I only go to the mall to get free panties. Almost every month, I receive a Vicky's coupon for a free panty (I'm on a nickname basis with Victoria.) Her secret is that once she lures ladies into the store by giving them free cotton or lace underwear, they tend to buy bras -- I'm guilty of this. While I'm at the mall, I also tend to visit my Aunt (Auntie Anne, that is). She makes some irresistible pretzels.

Jennifer Silverberg

Inside Hanley's Grille & Tap in Des Peres' West County Center

​This month, however, I headed to West County Center with no coupon in hand. More surprisingly, I wasn't headed to a large national chain. I was off to join Dinner Club at Hanley's Grille & Tap (website), which has only two locations, in Fairview Heights and in West County Center.

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We don't expect our favorite Italian, American, Thai, sushi or Bosnian restaurants to serve food buffet-style. But when it comes to Indian food, St. Louisans have become spoiled by lunch buffets and often don't even consider having Indian food for dinner.

"How would I know what to order on the dinner menu?"

"I want to try some of everything!"

Charles Haynes, Wikimedia Commons

​If the quotes above sound like you, consider trying a large group dinner at one of St. Louis' Indian restaurants. You can pretend you are at a buffet by ordering a bunch of different items and sharing them all.

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Firefighters, we were told during our meal at Lafayette Fire Company No. 1 (1801 Park Avenue), have something called a Supper Club: Members take turns cooking dinner for each other, and the chef of the night gets complete control over the menu. When compared to Supper Club, our Dinner Club seems like a club for wusses. We don't cook. Our members get to choose anything on the menu; we don't force them to try new things. There is no risk of an alarm going off and the whole group hurrying off to go save someone's life.

User "Oden," Wikimedia Commons

​To give us a small idea of what Supper Club is like at a firehouse, Lafayette Fire Company has an item on the menu called "Supper Club." Ordering the Supper Club ($7.99) means that you'll end up with a plate of whatever the chef wants to serve you. Dinner Club members who took the plunge and delighted in the anticipation of their mystery order ended up with pasta con broccoli.

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User "Alton," Wikimedia Commons

​To my left, a nine-year-old boy stared intently at his Nintendo DS, his fingers moving a mile a minute. Next to him, his teenage sister rapid-fire texted her friends until she sadly announced that her phone battery had died. To my right, a college professor played on his Blackberry, trying to learn how to Tweet on his phone. This was "necessary" because the businessman across the table had just Tweeted about some people the professor might want to meet after his move to Amsterdam. More >>

​Royal Chinese Barbecue
8406 Olive Boulevard
314-991-1888

The music is blasting, half the table is up dancing, and you're stuck screaming across the centerpiece to the groom's 80-year-old grandmother, whose name you can only remember because of her place card.

The wedding round table never seems to work out.

The other place where round tables are commonly found? Chinese restaurants. There the quiet almost forces you to converse. The dialogue seems to spin carefree around the table with each turn of the Lazy Susan. Large round tables are a fun diversion from the typical long, narrow Dinner Club table, where -- because you can only chat with the few people sitting near you -- the seat you choose can make or break your experience.

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​Yummies Restaurant
3149 Shenandoah Avenue
314-226-9800

The Draw of Meatloaf

We had more people attend our Dinner Club meeting at Yummies Restaurant than we've had in months. It could be the placement of the moon -- or it could be meatloaf. You wouldn't think that something as simple as meatloaf would have such a draw, but in a group where many of us live far from the comforts of Mom's kitchen, the appeal of simple home cooking can be huge.

Yummies excels at bringing the feel of family dining to a restaurant setting. If Mom were making banana pudding for dessert, you surely would have sneaked a small sample of that puddin'. That's not something you can typically do at a restaurant. At Yummies, though, the second we sat down, our server brought every one of us a small sample of the tasty dessert. Not only was that a brilliant sales idea, but it got people thinking "Yummie!" before they even ordered.

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Taqueria La Monarca
8531 Olive Blvd.
314-995-7018 314-814-5864

It's your birthday, and you and your friends are all heading out to that Mexican joint near Olive and Interstate 170. You chose it because it's big (you would have no problem getting a seat if everyone else in town didn't have the same idea), your friends are all familiar with the menu (there are five other area locations), and the staff will sing to you and send you home drunk on margaritas (¡Olé!).

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​The Shaved Duck
2900 Virginia Avenue
314-776-1407; website

I'm Late for a Very Important Date

My husband and I were late to Dinner Club. We knew that we were dealing with adults, but still we worried about the other members fending for themselves. Would chaos ensue? Sadly -- for our egos -- we weren't needed. We arrived to find our group at a big table happily chatting away and sipping their drinks. The Shaved Duck had prepared a table for us despite its policy of not taking reservations. Don't expect that the Shaved Duck's staff will always do that, but their extra effort for a large party on a slow Monday night was appreciated.

(Note: The restaurant is open on Mondays despite what their website says.)

The quality service didn't stop at getting us a table. We received continuous attention throughout our meal and the payment process went flawlessly -- even with separate checks.

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​Stefani Pollack returns -- with baby in tow! -- to report on the group-dining experience at St. Louis restaurants.

Joo Joo Restaurant & Karaoke
12937 Olive Boulevard
314-469-1999

Make Yourself at Home

Many years ago, during a trip to Shu Feng restaurant in University City, a server rolled my moo shu for me -- she didn't like the way I did the first roll -- and mocked me incessantly for eating the dish with silverware instead of my hands. (I'll never do that again!) I hadn't received such adamant eating instructions since then -- until our Dinner Club trip to the Korean restaurant Joo Joo.

I ordered the dol sot bi bim bop, a vegetable and beef hot pot topped with a sunny-side-up egg. The owner saw me eating it and immediately came over. I hadn't mixed the dish thoroughly enough -- and didn't I want some hot sauce on there? She took the chopsticks out of my hands and stirred the dish up for me.

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Red Kitchen and Bar
315 Chestnut Street
314-259-3244

Most of us don't think of dining at a hotel unless we are on the road. I associate hotel food with mediocre breakfast buffets and overpriced steak-and-potato dinners.

But some St. Louis hotel restaurants are becoming destinations for locals. Cielo (atop the Four Seasons) can't be beaten for a nightcap with breathtaking views of the city. Even newer to the city, Red Kitchen and Bar in the remodeled downtown Hyatt has a décor and menu that far exceed the image of a dated dining room with bland food.

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