Put a twist on a Sazerac with Habondia Peach Brandy
The second spirit from the local makers of Big O Ginger Liqueur, Habondia Peach Brandy bursts with ripe peach, caramel, cinnamon, clove, allspice, vanilla, honey and white flowers. Savor it neat, on the rocks or in a Sazerac: In an ice-filled shaker, stir 1 ounce Habondia, 1 ounce rye, ½ ounce simple syrup, 4 dashes Peychaud’s…
Jam Session 2017 by Syncopation pleases all palates
Jam Session 2017 by Syncopation, a brand from longtime local wine authority Mike Ward in partnership with Augusta’s Noboleis Vineyards, features notes of soft, juicy blackberry jelly, easy tannins and a finish that will last well into the new year. The refreshing, unusual red will please even the pickiest palate and is delicious at room…
Seoul Taco will open new location in The Grove
Korean-Mexican fast casual chain Seoul Taco will bulk up its St. Louis presence in the new year. The restaurant announced a new location is scheduled to open in the Chroma building at 4087 Chouteau Ave., in The Grove sometime in 2019. The new spot will be Seoul Taco’s fourth Missouri location. Owner David Choi said he…
Katie Herrera bids farewell with her 12 top St. Louis beers
After seven years in the St. Louis beer community, I’m officially saying goodbye to one of the best beer cities. I’m ringing in 2019 in the Windy City with my new team at Revolution Brewing. So allow me to toast the holidays, the new year and the amazing breweries this fine river city has to…
Winter calls for Civil Life Brewing porter on cask
For a warm, inviting atmosphere and some of the best beer in the city, head to Civil Life Brewing Co. This time of year, I belly up to the bar for an Imperial pint of the rich, malt-forward English-style porter (on cask!), a reliably satisfying style for cool weather. This brew offers notes of bittersweet…
3 delicious St. Louis deals for $10 or less
1. Regain your center after a stressful holiday season at Taco Buddha. The charming, corner taqueria makes dazzling house margaritas and mouthwatering street tacos that are easy to stress eat. Try its happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday for $1 off appetizers or get free chips and salsa with the purchase of…
iTap will close flagship Chesterfield location at the end of December
Co-owners Sean Conroy and Brad Lobdell will close the Chesterfield location of their lauded bar franchise International Tap House at the end of the year, as reported by St. Louis Magazine. The Chesterfield bar was their first iTap spot that opened in 2008, eventually going on to establish spaces in Soulard, Central West End, Columbia and…
Sip Variants I and II at Schlafly’s Anni-Beer-Versary on Dec. 26
Raise a glass to the brewery that pretty much launched the St. Louis craft beer at its Anni-beer-versary Party scene the day after Christmas. St. Louis has become a key player in the national craft beer game, and regardless of where your local beer affiliation lies, we should all tip our caps the folks at…
Frida’s owner will open Diego’s in University City next year
Frida’s chef-owner Natasha Kwan and husband Rick Roloff will open Diego’s, a Mexican eatery at 630 North and South Road in University City in spring 2019. Unlike its vegetarian sister eatery, Kwan said Diego’s will serve meat. “We will have chicken, fish and beef. I’m not apologizing for that,” she said. “This is a restaurant…
Food Pedaler will expand delivery to Shaw, The Grove and South Grand
Owner Tim Kiefer said local bicycle-based delivery service Food Pedaler will expand to the Shaw, The Grove and South Grand neighborhoods in spring 2019. Food Pedaler currently operates downtown and the Central West End. Alex Ward, who owns and operates Food Pedaler downtown, said the company works with delivery agents who cater to their own…
Review: Lulu’s Pingpong Bar on South Grand
There’s something about an easy, intimate night at a friend’s house that can’t be beat, and Lulu’s Pingpong Bar strikes that tone of comfortable, cool, relaxed fun. The bar is an upstairs addition to Lulu’s Local Eatery, the South Grand favorite for vegan comfort food. Previously an accounting office, it features three separate rooms – one…
Guerrilla Street Food will open locations in Maryland Heights, inside Two Plumbers Brewery
The Guerrilla Street Food crew will expand in a big way in the new year. Co-owner Brian Hardesty said Guerrilla Street will take over the former Big Baby Q & Smokehouse space, which closes for good Dec. 29, at 11658 Dorsett Road in Maryland Heights. They will also open a food concession in the Two Plumbers…
Jamaican rum is the new bourbon
Rum has elbowed its way past the bourbon juggernaut and back into the drinking public’s consciousness. And it should – it’s one of the most diverse spirit classifications, encompassing everything from stripped-down vodka-esque expressions to funky, heavy-duty flavor bombs best enjoyed fireside like a fine whiskey. Drinkers who want to experience rum’s more intense aspects…
Chef Candice Poss will open Graffiti food truck
Chef Candice Poss will take her comforting Southern cuisine on the road next year when she launches a new food truck, Graffiti. Poss made a name for herself serving her native Mississippi-inspired fare at area restaurants like Eclipse Restaurant at The Moonrise Hotel and 909 Public House in Wentzville, which she left earlier this year. …
Chef Rex Hale leaves Bakers & Hale in Illinois
Chef Rex Hale has left Bakers & Hale, the restaurant he co-founded earlier this year in Godfrey, Illinois, with business partner Kelsi Baker Walden. His last day of service was Friday, Dec. 14. Hale said his main reason for leaving was to spend more time with his family, but he won’t be out of the…
VB Chocolate Bar will close, reopen in 2019 as Upshot coffee shop
Cottleville’s VB Chocolate Bar will close doors at the end of 2018, but owner Conor VanBuskirk won’t leave the space at 5326 Highway N vacant for long. After some renovations and cosmetic changes, VanBuskirk will open Upshot, a “quick serve beverage concept” focusing on coffee and baked goods, in February 2019. VanBuskirk opened VB Chocolate…
Olive & Oak owners will open event space in Webster Groves
After dropping a cryptic Instagram post yesterday, Dec. 12, Olive & Oak owner Mark Hinkle has confirmed he will open an as yet unnamed event space at 216 W. Lockwood Ave. Hinkle said he anticipates the space opening sometime late next year. Hinkle said he bought the building last year and is currently transforming it from…
Anthony’s Italian Eats, Phil’s Bar-B-Q close this month
Anthony’s Italian Eats in Clayton closed its doors for good Dec. 5, as reported by St. Louis Magazine. The restaurant was open for nine months. A message on the restaurant’s website said: “This project has been a rewarding experience for us and we are grateful to the Clayton community for your support.” The note also…
What I Do: Suman Shekar of Companion Bakery
Suman Shekar has a sharp eye for detail. Even while chatting at Companion’s West St. Louis Campus, part of her attention is focused on the bustling bakery visible through the cafe’s glass walls, watching for any hiccup. Her role overseeing process improvements and quality assurance combines her lifelong passion for cooking with her inclination for…
Review: The Wood Shack in Soulard
The Wood Shack Soulard’s base has been growing since chef-owner Chris Delgado first fired up the smoker in March 2017. A neighborhood crowd can usually be found sipping frosty pints and munching on sandwiches at communal tables inside or hanging out at the open-air bar on the front patio. Behind the laid-back scene are Delgado’s…
Good Fortune will reconcept in 2019
Editor’s Note: Good Fortune has closed. Good Fortune will change its concept in 2019 and head in a simpler direction, according to co-owner Cory Smale. The new incarnation of the Chinese-American restaurant will debut Friday, Jan. 4 at 5 p.m. featuring a more affordable and approachable menu of “bites, baos and bowls.” “I think it…
First Look: Rhone Rum Bar near Lafayette Square
Hamilton Hospitality owners Paul and Wendy Hamilton continue to expand their Chouteau Avenue empire with the opening of their newest spot, Rhone Rum Bar. The Caribbean-themed bar opened yesterday, Dec. 7 at 2017 Chouteau Ave. The Hamiltons, who own neighboring Eleven Eleven Mississippi, Vin de Set, PW Pizza, <span class="MsoHyperlink" <the="" malthouse="" cellarMoulin Event Space, 21st Street Brewers Bar and Hamilton’s…
Yo! Salsa owners, LSL Hospitality open Prados, Roasted Coffee & Wine Bar in Lake St. Louis
The owners of Yo! Salsa Modern Latin Taqueria in Wentzville and the Yo! Salsa food truck have teamed up with LSL Hospitality to open two new side-by-side concepts in Lake St. Louis. Prados, which opened Monday, Nov. 12, and Roasted Coffee & Wine Bar, which debuted in late October, are both located at 21 Meadow Circles…
The Tavern Kitchen & Bar CWE will close at the end of 2018
The Tavern Kitchen & Bar at 392 N. Euclid Ave., in Central West End is slated to close at the end of 2018, as reported by St. Louis Magazine. OG Hospitality Group managing partner Brant Baldanza confirmed the restaurant’s last day of service will be Dec. 31. While The Tavern’s Valley Park location will remain…
Red Oak Biscuits owners will open burger restaurant Beef Bar in downtown St. Louis
Red Oak Biscuits owners Josh Akers and Derek Schulze have yet another project in the works. The duo will open burger spot Beef Bar downtown at 1325 Washington Ave., in May 2019, as reported by the Riverfront Times. The restaurant will boast a customizable menu that gives eaters a choice between beef, turkey, chicken (grilled…
Recipe: Sheet Pan Frittata
This easy meal can last all week. The vegetables (and meat, if using) are roasted in the oven, then an eggy mixture is poured over the top, and the whole pan is baked again. You can make it as healthy or unhealthy as you like. I added creme fraiche to soften the eggs and add…
Review: VP Square on South Grand
On a recent evening at VP Square, four diners got up to leave right after they were seated, settled and served water. Evidently, Cafe Mochi was packed, and they had come over hoping for something similar. It’s a reasonable assumption considering the Pham siblings – Duncan, Mina and Victor – operate both restaurants, just a…
Sheet Pan Frittata
8 servings
Everest Café & Bar will open a second location at Westport Plaza in February
Everest Café & Bar has been an institution in The Grove since 2004, and after 14 years, owners Devi and Maya States have finally decided to expand. In February, they’ll open a new location at Westport Plaza. Maya States said they made the decision to journey west about eight months ago, when they realized that…
Prime 55 Restaurant & Lounge will open on Delmar early next year
The Delmar Loop will welcome the entertainment industry’s Orlando Watson and Tony Davis with their first dining operation, Prime 55 Restaurant & Lounge, in early 2019 at 6100 Delmar Blvd., the former home of Vietnam Style. Watson said the eclectic menu will feature “food for everybody,” including chicken Cajun pasta, Hawaiian-grilled shrimp wraps and Creole…
J.F. Sanfilippo’s downtown will close for good
Downtown is losing another longtime restaurant. J.F. Sanfilippo’s Italian Restaurant, located inside the Drury Inn & Suites at 711 N. Broadway, will close at the end of the year after a 27-year run. The last night of service will be Monday, Dec. 31. Owner Joe Sanfilippo said lack of quality convention business downtown is one…
Samantha Mitchell will open Cropcircle by Farmtruk at City Foundry STL
Farmtruk chef-owner Samantha Mitchell will offer her culinary wares in a more permanent setting next year. Mitchell has inked a five-year lease on a 500-square-foot space at the upcoming City Foundry STL development at 3700 Forest Park Ave., in Midtown. She said she expects to be up and running in about a year and will sit…
Why you should eat this Whiplash Cake at Sucrose in St. Charles
The Whiplash Cake at Sucrose is so good it converted white chocolate haters at Sauce into lovers. Crunchy toffee bits suspended in white chocolate serve as foundation for a perfect circle of light brown butter cake made with almond flour and ground pecans. The richness of the toffee and nuts complements the sweet, creamy white chocolate, which…
Good Bowl by Plantain Girl will open inside The DogHaus in Soulard
Plantain Girl chef-owner Mandy Estrella has another project in the works. Estrella will lend her Latin-inspired fare to The DogHaus, an upcoming canine-centric bar set to open early next year at 1800 S. 10th St. Good Bowl by Plantain Girl will feature menu items that play with Estrella’s Latin influences. Unlike Alphateria, her other eatery…
2018 Best New Restaurants // No. 1 Louie
Love isn’t easy to quantify. No accounting of superlatives conveys the feeling; no equation can objectively explain it. So, if we say the quality of food and service, the design and atmosphere of Louie are impeccable, elegant, ingeniously calibrated, you might nod politely. To know love, you must experience love. Matt McGuire knows what we…
2018 Best New Restaurants // No. 2 Billie-Jean
The moment Billie-Jean opened, it was clear restaurateur Zoe Robinson had another hit. Like I Fratellini and Bar Les Frères up the block, her newest restaurant showcases Robinson’s mastery of style. Having conquered Italy and France, Robinson puts diners in a New York state of mind at Billie-Jean. The exterior is the epitome of understated,…
2018 Best New Restaurants // No. 3 Yellowbelly
Yellowbelly’s bright logo is the opposite of a mirage, beckoning you in from the cold of winter to a sunny space filled with warmth, light and pops of white, yellow and aqua. Drinks and dishes are equally exceptional at the sea and spirits concept – no surprise, considering its seriously stacked kitchen and bar. Co-owners…
2018 Best New Restaurants // No. 4 Savage Restaurant
Twenty seats around an open kitchen. A few dedicated pros with minimal equipment. Primeval ingredients and techniques. Mutable six- and 12-course tasting menus. Deceptively simple dishes. These are the fundamentals comprising chef Logan Ely’s Savage Restaurant, the Fox Park destination that’s pushing the boundaries of St. Louis dining. We got a taste of Ely’s culinary…
2018 Best New Restaurants // No. 5 The Clover and the Bee
The Clover and the Bee will not be outshined by its adjacent sister restaurant, Olive & Oak, which, after almost three years, still boasts a packed house on any given weeknight. Opening as a breakfast and lunch cafe, The Clover and the Bee wowed early with fluffy biscuits, fresh salads and decadent sandwiches like the…
2018 Best New Restaurants // No. 6 Frankly on Cherokee
Everything Bill Cawthon touches turns to gold – starting with french fries. The chef-owner of Frankly on Cherokee transforms basic Americana into life-altering incarnations of hard-to-perfect classics that he serves himself, working both the register and grill station on a typical night. You already know and love the house-made sausages from the Frankly Sausages food truck,…
2018 Best New Restaurants // No. 7 Cinder House
Cinder House is what happens when one of St. Louis’ swankiest hotels partners with one of the city’s top chefs. The new restaurant at Four Seasons St. Louis opened in August under the guidance of Niche Food Group chef-owner Gerard Craft. He and executive chef Michael Fricker lean heavily on a wood-fired grill to turn…
2018 Best New Restaurants // No. 8 The Benevolent King
James Beard-nominated chef Ben Poremba is known for restaurants featuring inspired beverage programs and delicious international fare, all in chic, cozy spaces. When he opened The Benevolent King, boasting dramatic black walls, luxurious gold accents and intricate white tilework all reflected back in a wall of full-length mirrors, he exceeded even our exalted expectations. Make…
2018 Best New Restaurants // No. 9 Knead Bakehouse & Provisions
Walk into Knead Bakehouse & Provisions on a Thursday morning, and, along with a “Hello sourdough” neon sign, you’ll be greeted by a surprising number of staff. From the 5-year-old sourdough starter used in the bakery to the brass utensil holders on each table, this place is built on attention to detail – including a…
St. Louis’ Best New Restaurants of 2018
Matt McGuire, the owner of our 2018 Best New Restaurant, has loved the industry since he started working in it 20-plus years ago. From the short, slowly growing menu to the no standing-room rule around the bar, Louie is the culmination of what he’s learned. The moment Billie-Jean opened, it was clear restaurateur Zoe Robinson had another…
Simone Faure’s Rum Balls
About 2 dozen
