Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot
It seems like just yesterday that the editor asked me to write my musings about the food and restaurants in St. Louis. As he is retiring I am also bidding a fond farewell to The ACC. But this does give me my chance to get some nasty parting shots in which I have savored like cold gruel. Here goes:

1.      Invited to dine with another couple at a very expensive Italian restaurant by Olive and 270 we were first:

If you were to look up any review of a restaurant from ten years ago you would find that what was reviewed was what was served. Duh. Think about it. Back then each restaurant had a basically set menu and served the same food night after night. Sure you had the unusual restaurant like Duff’s which served a seasonal menu but that only changed four times a year.

Years ago I first saw a movie called “ The Wind and the Lion” . It was a fictional recounting of an The Perdicaris Affair in which an American was kidnapped by a leader of the Berbers of the Rif Mountains, Raisuli , in order to bring down the government of Morocco. Having lost everything but his honor he is asked if he does not regret what he has done. He replies, “Is there not one thing that you would not give up everything for?” 

Ah, Dean Martin, Louis Prima, Mama Leone’s. All things Italian that have embarrassed true Italians for years. Now that we know better we are able to differentiate between Italian and Italian-American cuisine, that red sauce smothered plate of overcooked spaghetti that many places still serve. If you like it, and occasionally I do (although I still insist on having my pasta cooked al dente) that’s fine. But I do draw the line at anyone associating some pineapple upside down cake with crust being called Pizza.

Everyone needs a go-to place to eat. For some it may be fast food , others Chinese take out or pizza ordered in. Swmbo has pretty much nixed all of those for me in a late attempt to get me to eat  “right” rather than graze for flavor. As we grow older our sense of taste begins to wane and we seek out stronger flavors and more exotic treats. Or maybe it is that as we grow older we can afford the occasional truffle-based meal or a little more saffron in our risotto.

First thing is a n admission- This is not a paid job. While I like to eat out and sample food at the top restaurants, I pay for every morsel that passes my lips. That being said, a good chef can take non glamorous food products and create great dishes from them - think veal shanks and osso bucco.  What brought this up is my editor (yes, even non remunerative writers have editors, that’s the difference between a hack blog and The Arch City Chronicle) sending me a note saying that he had eaten at one of the restaurants that I had reviewed and found that it was not great.

Lu Lu Fills the Void Nicely

Usually served. just on weekends in U.S. cities, we first were introduced to dim sum by a Chinese friend from college.For years SWMBO and I would find ourselves going to China Royal Restaurant on North Lindbergh on Sundays for dim sum  breakfast. Unfortunately the restaurant closed some time after 9/11 when there were numerous changes to the part of Lindbergh that ran by the airport.

"Sometimes you want to go where…"

Usually I don’t mention a restaurant until I have eaten there several times; however, this column is not about the food but about restaurant people. Some of the nicest people I have ever met have worked in restaurants. They were wait staff, chefs, line cooks, bartenders and bussers. They smiled and said hello. They made you feel welcome and you felt as if they would be the same if you were not leaving 20% on the table for them.

If you listen to minority members talk about their treatment by everyone from employers to stores to police you begin to wonder if all their complaints could possibly be true. You may also be wondering why this is being addressed in a “Foodie” forum. Wait please.

In raving about the authentic quality of the Pizza at The Good Pie I allowed myself to be led astray. Like any other idiot who writes about food I make at least two visits weeks apart to check out a dining establishment. Now the pizza and the lunch specials are just fine. But you need to stay far away from having your pocket picked for $16 for the salumi and formaggio appetizer plate.