Boogaloo

Rick Wilhelm, the real estate broker handling the sale of the business located at 7344 Manchester Road, stated that Boogaloo, which opened approximately five years ago, is successful but that restaurateurs Charlie Downs and Mike Johnson, along with their six other partners, are ready to hang it up.

One major reason for the sale: Downs, who has 30 percent controlling interest, faces heath problems and is busy operating his other restaurants including Cyrano’s in Webster Groves and two Imo’s Pizza establishments. Downs also volunteers his time to various activities, including serving as a board member of the newly instituted Webster Groves Farmers Market.

While Downs admitted that the business has had some trouble in recent years (the restaurant lost 20 percent of its business during the year and a half Highway 40 was closed, he said), he insisted that the restaurant has no bank debt and is not failing. Wilhelm noted that in 2006, before the economic crisis hit, the 3,500-square-foot restaurant reached a peak gross of $1.5 million. To continue with that level of success, Wilhelm said, “It needs a guy who is an owner-occupant that will work the district doing what Charlie does in Webster.”

Those interested can call Wilhelm at 314.965.1101 or e-mail him.

Have scoop on restaurants opening, closing or changing their menu in the St. Louis area? Email us at Scoop@saucemagazine.com.

“I have a lot of students coming from Washington University and they have been telling me to open something in The Loop,” said Sandhe, who launched the original location at 10633 Page Ave., in Maryland Heights in 2002. “There is no Indian restaurant in The Loop, and we are 100 percent vegetarian. Hopefully it will work.”

The menu at both locations will be the same. If you haven’t eaten at Gokul before, Sandhe recommends appetizers such as the vegetable pakora (deep fried mixed veggies served with tamarind and mint chutney) and samosas. Among the entrées, a customer fave is paneer tikka masala. The classic dish is prepared at Gokul with housemade cheese cooked with bell peppers, tomatoes and onions in a creamy garlic-tomato sauce served with rice. Sandhe also suggests surati undhiyu, a mixed vegetable dish that hails from the Indian state Gujarat. “It’s made out of sweet potatoes, eggplant, yam – seven different kinds of vegetables [in all], and you eat it with puri and rice.”

If you can’t decide on one thing, try it all. The buffet, which includes some 32 items, is just $9.99. And vegans, mark your calendar for the second and fourth Monday of the month, when Gokul will offer a vegan buffet at The Loop location. It will feature the same menu items as the regular buffet but without butter, milk or other animal by-products. The restaurant on Page offers a vegan buffet on the first and third Monday of each month.

Sandhe hopes for an Oct. 2 opening but warns that it could be as late as Oct. 15 before the doors are unlocked.

To get in the spirit of things, we begin by sharing news of a month’s worth of spirits tastings that debuts tonight at The Wine and Cheese Place on Forsyth Boulevard in Clayton.

This evening’s tasting, which runs from 5 to 7 p.m., features Wisconsin distillery Death’s Door. Company founder Brian Ellison will even be on hand to give you the inside scoop on his company’s vodka, gin and white whisky.

We’re also excited to see North Shore from Chicago coming to TWCP on Sept. 17. The maker of gin, vodka, Absinthe Verte and aquavit recently released a barrel-aged cocktail called the CR2 that was built on the flavor profile – as opposed to the actual ingredients – of the Corpse Reviver No. 2. (Those would be gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc, lemon juice and absinthe.) North Shore co-founder Sonja Kassebaum will be there to share secrets as you sip.

The September tastings schedule includes many other fine distillers including: Minnesota-based Haus Alpenz, tequila labels Corrido and Milagro, yo-ho-ho spiced rum maker Sailor Jerry, famous single malt scotch whisky distilleries Balvenie and Glenfiddich, plus newbie to old-world scotch Compass Box and Germain Robin, the California maker of hand-distilled brandies and grappa.

The tastings are free and don’t require a reservation. For details on dates and times, click here.

This hearty helping of protein is served up at The U., the sandwich joint that caters to St. Louis University students in Midtown.

On Saturday, Sept. 11, the restaurant will take lunch to a whole new level with the Eat a Graduate Competition, a race to down this gullet-stretching burger. First prize is $250 cash.

The U.’s owner, Adam Kustra, is hoping for between 30 and 50 people to show up and go for the gusto. But there will be no dilly dallying here; the contest, which benefits a scholarship fund at the SLU Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, will be quick. Kustra expects the winner to finish the sandwich – which weighs in at about two pounds – in less than four minutes.

“This is the beginning of a regular challenge, too,” said Kustra. “Pretty soon, we’re going to have this every day, where whoever eats the Graduate under a certain number of minutes gets his photo on the wall. It’s fun – it adds nostalgia to the whole college experience.”

The Eat a Graduate Competition includes food and beer specials, live music, prizes, an eating contest featuring local celebrities and the contest itself at about 4 p.m. Find more details and an entry form at www.eatagraduate.com

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Ericstl6
Pretty sure I just heard the ony gal here at Soulard @iTAPbeer say, “Are you ashamed of your penis?”

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Is it weird that I’m sitting here alone, with a glass of Pinot Noir, watching a movie about Women’s Roller Derby? I should go fix a car.

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@Farmhauseric Infusing vodka with @YellowTreeFarm schezuan buttons? Now that is a vodka I’d like to sample.

YellowTreeFarm
Drinking mulberry leaf tea that I picked and roasted this spring. It tastes like a complex formosa oolong tea.Very creamy, smooth and sweet.

jonathanolson
I’ve deep cleaned my house, car and cooked at home for the first time in months. Also wrote up a business plan, just for fun.

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Just picked up 2 bottles @schlafly Raspberry Coffee Stout.Culinaria emp said already sold 6 boxes only 10 left & not even on the shelves yet

We’re excited to announced that many of the photographs from last week’s show are now on display at Niche Restaurant on Sidney Street, and next door at Taste by Niche. These images, taken by Sauce’s group of incredibly talented photographers, will stay up for your perusal throughout September. All of the images lining the Niche walls are framed, matted and available for purchase. Between the great food and the gorgeous photography, we hope you’ll stop by for a delicious meal and plenty of eye candy!

Olson, who has lived in Edwardsville for more than a decade and has spent nearly five years in the restaurant business, stated that he does not plan on leaving the St. Louis area. “I’m taking time off. I’m not in a hurry to get a new job,” he said.

In three weeks, Olson will travel to New York City for the StarChef.com International Chefs Congress. He then plans on heading south to Houston, where he can catch up with family and stage at restaurants for a week. “I’ve staged at a couple places there before. Basically, I’m taking the month of September off,” he summed.

Olson assumed the restaurant’s executive chef post in January when chef Kevin Willmann opened his own restaurant, Farmhaus, in St. Louis city. Of his time spent helming Erato’s kitchen, Olson stated, “I just tried to prepare really good food out of that little kitchen.”

Photo by Brian Fagnani

Other coverage of Joanthan Olson

Vytlacil, who has been tending bar for seven years and currently stirs and shakes at Franco in Soulard, squared off against 11 other contestants, including fellow St. Louisan Chris Muether (pictured, right) of Danno’s American Pub. Also on hand was nationally lauded mixologist Ted Kilgore (also pictured) of Taste by Niche, who served as one of the judges.

This year – the fourth for the competition – was the largest yet. Bartenders from as far away as the East Coast submitted an original recipe for the event and an estimated 500 cocktail lovers packed the Uptown Theatre in Kansas City to watch the finalists in action.

More on our coverage of the Greater Kansas City Bartender Competition

More on our coverage of TJ Vytlacil

Welcome to Fact or Fiction, a new online column in which we dive into the truth behind some well-accepted foodie wives’ tales – and reveal whether they’re fact or fiction.

All alcohol burns off when cooking

Fiction: While professionals can’t agree on whether all the alcohol truly burns off when boiling or simmering a sauce, most studies have shown that at least some alcohol remains in food after cooking. Alcohol has a lower boiling point than water, so it’s commonly assumed that the alcohol will begin to evaporate before the water does. This much is true. However, even after boiling or simmering a sauce, some alcohol can still remain – the amount, though, can differ. It all depends on how long you cook it, at what temperature and the concentration of the cooking method.

According to a 2003 study by the USDA, the amount of alcohol remaining in food after it’s cooked can range greatly – from 5 percent to 85 percent. The most affective method of removing alcohol from a sauce, according to the study, is to bake or simmer it for several hours. The least affective? Adding it to a boiling liquid, quickly flambéing it and then removing it from the heat.

Tomorrow night, you can peruse 40 of the most mouthwatering of these photos, framed and available for purchase, at the very first Sauce: The Photographs event, held at downtown’s Philip Slein Gallery at 1319 Washington Ave. The show starts at 6 p.m., and no tickets are needed; admission to the event is absolutely free.

Sounds like quite a tasty Saturday night to us. See you tomorrow!