Girl Time!

My girl Ginny came out to visit this weekend, and have some girl time. She arrived on Friday night and we spent most of the evening visiting, alternately playing with Little Man, since he was, once again, being punished for being a rotten little pissant at school that day.
Saturday, the little turd was up at 5:30am, but somehow even with the early start, we didn't get moving until much later. We had big plans for the day.
As I'm sure you've divined, I am a big foodie. Well, so is Gin. There was a St Louis restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, on the Food Network not long ago that we decided we had to try the next time she came out. So, we loaded the tot into the car and drove down. We stopped first at the Soulard Farmers Market to pick up some of the gorgeous oxtail that you can often find there, as well as some nice produce and gourmet pastas. After lugging my 47 pound child around on my right love-handle for nearly an hour (because I completely forgot to bring the stroller), we headed for lunch. Sweetie Pie's is a soul food restaurant. We went to the location at the Mangroves...which made it a good thing my husband wasn't along because he would have completely freaked out since it was kinda (well, ok, a little more than kinda) in the 'hood. This doesn't bother me or Gin, we'll go anywhere for good food, but the hubs? Yeah, he's not quite so open minded. We'll just put it that way.
The building is beautiful, it looks like the neighborhood is working on some revitalization. The interior of the restaurant is equally lovely. The owner is a former backup singer for a great Motown act and the decor reflects that history. This is not a fancy restaurant. The setting is great, the service is fabulous, but at the end of the day, it is a cafeteria style eatery. You walk up to the line, take a tray, and let the lovely lady behind the counter tell you what they are serving that day. Ginny had the catfish, sweet potatoes, and mac & cheese (which came highly recommended), and I tried the fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and cabbage/greens. They pile the plates so high, there was no need to order anything for Little Man at all, he did perfectly well just eating off of ours. Just like his Daddy would have, he enjoyed the catfish best. I gotta say, the reviews of this place all say you need to try the mac & cheese, and yes, it was good, but damn. The cabbage? I could have eaten nothing BUT that. The fried chicken was perfect, but that cabbage is what sticks in my mind. I have to be honest and say I was a bit worried about how it might come back to haunt me, so to speak, but I ate every last little bit of it anyway. And you know what? It didn't. Absolutely wonderful, I'd definitely recommend it if you get the chance. Total cost for both our meals and 3 drinks was around $25, and the staff was very attentive, accommodating, and very friendly, got a nice healthy tip.