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The Dining Divas

By Lisa Kampeter

“What is this?  A meat market?”   That’s what the Colorful Diva first said when she joined the rest of the Dining Divas for our dinner outing last month.

Why? Because everywhere you looked, women were accessorized (and probably not with costume jewelry) and the men were put together nicely, and the bar was overflowing with young professionals, on a weeknight?

We felt like we were in West County.  But no, it was St. Charles.  And it was great!

You’d never expect “Noah’s Ark” to become such a hot spot, but that’s exactly what it is.  The Dining Divas had dinner together at Prasino’s, a new restaurant in the development that was formerly the home to Noah and all his pets.    Great weather allowed the windows and doors of the bar to be opened freely into an outdoor patio.  A sea of red was there to support the Cardinals who were in the Playoffs that night.

Our group was seated in the main dining area.  Fortunately for a few of us, we could see a portion of one TV monitor in the bar showing the Cardinal game and a backwards reflection of another TV monitor showing the Blues game.  And with the multitude of texts and mobile app updates, we were following along nicely.  Which was something several of us couldn’t do with the conversations going on at our table.

We had plenty of room at our table for our bigger group, but Prasino’s is another one of those restaurants with high-exposed ceilings that make it hard to hear each other if you’re in a big group.   That would be the only negative I’d say about the place that night.  I feared our service would be bad.  I’d heard stories.  I worried the food would disappoint.  Some Divas prefer “normal,” and I wasn’t sure if Prasino’s was “normal” enough.   I was concerned it’d be too crowded.  The place is popular.

But it was all good.  Great actually.

First, our waiter was fantastic.  He was patient with our indecisiveness and our delay in ordering.  You can always count on the Tardy Diva being late.  He was such a descriptive salesman as he shared the menu items so creatively.  The Picky Diva walked in hoping to find something she’d like, and she walked out with so many more things she’d like to come back to try.  And he was attentive.  With a group our size, and with us being the Divas, he had his hands full, but he was a pro.

For a small menu, the variety was great.  As a starter, the Adventurous Divas shared the Killer Dragon Sushi Roll.  According to them, fish-fans or not, you’ll love them.  The sauce makes the difference.  The Daughter Diva tried the Turkey Burger served with truffle potatoes, and as a repeat customer, she was thrilled with her dining experience.   The Freshman Diva tried the Short Rib tacos.  There were four tacos stuffed with shredded short rib meat, pico de gallo, avocados, and cheese.  Three was more than enough!

The most popular item ordered was the Barbecued Pork Steak.  Two days of preparation, and vacuum-packed in goodness definitely is the way to go.  It was tender, juicy, and full of flavor.  Served with a jalapeno cheddar biscuit and a side of your choice, everyone loved it.

As for dessert, we were celebrating a couple birthdays so that was reason enough to order dessert.  Even though a “Get a Birthday dessert for FREE” sign was displayed on the bathroom wall, they still initially charged us.  But once we brought it to our waiter’s attention, he took care of it.

This night, the Cardinals, the Blues, and Prasino’s restaurant were winners.  And the Dining Divas were glad to be a part of it.

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