Blog

Kirkwood Restaurant’s Small Bites Make Big Impression on Dining Divas

(Posted May 19, 2011)

By Lisa Kampeter

Kirkwood is one of those communities that I rarely consider when making dinner plans; however, when I pass through, I’m always reminded how much I enjoy the area.  The charming, energetic neighborhood of downtown Kirkwood encourages shopping, dining, and foot traffic in a rather busy part of town.  And I love it.

So this month, the Dining Divas headed for the streets and sidewalks of this bustling city to enjoy dinner at One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar.

Call it aging.  Call it loss of patience.  Call it whatever you want, but this month, I made the call to break tradition.  The Dining Divas typically join in the Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the month of May by choosing a Mexican restaurant.  This year, because the actual feast fell on the first Thursday of the month, we opted out.  The Overworked Diva had tacos for lunch with a group of bandwagoners.  The Educator Diva was ready to whoop it up with margaritas.  But for this Diva, dining with drunks just wasn’t appetizing.

We weren’t disappointed.  While waiting for the group to arrive, conclusions were made.  It’s easy to understand why four women chose this place to toast the announcement of a retirement.  Or why a few girlfriends gathered there to catch up on the latest gossip.  Or why a couple decided to make this place the place for date night.  It has a neighborhood feel within a warm and fashionable setting.

Being that it’s a “wine” bar, the Sober Diva decided to try out a flight of wine, just to be “polite”.  Being that it’s a “tapas” restaurant, we shared “small” bites of a few menu items.  From 5- 7 p.m., several tapas items were half price.

We tried the Oven Baked Goat Cheese.  Delicious.  If you’re indecisive, the Mango Chicken Wings please both sweet and salty palettes.  The Sassy Diva enjoyed dangling the Flash Fried Calamari from her mouth just to get a reaction from the Meat and Potato Diva.  And she got it.  The Red Pepper Hummus was a safe and sure bet for the Picky Diva.  It also came with a Saffron dip, but she chose to skip that.  Too “unusual” for this simple girl.

Many Divas were envious of the BBQ Cajun Shrimp ordered by one Diva, but they weren’t envious of her bill at the end of the meal.  It was three times more than the rest!

Amidst looks of disgust, the Two Week Notice Diva ordered the Chicken Liver Bruschetta.  At first bite, she thought the livers were too well done.  But by the practically licked-clean plate, you could tell she enjoyed them.

She also enjoyed sharing the story of her brand new car her husband brought home one day for her.  She mentioned liking the new Ford Taurus to her husband, and unbeknownst to her, he researched, negotiated, and bought her a new car.  Now that’s a good husband.

The Single Diva shared the story of her significant other bringing home a brand new car too.  Only this one he didn’t have to research, negotiate, or even buy.  He won it in a raffle at the Lake.  He bought two raffle tickets, one for her and one for himself.  Or so she thought.  When she put her name on one of the raffles, he reminded her “you can’t win if you don’t play.”  In translation – if you don’t buy it, you don’t win it.  Thankfully, they pulled his name and not hers.  The new car would have been the end of them if she had won.

The Single Diva pondered her single hood as the Educator Diva shared a story of students fighting.  Seems one of her students had a crush on another and showed his love by throwing a book at her.  Well, there ended up being a blood-gushing nose and a couple students in suspension.  Now that’s love.  And had the Single Diva known it would only take a tossing of a book to express undying affection, she’s sure she wouldn’t still be single.  Do you think the tossing of a few drinks counts?

So when you’re making plans with friends, looking for somewhere different to go to, don’t forget about the pedestrian and visitor-friendly Kirkwood and One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar.  You won’t need to throw anything to get the attention you deserve, and you won’t need a new car to fit right in.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us