{"id":3099,"date":"2010-02-23T12:55:32","date_gmt":"2010-02-23T18:55:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.flovalleynews.com\/?p=3099"},"modified":"2010-02-23T12:55:32","modified_gmt":"2010-02-23T18:55:32","slug":"dining-divas-ice-kitchen-restaurant-and-vodka-bar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=3099","title":{"rendered":"Dining Divas: Ice Kitchen Restaurant and Vodka Bar"},"content":{"rendered":"

BY LISA KAMPETER<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the freezing temperatures we\u2019d been having, why would you choose a restaurant with \u2018ice\u2019 in its name?\u201d I was asked.\u00a0 Because it\u2019s February in St. Louis, and even if I had chosen Lafayette Fire Company No. 1 or Hotshots, it\u2019s still going to be freezing outside.<\/p>\n

On this particular evening, the Dining Divas tried out the IceKitchen Restaurant and Vodka Bar, and yes, it was freezing outside.\u00a0 But to our delight, it wasn\u2019t inside.\u00a0 After spending the previous night at a Disco Ball, the neon blue lighting, lavender and azure-colored walls, and light gray lounge area screamed \u201cdo the hustle\u201d to me.\u00a0 Immediately, I looked around for a glow stick.\u00a0 One never can get enough of the seventies.<\/p>\n

The Divas gathered at the Vodka Bar where ne\u2019er a drink goes warm.\u00a0\u00a0 It really is an ice bar, with ice cube lighting.\u00a0 And the kitchen?<\/p>\n

Didn\u2019t get a chance to check and see if it really is an ice kitchen.<\/p>\n

We were there on an \u201coff\u201d night.\u00a0 Off night for the restaurant and an off night for the Divas.\u00a0 And not because the restaurant or the Divas were \u201coff\u201d.\u00a0 Due to scheduling conflicts, we moved our outing to a Monday night, not a typical Diva night.\u00a0 And obviously, by the lack of patrons, not a typical busy night for the restaurant.<\/p>\n

IceKitchen earned four stars from our group immediately when they offered up happy hour pricing \u2013 amazingly \u2013 at our table!\u00a0 The Dining Divas tend to be denied from other restaurants when we arrive during happy hour but sit at tables outside of the bar.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been told multiple times in the past that we would not be able to take advantage of happy hour prices because we weren\u2019t sitting at the bar.\u00a0 IceKitchen happily accommodated us with both drink and food specials during happy hour at the table where they seated us.<\/p>\n

One Diva commented that this place definitely has the \u201cbar\u201d vibe.\u00a0 But don\u2019t be discouraged.\u00a0 The food and service was phenomenal.\u00a0 They\u2019ve made returning customers.<\/p>\n

For starters, the Flighty Diva had beef short rib soup that she loved, once she realized what it was.\u00a0 She even said to the chef who delivered it to her, \u201cI\u2019m not sure what this is\u201d as he poured the broth over the beef to make the soup at her seat.<\/p>\n

A couple Divas had a trio of soups – corn chowder, elephant roasted garlic and tortilla soup, served in three shot glasses with their own demitasse spoons.\u00a0 The corn chowder was the Italian Diva\u2019s favorite.\u00a0\u00a0It was creamy and sweet with good texture and consistency.\u00a0 The elephant garlic soup sounds scarier than it is.\u00a0 It had a very subtle garlic taste and surprised all of us hesitant to give it a try.\u00a0 But we were glad we did.\u00a0 The tortilla soup had a bit of a kick that sneaks up on you.<\/p>\n

We all tasted the Spanish meatballs, and we could have skipped them, but at happy hour pricing, why not?<\/p>\n

For our entrees, a few of us went with the Wild Mushroom, Asparagus, and Pancetta Risotto.\u00a0 I only wish I had boxed up half to save for the next day.\u00a0 But it was that good.\u00a0 None of us needed a take-home container.<\/p>\n

A few others tried the Pancetta and Wild Mushroom Papardelle.\u00a0 This delicious dish had a creamy but not overpowering sauce that was tossed with homemade papardelle.\u00a0 Reason #27 to go back.\u00a0 Even the Picky Diva loved this one.<\/p>\n

The newest Diva to the group went for the Cantonese Noodles and was pleased with her first Dining Divas choice.\u00a0 The Diet Diva tried the Grilled California Chicken Sandwich with cheese, an avocado sauce, and sprouts, and we could just see the pounds melting off her.<\/p>\n

There was only one real complaint about the place (well two if you count the ridiculous wallpaper in the Ladies Room).\u00a0 Several of the girls wished a bread basket was provided so they could soak up all the delicious juices from their meals or dip into their soups.\u00a0 But as Grandma Diva put it, \u201cBread just makes a beeline from the table to my hips.\u201d\u00a0 Our hips don\u2019t lie.\u00a0 We definitely didn\u2019t need it.<\/p>\n

It was good to see everyone again and to expand our group.\u00a0 Next month, the newest Diva has promised treats in hopes of getting invited back.\u00a0 We\u2019re not too hard to please.\u00a0 Make it something that will keep us warm but not make us hot (Grandma Diva already gets hot flashes).\u00a0 Make it tasty and sweet but not fattening (otherwise Diet Diva will have to politely decline, right after finishing her entire meal and anyone else\u2019s leftovers).\u00a0 More importantly, make it something that confirms to the rest of the Divas her commitment to the group (glow sticks).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BY LISA KAMPETER With the freezing temperatures we\u2019d been having, why would you choose a restaurant with \u2018ice\u2019 in its name?\u201d I was asked.\u00a0 Because it\u2019s February in St. Louis, and even if I had chosen Lafayette Fire Company No. 1 or Hotshots, it\u2019s still going to be freezing outside. On this particular evening, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-columnists","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nDining Divas: Ice Kitchen Restaurant and Vodka Bar - flovalleynews.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/flovalleynews.com\/?p=3099\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dining Divas: Ice Kitchen Restaurant and Vodka Bar - flovalleynews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"BY LISA KAMPETER With the freezing temperatures we\u2019d been having, why would you choose a restaurant with \u2018ice\u2019 in its name?\u201d I was asked.\u00a0 Because it\u2019s February in St. Louis, and even if I had chosen Lafayette Fire Company No. 1 or Hotshots, it\u2019s still going to be freezing outside. 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