Bevo Mills

Last weekend, Tony and I had the pleasure of enjoying brunch at

 Bevo Mills for the first time.

Can you say picturesque?  It's truly the only way to describe Bevo Mills.

Just before the outbreak of World War I, August A. Busch, Sr. and his team of architects visited Europe for examples of Flemish architectural style.  Busch wanted to build an authentic windmill here in his native St. Louis.  He had his architects study the various construction methods of the Dutch windmills.  When he returned home, he selected a location that was approximately halfway between the Anheuser Busch Brewery and

Grant's Farm.

Bevo Mills was completed in 1916 and cost a then-incredible sum of $250,000 to build.  Mr. Busch used the Mill Room as his private dining room for many years while the remainder of the restaurant opened to

 the public in 1917.

The Bevo boasts a  60 feet in diameter windmill which revolves on a 24 inch shaft.  Originally, the blades were wooden and propelled by wind.  Catastrophe struck in 1954 and the blades were damaged by severe wind.  After that, they were replaced by aluminum blades and are now propelled electronically. 

The exterior walls were completed with stones gathered by Mr. Busch from Grant's Farm and then set in stucco.

As you are walking into the restaurant, this is the little courtyard area that you first enter.  It borders the main dining area.

At one time, dining here was a tradition in St. Louis.  After sitting vacant for many years, the mill was finally purchased by new owners in 2009 from the city of St. Louis.  The new owners spent $500,000 in restoration costs and it was worth every penny.  Both the inside and the outside have been beautifully restored.

It's mainly used for special events now and only open to the public for Sunday brunches and special holiday meals.

Eating brunch here is a special treat.  If you've ever dreamed of eating something for brunch, they serve it. 

Just a little taste of the men the day that we went:

prime rib, salmon, crusted tilipia, fruit galore, several salads, beef schnitzel, grits, bacon (just for Tony), sausage, made to order omelet bar, some sort of egg thing, several different types of dessert, and a chocolate cake that should be worshipped.

There was more, but neither of us can remember any of the other offerings.  In addition to the meal, all you can drink beer, wine, mimosas, and bloody mary's were included in the cost.  Tony had iced tea (shocking) and I had orange juice.

As a warning to those who decide to try Bevo Mills after reading this, it's a don't eat for three days before you go kind of a place!

Even the stone-carved gnomes were restored to their original state.  The gnomes were part of the Paris Exhibition of 1898 and cost an

additional $50,000.

You can also see a little bit of the beautiful stained glass pattern in this picture.  It was almost hard to eat because you were so busy looking around to see all of the beautiful parts of the room.