The Cod Squad headed south, almost to the Meramec River, in fact, to St. Francis of Assisi in Oakville. (Am I the only one old enough to remember this area before it had an actual name?) Sure enough, in the school gym, on the south side of the building. There are two parking lots, one north and one south; if you’re meeting someone (ahem!), make sure you specify which. And don’t forget the ticket you get when you pay in the hall leading to the cafeteria.
Thinking that I might be becoming monotonous with my paeans to jack salmon, I had a couple of catfish fillets. Nice and crunchy, and very mild fish. My pal tried the fish tacos, flour tortillas with, in her case, baked cod fillets, which remained moist. Of the four standard sides, the spaghetti was the best I’ve had this season, from simple attributes like not watery to more complex ones like a little more interesting sauce. And it wasn’t cooked until it was disintegrating. Green beans also had more seasoning than just the juice from the can, but macaroni and cheese was a snoozer, and the coleslaw was a little too bland. Hush puppies were good, though. And then there were the potato chips. They’re also available as a side, and I almost didn’t get an extra order of them. A close call, but we were glad we did. They’re housemade, slightly thicker than average, crunchy-crisp, and even though they weren’t hot out of the fryer, they weren’t grease-laden. Surprisingly tasty and a don’t miss.
Desserts are paid for separately, in the corner where they’re laid out. All are very budget-friendly, ranging from 25 to 50 cents, the former for cupcakes. Most seem homemade, although we spied a stack of those little round commercial pies. A devilsfood cake with a white creamy icing was good, probably from a mix, but I might succumb to cake mix, too, if I had to bake a couple of cakes every Thursday or Friday for my contribution.
Iced tea, coffee and water are included with the dinner tab, and there’s beer for sale. All meals, including two sides and hushpuppies, are $9.
St. Francis of Assisi
4550 Telegraph Rd.
314-487-5736
April 7 and 14 yet to come
4 p.m. – 7 p.m.