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The Dining Divas Take a Look Back (and Taste) at St. Louis Food at Circa STL
by Lisa Kampeter
I’m probably biased because I’ve lived in the St. Louis area for most of my life, but St. Louis (and, of course, Missouri) has some really great iconic foods of which we can be proud. Take those unique foods and combine them with some classic recipes and St. Louis history, and that’s what you’ll get at Circa STL, a St. Louis-themed restaurant.
Circa STL is located in Des Peres, on Manchester Road, on the other side of 270 right across from West County Mall. If you want to take a walk down memory lane, you’ll be intrigued by all the memorabilia throughout the restaurant. I was especially impressed with the memorabilia targeting women in the ladies’ room. Budweiser trying to reach women? Who knew!
First thing the Dining Divas ordered was Toasted Ravioli. It would have been a St. Louis sin had we skipped over that! Thankfully we didn’t. Just as good as the Lombardo Family’s, these were not traditional. They were made with wonton shells. We placed multiple orders as we liked them so much. Famous Barr’s French Onion Soup is still famous and a delicious choice at Circa STL. We liked the Parmesan Wings, but they were your standard wings. And of course, Gus’ Pretzels were also on the menu, but we had to save room for dinner so we skipped them.
Many Divas ordered salads because Circa STL offers Mayfair dressing. You can’t get that in many places anymore. Originally, this dressing was created at the Mayfair Hotel in downtown St. Louis and like Caesar dressing, it incorporates anchovies.
As we gawked at dinners being delivered to tables and asked our neighbors what they were eating, we could tell that making a choice was going to be difficult.
The Chicken Modiga, rolled in Italian bread crumbs and topped with mushrooms and a cream sauce, was delicious. The Loaded Garlic Bread Sandwich, otherwise known as the Gerber Sandwich, is cheese garlic bread on steroids. Made with ham and provel cheese and sprinkled with paprika, this toasted sandwich was made famous by Ruma’s Deli. The Lemp Mansion first introduced The Prosperity Sandwich, and Circa STL’s version is open-faced with turkey, ham, and provel, an Alfredo sauce, and tomato.
The Dieting Diva was bummed that she wasn’t enjoying “cheesy, gooey, deliciousness” and suggested you leave the diet at home. This is not the place to try to eat healthy. Nor is it the group with which to try to stay on a diet. Being that it was Halloween month, the Sweet Diva brought us all some candy treats. And a couple Non-Communicating Divas brought birthday cakes for the Birthday Diva. Two cakes are always better than one for a birthday. Besides, you can never have too much cake.
The owners of Circa STL were so accommodating and friendly. They gave our table a “sampling” of Barbecue Pork Steak when the Whining Diva realized no one had ordered it. Everyone was able to enjoy a bite, and it was so tender and delicious.
This is definitely a place to bring out of town guests to get a savory taste of St. Louis. And if St. Louis is your home, it’s also a great place to reminisce and enjoy good dining and a friendly atmosphere. And be proud of our city.
