Wine and Dine

Near the northwest corner of Grand and Gravois sits Truc Lam, a small, barely noticeable Vietnamese restaurant with a generic dark green awning and a neon sign in the window. Inside, floor-to-ceiling dark wood paneling creates a time warp back to the seventies. Décor is sparse: a plastic clock, a few paintings, and cheaply framed posters grace the walls, while green and orange bamboo paintings on the light panels of the institutional drop ceiling don’t add much charm. All of these elements make the restaurant seem almost dingy, but everything, even the floors, is spotlessly clean.

Sandrina’s, a somewhat notorious after hours South City landmark on Arsenal just west of Schnucks, is now reopened under new ownership. After some restoration and renovation, the place has a great ’60s vibe to it. Mid-century light fixtures, bar stools and dining chairs have been refurbished and re-upholstered for a period look that is authentic and totally cool without being relentlessly “Rat Pack” overkill. Lacy yellow curtains frame windows fitted with pots of herbs, and tabletops are covered in photocopied old newsprint of yesteryear’s headlines under glass.