Restaurants that serve dinner late–it's a category that defies your hunger and mocks your inattentiveness to time, especially in the Midwest. Absorbed in a conversation, game, or article, you realize it's 8:42 p.m., and you haven't eaten since lunch. My son Kevin and I were in this position some time in 2017 and wound up at a restaurant called Three Kings Public House. It's one of only a handful of places in St. Louis that keeps their kitchen open past nine. Their food is good–it's purchased from local farmers–and they have Elvis, Henry VIII, and Kong painted on the dining room wall. That's my kind of humor.
Twenty-seventeen was a scattered year for me–one in which I had to dig deep for emotional resources to face a flurry of personal challenges. I had sold my home, left my job, and was moving across the country. People I love experienced major illnesses and needed help. The process of letting go, of saying farewell to family and friends, of patiently waiting for things beyond my control to unfold was hard for me. It is only now I understand that sitting and waiting seems to play an out-sized role in big changes.
During my waiting I notice the common accessories of everyday life–I mean how they look. It's familiar things like tables and dishes and chairs that are easy to take for granted. But each thing has its own particular look in each particular setting. It's fascinating when you take the time for close observation. Shaking up your life can make you both more attentive and more grateful for the ordinary.
Kevin and I enjoyed the food and the atmosphere at Three Kings that night. While waiting for the check, I dug out a sketchbook to draw the table, dishes, and some chairs. I find that drawing serves the purpose of making me see more completely. The sketch I made that night is posted below. It's loose and a little scratchy–the result of drawing after having a beer with dinner. I hope you enjoy seeing it. And if you find yourself looking for a late dinner, I hope you find a place as cool as Three Kings.
P.S. I have several drawings like this in sketchbooks from restaurants and dinners over a few years. If you'd like to see more of them, please let me know in the comments. Maybe I'll dedicate a page on my website to them!
Below: Three Kings Table, Graphite pencil on paper, 2017
