Armadillo grill
The bar is focused on craft beer and cocktails. My order had cheddar other times they might have bleu or jalapeno cheese.
The papadillos were beautifully crispy-not a drop of grease-with creamy, cheesy centers, perfect with football and beer.
They remind me of arancini, an Italian standard made with rice formed into balls, rolled in crumbs and fried. Whatever you do, don’t miss the papadillos, a house specialty made with mashed potatoes, bacon, cheddar and chives rolled into balls and coated with panko crumbs then fried and served with ranch dipping sauce. “The onion rings are an onion when you order them.
ARMADILLO GRILL MAC
The Dillo features an eclectic menu with the usual bar food-burgers, wings, fried pickles, pasta, tacos, enchiladas, mac and cheese, meatloaf (which I tried in a great grilled sandwich on sourdough) and gluten-free selections.īut wait, as they say on TV, there’s more: Thai chicken skewers with house-made peanut sauce seven banded armadillo salad, the grill’s version of a Cobb salad, with cheddar, bacon, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, olives and cucumbers and a chicken and brie sandwich on focaccia that caught my eye for a future visit, as did the seared tuna and salmon.Īll the food is made to order, Lambrecht says. “I need to put a big sign up that says ‘Do not judge a book by its cover-come on in.’” I like the companionable buzz in the bar, especially when the Cardinals are playing, but for quiet conversation, try the side room.īefore my visit with Lambrecht, I had driven by the grill hundreds of times and was frankly unimpressed by its unassuming exterior. 1 place to watch a Cardinals game by Thrillist, an online magazine. That’s one reason The Dillo was voted the No. The main room has a large bar, tables, pool tables and TVs-lots of them-44 high-definition screens in fact. Now it’s a spiffy dining area, separated from the bar by a wall of windows. About 13 years ago, Lambrecht put in off-track betting owned and operated by Turf Paradise, and took over space that had been a legal office next door. We wanted to be a neighborhood bar and grill with good food-a comfortable place where you don’t have to dress up to go out to dinner.”Īfter five years, her partner wanted to move on, so Lambrecht bought him out, and today is sole owner and manager. I came here in 1996 with a business partner to open our own restaurant. “I was a GM for Keg restaurants in Vancouver, British Columbia,” Lambrecht says. The Dillo has been boasting this “everybody-knows-your-name” vibe for nearly 20 years.
They met each other here about 15 years ago, and they became friends.” “The number of friends, couples that have come out of The Dillo-that’s what people call us-is amazing,” she says. Armadillo Grill has that “Cheers” vibe-and that’s just how owner Brenda Lambrecht likes it.