Are you a vodka fanatic or a vodka skeptic? Whichever side you sit on, Battle of the Bartenders, taking place this evening at Three Sixty rooftop lounge, should interest you. If you snub your nose at vodka, the cocktails being concocted by some talented area bartenders might just change your mind. And if you’re already a vodka die-hard, you’ll be all over those complimentary samples and drink specials featuring Salute American vodka.

Tonight marks the final round of the cocktail contest hosted by the St. Louis-based vodka brand. Over the course of the last few weeks, Salute American has held preliminary rounds, challenging local bartenders to mix a great tasting drink using its vodka with no more than four other ingredients.

The field has been narrowed to eight finalists who will wage war with a glass this evening in hopes of walking away with a $1,000 grand prize. The participants (and their affiliations) are: Andy Brown (Lucas Park Grille), Chantel Davis (Side Pockets), Alli Hull (Sub Zero Vodka Bar), Brandon Love (Three Sixty), Elliott Mellow (BBQ ASAP), Tim Rabior (Salt), Justin Sampson (Boogaloo) and Chris Wheeler (Three Sixty).

A panel of judges, including Sauce’s publisher Allyson Mace, will assess the drinks on taste, presentation and name, which should reflect a Salute American theme.

The event begins at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

As a 19-year-old, I can’t help but admit how sleek I feel to finally be an adult with financial responsibilities and no mom-and-dad rules to follow. (I also still get a kick out of calling adults by their first names!) However, some parts of me really don’t change; I’m not ashamed to confess that my food of choice is still cereal.

As much as I enjoy chomping through bowls of sugary cereal in the privacy of my own home, as of late (in my new adult life), I have found myself wishing there were restaurants that incorporated my favorite crunchy carb.

Enter my Sauce internship.

After doing some research on the celebrity chef, Richard Blais, I stumbled upon what might be the greatest homage to the blessed boxed breakfast. At Blais’ restaurant Flip Burger Boutique, he serves Captain Crunch milkshakes crafted with liquid nitrogen. Captain Crunch and milkshakes? Two foods that I ravenously binge on when I need to raise my serotonin levels – placed in harmony? Perfection.

Unfortunately, this drink can only be found hundreds of miles away in Atlanta. So I set out to find a suitable substitute.

After scouring menus, I discovered that Sanctuaria recently featured chocolate chip cookies with a Cinnamon Toast Crunch ganache, but it was only on the menu as a temporary dessert. I also found that Strange Donuts is planning on featuring a Captain Crunch doughnut, but alas, this Maplewood doughnut shop hasn’t yet opened. I was going to have to get creative.

Eventually, I found a worthy treat at Fitz’s in The Loop: the S’mores float.

Although the S’mores float is a play on the backyard bonfire treat, it reminds me of one of my favorite cereals, Kellogg’s Smorz; therefore, I am counting it. Whether you’re a fan of the traditional dessert or Smorz cereal, this float is a must-try in every regard.

The S’mores float successfully spreads the joy out across a freezing cold mug, beginning with cream soda and building upwards to chocolate ice cream, marshmallow fluff, whipped cream, Hershey’s chocolate sauce and an artfully placed graham cracker on top. The best part, though, is the fluff. This sticky paste was so good that I timed how I ate all the other ingredients to make sure that it was in every bite. As much as I would love to see 100 more floats that incorporate my favorite cereals, for now, this one does the trick.

Have you found any dishes or desserts at local restaurants that incorporate cereal? If you have, let us know where! 

You’re more likely to roast a free-range chicken and a stalk of organic Brussels sprouts for dinner if you don’t have to fight through the crowded aisles at the grocery store to get them. In early February, Green BEAN Delivery did your to-do list a favor, delivering fresh produce and perishables to St. Louisans’ doorsteps each week. Sound familiar? Think again. Here, 10 ways Green BEAN Delivery is making healthy eating more convenient, affordable and accessible.

1. It’s not just for herbivores. In addition to bringing customers 40 to 60 produce options each week, Green BEAN works with local artisans to offer more than 1,000 grocery items like pork, beef, chicken, bread, coffee and milk.

2. You don’t even need to turn on the ignition. Green BEAN makes more then 400 deliveries each week to more than 700 active customers as far west as Pacific and as far east as Edwardsville. Talk about door-to-door service.

3. You’re supporting several local producers. While a traditional CSA is based around one farm, Green BEAN builds networks with as many local artisans and farmers as possible. So in one bin, you could have goodies from Big Bison Meat Co., Boeckmann Family Farms, Good Earth Egg Co., Buttonwood Farm, Geisert Farm, Heartland Creamery, Dogtown Frozen Pizzas, Companion Bread and Mississippi Mud Coffee.

4. What you see is what you get. There is no sign-up fee or long-term commitment, just a $35 minimum for each order.

5. Leaving town for a few weeks and want deliveries paused? No problem. You can plan up to 12 weeks ahead of time through an online calendar. Check off the dates you want delivery to be suspended, and no food – or money – will be wasted.

6. Bins are highly customizable. When the online store opens at 3 p.m. on Thursdays, you can view the produce bin that’s been created for you. Want to swap out beets and kale for apples and oranges? Go right ahead. You can choose from a selection of 30 to 50 substitutes.

7. Products are all natural and preservative free. Each item’s label tells you where (local, Midwest region, U.S., tropical, Canada or Mexico) and how it was grown (certified organic, sustainably or conventionally).

8. If you’re lucky, you might come across a red, white and blue potato, like the American Pride potato one farmer produced last year around the Fourth of July.

9. You can give as you gather. The first stop Green BEAN Delivery made in St. Louis was to the St. Louis Area Food Bank, where it dropped off one ton of fresh produce. Customers can donate to the food bank every week by leaving canned goods in their empty bins. As part of its Constant Canned Food Drive, Green BEAN will deliver and match any donations with leftover commodities from the week.

10. You can meet your farmers. Want to know more about the hardworking men and women whose goodies arrive at your door each week? Just head to greenbeandelivery.com/missouri/ to read all about them – and to snag some healthy recipes.

Green BEAN Delivery, greenbeandelivery.com/missouri/ 

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

{Braised Carrot: barigoule, quinoa, dill, chive, yeast}

Did Gerard Craft break your heart when he moved Niche from the city’s quaint yet quirky Benton Park to the county’s corporate yet classy Clayton? Did you sigh with resignation when you learned the new Niche dropped a la carte entrees in favor of its four-course prix fixe and nine-course tasting menus? Craft offers no apologies. As the owner of four top St. Louis restaurants, he doesn’t have to.

Read the rest of Michael Renner’s review of Niche, here.

— photo by Carmen Troesser

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

Extract the juice from the cereal grass sorghum, reduce it, and you end up with a brown syrup that’s thinner and less sweet than molasses. Restaurants around town have shown that meat and sorghum go together like bees and honey, from Salt’s signature sorghum-lacquered duck to the pool of smoky sorghum gastrique that surrounded roast chicken at Niche. Last summer, Harvest chef-owner Nick Miller used the stylish sweetener in a mustard barbecue sauce to accompany sous vide rubbed pork steak, erstwhile chef Josh Galliano was using sorghum as a glaze for pork belly at his All-Star Chicken and Fish pop-up restaurant. Then there’s Farmhaus’ Sweet Sophie bourbon-barrel-aged sorghum syrup that sealed the deal this fall on its brioche French toast – whether served as a savory beginning to the meal when topped with foie gras or as a sweet ending to it when served with rhubarb jam and rhubarb ice cream. Got a hankering for a drizzle at home? Grab a bottle of Missouri sorghum from Sandhill Farm, sold at numerous independent grocery and specialty stores.

Herbaceous Salers Gentiane is picking up steam. Although only recently appearing behind bars in the U.S., this muted yellow liqueur made of gentian root and white wine has held court with other French aperitifs since the 19th century. When sipped solo and sans ice, Salers runs a bit wild, but its bold, bittersweet flavor hits the mark when gunned with bubbly club soda over rocks and garnished with an orange twist. For a sophisticated spin, stir up a white Negroni using equal parts London Dry-style gin, Punt e Mes and this gentian gem, adding a lemon twist if you wish. Look for Salers at well-stocked area liquor stores. Approximately $20.

{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