10/30/14

October Good Dinner: Planter's House

A message from the PR Representative Brady:

This month Jerina had chosen Planter's House in Lafayette Square District for our October GDC. I have to admit the menu is less than impressive with a very small sampling of options. I was quite afraid that I would not find a selection to my liking because of the lack of choices. The menu offered a beef, fish, chicken, and vegetarian dish, but only one selection of each. I selected the peppercorn encrusted steak, which was very flavorful, but almost too flavorful with the amount of peppercorns that were presented on the dish. If the dish had a little less spice it would have been abosultely delightful.

Parking was difficult, since Mississippi Avenue is very busy with residential and business parking. The atmosphere had a warm inviting feel, but the noise level was a little too much for a dinner conversation. The seating is very cramped and a little too crowded for my taste.

The service was good and the staff was attentive, but for the amount of patrons it could have been better. Our waitress always had a smile on her face, and was willing to explain any dish that we had questions about. The seafood dish that one of our guests ordered was not prepared in a traditional manner and seemed to be missing the accompaning pasta side. But overall the food was good, I just don't think I would personally visit more than once for dining. This venue seems better fitted for cocktails and socialization.

Overall the food was good. Diners would give the Planter's House 2.75 out of 5 spoons for a unique meal and experience!

September Good Dinner: Elaia

From the President:

I was not very excited when Sheena chose Elaia. I had heard that it was overrated and was not really looking forward to dinner. In my opinion, it turned out to be an excellent choice and I tried to get everyone I knew to go back with me as soon as possible before they changed their menu.

Elaia and its sister restaurant are connected by a passway. Elaia is actually located in an old house and Olio is what I remember to be some sort of automotive service business. There is very little parking on their lot so your choices are to either park on the street or to allow their valet to park your vehicle. It is very unclear where guests are supposed to enter the restaurant. Luckily, when I arrived the hostess was right there at the entrance to let me know where to go. Others were not so lucky. Olio serves as the bar for Elaia and it is wonderful. The staff there was pleasant and I thoroughly enjoyed my drinks before dinner. In fact, after dinner I wanted to stay because they were playing Michael Jackson and that is always a charmer for me. The restaurant itself was nicely decorated. We did not love the art but the piece by our table was definitely a conversation piece. The furniture was nice and I loved that they offered the small stools for the ladies' purses. The stools for the purses did become a bit of an issue, however, more on that later. Diners gave Elaia 4 spoons for a good atmosphere.

I thought the service was pretty good but there were some difinite issues along the way. It is clear that Elaia intends for your dinner to be an experience. We were told at the outset to relax because we had the table all night. I enjoyed a lot about our service. At each course, a description of each item was presented to the table. I thought that was a really nice touch. However, generally, diners were displeased with how long the dinner took. Holding to the course presentation really caused the dinner to drag. Ther also seemed to be a general sentiment that the waittress assigned to our table was a bit condescending and at at times expressed outright displeasure with some of the concerns of our diners. The first complaint I heard was that hostess who led us to our table was upset that one of the diners went up the stairs before the hostess did. When one diner questioned his wine, the waittress stuck her nose into his glass to give it a good sniff. While I understand that this is part of evaluating the wine, it is a bit inappropriate to then return the glass to the guest. The waittress then spoke to the sommelier and they agreed to give the displeased diner something different. That, however did not quite make up for the fact that most of the table felt she should have taken the glass with her and offered a different choice right away. It was like an investigation into his claim which I do not expect at a fine dining restaurant. There was confusion as to the 1/2 glass - full glass pricing on the menu. The confusion could have been solved with a simple lable at the top of the wine list identifying what the price represented. The waittress was very clearly argumentative and annoyed at this point (characteristics that I do not expect to see from employees at this type of a restaurant). The last issue was with the purses. As I mentioned above, the staff was nice enough to offer us these lovely cork stands so that no one's purse had to be on the floor. I thought that was a really great touch. However, at one point, one of our diners was engaged in a conversation and instead of interrupting the conversation to invite the woman to place her purse on the stand, the gentleman simply picked up her purse and placed it on the stand. Other diners were shocked and appalled that anyone would touch a woman's purse without permission. I personally had no issue with his action but it was a problem for about 1/2 of the diners at our table. Diners gave Elaia almost 2 1/2 spoons for somewhat disappointing service.

The food, however, was ABSOLUTELY excellent! I had the whitefish croquettes with black garlic puree. They were so delicious that I ordered another dish of croquettes. My duck felt a little plain without any sauce but when I sent it off at the end of our meal, a friend tried to stop me so that he could eat the remainder because he enjoyed it so much. I think I would have enjoyed it if I had just thought to ask for some lemons to add some additional flavor. Some more of that black garlic puree would have made me very happy but I did not think of it. I ended up taking the olive oil cake home the next day and it was simply wonderful - moist and full of flavor without being too sweet. Every element of each of our courses was obviously carefully prepared and I cannot say enough about the quality of the food at this restaurant. The only complaint I heard from any of the diners was about the small portion sizes. I have to say that I am shocked that diners gave Elaia only 4 spoons for good food.

I really want to give this restaurant 5 spoons but I cannot ignore the service issues. This was the best food I have had in a long time. The chef and I seem to have a real agreement in the importance of the level of acidity in the food. I cannot wait to return for another delicious meal. Overall diners gave Elaia 3 spoons as a fair restaurant.

9/3/14

Clubs Council Quarterly Meeting: Sen Thai Asian Bistro

From the President:

I was excited when Sheena identified Sen Thai Asian Bistro as one her favorites and the location of our Clubs Council Quarterly Meeting. Sen Thai has always been a favorite among downtown St. Louis employees. I had not been there in years despite the fact that I practically live across the street from the restaurant.

Parking was surprisingly easy. I arrived late and was able to get a spot directly in front of the restaurant albeit also directly in front of three homeless people laid out on the sidewalk. The restaurant is nicely decorated but nothing elaborate. Unfortunately there was an extremely large party who was extremely loud to the point that we could not carry on a conversation at our table at some points during our meal. Diners gave Sen Thai Asian Bistro 4 spoons for a good atmosphere.

Our server was attentive and accommodating. I believe she got each order correct and we did not experience any undue delay. Diners gave Sen Thai Asian Bistro 4 spoons for good service.
The food was well-prepared. I enjoyed my plum wine cocktail as well as my shrimp and vegetable tempura but did not like the taste of the beef noodle dish I had ordered as an entrée. It had a smokiness that I did not prefer but it was also well-prepared. I heard no other complaints from other diners about the food. Diners gave Sen Thai Asian Bistro 5 spoons for excellent food.

All in all, Sen Thai has remained consistent as a good restaurant. My only disappointment in a change was the removal of the tonkatsu from the menu. Diners gave Sen Thai Asian Bistro 4 ½ spoons for being a really good restaurant.

8/26/14

August Good Dinner: Barcelona Tapas

Hello from your new PR Representative Brady:

One of our newest members Karin had chosen Barcelona Tapas in Claton for our August GDC. When first reviewing the menu I was a little apprehensive, because the menu is not a typical selection. I was pleased to say that once the food started to hit the table the everyone was smiles and laughter. The sheer delight from the delicious menu choices was apparent to all that attended. The many selections to choose from left no one out in our party, from the devout of vegetarians to the most adventurous of foodies.

Parking was a little more difficult, since Clayton can be very busy any night of the week. The atmosphere had a warm inviting feel, but the benches needed a little extra padding for long meal times. We were seated at two tables that kept our group together, but at the same time we were not too crowded.

The service was great and the staff very attentive. Our waitress always had a smile on her face, and was willing to explain any dish that we had questions about. The only item that stood out as room for improvement, was that a few of the same dishes came out at variable tempratures. I know this is a tapas place and dishes are served at intervals, but I feel that because they tried to serve our food together, the consistency of temprature was a little off.

Overall the food was outstanding! Everyone that I personally asked if they liked their entree said it was delicious. I especially loved the filet of beef with sauteed spinach and blue cheese, it was a delight! Diners would give the Barcelona Tapas 4 1/2 spoons for a delightful meal and experience!

8/25/14

July Good Dinner: Trattoria Marcella

From the President:

I was really excited when Brady chose Trattoria Marcella for July GDC. It is always on everyone’s list of favorites yet I had not been in years.
Parking was easy, but crossing Watson was a bit trickier. The restaurant was decorated just fine, but nothing outstanding. We were seated in a more private room that was very nice and seemed a bit more quiet. Diners gave Trattoria Marcella 4 spoons for good atmosphere.
Service was great. Nothing less than I would have expected from such a St. Louis landmark. The waiter did arrive with my entrée while I was still finishing up my appetizer (a big pet peeve of mine), but overall, the staff was accommodating and attentive. Diners gave Trattoria Marcella 4 spoons for good service.
The food, as always, was outstanding! I think everyone found their food to be delicious. My calamari over flash fried spinach was well seasoned. My pasta Bolognese was creamy and flavorful. I remember hearing good things about the hummus and certainly no complaints! Diners gave Trattoria Marcella 4 ½ spoons for really good food.
Overall, the restaurant was as it always has been: a great restaurant. They could probably use some sprucing up, but what restaurant that stays so busy has time for that? In general, diners gave Trattoria Marcella 4 ½ spoons for being a really good restaurant.

7/28/14

June Good Dinner: Juniper {A Southern Table and Bar}

From the President:

I was a bit leary of Juniper {A Southern Table and Bar}. Another officer of Good Dinner Club had expressed a desire to eat there so I had already checked out the menu a few months beforehand. Nothing really sounded good on the on-line menue so I was not very excited about trying the fairly new (or renewed) restaurant. I was really pleasantly surprised at the sophistication of the food being offered and how delicious it was.

Parking was easy enough. Even though it was just street parking, there were plenty of spaces available. The atmosphere of the interior of the restaurant was not remarkable on first glance. However, as diners had time to examine the restaurant, they noticed the unique art on the walls and the southern details. Unfortunately, the cotton blooms that served as centerpieces at the table did not go over well with our African-American diners and we asked our server to take ours away. Cotton has an association with the history of slavery that is not so comforting to all of us. Southern comfort was not quite achieved but if the restaurant was going for more avant garde effect to go with the art on the walls, then that was accomplished. Diners gave Juniper 3 1/2 spoons for having a good atmosphere.

Our server was very nice and the staff overall was very accommodating. I think diners felt service was a bit slow, but we were having a good time so I did not mind so much. Diners gave Juniper 3 1/2 spoons for good service.

The menu was not any more appetizing when I arrived than it had been on-line months before. Even worse, the waittress announced at the outset that no mashed potatoes were available, an important accompaniment to fried chicken in my opinion. However, there were also small treats that were not on the menu that were just as delightful such as the ramp butter. Furthermore, just about everything that I ate was really really good. I got some sort of fried shrimp for an appetizer that was out of this world! My fried chicken was good as were my greens. However, the greens tasted as if they had been cooked with maple syrup. Although I understand that typical southern style is to add some sugar to everything, I really hate the flavor of maple syrup so I did not love them. Diners seemed so pleased with the bread basket that I had to order at least just one biscuit to try with the delicious ramp butter. The drinks were really really tasty and I felt Juniper gave us a decent serving of alcohol in each cocktail. Diners gave Juniper almost 4 1/2 spoons for excellent food!

Overall we had a good experience and a good meal. I would definitely return but there is not anything that I have to have again as soon as possible. Overall, diners gave Juniper almost 4 spoons for being a really good restaurant.

7/23/14

May Good Dinner: Small Batch Whiskey and Fare

From the President:

I served as host this month and chose Small Batch Whiskey and Fare. It is a relatively new restaurant and is part of the Bailey's family of restaurants so I figured it would be good. I'm not sure at what point I figured out that it was "quietly vegetarian" but I did not immediately notice as there were quite a few things on the menu that sounded good.

The restaurant is located in mid-town but parking was really not an issue. I think there was plenty of street parking close by and no one had to walk very far. The restaurant is starkly decorated in black and white. It is warmed a little with the vintage pictures on the walls. As a diverse group, however, it was noted that there was no diversity in the people in the photographs which is always a little disappointing. Diners gave Small Batch an average of 4 spoons for good atmosphere.

I felt that for the most part the waitress was attentive and pleasant. I did feel that she became less attentive towards the end of the meal. A few diners had asked for their checks so I'm sure she thought we were leaving but the rest of us wanted to continue to drink and talk. She also brought the checks out before offering dessert which is always a miss. A few diners, however, felt the service was disappointing overall: slow and inattentive. Apparently the waitress had to be reminded to take some of the menus away and to refill the water glasses. Diners gave Small Batch 3 spoons for fair service.

I thought the food and drinks were excellent! Everything I had was delicious and full of flavor. The frito misto was great with the tempura batter and the accompanying sauces were tasty, especially the garlic aioli. My pasta was wonderful. I always love fresh pasta and the lemon sauce is right up my alley. My only complaint is that the chef seemed to be pretty heavy handed with the pepper. One diner ordered the curry potato soup and could not eat it because it was so spicy. I had to make a real effort to avoid all of the pepper over my pasta dish. Certainly there was some grumbling once everyone realized that the restaurant was vegetarian but I thought everyone enjoyed their food. Diners gave Small Batch 4 spoons for good food.

Overall, we certainly had a good time at Small Batch and I think the majority of us enjoyed our food but would have liked the addition of some meat to the menu. I enjoyed it so much that I have already been back. Diners gave Small Batch 3 1/2 spoons overall; a fairly good restaurant.