The Library

While planning our trip to St Petersburg I had done some research regarding the vibrant St. Pete Restaurant scene. The Library kept coming up on several occasions and was noted to be a local hotspot as “The place to go”. It is located inside of the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Research and Education Building on a corner. As you approach it you are able to view the inside as they have floor-to-ceiling windows. You will see what I can best describe as a restaurant located inside a 19th-century library, that contains only blue books. As you walk up to the restaurant you will see an exquisite outdoor seating area that resembles something that you would see in lower Manhattan. Upon entering the front door we were immediately greeted by the hostess who checked in our reservation. We had arrived a little early so we took a seat in the waiting area as the bar was completely full. The bar is a beautifully designed backlit tower of liquor. Once we were seated our server Madison P offered us water and gave us time to review the drink menu. When she returned with the water, she took our drink orders. Doris ordered the Moscow Mule and I ordered the Library Old Fashioned made with barrel-aged Coconut Cartel. I 100% recommend that you order it with The Library Old Fashioned. The Coconut Cartel, in my opinion, made The Library Old Fashioned taste like one of the best old-fashions I’ve had in a while.Shortly after our drinks arrived we placed our appetizer order. After some discussion and guidance from Madison, we decided to share an order of the Seared Octopus that consists of fregola, blistered tomato, cippolini onion and huancaina. This dish has got to be one of the top two octopus dishes that I’ve ever had in my entire life. It is absolutely a work of art and a culinary masterpiece. Words like delicious and scrumptious do not do this dish justice.I had a toss-up for our entrees between the Steak Frites or Jumbo Sea Scallops. Madison our server confided to me that the scallops were her favorite dish, so I went with the scallop dish.The Jumbo Sea Scallops are prepared with gouda grits, applewood bacon, brussels sprouts, and corn purée. This was another home run. I can safely say that this is the best dish that I have had this year. Maybe even the in the last 5 years. Doris opted for the Beef Bolognese which is prepared with bucatini, grana padano, focaccia breadcrumbs, and fried basil. This was absolutely another masterpiece, a flavorful and aromatic creation. Doris commented that the Bolognese filled her soul like Aunt Josephine’s cooking when growing up in the S. Bronx. Chef Alex Hoaks is a True and Distinct Master of Culinary Arts. Seated at the table next to us were a delightful couple Kendra and London. They are from the area and we chatted about our visit to the area. During our conversation, we explained how we do our reviews and the criteria that we use to pick and eventually select the locations that we review. We gave them insight on what we look for etc. etc. They gave us some really good recommendations which we will be reviewing in the coming months. Again, thank you both, Kendra and London, so much for your valuable input and for your company.