Café Osage is a cozy retreat and the perfect site for a lunch meet up or a casual afternoon with friends. The lunch spa is tucked away amid the many planting offered at Bowood Farm and Garden in the Central West End. You can read more in a previous post about the old warehouse and auto repair shop from the 1920’s, that now houses a trendy 21st century café, nursery and gift shop.
I recently had lunch with Karen Glines and Billyo O’Donnell. It’s always a treat to exchange “war stories” with others authors. Billyo O’Donnell, one of the nation’s leading landscape artists, has published a delightful volume of his work that features one scene from each of the state’s 114 counties and the City of St. Louis. His French Expressionist style harkens back to Claude Monet painting outdoors on a box easel.
Journalist Karen Glines did the photography, research and writing that brought together the seven-year long artistic effort. The two journeyed between 2001-2008, creatively painting and writing about their home state. It meant talking with people in towns that he painted and uncovering the unique features of areas that often go unnoticed.
Having campaigned in all the counties at one time or another, it was great fun to recall people and places with two such fascinating and creative people. Below are a few of my favorite scenes from Painting Missouri: The Counties en Plein Air (betcha figured out that means painting in the open air).
Scenes from Painting Missouri
As we talked of Missouri landscape painting and thumbed through the 230-page volume, we paused to enjoy the culinary artistry at Café Osage. I chose the Moroccan Chicken Salad, though the Brie LT is always a temptation. The salad of lettuce, beets, butternut squash carrots, avocado, dates, and Marcona almonds was enlivened by a light, honey-almond dressing.
More fine art by Billyo O’Donnell of Eureka, MO, can be found here. And more fine food by Café Osage can be found here. Both are treats.
Café Osage, 4605 Olive St., Central West End. Open: Mon.-Sat. Breakfast 7a-10:30p and Lunch 11a-2:30p. Sun. 9a-2p.
