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Somewhat of a Letdown For The Dining Divas at La Gra in Dogtown

By Lisa Kampeter

It was a cool, August evening.  It had been weeks since the concept of dining outdoors had crossed our minds.  But this rare night, the Dining Divas couldn’t pass up dinner on the patio, or in this case, on the sidewalks of Dogtown.

At a restaurant called La Gra, I’d lead many to believe the name was followed by “Ta  Dah” with the anticipation I placed on going there.  A previous visit convinced me the girls would love it there.  During my first visit, great food and a great atmosphere was a great surprise at the place I’d driven past several times and commented, “Wonder what that’s like?”

It’s tapas (or small plates) so that wasn’t too unusual from the many other restaurants we’ve tried.  The difference was the Italian part.  We’d never been to a place that focused on Italian tapas.

The first impression I got from La Gra the previous time I was there was trumped by the very first impression I got from this visit.  After being seated outside, we were greeted by an extremely handsome waiter.  It didn’t bother us that some Divas were late.  He kept having to come back to get drink orders for those that staggered in.  It didn’t bother us that the Noncommittal Diva could make up her mind on what to order.  He kept having to come back to take more orders.  It didn’t even bother us when he brought the wrong drinks or forgot our food.  It was a treat enough to savor his handsome shyness every visit back to the table.

According to Mr. Hotness, tapas translates to “food arriving at random times” as well as “pizza taking a really long to prepare.”  In Basic English, the waiter was also the bartender which led us to believe the chef was also the bus boy as well as the limo driver out front.

Which leads me to this.  I love Dogtown.  I love Seamus McDaniel’s.  I love the neighborhood.  The “real” St. Patrick’s Day parade happens there every year.  There’s lots of reasons to appreciate Dogtown.  However, I have to admit I was surprised to see a limo pull to the front of the restaurant and drop someone off.  This is just Dogtown, right?  Nothing fancy here.

My gut reaction was to panic.  Why didn’t I go with the sassy summer dress I pulled out of the closet this morning?  And I should have worn a nicer pair of heels rather than the comfortable, safe pair I wore to work.  Who would have thought we needed to be fancy in Dogtown?

But then I looked around.  There was the couple on a date.  Casual summer attire.  And the older woman with her sundress only partially zipped up in the back (“Friends shouldn’t let friends dress this way,” said the Concerned Diva.)  And about every 10 minutes, someone walked right passed our table taking their dog on a leisurely stroll (very appropriate for “Dogtown.”)  I relaxed.  My simple sandals and work attire were just fine.

I guess once the chef parked the limo, he returned to his cooking responsibilities.  And in pure tapas fashion, it came piecemeal.  Which was okay with us because we all enjoyed taste-testing what everyone else ordered.

And it gave us more time to talk.  We talked about the College-Bound Diva and her extreme fear of returning to the classroom.  It’s great to hear her making the choice to go back to school.  We talked about the Educator Teacher and the incarcerated student whose “one phone call” was to her teacher.  That’s a dedicated student.  And we talked about the Disaster-Relief Diva and her trip to Joplin.  The devastation is incredible and the need for help is still there.

The Italian Diva is a real diva when it comes to Italian food.  She shared the Stuffed Artichoke with the Greek Diva, and although they both enjoyed it, the Italian Diva said she’ll stick with the one on the Pasta House menu.

Reminiscing back to a year ago for the Newlywed Diva’s shower, several of us were excited to have the Arancini.  The shower version was made with rice, spices, and mozzarella.  At La Gra, they added in mushrooms and peas.  The add-ons didn’t add to the flavor.  Perhaps we were biased because even though La Gra’s version was tasty, we preferred our recipe.  But the effort it takes to make it at home is reason enough to have La Gra’s again.

Several ordered the Chicken Speidini.  We debated over the best in town.  Rizzo’s tops the list in Florissant.  La Gra’s version does not spare the lemons.  One Diva found it tasty while another thought it was too much.  The Martha Stewart Diva added garlic and black pepper to her leftovers the next day, and that really made a difference.

The Toasted Ravioli is barely worth mentioning, but the pizza at La Gra definitely is.  The West Park, also know as Italian sausage and portabella mushroom pizza, with its thick, crispy crust was worth the wait.  The leftovers the Newlywed Diva brought home to her husband surely showed the love she has for him.  After quite some time, a fantastic super-sized Tamm Avenue pizza, also referred to by the Noncommittal Diva as the pepperoni, pepperoni, pepperoni pizza, arrived.  Sir Cuteness got this order wrong too.  Ahhh, but what did it matter.

Overall, La Gra..ta dah turned into La Gra…blah.  The food was much more pleasing my first time.  But we can’t blame our waiter.  What he lacked in efficiency he made up for with his pearly whites and attractive demeanor.  I’m confident that the restaurant just had an off night.  And I’m definitely going back for more pizza.  Besides, the third time’s the charm.

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