The Diva is back!!
October's dinner locale was selected by host Tamee: Modesto. Located in St. Louis' favorite Italian neighborhood, the Hill, Modesto is more modern than its neighboring stereotypical "Hill" restaurants (which I love too). It is in fact a Spanish restaurant most known for it's tapas menu.
We all met first in the bar area, and initially they didn't want to seat us at our table in the dining room until our entire party had arrived, which is always a little annoying. I understand the reason why restaurants do this, but I'd say if you have a party of 10 and are only missing 1 or 2 people, don't make everyone else wait just because of that. Be accommodating to people that are bringing you business. That's all I have to say about that, so restaurants take note! Moving on, our waitress in the bar area was Dana, and she was very nice and kept up well getting every one's orders correct and keeping track in lieu of people coming and going from our group. In the bar they were featuring happy hour, which offered tapa samples for I think 50 cents and $1 - a neat way to try a bunch out to see what you like. They also had specials on Sangria, and my red Sangria was great. A lot of us got Sangria and I think all enjoyed it.
When we moved onto dinner in the main room, we were given a new waitress Laura, who was also very nice and kept account of orders, etc. with accuracy. GDC diners rated the service at Modesto with mostly 4 and 5 spoons, on a scale of 1-5.
For dinner, the hubby and I shared some plates: the Arroz Con Pollo entree - a rice-based dish with chicken, bacon and roasted peppers; Pinchos Morunos - lamb skewers with yogurt and piquillo-caper relish; and Datiles Rellenos - bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with Cabrales cheese. The lamb skewers were the other half's choice and not really up my alley so I'm not fit to comment on those. The entree was pretty good but my favorite was the dates - delish! I don't think I'd trouble myself to re-order the entree or skewers again, but would definitely stick with the dates and then try out some other menu items, as there is a lot to choose from. GDR's had mixed reactions to the food. One diner said "Drink and dishes recommended by the server were NOT good." I'm not sure what drink was suggested, but I've already stated that the Sangria special was a hit. And some other diners seemed to like some of the special food items. Overall, Modesto got mostly 4 spoons on food.
In addition, Modesto got mostly 5 spoons for atmosphere. "Very nice decor, and we were well accommodated," said one diner, and I'd agree with that.
The Overall score for Modesto was two 3-spoons, four 4-spoons and two 5-spoons.
Personally, I give Modesto 4 spoons. I don't know if I'd select it myself as a first choice among dinner options, but if something brought me back there, I'd look forward to trying out more of its many dishes.
What do you think of Modesto?
Please rate & review below!
NOTE: To comment, click on red "comments" text below this blog box.
10/16/13
September Good Dinner: Scape American Bistro, 9/20
From the President:
Our September host, Sheena, chose Scape American Bistro. I have to admit that I wasn't too excited about this one, having dined there previously to find the food fairly bland. However, Sheena got repeated recommendations from friends about Scape and I had some disappointed invitees respond that they had to decline but that Scape was one of their favorite restaurants.
Parking is always tricky in the CWE but Scape offers valet service at a charge at the door. That is always a plus for me although the charge always irritates me. Scape is decorated fairly formally but well done. My memory is that it is sleek with lots of shiny black counters and other accoutrements. Had the weather been better, the outside dining space looks great. There are options in the rear of the restaurant which look quite peaceful and in the front, where you get more of a city feel. The group gave Scape 4 1/2 stars for its ambiance, I would give it 4 stars.
Our excellent service started before dinner. I called to expand the reservation and was denied the night before our dinner, the restaurant explained they had a busy Friday scheduled. But Friday I received a call advising that they had some cancellations and could now accommodate us. I was really impressed that they would have made a note of my call and followed up with me. We had a large party and the service was almost perfect. Our food came out quickly and well timed even though we had some guests that were very late (including me) due to the traffic from the Balloon Glow). Our server was very pleasant and accommodating. The group gave Scape 4 1/2 stars for service but I would give them 5 stars.
The food was well-prepared and tasty but frankly, nothing that left me anxious to return right away. I ordered the short ribs which came with spaetzle. I thought that was a unique choice and I was excited to have it. The spaetzle was great, the meat was flavorful but the sauce left a little to be desired. It had an interesting flavor but just not tangy enough for my taste. Our diners also made comments on both the chopped salad and the salmon. I took dessert to go and it was really good. The peach cobbler is interesting, the crust is almost a cake. I enjoyed it very much. I give the food a solid 4 stars, while our diners gave it 4 1/2 stars.
Overall, our diners gave the restaurant 5 stars, but I would give it 4 stars. It seems that this restaurant is one you have to try for yourself. It might be your new favorite, depending on your taste.
What do you think of Scape?
Please rate & review below!
Our September host, Sheena, chose Scape American Bistro. I have to admit that I wasn't too excited about this one, having dined there previously to find the food fairly bland. However, Sheena got repeated recommendations from friends about Scape and I had some disappointed invitees respond that they had to decline but that Scape was one of their favorite restaurants.
Parking is always tricky in the CWE but Scape offers valet service at a charge at the door. That is always a plus for me although the charge always irritates me. Scape is decorated fairly formally but well done. My memory is that it is sleek with lots of shiny black counters and other accoutrements. Had the weather been better, the outside dining space looks great. There are options in the rear of the restaurant which look quite peaceful and in the front, where you get more of a city feel. The group gave Scape 4 1/2 stars for its ambiance, I would give it 4 stars.
Our excellent service started before dinner. I called to expand the reservation and was denied the night before our dinner, the restaurant explained they had a busy Friday scheduled. But Friday I received a call advising that they had some cancellations and could now accommodate us. I was really impressed that they would have made a note of my call and followed up with me. We had a large party and the service was almost perfect. Our food came out quickly and well timed even though we had some guests that were very late (including me) due to the traffic from the Balloon Glow). Our server was very pleasant and accommodating. The group gave Scape 4 1/2 stars for service but I would give them 5 stars.
The food was well-prepared and tasty but frankly, nothing that left me anxious to return right away. I ordered the short ribs which came with spaetzle. I thought that was a unique choice and I was excited to have it. The spaetzle was great, the meat was flavorful but the sauce left a little to be desired. It had an interesting flavor but just not tangy enough for my taste. Our diners also made comments on both the chopped salad and the salmon. I took dessert to go and it was really good. The peach cobbler is interesting, the crust is almost a cake. I enjoyed it very much. I give the food a solid 4 stars, while our diners gave it 4 1/2 stars.
Overall, our diners gave the restaurant 5 stars, but I would give it 4 stars. It seems that this restaurant is one you have to try for yourself. It might be your new favorite, depending on your taste.
What do you think of Scape?
Please rate & review below!
August Good Dinner: Pan D'Olive, 8/26
From the President:
Our host for August was Seema. She chose the Mediterranean restaurant Pan D'Olive. The space has been a couple of different restaurants so I was anxious to see the latest transformation.
We were set up in the basement where they could accommodate the large group we expected. The basement is a nice space for large groups. Although it is a basement space, it is really cosy and simply decorated. It could work really well as an event space for a group of the right size. The group gave the atmosphere 4 1/2 stars, but I would give it a solid 4 stars.
A sweet waitress was dedicated to our group. I got the impression that English was not her first language but I believe she got every order exactly right. The dinner moved efficiently with no long waits. The group gave the service 4 stars but I would give them 5.
The food was really good. I cannot say enough about how delicious the arancini was. The flavor of the gorgonzola was just strong enough to make it a winner. I think almost everyone ordered the lobster ravioli in sherry cream sauce. It was also delicious as expected. Any restaurant that doesn't have something in a sherry cream sauce is missing out on a winning entree. There was nothing on the dessert menu that I had to have and cannot remember anyone else ordering dessert. Overall, the group gave the restaurant 4 1/2 stars and I agree.
What do you think of Pan D'Olive?
Please rate & review below!
Our host for August was Seema. She chose the Mediterranean restaurant Pan D'Olive. The space has been a couple of different restaurants so I was anxious to see the latest transformation.
We were set up in the basement where they could accommodate the large group we expected. The basement is a nice space for large groups. Although it is a basement space, it is really cosy and simply decorated. It could work really well as an event space for a group of the right size. The group gave the atmosphere 4 1/2 stars, but I would give it a solid 4 stars.
A sweet waitress was dedicated to our group. I got the impression that English was not her first language but I believe she got every order exactly right. The dinner moved efficiently with no long waits. The group gave the service 4 stars but I would give them 5.
The food was really good. I cannot say enough about how delicious the arancini was. The flavor of the gorgonzola was just strong enough to make it a winner. I think almost everyone ordered the lobster ravioli in sherry cream sauce. It was also delicious as expected. Any restaurant that doesn't have something in a sherry cream sauce is missing out on a winning entree. There was nothing on the dessert menu that I had to have and cannot remember anyone else ordering dessert. Overall, the group gave the restaurant 4 1/2 stars and I agree.
What do you think of Pan D'Olive?
Please rate & review below!
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