St. Louis Food Blog

​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.

​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.

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!).

​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.

​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.

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.

Amigo Joe's
5901 Southwest Avenue
314-645-1995

Open for One Week

It's never fair to judge a restaurant that has been open for one week. It's kind to give them some time to get their act together -- especially when confronted with a large group. Our dinner club offered no such kindness to Amigo Joe's. We descended upon the restaurant right after it opened -- it still didn't have a website or to-go menus printed -- and we expected quality. Impressively, Amigo Joe's delivered.

Amigo Joe's handled our large party like old pros. In fact, the staff did a better job than most restaurants in town that have been around for far longer. Drinks were kept filled, meals all arrived to our table quickly and at the same time, and the check was correct.

Ranoush
6501 Delmar Boulevard, University City
314-726-6874

Special for You

Ranoush seated our large party at a special table toward the back of the restaurant. We had to walk through a colorful tent to get to it, which gave it a festive and authentic Middle Eastern feel. As we were seated, the owner explained to us that many Middle Eastern restaurants go for a hip, modern American style. He, however, prefers a more traditional feel.

After our whole group was seated, we were offered the option of a special off-menu group meal. We would be given a variety of appetizers, several main courses to choose from and a dessert for around twenty dollars each. While this was a great deal, it would have been nice if it had been offered at the time we made our reservation; that way we could have told our group a per-person cost and all who showed up would be prepared for it. Since the option was presented after our arrival and not everyone wanted to spend that much, we had to decline.

Stefani Pollack is the author of the food blogs Cupcake Project and Food Interviews. She is also a member of the St. Louis Dinner Club. She blogs about her large-group dining experiences twice a month for Gut Check.

While Gut Check is on vacation this week, check out some of Dara's best work:

Mattingly Brewing Company (June 11, 2009):

I ordered a cheeseburger, which arrived without cheese. Our server offered to remedy the situation by bringing me a slice of cheddar. Adding a slice of cheese to a cooked burger does not a cheeseburger make.

When I balked at the idea, our server returned my burger to the kitchen and it returned a few minutes later as a cheesy but overcooked piece of meat. As consolation for my troubles, she took the cost of the slice of cheese off of our check.

Vito's (May 14, 2009):

Midway through our meal, around 8:30, we looked around and realized that we were the only people left in the restaurant. It was eerie. (Or perhaps we are easily spooked.) We asked the server what had happened to the throng.

It turns out that the crowd was due to the Fox. The Killers were in town. They are a post-punk band from Vegas. In their song, "Human," they ask an important (yet grammatically incorrect) question: "Are we human, or are we dancer?" I don't profess to understand the lyric. Yet despite my age (well over that of a SLU student), I'm a fan of the song, and I fully understood the need of the crowd to dance out of the restaurant and over to the Fox.

Moral: If you're bringing a group to Vito's and want to avoid a crowd, check the Fox schedule first.

Want to hear about more of Stefani's adventures with her dining club? Visit the complete archive.

Café Lazeez
14248 Manchester Rd (Suite H), Manchester
636-527-5900

Pizza, Burgers, Biryani, and Kabobs

The sign outside of Café Lazeez reads, "Pizza, Burgers, Biryani, and Kabobs." This sounded like a place that would please everyone in our large group. My only hesitation in bringing the gang? Menus spanning multiple cuisines are typically a recipe for mediocre food -- witness mega-buffets.

Café Lazeez, however, scored big on everything! Our group ordered all of the items on the sign except the burgers and the consensus was, "Damn good!"

Like Fast Food, Only Better

According to its Web site, Café Lazeez considers itself a Pakistani and American fast-food café. Like a typical fast-food establishment, meals are ordered at the counter and sodas are self-serve. But unlike most fast-food places I've visited, we were able to make a reservation, our food was brought to the table when it was ready, the owner came and checked on us several times during our meal to make sure that we were happy, and we were given some extra naan on the house.

We truly felt that our business was appreciated and that care was put into all of the food that was served to us.

Mattingly Brewing Company
3000 South Jefferson Avenue
314-881-1500

We're Out of That, Too

When you take a group to a restaurant, you put the menu to the test. Your group members will likely order a wide range of available items.

In the case of Mattingly Brewing Company, we tried and failed.

First, we learned that Mattingly was out of its APA. Every place runs out of things from time to time, and since Mattingly brews its own beer (which we all loved), it's understandable that they run out of varieties from time to time.

One member of our group ordered a Chicago-style pizza. He did so early, with everyone's drink orders, because the menu said it would take longer to prepare. A few minutes later, our server returned to tell us that the chef hadn't made any Chicago-style dough that day. That was an honest response, but if something is on a restaurant's menu, the restaurant should be able to make it every day or turn it into an off-menu special.

The server then went on to say that the kitchen also didn't have wings, kabobs or calamari that night. By this point, ordering was becoming laughable. It reached its peak of humor (for those who could still laugh about it) when someone ordered a beer flight, and we found out that Mattingly was also out of 1984 Golden Ale.

Stefani Pollack is the author of the food blogs Cupcake Project and Food Interviews. She is also a member of the St. Louis Dinner Club. She blogs about her large-group dining experiences twice a month for Gut Check.

BBC Asian Cafe & Bar
243 North Euclid Avenue
314-361-7770

"I'd go back."

"I'll be back!"

"Let's pick a day to come back!"

"This place has their act together!"

Fun bubble-tea drinks set a festive mood, unique and tasty food made our stomachs happy, and a server who kept our glasses full and split our check with no errors made for a relaxed and enjoyable group experience.

Since everything went so smoothly, I'm going to talk about some parts of the group dining experience that don't typically get mentioned in this space: music and ketchup.

Stefani Pollack is the author of the food blogs Cupcake Project and Food Interviews. She is also a member of the St. Louis Dinner Club. She blogs about her large-group dining experiences twice a month for Gut Check.

Vito's
3515 Lindell Boulevard
314-534-8486

We could tell from Vito's packed outdoor patio that this wasn't going to be our typical Monday-night dining experience. As we entered the restaurant, we saw a full dining room as well as a full bar. No worries (or so we thought): We had a reservation and had even called to confirm. But on such a busy night, a reservation doesn't guarantee you a table the moment you show up. We ended up having to wait thirty minutes for ours.

We scanned the room, trying to determine why Vito's, unlike all the other Dinner Club restaurants, had such a Monday rush. Our first thought? There must be a show at the Fabulous Fox. On the other hand -- not that we Dinner Clubbers are prone to stereotyping or amything -- it sure seemed like a SLU crowd.

(I wondered if SLU students are drawn to the $5 Monday-night pizza specials the same way this underemployed freelance writer is.)

Nick Lucchesi

Midway through our meal, around 8:30, we looked around and realized that we were the only people left in the restaurant. It was eerie. (Or perhaps we are easily spooked.) We asked the server what had happened to the throng.

It turns out that the crowd was due to the Fox. The Killers were in town. They are a post-punk band from Vegas. In their song, "Human," they ask an important (yet grammatically incorrect) question: "Are we human, or are we dancer?" I don't profess to understand the lyric. Yet despite my age (well over that of a SLU student), I'm a fan of the song, and I fully understood the need of the crowd to dance out of the restaurant and over to the Fox.

Moral: If you're bringing a group to Vito's and want to avoid a crowd, check the Fox schedule first.

Stefani Pollack is the author of the food blogs Cupcake Project and Food Interviews. She is also a member of the St. Louis Dinner Club. She blogs about her large-group dining experiences twice a month for Gut Check.

Chopstix Asian Kitchen
8021 West Florrisant Avenue, Jennings
314-383-6888

Is it a Chain?

Dinner Club tries to avoid chain restaurants. It's not a hard and fast rule -- we've been to a few large chains (Cheesecake Factory and Elephant Bar come to mind) -- but in general, we try to support locally-owned eateries. Several members questioned our choice of Chopstix. Since they had eaten at Chopstix in other cities, it must be a chain.

I, too, questioned whether Chopstix was locally-owned. I ate at a fantastic restaurant called Chopstix in Gainesville, Florida, and have also eaten at a Chopstix in Chicago. However, a Google search revealed that the restaurant in Gainesville was Chopstix Café, the one in Chicago was Chopstix Express and our St. Louis Chopstix is Chopstix Asian Kitchen. Chopstix Asian Kitchen states explicitly on its menu that it's a "second generation, family-owned business." Not only that, it also supports local farmers: "We are happy to support our local produce and meat farmers."

Stefani Pollack is the author of the food blogs Cupcake Project and Food Interviews. She is also a member of the St. Louis Dinner Club. She blogs about her large-group dining experiences twice a month for Gut Check.

Sugo's Spaghetteria
10419 Clayton Road, Frontenac
314-569-0400

I kept expecting things to go wrong. I know -- I should follow the mantra of innocent until proven guilty, but with a recent rash of restaurants having trouble serving our large group, I was prepared for the worst. It wasn't just me. One of our Dinner Club regulars asked how many people were coming (sixteen) and decided to opt out, fearing that it would take too long.

Sugo's service was flawless.

Below, you'll find the items that had me squirming in my spaghetti and how Sugo's put me at ease:

Cause for Concern: Sugo's Doesn't Take Reservations

Many restaurants will amend a no-reservations policy when they hear that a large party is coming. Sugo's wouldn't budge. They don't take reservations -- period. I even tried calling ahead one hour before our group was set to arrive and was told that they wouldn't get the table ready until somebody showed up.

My husband and I made a point of getting to the restaurant thirty minutes early, and they happily pushed tables together in a side room for us. We had the room all to ourselves, and we were even able to have the server adjust the lighting to accommodate some members' desire for a brighter atmosphere.

Cause for Concern: Water was Served in Wine Bottles

The last time we dined somewhere with water in wine bottles, we were always thirsty. We had to consistently track down our server to replenish our water. This time, the wine bottles were transparent so the server could easily see when they were empty. Bottles disappeared and reappeared throughout the whole evening without us ever once having to ask.

Stefani Pollack is the author of the food blogs Cupcake Project and Food Interviews. She is also a member of the St. Louis Dinner Club. She blogs about her large-group dining experiences twice a month for Gut Check.

Nipa Hut
1810 Woodson Road, Overland
314-423-1850

Time to Call in the Extra Server

This may be a Dinner Club first. Our group of twenty-three was too big for one server, so a pinch hitter was called in to help. She must have lived nearby because she arrived right away.

Run Server, Run

If you're going to have two servers working a large group, it would be nice if one of them has been working at the restaurant for more than three weeks. (New restaurants excluded, of course.) Our "veteran" server had three weeks on the job. I'm not sure how long the pinch hitter had been there, but it was fewer than three weeks.

When someone has been on the job for a while, they are able to make difficult tasks look easy. Nothing looked easy for our two servers. I wanted to give them hugs as they ran around our table trying to figure things out and dealt with a kitchen haphazardly sending out -- or forgetting to send out -- our dishes. To their credit, they kept our water glasses full at all times.

Stefani Pollack is the author of the food blogs Cupcake Project and Food Interviews. She is also a member of the St. Louis Dinner Club. She blogs about her large-group dining experiences for Gut Check.

Gokul Snacks & Sweets
10633 Page Avenue, Overland
314-428-8888

When 12 Turns Into 22

When I called to make a reservation for dinner at Gokul, I asked about bringing a party of twelve. The person to whom I spoke expected a full house that night but was happy to accommodate our large party.

As soon as we announced the location, the reservations started rolling in. I could see right away that we would exceed twelve. After my husband sent out a reminder encouraging people to RSVP, we had a final count of seventeen. "It won't be a problem," said the nice man who recorded the updated number.

When we showed up, there was a big table set up for us -- big enough for seventeen. Then a new member who had RSVP'd for one showed up with his mother and child. Minutes later, I turned around and noticed two others who hadn't RSVP'd. "Eeek!"

Stefani Pollack is the author of the food blogs Cupcake Project and Food Interviews. She is also a member of the St. Louis Dinner Club. She blogs about her large-group dining experiences for Gut Check.

Thai Sawadee
171 Hilltown Village Center, Chesterfield
636-728-0308

Booking was a Breeze

The friendly person from Thai Sawadee to whom I spoke on the phone didn't bat an eye at our reservation for twelve people. (OK, I couldn't see his eye over the phone.) I told him our group's size might change -- but I would call to confirm if that happened: "No problem."

Thinking Ahead

My husband and I, along with my mom (in from out of town), arrived at Thai Sawadee a bit before the rest of the group. We told the staff we were with Dinner Club, and they immediately got our table ready. Our server took me aside before any of the guests arrived and asked if, because it was a slow night, we would be interested in separate checks. "On a busy night," he said, "separate checks are not an option."