Ann Lemons Pollack
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Avenue
It was one of those "I had forgotten all about it" moments. Avenue, Brian and Diane Carr's new spot following the closing of Pomme and Pomme Cafe, is on North Meramec. It formerly was Roxane, but more significantly to some of us, it was the second location of Cafe Zoe. I realized what it had
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Bashir Lazhar
You never know somebody's secrets. That's the theme of "Bashir Lahzar", currently on the boards at the Kranzberg Arts Center. It is, essentially, a one-man show, although there's a hidden voice in a loudspeaker and a tween-age girl, this weekend Aliyah Taliaferro, also participating, and the fine music provided live by Farsheed Soltanshahi on various
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Lorenzo’s
Someday, Lorenzo's will probably be among the Old Guard on The Hill. It's amazing how little has changed over the years. Here's a review I wrote about it for St. Louis Magazine's Dining blog, quoting something Joe and I said almost ten years ago. (And there's more than just a reprint of the review then, I
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Safe House
There's a fascinating work on the boards at the Rep Studio for the next two weeks. "Safe House", by Keith Josef Adkins, takes place in pre-Civil War Kentucky. Adkins discovered that his mother's family were free people of color, to use the old legal term, in that area, and started from there. The Pedigrews, two
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Imagining Madoff
"Imagining Madoff" is the current offering from The New Jewish Theatre. In retrospect, the first word of the title is probably more important than the second. We all remember Bernie Madoff, the Ponzi schemer who wounded a long list of prestigious individuals and institutions with his deceit. Deb Margolin's play appears to be almost completely
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New Orleans: Brennan’s
The best news of the flying trip to New Orleans is that one of the great restaurants is back with a bang. Brennan's on Royal Street, the big pink house across from the Supreme Court Building, has reopened. Closed for several years, the result of a family feud that could make the plot for a
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Bayeux
If you're interested in more about Normandy than the D-Day assault, you can't do much better than stay in Bayeux. It's a small, walkable town on the train line from Paris to Cherbourg, and it was spared almost completely during the Allied landing and German defense, unlike, say, Caen. There's a lot more to it
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New Orleans: Willie Mae’s Scotch House
Some food stops are non-negotiable. Vivoli for gelato in Florence. McClard's for barbecue in Hot Springs. This last weekend in New Orleans, I had to break one of my rules, though. I've visited The City That Care Forgot more than a dozen times, and I never NOT went to Cafe du Monde for beignets and
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Leonardo’s Kitchen and Wine Bar
Every once in a while something comes along that's a little bit different. Leonardo's Kitchen and Wine Bar, Rich LoRusso's new baby, is situated in an old gas station, and it's really a working guy's spot. (I use guy in a bi-gender sense, youse guys!) Lots of lunchtime carry-out traffic, picnic benches out front that
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Pappy’s Smokehouse Does It Again
Last weekend, I was in New Orleans with the North American folks who write for Chowzter – whose logo you can see (partly) to the right. The main purpose was to present the awards for the tastiest food in North America, which happened at a dinner at Commander's Palace Saturday night. The barbecue winner was