The Scoop: Jonathan Olson to bring seasonal slant to menu at Soulard’s Market Grill
Chef Jonathan Olson has been hired as the executive chef at Market Grill in Soulard. Olson, who served as exec chef at Erato on Main in Edwardsville, Ill., from January to August of last year, and most recently had a short run helming the kitchen at The Terrace View downtown, assumed the position at Market…
Stocking Up on sweet potatoes
A lot of people believe sweet potatoes are nature’s perfect food. Personally, I believe that title belongs to beer, but chacun à son gout, right? At last week’s Clayton Farmers’ Market, I happened upon some of these vitamin-packed babies – sweet potatoes, not beer; it was too early for the latter, even for me. The…
Zagat rates Pappy’s best “barbecue mecca” in America
When Mike Emerson, owner of Pappy’s Smokehouse, learned from his nephew that Zagat had declared his beloved barbecue spot the best in the nation, he was taken totally off guard. “I’m humbled, shocked and surprised all at one time,” he said. Zagat put Pappy’s at the top of its list of “barbecue havens you must…
The Scoop: Agostino’s is back with location in Fairview Heights, West County site still in works
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…
Plum Kuchen
6 to 8
Baked: Plum Kuchen
I’ve really been enjoying all the fruits of summer. Besides my usual berry staples (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries), I often buy whatever fruits happen to be on sale that week. First it was cherries, then it was golden kiwis and, more recently, plums. Plums are so delicious; I don’t think they get enough credit. Relatives of…
Meet food funny man Calvin Trillin
Calvin Trillin, author of several novels and well known writer and columnist for The New Yorker, Time and The Nation (not all at once, of course), is coming home … or at least close to it. Born and raised in Kansas City, Mo., Trillin is perhaps best known for his weekly column, Deadline Poet, where…
Five Bistro to focus on tasting and late-night menus
After the evening service this Saturday, the crew at Five Bistro will be taking a two-week break before reopening on September 13 with more tasting options and a special late-night menu. For some time now, chef-owner Anthony Devoti has offered 3-course tasting menus for $25 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (Check out a sample menu…
Drink This Weekend Edition: Last call for a summer swing on the porch
The dog days of summer have ended, and as we prepare to flip the calendar to September, let’s take a moment this weekend to reminisce about the steamy days now behind us (fingers crossed). And how better to bid adieu to August than on the porch swing with a refreshing peachy cocktail in hand? Those…
Stocking Up on Tropea onions
When I stopped at the Claverach Farm booth at last week’s Maplewood Farmers’ Market, I saw what I believed to be overgrown shallots, which I love; they add just enough of a garlicky taste to recipes without overpowering them. But these shallots were huge – as big around as my fist – and elongated. My…
More from our conversation with Majic Market owner Jacob Portnoy
In this month’s Five Questions (page 48), Jacob Portnoy, who recently reopened his Majic Market at 640 W. Woodbine Ave., told us about his best-selling gyros, how he came to this country and what makes Majic Market so darn magical. Now, in the second part of this interview, Portnoy reveals what separates his market from…
More from our conversation with Majic Market owner Jacob Portnoy
In this month’s Five Questions (page 48), Jacob Portnoy, who recently reopened his Majic Market at 640 W. Woodbine Ave., told us about his best-selling gyros, how he came to this country and what makes Majic Market so darn magical. Now, in the second part of this interview, Portnoy reveals what separates his market from…
The Scoop: Former Chez Léon chef now walking to work at Walkers
Last week, chef Colby Erhart assumed the top job at Walkers Restaurant and Bar. The chef, who lives near the South City restaurant at 6245 Gravois Ave., couldn’t be happier that his commute time is now all of two minutes. Erhart most recently worked in the kitchens at Mosaic Bistro Market in Clayton and Prime…
The Scoop: Mexican restaurant and sports saloon Sombrero’s to open in St. Peters
In the last year, 1287 Jungermann Road in St. Peters has been home to Pepper Stone Steakhouse and Bogart’s Kitchen & Bar. Soon, it will house a Mexican restaurant called Sombrero’s Authentic Mexican Cuisine and Sports Saloon. According to head chef Miguel Garcia, Sombrero’s is the real deal when it comes to Mexican fare. Garcia,…
The Scoop: Musician Steve Ewing gets the urge to open brick-and-mortar hot dog joint
For nearly the last three years, Steve Ewing, a musician whom many may remember as the front face for local band The Urge that held popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, has been operating a mobile hot dog cart called Steve’s Hometown Hot Dogs. Now, Ewing is taking a bigger bite into the food biz…
The Scoop: The Wicked Lady Pub to become The Parlour
The Wicked Lady Pub is re-branding itself as The Parlour, as reported today by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. According to a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page, this will be the final week of business for the pub before it shuts down and reopens on September 9 under its new name. The pub, located in…
Just Five: Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches
I receive emails each week with suggestions for dishes I can make with five ingredients. One friend recently told me about her trip to Charleston, S.C., where she ate at a restaurant called Poogan’s Porch. It was there that she had a “Fried Green BLT” that really wowed her, and she was sure it was…
Downtown Restaurant Week starts today
Whether the kids’ trip back to school has made it tough to get away or you’ve been saving all summer to splurge on that hot new restaurant, Downtown Restaurant Week couldn’t come at a better time. The annual week-long event starts today and runs through Sunday, August 28, offering up three courses for $25. Now…
Drink This Weekend Edition: Complete the soda fountain circuit with a beer float
Shakes from Crown Candy Kitchen. The customary concrete stop at Ted Drewes. Ice cream at Serendipity. Think you’ve completed the soda fountain circuit this summer? Not unless you’ve tried the beer floats at Lumière Place’s Stadium Sports Bar and Grill. Each of Stadium’s four 25-ounce beer floats is filled to the brim with draught beer,…
Iced to a Tea: Tips and tricks for brewing the perfect pitcher
It was late January when we first brainstormed an article on iced tea. Caught in the throes of winter and daydreaming about brighter days and fewer layers, we were eager to explore the different kinds of iced tea, learn about which leaves (if any) were best, and find tips on brewing the perfect pitcher. And…
The Scoop: Custom-design cake shop Patty-Cakes expands, adds cupcake bar
Patty-Cakes, a custom-design cake shop in Highland, Ill., has expanded. Owner Pat Jacoby, who opened a storefront in Highland in 1981 and moved it a year later to its current location at 1018 Laurel St., has purchased the building next door and is using some of the additional 1,200 square footage for a new cupcake…
The Scoop: Crostini Restaurant and Lounge to open Sept. 6
Back in May, we told you about a new Italian eatery by chef Eric Winbigler, Crostini Restaurant and Lounge, that will be located at 4501 Manchester Ave., in The Grove in the space formerly occupied by Mia Rosa. Originally, the restaurant was slated to open by August 1. Today, Winbigler told The Scoop that opening…
Baetje Farms wins top honors at International Cheese Competition
A Saucy congrats to Missouri’s own Baetje Farms for winning big at the International Cheese Competition, held this year in Montreal, Quebec. The Bloomsdale, Mo., cheesemaker won five awards for its French-style artisan goat cheeses, including first place ribbons for its plain and three-pepper-flavored, heart-shaped fresh cheese, Coeur de la Crème; and its hard-washed rind…
Stocking Up on figs
I made the mistake one time of buying fresh figs at the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market from Ivan Stoilov of Ivan’s Fig Farm in Dittmer, Mo. Well, the mistake wasn’t actually buying the figs; the mistake was telling Stoilov what I had planned for them. I told him that I planned to roast them and…
Three more ways to get the most out of summer corn
In Corn: Beyond the Cob, we gave you eight ideas for getting the most of this sweet summer starch. Now, three more ways to bask in the season of this crave-worthy crop. Corn broth Sauté half a white onion in olive oil until translucent. Add husks from 4 ears corn and water to cover. Toss…
The Scoop: The Crow’s Nest to perch in downtown Maplewood
Mike McLaughlin, owner of The Bleeding Deacon Public House in south St. Louis, is opening a bar and restaurant in downtown Maplewood, as reported by Evan Benn of the Post-Disptach. The Crow’s Nest will be located at 7336 Manchester Ave., in the space formerly occupied by Red Lion. The new restaurant will be “like The…
The Scoop: Owner of Shrimp Shack keeps the smoker hot with one (maybe two) JoJo’s House of Ribs
Joanne “JoJo” Davis has been cooking up a storm lately. Davis and her husband, Max, are proprietors of Shrimp Shack Grill, located at 8624 Natural Bridge Road; and JoJo’s House of Ribs, which the couple opened a month ago at 182 East Grand Blvd., just off Interstate 70. Now, Davis has her eyes set on…
The Scoop: Joe Sanfilippo dives into Chesterfield Valley
Joe Sanfilippo, owner of J.F. Sanfilippo’s downtown, is diving into the Chesterfield Valley restaurant scene. Filippo’s Italian Kitchen and Bar will open in early October at 120 Chesterfield Valley Drive, in the space formerly occupied by Tribeca Lounge. The restaurant will offer a small menu that showcases the most popular dishes from Sanfilippo’s downtown eatery.…
Sneak a Peek at Hiro, opened this month
Hiro, a sushi and modern Japanese izakaya restaurant, opened this month at 609 Eastgate Ave., as we reported back in June. The restaurant will serve lunch, Monday through Friday, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and dinner, Monday through Thursday, 5 to 9: 30 p.m., until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and until 9:30 p.m.…
Create an awesome sandwich, win quite a few bucks – and bagels
Always think your sandwiches are better than the next guy’s? Now’s your chance to prove it by entering St. Louis Bread Co.’s Great Sandwich Showdown. Submit your sandwich ideas online and, if your sandwich is chosen as the grand prize winner, you will receive $2,500 and a year’s worth of bagels. In addition, the winning…
What better way to spend a Wednesday night than at a cocktail competition?
Calling all cocktail enthusiasts! Want to support the booming local bartending community? Want to sip some free boozy concoctions? Then head over to Cafe Napoli at 7754 Forsyth Blvd., in Clayton this Wednesday for the annual Bombay Sapphire bartending competition. Two dozen talented stirrers and shakers from throughout the St. Louis metro area will be…
Passion Fruit-Ginger Pound Cake
• Grease and flour a loaf pan. • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. • Sift the flour, baking power, baking soda and salt together into a bowl. • In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, beating the eggs in one at a time. Add in the vanilla, 4 tablespoons of the passion…
Mark your calendar for the third Food Truck Friday, August 19!
We’re gearing up for our third Food Truck Friday, and we couldn’t be more excited. If you’re familiar with Food Truck Friday, skip ahead to the section below where we reveal details on the time and location as well as the 17 trucks who have already signed on for this month’s event. For those of…
Baked: Passion Fruit-Ginger Pound Cake
Though I had seen passion fruit crème brûlée and cocktails on menus around town, I had never tasted the tropical fruit until I ordered some purée online. On its own, the purée is quite sour, yet very distinctive with an intoxicating, exotic aroma that’s slightly musky and reminds me a bit of guavas. Since passion…
The Scoop: Robust Wine Bar coming to Laurel Building downtown
Stanley and Arlene Browne, owners of Robust Wine Bar, will be adding a second location of their popular restaurant/wine bar at Seventh Street and Washington Avenue in the Laurel Building formerly occupied by Dillard’s. Robust’s downtown site will be 4,200 square feet and is scheduled to open in spring 2012, according to Mack Bradley, spokesperson…
Drink This Weekend Edition: No red blood gets spilled in Farmhaus’ Bloody Mary Blanc
Source ingredients from small farmers and you’re likely to get food that’s not only top-of-the-line fresh but unique enough to inspire the creation of a dish – or drink – centered around such items. Such is the case this week, when yellow and white heirloom tomatoes from YellowTree Farm star in Bloody Mary Blanc, Farmhaus’…
The Scoop: Green Bean to bring new healthy lunch, dinner spot to the Central West End
Gourmet salad and salad wrap restaurant Green Bean is coming to 232 N. Euclid Ave. Co-owners Nick Guzman and Sarah Haselkorn will be opening their 20-seat, fast-casual, counter-style eatery in the space formerly occupied by consignment shop Something Special by Lillian. Guzman told The Scoop that Green Bean will offer a slate of unique salads…
Stocking Up on Italian frying peppers
Sometimes the name says it all. That’s certainly the case with today’s market pick: sweet Italian frying peppers. At last week’s Maplewood Farmers’ Market, we were drawn in by their bright lipstick-red color and the promise of their sweet taste. Italian frying peppers are much sweeter than their more common cousins, the bell pepper. They’re…
The Scoop: Reynold’s Roadhouse relocates to St. Charles
For more than 35 years, comfort food has been dished out at Reynold’s Roadhouse on Dorsett Road in Maryland Heights. Recently, the eatery relocated to St. Charles at 3150 Elm Point Industrial Drive, in the space formerly occupied by Chuck-A-Burger drive-in diner. According to the restaurant’s website, the relocation was due to “increased rent, constant…
The Scoop: New restaurant, café slated for Saint Louis Art Museum
When the Saint Louis Art Museum’s new East Building is unveiled in mid-2013, visitors hungry after walking through gallery after gallery to view pre-Columbian wood carvings and 19th and 20th century European and American paintings can fill up at the museum’s new restaurant or café. The 100-seat restaurant will feature floor-to-ceiling windows with a view…
The Scoop: Hangook Kwan officially becomes Korea House, with retooled menu
Han Kim has been cooking for eight years at his father’s Korean restaurant, Hangook Kwan. Last year, Kim took over the family business, known informally as Korea House for a few years now, and has been quietly making plans to retool the 13-year-old eatery that sits at 1261 Castillons Arcade Plaza in Creve Coeur into…
The Scoop: Caravelli spins over to Pi Pizzeria
Chef Steven Caravelli is a self-professed “man about town.” The Scoop caught up with Caravelli tonight to discuss his latest move: Serving as executive chef for trendy pizza chain, Pi Pizzeria, as first reported by St. Louis Magazine’s George Mahe. Caravelli will be responsible for the menu and recipe development at all Pi locations, including…
The Scoop: Jim Fiala to open Liluma’s Side Door on Euclid
Jim Fiala is adding to his family of restaurants – well, sorta. The latest, Liluma’s Side Door, will be located at 230 N. Euclid Ave., adjacent to the chef-owner’s existing Liluma in the space that previously served as the restaurant’s back dining room. The interior of the 24-seat dining area has been newly redesigned and…
The Scoop: Fox & Hounds tavern reopens this week
Now that The Cheshire hotel at 6300 Clayton Road is back in business, the boutique hotel’s revamped pub is following suit. The Fox & Hounds Tavern is slated to open tomorrow, offering a small plates menu to accompany that yard of ale or whiskey of choice. Among the fare, you’ll find standard English pub delights…
Just Five: Halibut with Grapefruit-Fennel Slaw
This summer, my daughters were whisked away to visit their grandparents for a few days, giving my husband and I a much-needed “staycation” break. We filled our brief time sans les filles by going to movies, grabbing cocktails and eating great meals at some of our favorite restaurants (not to mention finishing sentences without being…
Drink This Weekend Edition: Where to be a wino when outside isn’t an option
From one helluva heat wave to a warm and wet forecast, this weather has us wanting to duck into a watering hole where the air conditioning is pumping and the dog doesn’t need walking. This weekend, we’re chilling at Robust Wine Bar in Webster Groves where owner Stanley Browne and GM Frank Romano just launched…
Stocking Up on Honey Rock melons
Nice melons. Yea, I hear that a lot this time of year. It’s almost always in reference to the enormous Honey Rock melons that make an appearance in my shopping basket each August. They can top out at around four pounds and are noted for their tough skin and heavy netting. At the market, look…
The Scoop: Taquería El Bronco to relocate on Cherokee Street
If you head to Cherokee Street this weekend for Mexican specialties like pozole, sopa de siete mares or menudo, you might notice that Taquería El Bronco – one of the historical street’s longstanding taco spots – is no longer hanging it’s shingle at 2812 Cherokee St. According to owner José Luis Flores, beginning this Saturday,…
Sneak a Peek at Tavern of Fine Arts, opened this week
Tavern of Fine Arts, the new restaurant/wine bar that we first told you about last year, opened this week at 313 Belt Ave., in DeBaliviere Place. Co-owners and St. Louis natives Mathew Daniels, left, and Aaron Johnson are both musicians and avid cooks who are hoping that Tavern of Fine Arts will become an upscale…
The Scoop: UPDATE: Desserts On the Boulevard to feature small plates and specialty desserts
Last week, we learned that Desserts on the Boulevard was headed to the Lindell Apartments at 3949 Lindell Blvd., in the Central West End. Today, The Scoop spoke with owner Deverick Miller, who offered more details about his new restaurant. The restaurant will be open for lunch, dinner and late-night eats, serving small plates and…
Review: Dvin in Webster Groves
Editor’s note: Dvin has closed. Quietly nestled in the Old Orchard area of Webster Groves, Dvin intimately serves rustic Russian and Eastern European food in a quaint, family-friendly café. With lace curtains on the windows, philodendrons trellised to the wall, and pictures of the Winter Palace and the Siberian countryside adorning the walls, diners might…
Review: Truffles in Ladue
Truffles, 9202 Clayton Road, Ladue, 314.567.9100, todayattruffles.com In a time when guys think dressing up to dine out means looking like they just stepped off campus in rumpled khaki cargo shorts and flip-flops, it’s good to know some traditions haven’t gone the way of civil discourse and family dinners. Not that Truffles is stuffy. Far…
Review: Three Kings in University City
In an age of trendy wine bars and cocktail joints, it can be easy to forget how effortlessly enjoyable a classic pub can be if it’s done right. Authentic, understated and more comfortable with every deep sip of a cold, foamy pint – only a handful of places in town hit this chord, but the…
Recipe: Oceano Bistro’s Hamachi-Avocado Ceviche
In the high heat of August, even the most devoted home cooks don’t want to stand at the stove. But who said no-cook dishes are limited to salads and coleslaw? Take a cue from chef Jon Lowe of Oceano Bistro, whose hamachi-avocado ceviche is so simple it comes together in minutes yet is elegant enough…
Hamachi-Avocado Ceviche
• Place the first six ingredients in a container. Using an immersion blender or a whisk, slowly add the vegetable oil to emulsify. Do not add the oil too fast or the vinaigrette will break. Strain though a fine mesh strainer. • Thinly slice the hamachi – the thinner the better. Place five slices on…
Cafe Manila’s Rambutan Smoothie
2 servings
“Crab” Cakes
4 servings
Extra Sauce: Choosing the Cover
Each month, Sauce art director Meera Nagarajan thumbs through hundreds of beautiful photographs to pick the perfect image for the issue’s cover. This month, there were more than ever. Click over to Choosing the Cover to read about how she created the unique image on the cover of our August issue. Also, don’t forget to…
“Crab” Cakes
Since becoming a vegetarian, I’ve consistently been asked two questions. The first, which is no surprise, is why – but that’s a whole other column. The second has mostly come from people I’ve lived with, who became exposed to vegetarian cooking because they shared the same stove top; they always wanted to know why vegetarians…
Choosing the Cover
The Ones To Watch cover is always a challenge. You want each person to get their moment on the cover, to show each of the individual’s personalities and (most importantly) you don’t want it to be like last time. Initially, I wanted to stage a creative group portrait, but it was soon clear that everyone’s…
Short and Sweet
Why wait weeks, even months, for an infusion to age when you can make one in minutes? That’s the philosophy of Araka bar manager Tim Kosuge, who uses a cream whipper to create sweet digestifs in seconds, including a St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur infused with lavender flower and the freshest, most intense limoncello you’ve ever…
Corn: Beyond the Cob
From the husk to the kernels to the cob they’re cut from, everything in this summer starch offers a sweet taste of the season. Grilled or sautéed, wrapped or puréed, here’s your guide to getting the most out of this crave-worthy crop. 1. Ravioli Combine 1½ cups fresh corn kernels, 2 garlic cloves, fresh tarragon…
Ones To Watch: Food and drink pros with promise
Every year, we scour the area in search of individuals whose combination of talent, creativity and drive sets them apart in the local food landscape. We found this year’s up-and-comers on a farm, in a brewery, behind the bar, on the kitchen line, and building community via gardens and supper parties. Meet the Ones to…
Modesto: Big Flavor in Little Packages
There are certain foods people either love or hate, with little gray space in between. Some people abhor cilantro and olives for their distinctive flavors. Some refuse to eat raw seafood because they don’t care for the texture. And some people don’t like tapas; my theory is that they feel they aren’t getting enough food…
The Scoop: Southern Girls BBQ opens in downtown Alton
Over the last few years, Southern Girls BBQ – a catering company Keith Davis started back in 2003 – has participated in festivals and events in Madison County, Ill. Eventually, the company earned enough of a following to prompt Davis, who has been fine-tuning his barbecue techniques and competing in ‘cue competitions for more than…
Pistachio-Cardamom Bread Pudding
I’ve never understood the fascination with bread pudding. Why would I want to eat sweet, soggy bread? Yet, with its cult classic status on most dessert menus, I was ultimately persuaded to see what all the fuss was about. My foray into bread pudding started with brioche, a French pastry bread. Ever since attempting a…
