Supper Club Field Trip to Sidney Street Cafe

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Bob

Jen and I are rational people. We understood that if we hosted a Supper Club on the Wednesday before Christmas, there was no way that the house would be clean by that Saturday. Consequently, we decided to take a field trip to Benton Park and the Sidney Street Cafe. We had been hearing good things about this place for a while and were eager to try a new restaurant.

We were seated in the very back of the restaurant, a dark and intimate room. Our table had a small light and a single candle to illuminate the menu, written on an iPad-sized chalkboard. Our waitress walked us through the appetizers first and we decided to get a variety of offerings to share. The consensus favorite was the veal dumpling, but the shrimp and the crab cake were both really good. The lobster turnover was pretty decent as well. Monika got a ham and an egg that looked great, but was on the other side of the table.

In addition to the appetizers, the bread course was a basket of these incredible little beignets. Hot and soft and sweet and buttery, but each in perfect proportion. So, so good.

The main courses came with either salad or soup. Most went for the salad, but I opted for the soup and it was awesome. The girls liked their salads as well. When the entrees came out, we were ready, and we were not disappointed. I ordered the filet béarnaise (that’s filet, lobster and béarnaise sauce — decadent!) which was served with roasted seasonal veggies and mashed potatoes. Jen had the pecan encrusted rabbit with roasted root vegetables, basil sausage, and rabbit jus. Katie had the pork chops, Kim had the filet, Kate had the rib eye and Monika had the whiskey strip. Before we got down to business, we portioned up our meals so everyone could try each dish. Each dish was awesome in its own unique way, but I must say I preferred my filet. I mean, lobster and steak — come on!

To finish, we got three deserts and spread them around. First up was the pot au creme. Basically mousse-like, the chocolate was smooth and creamy and topped with peppermint cotton candy. The dark chocolate turtle brownie was super rich and hella tasty. The last dessert was some sort of pastry with lemon ice cream and a blood-orange sauce; it was a nice balance to the richness of the chocolate.

A definite recommendation to this place: 12 thumbs up!

Gingerbread House Party, Year 4

Posted on December 19, 2010 by Jen

Welcome back to Sweetville, USA! We are so excited that your sweet-tooth has not waned after all these years. We would love to show you our newest additions!

As you skip along on Peppermint Patty Lane, you will come across the Starlight Mint Salon and Spa. Here you can pamper yourself with chocolate facials, tingly mint body wraps, a Red Hot sauna (sure to set your skin on fire), even sugared manis and pedis. The stylists here can transform your ‘do from flab to cotton candy fab!

After a morning of pampering, you need to travel down a ways to Beth’s Diner, where you can find the biggest cinnamon buns in all of Sweetville. We’re not sure of the secret ingredient in the famous hot chocolate, but we keep coming back for more. Whether people are stumbling in after being Twixed all night or looking for a donut to start the day, it’s a warm, cozy place for all to convene.

You must be asking, where do the townspeople shop if they are looking for some sweet new duds? Why, the Sweet Tart Boutique, of course! It’s the number one stop for all the gingerbread boys and girls looking to get the latest in gum drop buttons and icing apparel. But if you choose to bring your rowdy children, be forewarned, they have a strict “you lick it, you buy it” policy.

Sweetville’s hottest new club is the Licorice Rave Shack. Owner Kandy Kate is back with the party that finally answers the question “Are those my chiclets?!?!” It has everything: Skittle magicians, ring-pop pandas, Goobers, and tiny dust-go-rounds. You know, it’s that thing where a midget gets whacked out on pixy sticks while on a sit and spin.

For those more into book learnin’ than human traffic cones, the Sweetville School is the place to be. Home of the Fighting Sugar Dragons, this unassuming one-room schoolhouse has turned out some of the greatest innovators in the emerging field of candy studies. Unfortunately, it’s stellar reputation was blemished somewhat when it was revealed that last year’s valedictorian had cheated on her exams by using an Easy-Bake Oven.

So what are you waiting for? Grab a friend and visit Sweetville. Just don’t forget your appetite!

The Peimanns’ Ugly Christmas Sweater Party 2010

Posted on December 18, 2010 by Bob

Future anthropologists will have a hard time telling if 20- and 30-somethings in the year 2010 were just poorly dressed around the holidays, or were simply incapable of expressing their feelings for the holiday season sartorially without a heavy dose of irony. The beauty of the Ugly Sweater Party is that you really can have it both ways.

Matt and Amanda continued their yuletide tradition in fine fashion this year. As always, the competition for the ugliest sweater was heated. Here are the finalists:

And the winners:

Ryan went the extra mile with the old dove-on-the-shoulder trick, while Sarah’s classic sweater vest benefitted from a strong voting bloc against Amanda’s cousins.

The founder of the feast (Matt) scored a sixer of Big Flats, the house label beer at Walgreen’s.

We decided it would be a good idea for us all to try it to see how good a $2.99 six pack could be.

It tasted like regret.

We could not even ironically enjoy Big Flats, although I’m sure some skinny-jeaned hipster will find a way, probably via taste bud castration from smoking too many Parliaments.

To be completely earnest, we all had a great time and are looking forward to next year. Click here to see all the pictures.

The Shi Wedding Weekend

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Jen

Congratulations, Yao and Sheena! After having this date written down in my calendar for well over a year, it has finally come, your wedding day. And of course, it was a weekend affair.

Friday night started off with the rehearsal at the Provincial Chapel on UMSL’s campus. It’s a beautiful chapel, tucked away behind the Provincial House. I was tapped to be in charge of the ceremony music (eek!) and was a nervous wreck about it. I mean, the power of the wedding music was in my hands and I didn’t want to accidentally start playing “I’m Too Sexy.” Thank goodness for rehearsals, I was able to go through the music and the timing.

After making sure that we all knew where we were going and what we were doing, we headed over to dinner catered by Candicci’s. It was a low-key affair, just good food and good company.

We didn’t want the night to end so we took the party to a local bar and celebrated, with Yao, his last night of bachelorhood. The man does not know what he’s getting into.

The day of the wedding was overcast and dreary but that didn’t dampen our excitement for the day. I was able to make it through the ceremony without screwing up the music and even got a up close and personal seat in the front of the church to watch my friends pledge their everlasting love to one another. I was able to hold back the tears, probably because I couldn’t really hear them.

The reception was held at Orlando Gardens down in South County. It was a nicely appointed reception hall, with a lovely lobby greeting you as you walked in. Kenny’s best man speech was impressive, considering that he did not prepare for it and Yao’s dad encouraged babies.

After the typical buffet spread, the real party began. Now, I have to say, their reception was pretty fabulous in that they had the DJ turn the latter part of the evening into a dance club. Our group of friends took over the dance floor and never left. But that’s to be expected, we are all that awesome.

For more pictures of our night of debauchery, just click here.

And can you believe this? Sunday morning, they had us over for brunch, with Yao cooking! Crazy! But we did relive the highlights of the night before and share stories with one another.

Woo! You are now married, welcome to the club!

Eleven or So at Mangia Italiano

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Bob

Our friend Albert’s band, Eleven or So, played at Mangia Italiano the other night. We had been trying to see one of their shows for a while, but schedules hadn’t allowed us to make it. Finally, our calendars lined up and we made it out for the show. They were scheduled to start at 11PM, but true to their name, the show went off considerably later than intended. Once it did though, the music was great.

They played two sets. Well, it was really just one set, but the bassist had to take a leak in the middle, so it felt like two. The first set started off with a Radiohead cover, nicely executed, proving that they have good taste. Their original songs were generally, big, sprawling affairs of shoegaze with enough pop edge to keep them focused and tight. The second half was packed full of some of their more accessible songs, save the last, which was, simply put, big. This is the kind of song that gets written, and a band knows they have to close with it. Good stuff all around.

Basically, if you enjoy music, you should check out Eleven Or So. Even I wasn’t friends with the guitarist, I’d still be interested in the tunes. If you enjoy photographs, check out the rest of the set on Flickr.