Southwest Diner, or Lady of Leisure

This week I am a lady of leisure, or as they say between jobs.  I really am between jobs, I have a week off between my old job and my new one.  My goal is to do things I know I won't get the opportunity to do for awhile as I transition from my insane library hours to a set schedule.  Dining with love ones is a must this week.

I put a shameless plug out in the virtual world for a lunch companion today.  I was thinking it was bust when the universe sent me some love.  My wife returned from a work trip and I had my favorite companion to play with this afternoon and I wanted a Reuben sandwich.

One of our favorite restaurants is O'Connell's.  It is one of those places where everyone knows our names and makes us feel like family when we are there.  They only do Reubens on Tuesday, so I thought it would be a great lunch spot.  Apparently, many other people had the same thought and the parking lot was packed.  After a quick recalculation we wandered off in search of food somewhere else.  After about 15 minutes I remembered Hair of the Dog on Southwest.

Okay the place was never called Hair of the Dog, it was just our nickname for the quirky little coffee house that once did business here.  We would go and knit, and no one there would ever talk to us.  We joked that it reminded us of the werewolf bar, Hair of the Dog, in Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Novels.  We did not mind being ignored so it became a favorite place to hang out.  Sometime last year it closed and then reopened as Southwest Diner (http://southwestdinerstl.com/). 

Where Hair of the Dog was dark, uninhabited, and unfriendly, Southwest Diner was sunny, friendly, and full of people.  We sat next to the window and were quickly greeted and served drinks.  The menu had lots of options from eggs to sandwiches.  My wife and I stuck with the Reuben which magically appeared on our table within less than 10 minutes.  The corn beef was lean and the bread was companion marble rye, very tasty.  Natalie and I fell on the sandwiches like wild beasts.  My only complaint with the food was the fries were seasoned and I prefer my fries naked.  I usually order them naked, but forgot this time so I can't blame them.  Food gets a thumbs up.

The service was quick and very friendly.  Not only was the tea freshly brewed, but I no more than emptied my glass and the staff refreshed it. Good service was appreciated.  However, food, atmosphere, and service aside the best thing about my lunch was sitting across the table from my lovely wife.  Great day to be unemployed.