[central west end]
When has there ever not been a Balaban’s? Well, for two years, when the storied Café Balaban at 405 N. Euclid Ave. closed in 2007. (That space reopened as Herbie’s Vintage 72, named for Herbie Balaban, who opened the legendary bistro in 1972.) Fortunately for us, Balaban’s resurfaced in 2009 at 1772 Clarkson Road—and expanded into a wine and fine foods emporium, which it remains today. Much of the original Balaban’s has been retained here, including the wine ‘library’ from the CWE incarnation, bottles that are now cellared in Chesterfield. The new location, with an additional 2,000 square feet added in the expansion, dwarfs the old. Some would say it has lost its original intimacy, but several separate dining areas echo the old days and may be haunts for ghosts from yesteryear. Original posters and neon bring back memories. At any rate, Balaban’s this year celebrates five years in its new digs out West, and 40 years since opening in 1972. Forty years? Yes, we did the math. That’s 42 years, of course, until you subtract the two years between Balaban’s 2007 closing and the 2009 resurrection. To celebrate both five years and four decades, Balaban’s will host special wining and dining events Nov. 16 through 22, kicking off with a Chateau Montelena dinner Sunday, Nov. 16.
[chesterfield]
Creepy World, Lemp Mansion, Frightfest and all the other ‘haunted houses’ that scare the living daylights out of young and old alike, move over! How about trying a family-friendly, only moderately scary, attraction this Halloween season? That is, one without the constant drill of chainsaws operated by ghouls that can make even teenagers cry? Westbury Manor, a sprawling Chesterfield neighborhood with pockets of wooded common ground, offers battery-powered lamps illuminating trails in an ‘enchanted forest,’ where several spooky scenes await—all in good fun, and a little bit of fundraising. Yes, there’s a witch. And clowns. Eek! The walking dead lurk, but could they ever create more dread than (yikes!) clowns? Over the years, Boy Scouts working toward their Eagle rankings built two trails through the woods; another, a bridge over a ravine with an adjacent bench. The neighborhood is all in: Costumed kids populate the forest, shuttles take guests back to their vehicles, neighbors park cars and direct traffic. This will be the attraction’s fifth year, with optional donations to support the fight against Huntington’s disease. Westbury Manor is on the south side of Olive Boulevard between Ladue Road and Hwy. 141.
The Rolling Stones wouldn’t recognize the place. Not because they trashed it in a haze of alcohol and drugs. After a 1970s concert downtown, the legendary ruffians withdrew to Clayton and the Daniele Hotel, cunningly choosing to stay away from the clamoring fans who waited outside the venue or roamed the streets trying to find their idols at nearby hotels. Long shuttered, the former Daniele (216 N. Meramec Ave.) has reopened as the Hampton Inn & Suites Clayton. In the words of a local architecture aficionado, it is really cool-looking. A contemporary take on midcentury modern, the new Hampton features custom-made furnishings, local photography in the guest rooms, and a mineral pool. Not to mention underground valet parking, several business centers and an entire floor of suites. It’s the first new hotel in the city in 25 years.
[eureka]
Hey, there was a fire in Eureka! It was on a freight train, in one of the locomotives. No one was hurt. Why are we telling you this? Just to let you know, in case the riveting report by one of our local TV stations a few weeks ago didn’t glue you to your screen. This is what can happen when you have what we in the media biz call ‘a slow news day’—plus a helicopter. Unfortunately, in this case, the chopper was dispatched too late to catch any fire. There were no flames leaping into the sky from the stricken locomotive. There was no plume of inky-black smoke. There was, however, a puddle of fire-suppressant liquid pooled in the street near the intersection of West Main and North Central, as well as three fire trucks and a handful of firefighters standing around, a couple of them appearing to roll a hose back up. The station reported that the cause of the fire was unknown and that no other details were available. But at least they had pictures. And a helicopter to snap them from.
[kirkwood]
As the oddly named Strange Donuts celebrated its first anniversary in the ’Wood named Maple, its second location debuted in the ’Wood named Kirk. This opening didn’t merit as much fanfare and publicity as the flagship received, which teased us again and again last October with rumors of its impending opening. The doors at 107 ½ Argonne Drive swung open promptly at 6 a.m. with a line snaking around the block. There probably will be no TV helicopters to record the event. (Quite honestly, we’re not entirely sure at this writing because this edition went to press a day before the scheduled opening, which reminds me of the old joke about one businessman consoling another: Merchant 1: ‘Sorry about your fire.’ Merchant 2: ‘Shhh—it’s tomorrow!’) In other Strange news, the doughnuttery plans to open a fourth location in the Central West End (yes, we can count: The third location was to have opened any day now in Columbia, Mo.). In the CWE at Strange Trap Kitchen, the strangest doughnuts in the universe will be available 7 to 11 a.m. in a collaboration with Brennan’s. Call it an inside job. The pastries with holes in the middle will be made inside Brennan’s, 4659 Maryland Ave. Strange Donuts: Keepin’ it weird.
[st. louis]
As a grand jury deliberates whether to charge Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the killing of Michael Brown, unrest continues in the St. Louis County community north of St. Louis. One of the protesters arrested recently was a state senator. Shouting, “No justice!” Jamilah Nasheed, a Democrat who represents parts of St. Louis, was handcuffed and removed from the scene near the city’s police department. In return, other protesters yelled, “No peace!” Police say she was blocking traffic and would not move despite repeated warnings. Nasheed is one of the most vocal among leaders of this ad hoc civil disobedience movement, having been involved in a protest in Washington staged on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House, where she took a turn at the microphone to express her outrage that Wilson had not been arrested for the shooting of an unarmed Brown, age 18.
[sunset hills]
We’ll bet you didn’t know that October, which goes all pink for breast cancer awareness, is also national Orthodontic Health Month. Well, brace yourselves: We just thought we’d straighten something out for you. Although orthodontists warn braces-wearers they could pop a wire from chewing caramel or crunching on hard candy, dentists in general constantly warn patients of the hazards that candy and other sweets can pose to dental health. Although it usually falls on deaf ears, some dental offices have taken Halloween as a way to reinforce the message. Pediatric Dentistry of Sunset Hills has put its own spin on the candy ‘buy back’ initiative popular at many practices. It will purchase candy from horrified trick-or-treaters (or their relieved parents) for $1 a pound, up to 5 pounds of surrendered treats. Now, here’s the trick: The candy collected will be shipped overseas by the USO for the troops to enjoy. These tooth-fixing guys and gals aren’t lightweights—in the last few years the office has collected as much as 1,600 pounds of candy. Patients and families can include a note or photo with their candy donations 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Monday and Tuesday (Nov. 3 and 4) at 3555 Sunset Office Drive, Ste. 210.
[webster groves]
My namesake, 86 (and a half) years old, still enjoys fishing, golf—and snow skiing. Well, the senior Bill Beggs has nothing on Dr. Robert J. Wheeler, who’s a year younger and may have just become the oldest man to scale Mount Kilimanjaro, the snowcapped volcano that’s the highest point in Africa, at 19,341 feet in elevation. Wheeler, of Webster Groves, climbed the mountain in September with his son Jack. Guinness, the keeper of world records, has yet to certify that the good doctor indeed bested the record set in 2012 by a Swiss man. Wheeler apparently has something for volcanoes, having previously made it to the top of Japan’s Mount Fujiyama (12,388 feet) and Mount Whitney in California (at 14,505 feet, the tallest peak in the lower 48). Well, two out of three ain’t bad—although Whitney is the craggiest and steepest of the three, it’s just a regular old mountain. Meanwhile, my dad shrugged and shook his head, as though he felt that the whippersnapper’s accomplishment wasn’t that big of a deal. After all, the physician didn’t try to make it back down on skis.