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By Lisa Kampeter

Not many people get to experience dreadlocks, meth addicts, Tupperware, and pulled pork all in one evening, but for the Dining Divas, it’s just another night out with the girls.  This time, the activities were happening in the Tower Grove Neighborhood at The Shaved Duck on Virginia.

Upon arriving at this casual establishment set in a residential part of town, live music greeted us.  This was a welcome change as we rarely pick places that have live music on a Thursday night or that even start the music before we’ve finished with our dinner.  The soulful sounds quickly became loud distractions as we realized we couldn’t easily carry on conversations among the group because we couldn’t hear.  Not sure why the two-man band (one with long dreadlocks) set up in the dining area instead of the bar.  We would have been able to clearly hear them in either place as the restaurant was quite small.

A chalk-drawing of “Jimmy” hanging on the wall caught our attention.  “Jimmy” is the fabulous smoker/barbecue pit and the hardest worker in the whole place.  The Shaved Duck is famous for its barbecue, and “Jimmy” gets the credit.  A canvas of Albert Pujols was propped up on a window sill.  Not sure that Albert fit the décor.

We were delighted this night to have a new Mommy-To-Be Diva, a Sister Diva, and a Sophomore Diva joining us.  Between cravings, savings for a daughter’s wedding, and misbehavings at work, the conversations were scattered.  One Diva story topped the list.

The Colorful Diva swore off work conversations for the evening, but she couldn’t resist.  She oversees 160 people across several states.  This one particular employee from the South had every excuse for why she couldn’t get her work done.  No car.  Moving.  Sick.  The Colorful Diva accommodated the girl when she moved so that she could be transferred to a new location.  After several days had passed without the employee reporting into her, the Colorful Diva learned that this struggling employee was a meth addict and had been taking advantage of her kindness.   On a positive note, the Colorful Diva now oversees only 159 employees.

We started off with Smothered French Fries.  They were loaded with goodness…rib meat and a cheese sauce.  For the non-fry fans, we loved them.  We also tried the Hush Duckies.  No worries.  They weren’t deep fried mini-ducks.  They were just The Shaved Duck version of hushpuppies filled with bacon and onions.  The Sophomore Diva enjoyed the Seafood and Sausage Gumbo, prepared just to her liking.  Not too spicy and not too thick.

A couple Divas tried the Smoked Meatloaf with a root beer glaze.  Order the meatloaf.  It’s great.  Skip the glaze and just add some bbq sauce.  The combination works.

The Constantly-Dining-Out Diva ordered the Pulled Chicken Sandwich.  She enjoyed it so much she is adding The Shaved Duck to her weekly lunch route.  The Educator Diva wasn’t thrilled when she was asked about when school was starting again, but she was thrilled with her Pulled Pork Sandwich.  The Cultured Diva had the Beef Brisket, and although she thought it was tender and flavorful, she found it to be dry.

All of our meals came with sides.  Do not skip the sides.  The Caramelized Grilled Onion Mashed Potatoes were so good they didn’t even need gravy, but the Confident Diva was sure her own recipe was better.  The Mac n Cheese brought back fond memories of Revival, a former favorite Diva restaurant that has since closed its doors.

Mommy-To-Be Diva couldn’t skip dessert.  It wouldn’t have been good for the baby.  So after a delicious decadent sweet accompanied by milk, we did what any girl would do on a night out.  We went shopping.  For Tupperware that is.

The Salesman Diva invited several of us to shop at her home from her collection of Tupperware that she used to sell.  And what bargains did we get.

We could skip the dreadlocks and drug addictions next time, but The Shaved Duck especially combined with bargain shopping definitely makes for a great evening.

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