Time Marches On....

As we climb the asymptote trying to catch up to current time, Wednesday was spent riding back from Hannibal, which as is the case with most trips, took about half the time as was spent in riding out. The skies were gray and people were beginning to face the reality that the tour was over and life was about to resume again.

Since the return flight to BWI was late in the afternoon, there was time allowed for the group to take a tour of Budweiser (a wholly owned subsidiary of….), and the Missouri Botanical Garden. We had not been to either in quite a while, so it was almost new to us The brewery tour turned out to be mostly a promo for product (we take pride in our “Green” process for brewing the world’s best beer), although seeing the Clydesdales and the architecture of the brewery are worth it. Plus (as the guides pointed out several times) we get free beer at the end. We were surprised at the “visitor” center, it was much more ornate than we remembered



I was also surprised at the amount of beers that AB produces, not in quantity, but in numbers of labels. Heard of Shock Top? Chelada? Stone Mill Pale ale? It goes on

We were ushered by our guide



And taken through the brewery,mostly the bottling line with a lot of bud light, although I didn’t see any 10 ouncers…



and the architecture. Recognize/remember Bevo?



After the (free) beer tasting experience (did you know Stella Artois is a product?) we re-boarded the coach and headed off to the Botanical Garden. Again, we had not been there in a while, and we were reminded what a great spot it is. There is a calm peacefulness about the place with nature and man made treats for the eye





They’ve sort of adopted Dale Chihuly, but I’m not sure it integrates very well. A certain amount of clashing..





After that, we bid the tour folk adieu, and retired to the airport suites, wherein we had our wonderful pizza dinner.

Thursday

We awoke to more rain (rain is the new sun!), and spent part of the day driving around our hometown Clayton, seeing what’s new. And, there are changes. Around noon time we met a friend for a little business, and then accepted an invitation to lunch (Happy Birthday) at the nearby (what used to be) Il Bellagio in Creve Coeur. However (after some unpleasantness with the Las Vegas contingent), now is called Il Bel Lago, I think roughly translated to “nice lake”. Whatever its name is, it provides a great spot for lunch. Although sort of “store fronty” in appearance, once you’re inside the dining area is secluded from the outside (and miserable weather) and is nicely decorated with muted draperies on the ceiling, and (in this case) blue covered tables, nicely set. There are booths along one wall that are partially obscured if you have a need for more privacy. And yes, the feeder has pulled in his horns about those white paper squares. There they were, I guess it must be a custom, and I have to learn about that sometime. Anyway, one wall is devoted to the wine rack and they have some nice wines on display. Silver Oak, Mt. Veeder, Chimney Rock, and Robert Craig (new to me) among the Cabs. The wine list is pretty impressive, with many reasonable to show off selections.

Of course as you might have guessed the cuisine is Italian. The (luncheon) menu features appetizers, soups, salads, and some Pizzas as you might expect, but also a nice selection of pastas, and heartier entrees. Most every category includes (selection) del Giorno, thus allowing the kitchen some flexibility. Service was immediate and kind – no Hi, I’m…. just an explanation of the “Giornos” and asking if we would like a drink. The wine list was brought, and we finally settled on a bottle of ’06 Taz Pinot (Santa Barbara County) which I had not had (La Crema was our next choice), and got down to ordering.

MFO chose the seafood del Giorno which was a tilapia with a lemon butter sauce, I chose the risotto (I’m a sucker every time), and our friend got the pasta del Giorno which was (as memory serves) a wide pasta in red sauce with maybe some veal. We had the house salad and our friend chose the soup of the day (which is how it’s described on the menu!), a rich soup for a cold rainy day.

The wine was poured, some fresh bread and olive oil supplied (let it be noted that for once I did NOT wear any on the shirt when I left), and we had some great conversation. Water glasses were kept full, and service continued to be attentive. Every time I leave the Park, I am amazed to find how often “service” means just that. Anyway, the salads and soup arrived and were very much enjoyed. More wine, more conversation and then the main courses were served. My risotto was cooked just right (although I have to admit it was right on the edge of (IMHO) being too tight) but the rice was al dente as it should be, and the roasted garlic and pungent shitakes made a great dish. Quantities were large, so some resides in our little fridge. The fish was also nicely done with a great sauce of nice consistency, and the pasta was enjoyed. A great lunch. I like lunch.

So, if you’re ever in Creve Coeur and want a nice quiet Italian lunch (or dinner) I would recommend stopping in at “the Lake”. In fact, I’d put it on the “drive to” list.

Since the rain appeared to be continuing for the rest of the day, clever planning our part included a stop at Straub’s in Clayton and we purchased a pound of the legendary Chicken Salad along with more bread, another bottle of wine (’07 Domaine Chandon Unoaked Chardonnay), and a brownie. Year after year, that chicken salad is to die for.

Oh, before consuming the above (and the to die for chicken salad), I met another friend at Trailhead Brewery in St. Charles for a post work beer and catch up session. Reasonably priced beers, nice selection, but they allow smoking!!!! C’mon St. Charles/Missouri, get into the twenty first century! Good grief.

Tonight is the highlight of the culinary side of the trip, and you can bet we’ll be

DFD

Last Day in Twain Country...

A quick fast forward. We’ll document the last full day (Wednesday) in Hannibal in a minute, but we’re now safely ensconced in STL by the airport after a rather cold and busy day of traveling and local touring, and we were wondering what to do for dinner. Go to Clayton? The hill? Hey! How about numming down evening with a pizza and watch World Series game one? Done! Turns out there’s an Imo’s close by our hotel nestled in the heart of Earth City, with contractors, tourists and so forth. We went to a close by Schnuck’s got some adult beverages, cheese (smoked gouda), and a demi baguette.

Back to the local digs, spread the cocktail material on a small table, and began to relax without the “tour” be here, go there, schedule. Eventually we ordered a Pizza from a local Imo’s: a 14 inch, original crust two topping (pepperoni and mush). More cheese, wine and bread, and eventually a knock on the door brought the Pizza. Alert readers will remember the Feeder’s lament about no good pizza (with an exception for ruddy duck) in the Park. So here we are in the lowlands of Earth City, home of contractors, AYCE devotees, and we got this pizza. You know what? It beat anything available to us in the Park. Super thin, crunchy crust, the cheese forming a silky solid guardian of the pepperoni and mushrooms. Just RIGHT! Taste was fine. Good mouthfeel, and the ingredients shone through. You talk about comfort food? This IS IT




Okay, back to the trip. Our last full day in Hannibal on Wednesday consisted of a Trolley trip to the outskirts of the city. We toured two cemeteries which had Clemens/Sawyer ties, more statues (there must be more statues of Sam per square foot than anywhere), an over look, and finally the “Becky Thatcher” cave.










Through a curious set of circumstances, we were joined by a group of youngsters/kids (it’s all relative) that are doing an excursion down the extent of the Mississippi on a replicated“York Boat”. It’s called the “old man river” project. They hope to produce a documentary of their journey, and we were pleased to have them with us. Youth is good. Since they are producing a documentary, they were behind their equipment most of the time,



but I hope they had a chance to absorb some of the scenery. They have a blog associated with the trip. There’s 4 Canadians and one Aussie. They were able to take advantage of recently vacated rooms at Lula Bell’s, so win all around. They were fun. As the average age of our tour was in our range, an injection of youthful exuberance was fun.

We were extremely fortunate to have the Curator of the Twain Museum(s) with us, and he supplied information on all the sights. What a knowledgeable resource

I am always amazed at the knowledge of others. After the tour we retired once again to the Boyhood Home museum, where the same curator gave us a little presentation showing things in the collection not open to the public.



Like first editions, letters, and things. Wonderful stuff.



The project people taped the whole thing



Our “final dinner” was held on a river boat.




Were the weather better, the sun out, it could have been a fitting closing. Sad to say we were treated as just another fare, get ‘em in, get ‘em out, processed cattle. We were ushered (through the gift shop) to the “lounge” on the boat, set with tables and a musician playing a banjo.



Set down, we were asked for drinks (water, tea?) while the buffet was being hastily constructed before the stage. Steam tables hustled out (pre-recorded messages about the river were ignored), and assembled, then the food brought out in the chafing dishes. We were urged to start dining. We did, first to the out of the bag salad, then a “what’s this?” pasta salad, some green beans apparently courtesy of Del Monte. Approaching the “main” steam dish were asked if we would like beef or chicken, or both. I selected “both” and was given a couple of slices of if not lunch meat, gray slices of tough protein. The chicken was a boneless breast with a pink (paprika?) coating. If you took both (the Feeder) you got a couple of slices of that shoe leather beef and a breast. If you took chicken (MFO), you got a breast, one piece of chicken. Dessert was served half way through the mains, and while we attempted to eat the food, the buffet tables were cleared moments after the last guest was served, table linens removed tables knocked down, budda bing, see ya folks.

Meanwhile the boat did some unfathomable (get it?) turns in the river, completely obscured by the dark and lowered ceiling. Wandering around the boat, I was asked by the (only) server: Did you enjoy your meal? Cop out: “the chicken was okay”.

Meanwhile the musician continued to play the guitar, with some period pieces (St. Louis Blues), and mountain music (Doc Watson), and Gordon Lightfoot. He was actually pretty good, but mostly playing to an open house. Eventually we returned to port, and walked back to our rooms.

and took off our

DFD

That pretty much ended a three day immersion in Samuel Clemens. Comments saved to a wrap up at a later date. Yesterday we climbed aboard the coach to return to St. Louis, doing a brewery tour and Missouri Botanical Gardens before leaving the group at the airport.

Got some good pics of beer and flora, hope to get out later today. Tomorrow night is the culinary highlight of the trip.

Day Two..

When we occupied our “Purple Passion” room at LuLa Belle’s, aside from the limited living space, we noticed a few little packets resting on the night stand:



We sort of wondered why they were there, allowing as how maybe because of thin walls or something they would help drown out any room to room noise. We looked out the window and were somewhat mollified to see we were right next to the levee, and had a fairly nice view of Old Muddy…(note yesterday’s report).

So, after our dinner at Ole Plantation (note yesterday’s report), we retired to our Purple Passion room and got into bed. In a few minutes we said; “oh, listen! there’s a train!”, as the seldom heard (anymore) whistle romantically droned in the distance. A minute or so later, we heard it again, but closer. Again. Closer, until it seemed it was right outside our window, which essentially it was. It dawned on us that levees are usually accompanied by road beds, and sure it enough it was. To be fair, the building didn’t shake nor was it lighted up by the headlight, but at least nine more times during the night, the whistle blared at each of the many RR crossings within town. Sleepless in…..Hannibal.

At breakfast the next morning the tour director expressed sorrow that it had not been checked out in advance, and immediately said we should move to a nearby Best Western where we currently reside (along with several other transplants). LuLa Belle’s also contains what some consider the best restaurant in town, and we had breakfast there. Being with a group we were offered a plated breakfast of eggs, biscuits and gravy and potatoes. Hearty and artery clogging.



After breakfast we re-boarded our coach and headed south to visit the birthplace of Sam Clemens in Florida, Missouri.



Turns out it was named Florida because of the abundance of flowers in the area. Anyhow, the complete cabin as been preserved and a “Shrine” built around it as part of a state park.





Humble beginnings for a great man!

We saw a very nice film on the life of Sam, and they also display some furniture from his final home in Connecticut. After leaving Florida (current population, zero) we retraced our journey back to Hannibal. We were fortunate to have our guide be the curator of the Twain Museum(s) here in town, and he provided a great commentary along with some quotes in Twains own words about his boyhood. Upon reaching Hannibal we toured “Huck Finn’s” house, the actual boyhood home (and famous ) fence, the “Becky Thatcher” House, and Sam’s father’s law office. We were then released for lunch on our own, and went to a little coffee shop run by a friend of one of the tour directors, and had a very nice cup(s) of (bean and tomato bisque) soup and a Panini of chicken and pesto along with a roast beef sandwich. Both were good and we thought the soup was especially good.

Then a brief respite and back to the Boyhood Home Museum for a discussion on the book Pudd'nhead Wilson, led by the museum’s director (our pre-trip assignment was to read the book). It has a very interesting plot/story, but will leave any discussion of that for another time. After that, we had another wine and cheese relaxation period, and then all went over to LuLa Belle’s for dinner. After hearing those good reports, we were anxious to see for ourselves. The dining room carries the theme of the upstairs former offices for romantic occupations



We were seated in a separate room that contained the bar, and were presented with menus. In the interest of time, we’ll skip the details, but there were numerous choices under Appetizers, Beef, Chicken, Pasta, Seafood, and Pork. With any entrée, you get peel & eat shrimp, a Caesar or special salad, twice or baked potato with the usual set of fixings (including blue cheese). A lightly poured scotch helped with menu selections and after a good bit of dithering, I took the Yellow Fin Tuna (Grilled Fresh Fish) with the Tarragon butter option, and MFO took the Pork Tenderloin with Portobello mushroom and sauce. I did Caesar and MFO did special salad. The shrimp arrived along with a couple of tubs of sauce, and I figured they were about 24 count shrimp, but did have some taste, although deveining was a good idea. After that the salads arrived, and the special salad was greens, and my Caesar was romaine, but overdressed with no discernable anchovy component. Eventually the mains were auctioned off) and although I think I got the tuna with sundried tomato, it didn’t make much difference, the tuna was gray from top to bottom. My “twice baked potato” was essentially potato skins with some potato like stuffed piped atop. There was definitely a crust under the potato stuff.



The pork was the same, except the mushrooms were not portobella and MFO claimed not much taste



A plate of Prime Rib at another spot did look good, and everybody who had beef was quite pleased with it. Maybe poor choices on our part, or maybe the Feeder is just too exacting.

We were also joined at dinner by Richard Garey, who does Twain interpretations, much like Hal Holbrook



After dinner we trouped over to a little theater and greatly enjoyed Mr. Garey’s performance. It's quite a nice little theater. Oh, and of course we were

DFD and DFT(heater)

tomorrow continued tour and how we met the "old man river project" people!

Rivers..

doing/chronicling again....,


Our travels Sunday found us on the banks of two rivers, the Missouri to begin with and the Mighty Mississippi to end. We left the Marriott in STL in a spacious coach (coach, not a bus) and headed west along I70 to St. Charles. It, like our more familiar St. Mary’s City, was another “First Capitol”. We had a very nice tour of the restored city on their little trolley:



with commentary by a very knowledgeable guide, a lady who has been doing it for 25 years and really knows her history of St. Charles.



A complicated one it is, with the city being under rule of the Spain, France, and then the Germans. As you all know, it entered the Union as a state in 1821 as part of the Missouri Compromise. Accordingly there are buildings that display characteristics of all its mixed heritage, and several examples of each were pointed out. We then were “turned loose” for lunch and shopping. We met FOJTE and wife for a lovely lunch at the Garden Café ala Fleur, a little place with a large patio which the weather allowed us to take advantage of. We were seated not far from the spot where Lewis and Clark started their famous expedition (we know knew). The fare was sort of standard café offerings, sandwiches from Reuben’s to Burgers, salads from Caesars to fruit, and a few small plates. We were immediately informed that Tiffany would be taking care of us for lunch. Oh, well, it’s a friendly small town. We decided on a cheese plate to start with, and ordered drinks. I found a Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, an IPA style (beer brewed in the UP of Michigan) of beer with a lovely label of a rainbow trout. I noticed after my second bottle that it was 7% alcohol. MFO went with a Mirassou Chardonnay (a disappointment) and FOJTE took a Paulaner Oktoberfest Ale, and his wife chose some Peach Iced Tea. Service was, well, slow, but it was a pleasant afternoon and a good people watching place. We shooed tiffany off a couple of times and then ordered a half and half for the flutters (white chicken chili/reuben; potato soup/tuna salad;) a bowl of same for MFOJTE, and a wrap with raspberry chipotle (which was nice to pronounce) for FOJTE. After another longish wait the cheese arrived, somewhat disappointing, but still an okay starter, and after another interlude the food appeared. It was pretty good, especially the soups. A pleasant afternoon and after a couple of those 7% beers, the gentle coach ride to Hannibal seemed pleasing.

We started out on 70 west bound. We were impressed by the development of western STL which now extends to Wentzville without cessation of strip malls, centers, various little businesses, almost everything but trees and fields. We could remember when Wentzville was “out there”. Turning north on US61 the sprawl finally gave way to rolling hills and some color although rain showers were intermittent. Along the way our trip leader gave us some background on Hannibal and Samuel Clemens. A little nap interceded somewhere in there, and after coming through the “new” part of Hannibal we arrived at the historic part of the city. Our accommodations there were scheduled to be at a riverfront B&B, which was resurrected from its former life as a well, look at the color of the light over the sign.



Trepidation began to creep in as we ascended a stair to the rooms, which confirmed their former use. Just a hall with a series of doors, with colorful names.







We were given the purple passion room, and although it contained a shower which some of the rooms did not, was a bit, well, rustic.




We reluctantly accepted the room and changed into duds appropriate to DFD and then attended a little reception in the board room of Samuel Clemens’ boyhood home museum. We had sort of a private tour, seeing some of the original Norman Rockwell illustrations used in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

We then walked a block down the street to the Ole Plantation Restaurant, which has been in business since 1976.



They are not usually open Sunday evenings, but made an allowance for our tour party. I think my “just fits” comes into play here. It’s obviously a long time venue, and has lots of pictures of “the old days” on the walls together with various memorabilia. Being a typical river town, floods play a large part in their culture, and there were scenes of high water, and the owner showed us how all the outlets were place on walls above a pretty healthy flood stage. We were seated at a single long table, with paper place mats (conveniently giving us the number for Shawn’s Bobcat Service, a dog grooming service, and a couple of local gift shops), and rolled up silver. Their specialty is smoked meats, and this evening our choices were: Beef, Ham, Brats, or Pork. That’s it. Pick your protein. All else falls out. MFO ordered the Pork, and I took the Brats. There was an iceberg salad bar (fits) and a selection of Bud products along with Fitz’s soft drinks. Sides were not elective and included green beans with bacon and onion (and garlic?), corn, and potato salad. After all selections were made and trips to the salad bar completed, entrees started to arrive (five at a time!). Just fits, the beans and corn were of the canned variety, the potato salad Germanic with vinegar, air bread on the table. MFO’s pork was generous and cut in long strips with sauce, and I was surprised that my Brat was just that, only one brat, not Johnsonville length, but maybe almost a foot long. It was nicely browned and had some very mild Kraut atop. The flavor of the Brat was not spiced at all, but had a nice beefy taste. Dessert was included either a German chocolate or apple pie. MFO did the chocolate, and I the apple. Winner me, fresh juicy apples. Since we were the only patrons of the restaurant, the owner gave us a little history of the town and the restaurant’s role. A fun evening, showing the advantages of being a part of a group

Tomorrow we recount the evening's rest at LuLa Belles and our re acquaintance with the railroads and its result, plus Today's (Monday’s) adventures. Oh yeah, we were more than

DFD

Tour Law?

A legal question to begin our journey to the Midwest: Who owns the armrests in airplanes? The answer on Southwest yesterday appears to be the window and aisle seaters. Through some quirk in the highly automated SW seating system, MFO and I (finally – “See agent at gate for seating”) were issued passes Nos. C20 and 21. The last person allowed down the jetway was number C23. “All seats are full, please put all carryons under seats”. All of this resulted in two hours of agony shoehorned into a middle seat in almost a fetal postion with basically arms crossed in front of me and toes fetched up against laptop and camera bags. MFO had a similar experience in some other part of the airplane. “Have a nice flight!”

Before boarding the airplane from Hell, we were treated to see a plane load of WWII vets arrive, to a standing ovation. There were several active military folks around and they all came over and shook the hands of the vets. A touching scene…



Thus began our “Twain Tour”, bringing us to St. Louis yesterday, and then on to Hannibal today. After the effects of the airplane wore off we had a nice time with our other travelers and seeing some sights of good old home town St. Louis. After checking in to the nice Marriott here by Harry’s on Jefferson we took the hotel shuttle down to the old court house, did a little tour there, and then wandered down to the Arch.





Being a lovely day, I didn’t join the majority who wanted to “do” the underground museum and tram to the top, but just wandered around with my camera.





Somebody replaced all the young trees with mature ones while we were gone!



As the weather cooled we headed back to the Hotel, and started to deal with dinner. The specter of a “tour” brings the “group dinner” into play. We did a quick call to Trattoria Marcella, and as expected was told that two could be served no earlier than 8:30, so we decided to cast our lot with the group. They’re a fun bunch, so not a problem. Some had heard of the Schlafly Tap Room, and since it was in the three mile “Free Zone” we were again able to use the hotel shuttle, and ten of us packed in the van and off we went. St. Louis residents might remember that Shlafly is an old St. Louis name associated with beer (along with that “other” St. Louis company). They have renovated an 1904 building and it now houses their brewpub. The place is huge and easily swallows apparently any amount of visitors as it was pretty packed but although we had to break into separate parties, we were seated immediately. High ceilings, brick walls, many people means, LOUD. And it was. Although seated across a two top from MFO conversation was strained: “What?” “What’ll you have?” What?”. The menu is basically bar food although they call it “European inspired Pub Fare”. Lots of Apps, soups, salads, sandwiches, and large plates. Oddly enough no flat breads or pizzas. The appetizers have some interesting entries, Bangers and Mash, Smoked Liverwurst, Steak Frites, all appear. We selected a “meat and cheese” platter for starters along with a couple of glasses of Wyndham Estates Shiraz and Toasted Head Merlot (and yes, I know it was a brew pub). Later I found the beer list attached to the wall. For dinner I had the (whoops we’re out of the grilled steak sandwich) roast beef sandwich, and MFO took an interesting looking “Fried Egg and Ham Toastie’.

Our platter of meats arrived before the wines, and it was very good. It had about 12 things scattered around a chopping block, several sausages, some nicely pickled carrots, cauliflower, asparagus, and some huntsman cheese, with an ample amount of toasted bread slices. Could almost have made a meal of that. Very nice for 9 bucks.

Sandwiches were one for two, MFO’s ham thing was very nice. It actually appeared that they carved the ham from a ham rather than lunch meat and the warm potato salad was sharp with vinegar and plenty of bacon. The eggs were still a bit runny, a good sign from the kitchen. She deconstructed it and just ate the innards. Other choice was vinegar slaw. No fries here. My shaved roast beef was dried out and gray, I guess a testament to “slow roasted” description on the menu. The roll it was served on was not distinguished. I accompanied it with a glass of American Pale Ale which was refreshing.

There were a wide array of other diners/eaters, some of which were in Indianapolis Colts garb. (The Colts will destroy the home town Rams today). The gentleman next to us had sort of a dunce cap woolen affair that never was removed with a big horseshoe embroidered on it. Travel and touring and the acoustics finally wore us out, and we returned to the Hotel just in time to learn the Spartans avoided handing the Hawkeyes their first season loss on the last play of the game. Way to go, Sparty..

So today we “do” St. Charles, and then bus to Hannibal for what will surely be a big adventure. Tonight we’re staying at LuLu’s bed and breakfast.. not sure about food accommodations, but whatever, we’ll be

DFD