Happy China, O'Fallon, MO

Happy China (http://happychinafood.com/) has become one of my favorite Chinese places to grab a bite to eat. It's located in Dardenne Square near Target. I think I feel the need to draw one of my lovely maps...

Ahhh, how I've missed my maps...
So, Happy China, yeah. Really good Chinese food (even if their Web site looks like it was designed by a 13-year-old kid in the mid-90s). And I'm pretty picky about my Chinese food. One of the best things about Happy China is they deliver, but you need a $15 minimum order. I still feel kind of bad for having the little Chinese lady deliver food to me in the middle of winter, but, hell, I didn't want to go out and I wanted some black pepper chicken. I tipped her well, though. Speaking of the black pepper chicken, it isn't listed on the menu, but you can order it. I don't know why it doesn't appear anymore, but it's pretty much the only dish I order unless I decide to get a lunch special. So, they're open every day also. Monday - Thursday: 10:30 am to 10:00 pm; Friday and Saturday: 10:30 am to 11:00 pm; Sunday: 11:00 am to 10:00 pm.

Black pepper deliciousness

I love the black pepper chicken, and the regular portions of their food is enough for 2 meals. Even the lunch portions are pushing it and could be a light lunch and a light dinner, especially if you get some wontons, crab rangoons, or egg rolls. Oh, the wontons. Mmmmmm. I'm not really a fan of wontons, but I now have to order them every time I get food here. They are just really good. I don't like pork, but I freaking love these wontons with a bit of soy sauce on them.

Fuzzy wontons (will get a better picture next time I order them). The crack that must be in them gives that extra bit of flavor.
So, the prices are pretty reasonable at Happy China, too, considering you can get two meals out of the regular portions or share it with someone. Lunch specials will run about 6 bucks and come with either fried or sticky rice and either an egg roll or a crab rangoon. The regular meals will vary from about $6 - $9.50 depending on what the ingredients are.

Happy China's menu
So if you live in the O'Fallon area, definitely give Happy China a shot: You won't be disappointed.

Tom & Chee - O'Fallon, MO

It's been a while! I really need to get back into my new-food-spot blogging. I'll start getting back into it with Tom & Chee. Tom & Chee a gourmet grilled cheese and tomato soup place! Tom & Chee is located on Hwy K near I-70 in O'Fallon, MO.

When I was in Korea, a grilled cheese and tomato soup was the ultimate comfort food for me. And tomato soup was REALLY hard to find, so it had to only be when I was really missing home. Now I can get a gourmet grilled cheese whenever I want for just a short drive. I know I could make my own, but these are REALLY good.

If you watch Shark Tank, you may have seen the owners on the show. I do not watch the show, so that's about all I can tell you about that. What I can tell you, though, is the grilled cheese sandwiches are very good. The prices aren't too bad either. You can get a half sandwich for about $2.50, a regular for about $5, or a double for about $8. Of course this will vary depending on the ingredients. The soup will range from $1 for a dipping cup to about $4.50 for a bowl. They also offer salads and a kids menu.

Grilled mac & cheese with a dipping cup of creamy tomato basil

This is the only picture I have at the moment. I'll eat here again soon, and get more pictures. The sandwich was very good. Grilled just perfectly and not messy at all.

Something that sets Tom & Chee apart from other grilled cheese places are the fancy grilled cheese donut sandwiches. I have yet to try one of these, but I think The King is calling my name. These are glazed donuts cut in half and filled with a variety of ingredients then grilled like a grilled cheese sandwich. They were even featured on Man vs. Food for this little delight. These will run you about $6.

Something else that I really like about Tom & Chee is that I can place my order online and go pick it up. This is really handy for lunch during work. You can also customize or build your own grilled cheese sandwich.

So, if you're in the O'Fallon area and want some comfort food, I highly recommend stopping in and checking it out. let me know how the grilled cheese donuts are. ;)

Updated June 28th, 2015
I have some new photos for Tom & Chee :)

The swiss & shroom grilled cheese sandwich on hardy white with a bowl of chunky tomato basil soup
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The bananarama grilled cheese donut!

I was a little unsure of the grilled cheese donut since I'm not a big fan of glazed donuts to begin with. I was worried the glaze would be too sweet. The donut is cut in half and the cut side is grilled with the toppings being place on the glazed side. The Bananarama consists of caramelized bananas, Gouda cheese, and the donut. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was! It wasn't too sweet, and the Gouda cheese ...I can't describe how it was mixed with the banana, but it was really good.