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Fox and Hounds Proves that Class Never Goes Out of Style
• by Sean Hixson
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The people of the STL love to claim that an advantage of living here is experiencing four full seasons. But those four full seasons come with a range of 120 degrees. Only 25 are pleasant degrees, and we receive few of the benefits that result from weather extremes. We don’t have beaches; we have Party Cove. We don’t have the Pacific; we have galvanized pools. We don’t have mountains; we have Art Hill. Wow, four full seasons, eh? To our credit, we do have technology ... inside: in August, teeth-chattering AC; in January, blast furnaces. Many times, winter brings out our inner sophisticate. For cozy atmosphere, we light Duraflame logs in fireplaces. A fireplace is seductive. For high-class cozy atmosphere, we head to bars to drink Bud Light beside fires. We are sophisticated.
Sarcasm aside, fireplaces are a splendid touch come January’s sub-20-degree nights. In addition to warmth, the dancing flames give everyone a gentle glow. It’s romantic, in both the idealized and amorous sense. A season enhancement ... inside.
The look …
In merry ole Clayton, just behind the country’s biggest Amoco sign, tucked inside the Cheshire Lodge, is this tiny hotel tavern. Since 1964, the Cheshire Lodge has taken the English décor/hospitality theme and run with it. You even have to curtsey to the paintings of British kings and queens as you walk the halls of the Cheshire to the Fox and Hounds.
Inside the tavern, the English lodge theme hits full tilt. Other than the large fireplace, it’s all dark wood (floor, bar, table, walls), antique furniture and, of course, foxes (stuffed) and hounds (painted). No beer signs. Bookshelves. No jukebox. An upright piano.
The space isn’t much larger than 30-by-30 feet, but it’s a busy space with couches flanking the fireplace, facing the fireplace and in the corner. Two-seat booths with backgammon board tabletops hide in cubbyholes to the left and right of the hearth. Set your ale down on the bar top inlaid with ceramic tiles showing serene English cottages and haughty British royalty. The piano hides on one side of the room. On the other side, next to antique muskets and brass urns, is one small TV.
The scene …
My parents are as St. Louis as it gets. Mom grew up on the Hill, Dad in Baden. In the early ‘70s when they were dating, they’d often hit F&H for a night out. Mom would order a Black Velvet (Champagne and stout) and Dad a yard of Budweiser. They’d listen to blind, pipe-smoking Bill Benson flirt with his girlfriend when not playing the piano. Thirty years later, little has changed. St. Louis couples still dally. Benson still plays.
In addition to the mostly 30-to-45-year-old couples, the F&H gets it fair share of well-heeled world business travelers. Local bigwigs, from sports celebs to business execs, also like both conducting business and casually drinking here. Dress up. This is a classy place.
Benson sits behind his piano Wednesday to Saturday, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. F&H legend has it that for a charity benefit he once played 1,000 songs straight without repeating a single tune. Today, he plays it all, from Irving Berlin to Jim Croce.
If Benson doesn’t drown him out, character bartender Mark Pollman will unavoidably entertain the hell out of you. He wears his well-deserved Bartender Hall of Fame ring like a Super Bowl champ. Didn’t know there was such a thing? Ask him, he’ll tell you. If you ask for a Glenlivet and water, he’ll kindly suggest a Highland Park neat, and explain why. He’ll tell you how he ended up going from Breeze, Ill., to Paris and around the world and then back to St. Louis. He’ll give you bar games (“Name 10 body parts that only have three letters. No slang.”) He’ll show you his well-reviewed book, “Bottled Wisdom: Over 1,000 Spirited Quotations and Anecdotes.” In short, he’ll entertain.
The drinks …
I can’t say the yards of beer are hugely popular, but the novelty alone makes them worth trying. Order a domestic yard for $9.60 ($6.15 per half) and an import yard for $15.85 ($10.70 per half).
The top-notch draft beer selection is seasonal, currently offering two Schlaflys, New Castle Brown and Beamish Irish Stout. Imports are $4.50 a mug ($6.65 per 20 oz.); domestics are $3.35 a mug ($5.30 per 20 oz.) The bottle and canned beer selection is likewise excellent, with the usual ABs ($3.35) and mostly British imports for $5 to $8.50.
The drink menu offers more than 40 cold and hot cocktails at around $6. The whiskey menu offers about 25 varieties from America, Ireland, Scotland and more. A modestly priced small wine list presents glasses and bottles of the usual reds, whites and sparklings. Happy hour specials run 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The straight 411 …
For fire-warmed romance or unpretentious class to the sounds of a piano or character-bartender, head to Fox and Hounds Tavern.
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