In downtown:

Kemoll's - 211 N. Broadway - Downtown at the Metropolitan Plaza on Broadway and 6th Street, this place serves up good Italian. It's heavy on the sauce and the garlic, the service is great, and the garlic bread is endless and yummy! It's on the pricier side of things with pasta entrees starting at $20 and  the Filet at $50. It is worth it if you want good italian near the downtown hotels. Reservations are advised. Website is www.kemolls.com

In Midtown (near the church):

Moxy - 4584 Laclede Avenue - In the heart the the Central West End (an area with students, doctors, and professors...amongst others) this small restraunt has entrees named "chicken" amd "fish". The food is good, the atmosphere is trendy and modern, outside dining is available in good weather (which is possible in November). The service is hit-or-miss which can be frustrating. Prices for entrees range from $12 - $30. Reservations are recommended although this area is bursting with unique restraunts and if Moxy is full, I recommend any others in the area (Bar Italia, Melange, Balaban's, Lywellen's, Drunken Fish to name a few) Website is www.moxybistro.com 

The Hill (about 20 minutes from downtown):

Cunnetto's - 5453 Magnolia Avenue - It is so hard to pick a favorite and I didn't want to steal Mike's thunder, so I went with Cunnetto's House of Pasta. In truth, if you want fantastic Italian food, The Hill is the place to go. Parking can be a problem and reservations are not accepted on weekends, so expect to wait anywhere from 30-60 minutes. All the restraunts are different in price range and the area of Italy they cook from, but all have great salads, pastas, and chicken and veal dishes. The steaks I hear aren't bad either, but I'm a pasta kind of girl. Cunnetto's entrees range from $15 for pasta to market price for surf and turf. I couldn't get their website to work, but their phone number is 314-781-1135

Other restraunt names on The Hill are Dominic's, Giovanni's (both very expensive), Failoni's, Larenzo's Trattoria, LoRussa's Cucina, and Trattoria Marcella

Other areas (worth the drive):

Barcelona - 34 North Central Avenue - This restraunt in the heart of a town called Clayton has the best tapas in the area. It is worth the drive from downtown for the bread dipped in goat cheese and marinara, to the bread pudding, and of course the sangria! The atmosphere is young and contemporary. It is sometimes loud on the weekends and reservations are recommended. Outside seating is open if weather permits. Their phone number is 314-863-9909

Brio - 1601 S. Lindbergh Blvd Frontanec, MO - This is far west, but near a high end mall and definitely worth the drive just for their calamari! Reservations are a good idea, but if you are willing to wait about 30 minutes, you can get a table without it. Average entrees are about $20. It is straight west on I-64 to S. Lindbergh Blvd and just off the exit on your right in the Frontanec Mall parking lot.

In downtown:

Mosaic - 1101 Lucas Avenue - Right off Washington on Lucas is this trendy little tapas place. The art is modern, the atmosphere is hip and fun, the food is bitesized, and the taste is delicious. Tapas start at $8 and go up to $12, but remember that you will need several different selections to fill you up. The martini specials are recommended as are reservations if you want to eat. If you are just going for the drinks, then be prepared to stand at the bar. www.mosaictapas.com

In Midtown (Near the church):

Wildflower - 4590 Laclede Avenue - just about 3 blocks from the church is an older restraunt with a seasonal menu. They are listed as American food, but their menu is entensive. The soups and appetizers are great as are the entrees. The bar is good, but in our experience usually runs slowly. Service is not that impressive, but if you are there to visit with friends and enjoy good food, the length of the dinner won't bother you at all. We have had wonderful meals here. Reservations are recommended on weekends. They don't have a website, but their phone number is 314-367-9888

Lindel Coffee Kitchen - 4630 Lindel Blvd - Don't be alarmed, the restraunt is in the lobby of the Best Western Hotel on Lindell. The hotel is not much to look at and the diner is equally appealing, but breakfast is hot, cheap, and wonderful! Omletes are plain or with cheese and quite tasty. The best menu item is the hubcake! These pancakes served plain, with chocolate chips, blueberries, banana nut, or apple are the size of a hubcap. We recommend sharing them with someone else who is hungry or you won't be able to clean your plate.  The owner claims they serve a great steak for about $12 for dinner, but we haven't made it there for dinner yet. Reservations are not necessary or accepted.

The Hill (about 20 minutes from downtown):

Charlie Gitto's - 5226 Shaw Avenue - See Brooke's comments for The Hill in general. Charlie Gitto's is a personal favorite of both of us. Their appetizers are out of this world. We recommend the crab cakes and the St. Lous tradition of toasted ravioli. The entrees range in price from $16 for pasta to $40 for a filet. Everything is good!! If you go, you must have dessert! The tera missou and the home-made gelato are the best either one of us has ever tasted. Reservations are recommended. If you arrive for dinner before 6pm, they have a fixed price meal of $19.95 which includes a soup or salad, an entree, and gelato of your choice (I recommend the pistachio) www.charliegittos/com 

Other areas (worth the drive):

Harvest - 1059 S. Big Bend Blvd - This restraunt with a seasonal menu has uniqur entrees like venison and pumpkin based meals. The service is great! The food is fantastic. They have an extensive wine list.  Entree prices average about $25. Reservations are recommended. Their website is www.harveststlouis.com 

Downtown:

Shopping downtown was a lost art form for many years. There is no mall, but several boutique stores have opened up recently, especially along Washington Avenue. In truth, I have never been to any of them, but I drive by them on my way home from work and think that some day I'm gonna have to stop and browse.

Other (worth the drive):

The Galleria - This large, mall has just about every store one could imagine. Macy's and Dillard's are the big anchor stores and the smaller stores include Coldwater Creek, Gap, The Limited, New York and Co, several sports stores, apple store, Bose store, Sharper Image, Brookstone, and many others. Restraunts include The Cheesecake Factory, Californis Pizza Kitchen, Houlihan's, and a food court. There is also a movie theater in the mall. To get there, just take I-64 west to the Brentwood Blvd exit and head to the right. The mall in on the left. There is also a collection of stores like Ann Taylor Loft and Crate and Barrel located in the area on the right across from the mall.

Plaza Frontanec - This up scale mall has Sak's 5th avenue, Tiffany's, Cartier, William-Sonoma, Sur La Table, and a movie theater that play more independent film type movies. The real reason to go to this mall is to browse and then eat at Brio. To get there take I-64 west to the South Lindbergh exit and about 1 block after the exit, the mall is on your right.

Mike has few recommendations for shopping...as most would imagine. He enjoys the Galleria for the technology stores and the food. When he does want to shop (like at Christmas when he is forced to shop) He enjoys...

St. Louis Mills Mall - This mall is somewhat of an outlet mall. There are outlets for Saks 5th Avenue, Tommy Hilfiger, Gap, Banana Republic, and several children's stores. There are also unique boutique stores related to St. Louis sports teams, the color purple, local merchants, etc. There is an ice rink with open skate as well as professional hockey practices, there is an indoor putt-putt course, indoor car racing, and bowling. Food choices include a food court, Chevy's (Mexican), and a good Spazio (Italian). To get there, take I-70 west to I-270 north to Exit 22B (highway 370).  The mall is off of the St. Louis Mills Exit about 1 mile.