A Nod to ’Nog: Love it or hate it, there’s no denying eggnog’s rich history
It’s one of those love-hate relationships. There’s no middle ground when you ask people their opinion of eggnog. “Even within the company there are people who are unwilling to help with taste tests,” said Deann Wernle, director of marketing for Dairy House, a St. Louis company that supplies ingredients – including flavoring for commercial eggnog…
Getting Better in the Kitchen: Cooking can be part of rehabilitation after brain injuries
When Carole Thouvenot’s son, Dan, progressed to outpatient treatment for a serious head injury he suffered in an auto accident a couple of years ago, she was understandably happy and relieved. After all, Dan had survived the accident that almost killed him and the critical brain surgery that followed. But something puzzled Thouvenot, who lives…
Review: Terrene in St. Louis
To me, this time of year means dinners – and lots of ’em – with my out-of-town family and friends who are back home for the holidays. There is, however, a catch: They all seem to hail from awesome restaurant towns (no one’s ever from Decatur or Springfield), they all appreciate great food and they…
Review: Niche in Clayton
GUY’S PERSPECTIVE Among the top five overall favorite restaurants in the 2005 Sauce readers’ poll, the winners – Eleven Eleven Mississippi, Sydney Street Café, Harvest Seasonal Market and Cuisine, Monarch and Trattoria Marcella – all come large. Some large in square footage; some large in number of tables; some large in air between floor and…
Date and Pecan Muffins
12 to 15 muffins
Johnny Fox goes with the flow as a full-time blues soloist
As Johnny Fox walks in for his Sunday night gig at the Broadway Oyster Bar, his brother Jimmy is already enjoying a cocktail and waiting for a bowl of jambalaya to arrive. It’s about 45 minutes until the two – billed simply as the Fox Blues Duo – are scheduled to hit the stage, but…
Sorghum sweetens community life for producers and consumers
Sweet sorghum syrup from Sandhill Farm, organically grown and processed near Rutledge, Mo., is ready for seasonal shoppers just in time for the holidays. Today, it’s an unusual ingredient for most American cooks, but in the 1880s it was a common, inexpensive sweetener. “A hundred years ago most rural communities would have sorghum processors every…
Champagne by any other name tastes just as sweet
Sparkling wines go by many names around the world: Champagne from the Champagne region of France, mousseux in the rest of France, spumante in Italy, cava in Spain and Sekt in Germany. Whatever the name, they have one thing in common: They’re fun, fizzy and make people smile. Or, as the famed writer Art Buchwald…
Turkish entrepreneur climbs to the next rung on the ladder to success
As a small boy in Turkey, Mehmet Yildiz, co-owner and executive chef of Aya Sofia, dreamed of owning a Turkish restaurant in the United States. He immigrated to America eight years ago, originally landing in Chicago. “But it was just too much,” said Yildiz. “Too many people, too much traffic. There were traffic jams at…
Put some soul in your Sunday at Lifestyles Café
There’s nothing like a heaping plate of soul food to warm the insides on a cold winter’s day. But with its high fat content and heavy use of animal fats and proteins, this king of comfort food has long been off limits to both the health conscious and the vegetarian. Not anymore: Lifestyles Café serves…
Four heartfelt tales of how holiday traditions can evolve
Lest we forget the “arts” in “culinary arts,” it should be no surprise that many who work in our local arts community occasionally take time out during this busy month to revel in traditions – and many of those, of course, revolve around the indulgence in seasonal food and drink. Bourbon in the ‘nog “When…
Feeding the Hungry: Local organizations go through many channels to stock bare cupboards
When it comes to grocery shopping, everything you need never seems to be in one place. The supermarket supplies your baking basics, but it’s the farmers’ market that has the produce your recipes require. A visit to the bakery is mandatory, as is a stop at your favorite wine shop for that special-occasion vintage. Even…
Peter Jackson’s modern King Kong does justice to the 1933 classic
In the past 30 years, special effects have evolved from trick photography and tiny models to elaborate motion-capture animation and computer-generated characters. And it seems as though the gap between technological innovations is shrinking; the next new technique is obsolete almost as soon as it’s revealed, as someone, somewhere, finds a better, faster, cheaper way…
Bubbles add bling to holiday cocktails
Achampagne cocktail at Sub Zero Vodka Bar is a splash of color, sophistication and intrigue in your hand. Forget the tired classics in this category – owner Derek Gamlin and his brother and general manager, Lucas, have contrived four tasty blends starring various vodkas and Rotari Brut, a sparkling wine from Italy. It would seem…
