For you home cooks out there, when it comes to Deb Perelman, creator of the celebrated food blog Smitten Kitchen, we’re willing to wager that your crush on her is just about as big as ours. Well, we have good news. For Sauce’s next Celebrity Chef Series presented in partnership with Left Bank Books, Perelman is our star!

Join us on Friday, March 1 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Modesto, located on The Hill, as Perelman demonstrates recipes from her long-awaited The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Tickets are $45 and include lunch and a copy of her new book. You can buy tickets here. Seating is limited.

UPDATE: This event has now sold out.

Perelman isn’t a chef or restaurant owner; she simply believes that cooking should be fun, and the results should be delicious. After her presentation, she will be available for questions and to sign copies of her book.

Let’s hope this warm weather holds out, because a great week of dining out is fast approaching. The 4th annual Clayton Restaurant Week will take place from Monday, January 21 through Sunday, January 27. This year’s lineup includes 17 of Clayton’s fine dining establishments offering a special three-course dinner for a fixed price of $25 per person, plus tax and tip. There are no passes or tickets to buy; simply visit the participating restaurant of your choice, though reservations are recommended as this week tends to get busy. Feeling charitable? Add an “extra helping” of $5 to your bill to benefit Operation Food Search.

WHAT: Clayton Restaurant Week

WHEN: Monday, January 21 to Sunday, January 27. Check with each restaurant for individual dinner hours.

WHERE: Check out the full list of participating Clayton restaurants here.

COST: $25: 3-course meal, plus tax and tip. (If you add a $5 “extra helping” to your check, you can provide a meal for a hungry family through Operation Food Search.)

Are you one of those people who watch reality TV cooking competitions like MasterChef and Chopped, totally convinced you’d best the contestants? Now is your big chance to prove it by participating in the amateur division of the Mardi Gras Crystal Cajun Cook-Off to compete for title of the best Cajun/Creole dish.

This year’s cook-off will take place downtown at the rotunda in City Hall on Saturday, January 26 from noon to 4 p.m. Contestants can submit an appetizer, soup or stew, entree, dessert, or combination of any of the former (although the entire entry must fit on a single serving dish). A panel of judges will score the entry based on taste, originality, presentation and degree of difficulty. For more details about the competition and to download an entry form, visit the event website.

Don’t cook but like to eat? Come join the party. A $35 ticket, available for purchase here, gets you four tickets to sample Cajun/Creole specialties, unlimited samples of Bud Light beer, Southern Comfort hurricanes and soft drinks – and of course, a view of all the action-packed cooking.

Area bartenders continue to shake things up. Last Friday, The Scoop announced that Ted Kilgore was opening a cocktail bar in Lafayette Square. This week, the drinker’s delight is the launch of Matt Seiter’s cocktail book, Sanctuaria: The Dive Bar of Cocktail Bars.

Seiter is the bar manager for Sanctuaria, a restaurant and bar located in The Grove that has developed a reputation for outstanding cocktails. In the first part of the book, Seiter offers background information about the beverage program he developed at Sanctuaria, from the spirits that the bar team uses to the creation of the Sanctuaria Cocktail Club to the 150-drink menu created specifically for that club. The remainder of the book is comprised of recipes, which are divided into three sections. The first section, Libations of Our Creation, features 70 original cocktail recipes. The middle section, Old Timers, is made up of 80 classic drink recipes. And the final section, Home Cooking, includes handfuls of recipes for making juices, infusing spirits and preparing tinctures and other ingredients to outfit a craft cocktail bar.

Seiter’s writing (and some of the boozer quotes he includes) is lively and engaging while photography by Jacqui Segura, Jenna Elizabeth Grissom and Egan O’Keefe brings the 250-page book to life. And since each of the 150 cocktail recipes are accompanied by a photo – such as Kentucky Island and Cinco de Punto (pictured, from left to right)  – when preparing a cocktail, you can use the images to help judge whether your finished version looks anything near as good as Seiter’s.

The hardcover book with a three-ring binder design will be available for purchase at Sanctuaria and online at sanctuariastl.com for $25 plus tax beginning Tuesday, December 11. However, if you can’t wait until tomorrow, a few tickets remain for the release party at Sanctuaria, which begins tonight at 7 p.m. Tickets ($45 for Sanctuaria Cocktail Club members, $50 for non-members) include a copy of the book, plus all you can eat and drink. For ticket information, call 314.535.9700.

Commentary: I first began writing about Seiter (pictured with his parents Kathy and Bill Seiter) in 2010. As the spirits columnist for Sauce, I consider Matt Seiter to be an integral component to the craft cocktail movement in St. Louis. He co-founded the St. Louis Chapter of the United States Bartender Guild and adheres to a philosophy that bartending is a noble profession. In creating the Sanctuaria Cocktail Club, he’s found a way to apply his love of teaching to the world of drinking by encouraging – never demanding – hundreds of imbibers to become educated while they whet their whistle. I am honored that Seiter mentioned me in his book as “The first public figure to notice what I was doing and recognize the ingenuity of it. She helped propel my career in ways I couldn’t.” Seiter is one of a number of the talented bartenders in this community that make it exciting to stay on this beat.

After 13 long years without legal alcohol, on Dec. 5, 1933, the 18^th Amendment was repealed. In celebration of the repeal, don’t worry about costumes and elaborate props; simply celebrate by treating yourself to a drink! Annie Gunn’s in Chesterfield is commemorating today with a special cocktail menu. Head there to try the Prohibition, Calvados Crusta and Irish Old-Fashioned cocktails, or make the Prohibition Cocktail (pictured) for yourself.

Prohibition Cocktail (Annie Gunn’s take on the classic)
Courtesy of Mark Hinkle, bar manager at Annie Gunn’s
Makes 1 cocktail

1 oz. Tanqueray gin
1 oz. Lillet Blanc
½ oz. lemon juice
¼ oz. apricot liqueur

• Mix all ingredients over ice, shake thoroughly and serve up in a martini or cocktail glass.

The majority of the world’s population lives in urban areas, which invariably raises concern regarding the usage of resources and the resulting environmental effects. Recognizing these issues, Washington University’s Office of Sustainability is hosting its first annual conference: Sustainable Cities. The conference, which started on Thursday and extends through Saturday, November 3, will end with a talk, reception and book signing by Anna Lappé, author, educator, sustainable food advocate and a founding principal of the Small Planet Institute. She also just so happens to be the daughter of Frances Moore Lappé who authored Diet for a Small Planet, which many consider the bible for sustainable eaters. She will be speaking on how sustainable farming plays a large part in helping to solve the global warming crisis. Her lecture will take place at 2:30 p.m. in room 300 of the Laboratory Sciences building on Washington University’s Danforth Campus. Other notable speakers include LEED-accredited architect Joyce S. Lee, St. Louis City Director of Sustainability Catherine Werner and Pulitzer-winning journalist Paul Salopek. To register for the event or to learn more, click here.

Does your dog give you those puppy dog eyes every time you sample another delicious treat at Food Truck Friday but refuse to share? Chef Michael’s doesn’t think that’s right. Today, representatives for Chef Michael’s, a Purina dog food brand, will be at Food Truck Friday in a dog-centric food truck. From 2 to 7 p.m., on the southwest side of Tower Grove Park, the truck will hand out dog food samples. If you want to get your tail wagging too, be one of the first 250 people to visit the truck for a voucher (up to $10) to one of these participating food trucks: Papa Tom’s Fancy Franks, 2 Girls 4 Wheels and Go Gyro Go.

Do you think dogs have been left out of the food truck trend too? Sign Chef Michael’s Paw-tition on Facebook.

Looking for a unique way to experience the local culinary scene? Check out StL Culinary Tours, a brand new business that offers guided tours of gems from the St. Louis food scene. Guests of the tour will enjoy an intimate evening of food and drink in the company of chefs, beverage experts, artisan food producers and local farmers. The newly launched tour company is a project by self-proclaimed “culinary evangelist” Beth Huch in response to what she calls the region’s growing appreciation for all things culinary.

The first guided tours – scheduled for October 4 and 18 as well as November 1 and 15 – will showcase Maplewood’s culinary scene. At the boutique shop Vom Foss, guests will enjoy a craft cocktail, learn about innovative oil and vinegar pairings, and leave with two of their favorite oils and vinegars in hand. Moving on to Italian restaurant Acero, guests will enjoy dinner and wine in a private dining room where chef Adam Gnau will create appetizers, pasta dishes and entrees. The tour culminates at the cocktail lounge Water Street Cafe, where brother-sister team Gabe and Maria Kveton will prepare dessert and a nightcap for guests. Each tour begins at 6 p.m. and is limited to 10 guests.

Subsequent tours are being planned for downtown St. Louis, Clayton, Webster Groves, Central West End and Chaumette Winery. StL Culinary Tours also offers private, corporate, alumni and group tours, as well as gift certificates. For more information, including pricing, or to reserve your spot on a tour, visit the company website.

The St. Louis craft distilling scene is booming, and we can’t think of any better way to celebrate than with a toast. Area distillers Square One Brewery and Distillery, Pinckney Bend Distillery, Crown Valley Brewing & Distilling Co., The Big O, Mastermind Vodka and St. Louis Distillery will be showcasing their artisanal spirits at the St. Louis Classic Cocktail Party at Lafayette Square Park on Saturday, Sept. 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. Held in conjunction with the park’s free Summer Concert Series, entrance to the event is free, while a $2 drink ticket will allow you to sample a spirit or cocktail made with one of the local elixirs. Proceeds benefit The Arts Council of Lafayette Square.

If you want to get a jump-start on your gin, vodka, whiskey and ginger liqueur samplings before the St. Louis Classic Cocktail Party, you’re in luck, as many area restaurants will be showcasing these local products during the week of September 3. On Tuesday, Sept. 4, for instance, Sub Zero will host a vodka tasting. On Thursday, Sept. 6, Square One is throwing a whiskey dinner that pairs various Square One whiskeys – including experimental batches – with each course. And throughout the week, Taste, Salt, Niche and Demun Oyster Bar will feature cocktails made using local spirits, while Sanctuaria will shake St. Louis spirits in cocktails paired with food.

Check out the St. Louis Classic Cocktail Party Facebook page for more information on events.

Besides those must-haves from Target that always “accidentally” end up in your cart, what can 25 bucks buy you these days? Not a whole lot. But don’t despair. Downtown Restaurant Week is back and ready to stretch your dollar quite a long way.

Starting Monday, August 20 and running through August 26, at DRW, you can treat yourself to a three-course prix fixe meal. Don’t worry about coupons or punch cards; simply show up to one of this year’s 20 participating restaurants. We do suggest making a reservation, though, and mentioning “Downtown Restaurant Week” when you do – last year the event attracted around 20,000 diners over the course of the week.

What’s even better than an affordable three-course dinner? Well, yes, a four-course meal, but also a charity tie-in. At DRW, through Operation Food Search, patrons can add a $5 “Extra Helping” donation to their dining bill. Last year, DRW raised almost $10,000 for this cause. For more information, visit downtownrestaurantweek.net.

WHAT: Downtown Restaurant Week

WHEN: Monday, August 20 through Sunday, August 26. Check with each restaurant for individual dinner hours.

WHERE: At participating downtown restaurants (see the whole shebang below).

COST: $25 for a three-course meal, plus tax and tip. (If you add a $5 “extra helping” to your check, you can provide a meal for a hungry family through Operation Food Search.)

WHO’S PARTICIPATING: (Check out the menus here.)

Anthony’s Bar

Blondie’s Coffee and Wine Bar

Carmine’s Steak House

Cielo Restaurant and Bar (Four Seasons Hotel)

Clark Street Grill (Westin Hotel)

Copia Restaurant and Wine Garden

The Dubliner

Gio’s Ristorante & Bar

Harry’s Restaurant and Bar

Jim Edmonds 15 Steakhouse

Lola

Lombardo’s Trattoria (Drury Union Station)

Lucas Park Grille & Market

Mango Peruvian Cuisine

Mike Shannon’s Steaks & Seafood

Mosaic Modern Fusion

Rosalita’s Cantina

Ruth’s Chris Steak House (Hyatt)

Stadium Sports Bar and Grill (Lumiere Place)

Top of the Riverfront (Millennium Hotel)