The Dining Divas’ Second Choice Turns

Out to Be First Class for the New Year

by Lisa Kampeter

What a way to start off 2020! We kicked off a new year of Dining Divas with an amazing brunch at The Bellwether in Lafayette Square in St. Louis.

We’re two for two with this location. It was less than two years ago that the Dining Divas enjoyed dinner here, only it was a different restaurant called Element STL. We had such a wonderful time then, but unfortunately, the restaurant closed. It had such a cool patio, and we had a great time celebrating a big birthday for one of our Divas. Very happy memories from our first visit returned.

So, we weren’t concerned to try something new at the same place. We were disappointed to hear that it closed, but we were excited to check the new restaurant out.

The Bellwether wasn’t our first choice. We tried a couple other places but because of the size of our group, it was a struggle. In order to get a reservation from one place, I would have had to have given a credit card to reserve the table, and pay $20 for every person who did not show up. Someone always cancels on us. Rarely does everyone make it. I wasn’t thrilled to do that. So, because they are relatively new to brunch, The Bellwether doesn’t currently have that policy, and we were grateful. (And by the way, we had one person cancel that morning.)

There’s plenty of parking available, which is a plus. As you walk into the building where the restaurant is, you walk by a rock-climbing place. As we walked in, we all thought “no way.” As we walked out, and after all the food, we all thought we probably should try it to burn some calories. It was the start of a new year, and if anyone’s resolution was to lose some weight, it wasn’t happening this day.

This day was a beautiful, sunny, yet windy cold day. We all talked about the weather events we’d had so far, and most of the Divas were done with winter already. The Wandering Diva told us about settling into a new home, but her move was in the midst of a snowstorm, and the movers were no shows.   Every year, we talk about Divas brunches and the fondness of them. But when I explained the reservation issues, they agreed we’d have more options if we stick with dinners.

A few of us had high expectations, and we weren’t disappointed. The Epicurean Diva made sure we tried about everything on the menu. There were the traditional meals like the Farmer’s Breakfast, which includes eggs, potatoes, toast and your choice of meat, or omelets like the Shrimp Diavolo, which had a kick and was so delicious.

The Eggs Benedict tasted great, but it could have been warmer. One of the Divas had Oysters and Avocado Toast for her breakfast. I’d say that’s not so traditional, but she thought it was oh so good. The Bacon Fried Rice was another great choice as was the Pork Steak and Eggs. Pork Steak for breakfast? Yes! And it was really good. Many of the dishes came with Smashed Fried Potatoes, and even though a few of the Divas are not really fans of fried potatoes, these were crispy and nicely seasoned and exceptional.

Some Divas chose sweeter breakfasts. From the Apple Ravioli with a chocolate sauce to the Cinnamon Toast Crunch French Toast, The Bellwether really takes brunch to a better level.   The fresh berries atop the French toast and the maple praline syrup was seriously delicious. The only complaint heard with regards to the Dutch Baby Pancake dusted with powdered sugar and topped with strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, was that it wasn’t completely covered with whipped cream and syrup. Only mostly covered. It was wonderful.

The chef visited our table and spent a good amount of time sharing with us his background and future aspirations. What a pleasant treat! We all are rooting for him and The Bellwether.

Brunches are hard to schedule but much fun. Lucky for us our first choices weren’t available. If brunch at the Bellwether is any indication of the coming year, it’s going to be a great year of Dining Divas.

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