Brand New Pillbox Hat

Couldn't find a lepoerd skin pic on the net. But this one will have to do. I woke up this morning to find a humming noise in my ear that sounded like Dylan Blues. So I went down and fired up the PA and came up with quite the fancy rendition of Leopard-Skin Pill-Box hat from the album Blonde on Blonde. So I played it in G and actually heard the chicks upstairs tapping their feet, Ifyouknowhatimtalkinbout.

Tall Oak Challenge, Jefferson City

I have never done a race at Binder Lake; always heard that there was some pretty good singletrack down in the river rat city (I can call it that because I played football against those B-stards for 5 years). Shcuck and I decided not to miss the opportunity since we have grown big legs in the past several weeks. I am nearing peak performance with both knees firing on all cylinders. The endurance races really earlier in the year helped out, getting me back the base fitness that I couldn't seem to find last year because of the knee injury. I switched from doing the endurance stuff in July, electing instead to hammer it out in the expert class and take my hits. I had a decent result at Rhett's Run, 2nd place just behind Nate Means of Klunk Cycles in Columbia. Well, guess who was kicking our A all day at Binder.

Freaking Nate was just back from Leadville, placed an almost sub 9:01 hour finish for 52nd in his class. WTF? How can this fat guy compete against the likes of that. Twice in one year. Well hey, that is the hand, we play cards regardless. Shcuck and I were in the two man 6 hour race with 28 other teams with the likes of Andy Gibbs, Nate, and yes, we pulled up a long side Tom Albert and Chris Ploch on the highway on the way there, rolled our eyes and hammered them to Mic D's for sausage. We put a pretty good gap on them, until the race started.

The race started with a Lemans start, not something I was comfortable with because it is hard to get my heart rate down when I finally make it to the bike. I wanted to get in the top 10 on the run because the two man teams we going to battle for position and I didn't want to have to waste a bunch of energy passing on the twisty climb right out of staging. Chris and Andy got the hole shot and were gone, I settled in behind some of the faster solo riders (who would later regret taking off so fast). Nate and one of the Team Seagal solo singlespeed riders took a wrong turn and it was game on for me. They came back quickly and hammered for the next couple miles until I was pretty much skanked. The first lap had to have been my worst as it was nothing more than riding somebody elses race. I was able to hang on to 4th after the first lap.

Shcuck took off and began our strategic consistent process that we would repeat for the next 6 hours. My third lap was my best, the fourth the worst. I screwed up my nutrition and started bonking out a bit while chasing Nate. I would pass his team mate, then Nate would do a double lap and kill the lead, good strategy on their part. Nate was doubling and tripling up on his laps in order to stay in front of us. We went back and forth in third and fourth place all day with shcuck getting nudged out by a minute and a half at the finish.

It was a great race for us, made it interesting to be that close in a long race and have somebody to chase. Chris and Tom got 11 laps, the rest of the top 4 did 10. So we did pretty good, not good enough for the money but things are coming around. Thanks to the folks in Jeff City for putting on a great race.

I am pretty sure I saw some rednecks "noodling" when we were driving out of the park. I told Shcuck I was hungry and needed some food.

Doug Perry Towing

Thanks Annie for the cool T. As you can see, it has already been premier selected wardrobe on race day. This pic taken just prior the Tall Oak Challenge Mountain Bike Race in Jefferson City, MO. The Pfoodman endorses this fine family business of towing.

Karma Kick's Kevin

I tried to struggle through another edition of the Riverfront Times this morning. I remember one of my professors (Harry Jackson Jr.) at Lindenwood University, lamenting that, in order to become a better writer, you must read a lot. I fall short on this but try and do this daily with blogs, periodicals and on occasion, a motivation book of the month.

I research things, mostly on the Internet, each morning while slugging coffee. It is dangerous the professors say, to do research on the Internet and form opinions based on blogs and message boards. Harry tossed the RFT into the same bucket. Hey, I already have my opinion, I seek out conflict, conjecture, conservative and liberal agenda with the best of them. Sure, you can get this from common media (network news), but it pretty much makes my skin crawl; talking heads with decent oratorical skills. The common media influence is over for me.

I'll stick to doing a little digging on stuff here and there. If I don't at least read and do research, like my professor said, I won't be able to write worth a hoot.

So Kevin Slaten was the topic of the 4-5 page article in the RFT. And I should ask really, to whose benefit was this whole article? Read it and ask yourself: should I toss him in to the same box as JC Corchoran and other angry misunderstood radio personalities, the has-been box, the reaching-for-straws-box, the I am misunderstood and off the airways because I screwed up, box. To the institution of Schlock Jocks I ask, can we buy a little authenticity here?

Kristen Hinman's article actually gives credence to the fact that he has recently been baptized and re-invented into some spiritual awakening; a pre-cursor to a comeback will be likely. Let's assume that once his latest legal issues are resolved and he can return to work, he will be new and improved, lighter loftier, wiser. Cliche if you ask me. Hinman falls victim to Slaten's indulgent "bad press is good" press release maniputorical. She would have been better off simply posting this, five pages of legal cases in our Missouri Courts, some quite disturbing. Kevin has no problem being authentic. You be the judge! Ifyouknowhatimtalkinbout.

Timber Rattlesnake almost slays Tieber

Saw one of these little guys, about three feet long on the Stinging Nettle loop at Castlewood this afternoon. I bunny hopped it and did a double take and looked back at Tieber to make sure he was not dying. Both Gibson and Tieber successfully hopped this protected Missouri snake. We moved it off the trail and it got mighty pissed. I wonder if the girls cross country team saw it from Parkway West, we had just passed them a couple minutes before.

I have never seen a timber rattler in all of my days at the Wood. There was a report of another on Chubb last week. I reckon there ought to be a coffee named after that snake, ifyouknowhatimtalkinbout.

Dates for Final Short Track Discussed

For those of you interested in knowing when the final short track race will be held, you will be glad to know that the discussions are now underway. We will actually have 6 races, on a weekend, likely a Saturday as not to disrupt any other races already scheduled. We will have an A, B, C, race with the points totals being awarded upon completion. We will also have 3 other races that day, a women's, a juniors and a two person team relay.

As soon as the date is chosen (after this Friday), I will go about getting the permits and make it happen. You can expect the usual pageantry, BBQ, beverages, we should have music, eh?. I would like to get a bunch of shops out there, showing off their stuff, maybe doing some demos or selling stuff from the past season. I prefer not to ask anything of the retailers, they work hard to make margins and I prefer not to ask them for swag and free stuff. We have underwriters and Race Sponsors for the final and we will provide a lot of value in the form of culture building camaraderie.

So as soon as I get the dates we will prepare the final, lets get the word out.

Possible new World Headquarters?

Word has it that Pfoodman will be taking over the "barnish" looking frontage at Clayton and Kehrs Mill Road in a move that will enable the company to better serve their off-premise "Wild Thyme's Wellness" clients. Wild Thyme's is Pfoodman's new K-12 school food service brand, combining healthy eating and international influences to create good eating habits. Pfoodman corporate offices will likely be moving from upstairs at the Barn of Lucerne at 930 Kehrs Mill Road to this spot, right around the corner, also owned by Londe Properties.

Also rumored at the former Zhivago's, is the bar area being converted to one of Pfoodman's newest brands: the Lone Wolf Coffee Company; active food and folk. More on this later.

This is relic

Back in the old days Rich Pierce produced a couple magazine covers for use in his promotions of the Dirt Crit Posse races (if I remember right). This was one of the covers. That is yours truly in the red, yellow and purple. Dan, 5 years later, would have his mind on some serious Armadilloifyouknowhatimtalkinbout. He shredded the field. That looks like Team Revolutions Carrie Cash and yes, Lindenwood graduate Katie Arehart in one of those vintage D-fish kits.

First Day at School

Spoons at the Iron Barley

Iron Barley

People, do the right thing. Get down to Iron Barley and experience this place. I am telling you right now, no other place like it. Yep, it sucks driving your big ass, gas guzzling SUV all the way down to South City, Bates and 55, from your West County Manse. To be honest, it is worse coming back on 44 with the skinny lanes at midnight, you are usually in bed by 10:00.

Take a break from corporate restaurant America, go see (voted best local chef) Tom Coghill and his Oak Roasted goodness. Music 6 nights a week. Tell him the Pfoodman sent you.

Last Saturday was Iron Barley's Tomato Ball, a special event, out back with the live rockabilly. Tom and his signature Guinness Beer (genetically attached) cooked dinner out of his makeshift kitchen. The food was spectacular and served with the kindness that one would expect from such a unique host.

Tom, above, Guinness, above. He has you come right in the kitchen, smell that oak.

Our bartender later joined the band and played the spoons, where in the hell else can you get your bartender to play the spoons? Iron Barley only.

Check out their website and watch their commercial.

In the Green Room

Janie before her appearance on Oprah Winfield, discussing her uncanny ability to talk with yard animals.

Cyclwerx Crankfest

Dern, this is always a tough race. I can't remember the last time I felt such a fitness hangover after a race, likely my first beginner race back in 2000. The body is hurting, but I was quite pleased with how it is coming along. It was great mixing it up with Little Buddy, Scott Mortimer and Kankles. Freaking Kankles busted me up pretty good. I couldn't quite bridge up to him in the 5th lap. Thanks Scott for keeping me in the game and encouraging me when you came back, Albert, always a pleasure.

Most the big guns showed. Over 20 in the Pro/expert class. Brezlin won it, that dude is way fit. So are the rest for that matter, though he was the only big gun to come around me near the end of the 5th lap. I hate that, but since he podiumed at Nationals this year, I guess I can take it. Ploch looked to have had a bad day, not usually the case as he "usually" laps the field as well. Wes looked great, John Rhines in 2nd.

Mikey yardsaled it on the warm up. Gosh darn that looked like it hurt. He ended up with a very strong 14th. The Pfoodman dug up a 13th place, pack fodder representation. But I will take it.

The quest for fitness will be in the area of finishing up the rest of the Mountain Bike Series races, getting ready for Cross and training with the Lindenwood Team. These teenagers will have some hammer to hand down to the old guy. But I will respond if things keep heading in the direction. Seems they forked out quite a hurting on the locals with a state championship and some 1st place finishes today at the State Track Championships. Bravo Nick and Darren for putting together such a good team.

Liza Minnelli

I bought tickets to Liza the other day. Four of them. I think it set me back 700 bucks, but I didn't care, it was Liza Minnelli. If it were Cher, I would have done the same thing but would already have purchased a suit. But why?

There is a certain something about these aging diva images (not yet tossing Madonna in there, of course). Is it the (lack of) grace?-- the ups and downs, the divorces, the rehab, more divorces, more rehab, the tell all biography's, the separations and more divorces, more stints at rehab, then, when things start to settle down a bit, around age 65, the complete facial reconstruction. Is this what makes us turn our necks? I think it is more than that.

I was on the Charo website the other day and got a little choked up after discovering that she and I share the same birth date. Ashamed that I had not already known this, I immediately sent a donation along with a pic of me and my "just-like-Charo guitar". No, not really.

Shall we take a look at Dolly Parton? Ok, maybe we shouldn't. But what the heck really happened here? I haven't caught Dolly's Dixie Stampede show down in Branson yet. But I'll be there over Thanksgiving, so says my mother in law. I hope to see her live and in person. With any luck, I will get a picture taken with her and the family. I can't really say too much about Dolly, other than WTF?

So lets face it, looks are no longer what these gals bring to the table. They are iconic in their ability to keep going and going and going. Their "slice of American Pie", the reflection of our culture, no matter what they look like now, is what keeps them adored by the masses; the tour bus masses from senior communities abound. It is their purpose and duty to spread their goodness, regardless of how numb and swollen their upper lips appear or how wide their smile.

I was reminded of this sort of thing when Janie, (who is prohibited from any "work", ever) told me of an older neighbor who recently competed in the Mrs. Senior Missouri Pageant. We actually plopped ourselves down in front of the TV that night and watched the singing, dancing and congeniality competitions, all of them over the age of 60. My reaction?--it was totally red hat overload. I saw a performance once of the Senior Dancing Reindeer at a PEO function that kept me in therapy for a month. I found myself rocking in the bottom of our basement closet at sunrise, ifyouknowhatimtalkinbout.

So this is the divas purpose I reckon. To give hope to the Mrs. Senior Pageant wannabees. It is fodder for the continued emergence of Red Hat Societies, cult like pop ups, all over America. The Divas are the guiding hope, the "golden calf of solemnity" for those aging women of our time. Bravo Divas, keep up the good work! Our senior women need role models!

Lester's and Goodwill

It won't happen too soon, Lester's opening up the street from Casa Pfoodman near Clayton and Baxter roads in West St. Louis County. The irony, is that it is right next door to the new Goodwill Store. Now now ain't that some schnizzle?

I wonder about Hutkin Developments index model for retail centers. A Goodwill Store next to a Lester's next to a Blockbuster seemed like a stretch before I put my conceptualization brain lobe to work. I'd bet you didn't know that this new Goodwill Store is going to feature the beloved diane k. collection? A Chris Farley "latifriggin-da" might be in order for you dudes. I can't say that I have ever heard of Diane Katzman before now, but the St. Louis based company is downright mad with growth and a big hats off is in order for the local designer.

So if Chesterfield is considered high income according to Hutkins site. What is the deal with the Goodwill Store? I suppose even the affluent need a good flannel shirt at below cost to suffer through the winter. It might be that its a good thing that Mom will now be able to shop Goodwill while the kids peruse the CD selections at Blockbuster while Dad pounds 24 dollar corn beef sandwiches and multiple pints of those scrumptious IPA's. I am thinking the demographics are a little off cue, but hey, Lester's is coming.

You should already know what Lester's is about. If you havn't been there yet, go to the one in Ladue for a preview. Solid food and drink, good prices, TV's, good service. I love this concept and truly wish them great success on opening many more in the future.

Bennigan's

This chain has a special place in my heart. While it may seem odd that 22 years ago I packed my bags in the middle of the night to quietly get the hell out of Houston, a long way away from Houston, I still relish my time spent there. Yes, I stuffed all that I could into my car, a vintage 1980 turbo Pontiac Trans Am that, incidentally, would be stolen a month later by an employee from the parking lot at St. Louis Union Station. I was headed to Kansas City to bet on football for a couple of months while plotting out my next move, which eventually turned in to a stint with Houlihans Old Place.

I remember working at Dominguez Hills Golf Course as a starter and seeking out corporate restaurant ads in the LA Times. It was 1982, what I consider the blast off years for the corporate restaurant chains. Bennigan's was expanding pretty quickly, probably had 300 restaurants at that time. The reality, they would hire you if you hadn't been in jail and could clean up a bit. I was one of those. I was chilling on the beach for a few months after closing a restaurant that my father and I owned in Salina Kansas. I left their in the middle of the night as well.

My interview was in Costa Mesa and I was told to visit a couple locations as part of the "getting to know you" process. The recruiter handed me some comp vouchers and sent me up the street to hang out and get an idea of what the concept was about. I must have said the right words in our 30 minute conversation (will relocate) because when I got home that afternoon I had an offer of 19,000 per year salaried position and would be moving to Houston Texas by the end of the week. Giddyup!

I want to take this opportunity to thank two people. Robert Ferngren, my district manager. Bob, you may or may not remember sending the police to my house to make sure I was OK when I didn't show up for work the day after getting promoted to a new "store". It was very kind. Fact was, at 21,000 a year, working 80 hours a week and having meetings on my day off for a couple years, I was a little burned out. Did you know that T-tops were a really hot commodity back then? I had my T-tops stolen twice while there, and my clothes stolen from the dryer in my apartment complex, and the plates stolen from my car, I was robbed at gunpoint too, though that might have been my fault. But thanks for that, and thanks for understanding that it was time for me to move on, go back to home base for a while. Houston had a little bit of a problem: the savings and loan collapse, the oil industry decline, name it, Houston was in the middle of it.

I can honestly say that without that experience, as with other experiences that caused me considerable pain, I would not have found my way to St. Louis, met my wife, gotten my act together and started a business. I ended up seeing things your way Bob, so Cheers to you. Let's chat sometime, umkay?

The other is Don Slater, the President of Bennigan's who spoke at the 2 week training class in Dallas. Bennigan's had an extremely well written training program that pretty well debunks the need for a degree in restaurant management. Don's superb perspective still resonates in the fabric of what I do now. Not sure where Don is now, hopefully he and Bob are not putting paper up on the windows of the more than 300 restaurants recently closed by S&A Restaurant Corp, mostly Bennigan's. RIP Bennigan's...

Lance and the Texas Trip

So the bald guy sets up a meeting with client down in Austin last week. I had never been there, but now that I have, am busy setting up an exit plan from the business and making some adjustments to accommodate a move there someday. In 30 hours I experienced a pretty decent go over of the city. I think I could live there, ride there, be there, a great place.

We arrived around rush hour after kicking a bunch of cowboys off the plane in Dallas. We programed the GPS and made our way to the hotel. By the way, if you don't already have a GPS to navigate foreign places, get one quick. I have one of these and it does the trick pretty good. However, beware while talking and texting on the cell. If you don't pay attention to the device while discussing family matters and/or business, you will miss things, like pedestrians and cyclists.

One of the stops was in Westlake Hills, an affluent suburb of Austin that boasts, yes, our boy Lance Armstrong as a resident. We made light of the fact that we would sooner or later bump in to him just hanging around the area. Not that we were stalking him, because that is not my style, we were there setting up an eating disorder clinic of which he was to be involved in some way, so said our client. He is a pretty decent community guy, they told us. We were prepared to handle and encounter if such an occasion would present itself, with stories of our recent dirt crit series, some wallet pics of me in a team kit. I put a good smooth shave on my calves that morning, just for Westlake.

I hate to brag and all, but stuff like spontaneous superstar encounters just happens to me. I am a star magnet, for whatever reason and I need to write about it for just a sec. Ask my wife. I have many (encounters) to my credit in the past couple years. We make contact because...well it's the girls. Natalie and Janie are kind of nice to look at, so if we end up in the right place at the right time, things heat up. Whether its Jerry Springer strolling St. Armand's Circle in Sarasota, Chris Daughtry in Manhattan Beach or Ed Bagley Jr. in Telluride, never do we miss an opportunity to strike up a conversation with these people. We keep an eye out, and usually get a a little something out of whomever. No pics, no autographs, just good ole chatter. The key: lose the tourist look.

So it could have happened at any time, our encounter with Lance, and we were prepared to rise to the occasion. Since we were both hungry it was important that we found a brew pub, and fast, to take the edge off the travel fatigue. Kevin struck up a conversation with a tired corporate attorney on the plane and she gave us the skinny on the entertainment scene. After finding a couple cool spots with yeasty flavored beer near the University, we ventured to the Warehouse District to find a place to eat. Truluck's of Austin proved to be the number. A high number when it came to paying the bill. kaff, kaff.

I couldn't help but notice Antone's Music Hall as we were searching for a parking place. A bunch of Emo's were hanging out front, in line, smoking and doing their thing, Converse high tops on every one of them. I looked up at the marquis and there it was, Blind Melon! Freaking Blind Melon was playing! It was a must do for me and the bald guy. And lets not forget, Lance surely wouldn't miss a one night show of this 90's (kind of) grunge band of yesteryear. Shanon Hoon (overdose) has been replaced by (once biggest fan) Travis Warren as lead vocals. I was a fan back in the day. The band seems to be re-emerging, a re-invention of what lies ahead and what once was. We ran in to Travis while strolling 5th street. He was screaming at somebody into the cell phone while outside his tour bus. We went ahead and bought tickets to the show.

After a couple songs I thought I would venture to the head for a break. I motioned to Bald Guy from the Mosh Pit that I was out. I used the facilities, the walls covered in posters, stickers and graffiti from years of bands coming and going. I opened the door to return to my spot at the front of the stage and wham! Greatness appeared before me.

Nope, not Lance, It was Antone's famous Shoe Shine Guy!

It is not everyday you encounter someone as authentic as this and I wasn't going to let this one slip by. The picture below pretty much tells the story. I asked (Charlie, I think was his name) if I he would mind me taking a picture. I tried to explain my quest for encounters, the search for celebrities etc. Then it occured to me. The best encounters are those with true authenticity. Shoeshine Charlie was certainly the most interesting person I had met in a while and he couldn't even talk, he was mute. So fellers, Lance will have to take a backseat to the blog this week, while we take a trip down authentic lane and Charlie's contribution to the Austin music community. While Charlie couldn't talk, I heard whathewastalkinbout by the smile on his face. I got my encounter, and in a big way.

Big Round Circles

I ran in to Captain Don! He used to be a friend of mine back in my "spirited" days. I saw him at Whole Foods while taking a management candidate to visit the food court. I like taking management candidates to the food court at Whole Foods, to get a reaction of how they embrace the whole ambient food merchandising healthy thing. I try and see if they know what they are talking about; the types of foods collected and placed neatly in my biodegradable container. I also like to see what they think about the price of the lunch that I have just purchased for them. I had a sampling of anything from grilled tofu, to a couple different types of quinua, some coos coos salads and a bunch of other marinated goodness's that I could not resist temptation. We both did this. Me, I collected a smattering such things, he got a chicken Caesar Salad. We both got a bottled beverage (there are no fountain beverages) and proceeded to checkout. The total for two salads and two beverages, 27 bucks. Zoink!

It isn't the price that bothers me. I know pulling in to the parking lot that my hand will soon be forking twenties out to a young woman with a bone in her nose at checkout. And I do like my hippies there, the girls with tats, the free spirited "isms". Cricket, an acquaintance and fellow cyclist who is downright brilliant (the folks at Ballwin Cycles tell me) is an engineer at Boeing. He is a "hippie" I reckon, and I confided in him the other day. He is the real deal, dreads, full beard, kind of a earthiness about him. He says that there ain't no such thing as a free spirit. "No spirit is free", he says. Now that is somewhat of a whimsical statement. And I wasn't going to argue with him. I suppose he was referencing the fact that there might be a cost to subscribing to the lifestyle of the stereotypical non-conformist. Hey, the last thing I want to do is be accused of judging a free spirit, for fear of being stereotyped myself as something on the other end of the spectrum. Word.

Captain Don is a Scot who arrived here in the 80's. Lore has it that he was the captain of an oil boat that ran aground somewhere, one of Apex Oils ships. I remember him telling me of the trouble that he had gotten in to. I could never figure out what a captain of an oil ship was doing in the middle of the Continental United States. I think I remember him going to court for the spill, or something like that. Maybe that was why he was here, taking the heat for spilling a bunch of oil, damaging the shoreline somewhere, killing animals, marine life, ruining the natural beauty of our land. Maybe he was the Patsy, the whipping boy. Who knows, I just remember him feeling awful about it and that he was stuck having to deal with it.

So there in lies the contrast. I am sitting there 20 years later, eating a healthy lunch examining the food while forming opinions of my candidate. I explained to my guy, that back when I knew Don, he and I met frequently at across the street at Mike Duffy's Pub and Grill over beer and half pound burgers in a smoke filled bar. That was where I worked. Don was one of my regulars as were other blokes of the same ilk. We told stories in to the night, each night, for a long time.

Yesterday I strike up a conversation with him at a Whole Foods that had mostly to do with health, PCA tests, and all sorts of of things about Scotland and the beauty and the fresh air. We were surrounded by customers, men and women urgent in their quest for sustainable packaging, organic foods and political mentions of the same tattooed on their skin. There was a pretty strict policy on recycling and a mission statement at the checkout reciting Whole Foods place in the world.

I remember thinking that it wasn't so long ago that Don and I talked about the trouble that he had gotten into, because of his job. I suppose I was in a little trouble too back then, too much culture from the job. Either way, there was a reason we were there. It was interesting the meaning of our encounter. Life doles out little things like that sometimes. A big round circle is what came to mind, one of life's themes, ifyouknowwhatimtalkingbout.

Busch's Grove

I suppose the 8 million bucks that Lester Miller sank into what was once the crown jewell of Ladue, Busches Grove restaurant, has been whittled down to that of "an nondisclosure" on the amount of purchase. Stltoday reports that the shuttered restaurant was recently purchased by Southwestern Enterprises and will convert it into a another high end gourmet grocery with an emphasis on high end prepared foods. Just what Ladue needs, really.

To recap the evolution of said building, below is a quick review on the design of the restaurant upon its completion by writer unknown. I couldn't agree more with the reference to pretentiousness, this is really quite precious:

...The end result is definitely a smack in the face that doesn't fall short in illustrating how much money went into the place, offering St. Louis a very rare design of Metro chique with all the pretentiousness that follows; like "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"'s first season pretentious; Pan Asian pretentious (which happens to also be their new menu); "Japanese decorator did the ceiling" pretentious; so pretentious I saw some of the supposed Ladue elite dining with this "WTF" look on their face. And it doesn't pull any punches to let you know straight up when you walk into the door that this is EXACTLY the kind of message they want to broadcast about dining at "Busch's Grove"...

So it should have come as no surprise that the revised restuarant concept coughed, sputtered and fell to the floor. This high end full service dining hall will now find its way as yet another Home Meal Replacement version ala Ladue. The Market Place at Busch's Grove.

I recently did a piece on the new Whole Foods in Town and Country, pleased with the array of fresh foods and attitude of the crunchy revolution. I like that place, but oh my gad, the prices? A lot has changed since the neighborhood grocery's gave in to the larger mega market concepts with all the prepared foods. The Market at Busches Grove will surely fulfil the needs of the affluent Ladue area. These people have no time to cook.

I can see it now, students from John Boroughs being skedaddled off the front porch of the Grove after filling their pockets with canapes and ganache, after unknowingly being spied upon by the shop owner with a broom in his hand. Those little rascals with their Saabs and Mini Coopers causing such a...ruckas. I can also see the pandemonium of the women folk arriving in their cars, muscling to get a space in line for the valet parking. I wonder what the cost of a box of broasted chicken with some of those fried potato wedges will be? the kind I used to get at Piggly Wiggly on Thursdays--chicken night.

Nope, considering the fact that Ladue is starved for just the right store to take the burden off the backs off of their domestics --being forced to travel to Schnucks or Dierbergs on either end of town is just too damn much. I am thinking paying 12 dollars a pound for chicken salad will make for a good trade off. I hope to heaven they have a good cheese selection if I am going to make a trip in from the County. Cause I am all about that smelly Danish Blue, ifyouknowwhatimtalkinbout?

I find Ladue to be that which resonates the true culture of the "haves". I am serious. And gosh darn it, they deserve to have that which parallels the true meaning of the lifestyle. That was why Lester didn't bat an eye when forking out all that dough on reserecting the original mecca. Lester has big money, money to lose. I find it quite honerable what he did for the institution.

Speaking of Lester Miller, I used to do catering at his house a long while ago. My buddy Pedro Baltrenena was a caterer to Lester and his buddies. We used to call them the bratpack of Ladue and Clayton and Lester was his client. We cut our teeth doing dinners and such for the upper ilk. We both worked in the industry, me at country clubs, Pedro at Cardwells.

Once we did a party for the Crown Prince of Luxumborg who was in town visiting Lester at his Ladue Road manse. I remember this party well as I was the bartender and pretty much saw to the imbibing. Lester had all of the St. Louis elitists there, some politicians, other heavy hitters. The house was fabulous, a crystal eagle sculpture likely worth the price of my home stood in a nook just inside the entry. I think it was baccarat crystal. I remember seeing a domestic standing near it the whole time during the party. Ready to push people away, if they got too close.

Anyway. Freeman Bosely Jr. was there. The Mayor of St. Louis at the time. He sat at the bar the during the entire party talkin smack with me, so I got to know him a bit. Lester had only the finest selections of booze and Boz liked Cognac. Yes, Louis XIII. He drained the first bottle and I had no other alternative but to ask Lester if he had another. And, if you don't know this already, the stuff is like pouring gold into your neck. I couldn't tell Boz that it ain't too awful hip to take the last shot of Louie, because the bottle is also crystal and worth a couple tanks of gas. Whomever gets the last shot keeps the bottle. Sometimes.

I remember Lester looking at me like I was the village idiot. So I tossed my chin over my shoulder in the direction of Boz. He snapped at a domestic who bore a striking resemblance to Sammy Davis Jr., and before you know it, I was pouring Boz his fifth shot of Louie out of a freshly cracked crystal decanter. Now I remember selling Louie for 113 bucks a shot at the country club up the street. Boz was sipping the stuff with a stir stick, just awful. Buzz Westfall was there too. Rest his soul. So were a bunch of pretty Jewish princesses that I entertained along with Boz, who had gotten quite giddy. I won't forget that experience. I have been a caterer since.

So this is an exciting time for Ladue, finally getting on track with what has been missing. Nobody wanted Busch's Grove to close. The town gasped when hearing of the closing, like they did when the word got out that there was no outdoor gazebo dining, the backbone of the place. But I for one am happy that the space will be put to good use--that I will have another place to go and spy culinary talent, for recruitment. I think the place is going to be "fabulous". And let's face it also, fabulous is what Lester is too. Thanks Lester, for help making Ladue, stay Ladue.

Creek

Short Track #5

It don't get much bettern that. The pictures prove that Mountain Bike Racing is alive and thriving in St. Louis, as seen each week at Castlewood State Park in Ballwin MO. Men, women, kids, over 60 riders each week show up to give it a go. The short track races are timed circuit courses, spectator friendly, and quite competitive as seen in last nights B and C race, in particular.

We, Velo Force and a group of buddies with broken bones, decided to take on the race series this year. My first stab at promoting and course set-up. I am used to event management so it comes naturally the timing that's needed, or concept of timing. You know, it ain't all that hard. Dave Ploch handles all the secretarial duties, Buddy, Larry and Bill have totally handled the scoring as officials. What is left is putting together a group of volunteers who don't mind spending an early afternoon in the park driving in stakes and using whatever creativity on course design. Next, we have to have food and...beverages. This has been a really, really good time had by all.