January Good Dinner: Prasino, 1/13

January's dinner was at St. Charles' Prasino, selected by host Porscha. The restaurant has a warm and unique atmosphere, created from using recycled materials and reclaimed wood, blending together to give off a modern winery feel. The only complaint was that the acoustics made it hard to enjoy conversation as it was a busy night and created a loud environment. The atmosphere score averaged to 4.5 spoons. On service, Prasino also got 4.5 spoons, with two servers attending to the table with timeliness and accuracy. The only setbacks were minor, such as servers not knowing the soup of the day.
Onto the best part: food was rated ALL 5s! One diner said, "My and shallot soup was lick the bowl fantastic! (although of course I did not). Three of us got the short ribs. The portion was enormous and the sauce it came with was really flavorful and delicious. None of the desserts struck my fancy after such a big meal but if I go back I will be giving the gooey butter cake with white chocolate and cranberry a try. All of their food is locally grown and organic - don't really care about that but some people do." I personally love the locally grown and organic aspect, and its great that everyone was well-pleased with the food, because if your going to have a restaurant boasting these qualities, your going to get some pretty particular foodies, so you better be on your A-game. Well done Prasino.
Overall, Prasino also got all 5s, so there is really nothing left to do but give this restaurant the converted 5-spoon rating. Have you dined at Prasino? What do you think of this west-side wonder? Please rate and review below!

December Good Dinner: Broadway Oyster Bar, 12/11

From the President....

The Broadway Oyster Bar has been a favorite after work spot for as long as I can remember. It has a certain charm and a loyal clientele. As far as Oyster Bar's go, it is no comparison to the selection and quality of oysters at the Demun Oyster Bar. However, you get the sense that the Broadway Oyster Bar is not trying to be anything more than exactly what it is: a Cajun restaurant where customers can unwind and have a great meal at the same time. The music starts later so you can really make a night of an experience at the Broadway Oyster Bar if that is what you choose to do.

The restaurant is rustic to say the least. The building is cavernous with different rooms for diners. Hard to tell how big the inside really was. Our dining room was pretty cramped but there weren't very many other parties so it worked out well for us. Our diners rated the atmosphere at 3 1/2 spoons.

In general the restaurant was very accommodating. They do not take reservations but promised to make sure we would have a table since we were dining on a week night. What was annoying is that they also do not separate the check so we were forced to figure the bill out on our own. With the technology available with today's restaurant software, I do not understand restaurants that inconvenience their diners in this way. However, as far as the actual dinner service, I could not ask for better. I made a special request for a different type of pasta and when it came out wrong, our waitress had it corrected immediately. The dining room we ate in is small so she was never far away in case we needed anything. Diners rated the service at 4 spoons.

Lastly, the raison d'etre: the food. In general, everyone enjoyed their food. Everything had a Cajun kick, however, that all of us were not expecting. One diner was unable to eat much of her food because of the level of spice. That makes sense for a Cajun restaurant but its nice to be able to accommodate diners with differing palates. Drinks were tasty. There were some nice fruity options. However, these are not the sophisticated creative drinks you might find at an upscale bar but more of the fruit punch variety.

Overall, diners gave the restaurant 4 spoons. Good food, good drinks, good friends, a good time was had by all!

December Council Meeting: 1111 Mississippi, 12/7

For December's Clubs Council dinner, we went to Erica's restaurant of choice, 1111 Mississippi. A club favorite, it did not disappoint. The unique and lively atmosphere, along with impeccable customer service makes this St. Louis original a must-do. I ordered the special, which was a pan-seared tuna. While my server made sure it was prepared to my liking, this selection was a risk for me, as I think this was my first time having a tuna entree. While it wasn't my favorite, it was well-prepared, and I don't think my opinion on this one should be a concern for more "acquainted" turf lovers. Everything else was delicious, and the rest of the table was also pleased. Another diner said, "The Ribeye was excellent as always and the tillamook potatoes authority gratin was the perfect accompaniment." The only true critique raised was that parking can sometimes be challenging, as it's generally a battle for curb space, and it is not clear if patrons are allowed to park in the northside lot. So, yes people, I'm going to do it: Five spoons! Let me just say, customer service goes a long way, and other restaurants could learn a thing or two from 1111's example. Short and sweet this time around, but the 5 spoon rating sums it up. I highly recommend checking out this city gem if you have yet to get there. What do you think of 1111 Mississippi? Please rate and review below!

November Good Dinner: Alumni, 11/25

November's dinner took place at Alumni, a downtown restaurant celebrating all things St. Louis. Errin was the host that chose this spot, but I missed this dinner myself. I'm sorry to have missed this one. Diner reviews seem all over the board, so I wish I could report a personal opinion.
On atmosphere, Alumni got mostly "fair" and "good" ratings, with one excellent. Some folks had parking woes, not realizing there was a parking garage available. Yet another diner mentioned that Alumni puts St. Louis trivia on the table, and called it "a fun place."
As far as service went, these answers were really skewed. One diner said service was "excellent," while another, "disappointing." It seems the server was nice but not very attentive. And - she broke a cardinal server rule - she didn't offer dessert, and instead just brought checks to the table. Some diners had hoped to try the Blueberry Gooey Butter Cake (apropos for the St. Louis-themed restaurant I might add), but decided against it since the waitress finalized tabs prematurely.
Food. It thankfully got mostly good and excellent scores. One diner said, "my duck pasta in a sherry sauce was absolutely excellent! I wasn't that excited about the old Famous Barr french onion soup but I think it really did taste like the old Famous Barr french onion soup." Well done, chef.
Overall, Alumni got mostly "good" scores, and seems a welcome addition to the downtown restaurant scene. I'll give it a solid 3.5 spoons based on diner feedback, and hope to try it out for myself soon.

October Good Dinner: Modesto, 10/18

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!

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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!

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!