All Entries Tagged With: "St. Ann"
Time Capsule: a fun hodgepodge for summertime
Ever notice the Chinese restaurant next to the Ferguson Farmers Market? Well, this is what it looked like as King's Pharmacy, one of the first pharmacies in St. Louis to have drive-thru service.
What happened to the time capsule? That’s what a reader asked me recently. She was talking about one of my most neglected NOCO categories, Time Capsule, which I admit has been a bit ignored. I usually like to focus on North County today, to keep reminding people that we still have a great community up here, but I was cleaning out my files this week and found some goodies that I just had to share.
I actually have a pretty large collection of paper (and digital) items related to North County’s history – maps, postcards, old shopping center directories, etc – so you can expect to see quite a few “capsules” opened in the coming months. Here’s a preview to get us started, just an odd mix of images from all over NoCo….
The old Woolworth's at River Roads Mall in Jennings, which opened in the 1950s and closed in 1991. Remember the lower level?
An early view of Lambert Airport, sans Highway 70
A swinging airport hotel, the Parkway House, in what has to be the 60s
Formerly located at 3570 N. Lindbergh, the Parkway House is described on the back of this postcard as such: “St. Louis’ most unique host. In the main building, each unit is a 3-room suite including living room, bedroom, kitchenette with executive bar, deluxe bath and private terrace. Heated swimming pool. Home of the famous Corinthian Room. Illustrated are two of the new, plush Sir Richard suites complete with sunken living room, executive bar and luxurious ultra-modern decor with king and queen beds.”
Here’s the kind of action you might have seen in the “famous Corinthian Room,” well before the Parkway House became a divey motel/apartment complex like it is today.
Don Cunningham Quartet at Parkway House, St. Louis, September 1965. Photo credit: Picasa/Richard A Oberle
An architectural drawing of the proposed new church building at St. Ann's in Normandy. I'm guessing the steeple didn't make the cut.
Finally, here’s a vintage matchbook made right here in Ferguson, commemorating a place I miss every single time I drive down Florissant Road. Can you imagine how awesome it would be if there was still a bowling alley in downtown Ferguson?!
Ahh, a girl can dream….
Election Day brings new leadership to NoCo
Among yesterday's winners: new mayors Tom Schneider in Florissant (left) and James Knowles in Ferguson. Prop S, to fund a firehouse, also passed in Ferguson.
Amid relatively low turnout, thousands of North County voters cast a ballot in local elections yesterday, choosing a handful of incumbents but mostly fresh faces.
In Ferguson, councilman James Knowles III was elected mayor with 49% of the vote, defeating local realtor Pearce Neikirk and former Ferguson mayor Steve Wegert. At 31 years old, Knowles will become one of the youngest mayors in St. Louis County, if not the entire state.
Also in Ferguson, voters approved Prop S by an overwhelming 74% margin, giving the city the go-ahead to spend up to $8 million on the construction of a new firehouse.
Over in Florissant, a six-way race for mayor resulted in longtime councilman Tom Schneider winning with 37% of the vote. Candidates Susan Geerling and Mark Behlmann came in second and third place, respectively, earning around 23% each. Schneider will be Florissant’s third mayor in nearly 50 years, succeeding current mayor and former police chief Bob Lowery. Schneider was endorsed by Lowery.
In Bridgeton, longtime mayor Conrad Bowers retained his seat, with 48% of the vote, as did Black Jack mayor Norman McCourt, with 61%. In Dellwood, Loretta Johnson captured 59% in the mayor’s race, beating Donald Haynes for the position long held by Jack Agnew, who is retiring after more than 40 years in public service.
In the Ferguson-Florissant school board elections, it was not a good year for incumbents. James Clark lost his seat after more than 30 years in a crowded race. Doris Graham is also out after 23 years, as is Les Lentz after six years. The newly elected board members are Chris Martinez, Paul Morris and Rob Chabot.
In the Hazelwood School District, incumbent board members Ann Gibbons and Charles “Chuck” Woods bested Nina Curry by six points. They will join newcomer Brenda Youngblood for the upcoming term.
When it came to bond issues, Jennings successfully passed Prop J, allowing the school district to borrow up to $11 million for the purpose of renovating and improving school buildings. Also in Jennings, Mayor Ben Sutphin retained the post he has held since 1995, winning 43% of the vote in a close race with Yolanda Fountain Henderson.
The mayor’s race wasn’t nearly as tight in Bellefontaine Neighbors, where former alderman Robert Doerr defeated four candidates, including three sitting aldermen. He will succeed Marty Rudloff, who has served as mayor for the past 20 years.
Jim McLaughlin is out as mayor of Pasadena Hills, losing to Scott Livingston, who got 60% of the vote. In St. Ann, former state rep Michael Corcoran was selected as the new mayor, narrowly beating Shawn Short.
Finally, in Kinloch, Keith Conway will keep the mayoral job he has held since 1999. He ran unopposed and received 100% of the 14 votes cast.
To see a comprehensive list of local election results, visit the St. Louis County Election Board.
NoCo Pizza Challenge Round 11: Editor’s Choice
Who had the better pizza this week? Cugino's...
...or Omar's?
Well, this was certainly an intense week for the Great NoCo Pizza Challenge. Readers cast more than 2,200 votes in Round Eleven, inspired by two distinctly different promotional strategies. The folks at Cugino’s worked the social media angle, using Facebook to rally their troops. Over at Omar’s, Omar and his brother John took the old-fashioned route, generously donating pizzas to hundreds of their regular customers in hopes that they would all cast a vote.
So who won me over this week? Not with their voting, of course, but with their food… It was a really tough call.
We opted for a little something different in this round, choosing BBQ Chicken from among the specialty pizzas. Having eaten both Cugino’s and Omar’s “traditional” pizza in the past, I felt I had a pretty good idea of what each place had to offer, so it wasn’t too much of a stretch to replace the tomato sauce with BBQ sauce.
Both pizzas were thin crust. Weighing three pounds to Cugino’s 1.7, the Omar’s had a nice balance of flakiness and crisp, giving it a slight edge over the more cracker-like crust from the Cuge. My husband and I also preferred the taste of Omar’s sauce.
Cugino's on the left, Omar's on the right
Visually, however, the Cugino’s pizza was definitely more appealing. It also had slightly more toppings, including red onion, which gave the aroma and overall flavor a nice boost. But ultimately this contest came down to cheese. While Omar’s rolls with mozzarella, the Cuge is all about provel. And in this case, I have to say the provel was the better choice, adding an extra kick that the mozzarella just couldn’t match.
So who gets my vote? Honestly, this challenge could have gone either way. Both pizzas were tasty. But I think I’ll stick with the readers on this one: Cugino’s.
Still, I definitely plan to sample more of the menu at Omar’s. In addition to the official pies, we also tried one of their Chicken Shawarma pizzas, made with slow-roasted chicken, mushrooms, garlic and…get this…pickles. And it was curiously delicious.
Now if only the warm weather would stick around so I could smoke a hookah on Omar’s outdoor patio…
Next up in the Pizza Challenge: BJ’s of Florissant vs. Saullo’s of Spanish Lake. If you need a bracket, you’ll find a freshly updated one right here.
The Great NoCo Pizza Challenge: Cugino’s vs. Omar’s
The North County pizza train rolls on… Here we are at Round Eleven, more than half way to the finale of the Great NoCo Pizza Challenge. I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to get very excited!
Did anyone notice that the quarterfinal round, starting April 6, has eight pizzas in it? I’m thinking we may need to have a pizza party. Would you pay five bucks to sample eight delicious local pizzas? If so, let me know by posting a comment. I’ll have to pull this together pretty quickly.
In the mean time, here are your contenders for Round Eleven…
Open since 1994, Cugino’s (pronounced coo-gene-oh’s) is a family-run restaurant and bar that seems to have a split personality. On the restaurant side, you’ll find classic Italian fare and a cozy dining room, even some upscale entrees like honey glazed salmon and shrimp scampi. On the bar side, you’ll find Natty Light specials, bean bag tournaments and the occasional Jägermeister girl. You might also hear this Florissant favorite referred to by its nickname: The Cuge.
My cousins are regulars at the Cuge, attracted by the restaurant’s ever-changing drink specials, but they also give thumbs up to the pizza. It’s thin crust topped with provel and parmesan, and you can choose from a typical topping list or go for one of five specialty pizzas: The Big Dave, the Veggie, the BBQ Chicken, the Special, or the Hot Wing, which features grilled chicken, onions and hot sauce. Large single-topping pizzas start at $11.98.
Cugino’s – 1595 N US Highway 67, 63031, (314) 831-3222. Hours: Monday-Thursday 4-10, Friday & Saturday 4-11, and Sunday 4-9. Lunch served daily starting at 11am.
We first met Omar’s back in Round Four, and I’m so pleased to report that several readers have emailed me since then to say how glad they are that they’ve discovered this unique St. Ann eatery. As I mentioned before, Omar’s is special not only for its brick oven pizza, but also because the restaurant has a huge menu of Mediterranean dishes.
If you like Greek or Lebanese food, you MUST check this place out. It’s just a wee cafe tucked away in St. Ann, but if you enjoy big flavors, Omar’s will definitely hit the spot.
When it comes to pizza, you’ll be hard pressed to find any restaurant with a larger selection of toppings. Omar himself is Muslim, so there’s no pork here, but you can still select from numerous items, including spinach, eggplant, artichoke hearts, shrimp and baby clams. You can also choose your crust – St. Louis-style (provel and mozzarella), New York-style (mozzarella) or Chicago Deep Dish (also mozzarella) – and opt for one of nine specialty pizzas, including Greek Lamb, Chicken Alfredo, BBQ Chicken, and Beef or Chicken Shawarma. A large, single-topping pizza starts at $10.99 for St. Louis-style and $11.49 for New York.
Omar’s – 10111 St. Charles Rock Road, 63074, (314) 429-6881. Hours: Weekdays 11-9, Weekends 11-10
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Cast your vote! Round Eleven voting ends Wednesday, March 16, at 11am…
Who has the better pizza?
- Cugino's (58%, 1,292 Votes)
- Omar's (42%, 922 Votes)
Total Voters: 2,214
Loading ...If you need a contest bracket, you’ll find an updated one right here.
