Ann Lemons Pollack

  • On Breakfast Potatoes

    My frustration with the a.m. potato situation continues to simmer. I wrote about it for Relish. But tomorrow's post about a brunch in New Orleans offers a delicious if frustrating (because it's so far away) alternative.

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  • Hermes Bar

    Even in New Orleans, things change. These days all of the old line "French" (because they really aren't French) restaurants in the Quarter have smaller, more casual operations near the motherhouse. For Antoine's, there's the Hermes Bar. (And a small coffee/sandwich/dessert location on Royal Street, as well.) It's next to the main entrance to Antoine's,

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  • New Orleans Notes 2013

    Just back from a visit to New Orleans, and while there are some longer restaurant reviews to offer you in the coming days. here are a few random notes to kick things off. — For instance, that shortage of pecans that hit the news in late November clearly has had repercussions down there. Praline prices

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  • The Mousetrap

    Another Christmas tradition from the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis has been unwrapped. This year, it's Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap", the longest-running play in the history of theater. It opened in London in November of 1952, and is still running, moving only once and then to the theater next door, without missing a performance. Richard

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  • The Butterfingers Angel, Mary & Joseph, Herod the Nut, and the Slaughter of 12 Hit Carols In a Pear Tree

    Comes now relief from the plethora of goopy Christmas-ness. Stray Dog Theatre is giving us "The Butterfingers Angel, Mary & Joseph, Herod the Nut, and the Slaughter of 12 Hit Carols In a Pear Tree". It's hard to believe that this goofy semi-satirical piece of work came from William Gibson, the man who wrote "The

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  • Interested In Cooking For a Crowd?

    Always wanted to try your hand at cooking for a large group? Family gone and you still have the itch to get back in the kitchen – not that I would know anything about that? Try this.   http://www.stlmag.com/Blogs/Relish/December-2013/Home-Cooking-for-a-Cause-Haven-House-in-Creve-Coeur/

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  • Blood & Sand

    How fair is it to review a private club? There would be no sense in reviewing the food at, say, the St. Louis Country Club – only members and guests can eat there. Blood & Sand opened last year to a lot of fanfare and a policy that it was members only after an introductory

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  • Trains, Trains, Trains

    Enter we now the season of rituals. The soul loves them, with their feeling of security. It's a smell of cookies baking, the annual decorations hauled out and the stories about them re-told. I still have the tree-topper my parents bought as young marrieds, and I hope my kids tell their kids about it. And

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  • Zia’s

    A seriously mixed bag: A dinner for one at Zia's on The Hill. Some friends had spoken highly of it, and on a Saturday night (no reservations on Saturday, by the way), I set out early. And found a parking place, too. A good sign, I thought. And a nod in the direction of Hill

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  • Sister Cities

    If you like Mom-n-Pop restaurants, here's one for you. Sister Cities, on South Grand, just north of Meramec, is a fine spot for casual folks who have a group that mixes people who like spicy food and those who can't, or don't, do heat. The concept is New Orleans-y food and St. Louis-y food, and

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