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The Dining Divas

By Lisa Kampeter

This month’s Dining Divas outing was not new to us. Well, the restaurant was new to us but not the location. Actually, the restaurant has been three different restaurants since the Divas first dined there. We went to Bemo’s in Cottleville (formerly Sherlock’s and Travena’s prior to that). Our fingers are crossed that this one works.  

The Cottleville area seems to be booming with interesting dining options as well as wine bars and even a martini and cupcake place. We talked about the number of restaurants that had closed just in the last couple weeks, including a recent Diva favorite, Hamburger Mary’s. We talked about another Diva restaurant that we really enjoyed, and the struggles it is having. It’s hard to set yourself apart. We’ve been to so many restaurants that are just like every other average restaurant.

This night, we chose to go to Bemo’s at the recommendation of a manager at a Cottleville hot spot and hoped we’d get better than average. A younger crowd dined and cocktailed on Bemo’s outdoor patio. Inside, the customers were steady but it seemed to be a slow night. There is a larger room off the main dining room that we thought would make a good area for a “paint night out” to attract new customers.

Having not quite gotten my taste buds working properly yet, I had to stay away from spicy foods or red sauces. Everything usually tasted vinegary to me. But when the Italian Diva ordered the New Orleans BBQ Shrimp appetizer, I quickly devoured one. And it was delicious. Fortunately, even though it was cooked in a Creole butter sauce, it wasn’t too spicy.

The Mother-In-Law Diva shared some of her breaded Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms filled with spinach and artichokes. These were uniquely tasty. The Sassy Diva really enjoyed the Butternut Squash Soup.

The Cajun Shrimp Pasta had more of a kick than the shrimp. The shrimp, Andouille sausage, fire roasted peppers and onions were served with a penne pasta with a blackened cream sauce. The cream sauce wasn’t super heavy, and the flavor was incredible. And Bemo’s offers a smaller serving option which was just the right size.

The Never-Been-To-Cottleville Diva thought the Chicken and Mushroom Pasta could have used a little more kick. The Teaching Diva gave the Steak Sandwich a B-. Clearly not thinking clearly, I ordered a bowl of chili. Thankfully, it didn’t taste like vinegar, and it wasn’t too spicy. Obviously, this night, I wasn’t a good judge of how anything tasted.

Our waitress was attentive and very personable and was happy to make recommendations. The only time she disappointed us was when she told us the pie a la mode would have to be just pie as someone forgot to put the ice cream in the freezer. The Dessert-Craving Diva was heartbroken.

The third time at this location was the charm for some of the Divas. We hope to not see another name change in the future. It was a bittersweet night for this Diva. It was so great to see everyone, but reality set in for me. I realized the next time I’d see many of them, my life will have changed dramatically again. And that made me sad. But the promise of future Diva outings with this amazing supportive group brought me back to a happier reality, almost as happy as I would have been had I had dessert…Especially pie a la mode.

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