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by Lisa Kampeter

I always enjoy driving through Kirkwood. The beautiful, old neighborhood homes are such a treat to see. In the downtown area, with the bustling sidewalks, lively shops and restaurants, and active streets, it’s evident this city is thriving. On the night of this month’s Dining Divas, I saw young couples with toddlers enjoying an outdoor concert, and happily retired adults strolling leisurely through the community adoring the perfect night.

The Dining Divas were lucky to get reservations at Billy G’s on Argonne. Apparently, it doesn’t matter what day of the week it is, Billy G’s is always busy. Their massive and extremely inviting patio has to help, along with the weather.

When I told each Diva to let me know if they would be able to make it to dinner with us, I also asked them to let me know if they’d be okay with sitting outside. The consensus was “yes.” Outside.

The problem was that I forgot to tell the restaurant that. When they called to confirm my reservation, I mentioned sitting outside to them. Too late. All of the outdoor seating and bungalows were taken. My bad.

But they were happy to give us the “chef’s” table.

That sounded fancy. It is fancy…fancy for “your table is right by the kitchen,” (aka – the chef!).

Aside from how popular the place was, the first thing I immediately noticed was how loud it was in the restaurant. You seriously had to speak extremely loud to talk to each other; practically shout to talk to the entire table.

Poor Talon, our waiter, wasn’t ready for the harassment he was to get. First, for his name. The Sarcastic Diva wanted to call him Eagle, for her Eagle Talon she used to drive. Then there was the harassment of his accent. It wasn’t much of an accent, but it wasn’t from these parts. Even though he’d lived in St. Louis for many years, the Deductive Diva picked up on his Western New York accent (also known as Buffalo).

The poor guy wasn’t expecting trouble delivering a soda. I ordered a Diet Coke topped off with Dr. Pepper and said, “It’s called the Lisa.” When he brought it to me, he said, “Here’s the Linda.” He didn’t hear the end of that all night.

But Talon took it all with ease, even with the Beef Brisket incident.

At his recommendation, the Sharing Divas ordered the Brisket Sandwich. Unfortunately, it was dry and tasted like charcoal lighter. Fortunately, Talon was accommodating and brought them a replacement meal, a burger.

A few other Divas had spoken highly of Billy G’s burgers, and the high marks were accurate. It was juicy and flavorful. Another burger-loving Diva ordered hers with soft cheddar and grilled onions along with sweet potato fries, and it was superb.

Billy G’s has a wonderful salad assortment. The Cobb Salad was “as big as a backyard” and very good. The nine-dollar price tag on the glass of wine the Diva ordered with her salad wasn’t as good. It’s not very easy getting used to paying that kind of price for a glass of wine, but it seems to be becoming more common.

The Gianino’ s House Salad reminds me a lot like other “St. Louis salads” I’ve had in many restaurants. And just as good.

Two tiny thumbs up from our Adolescent Diva who had the Classic Wings.   They also have the Backyard style, which is dry-rubbed barbecue and Trashed, which are doubly fried wings. There’s nothing special about the French Dip. Try something else.

Billy G’s has a wide selection and is in a great location. It’s an ideal place to be social, and the few adult beverages we had were creative and tasty. But I wouldn’t recommend the chef’s table.

It was really hard for us all to visit with each other. And it was hard for us to watch everyone on the outside patio loving the delightful weather. Oh well, there’s always next time…in the middle of the St. Louis summer.

Billy G’s website: http://billygskirkwood.com/

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