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

{Grilled Steak Salad}

Friends and business partners Stephen Savage, Lou Groff and Jared Ater are opening their upscale sports bar The Wheelhouse as early as tomorrow, Thursday, April 18. The bar and restaurant, most recently occupied by The Pasta House Co., is located at 15 N. Central Ave., in Clayton.

Savage noted that one of the hardest parts about opening their new spot was deciding on a name. As to the name The Wheelhouse, Savage cited his employee handbook, which defined it as: “A popular term referring to an area of expertise or a particular skill.” For Savage, Groff and Ater, operating a bar is their wheelhouse, Savage noted, as witnessed when the three used to manage Harpo’s together, in Columbia, Mo.

In addition to 34 TVs for sports watching and a menu filled with cocktails, beer and wine, the food menu is what the owners of The Wheelhouse hope will set their bar and restaurant apart from other sports bars. The menu will be prepared by executive chef Nick Del Gaiso, who is the former sous chef at Scape. Del Gaiso attested that almost every product on The Wheelhouse’s menu, from the salad dressings to the smoked jalapeños, is made in-house. The menu features soups, salads, appetizers, wraps, burgers, sandwiches and entrees.

When doors are unlocked on April 18, The Wheelhouse will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., while the kitchen will close at 10 p.m. A Sunday brunch is also in the works.

For a sneak peek at what’s in store, head to our Facebook page.

— photo by Michelle Volansky

{Extra Virgin, an Olive Ovation owner Marianne Prey}

Extra Virgin, an Olive Ovation is getting ready for a change of address. The specialty shop announced that it will be moving this summer to 8829 Ladue Road in a portion of the space formerly occupied by Wild Oats in the Colonial Marketplace shopping plaza.

News from Extra Virgin came on Friday in an email sent to its supporters. The announcement noted that the relocation will mean a 30-percent increase in space as well as curbside parking. The email mentioned: “We’ll have a big party table, space for classes during store hours and room for many more of your favorite products.” Extra Virgin is one of a handful of businesses taking space in Colonial Marketplace. The Original Pancake House and fast-casual Italian eatery Cini are also both adding a location in the shopping plaza.

The specialty olive oil shop currently remains open for business at its location at 143 Carondelet Plaza in Clayton.

{Executive chef Ben Edison with his daughter Delaney}

As warm air moves in, the patio at DeMun Oyster Bar is sure to fill up fast. But if it’s been a while since you stopped by this Parisian-style bar, you’ll be surprised to find more than bivalves and bubbles. Here, new executive chef Ben Edison told us what to expect at Clayton’s hippest watering hole.

When did you take over the kitchen and what have been some of the big menu changes since then? Overall, we went from a small, very limited menu to a full seafood-restaurant menu, and we also have some meat dishes. It’s not just oysters, at all. Now we have eight entrees and it’s pretty extensive.

What are some of the items on the restaurant’s new late-winter/spring menu? We do a Dungeness crab ravioli on the new menu. We have a really nice lamb porterhouse. We have a salmon in Pernod tomato sauce. We have a Pear Wellington, which is a new dessert. Everything in it we make in-house, except the phyllo dough – you’d have to be a masochist to make that. It’s star-anise-braised pears wrapped in puff pastry and then topped with Gjetöst cheese, a Danish cheese that tastes like caramel. Then we add a scoop of triple-vanilla gelato on a pool of Calvados gastrique. I act as pastry chef, too, with my daughter (pictured). She’s 17. She does the chocolate torte. We collaborate. She’s been baking since she was 8. We started a brunch on the weekends, too, and we’re still open late. You can come in and get a full entree until 11 p.m., or midnight in the summer.

Do you find that many people are still afraid to try oysters around these parts? I would rather take my chances with a raw oyster than a Chinese buffet. With all the testing they do of the water and the oysters and the tracking and the info-gathering, getting sick from an oyster is incredibly rare. At DeMun, we’re getting oysters that were in the water in the morning in Seattle, and I’ve got them in the restaurant by 6 p.m. that night.

I love oysters, but I gather some diners’ objections may have to do with an “oozy” texture. Then I say just suck ‘em down real fast – don’t chew ‘em – and you’ll get the flavor of the ocean.

How often do you eat oysters? Everyday. I’ll usually eat at least a dozen a day. I prefer them raw with nothing on them. We fly our oysters in daily; we’re the only restaurant in St. Louis that does. I have a list of 40 different oysters, and sometimes I kind of forget exactly what one tastes like, or the flavor changes because of the water supply. I have to be able to point people in the right direction.

Is there really a great variation in the taste of different oysters? I hate to make it sound like something from the movie, Sideways. When it comes to oysters, with the hint of this and that and all the silly adjectives, people can get carried away. But the different oysters range from a strong bite or salinity in the front end to a mineral-y, clean finish. Some West Coast oysters have a crisp, cucumber-y finish, but then something like the Kumamoto oyster has a creamier finish. I usually tell people to get a couple or three or four different kinds to try.

How many oysters could you eat in one sitting? I think the most I’ve ever eaten was four or five-dozen, and those were Gulf oysters at a little oyster bar in the Gulf. My uncle and I sat down and finished off about 12 dozen between the two of us. I grew up on the coast, fishing with my father off the coast of Connecticut and spending time in Maryland. That shows in our crab cakes, which are barely held together.

Is it true what they say about oysters being an aphrodisiac? I guess you’d have to ask my girlfriend. (laughs) I like to think that it’s healthy for me. I don’t think there are any ill effects.

What do you like to drink at the end of a busy night? With Nate Selsor, who came from Monarch, as our bar manager, a lot of the time I can just give him a flavor profile and let him play. We have a drink called When All Else Fails that’s really nice. It has rum, Campari, yellow Chartreuse and lemon juice. He just started a brand new drink menu that I’m working my way through now.

What are some of the preparations for oysters you do at the restaurant? In addition to raw, we do ours grilled and fried and occasionally beer-batter fried. We also do a Virgin Bluepoint [oyster] topped with a pancetta béchamel, and then we take kale blanched in pepper water and fried in duck fat and put that on top, followed by cave-aged Gruyere, and then we broil it. That’s our most popular menu item. We call it our house-stuffed oyster.

What’s your favorite drink to enjoy with oysters? Champagne. We have some exotic Champagnes, called grower Champagnes, made by one guy who may have just two acres of grapes and does it all himself. The flavor profiles are just fantastic.

Have you by any chance studied with a sushi chef? I have done a stage with a classically trained Japanese chef. He was the corporate chef at P.F. Chang’s. He was Vietnamese-born and Japanese-trained. Working with him was where I learned almost all of my Asian preparations.

Have you ever eaten the dangerous puffer fish, fugu? I have not, but I certainly would.

Anthony Bourdain once wrote that diners shouldn’t order seafood on Sunday, because the last seafood delivery was Friday – your thoughts? I think that’s completely untrue. I get seafood in on Saturdays. My fish that comes in for Sundays is perfectly stored in coolers and checked. Maybe in the ‘80s that might have been true, but with the abundance of seafood purveyors in St. Louis, they’ll deliver at 5 p.m. on Saturday. People shouldn’t have qualms about eating seafood on Sunday. As far as seafood in the Midwest goes, when you develop a long relationship with seafood purveyors, you get very nice stuff. We get seafood from nine different sources.

Have you shopped at the huge Asian market in U. City, Seafood City? I own a house not far from there. I shop there once a week. The seafood section is fascinating to me. If I’m in the mood for some mussels and feel like cooking them up, I might pick some up from there. I just enjoy walking the aisles and looking at stuff and having no idea what something is and buying it and playing with it.

What do you like to cook at home? If I’ve got two days off in a row, I’ll cook on the second day, but for the most part, I don’t really cook at home a lot. Sometimes the last thing I want to do is look at a pot and pan. I sometimes just go with a frozen pizza and a beer. Other chefs are the same way. We actually eat instant ramen noodles.

Where did you cook before DeMun Oyster Bar? I was a corporate chef for a few years, and before that, I was the fine dining chef at Ameristar Casino. I ran 47 Port Street and Pearl’s Oyster Bar.

Cooking at a casino is a whole different ball game, with the emphasis on extreme customer service. It was a great, great experience. At 47 Port Street, we had people that were big VIPs, so we had deep pockets to create exotic things and do tasting menus. While it was one of the most demanding jobs I ever had, it was fantastic to be able to play with all the stuff we got to bring in. On a Saturday night, you might have a table of four high rollers and you need to throw out an eight-course wine-pairing dinner on the fly for them. When the owner of the entire corporation came into town, there would be like a 22-hour stretch where you made absolutely sure that all his meals came out perfectly.

How does it feel when the kitchen is humming and everything is coming out perfectly? It’s absolutely fantastic. I have a great staff here. My sous chef, Nick Puccio, is really, really strong. We have great cooks that have worked in good restaurants. When things are really rolling, it’s probably the best feeling in the world. It’s exactly why I do this job.

Do you allow music in the kitchen? Only during prep time in the day.

What cooking or food book, TV show or movie do you love? I really don’t watch any of the food shows. I think they’re so unrealistic and fake. My favorite movie about wine is Bottle Shock.

What was your favorite food growing up that your parents made? Stuffed peppers. My parents were big gardeners and we had a huge garden. When the end of the summer would come, my stepmom would spend the entire day making tomato sauce and stuffing them, and they were amazing. Then she would freeze some and we would eat them all winter long, too. When I go home, that’s one of the things she always makes. My mother used to make spaghetti on Sundays and that was great, too.

What food did you hate as a kid that you love now? Clams. Ironic, isn’t it? We would have the freshest clams when I was a kid; we grew up about 12 miles from the ocean. They would make them in a white-wine Alfredo, and I would just eat the noodles. I never realized how much I took seafood for granted.

740 DeMun Ave., Clayton, 314.725.0322, demunoysterbar.com

— photo by Ashley Gieseking

Business partners Stephen Savage (pictured, far right), Lou Groff (middle right) and Jared Ater (middle left) are in their wheelhouse as they prepare to open an upscale sports bar The Wheelhouse, in Clayton. That’s because these owner-operators have opened other bars before – including the hotspot 10 Below in Columbia, Mo. The bar is located in the space at 15 N. Central Ave., most recently occupied by The Pasta House Co. They hope revamping the space into a high-energy sports bar will make patrons feel as much in a comfort zone as they do.

The Wheelhouse will be outfitted with 30 large screen TVs. “Your game will be on,” Savage assured sports fans – whether the must-see game is basketball, hockey, golf or cricket. The space is divided into three sections: a bar room with high-top tables; a main dining area; and a back room with a stage for live entertainment.

Drinkers looking to enjoy a game with a beer in hand will be able to select from 10 taps – all Missouri-made beers, plus Guinness – as well as bottled brews. Specialty cocktails at the Clayton establishment will focus on the use of fresh fruits and herbs. “We’re trying to keep it fresh and unprocessed,” said executive chef Nick Del Gaiso (pictured, far left).

Del Gaiso, who is leaving his position as sous chef at Scape where he has worked for the last 18 months, is just as excited about the menu that he developed for The Wheelhouse. Del Gaiso, a graduate of L’Ecole Culinaire and former employee at the Country Club of Missouri in Columbia, Mo., and the Fox Theatre, explained that the fare at The Wheelhouse will not be “just fried and grilled like other bar food.” Smoking, poaching, braising, brining and curing are all part of his plan to distinguish his snacks, appetizers, salads, soups, burgers and entrees from that of other sports bars. “There will be a care that people who run bar kitchens don’t take,” said Del Gaiso.

The owners are shooting to open The Wheelhouse during the month of April. When doors are unlocked, the restaurant will open daily at 11 a.m. The kitchen will close at 10 p.m., but the bar will remain open until 1:30 a.m.

In the meantime, you can keep an eye on progress at The Wheelhouse via Twitter and Facebook.

Half & Half officially has an executive chef. While chef-owner Mike Randolph (pictured, far right) has always overseen operations at all three of his restaurants – Half & Half, The Good Pie and Little Country Gentleman – Half & Half has not had an executive chef, until now.

Randolph shared news that Chip Bates (pictured, far left), who had been sous chef at Little Country Gentleman, has been appointed as executive chef at Half & Half, the breakfast-brunch spot in Clayton. Since Bates will be solely focused on preparing morning fare, Randolph also noted that he has hired two other individuals to round out the culinary crew for dinner-only Little Country Gentleman. Look for Bates’ spring menu to debut in early April.

The space at 15 N. Central Ave., in Clayton, is getting a new tenant. The former home of Portabella, followed by Italian restaurants Tucci & Fresta’s and the short-lived The Pasta House Co., will become a sports bar called The Wheelhouse, as tweeted by St. Louis Magazine’s George Mahe (@stlmag_relish) on Monday.

According to one of The Wheelhouse’s three partners, the new venture will be “an upscale sports bar, yet affordable.” The partner, who requested that his name not be disclosed, noted that the interior is undergoing changes that are “freshening it up” and showcasing it as “a different concept” from its former days as an Italian eatery and contemporary American restaurant. The owner-operators have targeted April 1, the same day as the Cardinals’ home opener, as opening day for The Wheelhouse.

More details regarding who the ownership team is and what will be on the food and beverage menus are expected within the next few weeks.

The Lobby Lounge at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis is getting a $1 million makeover. Renovations are already underway at the 4-star, 4-diamond luxury hotel in Clayton to give its lounge and bar a fresh look.

Each Ritz-Carlton property has a theme reflecting that property and the surrounding community. The theme chosen for the renovated lounge and bar at the St. Louis location is “Rhythm and Martinis.” “Rhythm” is a nod to St. Louis’ tradition of music and entertainment; “Martinis” recognizes the Martini-minded cocktail lineup at The Lobby Lounge. According to a press release, the theme “infuses the traditional Ritz-Carlton elegance with renewed energy and the social air of a modern club.”

While the mahogany millwork, classic marble floors and grand chandeliers that have made The Ritz’s lounge a glitzy gathering spot for afternoon tea or an evening cocktail will remain, interior design plans include: a gold granite bar top plus an illuminated bar front with glass and brass panels; an eclectic mix of art deco-inspired furniture, including leather settees and barrel-back lounge chairs; and bold, lattice-patterned carpeting. The hotel’s art collection, a selection of contemporary works – some from local artists – will similarly reflect the Rhythm and Martini theme.

International interior design firm BAMO is overseeing the renovation, scheduled to be completed in April. The Lobby Lounge project is the first phase of a $3 million renovation that will also include The Ritz-Carlton Ballroom and The Restaurant.

— photo courtesy of Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis

Grown a bit old for Fat Tuesday debauchery but still looking to celebrate tonight? For a quiet scene and an authentic French cocktail, check out Bar Les Frères in Clayton. For Matt Berkley’s review of Bar Les Frères, click here.

— photo by Jonathan Gayman

Zpizza, a fast-casual pizza chain, which advertises using fresh and healthy ingredients, is opening a location at 7600 Wydown Blvd., in the space that was formerly a dry cleaning store. The St. Louis location will mark the company’s first in Missouri. Zpizza, founded in Laguna Beach, Calif., currently has franchises operating in 16 other states as well as the District of Columbia. A post on the Zpizza St. Louis Facebook page yesterday noted that the restaurant’s official grand opening will be on April 6.

The Zpizza menu features pizzas which include vegan and gluten-free options, as well as pastas, sandwiches and salads. The company uses organic whole wheat to make the dough for its signature crust and meats that are free of hormones and additives.

The restaurant will offer dine-in as well as carry-out and delivery. A December article in the Clayton-Richmond Heights Patch noted that deliveries will be provided by riders on electric bicycles, except in cases of bad weather.