Remember, Remember, the 5th of November

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

This is from the window display of Dunaway Books, my favorite used book store. We had to park on Grand because Arsenal Street was crowded. Someone at Dunaway has hella sharp scissors. There were also really neat paper dolls of Day of the Dead figures.

We got to Mokabe's late because I was screwing with this blog for two hours this morning while Laine patiently played Stubbs the Zombie in the Bat Cave (guest bedroom, no natural light). 10:40 is an excellent time to get to Mokabe's for Sunday brunch, however. It's right after they replace cold things and missing things with steamy hot food, and right before a heck of a lot of people show up to eat it. If you can't get there at 9 when it starts, get there at 10:40. We got our usual table, across from this booth:

in the newly added upstairs non-smoking section, but historically, Mokabe's has never allowed smoking anywhere in the place during Sunday brunch, even when the spread was put out on the old pool table in the back and you had to wait outside for someone to give up their seat.

The food was wonderful, as usual. I was very happy to see that my steel-cut oatmeal had finally replaced the summer's giant tossed salad. The spinach quiche and baked mac n' cheese casserole were both yummy, but I was so full from my oatmeal, I didn't get to eat much. Still no progress on cracking their vegan sausage recipe, or their vegan crab cakes. We watched this little girl, no older than four, eat her weight in Brioche French toast. Then the joint started filling up with tons of parents with gads of surly teenagers. Is Mokabe's the new Shoney's?

We went back home, deposited Laine, then I had to meet my StudioSTL crowd at Kayak's, across from the Washington University Danforth Campus. It was packed with students and laptops. They have sugar-free italian sodas in lots of flavors. I had a raspberry. It was delicious.

I can't speak of my Fawkesian solidarity trator activities online, but if you call me, I will spill all. It's made the mildly dreaded Thanksgiving holiday seem oh so wonderful. We're off to watch The Notorious Bettie Page DVD I rented yesterday.