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Dining Divas: Square One in Lafayette Square area
BY LISA KAMPETER
This month the Dining Divas went to Lafayette Square, a unique part of the city that fondly refers itself as “the neighborhood” and is set in the “square” formed from Mississippi, Lafayette, Missouri, and Park streets just north of Highway 44. Our restaurant of choice was the Square One Brewery, and it was a beautiful night in the neighborhood.
There are lots of activities in Lafayette Square that we forget about. The Chocolate Bar (martinis that put dessert to shame), Eleven Eleven Mississippi (another Diva restaurant), and Lafayette Square Park (live music outdoors in the summer) are just a few that make up this delightful neighborhood in the city.
About two years after a fire destroyed the Lafayette Pub, the owner decided to start over and opened up Square One Brewery. Square One Brewery looks like a typical micro-brewery.
Earth tones and windows along with a skylight brighten the dining room area. Right next to our table, about a 4 X 4 section of the flooring was replaced with Plexiglas to reveal tanks below filled with brew. Brick walls and exposed ventilation enhance the micro-brewery look. Tall, wooden benches resembling picnic tables cover the bar area. On a cooler night, the shady patio with a beautiful marble fountain is the place to dine. Although this evening wasn’t typical July weather, it is still the summer in St. Louis, and we chose to dine inside.
This time of the year, our groups tend to be smaller. It’s a shame because many of our regulars would have enjoyed this restaurant. For the first time in awhile, we weren’t disappointed.
You won’t hear about the micro-brews here. Grandma Diva is the only Diva in the group that regularly loves a dark beer. I’ve never seen her turn one down, or any beer for that matter, so I’m sure she loved the brew she had that night being that she is the beer connoisseur of the group.
The newest Diva playfully brought a gift for one of the single Divas in the group, a highly intellectual read, 50 Boyfriends Worse Than Yours. This entertaining book gave us all a few laughs, and unfortunately, we found ourselves relating to too many characters in the book.
Like the “50K car, 30K job” guy, he spares no expense on his car and all his other toys. He just can’t afford it. Or the “Okay for now” guy who’s the stand in for weddings and date-required functions. And the “fixer upper” who’s perfect once you get him to throw out his 1980s concert t-shirts and white tennis shoes (or at least save them for actual physical activities, not for date night.) We got a good laugh out this.
To start off our meals, we all shared homemade pub chips, which were a mixture of Idaho and sweet potatoes. They were good, but we really like them when the edges are crunchy and the insides are softer. The blackened tilapia with barley risotto was great as well as the roasted pork prime rib.
The pulled pork sandwich was standard, but the onion rings and garlic mashed potatoes that were accompanied with the sandwich made up for it. The smoked chicken pasta with parmesean, roasted peppers, and tomatoes (minus the onions for this Picky Diva) actually surprised this Diva who is regularly disappointed with her choices. Great tasting and perfect in portion size.
This night, we couldn’t pass up dessert. The triple chocolate cake was shameful. Shamefully good. There’s never enough chocolate frosting on desserts, but this cake’s richness satisfied even my demanding palette.
In everyday life, being “back at square one” isn’t necessarily a good thing. But for the Divas, we’ll happily be back at Square One Brewery soon.
