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Dining Divas: Eclipse in Moonrise Hotel
BY LISA KAMPETER
Eclipse in Moonrise Hotel is Out Of This World , But Not So Much For the Food
It was like we were in a different city. On an unusually beautiful evening this summer, the Dining Divas relaxed atop the new Moonrise Hotel, enjoying a few cocktails and the unique view. Unique in that there are not many places around town that you can get a glimpse of Forest Park, Central West End, the beautiful church steeples, and the vibrancy of The Loop all in one wide gaze. This could be our new favorite place.
After sharing a few stories a few stories above the street, we headed down to the new restaurant Eclipse. Any restaurant sharing the same name as one of the books in the Twilight series had to be a winner to me (No, vampires are not my thing. It’s a love story!).
Joe Edwards, the mastermind behind Blueberry Hill, the Tivoli Theater, the Pin-Up Bowl, and the St. Louis Walk of Fame, diligently worked on a new display as we entered the restaurant. You’d think anyone who has Chuck Berry as his good buddy could hire a professional decorator to do the dirty work. But the décor of Eclipse is out of this world…so Edwards obviously is a man of many talents. For some reason, I couldn’t get the theme song from The Jetsons out of my head. Stop in and you’ll understand why.
Once the Divas finished discussing the benefits (and a few negatives) of dating an incarcerated gentleman, we decided to have dinner. The Italian Diva started off with calamari with a twist. It was very tender and tasty with the perfect amount of spice from pieces of jalapeno mixed throughout. The Mommy-To-Be Diva shared the Moonrise Ravioli with fennel tomato slaw and shaved Parmesan. You can’t blame her hormones on her reaction to this appetizer. The only thing appetizing about this St. Louis variation of ravioli was its half-moon shape. No sauce. Not much taste.
This Diva was excited when the bread basket made it around the table but wasn’t excited about the surprise inside. Olives baked into the bread. The Mommy-To-Be Diva said it best, “(It was a) treat for some, but not for me.”
When it came to choosing the main course, the Colorful Diva (She’s been a blonde now for about 14 months straight. It’s a new record!) opted for a healthy choice and ordered the vegan risotto. This normally talkative Diva really had nothing to say about her dish. I guess that’s what “going vegan” does to you.
Meanwhile Grandma Diva and I tried the Spring Vegetable Risotto. It was prepared with locally grown vegetable, rice, and a cream sauce. This Picky Diva rarely likes anything she chooses. I loved it, and so did everyone else at the table.
They were all jealous of our choice and unhappy with their own. The Mommy-To-Be Diva picked the Pasta Muffaldi, spinach and ricotta dumplings sautéed in garlic and olive oil. She believes the chef must have been a vampire because there could not have been even a sliver of garlic in her dish. I happen to agree with her (she read the Twilight books too). It was the blandest thing she ever tasted. I should probably note here that perhaps a bland dish was the best idea for her anyway. That following Saturday, she and her husband were to spend eight hours learning the birthing process and watching “the movie”. Although only one of us in the group had actually given birth, several of us gave her our best birthing advice.
The Guest Diva’s Pork Chop arrived semi-raw (again, maybe the vampires like the blood). The Italian Diva ordered the same dish and thought it was thick and juicy and prepared perfectly. She didn’t care too much for the sides of spinach and the apple and potato gratin.
Our waiter made faces when he’d describe the dishes before we ordered. We should have taken note. He also made many recommendations that we listened to. By dessert time, our own Enterprising Diva said she’d never order anything he’d suggest.
Dining Divas is always comical and this night “cosmical” as well. Although the food wasn’t anyone’s favorite, the atmosphere was intriguing. Joe Edwards is a genius entrepreneur, and Eclipse will thrive. Next time we’ll just drink more before dinner. Like Bloody Mary’s. Or Red Wine. Or Blood Orange Mimosas.
