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BY LISA KAMPETER

At times, the Dining Divas aren’t wise with the restaurant choice for the month, but with an eating establishment called Sage, we knew we’d made a smart decision.

Sage is located at 11th and Lynch in Soulard across from the brewery. Formerly the Lynch Street Bistro, Sage is an improved rendition of the previous restaurant with a menu full of choices for even the pickiest of Divas. It just so happens, Monday through Wednesday, you can get a bottle of wine for the price of a glass. At that price, you’d never care that the headquarters of the beer capital was just across the street.

This two story building with hardwood ceilings, a gorgeous exposed metal staircase, and a double-sided fireplace with candles has a warm and welcoming feel, even though the furnace seemed to be set for summer weather. We were freezing.

Our waitress quickly stopped by to get our drink orders and to deliver small plates that we assumed were meant for bread or appetizers and not for decoration. Surprisingly, the plates just sat at our table all evening, empty. The head chef also stopped by to greet us and to make some recommendations on our dinner choices. We were very pleased with this gesture; yet, when he stopped by again later to “bus” our table, basically pointing out that the waitress was not doing her job, he became annoying, even though we secretively referred to him as “Puddin’.”

The Dining Divas caught up on the events of the last month, and as usual, the dating shenanigans were a hot topic. Like a page out of Men Are from Mars, Women Are From Venus, the Divas recognize “we” speak a different language than men.

We realize that we can relate to men better if we speak in baseball terms. By referring to men that are “on deck” or “at the plate,” we defined those on the “currently dating” lineup. We pointed out that you don’t want to be “put in the bullpen” because that means there’s someone else on the team. You want to be a “starter,” and you don’t want to be “traded.” Then there are those men, like the Newlywed Diva’s husband, who were on the “injured reserve list” and probably would never be a major leaguer.

We laughed when we heard the story about the Greek Diva’s recent encounter, or lack of encounters, with her male companion who she only hears from when she’s 200 miles away or snowed in her house due to the weather. Or Grandma Diva sharing with us about her date canceling on her through a text message. The only thing worse than that is breaking up on a post-it note…Sex and the City fans will remember.

The group discussion on 40th birthday trips this year to New York and Napa Valley got us all excited as well as an adventure in Italy planned for May.

We had plenty of time to talk because it did take a rather long time to get our food, but we didn’t mind. The Blackened Shrimp & Steak Penne with andouille sausage, smoked bacon and asparagus in a Cajun asiago cream sauce was “quite delicious,” minus the asparagus according to one Picky Diva. A few at the table loved the Pork Loin special which was pecan encrusted with a sweet apple glaze on top. It was accompanied by the perfect combination of veggies and real mashed potatoes.

Grandma Diva enjoyed the Seafood Capilinni, pasta with shrimp, blue crab and mussels along with a glass of Meritage wine by Kendall Jackson. The only thing missing was the bread. We had the plates, just not the bread.

We made other wise choices, like dessert. For $1.95, you could get one of six mini-desserts, a smart offering at Sage. It was the perfect solution for someone with a sweet tooth who didn’t want the bulging stomach. You can’t go wrong with the carrot cake mini-dessert. Warm up the cherry vanilla bread pudding, and you would have had a real winner. But $1.95 was too much to spend on the apple blueberry crisp.

The Dining Divas don’t claim to always make wise decisions. Taking off work to check out The Duck Blind or 94 Roadside Café, a couple drinking establishments, may not make much sense. Allowing yourself to be “put in the bullpen” rather than becoming a “free agent” is not very smart. With age is supposed to come wisdom, but with this group, we’re not always sensible. Except with Sage, a wise choice for sure.
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