Jessica Butler shows she’s more than just another pretty voice
In any given month, Jessica Butler touches upon a wide variety of musical genres – and does so in virtually every type of live setting St. Louis has to offer. A member of three acts, Butler’s heard on sax and vocals in the Usual Suspects and Linn, two bands fusing originals and covers, and in…
The Art Museum pairs it perfectly: Filmmakers, movies, exhibits and food
Last month in this space, we talked about the benefits that recurring collaborations – primarily between actors and their directors – have enjoyed in Hollywood. It’s simple logic: If you’ve got a good thing going, why change it? In my haste to provide a few popular examples of such profitable partnerships, I overlooked perhaps the…
Big Bang … in a little glass
Which dessert goes with which liqueur for a walk down happy-tongue lane? What do you do with those little liqueur glasses you inherited from Aunt Tilda? And what is that long, tall bottle of flaming-yellow elixir that sits behind Every Bar USA? Should we try it? (Yes.) The liqueurs-and-more menu goes long: There are coffee,…
Change of Venue: Restaurants serve up new challenges for musicians
One night of music I will never forget happened in a St. Louis restaurant just a couple of years back. I drove Downtown to see a performance by one of my favorite local bands, Lung Dust. I had seen the band on a number of occasions and had spent a lot of time watching it…
The Hole Story: Where can you find authentic bagels, flagels and bialys?
Fresh bagels are sold every day in America – but where can a nice Jewish girl from New Jersey find an authentic bagel in St. Louis? That’s what I wanted to know. When I put that question to Margi Kahn, a St. Louisan who has been teaching and writing about bread baking for more than…
Review: The Church Key in St. Louis
Guy’s perspective Remember when beer only came in bottles? Nope. Remember when beer came in cans without prefab openings, like soup used to? Not me. Remember when beer came in cans with pull tabs? Yes, as do the soles of my feet. Remember when beer … aahh, you get it. Formerly, all beer, delicious, delicious…
Review: KoBa in Chesterfield
“The Scarlet Letter,” for those of you who haven’t read it (and from what I can ascertain from the 13-paragraph summary on GradeSaver), is about a woman forced to wear a scarlet letter “A” on her gown after an adulterous affair. I’m sure there was some other drama going on too, but frankly, I didn’t…
Gruyère, Pancetta and Thyme Soufflé
One 6-cup soufflé or about 4 servings
Tomato, Pancetta & Sage Macaroni & Cheese
Makes about 10 8-oz. servings
Would you like fries with that? Wine pairings aren’t limited to gourmet fare
On my first visit to France in 1981, I was walking in Paris on my final day before returning home. As I strolled along the Champs Elysées my attention was drawn to the internationally familiar golden arches of McDonald’s, and my two weeks of stellar dining and supreme wining were completed with a simple Big…
Hot Chocolate: Chocolate lends its unique flavor to savory dishes, too
When I think of beets, I don’t think chocolate. David Lawrence, co-owner and head chef at Pestalozzi Place, does. A beet salad, sprinkled with shaved unsweetened chocolate and accented with chèvre and champagne vinaigrette, makes up one of the restaurant’s more unusual and, yes, popular menu items. It may sound strange, but the final product…
Sate your inner samba dancer with Brazilian brunch
About this time of year, I begin feeling a bit restless. I dream of traveling somewhere stimulating – like Rio de Janiero to celebrate Carnaval, the world’s largest pre-Lent party, a four-day festival that begins on a Saturday (Feb. 17 this year) and ends on Mardi Gras. That’s not happening (at least not this year),…
Christopher Kramer continues to hone his craft in a restaurant his father started
Restaurateur Christopher Kramer had three short-term goals. First was to buy back Two Nice Guys, the restaurant his father started in 1974. Mission accomplished. Second, to restore Two Nice Guys’ reputation. In progress. Third, to open another Two Nice Guys. Keep reading. Why did your father leave the restaurant business? [After running Two Nice Guys…
The Wapango may be perfect for fickle passions
Most people have a favorite drink, the one they order every time, no matter where they are or whom they’re with. Then there are the rest of us – we don’t have any idea the first time we’re asked, we’re even more confused the second time and finally, under pressure, we just order something. The…
How a most versatile mother sauce made my mom’s life easier
As the middle child in my family, I it was charged with certain non-negotiable household chores. The most significant was cooking dinner for my siblings when Mom and Dad went out on the town. Though my mother cooked with me during the week, the possibility of appeasing two persnickety palates, all by myself, seemed unlikely.…
Dried pasta pales next to Stellina’s hand-cut, freshly flavored variations
Before I moved to St. Louis and began shopping on The Hill, I didn’t know there was anything other than dried, commercially produced semolina pasta, plain. If you haven’t tried it, the taste of fresh pasta is a revelation. It’s toothsome. It’s tender. It’s simple and fast to cook. And locals now have a new…
