Serendipity

-Barb had to get a CT scan at Mo Bap yesterday. And when it was completed, we walked out to find ourselves right in the middle of rush hour. We didn't want to get back on 270 at 5 o'clock and sit in that parking lot for an hour. So, we made our way down Ballas to Manchester and headed west to find a place for dinner. We passed all the usual fast-food or casual dining places...and drove on into Ballwin. We saw a sign on the right-hand side of the road for a place called Seventh Inn. The name sounded familiar, but we both knew we hadn't been there before. So, we thought "what the heck" and turned off Manchester to explore the possiblity.

We came upon the restaurant in the middle of a bunch of apartment houses a couple of blocks north of Manchester. I pulled into the parking lot and went up to the door to see what kind of place it was. When I saw the guy at the door had on a tuxedo, I thought, "Uh oh, we're underdressed for this joint." I told the greeter that we were just driving around looking for a bite to eat, and he assured us that attire was not an issue. So, I went back to the car and told Barb..."let's give it a try".

Well, I mean to tell you that that decision was one of the best things we've done in months. The place is straight out of a Godfather movie with it's decor. Cherub statues. Floral arrangements. (see pic at top) Fifties music for background. The ambience of an "old-world" fine dining establishment. Waiters in tuxes. The owner, Else Barth, came around to chat several times during our meal. She was charming...and even took our photo for their "wall of fame" that features many others who have dined there over the years. We actually dined on the veranda and looked out over the lake on a beautiful evening to enjoy the outdoors.

The food? We shared a fantastic crab cake appetizer. Then the soup du jour...a cheese-based concoction...wonderful. The garden salad with the house Mayfair dressing was excellent. Then a champagne sorbet to cleanse the palate. For the entrees...I had a perfectly prepared tournedos of beef tenderloin with asparagus and veggie medley. Barb had a chicken dish (forgot the name) that was melt-in-your-mouth fantastic, veggies, etc. For dessert...we shared the Sarah Bernhart..(chocolate mousse with a chocolate shell). Of course a glass of wine to enjoy with dinner too.

Bottom line. I came to find out why I had heard of Seventh Inn. It is a treasure of a place that you just don't find any more. Fine dining establishments are becoming extinct. Excellent food and drink...wonderful service...and people who run the place that make you feel like the most special customer they've ever had. We will definitely be going back the next time we want a really great evening. If you're interested in trying it out yourself... www.theseventhinn.com

The evening proved again to me that the best things in life happen when you decide to get out of the rut...and do a little exploring.

-Remember what I wrote the other day about Izzy getting his fastball back and being more of a dominant closer...Doh!

-Scottrade Center....or The Scottrade Center? The Savvis people insisted on no "the" in front. Frankly, I didn't know how big a player Scottrade was in the brokerage industry until today. Of course my stock holdings amount to about 59 dollars. I do like the idea that this is a locally-based company that can be a financial partner of the Blues for a long time to come. I still think Michelob Center would have had a nicer ring to it.