Off Broadway’s new owner keeps the beer selection and chucks the old carpet
For nearly three decades, Off Broadway has provided a comfortable night’s home for bands usually, but not always, of the rock variety. Nestled in the shadows of the old Lemp Brewery complex, the club has won a reputation as a good-sounding room, with warm, natural acoustics. Its size, which allows for close to 300 patrons…
Sometimes movie choice is a matter of life and death
This month, you have a tough choice at the multiplex: life or death. Two significant adaptations of popular novels hit the big screen in September, James Ellroy’s “The Black Dahlia” and P.D. James’ “The Children of Men.” Both are edge-of-your-seat thrillers, and both feature star-studded casts and big-name directors. But “The Black Dahlia,” a potboiler…
Good Old-Fashioned Competition: Rhubarb jelly is out and salsa is in at state fair canning contests
Happiness is a canned commodity. A commodity not sold, but displayed each August at the Missouri and Illinois state fairs. “Nothing seems to bring more happiness than a jar of home-canned fruits and vegetables,” said Kim Allen, marketing director of the Missouri State Fair, set for Aug. 10 through 20 in Sedalia. “It’s a source…
Review: The Feisty Bulldog and Throttle in St. Louis
GAL’S PERSPECTIVE If you ever paid a visit to Trainwreck’s location on The Landing, then you may not be in for too much of a surprise when you visit The Feisty Bulldog that now resides in the former Wreck’s quarters. Not much has changed from the Trainwreck to the Bulldog, which is actually a good…
Review: Vin de Set Rooftop Bar & Bistro in St. Louis
It’s a little confusing, so I am just going to get this out of the way: Vin de Set Rooftop Bar & Bistro – the new restaurant by Paul and Wendy Hamilton, owners of Eleven Eleven Mississippi – is the phonetic spelling of vingt dix-sept, which is (according to Yahoo! Babel Fish) French for twenty-seventeen,…
Mike Johnson finds success listening to customers and watching the payroll
Mike Johnson is a busy man. Busy, busy, busy. He is a partner in six of St. Louis’ hottest restaurants and is planning to open two more in other cities in the next few months. “I’m a 24/7 kinda guy,” Johnson said. “I’m go, go, go.” Which restaurants are you involved with? BARcelona, Mira and…
Yes, a grape is a fruit, but fruit wine not from grapes?
According to Webster’s, wine is “the fermented juice of fresh grapes used as a beverage,” and, for the most part, that is correct. But what about all those cherries and berries that somehow find their way into our wine glasses? It’s not that surprising, given that grapes don’t grow everywhere and humans have a natural…
Beyond honeydew and cantaloupe: On the Wind Farm offers variety
No matter which way you slice your muskmelon, cantaloupe, honeydew or watermelon this summer, one thing is certain: The heady smell of ripe melons just cut is nearly as intoxicating as a first kiss. And when those melons are vine-ripened within a few hours’ drive of the local markets, expect maximum nutrition and vitality. “When…
Eggs sing in the hands of Mangia’s young chef
Mangia has long been known for its freshly made pasta (now available at Tower Grove Farmers’ Market), but now it’s serving up a brunch that’s bursting with fresh-from-the-farm ingredients. Chef Clara Moore might be young, but she knows what works. At 25, she’s got impressive experience and is committed to using seasonal ingredients. On Fridays…
A Fine Line: Restaurants weigh going green versus making enough green
Look carefully at the smooth ShetkaStone tables at Terrene, and you’ll see tiny bronze marks mixed in the sea of black; these are staples. From the tables, made of recycled office paper, to its maple floor taken from the former Vashon High School building in Midtown, almost everything in the Central West End restaurant is…
