A Novel Affair

I have been immensely neglectful in not yet writing about a wonderful fundraiser T and I went to exactly two months ago now.  It was put on by the St. Louis Public Library Foundation. I think part of the reason I haven't written is because of my total lack of pictures to go along with my post, which I feel makes it a bit lackluster.  I'll just have to do my best with words.

The evening began in the lower level, the general adult fiction section.  The lights were low, and the shoulder-height bookshelves throughout the center of the room were adorned with large candelabra.  Everything was black, red, and gold, underscoring the Italian Renaissance theme of the night.  An ensemble in the corner played period music.  There was a bar at each end of the room, and a huge, gorgeous bouquet of flowers at the base of the old split stairwell.  When I say huge, I mean HUGE -- a big globe of roses and other flora probably eight feet across -- and it smelled amazing.

Servers with plates of little hors d'oeuvres abounded: figs stuffed with blue cheese, mushroom arancini, rosemary and leek chicken on polenta cakes, zucchini roll-ups with pesto cream.  There was also a buffet table with the usual crudites, fruit, etc.

At the end of cocktail hour, trumpeters (yes, trumpeters) summoned us upstairs to the great hall for dinner.  The library tables had been replaced by long rows of dining tables adorned with more candelabra and baskets of bread, spreads, and cheeses (how very Italian).  While guests were seated, a mezzo soprano serenaded us from a pedestal at the front of the room.

Wine flowed freely (if you hadn't had enough downstairs), and the first course was served.  It was a delicious vegetable salad on a bed of baby greens.  At least I thought it was delicious; T was not so enamored.  He was a much bigger fan of the main course.  But before that, our second course: a seared scallop with one of those really crispy fried Parmesan wafers!  Love those!  The main was a tasty and not-overcooked beef tenderloin with steamed green beans and peppers, as well as a  mushroom and potato gratin.  The final course, which many people were too full to eat, was a light finish to the meal, except for the sauce: a poached pear with marsala creme anglaise.  As a complete meal, the food was delicious (and significantly better than expected).  I left full and satisfied.

And to top it all off, there were even after-dinner snacks, additional wine, and a string ensemble for those who stuck around for a bit longer!