Herbal Cookery
Any good cook knows to use fresh herbs, but many people don’t know much beyond basil and oregano. If you’re searching for inspiration on how to grow and use pretty much any type of herb under the sun, turn to The St. Louis Herb Society’s new cookbook, Herbal Cookery: From the Kitchens and Gardens of…
Expand your horizons
There’s a new side to Johnny’s Sidebar. The Collinsville bar will triple in size when it completes an expansion into the building next door, just in time for a German beer tasting on Wednesday from 6 to 10 p.m. The new space will make room for another bar and a stage; plans for a patio…
Celebrate early and often
Cinco de Mayo starts April 30, we say. That’s when Roberto Trevino of Amigos Cantina in Kirkwood will be making Mexican shrimp cocktail and other favorites as part of the Cooking With Sauce series. (Also in the spirit of celebration: plenty of cold Sol cerveza.) Tickets are $35, and the event starts at 6:30 p.m.…
Fourth meal
As we speak, your friends at Schlafly Beer are bottling a quadrupel, the fourth in a series of bottle-conditioned Belgian-style ales. The quad is described on the label as having “a rich, malty backbone that is generously balanced by select, fresh hops to create a luscious, smooth character.” Adding to its strength: 12 percent ABV.…
New CSA in U. City
There are about 10 shares left in the first community supported agriculture program from Winslow’s Farm, the Augusta farm behind Winslow’s Home market in University City. The CSA’s first share is expected to be ready the last week of May, with the growing season running through September. Subscribers can plan on lots of fresh produce,…
Soup of the day
Looking for a light lunch? We spent some time on the ol’ horn this morning finding some hit-the-spot soups: • Bison chili makes you feel at home on the range at downtown’s Rooster: 314.241.8118. • Choices, choices. Maplewood’s Foundation Grounds is serving Southwest chicken tortilla and tomato basil: 314.601.3588. • Ooh, la, la. Franco has…
He Said/She Said: Spring rolls in
Kathy: At last, it’s springtime. Russ: Yeah, we wouldn’t have tackled spring rolls in, say, October. K: That’s because no one makes anything called “autumn rolls.” R: It’s tough enough to reach a consensus on what spring rolls are without involving the other three seasons. K: Well, for the sake of this story, they’re wrapped…
It’s Dale and Stephanie!
Attention all you Top Chef fans: Top Chef: The Tour’s semi will pull into Soulard Farmers’ Market on Wed., May 27. You’ll have the chance to see season four winner Stephanie Izard and season three finalist Dale Levitski up close and personal as they cook and field your questions. Levitski took some time out of…
The Scoop: New wine bar in Benton Park
Local oenophiles will no doubt spend plenty of time this summer sniffing, swirling and sipping in Benton Park, which will be home to STL’s latest wine bar come the end of May. Ernesto’s, named after Ernest Hemingway, is a collaboration between owners Deitrich Volk and Tom Revie, both of Phoenix Redevelopment Group, and advanced sommelier…
National Dish: Getting to the bottom of tangy Filipino adobo
Tuloy po kayo. It means “Please come in” in Tagalog, the lingua franca of the Philippine Islands. Hospitality is a hallmark of Filipino culture, and food is an expression of cordiality. A typical Filipino banquet includes a dizzying array of dishes: pancit guisado (egg noodles sautéed with diced meat and vegetables); lechon (whole roast suckling…
Sure sign of spring
As promised, Crown Valley Brewing & Distilling’s taproom and beer garden are good to go. Opening May 2, the taproom will feature a 70-foot copper-topped tasting bar, a stone fireplace, and views of the bottling line and distilling operations. Outside, expect a fire pit and panoramic views of the Ste. Genevieve countryside. House brews will…
Another harbinger of heat
Light and dark rums are ready to rock at The Stable. The Benton Park brewpub will release the rums – and officially open its microdistilling operations – on April 23 at 6 p.m. The launch party will feature Caribbean appetizers and music by Big Bamu. Look for cocktails made with the house rums, such as…
The Scoop: Noonan joins Eclipse team
Chef Brendan Noonan, formerly of The Shaved Duck, has joined the team at Eclipse Restaurant at the Moonrise Hotel, where, as sous chef, he’ll work with executive chef Maurice Reed and chef de cuisine Wes Johnson (also formerly of The Shaved Duck). Still no details on just what the menu, described only as “eclectic and…
Free Food Inc.
Complimentary tickets to see Food Inc., a new film about the food industry, at the Tivoli Theatre on Tuesday night are available by clicking here. The film, which isn’t due out till June 12, features interviews with Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser, among other food experts and entrepreneurs. The tickets are being donated by the…
The Scoop: Fusion tapas hits Westport
Drunken Fish owner Munsok So has expanded his restaurant empire with a new addition: Ice Kitchen, a vodka bar/tapas restaurant that’s now open for lunch and dinner in Westport Plaza. Chef Michael Padilla has taken a fusion approach to the tapas side of things, with Latin American, American, Mediterranean and Asian flavors represented among both…
Think of it as Oktoberfest in May
Plan to celebrate spring the German way on May 8 and 9 at The International Tap House, where Maifest will focus on German and German-style brews (think Boulevard Maibock and Rogue Dead Guy Ale). Also look for live music, bratwurst on the grill and food from local restaurants. And if the weather cooperates, score a…
Magnificent Marjolaine: Luscious layers of chocolate, cake and cream
If you’re in the mood for an extra-special dessert, marjolaine is nothing less than magnifique. This multilayered nut meringue was created by Ferdinand Point, considered to be the father of modern French cuisine, and the cake was made famous at his renowned restaurant, La Pyramide, in Vienne. Calling marjolaine a cake, however, does it a…
Bureaucracy pairings
Like many people, I’ve been sitting down to the soul-destroying task of preparing my taxes. It wasn’t long before I needed a drink, but what, exactly, pairs best with bureaucracy? First, if you are a paid preparer, like I was once upon a time, don’t drink while working on a return. Unless it’s a high-net-worth…
See you there: Wall Ball ’09
We’ll be at Third Degree Glass Factory on Saturday night for Wall Ball, a fundraiser to benefit the St. Louis City Open Studio and Gallery. During the event, dozens of artists will create works that will be available for auction. Look for appetizers from L’École Culinaire, cocktails from CooranBong Australian Vodka and a cupcake raffle.…
The Scoop: New chef, new menu
Brandt’s Café has rolled out a new menu, designed by its new executive chef Ben Welch. Welch, a Johnson & Wales grad who’s worked in the kitchens of Blue Water Grill and Emeril Lagasse’s Nola and has been an instructor at L’École Culinaire in Ladue, has almost completely overhauled the food offerings at The Loop…
From the East Loop to the White House
Pi owner Chris Sommers is headed to Washington, D.C., next week, where he and Pi’s managing partner Ryan Mangialardo and Anne Schuermann will set up shop in the White House kitchen to make the restaurant’s cornmeal-crusted pizzas for the first family. (President Obama became a fan of Pi’s pizzas when he sampled them during an…
A slice of the action
At right, Brian O’Brien slices nairagi, or Hawaiian striped marlin, at Cooking With Sauce on Tuesday night. The chef at Océano Bistro in Clayton served the fish with harissa and a salad of Chinese long beans and blood oranges. Next up in the Cooking With Sauce series is Roberto Trevino of Amigos Cantina in Kirkwood.…
Pack your knives and … road trip II
Listen up Top Chef fans: The ink is still drying on the contract to bring Top Chef: The Tour to St. Louis again this year, this time at Soulard Farmers’ Market, reports market master Sandra Zak. The show’s 18-wheeler will roll into town on May 27 for four demos between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.…
Recipe: The Tap Room’s Poached Egg Salad
When Andy White took over the kitchen at The Tap Room last fall, his goal was to give the menu a shot in the arm. He’s done just that, and now old beer hall favorites mingle comfortably with bistro fare like the Poached Egg Salad, White’s twist on the age-old Frisée aux Lardons, where salty…
Review: The Sky Lounge in St. Charles
On about the third inhale, the tobacco really starts to kick in as a thick cloud of peach-flavored pungency seeps from my throat in a failed attempt at a smoke ring. My friends laugh as I pass the hookah tube and chase my drag with a generous sip from a glass of bourbon and ice.…
How to Find Local Prawns This Fall
Most folks don’t know the difference between a shrimp and a prawn; I didn’t. I thought prawns were just bad-ass big shrimp. Wrong. Whole different animal. “Prawns are hatched in salty water and go to fresh water,” said Charles Mattingly of Glade Creek Farm near Des Arc, Mo. “Shrimp are hatched in fresh and go…
Review: Côco Louco Brasil in St. Louis
I first became acquainted with Jorge Carvalho’s cooking in 2003, when I reviewed his Café Brasil restaurant for another publication. Back then, lines formed outside the tiny storefront eatery in a Rock Hill strip mall as diners waited patiently for a chance to sit at one of the eight tables and choose from only eight…
Anisette With Fresh-Squeezed Grapefruit Juice and Mint
Many depending on proportions
Bresaola With Labneh and Mint
12 servings
Anisette With Fresh-Squeezed Grapefruit Juice and Mint
• Combine 1 part liqueur to 2 parts juice. • Serve over ice and garnish with ample mint. Anise liqueur (arak, ouzo, Pernod or other pastis, sambuca) Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice Fresh mint leaves for garnish
Kibbeh Nayeh
12 servings
Atlas Restaurant’s Marjolaine
8 to 10 servings
Chicken and Pork Adobo
3 to 5 servings
Smoked Salmon Butter on Toast
Makes about ½ cup
Prawn Salad Sandwiches
4 Servings
Puppeteer Fizz
1 serving
Adobong Labong (Bamboo Shoots Adobo)
4 to 6 servings
Raw Vegetables With Salsa Tonnato
Makes about 1 cup
Escolar Escabèche With Coriander and Kefir
24 servings
Schlafly Tap Room’s Poached egg salad
2 servings
Seeking bread from Stix
For this month’s Seasonal Shopper column, I tried to re-create the legendary Stix, Baer & Fuller shrimp salad recipe. Mine is pretty close to the long-closed department store’s version, save for one key element. The Stix shrimp salad had a wonderful neon-orange cheese bread with a great crumb and flavor; in my memory, it was…
No foolin’, it’s back
The original 1960s formula of Schlitz has returned to St. Louis. A handful of events are on tap tomorrow to celebrate “the beer that made Milwaukee famous.” Look for cold beer, muscle cars (including the ’65 Schlitz El Camino), music and the Schlitz Gusto Girls. There will be recruiting for Gusto Guys, too; that alone…
A changing of the guard
On Jan. 27, Jake Hafner, the easy-going and affable proprietor of 33 Wine Shop and Tasting Bar in Lafayette Square, sent out an e-mail that struck fear into the hearts of loyal patrons. After almost eight years, Hafner was getting out of the business, the long and poetic e-mail explained. The news wasn’t all bad;…
Ducking the recession
Sometimes you have to adapt to survive. In early January, Shaved Duck owner Ally Nisbet closed the well-regarded restaurant in order to retool, rethink and then reopen. The name may have stayed the same, but walk into the new Shaved Duck and the only other resemblance to the previous incarnation is the look of the…
Egg You On: Seven dishes to entice and inspire
The versatility of eggs amazes. You can enjoy them in something savory or sweet, high-brow or low-brow, hearty or light – and best of all there are options for the morning, noon and night. This spring roundup of tasty egg incarnations should have you out and about in no time. And when you eat in,…
A tour through South America
It should come as no surprise that I look at a restaurant’s wine list first. After all, I can nearly always find interesting foods, but finding intriguing wines isn’t as common. So I was eager to see what was offered at Côco Louco Brasil, the new Brazilian restaurant in the Central West End. The drinks…
Hamburger heaven
As its tongue-in-cheek Web site describes, there is a correct way to do everything at The Fatted Calf, from entering the building and getting in line to ordering and eating. But while the site also says hamburgers are a “true American icon, right up there with Jimmy Dean, the Model T and overpriced health care”…
Iron Barley’s creative comfort food is top dog
The first time we went to Iron Barley, Brendan was 2. I can’t recall specific details, but I do remember that Brendan was a happy diner throughout, and that the food was outstanding. So why did it take us more than four years to get back?! There’s really no excuse. It may have only been…
Petty theft is a dish best served microwaved
The first job I was really terrible at was at a phone book company. I was an editor – a loose term if I ever heard one. I spent four hours a night alone in a room, reading the phone book. But it was at this job that I learned an immutable fact of life:…
