Travel back in time, no DeLorean required

Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.

Return with us now to those exciting days of yesteryear. Let us bring back memories of a time when restaurants used linens as opposed to using paper. When men actually wore shirts with collars. When dining out was a luxury and not a necessity. You can relive these days of yore at the St. Charles Place Restaurant in St. Charles (duh!).

Are you ready for this? It’s not in a strip mall and even the exterior screams old school. You drive up and stop under an overhang to drop off your sweetie pie. This vintage atmosphere also continues on the inside. It takes your breath away when you see the wood-trestle ceiling with subdued lighting, the huge fireplace, and the “Hollywood” type art deco prints on the walls. The lounge is a separate room that has a tea light candelabra (with real candles) on the bar.

To start off our “classic” evening, we ordered a Shrimp De Jonghe appetizer ($12.99). This was four large shrimp sautéed in sherry, then baked in a garlic butter with fine bread crumbs. Take a guess which one of us wanted this appetizer….

Jim and I have been searching in vain for the last 20 years to find two types of steak that we both love. They are very hard to find, and to our surprise, this restaurant had both. One is Steak Au Poivre, which is filet medallions (2) encrusted with black pepper and finished in a fine cognac sauce ($29.99). The other is Steak Diane, which also is filet medallions but sautéed and then finished with a classic bordelaise sauce with mushrooms ($29.99). To avoid any bloodshed we ordered both and agreed to share (I let Jim have all the fungi).

Both of these entrees came with a “Chef’s potato,” which we switched out to fries. The vegetable was asparagus, which Nancy changed to French String Beans.

You also get your choice of a salad; I chose a Caesar salad and Jim picked the tomato, onion, and Bleu Cheese with balsamic. Jim was pleasantly surprised that he could have something other than a green salad, and he enjoyed it thoroughly.

I almost had Nancy talked into ordering the Turtle ice cream pie until her eyes focused on the “French Quartre.” She let out a gasp, started drooling, and said one word: “Beignets.” She had them in New Orleans at Cafe Du Monde and became hooked on them. These are deep fried pastries (5) coated in powdered sugar and served with a chocolate gnache ($8).

A Dining Duo Tip: When ordering this dessert, tell them to keep off the chocolate gnache and load up on the powdered sugar. That’s the way they serve them in the “Big Easy.”

The steaks brought back a lot of tasty memories. They were phenomenal! Sitting at our table, reminiscing, we both agreed this was the type of restaurant where you’d expect to see “Old Blue Eyes” come walking in.

FYI: It is handicap accessible.

Total bill for our travel back in time was $95.54.

Jim’s take: The steaks were delicious, charred on the outside and pink on the inside. I never had Beignets before and now I’m hooked on these tasty morsels! After all they are fried dough and sugar, two of my favorite food groups!

Nancy’s take: This place is a Trifecta! Shrimp De Jonghe, steaks to die for, and Beignets. You haven’t truly experienced a Beignet until you’ve coughed up half a lung after accidentally inhaling the powdered sugar on them!

Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com.

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