A really jerky local company
Don Self calls himself “The Chief Jerk.” His colleague, Dale Prichard, is known as “The Work Jerk.” “Our employees,” said Self, “are known as Meatheads.” Obviously, there’s no shortage of humor at A Couple o’ Jerks, Self and Prichard’s thriving beef-jerky business, located in Labadie, Mo. Perhaps the jerky jokes have bred their success –…
Photo exhibit focuses on City Seeds
Gardeners know that getting their hands dirty is therapeutic. First-time photographers marvel at their own art form and the work they create. Task a group of troubled adults with tending a community garden, and then give them cameras to document their work – and you’ve got a win-win situation. The free photo exhibit City Seeds…
Demystifying signage at South County chophouse
Signs at the South County location of Tucker’s Place Tavern & Grill may be confusing drivers and potential diners alike. One reads “For Sale” in red block letters on a white-on-red background. But a second sign, a banner behind the first, reads “Tucker’s Place OPEN Since 1982 … Here to Stay!” A quick call to…
Three tips for a tasty Turkey Day
The pressure’s on to produce a fowl that isn’t foul for your T-Day feast. Stephen Gontram, executive chef and owner of Harvest in Richmond Heights, shared these tips for making your Thanksgiving celebration the tastiest yet: • Brine your turkey prior to roasting it: Combine 3 cups kosher salt and 1 cup brown sugar with…
Cupcake animated film at SLIFF
Someone once discovered that if you put arms and legs on a banana, a carton of milk, a potato or just about any food, really, you get a creature that’s just adorable no matter what it does. In that vein, Kirsten Lepore’s short film Sweet Dreams follows the adventures of a cupcake that dreams of…
The Scoop: Stone Soup Cottage To Go Veg
Vegetarians craving more fine-dining options will be pleased to hear that Nancy and Carl McConnell have decided to add a meat-free menu to their tasting-menu-only restaurant, Stone Soup Cottage. After the first of the year, the McConnells will feature an all-vegetarian six-course menu every Wednesday night. “I love to cook vegetarian cuisine,” Carl McConnell said,…
Sample romance at Kakao Date Night
We frequently find ourselves stopping at Kakao Chocolate to pick up a box or two (OK, sometimes three) filled with an assortment of velvety truffles and chewy chocolate-coated caramels – or perhaps a pound of crisp sheets of chocolate bark swirled with fragrant nuts or laced with ginger. But this Saturday, Nov. 21, from 6…
Vom Fass opening nears
Standing in the future home of Vom Fass, the German-based gourmet food shop, Anita von Ballmoos was covered in plaster dust. But she still spoke enthusiastically about her store’s upcoming debut. Vom Fass, which has more than 200 stores worldwide, specializes in artisanal vinegars, oils, liqueurs and spirits sold straight from the cask. Although von…
The Crack Fox opens
The Crack Fox, a “hotdoggery” and entertainment venue, opened last Friday in the former 2 Cents Plain location at 1114 Olive St., co-owner Mike McLaughlin confirmed. Its hours will initially run from 7 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., said McLaughlin (who also co-owns The Bleeding Deacon Public House). The venue will start introducing food (including hot…
Square One offers custom decanters
Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for that spirits enthusiast on your list? Just in time for the holidays, Square One Brewery and Distillery is offering its Agave Blue tequila-style libation in custom bottles made by area glass artist Sam Stang. Square One owner Steve Neukomm said the first half-dozen of these unique creations will…
A Bon Way to Celebrate Beaujolais
Overlook Farm’s Beaujolais Around the Bonfire event promises to be a magnifique way to start the weekend. On Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20 and 21, the culinary farm destination in Clarksville is hosting a Beaujolais Nouveau event like none other. It starts on the patio of this country respite, where guests will nibble hors d’oeuvres…
The U. to open for breakfast
The U. – the sandwich shop in Midtown, near Saint Louis University – will soon open for breakfast, reports owner Adam Kustra. He projects Dec. 7, depending on remodeling, but “no later than Dec. 15.” Starting times will be 6:30 a.m. during the workweek and 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. “Our menu will feature…
Sunday Bloody (Mary) Sunday
With two locals, a vacationing Texan won yesterday’s mix-your-own contest to inaugurate Eclipse’s lavish Sunday Bloody Mary bar. For their entries, the three – Caitlin Butler, Houstonite Sarah Lee and Jill Willending – each claimed a $20 gift card to the Moonrise Hotel’s restaurant. The contest, masterminded by Eclipse general manager Sara Quiroz, drew 15…
Moonlit bill of fare changes at Eclipse
Eclipse’s late-night menu (available till 2 a.m.) will become more experimental on Dec. 7, chef de cuisine Wes Johnson has informed us. Starting Pearl Harbor Day, Johnson hopes to tempt adventurous night owls with dishes revolving around bone marrow and similarly out-of-the-ordinary ingredients. Also, today Johnson’s adding another chef to his staff there in the…
Mai Lee’s moving
Ladue will lose a local landmark to Brentwood this winter, when Mai Lee Restaurant relocates from Delcrest Plaza to 1467 S. Hanley. “We’re moving because they’re not renewing our lease,” co-owner Qui Tran told us wryly. “Basically, they’re throwing us out.” The longtime Vietnamese eatery now sits just southeast of the intersection of Delmar Boulevard…
Chili cook-off goes kosher
You never know what’s in chili. Some of the more adventurous cooks put chocolate, coffee, jelly and possibly even Johnny Depp’s victims from Sweeney Todd in the stuff. You do know what’s not in the chili at the fifth annual Kosher Chili Cook-Off at the Jewish Community Center in Creve Coeur, though – no pork,…
Mangia tries to noodle its way into Guinness
Remember that sweet moment in Disney’s Lady and the Tramp when the dogs are having a romantic dinner, slurping spaghetti, and, unaware that they’re eating the same noodle, meet for a doggie kiss in the middle? Maybe David Burmeister will let you and your sweetie re-create that scene. It might take a while, though. The…
Cheese on the Cheap: Making your own is frugal and fun
From the individually wrapped slices in the dairy case to the rarest French Camembert at the local wine shop, the sheer variety makes it easy to forget cheese’s humble beginnings. Cheese-making began as just a way to keep milk around longer, before the advent of refrigeration and other methods of preservation. And if you don’t…
O’Fallon, Mo., bakery celebrates its grand opening today
The Bakery Shoppe celebrates its grand opening today with a noon ribbon-cutting at 2956 Highway K in O’Fallon Crossing Plaza. (The bakery, which is owned by Karen Porter, had a soft opening Nov. 6.) Among other items, the full-service shop offers breads, pies, cakes, occasion cakes (except wedding cakes), brownies, doughnuts and scones. For the…
But they don’t serve slingers!
Tell us that St. Louis cuisine hasn’t gone widescreen! The 5 Spot, in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle, is offering a number of menu items cheerfully appropriated from the collective bill of fare here, among them T-ravs, O.T. Hodge chili, pork steaks glazed with Maull’s and a Pride of The Hill Sausage Supper. But…
St. Louis Scotch club meets tonight
What may just be St. Louis’ premier Scotch-tasting club is finally off and running. After much planning and teasing via a beautifully designed Web site (www.scotchstl.com), the Drummond MacDougall’s Single Malt Society hosts its first tasting tonight at the Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton starting at 6:30 p.m. Scotch lover Kirk Figus promises a…
The Scoop: New Balaban’s almost here
Owners Steve McIntyre and Brian Underwood have announced that their Balaban’s Wine Cellar & Tapas Bar will begin serving its small plates, gourmet carryout and classic Café Balaban dishes (including cucumber bisque and beef Wellington) next week. Stop by 1772 Clarkson Road in Chesterfield on Friday, Nov. 20, to sample the fare and sip the…
Unite tonight with top ’tenders
If (like us) you feel an informal union with the lovely, lovely people who’ve made dispensing adult beverages their profession, tonight you can support a more formal union by visiting 33 Wine Shop & Tasting Bar. More specifically, the small but stalwart Lafayette Square establishment will host a fundraiser for the nascent St. Louis chapter…
The Scoop: Brentwood welcomes a new/old pub
“It’s been ridiculous in here.” So spoke Tanner (just Tanner, by the way – we did ask), the bearded, baseball-capped bartender on duty during a recon of DD’s Irish Pub & Karaoke this past Saturday afternoon. Two Mondays ago, that lounge observed a “soft” opening at 1740 Brentwood Blvd., opposite Brentwood Square. Tanner estimated the…
Dierbergs whets our appetites
Just in time for holiday entertaining, Dierbergs School of Cooking has published Appetizers, the latest addition to its growing line of cookbooks. Gracing the book’s cover is a close-up of a tomato bacon mini tart, and the loveliness of that puff-pastry blossom instantly made us want to commence our end-of-year noshing and tippling. Appetizers features…
Haute Goat: This meat’s finding its way to fine dining
What’s this on the specials menu? Goat? The world’s most widely consumed red meat has historically gotten the upturned nose from haute chefs in the U.S. and their fine-dining flock. Of late, however, goat meat has been spotted in fancy restaurants all over the country. St. Louis can claim a small dot on that map,…
A new farmers’ market in the CWE
In our view, the more the merrier regarding farmers’ markets – and none other than Bar Italia Ristorante’s been hosting a new one for the past five Saturdays. The restaurant’s Mengesha Yohannes has designed Showcase Market to … well … showcase – both the wares of local farmers and Bar Italia’s own culinary offerings. The…
At long last
A couple of places recently made their flavorful debuts in the city. Foam Coffee and Beer has finally opened at the corner of Cherokee and Jefferson and Bittersweet Bakery has opened for business in Benton Park at 2200 Gravois. Watch this space for more details in the coming days.
Great Wines in a Casual Setting
I’m always pleased to see a restaurant wine list that truly completes the menu, and the list at Molly’s in Soulard has certainly accomplished that task. The new eatery’s large and creative menu is well-complemented by thoughtfully presented wine offerings. The list is easy to navigate, as it’s simply organized by grape variety. Five sparkling…
Your chance to make burger history
If you’ve dreamed of culinary superstardom, fantasized about your creations being served to the masses and envisioned people clamoring for your recipes, then head to Square One Brewery and Distillery tomorrow night for your chance at the big time. Every Tuesday, the Lafayette Square pub hosts Build a Burger Night, where guests create their dream…
Review: Molly’s in Soulard
I had some good seared scallops last night, sweet and succulent, and who would have thought to pair them with red beans and dirty rice?” “Sounds wonderful. Where did you eat?” “Molly’s in Soulard.” “Molly’s? Last time I was there I was playing pool on the patio and I sure don’t remember any food.” That’s…
Review: Fred’s Six Feet Under
Nothing turns St. Louis’ independent music devotees misty-eyed like talking about Frederick’s Music Lounge, the South City house of cool that shuttered its doors in 2006. The abrupt closing was a sock in the gut to underground music fans, who were left without a cold can of Stag beer or a proper venue in which…
Two Root Vegetables to Try This Fall
The chalky black skin of the narrow roots beckoned as only the ugly can. What was this spiky creature nesting in the produce section of my supermarket? I didn’t recognize the squat bunch of something nearby that looked like dust-colored carrots gone wrong either, but weird vegetables intrigue me. The black spikes? Oyster root, also…
Recipe: The Dubliner’s Mushroom Bread Pudding
November’s chill demands robust, comforting fare, but a good meal demands balance. You’ll find both on The Dubliner’s winter menu, where chef and partner Stephanie Russell pairs cold weather’s hearty proteins with a mushroom bread pudding. The dish’s requisite cubed bread and egg-based custard ensure substance and richness while savory spices and a mix of…
Chèvre
1/2 pound
Mushroom Bread Pudding
6 to 8 servings
Oyster Root Dressing
8 to 10
Ricotta and Queso Blanco
1/2 pound
New Face, Classic Fare
Amidst debris and tumbledown bent-wood chairs left over from the previous tenant, Perry Hendrix propped himself on a stool at what would soon be the bar at Brasserie by Niche, the newest venture in Gerard Craft’s culinary cavalcade. Hendrix is new to St. Louis. In fact, he’d only been in town for six days when…
Diner Redux
I slid onto the red vinyl seat of a stool at the diner just in time to hear the woman behind the counter say, “Because he couldn’t get his dick out of the chicken.” Her voice, roughened by cigarettes, imparted a menacing edge to the comment, as if the content weren’t startling enough. The man…
Homespun Comfort at the City’s Edge
I’d long thought the cozy Ellendale neighborhood on the western cusp of the city would make a good spot for an American grill-type place, complete with barbecue, roast beef and meatball sandwiches. Turns out I was right, as there’s been such a place there for a long time. The Piccadilly at Manhattan has operated at…
Cocktail Hour: Time has come (again) for classic drinks
The memory of Prohibition is fading quickly as more and more local bartenders make a heady plunge into classic cocktail culture. Balancing booze with fastidiously matched flavors, hand-crafted cocktails flex culinary flair. After all, you are what you drink. Hush lights. Dim whispers. Lawless night cats perched on the seats. While the speakeasy culture of…
Short List: Fettuccine Alfredo
It’s so fattening, you know you shouldn’t be eating it. Just tell yourself, “It’s cold-weather food.” And really, who can resist a sauce that consists primarily of cream and cheese? Add firm fettuccine noodles and dig in. (We’ve been indulging a lot lately, but that’s what winter sweaters are for.) Here are three reasons to…
A Scandinavian Spirit Hits STL
Unless you are of Scandinavian descent or have visited the region before, it’s likely that you haven’t yet had a chance to taste aquavit, the distilled, aromatic spirit that hails from there. But there’s no need to travel across the pond to become acquainted with the flavorful Scandinavian aqua vitae, since the spirit is beginning…
15 Years On, Remy’s Still Shines
Sometimes restaurants known for the caliber of their wine selection, with food and service to match, are chilly in disposition – too severe, too formal. But tucked away in downtown Clayton sits Remy’s Kitchen & Wine Bar, an escape from the stodgy, the pretentious and the bland, proving that those who take good wine and…
So ‘Cue
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