La Patisserie Chouquette and Pint Size Bakery & Coffee were this close to being one bakery. Well, sort of. On their way to a zumba class one day, Simone Faure and Christy Augustin (pictured) had an idea: They should open a bakery together. It made sense. They both had worked in pastry for years. Faure had climbed the ranks of The Ritz-Carlton, first in New Orleans and then in St. Louis, to become the company’s first black female executive pastry chef. Augustin had nabbed the pastry chef title in such prominent kitchens as King Louie’s and Sidney Street Cafe after cutting her teeth at Bayona in New Orleans. They each had yet to break out on their own, so why not do it together? They elicited the advice of Ben Poremba, the tough-talking co-owner of South City’s Salume Beddu whom Faure had met and befriended while working at the luxe Clayton hotel. He listened to their idea and nodded, telling them that, should they have any questions, he’s their guy. Moments later, Faure’s phone rang. “‘You know you and Christy is not gonna work, right?’” Faure recalled Poremba saying, imitating his thick Israeli accent. “Lord, what a hot mess that would’ve been,” she laughed. “That’s what we should’ve called it: Hot. Ass. Mess. We have such completely different styles and such completely different views on pastry.”

Poremba was right. A brainchild of the two sugar mavens would never have worked.

To read the rest of this story, featured in our May issue, click here.

— photo by Greg Rannells

PICCIONE PASTRY: 6197 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314.932.1355, piccionepastry.com

Next time you’re in The Loop, stop by this new corner bakery for a sugar rush that will make you feel as though you’ve been strolling the cobblestone streets of Italy. Dunk bombolini into a trio of dipping sauces (rich chocolate or fruit-forward raspberry and lemon curds), nibble one of nine varieties of cream-filled cannoli or eat the Italian flag with a slice of chocolate-dipped marzipan Italian Tricolor cake (pictured).

BOMBAY FOOD JUNKIES: 573.578.6583, twitter.com/bombayfoodtruck, facebook.com/bombayfoodjunkies

A new truck rolls into town this month that pays homage to the vegetarian street fare of Bombay. Start with the vada pav, a potato burger served with a bright green cilantro-jalapeno chutney, and the pav bhaji, a fiery mixture of vegetables cooked in a slew of spices, sopped up with a buttery Indian bun. Finish things off with a cup of kulfi ice cream, which tastes of sweet cardamom.

ALUMNI SAINT LOUIS: 200 N. 13th St., St. Louis, 314.241.5888, facebook.com/alumnistl 

Chef Eric Brenner (formerly of Moxy) helms the kitchen at this new spot, where STL classics are infused with from-scratch preparations and locally sourced ingredients. T-ravs are rolled out in the kitchen and filled with a blend of salsiccia, veal, beef and cheese. The slinger is topped with farm-fresh eggs. And the gooey butter cake looks more like a blueberry cheesecake. But one bite reveals Alumni’s mission: “To celebrate the people, places and food that make Saint Louis great.”

CENTRAL TABLE FOOD HALL: 23 S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 314.932.5595, centraltablestl.com

Part cafeteria, part wine bar, part fine-dining restaurant (pictured above), it’s hard to define this much-anticipated behemoth of a space, but it’s easy to find a reason to stop in. Those who work nearby will find burgers, pizzas, sushi and grab-and-go sandwiches ready in time for a quick lunch break, while dinner patrons will be seated for plated service starting at 5 p.m. That’s when chef Nick Martinkovic’s creative, locally sourced menu shines with wood-fired pizzas, house-made pastas, globally influenced small plates, an oyster-and-clam raw bar, and freshly rolled sushi from Chop Shop’s own Eliott Harris. With wines by the bottle or the glass, a handful of local brews on draft, and a sake list to boot, there’s something to whet any appetite.

THE WHEELHOUSE: 15 N. Central Ave., Clayton, 314.726.7955, wheelhousestl.com

Nearly three-dozen TVs and loads of Red Bull will make college grads flock to this Clayton sports bar, but the from-scratch menu, helmed by Nick Del Gaiso (former sous chef at Scape), will crush any bar food clichés. Almost everything is made in-house, from the smoked jalapenos in the sweet-and-smoky chutney topping the Wheelhouse Burger (ground in the back) to the preserved lemons and freshly whipped mayo comprising the aioli, which accompanies the smelt chips.

— photo by Michelle Volansky

Are you following us on Twitter? Come on, get Saucy @saucemag

publiceyestl
Cap’n Crunch’s full name is Horatio Magellan Crunch. His ship is the SS Guppy. Do not ask why I needed to know both these things today.

boxcar_fritz
The traditional Springfieldian lunch of eating a bowl o’ mayonnaise with a spoon is apropos today. #BigMayo #stlcards http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/matt-adams-eyes-tuesday-return/article_1caac054-d8b7-569d-b056-222fab96361d.html …

JJonesing
God bless you homemade egg and cheese sandwich. God Bless you.

chelsysayshi
People ask where I see myself in a decade. To be honest? Probably where I am right now. Single and eating cheesecake at 3 AM on a work night

chriskelling
@Izek @vinotecastl E-introduction: Izek, Dana. Dana, Izek. Both of you have great taste in juice.

RhymesWithLost
My mom is eating the guacamole @MissionTacoSTL like someone is threatening to take it away. #sogood #herfirsttimehere

carln26
new gas grill just arrived. “Some assmebly required” There will be alcohol. Stay away from me

cookingkid
I explained fractals and chaos theory to my vegetable sales rep today re: romanesco cauliflower. Thank you @LSMSA

Ericstl617h
I think it’s time to let @TheCivilLife know that I have been cheating on the Bitter w/ the ESB. Hot damn that’s a good beer @CivilBrews!

Pigpicker 
It might actually be hard for @kzieff to be grumpy this morning.#BluesandCardswin@miklasz @kzieff

chzmongerswife
Brought home pizza A GOGO last night for dinner. It was amazingly delicious. Thank goodness for seat warmers

Think you should be on this list? Follow us and let us know @saucemag

Think salads are the consolation prize for vegetarians and waistline watchers? Then you haven’t had the Chef Salad at BBC Asian Bar and Cafe. This sweet and spicy starter is salad in its greatest form: Tender marinated squid, warm mushrooms, juicy cucumbers, crisp kaiware sprouts and spicy mayonnaise all come together to deliver bold Asian flavors and an eclectic fusion of textures. So grab your chopsticks and dig in. This should prove once and for all that great salads really do exist.

BBC Asian Bar and Cafe, 243 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 314.361.7770

— photo by Greg Rannells

In theory, it’s easy to be romanced into a stroll around Forest Park when the sun is shining and the trail is lined with the buds of spring. But what’s really worth kicking the covers off on a sleepy Sunday morning? A great cup of coffee. And thanks to Kaldi’s new hand-brew bar, I’m happy to slip on my sneakers to take a walk around (arguably) our city’s most beautiful park whether the Mercury climbs to 100 or drops all the way down to 20. The pot of gold at the end of my six-mile rainbow: a piping hot carafe of hand-brewed pour-over coffee and a cupful of yogurt parfait complete with granola, fresh mint, berries and a layer of spoonable, lickable, craveable citrus-vanilla yogurt. The hour that follows is spent sipping, scooping and some of the finest people-watching in town. So that’s where you’ll find me just about every weekend – I’m the one in the corner with a dirty spoon, a sleepy dog and an empty mug.

Kaldi’s, 700 DeMun Ave., Clayton, 314.727.9955, kaldiscoffee.com

For more from The List 2013: The people, places, dishes and drinks we love, click here.

— photo by Greg Rannells

Thai Food Rising: Just as GQ’s Alan Richman named D.C.’s Northern Thai gem Little Serow the Most Outstanding Restaurant of 2013, our own little outlier from up North opened its doors. At Fork & Stix in The Loop, Southern Thai standbys like pad thai and coconut curry play second fiddle to Northern specialties like pork belly-boasting Hung Lay Curry, lemongrass-laden sausage Sai Oua and the fantastic creamy Khao Soi soup (pictured). Here’s to less stir-fries and more funk.

Gilding the Goat: We’ve long seen goat’s milk used for fresh cheese and get turned into slightly sour desserts. But now the meat of this horn-rimmed roamer is slipping onto menus as well. For a special aptly titled The Goat Rodeo, Guerrilla Street Food braised a goat leg in palm sugar and Filipino lager before shredding it over jasmine rice, and showering it with marinated Napa cabbage, Sriracha cream sauce and scallions. Sidney Street Cafe’s Kevin Nashan turned the tough, strongly flavored flesh into porchetta, while both The Rustic Goat and Five Star Burgers have experimented with grinding it into a rich take on a burger.

Wish List: New Jew Food: From whipped-lardo challah with bacon charoset at The Pass & Provisions in Houston to everything on the menu at Brooklyn’s Montreal-inspired Mile End Deli, classic Jewish deli fare is seeing an artisanal second coming. Could this trend grace STL tables? The gourmet Passover seder Anthony Devoti held at Five Bistro last month gives at least one lox-loving Jew hope.

Fired Up: The barbecue biz is on fire and newly opened Vernon’s BBQ, Hendricks BBQ, SugarFire Smoke House, Lampert’s BBQ, Wilson’s BBQ and Capitalist Pig have rib-lovers from St. Charles to Soulard licking their chops. The perk to opening in chilly temps? Pit masters can work out the kinks before kicking into high gear come prime barbecue season.

Eating Your Curds and Whey: Cheese curds – the semisolid portion of coagulated milk that gets separated from the liquid (whey) during cheese making – are the new finger food. At Five Star Burgers, you can nibble these mozzarella sticks-come-french fries with your burger, atop tomato soup or as a curly-cued bar snack. At Dressel’s Public House, you can dip ‘em into a smoked tomato sauce, and you can munch on Marcoot Creamery’s garlic-and-herb variety with a frothy brew at Perennial Artisan Ales.

Gateway Green: Now that kale has our palates singing the praises of bitter greens, look for mustard greens to make a play for its prominent place on menus. Wilted into goose sugo tagliatelle at Five Bistro, accompanying caramel-edged pork cheeks at Home Wine Kitchen, or sitting pretty beneath sous vide porchetta di testa at Vino Nadoz and rainbow trout at Harvest, these spicy, pungent leaves may even take us beyond new-wave Caesar salads.

The Night Shift: The bracingly bitter Italian liqueur Fernet-Branca isn’t new behind the bar, but it is gaining a broader customer base. At one of the best family of restaurants in town, Fernet appears to be the nightcap of choice for Gerard Craft’s crew.

— photo by Carmen Troesser

{When I devoured the big, fatty hunks of extra smoky, extra thick-cut bacon hiding in the roasted Brussels sprouts at Kelly English Steakhouse last year, I pummeled chef English with questions. Turns out chefs wait years to get their hands on Allan Benton’s bacon, perfectly produced on Benton’s Tennessee farm. I’ve obsessively stalked this swine ever since: tracking it down on menus at Luke, Farmhaus and in this house-made gnocchi at soon-to-open Central Table Food Hall. Last month, I spotted it at The Wine & Cheese Place in Clayton, used it in everything I cooked for the next week and poured its fat into the jar labeled “lard” in my fridge. That’s one point for me. Game on.}

{The floating island has been a staple on Brasserie’s dessert menu for years, but I hadn’t actually tasted it until I, recently, spent a gorgeous Sunday on Brasserie’s patio. After an especially gluttonous brunch of French onion soup, beignets and eggs en cocotte, I was sure I’d take one look at dessert and leave my spoon firmly on the table. But the second I saw that thick pouf of soft meringue, it was all over. A single bite is salty, sweet, creamy and crunchy. Indulgent yet light. Classic yet confounding. If this is what France tastes like, I’ll meet you there tomorrow.     — photo by Ashley Gieseking}

{I first worked with rhubarb last spring, taming its über-tart flavor with a sprinkling of sugar, the zest of juicy oranges and slivers of crystallized ginger. I’ve been dreaming of the vibrant stalks ever since. Now that warm air has finally arrived, these ruby-red beauties are stopping farmers market shoppers in their tracks. I can’t wait to melt them down to jam, bake them into cakes, and stew them with smoky bourbon and a sweet vanilla bean. Some things are simply worth waiting for.}

Daniel Galmiche’s French Brasserie Cookbook seemed like the ideal tool with which to finally conquer duck confit, one of the dishes I have neatly tucked into my “when I have time” folder. To me, duck confit is the epitome of French food: heavy on technique, time, fat and flavor. I imagined myself waking up early on a Sunday morning, weighing down a few duck legs until they released their juices, cooking them in their own rich fat, slathering them in sweet honey and then roasting them in a piping hot pan until their skin crisped and caramelized. Off to the store I went in search of a few fatty duck legs for my big French adventure. Except that my neighborhood store only had duck breasts and, much to my surprise, entire birds. Refusing to fold but determined not to waste any more gas, I called several other stores and received the same answer. More calls, same story. Looking at the calendar, I’d wasted days of valuable cooking time. If by some strange stroke of quack-filled luck I could track down a few duck legs in time for this post, finding 6 to 8 hours to follow Galmiche’s recipe for confit was out of the question. So I decided to make Sauteed Jumbo Shrimp With Chili and Garlic Butter.

A shrimp dish was the very antithesis of my big culinary quest: quick, easy and requiring ingredients that were readily available at the neighborhood market. Hey, if I couldn’t make a recipe that required a focus on the technique and time that characterized French cuisine, at least I could master fat and flavor. After all, the recipe called for an entire stick of butter.

The instructions were short and straightforward: Just saute the raw crustaceans in a generous amount of oil and butter, remove them from heat, add even more butter to the pan, toss in chiles, garlic and fresh parsley, then return the shrimp to the pan just long enough to coat with the pungent sauce and a squeeze of fresh lime.

The result was as simple and delicious as promised, yet the editor in me would have loved a tad more description. For instance, a small handful of parsley is different for me than it is for you. Exactly which kind of red chile are we talking about here? And, at the very least, how many people does this dish serve? But the recipe reminded the food-lover in me of the way cooking – yes, even French cooking – should be: prepared quickly and made with fresh ingredients that are lying around the house.

The finished dish could have used a bit more lime juice and a bit less butter, but those who are used to cooking with a great European butter like Plugra will love the wonderful richness it lends to the sauce. Feel free to add more shrimp to this recipe since there was enough garlicky butter sauce to bathe at least another six. Or you could just do what I did: Grab a loaf of crusty French bread, sop up all that sauce and bask in the rustic French meal you just created (remarkably, in less than 10 minutes).

Sauteed Jumbo Shrimp with Chili and Garlic Butter
Courtesy of Daniel Galmiche
Approximately 2 servings

8 jumbo or 24 small shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 Tbsp. olive oil
6 Tbsp. butter
1 red chile, seeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed with the flat edge of a knife or your hand and finely chopped
1 small handful flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
Juice and zest of 1 lime
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Wash the shrimp and dry them on paper towels.
• Warm the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. When the butter is foaming, throw in the shrimp and saute 4 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.
• Add the remaining butter, chile, garlic and parsley to the skillet. When the butter is foaming, put the shrimp back in the pan and toss 1 to 2 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste, add a few drops of lime juice and sprinkle with the lime zest, then serve immediately. Simple and delicious.

What dish do you consider the epitome of French cuisine and why? Tell us in the comments section below for a chance to win a copy French Brasserie Cookbook. We’ll announce the winner in next week’s By the Book column.

And now, we’d like to congratulate Stephanie, whose comment on last week’s By the Book has won her a copy of Lunch in Provence by Rachel McKenna and Jean-André Charial. Stephanie, keep an eye out for an email from the Sauce crew. 

{John Perkins}

A Good Man is Hard to Find: 360 N. Boyle Ave., St. Louis, 314.632.6754, entrestl.com/presents

If you’ve ever had John Perkins’ food, you know that it is as creative as the ways he delivers it – from his Entre Underground dinners to his first chicken-themed pop-up, Le Coq, this past winter. So hurry up and snag a seat at his newest pop-up, a southern-comfort concept named after the classic Flannery O’Connor short story. Start with a basket of house-baked bread, then bask in the supporting characters – from the pickled beet terrine with goat cheese and blood orange to the jarred sides of house-brined pickles, spiced nuts, sunchoke relish and chow-chow (a low-country mustard-based staple). When you finish off your entree with a blueberry buckle, order it topped with a scoop of buttermilk ice cream, a slightly sour foil to the sweet, juicy berries. This short story ends on Derby Day, so better crack it open soon.

Mission Taco Joint: 6235 Delmar Blvd., The Loop, 314.932.5430, missiontacostl.com

From Adam and Jason Tilford, the busy brothers behind Milagro Modern Mexican, Barrister’s and Tortillaria Mexican Kitchen, comes this über casual ode to the taquerias dotting San Francisco’s Mission district. Seat yourself, then go with the a la carte tacos, wrapped in house-made tortillas and served with a bowl of onions, cilantro and hunks of lime for the squeezing. Brave souls should try the extra-fiery Nopales Taco (That’s Spanish for cactus.), while carnivores who can’t pass on pork belly will enjoy the crispy bits crumbled atop the tender Roasted Duck Tacos. The bar is in the creative and capable hands of Sanctuaria alum Joel Clark, who opted against an obvious tequila-heavy theme (There’s just one, solid margarita.) in favor of unique bottles like Blackwell Jamaican rum and Del Maguey Single Village mezcals. Sip apricot-heavy The Chaplinesque or place a pint glass under one of the 10 local taps.

– photos by Jonathan Gayman and Carmen Troesser

Despite what you might think, food editors actually eat pretty healthfully. It doesn’t take many 12-course tastings to teach you to pace yourself. Plus, we have access to fresh produce, great recipes and some of the best local vendors around. Yet sometimes, a girl’s gotta splurge …

{I drink water like a camel, but every once in a while, I need something with a little more flavor. I’m not one to crave a Diet Coke, but I will treat myself to this Italian blood orange soda from Villa Italia after a trip down the aisles at Trader Joe’s. Sweet, bubbly and flavored just enough to kick a sweet tooth, it’s even better with a splash of gin.}

{After I finish off one of Five Star Burgers‘ grass-fed patties, I deserve the $1 Ice Cream Shooter. This single scoop of Serendipity ice cream – chocolate, vanilla or salted caramel – is perched atop an old-fashioned cake cone that fits perfectly into the palm of my hand. Dessert isn’t bad for me if it only costs a dollar, right?}

{I can resist an entire cake without flinching, but get me within 100 feet of Darrell Lea Strawberry Licorice, and it’s all over. The fact that the licorice is natural, with no artificial flavors or colors, convinces me that I shouldn’t feel bad about ripping open the bag before I even get to the checkout counter. Available at World Market.}