An Old World charm with a pinch of modern ambiance is now greeting guests at Charlie Gitto’s on The Hill.

When Chris Grimmig fell for Meredith Rull at her field hockey matches, he conspired with her teammates to take her on a date. “I got her number from her teammate and asked her to go to dinner,” he recalls. Luckily for Chris, Meredith said yes right away.

Writing your thank-you notes should start right after any engagement party you may have. If people are kind enough to give you a gift, a lovely handwritten note (on a fold-over note card, written in black ink) is a priority—a priority you should carry all through the bridal shower, cocktail parties, rehearsal dinner and wedding events.

This summer, think of your backyard as the next decorating frontier. Use designer-quality furniture, rugs, lighting and charming decorative accents for stunning results.

April

You voted, we listened! Ladue News readers know what they like; and with this year's Platinum List, you've made your voices heard. This list compiles the best of St. Louis. 

No matter the reason for celebrating, springtime offers a variety of festive, on-trend entertaining options—all of which are completed by their scrumptious menus. We asked area professionals to discuss what dining ideas will make a party stand out this season.

Spring is coming, a perfect time for a party to celebrate a holiday, special occasion or simply the arrival of warmer weather! These local party planners share ideas and tips for the perfect spring soiree.

Following an engagement at Busch Stadium, a local couple welcomed guests to their wedding weekend with a Cardinals’ galvanized pail of game-day treats at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark Hotel.

Next stop, Clayton! STL Culinary Tours has added Clayton to its growing list of neighborhood-centric foodie excursions. On Saturday, March 9, the company will conduct a tour of some of Clayton's finest eateries. The tour will start at Bar Les Freres and will traverse the neighborhood, stopping at Extra Virgin, Oceano Bistro, Little Country Gentlemen and end up at I Fratellini. For more info and to purchase tickets, go online at StlCulinaryTours.com.

I’m on Facebook. I’m not proud. Admittedly, I really only check the site to monitor Cranky’s postings—what boys she’s posing with, scanning a photo for a stray can of beer in the background—but a problem has emerged. Facebook no longer is the cool college social networking hub it was in 2005. Now it’s the 21st century equivalent of a slide carousel of your neighbor’s family vacation. It’s the digital version of cropping, and worst of all, it apparently is the world’s most unproductive cure for boredom. I’ve realized something: Facebook isn’t cool anymore.

When a local woman’s battle with cancer left her exhausted from chemotherapy treatments and unable to afford nutritious meals, Food Outreach was there. “Without Food Outreach, I would not have been able to maintain a healthy diet, which is critical to my recovery,” she says.

Surprise! That was the word of the day at Clay Elementary School in North St. Louis, the site of KIDSMART’s 11th birthday party. The organization, which equips underserved students and their classrooms with basic school items, surprised 200 students last week with backpacks filled with supplies, balloons, cupcakes, and appearances by Rampage the Ram and Louie of the St. Louis Blues.

Celebrating? ‘Tis the season. Let’s open some wine and lift the spirits! But remember, there are so many other reasons to celebrate life that we could almost toast with wine every day.

So many recipes are literally just a couple of clicks away. Want to make an Amaretto Cake? All it takes is a phone or any other mobile device to find variations with chocolate or vanilla, iced or drenched in syrup, layered or Bundt. With so many options at our fingertips, why use a cookbook at all? Answer: For a keepsake compilation resulting from an author’s ardent affection for the kitchen that is filled with anecdotes, wonderful inspiration and mouth-watering photography! Here are LN’s 2012 Cookbooks of the Year:

The lists are fairly uncontroversial this year. I said fairly. Also, in the spirit of full disclosure, there are three films on the list that I have not yet seen. I just feel that confident. So, without further ado...

Would somebody give Bill Murray an Oscar already? When you look at his evolution as an actor—from hitting the blooms off mums with a gardening tool to this astounding portrayal of FDR—the mind reels. This film is getting mixed reviews, and I have to say I know why, but I couldn’t disagree more.

Franco in Soulard has announced that JOHN DREJA, late of Vin De Set, is the new executive chef, taking over for chef KRIS JANIK.

Yule Style

With bountiful holiday gatherings taking place in the coming weeks, St. Louisans already are planning holiday menus and gifts for family and friends that reflect the traditions of their childhood—with some from lands far away.

“On Christmas Eve day, my husband Ray and I take all 24 grandchildren to the mall in the morning and meet in the food court. Then ‘Bud’ (what the grandchildren call Ray) gives each of them an envelope filled with their holiday money. They must then shop for whatever they want, come back and show off their purchases. It’s so much fun to see the kids (and now young adults) run off to shop and see what they can get. It’s even more fun to see how excited they are to show us their purchases! And, every now and then, Bud gets a call to ‘come quick!’ because a special purchase requires just a little more....”

Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate recently celebrated the opening of its new chocolate factory by hosting a party for friends, family and residents of The Hill, where the facility is located. A portion of the retail proceeds and all proceeds from a chocolate basket raffle went to the Shriners Hospitals for Children. Pictured: Shriners' director of public and community relations Tammy Robbins, owners of Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Dan Abel, Sr., Rosalie Abel, Dan Abel, Jr., Christina Abel and Chris Abel, and Shriner David Dieckhaus

Make her day with one of these thoughtful hostess gifts.

They’re still swinging at the ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY over a successful Red Velvet Ball Swings! gala that featured WYNTON MARSALIS and the JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA.

Ambassador Nancy Brinker was named Person of the Year at the George Herbert Walker School of Business at Webster University. Brinker is the founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer organization and a former U.S. Ambassador. Pictured: Walker School of Business dean Benjamin Akande, Webster president Elizabeth Stroble, Ambassador Nancy Brinker and Webster provost and senior VP Julian Schuster.