When Francis Krammer built this house in 1866, he wanted his mother-in-law close, but not too close, which resulted in the first duplex ever built west of the Mississippi. A picture of his mother-in-law still adorns the building's entrance way. The main floor of this historic building is now a restaurant decorated throughout in a Victorian theme with oil lamps, antique clocks and a six foot antique mirror near the entrance.
The interior was a bit under lit and the old fashioned furniture, lace curtains and floral wallpaper reminded me of an elderly aunt’s house from my childhood days. Service was extremely pleasant and it felt like we were having lunch at a friend’s house.
The lunch menu featured burgers, sandwiches and salads with prices that were in the $6-8 range. Bea had a chicken salad sandwich and Tracey ordered turkey melt on sourdough bread. Both sandwiches were served with a green salad with a tangy celery seed dressing. I was very pleased with my curry chicken salad filled with chunks of chicken, juicy pineapple, chopped celery and green onion. It was garnished with a sliced hard boiled egg and served with a moist banana muffin that left me no room to even think about dessert despite my sister’s tempting.
Pies are the dessert specialty here, especially their signature coconut cream. Bea had a slice of apple pie that was chock full of sliced apples and had a light, flaky crust. For me, the mint with our bill was more than enough.
The restaurant is open for lunch Monday through Saturday and dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Interestingly, all the patrons during our lunch were women -- maybe the restaurant was too fussy for men or was it just the thought of a mother in law that had them bypassing it?
From journal A Taste of St. Charles