Timney exec cheffing at Mangia
David Timney has joined Mangia Italiano as executive chef. He previously spent 15 years at Café Balaban in the Central West End, where he was also exec chef and a partner. Mangia plans to issue new lunch and dinner menus next month under him. Also next month, Mangia will open a pasta factory – a…
Meriwether’s will become Bixby’s
The best thing about eating at Meriwether’s in the Missouri History Museum – the sweet view of Forest Park from the top-floor café – will stay the same. Soon, though, everything else will change. After 10 years of using Patty Long Catering at Meriwether’s, the museum will switch to Butler’s Pantry, close its restaurant for…
Kitchen K’s closing – and reopening
Kitchen K owner Pablo Weiss announced this morning that he will close the downtown restaurant on Jan. 1 and, after an extensive renovation, launch a new restaurant and event space in the same location in early 2010. The lunch-only The Pacific Grille will take up residence in the current K Bar and feature a California-style…
The Scoop: Kota coming to Grand Center
Theater-goers and SLU students will have more dining options to choose from next month, when Kota Wood Fire Grill debuts in Grand Center. Currently under construction, the new eatery will occupy the former Reggie’s Backstage space at 522 N. Grand Blvd., according to Chris LaRocca, co-owner of the restaurant-development company Culinary Architects. Cheffing there will…
Dottie’s earns green certification
Green ice cream’s come a long way from a half-gallon of cheap pistachio bought at the corner store. More specifically, Dottie’s Ice Cream was just named as a Certified Green Restaurant by the nonprofit Green Restaurant Association, which fosters environmental sustainability among eateries. Understandable – Dottie’s owner, Elaine Hauck, has adopted as her motto “Saving…
Drink This: Bison grass vodka and apple juice at Sub Zero
Sub Zero Vodka Bar’s 330-strong selection of vodkas includes nearly a dozen Polish varieties, but the one we’re whistling about right now is Grasovka Bison Grass. Every bottle comes with a spear of bison grass that hails from clearings in the woods of Bia?owie?a National Park, which straddles the border of northeastern Poland and Belarus,…
Tapping into some beer knowledge
We’ve all attended parties that involved tapping a keg: Screw in the tap, press down the handle, pump and pour. Simple, right? Well, at 6 o’clock tonight at The Bleeding Deacon, that simplicity will be challenged when Schlafly’s deliciously strong Winter ESB literally gets hammered … out of its cask, that is. The container in…
Pi’s Double Delight
What do you get when you combine the talents of a pastry pro named Mathew and a practiced potions maker named Matt? The Mathew2, a rotating cocktail-dessert pairing on the menu at the newly opened Pi in the CWE. Created by pasty chef Mathew Rice and bar manager Matt Obermark, the current Mathew2 explores the…
The Scoop: Edwardsville’s creative pizzeria
Turns out Pi’s new CWE location, which opened its doors at 400 N. Euclid Ave. on Tuesday, isn’t the only pizzeria to debut this week. Owners Brandon Case and Patrick Thirion bowed their Peel Wood-Fired Pizza in Edwardsville on the same day. The 80-seat Peel (originally dubbed 800º) uses its wood-burning oven to turn out…
Lola coming to the Loft District
Still mourning the closing of Crepes in the City? Lola hopes to comfort you soon. Early next month, the restaurant/hot spot plans to open in Crepes’ former site downtown at ?500 N. 14th St. Owner-managers Chris Hansen and Cijo Matthews have hired Angela Komis as chef, and Matt McMullin will run the new establishment. A…
VegaDeli expands – with a vengeance
Has VegaDeli decided to conquer the world? One might be tempted to suspect that, based on all of the vegan café’s latest activity. First, its Chesterfield location has extended its weekend hours (7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday). Then, before New Year’s, VegaDeli intends to open three additions: a grab-n-go…
New java joint coming to South Kingshighway
As the weather turns more and more wintry, any increase in the number of local coffeehouses makes us perk up. Case in point: Rio Coffee Deli or Rio Deli Coffee – the signage varies – will be opening at the southwest corner of Kingshighway Boulevard and Goethe Avenue. When? Hard to say. The signs give…
Cocoa – and Santa – at Onesto
National Cocoa Day: Dec. 12 or 13? Authorities on the matter, such as they are, differ, but Onesto Pizza & Trattoria’s going with the 12th. More specifically, tomorrow the South Side eatery will observe that quasi-holiday by treating guests to cocoa – and to Kris Kringle. Yes, Santa Claus will grace Onesto with his (no…
iTAP adds two from Lagunitas
Two promising drafts from Petaluma, Calif.’s Lagunitas Brewing Co. are scheduled to join the lineup at International Tap House next week: an India pale ale and Brown Shugga – an ale made with brown sugar, featuring 9.8 percent alcohol by volume. Although Lagunitas appears to take brewing quite seriously, its Web site opens hilariously: “From…
Chilly? Have some chili
Just in time for the arctic assault, Thurman Grill & Provisions is hosting the second Shaw Chili Challenge this Saturday, Dec. 12. A trio of judges will select winners in three categories: best meat chili, best veggie chili and best overall chili. The contest has already closed to entrants – but not to eaters. The…
Tapping into Six Row
Something like 30 to 50 breweries called St. Louis home in the decades before Prohibition, and today, at the rate small operations are opening here, we may well soon reach that number again. And what better place to launch a brew pub than a former brewery? After extensively rehabbing the old Falstaff Plant No. 1…
Flour Power: The French lighten up on gnocchi
I blame my current culinary obsession on Julia Child. And Julie Powell. And Nora Ephron. For the past several months, ever since I sat in the movie theater this summer watching Julie & Julia and salivating over classic French dishes, I’ve been obsessed with French food. With all that butter and cream, it’s a love…
Ray’s Donuts (kinda) returns
Usually people first notice the size of the namesake cakes at LaMar’s Donuts – just one can easily yield leftovers (but of course, that rarely happens). These days, though, they’re more likely to note that LaMar’s has become Ray’s Donuts. St. Louisan Bill Sanders and associates have “un-franchised” and separated the Brentwood and Olivette doughnut…
O’Fallon debuts new stout
Brian Owens, head brewer at O’Fallon Brewery, recently confirmed details on its forthcoming Russian imperial stout, a variety of beer supposedly popularized by Catherine the Great in the late 18th century. “It just finished primary fermentation in the tank,” he said. “It probably won’t be released till at least mid-December.” Production of the stout reflects…
A Homebrewer’s Odyssey
About a year ago, my husband suggested we start brewing our own beer. He promised we could make good beer for less than it cost to buy, and with his chemistry degree, he’d have no problem making it. I was all for it. Neither of his arguments turned out to be completely true. With a…
Wine That’s Worth A Drive
Hitting a moving target has eluded my talents ever since my basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, and trying to relate some sort of accurate paragraphs about the wine list at the cozy Stone Soup Cottage reminded me of those early Army days. When co-owner Nancy McConnell informed me that her wine list changes “almost…
Kentucky Toddy
• Pour the cider into a nonreactive saucepot and heat over medium heat until steaming. • Add the maple syrup, cinnamon sticks and nutmeg and stir to combine. • Core and slice the apples and add them to a punch bowl. • Pour the bottle of bourbon over the apples, then top with the heated…
Atomic Cowboy Punch No. 5
12 to 15
Winter Champagne Punch
• In a nonreactive bowl, combine the blood orange juice, crème de violette, • St. Germaine, wine and, if using, Cognac. • Stir to combine and chill. • Garnish with blood orange slices. 2 cups fresh-squeezed blood orange juice 1 cup crème de violette liqueur 2 cups St. Germain Elderflower liqueur 2 bottles chilled Champagne…
Tea-ing off
It’s getting to be a bit like Britain here in the Lou. Café Osage at Bowood Farms is now offering afternoon tea Thursday and Friday from 2 to 5 p.m. The new afternoon menu at the Central West End eatery features English classics like finger sandwiches, scones and sweets made in-house, as well as a…
Recipe: Bissinger’s Milk Chocolate Semifredo
‘Tis the season for big and bold. Though it’s quick and easy to make, the rich flavor and velvety texture of Bissinger’s A Chocolate Experience’s milk chocolate semifreddo end this month’s festive meals with fitting decadence. Crumbled toffee adds buttery crunch, but a shot of liqueur – a favored touch of the Central West End…
Review: Mosaic Lounge in St. Louis
Welcome, my friends, to the cougar den. When Mosaic Lounge opened on Washington Avenue this summer, it almost immediately gained an enthusiastic and loyal following of urban socialites, cocktail enthusiasts, club-hoppers – and cougars. I’m not kidding when I say that, as a relatively young man, I was lucky to escape this place without some…
Review: Stone Soup Cottage in Cottleville
Carl McConnell stole my idea. Some years ago, back when I thought having a restaurant was a good idea, I had a great idea for a restaurant. It would be a small space, open only on weekends, where only a few adventuresome diners would come to eat whatever I prepared that night. They would come…
How to Use Locally Grown Nuts This Holiday Season
Early on a recent rainy Saturday, Don Mitchell and his grandson Mitchell Dennis heaved an iron behemoth, a pecan cracker, to the back of their stand at Soulard Market. They had left Neelyville, Mo., near the Arkansas border, at 2:30 a.m., their truck loaded with pecans, decorative gourds, red and yellow apples, giant potted chrysanthemums…
Lemongrass Oil
1 cup
Tomato Jam
• Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Place the olive oil and garlic in the pan and sauté for 1 minute. • Add the tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes. • Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for another 10 minutes. Cool and reserve. 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 Tbsp. chopped garlic 6 plum tomatoes,…
Albóndigs
2 dozen meatballs
Milk Chocolate Semifreddo
• In a large bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar, milk and vanilla bean or extract. • Cook the custard over a hot-water bath, whisking constantly until very thick. • Remove from the heat and, if using, remove the vanilla bean. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean back into the liquid. • Whisk in…
Sherry-Red Pepper Sauce
• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, green pepper, red pepper and garlic until the onion is translucent. • Stir in the paprika, salt and pepper, then add the sherry and chicken stock to the pan and simmer until slightly thickened. • Remove the pan from the…
Spinach-Walnut Pesto
2½ cups
BC’s Kitchen’s Amsterdam Punch
INGREDIENTS 1 bottle Batavia Arrack van Oosten2 bottles dark Jamaican rum2 lbs. raw sugar (Demura or Turbinado)5 oranges 1½ gallons filtered water5 whole cloves3 whole allspice berries3 star anise pods6 cinnamon sticks8 Tbsp. loose-leaf black tea½ tsp. ground nutmeg PREPARATION • In a punch bowl, combine the Batavia Arrack, rum and sugar. • Peel the…
Cocoa Nib and Merguez Pizza
1 10-inch pizza
The (Not So) Lost Art of Punch
When you think of mixing up an alcoholic punch for holiday guests this year, does it involve pouring a 2-liter bottle of soda and a bottle of vodka into a punch bowl, maybe throwing in a few cherries and calling it a day? Well, it’s time to bid farewell to that boring mix. An outgrowth…
Amsterdam Punch
1 bottle Batavia Arrack van Oosten 2 bottles dark Jamaican rum 2 lbs. raw sugar (Demura or Turbinado) 5 oranges 1½ gallons filtered water 5 whole cloves 3 whole allspice berries 3 star anise pods 6 cinnamon sticks 8 Tbsp. loose-leaf black tea ½ tsp. ground nutmeg • In a punch bowl, combine the Batavia…
Flavor Trumps Flair at Bittersweet Bakery
Frilly cupcakes are on their way out. Classic pastries are on their way in. And not just classic pastries, but pastries that use seasonal ingredients and are made with intense devotion to technique. At her new Bittersweet Bakery in Benton Park, pastry chef Leanna Russo is focused on referencing the past, but don’t think that…
The List: The people, places, plates and products we love right now
The St. Louis food scene offers much to celebrate. Our list of favorites is always in flux, as the city’s creative chefs, artisanal producers, passionate farmers and innovative entrepreneurs keep us constantly intrigued, sometimes surprised, always well-fed. Here, a few dozen things that have our attention at the moment. Margherita Pizza The Good Pie Don’t…
Hits and Misses at a Kirkwood Classic
Café Provencal offers a warm and charming respite from the chain restaurants that dot a stretch of Kirkwood Road north of Interstate 44. Inside the cozy restaurant, the neon signs and blaring billboards fade, and diners feel transported to a cottage sitting atop a little bluff overlooking the coast of southern France. The table is…
It takes a village
Today in its lobby, The Ritz-Carlton unveils a Christmas gingerbread village measuring a whopping 6 by 8 feet and featuring 10 buildings (some as tall as 2 feet), landscaping, figures and even a train. Executive pastry chef Simone Faure and her staff assembled the village yesterday for display throughout December at the Clayton hotel. The…
Soul-Satisfying Variety
Sure, I’ve encountered daily specials and off-the-menu items, but I’ve never been to a place where only certain items are offered on certain days. I thought at first that such a setup must be a nuisance – what if a craving for Wednesday’s fried chicken hits on a Monday? – but upon eating at Yummies,…
Short List: Foie gras
The holiday season encourages an almost insane level of decadence, and what could be more decadent than the fatted liver of a duck or goose? An almost stupidly rich, delicately sweet, thoroughly delicious bit of offal, foie gras can lend cheer to even the glummest December day, sometimes like a figurative punch in the face…
Down on the farm
Got a hankerin’ for rural life, but circumstances have you living in the city? Consider becoming a Freshman Farmie by joining the EarthDance Organic Farming Apprenticeship program. Billed as “an introduction to the principles of sustainable agriculture without requiring a complete lifestyle change,” the program runs from mid-February through mid-November and includes time spent working…
