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Dining Divas Got Value For the Price at The Fountain, Plus Award-Winning Bathroom
BY LISA KAMPETER
Typically, when we choose the restaurant for the Dining Divas outing, we base it on location, newness to us, and recommendations. This month, we based our restaurant choice on their bathroom.
The Dining Divas went to The Fountain on Locust. You’d think we would have chosen it because they’d been named Best Ice Cream Parlor, but we didn’t. We chose it because it was named the Best Bathroom in America. Embarrassingly enough, we all “visited” the bathroom, regardless if we needed to or not. We couldn’t figure out what all the hoopla was, unless it was the murals, or the stylish mirrors, or elaborate fixtures. We were under-impressed with their restrooms. But that didn’t change our feelings about the restaurant itself.
Every month, we meet up at 6 p.m.. For some reason, the Tardy Diva claimed we changed it to 6:30 (she was the only person aware of the change). At 6:20 p.m., she called to say she wasn’t going to make it by 6:30. She made it at 6:45. So she was late for her already late meet up time. We’re confident if we had moved the reservation to 7 p.m.,, she still wouldn’t have made it in time. Perhaps there’s a time change when you cross over the Mississippi River.
The Scrapbooking Diva shared with us her fabulous collection of photos and mementos from her exploration of the Danube River and Istanbul earlier in the fall. And we envied her more as she told us about her upcoming trips to Las Vegas and Florida.
The Newlywed Diva had her own travel stories to share with us. Her Mediterranean Cruise took her to places like Rome, Barcelona, Malta, and Tunisia. The best story involved a Sicilian crocodile. As she and her new husband (and many other travelers) listened intently to the tour guide, a lizard crawled up the Newlywed Diva’s arm. I couldn’t have wished for a better person for this to happen to.
The story brought tears to our eyes and delight to our hearts. I can “hear” her scream. I can “see” her jump. And I can completely imagine the “chewing” she gave the other travelers as they discussed how they saw it climb on her but didn’t know what to do. Composure and kindness would be the furthest from her mind. The Silician gecko will replace my visions of her biking in Barcelona (“Hell no”, she said when asked if that was one of her excursions.)
Stories of the wedding and the honeymoon reminded the Sunshine Diva of her own wedding day. She got married on the same day as her grandparents, a day in December. The only thing about cold weather that this Diva enjoys is sitting in Scottrade Center watching the St. Louis Blues play hockey. For their wedding photos, the wedding party stood outside of Scottrade Center (called Savvis Center at the time) and took pictures. The temperature outside was 2 degrees. Even for this hockey fan, it was too cold.
Being that The Fountain on Locust is known for their ice cream, the Non-Drinking Diva decided to try out the Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream Martini (typically, she skips the drinks to “save” the calories). It was a nice start to the parlor experience.
Several of the ladies went the Bread Co. route, You Pick Two. The Corn Chowder and a half of a Blackhawk sandwich surprised the Newleywed Diva. The soup was a combination of tomatoes, chiles, corn, and green peppers all served over rice and with a good kick to it. The “we hate the” Blackhawk(s) sandwich (which is how we changed the name) had roast beef with red peppers, and goat cheese on a nice crusty roll served warm. It was tasty but nothing too memorable about it.
Another pick 2 combo chosen was the Royal Grille (aka gourmet grilled cheese) with a salad. The Curious Diva wondered if the burnt bread was what made the sandwich “gourmet.” She still enjoyed it. The salad was similar to the Pasta House salad.
The Picky Diva also tried the Royal Grille, and she enjoyed the addition of apple slices to the sandwich. She chose the Orange Onion Cup as her pick 2 side. The orange slices with red onions and poppy seed dressing was way outside of her basic comfort zone but a great choice.
The Prosperity Panini with roasted zucchini, red peppers, onions, and hummus is delicious and even better when you add grilled chicken. Don’t asked the waitress what makes a panini a panini. And don’t ask if you can use wheat bread. I guess that makes a panini just a sandwich.
The Classroom Diva dealt with a grumbling stomach all day long in anticipation of her dinner at The Fountain. She couldn’t wait for dessert. When she ordered the Chocolate Brownie Sundae in a Cup, we joked that it was going to show up in a shot glass. To her delight, it was slightly bigger and even bigger on taste. She went home hungry.
The Dark and Sinister Ice Cream Sundae put the Traveling Diva and the Newleywed Diva in a food coma. If only they hadn’t agreed to share it, they would have had more for themselves. Rich and decadent is how they described it. Pure bliss.
The dinner prices were appropriate but desserts and drinks were overpriced. But you get what you pay for. And with The Fountain on Locust, you get fair priced dinners, delicious drinks and desserts, and an award-winning bathroom. That’s a great combination.
