Well, we should wrap up (would you like a box for that sir?)
at least the food portion of our trip to Missouri… and I’ll try to keep this
one short(er)
St. Louis enjoys a reputation for Italian food, a heritage
of many Italian immigrants who worked the clay mines in the late 19th
Century. Most people who know much about
St. Louis have heard of “The Hill” a famous Italian neighborhood which produced
Joe Garagiola and Yogi Berra. It always
has been home to many Italian restaurants of all formalities like the sort of
family Rigazzis, Cunettos House of Pasta, and others up to the grand Dame Dominic’s
which always rivals the downtown Tony’s for the premier Italian restaurant in
STL. On our Christmas visit, we visited
what must be considered (and probably is) another entry in that class. Our DC
friend travels to see his family in STL regularly and so we arranged that we
would all meet over Christmas (as we usually do, we see him more there than
here) and have dinner. He recommended
John Mineos, another venerable restaurateur in St. Louis and a restaurant that has
been around for about forty years serving Italian Food
Not on The Hill, it is located on one end of a bunch of
stores that comprise a shopping center on Clayton Road not downtown, but in the
fashionable West County area. The
restaurant doesn’t stand out and you have to park in the regular parking lot
along with the shoppers. Not really
knowing what to expect, while we were definately DFD but not to the nines (I
didn’t wear a tie – which I rarely do anymore) but did have on a jacket. The more or less humble exterior hides what I
would consider a classic Italian fine dining restaurant. Large paintings on the walls with those
classic heavy guilt frames, tables with crisp linens, chargers with elegantly
folded napkins, crystal wine glasses, and leather cushioned chairs. And everywhere you look there were tuxedoed
waiters gliding around the room serving tables, and finishing dishes
tableside. This happened several times during our stay,
and it was done quietly and efficiently, a means of making sure your entrée was
hot, the sauce was as fresh as possible.
It wasn’t done as a side show with flash (literally) and pomp, just good
attention to the food. In fact, your
dish might be prepared a few tables away and brought to the table.
While I need to move along here, I won’t go over the food
dish by dish, but everything was excellent.
As I had an off the menu special swordfish (a sucker dish for me) with
caramelized onions over wilted greens which was lovely. Fueled by a pre meal martini and a glass of
wine, I did yield to my inclination not to, and got a quick picture as
discreetly as possible.
Oddly enough there wasn’t toasted Ravioli on the menu, nor
my other go to dish Veal Piccata. With
apologies to our friends (I may get this wrong), the lady ordered salmon but
wanted the sauce on the side and vegetables instead of the side on the
menu. The only response from the server
was “Of course, Madam”. Service was the
classic brigade style with captains, front and back waiters and so on. More and more you find out (welcome to the
party Feeder) that service is what makes the experience. Can’t fix bad food, but if the food is good,
service can make a meal memorable. This
one was.. I would say it would be a “special
occasion” restaurant, not where you go for a quick dinner. Prices are a notch down from Tony’s (upper
twenties, not thirties) but the whole experience is comparable. All in all in think Tony’s remains king, but I
would come to Mineo’s a few times and
save Tony’s for every other year or so..
The FOJ’s
Both the “Y” and the “E” cooked meals for us over the course
of our stay. Fortunately their Feeder
father doesn’t have to make stuff up.
Both know what they’re doing. The
“E” prepared his traditional Christmas Eve Lasagna dinner in their beaurifully decorated home which was lovely as
usual and enjoyed by all,
And Christmas morning we got up (early) in St. Charles, MO (FOJTE) and
drove down (I think right behind Santa) to Cape Girardeau. MO (FOJTY). TY
was up early and used his Big Green Egg to produce a wonderful smoked Brisket for our
Christmas Brunch (he had to be at work by 3, the life of a cop).
Eventually the other “J” team came along with our grandson,
his friend, and FOJTE's wife's sister (are you dizzy?) so we wound up with a group of about ten, plus good
old Stanley. We had a good time opening
gifts, snacking, and wine tasting (noon someplace was invoked). It was a good day for all.
We stayed a couple more days in Cape before heading home and
had a chance to visit one of our favorite places there, the
It is kind of a peaceful place, out in the country by the mill
And Stanley gets to do what hunting dogs like to do!
After poking around we went to a little place where we’d
been before in nearby Gordonville for lunch at the
(Window Grab Shot)
Where I had what they called a “club sandwich”
Kind of just what you might expect, but it was ample, tasty
and the fries were hot. Good enough on a cold day...
So finally it was time to load up the MOMSTER and head east
again (Documented in first posting, "reverse"). Was kind of a quick trip this year, but it is always heartwarming to be
with the family, and as we age, the tug of Missouri might start weighing on the
love of Maryland.
So Christmas 2014 goes into the books and memory bank with
thoughts of a reluctant Santa
Who is ALWAYS
DFD
No comments:
Post a Comment