Diversions

SATURDAY, MAY 19

Simply put, Joe Allen was a brick wall last Saturday night. Allen, the Parkway West water polo goalie, stood tall and proud against a vaunted SLUH lineup in the Missouri Water Polo state championships. Allen treaded water for the entire 37 minutes as the Longhorns came away with an 11-10 victory in sudden death. “You watch movies, and it’s kind of like every athlete’s dream to go out and win state your senior year, especially in this fashion,” Allen says. “It just went back and forth and back and forth and fortunately for us, it went forth at the perfect time.”

• Chef CLARA MOORE of Local Harvest Cafe made her television debut last week as a contestant on Bravo’s latest culinary competition show, Around the World in 80 Plates, which takes 12 chefs through a variety of countries where they complete food-based challenges. Unfortunately, she was the victim of a treacherous co-competitor and was voted off the show. She made a good effort and represented the Lou well. Good job chef!
• Diners in West County have a new option for Mexican fare. Fiesta! Modern Mexican Cuisine debuted May 3 at 185 Hilltown Village Center in Chesterfield, near Highway 40 and Olive Blvd. The menu features south-of-the-border faves like fajitas, quesadillas and empanadas, among others.
• Brunch fans will be pleased to hear that long-time favorite Atlas Restaurant has started brunch service on Saturdays and Sundays between 8 am and 2 pm. The new menu features omelets, French toast, buttermilk pancakes and quiche, among other tempting dishes.
• Schlafly has added another offering to its stellar roster of beer festivals. On Saturday, May 26, from 10 am until 6 pm, the parking lot of the Schlafly Tap Room will be the site of Pork Shop: A Downtown BBQ & Garage Sale. Those interested in cleaning out their garages and basements can sign up to be vendors and bring their wares down for sale. Chef ANDY WHITE will be roasting six whole hogs, and there will be live music, as well as plenty of Schlafly beer on tap. Goodwill will have a donation site set up for any items that don’t sell. More details are available at schlafly.com.
• Looking for something to do in the early evening downtown? The Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement District is hosting Wednesday Night Out, a downtown happy hour, every Wednesday from May through August from 4 to 7 p.m. Enjoy drink and food specials at some of the best bars and restaurants in the city. For details and a full roster of participating venues, go online at downtownstl.org/wednesdaynightout.
• Parents searching for something to keep the kids occupied after school lets out, check out L’Ecole Academy’s Young Chefs Summer Camp. L’Ecole chefs will be teaching children (ages 8 to 14) how to make a variety of food, from pizza to scones. The classes will be held at the L’Ecole Culinaire Academy for Culinary Development, 9200 Olive Blvd., Suite 108, in Olivette. Classes will be held daily from 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. during the three one-week sessions available: June 25 through 29, July 9 through 13. and July 23 through 27. For more info, go to lecoleacademy.com.

To be frank, I’m not sure how much LN readers really need to see my opinion of this film considering almost every showing was sold out at Plaza Frontenac this weekend.