[mary sisk sickles]

I must respectfully disagree with the reviewer about Seamus McDaniel's restaurant in O'fallon, Missouri.

Since I spend most of my meals in restaurants, I found this charming clean little hideaway to be very friendly,service oriented and an excellent place to dine.

According to my travels throughout the world, when I speak to people who know something about St.Louis, there are two things that come up consistently in the conversation. Those two things are food and music. St. Louis is known for the small town atmosphere that permeates through the hallowed kitchens of it's restaurants. It's ability to make the patron feel like family is legendary. And well deserved. And everyone knows if you can find a following for your music in St. Louis, you will be sucessful in the rest of the country. If St. Louis audiences do not embrace your music, it will be a tougher road to go. This is because the people of St. Louis are exposed to everything in food and music somewhere in the city.

Seamus McDaniel's epitomizes the aura of small town charm in a big city setting. The actual layout of the restaurant is quaint, colorful and warm. The staff shows a great deal of respect and was willing to go the extra mile to see that my dining experience was one of enjoyment.

The food was excellent for the menu they choose to offer. My guide to this is rather unique, however I will return to restraunts that can make this happen.

First, the preparation of my very favorite pub grub food, the cheeseburger. It was hot, delicious and well presented. I didn't wait long for it to be prepared, there were fresh dressings to accompany it. And the french fries which I don't normally eat, were delicious. The price was fair and that's all I require. Good food at a fair price. The good service was just a bonus. It is obvious to me that the people who work and own this restaurant take pride their work. Thank you for that.

Secondly, there were a multitude of families eating in this restaurant. And oddly enough all of the children were actually eating or waiting patiently for their food. It has always been my experience if the children are quiet and eating then you can trust the food. There is something they are enjoying and are willing to eat.

I don't patronize restaurants that can't control their smaller diners. I can't see spending money to go out and have a good meal and have to witness half a dozen disciplinary actions with patrons and their children. Seamus McDaniel's was a very calm atmosphere, on a busy Sunday afternoon and the experience was well worth the trip.

The other hidden treasure about this restaurant is the St. Louis musical history side of it. I understand that the owner, Danny Liston is part of a band called Mama's Pride that is a St. Loius legend Band. I recently read in an article from a french music magazine rating Mamas Pride as one of the top 50 Southern Rock bands in rock history. As an avid music lover, this is very interesting to me and an added bonus to the trip.

In my humble opinion, this restaurant is worth the trip. Good solid American food, good bar, great service, calm atmosphere, and the added bonus of legendary music. And all for about $15.00 a person. What more could you ask for? Mary Sisk Sickles