Ann Lemons Pollack

  • Brunch: Brasserie by Niche

    Brunch at Brasserie by Niche seems to be the hottest Sunday ticket in town. We didn’t realize that until we arrived the other day — with reservation — to discover the joint jumping, every table in use and hungry diners waiting. We always advise people to make reservations; it feels funny when there are only

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  • On Golden Pond

    Ernest Thompson's splendid play, "On Golden Pond," is a perfect vehicle for Ron Himes and Linda Kennedy, the Black Rep's two standouts for lo, these many years, and both actors deliver in a rich, compelling style in the company's new production, which opened over the weekend and will run through Feb. 5 at the Grandel

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  • Sunday in the Park With George

    In one of those strange and wonderful coincidences that often make theater scheduling more than the sum of its parts, St. Louis is home right now to two classic musicals, "Sunday in the Park With George," which opened at the Rep last night, and "La Cage aux Folles," which is running at the Fox. This

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  • La Cage aux Folles

    Smart guy, that Harvey Fierstein. Facing the playwright's perennial problem of getting the show over smoothly and in one piece, Fierstein solves it admirably in "La Cage aux Folles," which opened a two-week run last night at the Fox. With a stage cluttered with careening characters and no sensible solution in sight, George Hamilton, as

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  • J. Gilbert’s Wood-Fired Steaks & Seafood

    Yes, it’s part of a chain, but its lineage is so good we had to try J. Gilbert’s. There may be a few folks around who remember Gilbert-Robinson, the folks who gave us Fedora in Union Station, one of the first Modern American menus in St. Louis, and brought us Bill Cardwell as well. J.

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  • The Best and Worst of 2100

      Well, here we are again — the final week of another year. No movies opening to provide fodder for this space. What to do? Sigh! I know. I'll write about the movies I saw during 2011. I'll make a list of the best — no, even my ego won't allow "best." Besides, what is

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  • Bailey’s Range

    David Bailey, who has given St. Louis Rooster and Bailey’s Chocolate Bar, among other places to eat and drink, went into the downtown burger business at Bailey’s Range during the time the Cardinals were winning the World Series. We can only begin to imagine the crush on those nights. While the Range looks small, there’s

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  • Stotties

    Christmas week, when things are almost as quiet as August: Fewer meetings, more folks at home, and a good time to offer something a little special. I found this recipe in a recent ad supplement, and adjusted it a little to reflect what I had on hand. Stottie is not a word often heard in

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  • Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

    They called it the Circus, partly because it was located in a warren of offices near Cambridge Circus in London, partly because of its various legal, illegal, immoral and vital activities as the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service of England. “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” a powerful, intelligent, gripping movie based on one of John

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  • The Artist

    Many people, my fellow St. Louis Film Critics among them, have chosen “The Artist,” which opens here today, as the best movie of 2011 and are supporting it for Best Picture honors when the Academy Awards come around on Feb. 26. I respectfully disagree. I’ve seen the majority of the 2011 releases, though I’m still

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