Inside, Where It's Warm...

It

Once past the frigid courtyard at Nathalie's, we stepped into the swanky bar and found that there was entertainment for the evening. Coco Rico (which, I am told, is the French equivalent of cock-a-doodle-doo) is a duo that plays jazz acoustic guitar in the tradition of Django Reinhardt. (If you don't know the name, look and listen on YouTube here.) 

These musicians have an elegant, polished style with runs of great virtuosity. Their fingers do things I couldn't dream of. Locals, definitely worth your time if you have a chance to hear them.                     

Cold Snap

The family had dinner Sunday night at one of our favorite restaurants, Nathalie's in the Central West End. The temperature had dropped to the low teens F (around -10 C). We entered the courtyard and found this fountain. It has a beautiful Belle Époque look (as does the restaurant's interior design) but someone forgot the water valve. Hope the pipes didn't burst.                          

La Vita E Bella

It was a pleasant Stupid Bowl Sunday in St. Louis. Took a drive up to Bellefontaine Cemetery for some pictures of William S. Burroughs' grave for his 100th birthday on Thursday (post to follow). Went by the office and actually got something done without being interrupted. Mrs. C and I attended a performance by our superb St. Louis Symphony, at which the Dutchman Jaap van Zweden set a world land speed record for Beethoven's 5th and led the most exquisite, nuanced interpretation of Shostakovich's 5th (a personal favorite) I've ever heard. Afterward, we had our annual Stupid Bowl dinner at the new restaurant Nathalie's, and it was terrific. La vita e bella.

Nathalie's occupies a a grand old home on Lindell Boulevard near the cathedral. It was formerly the home of Savor and Salt, both very good but relatively short-lived. Nathalie's shares ownership with Overlook Farms, a bit more than an hour north of here. We ordered from the Chinese New Year menu. The bacon-wrapped dates in a red chili sauce were fabulous. I had tangerine duck breast with wild rice and vegetables from the farm. The duck was perfect and the side dish had The Best Broccoli I've Ever Had In My Life - and I've been to France. We will be back. To Nathalie's. And France, too.

BTW, the first pic is from the graffiti-permitted section of the Mississippi flood wall. Whether to take it as literal or ironic is up to you.                         

Lillet martini with gin and vodka

Nathalie's kept some of the charmingly odd decor from Savor, including the Buddhist, ancient Egyptian and Rococo bits

Madeleine Monday

Haven't had much of the granddaughter lately since we've been away. Had dinner at Emily, Brian and Madeleine's home on Saturday. The darn kid keeps getting cuter. We brought her a toy monkey from Costa Rica, which, naturally, she crammed straight in her mouth.