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Every two years, Mark Widmann opens up his spectacular home and event space, The Bluffs on Broadway, to host a benefit for the Downtown Dutchtown Business Association, aka "DT2." If you've never been, this is party central. Widmann will gladly show you his "20-person shower," "40-person hot-tub," 72-seat dining room, 4,000 square feet of decks and patios overlooking the river, collection of provocative art, and four kitchens, including a five-car garage converted to a banquet kitchen, complete with walk-in cooler.
This year's "South Side Shindig" at the Bluffs to benefit DT2's improvement programs featured a buffet that quietly made a statement about how Dutchtown has changed, and how the area's restaurants have been part of that change.
Partygoers enjoyed Bay Leaf Shrimp from the Bluffs on Broadway; sarma (pickled cabbage rolls stuffed with ground beef and rice) from Bosnian restaurant Grbic; chicken pasta from Keetons Double Play; grilled, blackened tilapia from the Jefferson Bistro; baked cavatappi from the Original Crusoe's; pulled pork sandwiches from Iron Barley; Swedish meatballs from Al Smith's Feasting Fox; cherry-caramel bread pudding from Urban Eats Cafe; and chocolate-covered strawberries from Merbs Candies (images in order below).
A few years ago, this sort of spread might not have been possible -- at least, not if Dutchtown eateries were the sole providers. But the South Side neighborhood is changing -- battling crime, working to attract businesses and rehabbers, and collaborating in community groups like DT2 to raise the bar.
"I've been living in Dutchtown for 25 years," said DT2 board member Ann Smart. "There are so many great areas in the neighborhood, full of cool, community-minded people. We're changing block by block. And the restaurants are anchors in our community -- places like Iron Barley, the Feasting Fox, Urban Eats, and so on."
Maude Bauschard chose to open her Community Supported Agriculture CSA service, Maude's Market (right), in Dutchtown (SLM Relish article here), and probably defied some expectations when she did so.
"There is the reality of the struggling economy," said Bauschard, a guest at the party, "but organizations around here are really pulling together. We're now building a web site that is a resource for listing commercial spaces available in Dutchtown. You can get so much space here, for a great rate. You can be a destination business for people who live elsewhere, or a neighborhood business, or both, like Maude's Market."
"And don't forget," she added, "Dutchtown is sandwiched between Carondelet and Tower Grove. Guess where the next renaissance in the city is going to be? When the economy picks up, this is where it will happen."
Environmental images of The Bluffs on Broadway courtesy of Memories are Forever and Kristal Brewer Photographics.
Scroll through the gallery below for food items described above:
