The Chesterfield Valley wasn’t always The Chesterfield Valley. When I was a kid, that area was grassland and soccer fields as far as the eye could see. Oh, and there was The Smokehouse Market. After two or three hours of running after a black-and-white speckled ball (or away from it, in my athletically inept case), my prize for the energy exerted was lunch at The Smokehouse Market. We’d go up to the counter and stand on our tippy toes to order a smattering of house-made items, forming makeshift sandwiches out of fresh cheeses and roasted vegetables on thickly sliced whole-grain bread. Dessert was a chocolate chip cookie from the counter right next to the cash register that my sister and I had to split. When the flood devastated the area in ’93, I worried that my beloved lunchtime market had gone with it. Indeed, it had filled with several feet of water, as had Annie Gunn’s restaurant that sat next to it. But fortunately, Tom Sehnert, who owned both eateries, planned to rebuild.

Enter chef Lou Rook. Together, Rook and Sehnert created a new concept for Annie Gunn’s – one that infused fine-dining reliability with farm-to-table roots. After a series of slow changes to the menu, everything from the meat to the produce to the cheese came from local farms, and the food that Rook created using these ingredients was fantastic. Twenty years later, chef Rook has released his first cookbook, Rook Cooks: Simplicity at Its Finest, filled with many of the mainstay dishes that have made Annie Gunn’s worthy of a trip to Chesterfield for even the most jaded critics of West County.

As we finish up our month of cooking from cookbooks penned by St. Louis culinary stars, I was ecstatic to cook from one of my very favorite chefs in town (Bonus: Chef Rook is an incredibly nice guy.). This recipe for mussels epitomizes what I believe Rook is trying to accomplish with this book: quality yet easy-to-find ingredients that are prepared simply to provide big flavor. (I must note that not all of the recipes in this book do so, such as those which call for making stocks and sauces that, on their own, would take many hours and dollars.) And boy did this one deliver. The 1/3 cup of minced garlic and the full tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes tossed into the broth made for a load of flavor that tickled my taste buds with every bite. While milder palates may prefer to knock the garlic and pepper flakes down a few notches, my heat-loving household happily sopped it up with the grilled bread I served alongside.

For the tomatoes, Rook recommends the only canned tomatoes that you should ever buy: San Marzanos, available at just about any corner grocery. I opted for the white wine I had in the fridge, but if you happen to have vermouth lying around, by all means pop it open for this savory and spicy broth. I do wish Rook was a bit clearer on the rest of the ingredient list, however. After all, what exactly is pure olive oil and did I really need it? A call to Extra Virgin, An Olive Ovation in Clayton quickly answered that question: “Mussels will taste better with extra virgin,” owner Marianne Prey quickly affirmed. And what is clam broth? A little research proved that it’s just the juice that canned clams are packed in. The grilled bread mentioned in the title of Rook’s recipe was left out of the recipe completely, but figuring out how to make it proved easy.

The instructions, however, were fairly spot-on, especially the note on how to de-beard the mussels and smoothing out the sauce with a touch of honey. It worked like a charm. The only tweak I’d recommend: more mussels. With a 28-ounce can of tomatoes and a full 2 cups of clam broth, this broth was begging for more of those meaty little prizes inside the shell. Next time, I’d double the number of mussels and make this a meal for four.

Twenty years after the flood, I’m still a regular at both of Rook’s eateries as they both continue to hold a special place in my heart. On the day my boyfriend and I brought home our first puppy, we sat on the patio at The Smokehouse and ate fresh cheese and roasted vegetable sandwiches. While The Valley may now just, unfortunately, be The Valley, Annie Gunn’s and The Smokehouse Market remain the gems among a breathtakingly large line of chain restaurants. And that makes this cookbook a treasure of its own.

Steamed Prince Edward Island Mussels in a Spicy Tomato Vermouth Broth with Grilled Crusted Bread
2 Servings 

24 Prince Edward Island Mussels
¼ cup pure olive oil
1/3 cup minced garlic
1 Tbsp. red peppercorn flakes
1/3 cup dry vermouth or white wine
1 28-oz. can crushed tomato, preferably San Marzano, Muir Glen or your homemade crushed tomatoes
2 cups clam broth (Note: I used the juice from canned clams.)
Italian parsley
Basil (optional)
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. honey (optional)
Kosher salt, to taste
Butter (optional)

• Scrub the outer shells of the mussels and de-beard them. Set the mussels aside.
• Add the pure olive oil to a 4-quart stockpot and begin heating the oil on high heat.
• Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook them to a light toast.
• Deglaze the pot with the vermouth, then add the crushed tomatoes and clam broth. Let the pot simmer for 30 minutes.
• Add the mussels and steam them until they open.
• Lift the mussels out of the sauce with a strainer or slotted spoon and place them onto a platter or into two bowls.
• Finish the sauce with Italian parsley, basil, 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and salt to taste.

Presentation:
• Spoon the sauce over the top of the mussels and garnish to your liking with fresh herbs.

Notes:

1. To de-beard mussels, simply use a rag to pull the beards from the mussels while you are washing them. The beard is the part of the mussel that hands outside of the shell.
2. If the sauce seems a little on the acidic side, smooth it out with honey.
3. Prince Edward Island is world-renowned for their high-quality mussels with distinctive flavor – they truly do set the standard. The broth can be made in advance and can hold up to a week in the refrigerator.
4. Butter is always good in anything, so you can add a little to finish the sauce if you would like.

Recommended Beverages:
Light lager, wheat beer, riesling, Gewürztraminer or Missouri Traminette

What’s your favorite memory from The Smokehouse Market or Annie Gunn’s? Tell us about it in the comments section below for a chance to win a copy of Rook Cooks. We’ll announce the winner in next week’s By the Book column.

And now, we’d like to congratulate Joe, whose comment on last week’s By the Book has won him a copy of Stone Soup Cottage: A Vignette of Seasonal Recipes. Joe, keep an eye out for an email from the Sauce crew. 

We appreciate history in this fair city of ours, including storied restaurants. A place like Cafe Balaban held attraction for years as a see and be seen spot in the Central West End. While the sign on the doors at 405 N. Euclid Ave., now bears the name of a different crowd pleaser, Herbie’s Vintage 72, Steve McIntyre and Brian Underwood gave our old favorite life again when they opened Balaban’s Wine Cellar & Tapas Bar in Chesterfield in 2009.

Now, with a recently completed expansion, which includes a new private event space and an intimate wine room (pictured above) that doubles as the treasure-trove for Balaban’s Library Wines (special bottles from the original Cafe Balaban cellar), McIntyre and Underwood are giving wine lovers more reasons to pass through the doors of their wine shop and restaurant at 1772 Clarkson Road. Need an excuse to grab a glass at Balaban’s this weekend? Here are three:

1. Complimentary tastings. Balaban’s consistently earns a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for its cellar selections. Every Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m., you can sample fine wines for free and become wine savvy by chatting up the knowledgeable staff.

2. Wine dinners done right. When it comes to wine dinners, Balaban’s puts on a great show. This Sunday marks the restaurant’s popular Siduri Wine Dinner and will feature winemaker Adam Lee, who produces single vineyard Pinot Noir from 20 vineyards, which stretch from Santa Barbara, Calif., to the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The five-course dinner, held in the gracious new event space (pictured above), should be a feast for all your senses. To make a reservation for the $85 (plus tax and gratuity) affair, call 636.449.6700.

3. The wine club. Priced at $35 a month, the Balaban’s Wine Club is a darn good deal. On the first Wednesday of each month, you’ll not only grab your two bottles (along with tasting notes), but you can stick around to sample additional wines, nosh on appetizers and mingle with other members. It’s a happy hour dubbed the Pick-up Party, and it alone is a reason to join. Plus, if you like what Balaban’s retail wine manager and wine club director Scott Krietemeyer (pictured) is pouring that evening, you can take home a bottle at a discounted price.

— photos by Michelle Volanksy

On these cold winter nights, have you been wishing that your home (or office or car or desk …) had a fireplace?

At EdgeWild, evoke the joys of camping without all the hard work. The circular fire room is the spot to warm up, grab drinks and gather ’round a fire with friends. Who wants to weather the chill of the great outdoors anyway?

EdgeWild Restaurant & Winery, 550 Chesterfield Center, Chesterfield, 636.532.0550, edgewildwinery.com

— photo by Jonathan Gayman

Windowsills Cafe & Market is readying to open in Ellisville at 1326 Clarkson Clayton Center, next to Dierberg’s. The counter-service cafe will feature smoked foods, house-made sides, pies and Belgian waffles, while the marketplace will carry locally prepared sauces and jams and other specialty food items. The cafe-market, which The Scoop reported on last August, is the newest project by Jeff Allee, owner of Wildwood Pub & Grill. An employee at the pub stated that Windowsills is expected to open sometime this week.

The Press Box in Chesterfield is being reconceptualized as Scarecrow. Besides a new name, the space at 1095 Chesterfield Parkway will see a facelift and a new menu that will transform it from sports bar to upscale-casual restaurant by mid-January, as reported by Feast.

In addition, Chicago-based Prasino is opening a location in St. Charles. Prasino, which is the Greek word for “green,” is built on a concept of sustainability – from the locally sourced ingredients for the food (pictured) to the eco-friendly processes put in place in the kitchen. The restaurant will be located at 1520 S. Fifth St., with an anticipated opening of March, reports Feast.

Finally, while the calendar just flipped to 2013, diners thinking ahead to next year can look forward to the arrival of Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant in Town and Country. Cooper’s Hawk will be located at 1000-1272 Town and Country Crossing Drive at the intersection of Clayton and Woods Mill Roads, as reported by Evan Binns of the St. Louis Business Journal and the Post-Dispatch’s Evan Benn. The Cooper’s Hawk concept includes an upscale casual dining restaurant, full-service bar, private barrel-aging room, and Napa-style tasting room and retail gift store. The restaurant chain currently has 11 locations spread across five states, with expansion plans for four additional locations, including the St. Louis site.

Stephanie and David Stitt, owners of Veritas Gateway to Food and Wine, have announced that they are moving their restaurant and wine shop from its Chesterfield location at 1722 Clarkson Road in the Dierbergs Market Place (pictured) to the corner of Clarkson and Clayton Roads in Ellisville, in the space between Life Time Fitness and that formerly occupied by Straub’s. Veritas will close in mid-January and unveil its new space in early May.

A letter sent to supporters yesterday stated that, “We are keeping all the stuff that makes Veritas such a special place.” Among those core elements is the open kitchen helmed by the owners’ son, Mathis Stitt, who develops a menu each week based on local, seasonal ingredients (Sauce reviewed Veritas this past July.). The retail shop, stocked with wines selected by David Stitt and specialty culinary-related products, is also staying.

The announcement noted that the increased space at the new location will allow Veritas to offer a full bar with cocktails and a bar food menu, cooking classes, and an expanded kitchen that will “allow for even greater creativity and flexibility” in the restaurant’s menu offerings.

In preparation for the move, Veritas is holding an inventory reduction sale. Shop merchandise will be discounted beginning today, while wines will be sold at a discount starting Thursday, December 27. Additional discounts will continue until doors close at the original Clarkson location on Monday, January 14.

— Jonathan Gayman

{Chicken at PM BBQ}

‘Tis the season to relocate. By now, all of St. Louis – and most of Foodie U.S.A. – knows that doors are unlocked at Niche in its new home at 7734 Forsyth Blvd., in Clayton. But a change of address is trending for a number of area restaurants. Today marks the first lighting of the ‘cue at 161 Long Road in Chesterfield, the new location for PM BBQ. The pitmasters up and moved their smoker from 103 Chesterfield Towne Center to the southwest corner of Long and Edison Roads. PM’s dining digs have doubled while the “way bigger kitchen,” as described by one employee, will enable those in the back of the house to maneuver more easily and facilitate catering. Also now open is Sapore Italian Cafe. Chef-owner Paul Buzzetta announced in mid-October that he would be relocating the restaurant from its space in Ballwin to 451 S. Kirkwood Road, where just weeks ago the shingle hung for Branica of Kirkwood.

Finally, keep your eyes posted on the Lafayette Fire Company No. 1 Facebook page. The restaurant left Lafayette Square in September and will soon be ringing the dinner bell at 3518 Hampton Ave., formerly occupied by Da Baldo’s Trattoria. The most recent post, dated November 14, on Lafayette Fire Company No. 1’s Facebook page reads: “We are doing all we can to finish up the building to meet all the requirements. Our intention is to open as soon as we can. Hopefully if all works out we can set a [sic] opening day soon. Thanks for your patience!!”

— Photo by Carmen Troesser

Good news West County dwellers: Océano Bistro will be opening its second location tomorrow night, August 1, at 16125 Chesterfield Parkway West, a space formerly occupied by Andria’s Steakhouse. The restaurant will feature the same menu as its Clayton location, which was named the favorite for seafood cuisine in this year’s  Readers’ Choice Poll, but it will hold more people. The new space occupies 7,000 square feet and includes 230 seats, three private dining rooms and a large bar. The new restaurant will be open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday for brunch at 10 a.m., with lunch and dinner to follow until 9 p.m.

Expansion is the phrase of the moment for numerous eateries around town.

Old Town Donuts recently added a seven-days-a-week location in Cottleville at 3941 Mid Rivers Mall Drive. The other Old Town Donuts has called 508 New Florissant Road in Old Town Florissant home since 1980.

Watch for Sweetie Pie’s soul food rock star Robbie Montgomery to unlock the doors at her third restaurant soon. Sweetie Pie’s Upper Crust will be located at 3643 Delmar Blvd., just west of Grand Boulevard in Midtown.

Finally, seafood restaurant Oceano Bistro is expanding beyond the city limits of its home in Clayton. Locale No. 2 will take the space at 16125 Chesterfield Parkway West, formerly occupied by recently shuttered Andria’s Steakhouse, as reported by St. Louis Magazine’s George Mahe. Look for an early July opening.

 — Photo by Greg Rannells

Fiesta! Modern Mexican Cuisine opened its doors last Thursday at 185 Hilltown Village Center in Chesterfield. The menu features traditional Mexican fare like fajitas, quesadillas and enchiladas, as well as nearly two-dozen chef specials and a sizeable lineup of south-of-the-border soups and salads.

Co-owners John Signorino, Gerry Moreno and Rogelio Aguirre tout the restaurant’s approach toward authentic Mexican cuisine, particularly sourcing fresh ingredients from primarily local vendors and using high quality meat. Fiesta! Modern Mexican Cuisine is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Agostino’s Restaurant and Bar will be opening in Fairview Heights, Ill., by October, as announced on the restaurant’s Facebook page. The Italian restaurant will be located at 130 Ludwig Drive off of Interstate 64 at Route 159. According to the post, the owners are also seeking to add an additional location in West County.

The opening of the Fairview Heights location means the revival of this family-owned Italian restaurant that first opened on The Hill in 1967 and had multiple locations throughout West County over the next few decades, most recently at 280 Long Road in Chesterfield. That location closed in December of last year.