Ann Lemons Pollack
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All Is Calm
Peace on earth: One can only hope. Perhaps peace, like love, mostly comes in small fragments. One of those frequently evanescent fragments happened in World War I over Christmas of 1914. I suspect American memories have forgotten, if they ever fully grasped, the awfulness of that war, how it scarred the European psyche and
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Pterodactyls
What is it about the psyche of humans – or at least American humans - being mesmerized by disasters of all sizes? From small (a fight broke out in the first two minutes of the Blues hockey game the night I saw this play and of course the crowd loved it) to large (which is why
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Pickled Shrimp
The party season is upon us again, and I've found a fine shrimp recipe for an appetizer buffet or even a first course. Pickled shrimp is a old Southern thing – if you find the word "pickled" a little too much, feel free to call them marinated, because that's what you'll be doing during their
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Just One Bite: The Restaurant at The Cheshire
Every once in a while I come across a single dish that's so delectable that it warrants a heads-up to readers. That's the case with a new item on the small-plate menu at the Restaurant at the Cheshire. It's called Ahi Tuna, Thin and Raw, and it's closer to sashimi than a carpaccio. Beautifully fresh,
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Freud’s Last Session
Don't go to the new Rep Studio production of "Freud's Last Session" expecting an evening of light comedy. The fact that there are several laughs in Mark St. Germain's play doesn't take away from the intellectual challenge of the imaginary meeting between Freud and C.S.Lewis, the author and lay theologian. Freud is in the last
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Woman In Black
Yes, Halloween is done. But autumn is overall the spookiest time of year. Things are dying, empty branches scrape windows, the days dwindle down. Some people feel that this is when the line between this world and the next becomes thin, even permeable. Some of us are intrigued by this sort of thing. Othes find
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Gulf Shores Restaurant & Grill
Jake and Elwood, the Blues Brothers, sprawl on chairs outside the entrance to Gulf Shores Restaurant & Grill. Cultural icons for an entire generation, their faces slightly battered (although come to think of it, that's probably the way they'd really look anyway), they're the welcoming committee. It's a laid-back touch in this polite, bustling part
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Harvest Dinner
Pay attention: Do you miss Kirk Warner who used to cook at King Louie's? You probably know he's doing private catering now with Kirk's Traveling Kitchen. Well, here's your chance for chowing down on his good food. The University City Children's Center Family Organization is having a harvest dinner and he's cooking. No word on
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Fly
Let me add my voice to the others lauding "Fly", currently at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Just in terms of its format, there will be few in the audience who have seen anything like it before. But it all begins with the story. Even those of us somewhat familiar with the Tuskeegee Airmen
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Mike Shannon’s Steaks and Seafood
It's not surprising that Red October reminds us of Mike Shannon, of course. The fact that Mike Shannon's Steaks and Seafood is by the ballpark is more than coincidence, but it's also a reminder that it had been some time since a visit there. With a visitor in town for baseball playoffs, it was a