Elite VIP Dinner: An Italian Twist @ Truffles

I think I got impeccably spoiled at my first ever Unilocal Elite Event! This was SUCH a fantastic dinner and experience. I got to chat with wonderful Unilocalers over dinner, and between the food, random chatting, and Aimee’s clever conversation starters, we were never silent. This was a great way to get to know some new people, especially as a new Elite! Then the food, oh the food! It was too good! I was literally in a food coma for a couple of hours after the dinner. I absolutely loved the bean salad, the chicken, and the fish. I was not adventurous enough to try the bone marrow, but others at the table thought it was excellent. I was a total fan of the mussels, and the delicious sauce they were served in. Yum, yum, yum. Considering this event was a couple of weeks ago, and I can still remember all the foods I ate like it was yesterday, I think Truffles deserves high marks. I’d love to try the restaurant for a date night sometime. It seems like a wonderful place for a special occasion! I might have to save my money to afford a full meal here, but I think it’d be worth it!
Thanks for a fantastic Elite event, Aimee! I had a great time and am looking forward to my next event!

It took me awhile to get to this review, but the memory of this night is as fresh as when it happened. Aimee provided an outstanding time for all and I especially appreciate the sitting arrangement. She sat me right next to two friends I’ve been wanting to meet for awhile (Mina and Steven) and they were great! Plus new friends Christine F, Mary Kate A. and Kurt W. all very cool people! The best time I’ve had in recent memory.
The food? Crazy stuff. It just kept coming and coming and with pretty much perfect timing. The staff at Truffles knew what they were doing. Now, I’m not always tuned into all the elements (not like Kurt W., he really knows the details) but my favorite start was the salami? tray served up in a rustic wood serving dish. I probably took more than my share of this app. There were two others I enjoyed and again here, the staff was very good about placement and removal.
While I am only a kind of a fan of mussels and not so much of anything spicy, what was received had excellent taste and with just a touch of hotness. I would actually order these again and have lately tried them at several places and would put these near the top. This was just one of 3 main dishes. One I wasn’t quite sure what it was (describe else where in the reviews I think) but I do remember it was good.
The bone marrow (okay, I have things a bit out of order here) was a very interesting dish and would have qualified for my recent interesting foods crawl I had with a friend. Would I order it again? Well, it was interesting but there wasn’t much to it but it did add color and flavor to the overall presentation for a dinner. The roasted? chicken … very excellent and my favorite dish of the night for sure. Had I thought about being able to take some home, I might have fought Mary Kate for these leftovers. :) But since I don’t hit girls I am sure she would have still won out. The snapper was a decent dish but like others, fish of this type is not my first choice.
Desserts of cookies, a flan? type dish (I though excellent) and something else I can’t remember (and I couldn’t when I left the dinner) but remember what I thought might be whip cream was a cheese topping of sorts and something I would definitely order again (once I searched the menu of course).
Overall very good food, excellent service, cool new people, this was by far the best Unilocal experience I have had so far.
Aimee is definitely a queen. :)

I don’t know where to begin to rave about this awesome and unique event. I’ve been an elite Unilocaler for 2 years now, but this event made me feel truly elite. I don’t know if it was the swank ladue restaurant, or the great company of my fellow elites, but this event was really a lot of fun.
First of all, just the idea of a local restaurant putting faith in their local Unilocalers to be the taste testers for their new menu is genious — finally a restaurant that «gets it».
The food was great. My favorite of the appetizer dishes was definitely the mussels. A real nice spice to them, and they were served with fresh ciabatta bread, which was really good for «dipping.» The green pesto was also very popular at our table. A great presentation too on that one.
The entrée’s and sides were also pretty good. The family style food was a unique idea, and there was definitely enough food for the 6 of us at our table. We gobbled up the chicken and ragu — those 2 were definitely head and shoulders above the snapper. The chicken was so moist and flavorful, and the italian sausage in the ragu was some of the best I have ever had.
Enough about the real food, the very best part of the evening was the DESSERT! Holy Pastry Chef were these desserts good. I cannot stop thinking about the chocolate tart. I’m pretty sure I ate 75% of the tart — mmmmmm, my mouth waters just thinking about it. Now that I know how good the desserts are there, I will definitely be back just to try some more.
The champagne toast was a great capper to the evening. It was really great getting to sit down to an intimate meal and meet some new fun elites, something you don’t normally get to do at the regular elite events. Awesome event. Awesome time. Awesome food. This is what Unilocaling is all about!

The best description of this VIP Event would be; «Do it right, do it big and give it class.» Aimee and Truffles produced an event that is setting the standard for all future Elite Events.
Many of my fellow diners have already sung the praises of the delicious food we devoured, however a few deserve a shutout from Stevie B.
Mussels — I love Mussels and these are #1 on my list of Mussels.
Bone Marrow– It may be an acquired taste for some, but this was the best I have ever experienced.
Roasted Snapper — OMG! I was so thankful two @ our table were not fish lovers, it meant more for me.
Green Beans — Snappy & seasoned well. A perfect summer vegetable.
Roasted Potatoes — Perfect.
Peaches & Cream — So good, my evil side did not want to share with others.
The wait staff was charming and attentive. They made sure the entire event ran smoothly and that everyone was happy little diners.
Meeting fresh faces and getting reacquainted with others was great fun.
The champagne toast in the bar area was a great finale to a Cinderella night. I couldn’t hear the toast, but I’m confident it was witty & sassy.
I hate to say this, but if there is another VIP Dinner with limited sitting, I think those of us who attended the first one should be excluded. That would allow some of our fellow Unilocaler’s to experience the same magic that we did at Truffles.

Queen for an evening? I felt like one. This review is going to be very short and sweet because as everyone else has said it all.
Wine = delish
Food = AMAZING! I loved everything they brought out with the exception of the hard bread and fish. The small bread tasted bland and somewhat too stale to me. The fish, I don’t eat fish. Period. No exceptions. Well… sushi, but does that really count? Shell fish at that.
The chicken was my favorite. I liked it so much that I got to take home leftovers from what my table didn’t eat of it! That lasted for a whole 2 meals. I was very appreciative of that.
Desserts = LOOOOVE the peaches and cream. Not a huge chocolate fan, but their chocolate dessert was pretty darn good of what couple of bites I had of it. The cookies were a nice accent as well.
Champagne toast and guests who accompanied the dinner = Wonderful. I had such a great time conversing with new people and their alcohol selection was pretty nice.
Service = Top notch! I would most certainly come here again with a date simply to experience the wonderful, prompt service. If their service was this wonderful with such a large group of people, imagine how they are when they are just taking care of your one table. The servers set the bar pretty high, and from here on out when I return — I expect the service to remain consistent.
The night itself = Scandalously sinful. Aimee did an AMAZING job with this event, and I definitely hope we have another one very very soon.

Oh, this. THIS. In my 5 years of Unilocaling across two cities, THIS is The Elite Event to top all events. I mean, srsly. Truffles has endeared itself to me and will absolutely see me again (hopefully, quite soon!).
The food, glorious food! Much is covered by my other dear Unilocalers, but what’s this? No one’s mentioned the delightful chilled zucchini and summer squash side? Aw, that makes me sad, because I LOVED it. In fact, after everyone took their share, I took more. With zucchini and squash overflowing gardens throughout the area right now, you know that it was perfectly fresh and delicious, bright with acidity from vinegar and was that mint? So good.
I have a few other things to say about certain dishes.
Appetizers first:
I would bathe in the pesto spread provided for the bread; it was practically sexy. Really. The deconstructed caprese salad was stellar, thanks to pristine, in-​season tomatoes. The mussels’ broth was wonderfully flavorful and I was happy to sop it up.
Entrees:
I’m convinced the staff at Truffles hired my Nonna because that Naples ragu is straight out of her home kitchen, I swear. I’m pretty sure there is no higher compliment to a restaurant executing true Italian cuisine than comparing it to an old 100% Italian woman’s cooking. Well done, Truffles! And I want my Nonna back! ;) Also, the accompanying pasta was perfectly al dente. Very nice.
The whole roasted chicken was OFF THE CHAIN incredible. My husband made a frowny face when I told him it was the best chicken I’ve ever had («Better than my chicken in a pot?» which really is quite good…). Chicken! At a restaurant! I never would have ordered it on my own, but now I can’t wait to go back and have it again. Perfectly moist and flavorful with a terrifically seasoned and shatteringly crisp skin – this is the chicken of my dreams. And if I haven’t had chicken in my dreams before, I sure as hell will now.
Sides:
I was happy with all of the sides, but the gnocchi was actually a bit much for me. So much Romano! I’m more of a brown butter-​sage gnocchi kind of girl, but who knows – maybe Truffles will have changing seasonal gnocchi dishes? That’d be most excellent. And you’ve already read my praises for the squash salad. It offered a nice texture and flavor counterpoint to some of the more rich, savory menu items.
Desserts:
Hot damn, that panna cotta is the best in town! So creamy and rich, it’s like making out with someone. The chocolate-​hazelnut tart earned well-​deserved raves at our table («Oh my god, did you try the tart?» «Try the tart!» «Is there more tart?!») and the peaches and cream dish made with perfect in-​season peaches and amaretti was lovely. I also really liked the cookies, especially the lemon poppy seed (?). Yum.
The champagne toast was the perfect fun end to a really spectacular evening. (What WAS that champagne, Aimee? I’d like to drink that again!) The service throughout the evening was warm, courteous and well-​informed (mostly – one person serving us didn’t seem to be up to speed on all the dishes, but I got the impression she wasn’t a regular server).
I probably wouldn’t have visited Truffles on my own, as I’ve always thought it caters to a more mature, well-​heeled (read: loaded) crowd (it IS in Ladue, after all), so I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity to dine there with such a wonderful group of people. Now that I know Truffles is incredibly hospitable and home to some really fantastic dishes, it’s definitely on my must-​visit-​again list.
Thanks again, Aimee! And thank you, Truffles, for graciously and generously welcoming our motley crew to your lovely establishment!

What a great idea, a Unilocal dinner instead of a full out event. Your wheels must always been turning Miss Aimee!
I couldn’t agree with Paul K enough, it was amazing to feel like a high roller for a few hours. The food was fantastic and the service was on the ball, yet fell quite for my liking. I would have enjoyed a little more explanation/​description of the dishes, especially since we didn’t have menus. The salumi platter was overwhelming and I quickly forgot what was what and I found the gorgeous cut wood bowl to be awkward. The mussles knocked my socks off and along with Stephanie S enjoyed dipping my bread in the spicy sauce. Rarely would I order roasted chicken at a fine dining establishment, but this was damn good chicken.
My only other critique is more of a pet peeve to be honest. No salt or pepper at the tables. I shouldn’t have to potentially insult the chef by asking for salt or pepper.
As for those deserts, to-​die-​for. The cantaloupe ribbons on the panna cotta were so fresh and sweet, but the peaches and crème won my heart.
High Fives all around for this great meal and the fantastic company. It was so exceptionally nice to sit down and converse with fellow Unilocalers.

Elite events are always a good time, but last night was out of this world. Aimee, you truly outdid yourself last night with what you put together at Truffles. I’ve had better meals in Saint Louis, but I’ve not had a better free meal and I know we will have to return to indulge in the great dishes they have. The only problem will be deciding which ones to choose!
We started off with some appetizers, a bread with a creamy pesto like sauce. Then out came the mussels and these were one of my favorite appetizers that we tasted that night. The tomato salad wasn’t really a salad but an assortment of tomatoes with some pesto and other bits of yummy goodness. If you like tomatoes, you should give this a try. The grand salumi was fantastic, they had such an assortment of hard meats you really got to experience so many different items it was awesome. Last but not least was the bone marrow. The presentation was awesome, the bone marrow was served in the bone that had been cut in half down the middle. I’m sure it was a visual block for some to dig into it, but I had no qualms and was quite surprised with what I tasted. I’m not going to say it was the best thing since sliced bread, the texture is a little weird for me, but i enjoyed it and would not hesitate to have it again.
After all that it was time for the entrees to be brought out. The first one they brought out was the roasted red snapper. I really liked this dish, they let the flavor of the fish stand on it’s own and didn’t overpower it with herbs. It was moist and just all around good. Next up was the roasted whole chicken. I don’t know how they did it, but I need to break in and learn their secret. That was some of the best chicken I’ve ever had, it was that good. It was moist, tender and bursting with flavor. I don’t think there was a person at the table who did not rave about it. Lastly was the Naples ragu which had some short ribs and a sausage. The short ribs were great and the sausage was tasty. The sides that they provided were a gnocchi, roasted potatoes and green beans. The green beans stood out as they had a smokey flavor to them that was really unique and good.
Last but not least was the deserts. There was some chocolate tart that was ok but the crem de la crem was the peaches and cream. OMG, it was good, so good I was tempted to literally lick the bowl, but seeing as we were in the company of so many others I held myself in check.
This was an awesome event, totally met my expectations and blew right on past. Thanks Aimee for all you did for this event!

I will start by saying thank you Aimee for putting this together, I am a newbie to the whole Elite Event/​Dinner scene; but I felt welcomed wholeheartedly and really enjoyed my first event.
We had conversation starters on the table and one question was «How would you spend your last day on earth?» Everyone had the usual Spend it with family answer, but I had a hard time coming up with something. I think it was because this dinner and the company that I had the privilege of being in started creeping into my mind and would make it onto my list of how I would like to spend my last day.
To the food:
I don’t usually drink wine in general but I figured why not, and loved it. I only had reds but they were really great, I don’t know much at all about wine so that is all I will say about that.
The appetizers were everything that I have never had. I don’t think if I went to a restaurant that I would have ever ordered them either. But I stepped out of my comfort zone and dove headlong into everything that was brought out.
I was amazed at the different flavors and how everything was singing with unbelievable quality and craftsmanship. I liked the creamy pesto spread for the bread that was served.
I didn’t try to much of the Grand salumi but what I did try was excellent, the one thing that just didn’t sound appetizing was the cured Lard.
I have never had mussels before so this was a new one on me, I was asking @Nick V. For guidance on what to expect. They where amazing with great spicy flavor, and I ate every last one that I took and soaked up the sauce with my bread.
The Tomato Salad was pretty good, I liked the Yellow «cherry» looking tomatoes but some of the sauces were a little to strong for me on the regular tomatoes.
I did try the bone marrow and it was pretty good, it wouldn’t be something that I crave but it was decent altogether. I do like the idea behind using everything and not leaving waste.
Main coarse:
I was really impressed by the way they brought everything out; they would show you the Red Snapper cooked whole and then deboned it over to the side so you could see what they were doing. I think any restaurant that doesn’t mind showing you how they plate a entrée is good in my book. They did the same thing with the Whole chicken. Everything came out quickly and with really great platting technique. I figure if you go here and pay good money for food you want it to look damn good.
There was so much food it is hard to fixate on one particular flavor that was my favorite. It was kind of like an orgy of textures and flavors that really blew my mind. I do think though that the Chicken and Ribs were the best I have had. I think when a chicken gives its life that it should hope to be sent to Truffles to be served in such a delectable way and so thoroughly enjoyed. I also Like The fish because it was so moist and not overpowering, just the right amount of seasoning.
I have never had gnocchi before but I regret not ever having it now that I have tasted the gnocchi here. I loved the flavors of the cheese and lightly toasted outside of it. The Potatoes were fantastic and cooked perfectly as well the green beans were seriously popping with this grilled flavor that was amazing.
I probably sound like a Broken record but this was on par with the best meal I have had, the selection and quality of the food was out of this world.
Desert:
They brought out plates of cookies that we pretty decent, I have had better peanut butter cookies before but they were decent and not dry.
I think the best part of the night was the Peaches and crème, I wanted to melt into a warm blanket and just make love to those peaches. Between the crème, berries and sauce I was in Peach heaven. I wanted to eat the entire plate or at least take this Delicious Vixen home with me. But my self control held me back and I left some for others. I think the best part was the fresh Thyme? that was sprinkled on them, it was refreshing and really gave this mellow springtime feel to the entire dish. I think I will be fantasizing about those peaches for some time now. I was amazed at the combination of a sip of red wine after taking a bite of the peaches, Phenomenal!
I liked the Chocolate tart allot it had a (what I assume is) coffee flavored moose on it and was really rich.
I also tried the Panna Cotta, it had pistachios on it which I do not like but all together it was delicious.
The champagne toast was great and an excellent ending to a memorable night.
I will finish by saying thank you to the incredible staff that made the night an enjoyable one. They were great at answering questions about what different dishes were and what was in them.

«Elite Events» and «Elite Dinners» are two separate things, as I recently learned, but good times at both are to be had, that is for sure. That said, I was looking forward to this limited seating «Elite Dinner» at Truffles in Ladue.
Let me preface this review by saying I am not a fan of seafood, with the exception of fish and chips when I know they are guaranteed good. That said, the mussel appetizer and the whole roasted snapper entrée will be omitted here.
To begin, we were provided with our choice of red wine or white wine. Also, a house-​baked bread with a spread that had a unique color and flavor; my only wish is that we had more of it. I love good bread and found that throughout the night, many of our dishes were paired with this bread. Fantastic.
Our appetizers consisted of tomato salad, grand salumi, and bone marrow. Yes, bone marrow. I have had bone marrow before when my Mom cooked a roast back in the day, and she made a big deal how good it was for you and how special it is. That said, I did not hesitate (too much) when I heard this would be one of the appetizers for this evening.
The bone marrow was quite unique in texture and spread nicely on the provided bread. The tomato salad was interesting with grape tomatoes, but unfortunately, I did not have a good sampling of it to really comment. The grand salumi «platter» had a number of offerings, but it was tough to keep track of what everything was on the wooden platter (more about this later). It would be swell if somehow the different offerings could be labeled.
Moving on to the main courses, I enjoyed the Naples Ragu which was a dish that had a small dish of pasta in red sauce paired with meat on the bone covered in the same sauce. The whole roasted chicken was amazing; one of my fellow Unilocalers opted to snag the leftovers; a wise decision. Both the meat in the ragu and the chicken were moist. Quite the treat.
A variety of sides accompanied the meal: fresh green beans, roasted potatoes, and some side called ‘Gnocchi Romano’ which appeared to consisted of large lima beans and a small beige bean, which together, was a nice addition.
Finally, the desserts! Chocolate tart, which did not stand out to be very tart, but rather a muted richness that I enjoyed. Also, fresh peaches with a peach purrée and sweet marscapone that was delicious. And just to add a bit more for the palette, an assortment of cookies: chocolate, lemon poppy seed, and a white chocolate snicker doodle (?).
The demographic of the restaurant is mixed. It seemed as though one of the patrons had a look of terror when they saw this entourage of Unilocalers coming around the corner from the bar where we all had initially gathered.
I must compliment the staff on both their attentive service, as well as their knowledge of the dishes being offered. Thank you.
On a related note, I noticed one of the Unilocalers had misplaced their keys. Several folks from the restaurant staff came out to help look for the keys in the parking lot to help. I would say that was going above the call of duty, to be sure.

Mamma mia!
What a night! For my first Unilocal elite event (I’ve been a +1 at a few events) if was FANTASTICO! There have been a few great reviews so far, so I’ll hit my highlights:
–Apps/​drinks: I’m a red-​drinker, so was oh– so– tickled when our waiter continuously kept my cup filled with first a cab, then a pinot, then Truffles house Red (all in moderation, of course!).
–Main course: Chicken! I never ever order chicken at a restaurant, but will re-​think that stance. It was scrumptious, it was tender, juicy goodness.
–Gnocchi artichoke-​ie! I’ve died and gone to heaven. Light, fluffy, buttery… give me a moment alone… delicious.
–Dessert: Chocolate torte with chocolate ice cream dripping down the sides. *sigh.
–End-​of-​the-​night, so-glad-I’m-a-YELP-er, champagne toast! I didn’t catch the type of bubly, but it was light & fruity. Great night-​cap.
Aimee: I was honored to be in attendance last night. Thanks for a wonderful night!
Truffles staff: You were attentive, courteous and skilled. I’ll be back, and this time I’ll be a paying customer! Bonus for you!

A huge thank you to Aimee and everyone at Truffles for this wonderful event. They really seemed to pull out all the stops. Well done!
We all were placed randomly around several tables. it was nice to spend some time getting to know Unilocalers, rather than walking around getting just a name and a short introduction. Oh and everyone at my table was totally rad, so that helped ;)
The wine was flowing, and i thoroughly enjoyed both glasses of red that i had. And the food, wow where do i begin? it was way over the top, as you can see by all the previous reviews!
I was not crazy about everything, but its more because of my tastes (i don’t really like red meat or chicken, but i’m sure if i did i would have loved the meat courses!). But who cares about what I did not enjoy, cause there was SO MUCH that i loved… so let’s talk about that…
LOVED the fresh bread with pesto.Loved. So many restaurants serve craptastic bread so i often pass… but not this stuff — it was perfect.
The mussels were a standout. I would order these again in a heartbeat. So favorable and a bit spicy, the broth was perfect! I could easily make a meal out of those mussels and Truffle’s amazing bread.
I also enjoyed the snapper. I cook fish a lot and like to think i’m good at it, and i thought they did a pretty good job. My favorite side dish with the meal was the green beans. nom nom nom.
The best part of the meal was the dessert!!! WoW! They started by bringing out a plate full of cookies, which were all amazing, yes… i tried them ALL. The best were the lemon poppyseed and the chocolate!
Then, they proceeded to bring out, panna cotta, peaches and crème and a chocolate torte. The chocolate torte was my favorite cause i love me some chocolate. It was super rich, slightly bitter with dark chocolate but that was offset well with the sweeter, light chocolate mousse on top. yummy! went perfect with my coffee.
Oh and the presentation of everything was just beautiful. Great food, great people — I am once again reminded while Unilocal basically rules!

Aimee, you’ve done it again! I came to the Elite Dinner not knowing what to expect; I assumed we would be offered little nibbles of everything (similar to regular Elite Events) and not an entire meal.
Little did I know that I would have to be rolled out of the place! Nibbles these were not; this was an entire meal!
I’ll start from the beginning. Truffles is a pretty snazzy place in the heart of Ladue. If you’re like me and don’t travel through Ladue very often, it’s easy to miss. Until a few weeks ago, I didn’t even realize the place existed!
I arrived about 15 minutes early, which allowed me some time to grab a drink at the bar and chat with the other early birds. I told the waitress that I liked rum and wanted something fruity, and she definitely delivered. My drink was amazing!
At 7pm sharp, we were seated in the main dining room. It was beautiful and spacious. I loved it!
Okay, enough blabbering. Let’s get on to the food! Like I said before, Truffles generously provided us with a complete meal. First up? Bread. It was served with a delicious pesto spread that I really enjoyed.
Next were the starters: Bone marrow, tomato salad, mussels, and grand salumi. I had the bone marrow last time I visited Truffles (and LOVED it!) so I was happy to see it again. It was deliciously creamy, smooth, and flavorful.
I skipped the tomato salad, so I can’t comment on that. Everyone else seemed to really enjoy it, though.
The mussels were fantastic! The star of this dish was the spicy broth. I couldn’t stop dipping my bread in it!
The grand salumi platter was tasty, and while it featured a nice variety of meats, it’s probably not something I’d order on my own.
By the time our entrees came out, I was already reaching the point of fullness! But there was Naples Ragu, whole roasted chicken, and whole roasted snapper to try.
The naples ragu and roasted snapper was just okay. Neither blew me out of the water. However, the whole roasted chicken was amazing! I never order chicken in restaurants, because it’s usually flavorless and dry. However, this chicken was so moist and flavorful. I don’t know how they did it, but it was perfect.
The sides of green beans, gnocchi romano, and roasted potatoes made me very happy. The gnocchi romano was different than what I expected, but the cheesy balls of heaven didn’t let me down.
By this point, I was positively stuffed. If the meal ended right then and there, I would have left as a very happy girl.
However, there was still dessert to try! Panna cotta, peaches and cream, and a chocolate tart.
I had never tried panna cotta before, so I was curious to try it. The server described it as an Italian flan, which made me very wary to sample it; I really don’t like flan at all. But this — THIS was so good, I could hardly believe it! It was creamy, sweet, and nearly brought tears to my eyes!
Speaking of tears, I’m glad I was not alone, because the next two desserts would have summoned the waterworks. Keep it together, Stephanie! The chocolate tart was rich, decadent, and had such an interesting depth of flavor. First, I tasted rich chocolate. Then a hint of coffee. And was that hazelnut I detected in the finish? Wonderful.
Finally, the peaches and cream. I can’t even put into words how perfect this dessert was, so I’m not even going to try. Let’s just say I’d be perfectly fine with eating this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the next, oh…20 years or so? AMAZING.
I appreciated that Aimee assigned our seats; it kept me from sticking with familiar faces and instead encouraged me to chat with some new friends. Shout outs to Becca L, Stephanie B, Josh S, Pamela R, and Sarah H! You all are amazing for not laughing at my constant moans of pleasure and my threats to burst into tears of joy at any moment.
Aimee was nice enough to place a few icebreaker questions on each table, but honestly, the conversation was flowing so freely we didn’t even need the icebreakers!
The champagne toast at the end was a nice finish. Aimee — what kind of champagne was that? It was bubbly and super sweet and I fell in love with it!
As always, I loved chatting with everyone. It was really good to see old friends and meet some new ones. Unilocalers are awesome. Speaking of awesome, I was FINALLY able to meet the famous Paul K! I’m pretty sure I squealed like a 13 year old when I saw him.
Amazing event as usual, Aimee! I’m still recovering from my food coma.

This event was… dare I say it… fucking awesome.
So excited to get off that waitlist at the very last possible minute! I was afraid I was going to get a speeding ticket trying to jet over there in time.
I haven’t been wined and dined like this unless someone was trying to get in my pants. I am pretty sure Aimee isn’t trying to get in my pants. Well, maybe. *big cheesy wink*
I’m not going to get into the details of all the foods as my lovely fellow Unilocalers have covered it quite well. Every single dish was incredible. Real talk.
The service was outstanding. Friendly, attentive, answered all our questions with knowledge and finesse. I liked how they showed us the whole chicken and whole snapper before they prepared it for us. I’m real old-​school when it comes to customer service (thanks to my father), so I even noticed when I asked the waiter where the restroom was, and that he didn’t «birddog» it («pointing» as per my father’s term), but actually escorted me all the way across the restaurant to the restroom. Little touches, man. I notice. And I like it.
The event itself was just really great. I didn’t mind at all getting told like a grade-​schooler where to sit. I met awesome new people! Gosh Aimee, you’re so smart! And the champagne toast was classy as hell. Loved it!
This place was pretty fancypants. Amazing food and service, all around, and I would most definitely come back for a special ocassion and spend way too much money and not regret it one bit.
But getting it all for free was way better. Damn it feels good to be a Unilocaler.

This Elite Dinner was amazing! Thanks so much to Aimee as always for planning it, and to Truffles for being so hospitable. I seriously love Unilocal St Louis for stuff like this. This was my first elite dinner!
I was a bit nervous to go without my plus one but it ended up being a great time, I hardly felt the time pass… The other Unilocalers were awesome, esp everyone at my table :)
As for the restaurant… the service was pretty impeccable. They were very sweet and very attentive. The amount of food was ridiculous, especially being free and all, I still can’t get over that! And I was in a food coma till late this morning too.
Very sweet of them to even pack up the remaining food and give it to a person at our table to take home.
On to the dishes… the appetizers were delicious. That bone marrow was amazing! So fatty, so so fatty. I never cared much for bone marrow before but I had never had it like this. Also their presentation in general was great… loved all their plates and platings.
All the bread at the table was delicious and the pesto sauce served was my favorite.
I didn’t pick at the platter of salumi just because it’s not really my thang but everyone else seemed to enjoy it.
But I did love the mussels… Spicy and just a great flavor kick.
I do wish someone had explained each of the appetizers to us because we weren’t sure what was on the platter. I think they came out later and explained the entrees though, so that was helpful.
For the actual entrees, none of them really wowed me… I enjoyed the snapper the most. Two of the people at their table had slightly undercooked potatoes but mine was just right.
I also enjoyed all the little dishes like the green beans, bean salad and whatnot, but it was nothing too memorable. The ragu with the meats and the chicken were ok, but I wished they had a bit more flavor. To be fair, I’ve never been a fan of chicken breast or ordering chicken as an entrée at most restaurants.
The gnocchi tasted nothing like gnocchi I’d ever had before, which is a good thing, since I often find them chewy… But I didn’t care that much for this version either, although I know some people who would absolutely love a giant cheese ball!
What DID wow me though were the desserts!!! I would totally come back here for appetizers and dessert. The chocolate tart was to die for. So rich and perfect, and something I hadn’t had in a while since it’s summertime and I’m usually drawn to fruits and icy sweets.
The housemade cookies were also just scrumptious and melted in your mouth.
I enjoyed the panna cotta although it was a bit strange, texture-​wise. But I’ve also never had panna cotta before so I’m glad I finally got to taste it at an Italian place.
Overall, I’m still reeling from the amount of food. And it was definitely amusing doing the champagne toast among a bunch of confused patrons… An elderly couple pulled me aside to ask me what we were all there for and after I explained they asked if we all had journalism degrees, hah! Adorbs.

Simply put the best meal I have ever had. And that my friends says a lot. As luck would have it I was able to score a reservation for the Unilocal event here. Was wonderful meeting so many new faces. The two Stephanie’s are both breathtakingly beautiful. I also got to meet Jen who was as short as her name. She made it a point to come up and talk to this old man. Wow I felt like a king. So many good people.
The menu and the variety made me feel I was a Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, or Joe Kennedy. It was nice to be a billionaire for two very short hours. Things that I had were bone marrow, green beans, mussels, salami, chicken, short ribs, fish, Had my eye on some veal but it disappeared off the plate. So someone else is going to have to say it was the best they ever had. Oh I also forgot about the chicken I think it was the most flavorful chicken I have had. Chicken can be boring this was more like a symphony of chicken. Truffles you made a life long friend tonight. Thank you to the wait staff for making it special. They worked so hard their manager should be very proud of the staff.

Unilocal Elite events are always rock star and this one was no different. Truffles went to every extreme to make sure I rolled myself out of that place. The new menu is out of control delicious. The Elites were treated to samplings of appetizers, entrees and desserts. I branched out into virgin territory by trying the bone marrow and my venture was worth it. My favorite dishes of the entire evening were the tender rotissiere chicken and the peaches and cream dessert. These two insanely awesome dishes are enough for me make the trip back to Ladue. I highly recommend them. Aimee K. did a fantastic job of pulling this together and the Truffles staff was attentive and the service was great. Amazing evening with great people at my table so well worth the drive to Clayton Road.