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By Lisa Kampeter

You know it’s not a good sign when you go to a restaurant’s website, the same restaurant at which you are planning to have that night’s dinner, and it says “closed for a private party.”  Well, the Dining Divas were a bigger group this month but not so big that we’d need an entire restaurant.

Perhaps they’d discovered that we were the Dining Divas and were going to give us special treatment.  Unlikely.  Perhaps they’d tried to cancel our reservations but couldn’t reach us.  More probable.  But when the Investigative Diva called to find out the scoop, they told us to come on down.

The Dining Divas tried out the Frontenac Grill on South Lindbergh with its Rat Pack appeal.  When we walked in, some of us were surprised to find that we were the only guests.  We later learned that the restaurant was closing for a post-funeral gathering.  I guess because our party was large enough and our reservation was early enough, they accommodated us before the private get-together.

We also learned that the Frontenac Grill is one of the late and the great Mike Talayna’s projects.  Unfortunately, he’d never see this dream of his as he died right before the restaurant opened.

Our waiter made us feel welcome immediately, letting us know where our table was while we waited on others.  As we waited at the bar, the bartender suggested some appetizer specials.  We ordered a few before happy hour ended.  Yet, when we wanted to move to our table to eat the appetizers, he wasn’t happy with us.   And he said we couldn’t eat at our table.  Confused, we looked to our waiter who happily seated us.

The look on each uninformed Diva as they walked in the restaurant was hilarious, especially with the “closed for a private function” sign on the door.  And as the guests from the private party started showing up, they looked at us with concern too.  Our welcome feeling quickly turned to feelings of being intruders.

When the Investigative Diva called in advance to make sure our reservation was still good, she asked about the private party.

The person said it was okay, but that we’d have to leave as soon as we were done eating.  That comment did not make us happy.   First of all, the Divas do not like to be rushed.  We like to enjoy our time together.  We only see each other once a month.  We have a lot of catching up to do.

Secondly, we are considerate people.  Had we been told that a private function involving a funeral was happening later that evening, we would have gladly chosen another place.  Of course, we would have needed more than a couple hours notice.  All evening, we felt out of place.

We were happy to have the Rookie Diva join us for the first time.  She’s also be known as the Long Distance Diva as she lives in Wright City.  We were also thrilled to have the Colorful Diva back after a long absence.  It was a shame that she couldn’t find the place and that she had to rush through her dinner.  Her descriptive stories are not meant to be rushed.  So we all suffered.

A few Divas started off with the Caesar Salad, and its garlicky flavor and anchovy based dressing made quite an impression.  The House Salad was just as good as the Talayna’s salad.  There was nothing special about the Toasted Ravioli and Coconut Shrimp appetizers, except for maybe the five dollar price tag for each.  The Eggplant Parmesan appetizer was covered with sauce and cheeses and is large enough to be a meal.

Thrilled to hear “excellent choice” when she ordered Risotto special, the Picky Diva thought it was a letdown.  She hasn’t found a risotto as good as at the one she had at the Diva’s outing at Mia Rosa in the Grove Neighborhood.  Unfortunately, that restaurant has since closed its doors for good.

The Pasta Con Broccoli was sure to be a safe bet for the Educator Diva, but it turned out to not be such a wise choice.  Good but bland.  Actually, that was the comment regarding several of our dishes.  They were good but lacked in flavoring.

We loved the Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza with Italian Sausage.  The sauce was thick and rich with tomatoes and a perfect amount of sweetness.  The crust reminded us of the crust at Pi.  Delicious.  However, the sausage was practically non-existent.  The NY Style Pizza was another good option and another reason to revisit the place when it is “open to the public”.

Perhaps we should give the Frontenac Grille another try.  The place was overpriced, but if we get there before 6 p.m.  appetizers and pizza are $5.  We really enjoyed the pizza and the salad so maybe that’s what we should stick with next time.  Perhaps when it truly is regular business hours we’d have a much better vibe.  And when “Fly Me to the Moon” is playing in the background, we’ll just enjoy the music, and we won’t get the feeling that everyone thinks we’re from Mars.

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