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The Royale Much More Than Another South St. Louis Bar
BY LISA KAMPETER
As much as the fall season is loved by the Dining Divas, getting together for our usual “first Thursday of the month” dinner is always difficult. Between work, trips, birthdays, and football (thanks to the SEC Diva), we’re all really busy. And this November was no different. So we decided to get together for another Sunday brunch instead. We chose The Royale.
The Royale is located on South Kingshighway at Arsenal. As you drive up, you may think it’s just another south side tavern. At a quick glance when you enter, it looks just like another south side tavern. But look a little closer, and the bar is definitely art deco, and the menu is anything but just tavern food.
We took advantage of the incredible weather we were having and enjoyed brunch on the outside patio. We were happy to have the Grandma Diva join us this day, and she was able to walk right in, without a walker, but with a cane. She’s definitely recovering finally, and therapy is really helping. However, her roommate, the Greek Diva, needs therapy too just to handle Grandma’s continued “Queen Bee” mentality. We figure that may pass once dementia sets in. We’re all being patient.
Brunch at The Royale consists of choosing a main course, a side dish, and a drink. Sounds simple, but we all struggled. Many of the items seemed great. Our group this day chose either migas or falafel latkes. Quite the combination…Spanish, Middle Eastern, and Jewish. All were great.
The migas are omelets mixed with tortillas, cheese, and pico de gallo and had quite a kick to it. The group chose the rosemary potatoes as the side to go with it. The migas and potatoes were the favorite at the table.
The falafel latkes resemble potato pancakes but are made with ground chickpeas and shredded potatoes and perfectly seasoned. This dish was accompanied with applesauce. What a combination!
We had a Guest Diva this day that shared frightening stories from her classroom regarding threats she receives from parents of underperforming students. It’s amazing how these parents defend their children and blame the teachers for their kids’ poor grades. And these are college students we were talking about, not elementary-aged kids.
She also shared with us her latest dating disasters. As the stories continued around the table, the singles all wondered if they hadn’t dated the same men in the last 10 years. Amazing similarities!
The only problem with The Royale was an $8 drink of mimosa. The Italian Diva ordered a mimosa, and it consisted of literally a couple swallows. The drink cost almost as much as her meal. What a disappointment!
The lunch and dinner menu at the Royale as well as the fire pit and outdoor bar are reason enough to return to the place. Aside from that, they also claim to have the best cheeseburgers in town. We’ve already planned our next trip back.
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