Tilting at a Windmill, Part 2

Neon Memes • Predictably, gustatory contrariness colored my visit this past Saturday afternoon to the Bevo Mill (4749 Gravois Avenue, 314.481.2626). Did I ask my waitress (a sweet, efficient brunette named Jessica, who looked to be finishing high school or starting college) to serve me one of the landmark eatery's traditional Teutonic specialties, like the sauerbraten, perhaps with extra spaetzle? Well, of course not. Instead, I opted for the slinger. It arrived on a leaflike plate the size of a deflated football, atop a matching charger: sausage patties, eggs, chili "with," shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack, and diced onions. In lieu of the hash browns common to other slingers, though, the kitchen included potato pancakes, which prompted me to order the dish in the first place instead of something more appropriate. An English muffin came on the side, and by the last forkful, to my embarrassment, the Bevo's slinger had me on the ropes; at $6.95 plus tax, it ranked as a signally fine and filling lunch, even for a gourmand like me. And just keying this entry makes me long to revisit the Bevo―strictly in the interests of verifying my first impression of the dish, of course. ―Bryan A. Hollerbach, Managing Editor