blake b r o k a w
Blake provided the perfect venue for our courting — Tangerine, a fabulous vegetarian restaurant and swinging cocktail lounge that serves the best (i.e. cheapest) dirty martinis in town.

Blake opened Tangerine on Washington Avenue in 1996 and has just opened Lo, an intimate nightclub, on the corner of Washington and 15th Street.

We adore Blake for his sneering sarcasm and the tattoos of beets, carrots and other veggies painted into his neck and arms. Blake grew up in St. Louis and knew at an early age that he wanted to be a chef. He studied at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. When he returned, he worked the line at St. Louis’ famed Tony’s, Harry’s and Catering St. Louis. But deep down, Blake always wanted his own joint — a place where he could change the menu every two weeks to suit his eclectic tastes, a place where he could feature the hippest disc jockeys, a place where he could make fun of his guests without fear of termination.

For our party, Blake has planned a grazing tapas menu featuring smoked trout in phyllo cups, baby tomatoes stuffed with wasabi caviar, duck salad with almonds and sun-dried cranberries, stuffed grapeleaves with a cumin yogurt dipping sauce and a variety of other treats. Make sure you say hello, but whatever you do, don’t let him talk you into a drinking a saki bomb.