what I loved best about this specific episode was the fact that they felt the same way as I did about "Logan". One of the guys said that this was a Western that just happened to have super hero in it. I said the exact same thing to my wife after seeing the movie. Also, their episode of "Logan" got me through a good portion of a 10k that I ran last weekend. So, thanks for the help getting through a 6 mile run guys.

The last episode I listened to was "Alien: Covenant". Now, this was the first time I disagreed with them, but I still loved all almost 90 minutes of the episode. Everyone knows how I feel about that movie, I wrote about it yesterday. But, these guys really broke it down. Now, all of them said they enjoyed "Prometheus" in different ways. I hated "Prometheus", so I was curious as to why they liked it. They all gave their reasons, and I thought, okay that is fine, to each their own. But, when they delved into "Alien: Covenant", they all liked it a bit more than I did, but I got what they liked about it. With that being said, they still had problems with the movie, and I totally agreed with their gripes.

I highly recommend people go out and check out "Reel Spoilers". It is a very well made podcast with very smart and fun and funny hosts. Remember, when listening to it, EVERYTHING is going to be spoiled, but that shouldn't stop you. This is a very good, very fun podcast. Check it out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Since the X Millennial Man Podcast is recorded, edited, and released from Cincinnati Ohio, Ty only roots for the half of the podcast that comes from the talking of the St. Louis host.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

"Bar Rescue" is Back to Reclaim our Joy and Disgust

This bar is just right when it comes to my standards for trash

This past Sunday, July 10th, the new season of "Bar Rescue" premiered. I have written once before about this show, which I adore, but the episode I wrote about was rather disgusting. "Bar Rescue" is almost always about some dingy bar that is in dire need of a "rescue", so hall of famer in the nightclub industry, Jon Taffer, comes in with two experts and they fix the bar up.

The episode I wrote about previously was the first, and possibly, only time they "rescued" a strip club. Everything about that episode was gross. Jon Taffer is always gross, but he was extra disgusting. The experts looked scared and like they needed a shower afterwards. The strip club, which was called Chix on Dix(ewwwwwwwww), changed it's name to The Landing Strip, but that was the only change. It was still extra gross and downright sad.

Well, after that episode, I kind of lost a little interest in "Bar Rescue". They had crossed a line, in my opinion. I'm not a fan of strip clubs and the fact that they tried to "rescue" one, it all seemed way too weird and icky for my personal taste. But, my brother and head editor and owner of the site, RD, said I should watch this season premiere because they were doing a bar in my home city, Saint Louis. I thought, why not, let's give it another try. 

Man am I glad that I watched "Bar Rescue" again. When the episode opened, they did their patented thing of talking to the owner and having them explain why their bar is failing. This particular bar, called City Bistro, was losing money because the bartenders were getting drunk on the job, giving out free drinks and flashing their bare chests to patrons in hopes of getting big tips, they did not get those tips. The fact that these bartenders kept exposing themselves kind of gave me that icky feeling again, but it wasn't because it was a strip club, this was a legitimate bar. People should never be topless or bottomless in a place of business, unless it is a strip club. These bartenders were being gross because they were drunk and lost any inhibitions they once had. Tami, the main bartender, was constantly drinking and flashing anyone in the bar. Taffer, who was watching everything from his car, as he does on every episode, was growing more angry by the second. He was literally yelling at his two experts about this bartender drinking and exposing herself. There was even a shot of Tami, aka Tam Tam, taking her shoes off behind the bar. At that moment, Taffer walked in and went directly to the owner Tiffany. He spoke to her about what he was seeing and told her, this is his trademark, that she needed to fire Tami immediately. I swear, Taffer gets some weird pleasure from telling owners to fire people. It's disturbing how his face lights up when they go through with it and fire said employee. Tami was fired, obviously, and in typical fashion of the bad bartenders shown on "Bar Rescue", she walked off, swearing and slurring all her words on the way out.

Then, the experts had their turn to slam City Bistro. Taffer's drink expert showed the remaining bartenders all the fruit flies in the liquor bottles and how dirty the bar top had become. It was very straight forward "Bar Rescue" stuff. Then, the food expert went to check out the kitchen, and to his and Taffer's surprise, the kitchen was not even open. Apparently, they shut it down awhile ago because they couldn't afford to buy the inventory needed to run a kitchen. The kitchen was filthy, but the topper, and perhaps one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen on any TV show, there was a dead mouse floating in the fryer. It was just as gross as anything I saw on the strip club episode. What made it worse, the camera crew kept going back and staying on the shot of the dead mouse. My stomach is upset thinking about it now, and it's been two days. They cleaned that kitchen better than I had ever seen any kitchen cleaned on "Bar Rescue". I still wouldn't eat there, but they cleaned the hell out of that kitchen. They eventually got it up and running and hired a cook, Sam. Sam was the best part of the whole episode. He was funny, a hard worker and seemed more involved than any other employee there. Sam was great. The owner and the bartenders got to go on the Busch Brewery tour so they could "reconnect" with the local beer company. This was all pointless, wasted TV time. It felt shoe horned in the episode.

After retraining and cleaning up the bar, they changed the name to Beechwood, because Busch beer is "beechwood aged". I thought City Bistro was a better name, but Taffer always picks stupid new names. They seemed to be doing okay after Taffer and his people left, as is the case with every episode, but after reading some local stuff, I guess Beechwood isn't as great as "Bar Rescue" and Jon Taffer hoped it could be.

The good thing about this episode, one, they didn't go to some gross strip club and they fired the main person that was exposing themselves, but secondly, and most importantly, it was like any other episode. If you've ever seen an episode of "Bar Rescue", you could figure out what was going to happen, beat for beat. There is some kind of comfort in the familiarity. I'm actually excited to watch more episodes now. I'm back on the "Bar Rescue" bandwagon, as long as they stay away from strip clubs.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Being the youngest of four brothers, Ty has been going to bars since he was 10 years old. He knows a disgusting bar when he sees one. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik. 

Ty Takes a Joyful Tour of the City Museum.

Imagine if this slide was a lot cooler

(Ed Note: I lived blocks away from the City Museum when it first opened, and I saw the positive transformation it had on the area. Every city deserves a place like the City Museum, you just need bold leaders to make the magic happen.)

The best playground in the world is made of junk.

This past Wednesday I had a meet up with my dad's group. If you've listened to the podcast or read my piece from last week, you know just what I'm talking about. The meet up was scheduled for the City Museum here in Saint Louis.

I've lived in Saint Louis my entire life, but I've only been to City Museum two times. Both cases have been within the past year. I went earlier this year with my son, my sister in law and my two nieces. It was awesome. I'd never really heard of City Museum until my sister in law mentioned bringing the kids there. Going downtown has never been my thing. Unless I was going to a concert venue downtown, I had no reason to go. I don't like bars, I'm not a smoker or a drinker, I don't like night clubs and unless I'm going on a trip, hotels are too expensive for me. But, when we ventured out to City Museum earlier this year, I was so happy I went.

I didn't really know what to expect. I'd heard of it, but not too much. When we walked in, I was immediately taken aback at how huge this place is. There's three main floors, and a rooftop that has things you can crawl and climb on. Besides the three indoor floors and the rooftop, there's an outside play area that looks like the coolest playground in the world. There's enormous climbing structures made out of medal and rebar that all lead to some of the most exhilarating slides I've ever been on. I'd go as high as my anxiety would let me go while outside, then slide down the inevitable, upcoming slide. My son loved walking around outside too. But, he was more interested in the ball pit. Yep, they have a very big ball pit filled with kickballs and soft bouncy balls.

It's incredible.

I haven't made it to the rooftop on my two trips there, but you can see everything from the parking lot as you walk to the entrance. They have a Ferris wheel! A Ferris wheel that's on the fourth story of this huge building! Just typing that I got weak in the knees. There's an old school bus that kind of hangs off the edge of the building. It takes some brave souls to climb on this bus, but I saw at least five children on it when we arrived. They have some cool looking slides and climbing apparatus' up their as well. Like I said, I'm a wimp, so I've never ventured up there, but it looks pretty cool and I'm sure it's their most popular feature. You have to pay extra to go to the roof top. That's how popular and cool it is.

The best part of the whole place, in my opinion, is the entire inside. When you arrive, you are greeted by the very end of a three story slide. This slide is enclosed with painted rolling pins. This is the very first thing both me and my son do after paying admission. If you choose to stay on the first level when you get there, there's an enormous climbing and crawling and walking structure that's made to look like a white whale. When you enter the whales mouth, the inside is filled with statues of crickets and fish and seaweed, basically anything you'd find in the sea. Off to the side of the whale there's a huge tree house like structure where you can climb and do slides. When you venture to the second floor, there's cave like structures that you can climb up four stories to the biggest slide in all of the City Museum. It's awesome to climb through these caves, but climbing up to that slide is an exercise in facing your fears. You keep climbing up and up and up and the higher you get, the more narrow the hallway becomes. One of my nieces and her mom went all the way to the top while me, my son and my other niece waited at the bottom for them. There's also a cafeteria and other eating places on the second level. I love this because they know that you will be there for a long time, so why not have a snack or a meal. The third floor is my favorite. That's where the afformentioned three story slide starts. But, there's a cool hall with Egyptian type statues and other cool memorabilia. This is the educational part of City Museum. There's also a toddler area. It has every thing that City Museum offers, but it's paired down to fit kids 6 and younger. They also have cool, soft Legos to build with and other building type blocks. And the ball pit in the toddler area is incredible. This is my sons second favorite part of City Museum. I like that they have this for the kids. It's great that they have their own area where they can have just as much fun. Near the toddler area is a train. It's a five seater for kids, and they get to do a couple loops around the third floor. It's nice. They also have old school sculptures and memorabilia. There's a cool frog sculpture and an old school Big Boy mascot. Mine and my sons favorite part is the "running room". This room has ramps that turn into make shift slides and big circular structures that get higher and higher the more you run. The ramps are kick ass. Do know, when you enter the "running room", you will get sweaty and tired, but you'll have a lot of fun too. It's great to go in there and let the kids blow off steam by simply running and sliding on ramps. I'd spend the whole day in this room if I physically could. It's so much fun.

It was very nice when we went with my sister in law and nieces. We had a ton of fun, but the girls are quite a bit older than my son, so they couldn't do everything they wanted. When I went with my dad's group, it was perfect. My son got to play in this enormous playground with kids his age. It was perfect because they all went at the same pace and all had equal amounts of fun. They all knew what they could and couldn't do. It was great. The City Museum is so cool and it's a must see and do in Saint Louis. It's not cheap, but not expensive. It's totally worth the price of admission. You can also stay there all day if you want. I wish I knew about it when I was younger because I would have went constantly. It's nice that I just found it now though. That means I can share the fun with my son and daughter.

I love City Museum and you will too. Check it out.

For more information visit www.citymuseum.org

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He would consider going to the roof, if the price was right. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

John Hodgman doesn't do your Normal Comedy Show, and that is Good

Boats + Maine = Comedy

Last night I went with a friend of mine to see comedian, podcaster, and actor John Hodgman at the Ready Room in St.Louis.

I didn't know what to expect from Hodgman's standup show. I knew, prior to the show, who he is. He's been a correspondent on "The Daily Show" for years. He appears on a television show I enjoy quite a bit on FXX called "Married". He has his own podcast, "Judge John Hodgman" and he appears on many other podcasts as a guest. And yes, almost everyone knows him as the PC in the old Apple Computers commercials. But, he just started his own standup tour, and like I said before, I didn't know what to expect. Everything he's done before has been a mishmash of comedy, drama and total absurdity. He was straight forward as the PC. He's a married guy that's sex crazed on "Married". On his podcast, he simply judges things. People give him two topics and he picks a winner, simple as that. When he's a guest on other podcasts, he's usually a glorified version of himself. On "The Daily Show", he's a smart ass street reporter.

That's what I expected going into last night, "The Daily Show" version of John Hodgman. And, he did deliver on that version, but his show was so much more. I was very pleasantly surprised at all the stories within the two main stories he told. He seemed to be more a humorist than a standup. That made me happy. Yes, he was his character from "The Daily Show" except more vulnerable. He told the audience that every story was 100 percent true, and we all believed him. It was different from other standup shows I go to in it's structure. The majority of standup comics tell stories or they have jokes that come at you nonstop. The only time most comedians stop is to let the laughter stop and then bam, they hit you with another joke. That's what I'm used to. Well, last night, John Hodgman was on stage for almost 90 minutes and he told two total stories. I'd never seen anything like this before. What made it so enjoyable to me was the fact that I was never bored. You'd think that if you only heard two full stories in 90 minutes you'd get bored, but that wasn't the case last night. And yes, he'd tell little mini jokes in the stories. He's a comic, comics tell jokes. But, he's not your typical standup. Like I said before, he's a humorist, as pretentious as that may sound.

His first story was about his summer home in Massachusetts. He regaled us with stories about taking trash to a dump and having to make up stories due to his own insecurities. We learned that he has two children that are at the age where their parents are too old to hang out with. He and comedic musician John Coulton are long time friends. He told us how the both of them got super high, went swimming in a river and made cairns. The best part of this story was that college students slowly drove past them, turned a corner and came back to where they were, Hodgman extremely frightened at this point, and were shocked that the two of them were hanging out in their small town. The college students were huge fans of both of them. There were many other stories and bits attached to this first story, and they were all great.

The second story was about his other summer home in Maine. It was at this point where I heard one of the funniest things in standup that I've ever heard. After telling us that he had a second summer home, he said "welcome to a night of white privilege comedy"! That was hilarious! He knew that it wasn't relatable, but he managed to find a way to make it absolutely hilarious. We got stories during his second part of his show about how sad and gloomy Maine is. He told us about a tourist shop that has all the trappings of your typical tourist shop. You couldn't use the restroom there, there was aisle after aisle of crappy toys and souvenirs and, of course, they sold fudge. I was happy to hear that he doesn't care for fudge because, "it's disgusting and looks like shit". His exact words and I couldn't agree more. I hate fudge. My favorite part of this part of the show was him talking about buying a boat. Another unrelatable story that he made very funny. He told us all about the maker of the boat and how he was a famous guy in the town they have their summer home in. Apparently this guy was a huge asshole and he only made 107 of these "peapod" boats. He told his wife that, just to have fun, they'd bid on the opening bid. The boat was being sold at auction. He asked around and the townspeople told him that the last boat sold for over 10,000 dollars. So, he figured opening bid was enough and someone would eventually outbid them. Well, the opening bid came in at 3,500 dollars and his wife raised the placard. But, no one else was bidding, much to Hodgman's dismay. Finally someone pushed the bid to 3,600 dollars and he thought they were in the clear. Not the case. Hodgman's wife was caught up in the auction and bid 3,700 dollars. After seven minutes of no one bidding, the boat was sold to them. So, now he owns a boat. The story he told of the townspeople congratulating him and his wife for how cheap they got the boat was very funny.

Just when we thought the show was over, Hodgman pulled out a ukulele and played two folk songs. Nothing humorous about the songs, just two sweet, very nice folk songs. And, my goodness does he have a very good singing voice. I was shocked and loved every second of how he ended his show. It was completely off the wall and super, super cool. Go out and see John Hodgman's Vacationland if he's coming anywhere close to you. It's not your typical standup show, but you will enjoy yourself.

I know I did.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the co host of the X Millennial Man podcast. It is funny how many comedy shows Ty attends. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

The Greatest American Band Debate: Guns N' Roses

SeedSing is filled with music lovers. We can not agree on who is the best band from the States. The Greatest American Band Debate will be a regular feature where we discuss and compare bands who started in the good old USA. If you have any suggestions of bands we should debate Contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

On the morning of November 23rd, 2008 I purchased my first Guns N' Roses album. I left work that morning so I could get to my local Best Buy and be one of the first people to get my hands on the highly anticipated Chinese Democracy. I had been a fan of Guns N' Roses since the beginning, and owned many of their songs through burned cds and mp3s, but this was going to be the first album I paid american currency for. I had heard many of the tracks leaked online, and I was pumped. Chinese Democracy was set to be the greatest album of my generation. Over the last decade all music fans were waiting for this album. Early reviews were positive. I drove around in my car listening to Chinese Democracy from beginning to end. I was happy, yet I was also underwhelmed. Their greatness was still not to be questioned.

Guns N' Roses torched the horrendous glam rack scene with their debut album Appetite for Destruction. The Whitesnakes, Ratts, and Poisons of the world were finally going to be wiped away from my MTV. G N' R was making raw, hard rock popular again. The opening riff of "Sweet Child o' Mine" was the "Satisfaction" of my generation. Slash was about to give generation x our greatest guitarist. Axl Rose's wail was lyrical and animalistic. Duff McKagen, Steven Adler, and Izzy Stradlin (who I always thought was the live version of Steve Dallas) rounded out a band that would usher in a golden age of American rock. Guns N' Roses was a fast living, hard rocking, antidote to the squareness of Reagan's america. The greatest american band was born in fire and burned extra bright.

Guns N' Roses had great music, and they also had a Spinaltapness to their lives. Drugs, groupies, and other general debauchery cemented G N' R as the new rock gods. During the summer of 1991 I was working landscaping at the neighborhood I was living at in St. Louis. One of my older colleague's brought me to his apartment and showed me his framed ticket from the July 2nd Guns N' Roses show at Riverport Amphitheater. This show was famous because Axl Rose jumped into the crowd to beat the hell out of fan with a camera. Security was lax at the show, the band stormed off, and a riot ensued. I learned in my landscaping partners apartment that day that Axl may hate St. Louis, but G N' R fans in St. Louis love the band. Riot be damned. A band that can tear apart your stadium, and still be loved, is a band that kicks ass.

I immediately started to borrow G N' R albums from my friends. I knew there was some awesome filthiness in a song like "Rocket Queen". Epics like "Don't Cry" and "November Rain" just kept building into magnificent pieces of music. Even covers like "Knocking on Heaven's Door" carried the distinct mark of Guns N' Roses.  All the turmoil and overexposure of being the world's greatest rock band seemed to not slow Guns N' Roses down. America once again ruled the rock landscape, and it was only going to get better.

This is the part in "Behind the Music" where the screen goes to black and white and the music becomes slow, because all of Guns N' Rose's success was about to come crashing down. The band had been fracturing for years, but when Slash officially left, G N' R seemed to be finished. Like all epic rock band stories, drugs, women, and creative differences ended the success of america's greatest band. So it seemed.

The end of the road was not in sight for Axl Rose. The decade long hype for Chinese Democracy was proof of our appetite for Guns N' Roses. The early 2000's were filled with embarrassing performances from Axl and his latest incarnation of Guns N' Roses. The internet was filled with false starts for Chinese Democracy.  Even Dr. Pepper was caught in the crossfire of the debacle. Axl and Slash refused to play together at their 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction. The glory days for G N' R seemed long gone, yet the band continues to make top music news anytime we hear their name.

There are still rumors of new Guns N" Roses music. Whenever it seems like their best days are gone, Axl Rose can still command attention just by using the cred built up by G N' R's golden age. Epic debauchery, band infighting, and kick ass music easily makes Guns N' Roses The Greatest American Band. Their best stuff may be twenty years old, but when the newest delayed album drops in ten years, I will be at Best Buy when the doors open.

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. He wants to hear from you what kind of music rocks. Write for us.