Drink This Weekend Edition: How to celebrate St. Louis Craft Beer Week with a cocktail
St. Louis Craft Beer Week begins Saturday, July 30 and runs through August 7. Whether at a brewery, bar, restaurant or retail outlet, thirsty St. Louisans will spend the week raising a glass to beer. However, there is one place where beer-lovers won’t go wrong ordering a cocktail. The Royale in South City is the…
The Scoop: Sub Zero Vodka Bar to launch infusion bar
Last month, brothers and Sub Zero owners Derek and Lucas Gamlin announced their plans to expand the popular restaurant/vodka bar in the Central West End. As construction gets underway to transform the newly acquired space at 312 N. Euclid Ave., into a dining area and the center stage for a new-and-improved sushi bar, the Gamlins…
The Scoop: Oak Barrel American Bistro and Artisan Bakery to close on July 30
Oak Barrel American Bistro and Artisan Bakery will be closing after dinner service this Saturday, July 30. As first reported by Feast Magazine, chef-owner Todd Kussman posted the message on the restaurant’s Facebook page this afternoon, citing personal matters. Kussman told The Scoop that the decision to close was made this week and that it…
Pig out on the whole hog at Eclipse Restaurant for STL Craft Beer Week
St. Louis Craft Beer Week kicks off this weekend with a slew of sudsy events to choose from (more on this here). On Wednesday, August 3, join us at the Eclipse rooftop bar as we host the Brewers’ Pig Roast. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., just $30 will buy you never-ending pork-filled plates and a pint…
Stocking Up on heirloom tomatoes
“I don’t like tomatoes.” Try uttering that phrase in a group of food-friendly folks this time of year, and the looks you’ll get in response are sure to range from pity to outright disdain. Trust me, I know these looks first hand. That’s because I’m one of the apparent few who don’t like tomatoes. Oh…
The Scoop: Desserts on the Boulevard to sit on site of bowled-down Salad Bowl cafeteria
Desserts on the Boulevard is coming to the Central West End. As reported by Riverfront Times’ Ian Froeb, the new eatery will be located on the first floor of the Lindell Apartments at 3949 Lindell Blvd., between North Sarah Street and Vandeventer Avenue. Some St. Louisans may remember this location as the former site of…
The Scoop: McDonnell’s Market Place to close after 75 years in biz
Art McDonnell, owner of McDonnell’s Market Place, has decided to close his grocery, which has served Kirkwood residents for 75 years. McDonnell, who is also the mayor of Kirkwood, told The Scoop that his decision to close the market located at 12309 Old Big Bend Road has been two years in the making. “This is the…
Just Five: Grilled Pork Chops with Peach Sauce
The markets are filled with gorgeous peaches for a few weeks each summer. But beyond your pies, crisps and buckles (and after eating them straight out of the bag for a couple of days), there’s always that moment when you say, “Well, what else can I do with these?” Pork pairs perfectly with peaches: The…
Drink This Weekend Edition: A new rosé that’s good as a pair or a solo sipper
Cheap and too sweet. Bottom shelf and bad. Simply not in vogue. Over the last few years, these views of rosé wines have gone through the crusher, fermented into a newer, more knowledgeable opinion that a rosé can be tasty, pair well with food and even hang tough on its own. This week, we offer…
In high temperatures, St. Louis Craft Beer Week offers much-needed cold beer
In this type of blistering heat it may sound counterproductive to gorge on alcohol, but you have to admit that a smooth lager and beads of icy condensation running down a frosty pint glass sounds pretty great right about now. If so, you’re in luck. Next Saturday marks the gunshot start of the 2011 St.…
The Scoop: Del Pietro’s House of Pasta to close after 35-year run
Mary Rose Del Pietro and her late husband, Michael Del Pietro Sr., opened the doors to Del Pietro’s House of Pasta on Sept. 13, 1976. During the course of the ensuing 35 years, the original eight-table restaurant saw three expansions and served as a gathering place for many a graduation, wedding, anniversary and other celebrations,…
What local barbecue legend Mike Mills served at the James Beard House
On Friday, July 15, legendary pitmaster Mike Mills, along with his daughter Amy Mills and the rest of his pit crew, prepared a barbecue bonanza at the James Beard House in New York City, a right of passage in the culinary world. Mills is the owner of four 17th Street Bar & Grill locations in…
Balaban’s receives Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine
A Saucy congrats to Balaban’s Wine Cellar & Tapas Bar in Chesterfield for the praise it received from Wine Spectator magazine. In the magazine’s August issue, Balaban’s earned an Award of Excellence for “a cellar highlighting interesting and rare selections with a staff of professionals dedicated to giving the customer a memorable dining experience” in…
Stocking Up on blackberries
Blackberries don’t always get the love they deserve. They’re usually not quite as sweet as some of their berry brethren and they can be as seedy as Skid Row. But the berries we found at the Maplewood Farmers’ Market last week were a delight, with just enough astringency to provide a welcome bite. Blackberries have…
Watch This: How To Toss Pizza Dough
We’ve all seen them do it on TV. We’ve even sneaked a peek into the kitchen at our neighborhood pizzeria. But we wouldn’t dare actually try to do it ourselves, right? We’re talking pizza tossing here folks, one of the most daunting (and thrilling) techniques to master in the kitchen. Enter Matt Middeke, a 2010…
The Scoop: Michael Del Pietro reveals opening dates of two new restaurants
Michael Del Pietro, the owner of Sugo’s Spaghetteria and adjacent wine bar Via Vino in Frontenac, as well as Babbo’s Spaghetteria in Chesterfield and Columbia, is revealing opening dates for his two new restaurants here in town along with his plans for westward expansion – across the state, that is. The restaurateur marked September 15…
Ask the Chef: Anthony Devoti answers your questions
In the first installment of our new online column, Ask the Chef, we put down our pens to let you – our readers – take a turn asking some of the stars in St. Louis’ culinary scene your burning questions. First up is Anthony Devoti, chef and owner of Five Bistro and the shuttered Newstead…
Pandan-Coconut Cake
1 8-inch cake
The Scoop: Seoul Taco truck to feature Korean barbecue and Mexican fusion dishes
These days, it seems like hardly a week can go by without the announcement of a new mobile food biz. Today the news comes from Seoul Taco, a new food truck which will specialize in a fusion of Korean barbecue and Mexican cuisines. Once Seoul hits the streets, business partners David Choi and Andy Heck…
Get a free sneak peek at Araka’s new menu before it debuts
With a new chef at the helm, Araka, the Clayton restaurant known for good eats and craft cocktails, will soon be launching a brand new menu that transforms this Southern European-inspired eatery into a hot spot for market fresh cuisine. While many of the meat and fish dishes you’ve come to love at Araka aren’t…
STL bartenders head to Windy City’s premier cocktail lounge
Looking to take a quick road trip? If you’re a cocktailian, we suggest you head north on Interstate 55 to Chicago this weekend where bartenders TJ Vytlacil, Adam Frager and Chad George will be shaking it up, St. Louis style, at The Drawing Room. Vytlacil and Frager, who are opening Blood & Sand – a…
The Scoop: Tidbits from the STL restaurant scene
Been on vacation or sitting poolside with your nose in a best-seller? Here’s a roundup of the latest action from The Lou’s food scene that you may have missed. The Scoop received confirmation last week that Arcelia’s in Lafayette Square is reopening. Since the RFT’s Ian Froeb cited possible action at the space at 2001…
Baked: Pandan-coconut cake
Welcome to Baked, a new column in which Amrita Rawat shares her adventures in the kitchen as she explores our fair city. Born in India and a longtime resident of Atlanta, Rawat recently moved to St. Louis to attend graduate school at Washington University. After eating her way through places like Hong Kong, Paris, Budapest,…
Drink This Weekend Edition: The Creature From the Black Lagoon
The latest cocktail menu at Sanctuaria reads like any normal craft cocktail bill of fare – that is, until you get to the ingredients listed for a drink called The Creature from the Black Lagoon: Koval Dark Wheat Whiskey, blue curacao, Cynar, Whiskey Barrel Bitters, votive candle. Votive candle? We’ve seen a lot of cocktail…
Ask the Chef: We’ve asked chef Anthony Devoti every question in the book. Now, it’s your turn.
Welcome to Ask the Chef, a new online column in which we take a step back from our journalistic duties to let you, our readers, talk to some of the best and brightest in St. Louis’ culinary scene. First up: Anthony Devoti. As chef-owner of Five Bistro, the farm-to-table restaurant that sits on the corner…
The Scoop: Street Life food truck to debut next week
Welcome another addition to St. Louis’ ever-expanding food truck scene, Street Life, set to debut next week. Owner David Williams told The Scoop that Street Life will offer a handful of made-to-order Sunday supper-type fare – rib-eye steaks, fried chicken, deep-fried shrimp, tilapia, catfish, spaghetti and coleslaw – as well as quick lunch grabs like…
Stocking Up on farm-fresh peaches
“Do I dare to eat a peach?” One of St. Louis’ favorite sons, poet T.S. Eliot, included this line in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. We think you should definitely dare to do so, with as much reckless abandon as humanly possible. Peaches have appeared by the boxful at local farmers’ markets, in…
The Scoop: St. Peters to be home for new Japanese steakhouse and sushi bar
Tomo, a new Japanese steakhouse, is slated to open this fall in St. Peters. The restaurant, which will open at 6101 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in the space formerly occupied by dueling piano bar Jive and Wail, will serve hibachi-style Japanese steak and seafood as well as sushi and other traditional Japanese fare, according to…
The Scoop: Blood & Sand project taking shape with chef Chris Bork, Caravelli to replace Bork at Mud House
Blood & Sand, the members-only bar and restaurant venture by area bartenders TJ Vytlacil (pictured) and Adam Frager, is beginning to take shape. The target opening date for the downtown venue, according to Frager, is the first week of September. “They are doing demo right now. That should be finished by Thursday and our general…
Extra Sauce: Short List Runner-Up
In this month’s Short List, we told you about three restaurants around town that are serving up apple pie à la mode at its best. Now, we reveal whose version of this classic American dessert fell just shy of taking home a medal. Click over to the Extra Sauce section to see this month’s (not…
Short List Runner-Up
I love apple pie and I love ice cream, so to me, a dessert that literally blends the two so that you get a bit of each in every bite is pure genius. The apple pie concrete at Ted Drewes does just that. Velvety smooth vanilla custard is combined with a piece of Lubely’s apple…
Introducing the Sauce Magazine Guide to Cheap Eats in STL on Foodspotting
Now there’s another reason to join Foodspotting, a social media platform for finding must-try eats wherever you are. Since Sauce debuted as a featured publisher on Foodspotting back in March, we’ve created five guides to great food in St. Louis, including where you should turn for great Sandwiches, New Classics and Fine Dining, among others.…
Picking the Perfect Watermelon
In The Many Ways of Watermelon, we provided 10 ways to use the flesh, rind and even the seeds from this summer fruit to turn out everything from sodas to soups to salads. But first you have to pick the perfect melon. Here are a few tips to finding – and storing – the right…
Just Five: Steak and Mushrooms
Listen, you can be as fancy as you want to be, but some days just call for an ice cold dirty martini (straight up) and a big fat steak – no messing around with froufrou ingredients or painstaking preparation. This is a dish my dad used to make before he moved to southern California and…
Extra Sauce: Picking the Perfect Watermelon
In The Many Ways of Watermelon, we provided 10 ways to use the flesh, rind and even the seeds from this summer fruit to turn out everything from sodas to soups to salads. But first you have to pick the perfect melon. Click over to the Extra Sauce section for are a few tips to…
The Scoop: Craft beer guru Cory King comes aboard Perennial Artisan Ales
As we await the opening of one of St. Louis’ newest small-batch microbreweries, Perennial Artisan Ales, word comes that Cory King is joining Perennial co-founders Phil and Emily Wymore in their craft beer venture. King, who is an avid home brewer and a former “beertender” at International Tap House, told The Scoop that he will…
The Scoop: Where’s Caravelli?
Sometimes, keeping track of where chefs are cheffing can be like playing a game of Where’s Waldo? Such is the case with Steven Caravelli, who left the top job at Araka in mid-June. Yesterday, Caravelli was cooking up Sunday Supper, a multi-course family-style dinner at Claverach Farm and Vineyard. And today, The Scoop received news…
Strawberry-Almond Tart
Makes 1 9-inch tart
Drink This Weekend Edition: Morton’s offers up tasty tipplers fit for bikini season
A Piña Colada followed by a Mai Tai and then a Margarita. These popular summertime cocktails are easy consolation for those of us stuck in a humid river town as we daydream of blue oceans and sandy white beaches. Ah, but those extra calories are sure to get that muffin top popping! The folks over…
The Scoop: This week’s food headliners in The Lou
There is never-ending action in St. Louis’ restaurant scene. Here’s a quick bulletin to get you up to speed on what’s been cooking around town this week. Exit 6 Brewery is close to opening. Owner Jeff Britton expects to open the brewery at 5055 Highway N in Cottleville in mid-July, as reported by Evan Benn…
Mark your calendar for the second Food Truck Friday, July 22!
We’re gearing up for the second 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 15 trucks who have already signed on for this month’s event – you can…
The Scoop: The Hangar Grill replaces Longstreet Grill in Chesterfield
Talk about a seamless transition: Longstreet Grill, located off Long Road in Chesterfield Valley, closed on Wednesday, June 29. The very next day, the new owners reopened the venue as The Hangar Grill. Named for its proximity to Spirit of St. Louis Airport, The Hangar Grill, located at 127 Chesterfield Towne Centre, is a new…
The Scoop: New chocolatier turns out customized seasonal chocolates to order
If you love the artisanal chocolate trend, grab a mouthwatering bite of the chocolate truffles and sea salt dark chocolate caramels by Sheila Kleinschmidt, owner of Oh Sheila! Chocolates. Kleinschmidt launched her biz this spring, making small-batch, hand-dipped sweets using the Hollyberry Catering kitchen in Webster Groves. Kleinschmidt began her baking career while working for…
Stocking Up on Parisian market carrots
Maybe it’s because we’re just back stateside after two weeks in France. Or maybe it’s because they’re so darn cute. Whatever the reason, we just could not pass by the basket of Parisian market carrots displayed at the Maplewood Farmers’ Market by Ozark Harvest Farms. According to the guys at the booth, these plump little…
Making Soda At Home
In Sensational Sippers, we showed you how several chefs around town are applying the same seasonally inspired passion they bring to the plate to their drink menus to turn out house-made sodas that burst with farm-fresh flavor. But you don’t have to be at the helm of one of these area restaurants to whip up…
Annie Gunn’s makes Wine Enthusiast’s 100 Best Wine Restaurants of 2011
Raise a glass to the crew at Annie Gunn’s for being named to Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s list of 100 Best Wine Restaurants, as reported by the Post-Dispatch’s Joe Bonwich. Glenn Bardgett, wine director for the Chesterfield Valley restaurant and a Sauce contributor, noted that the national-level accolade is not based solely on the restaurant’s wine…
Baked: Strawberry-Almond Tart
Welcome to Baked, a new column in which Amrita Rawat will share her adventures in the kitchen as she explores our fair city. Born in India and a longtime resident of Atlanta, Rawat recently moved to St. Louis to attend graduate school at Washington University. After eating her way through places like Hong Kong, Paris,…
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, she had to do it twice. Want to know how she landed upon the gorgeous photographs on the cover of our July issue and the cover of this year’s Readers’ Choice…
Short List: Apple Pie À La Mode
When done well, it’s not hard to see why apple pie is an American classic: a light, buttery crust; tender apples; and, most importantly, the goo – that delicious, thick stuff that’s created from the apples’ natural juices and the melting sugar in the filling – combine to create a flaky, earthy, sweet treat that…
Choosing the Cover
Every time we do a double issue we feel like we need a break. But with the July issue, one of our biggest of the year, we feel like we need a week off. (Some of us are actually taking it.) For our cover story, The Life of Ryan – a profile on local forager…
Review: Salt in St. Louis
Salt, 4356 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 314.932.5787, enjoysalt.com Some may think it a bit odd, macabre even, to eat dinner in the same room your great-grandmother was laid out for viewing. But there we were, noshing on pork rillettes and scooping the marrow out of a big bone, in what used to be the front…
Review: Stumpy’s House of Bar-B-Que in St. Peters
Barbecue, to me, has always been about avoiding chores on the weekend. It’s a reason to drink beer all day and play with fire, while you slowly smoke some sort of meaty goodness. “Sorry honey, I can’t clean out the basement today – we’re having pulled pork.” Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating…
Recipe: Trattoria Marcella’s Cantaloupe Soup
Who doesn’t love prosciutto e melone? At Trattoria Marcella, chef and owner Steve Komorek takes the summer staple one step further, adding bright lime juice and rich cream to the sweetness of puréed cantaloupe. He tops it off with a sprinkle of crispy prosciutto, a crumble of blue cheese and a few liqueur-soaked raisins –…
Review: Water Street Café and Cocktail Bar in Maplewood
A newcomer to the Maplewood strip, Water Street Café and Cocktail Bar is a hip little venue that has character in spades. Proof positive that good things certainly do come in small packages. The nondescript bar can be easy to miss on the first pass, but don’t let that fact deter you – this is…
The Scorpion
4 to 6 servings
Mai Tai
1
Trattoria Marcella’s Cantaloupe Soup
8 servings
The Life of Ryan: From field and forest to the kitchen line, this “monster forager” is forging his own path
You don’t hear much about foragers. Perhaps that’s because those who harvest nature’s larder are rather limited in number. Or maybe because foragers prefer to stay under the radar so that they can quietly go about their business, keeping their choice harvesting locations a closely guarded secret. But when you encounter a forager as unique…
Despite Some Standouts, A North County Classic Shows Its Age
When a restaurant is open for decades, it means something: People generally like the place. Diners keep coming back for that one great dish that’s always on the menu or because the same smiling face has stopped by your table every time you’ve eaten there since you were much, much younger. Spiro’s on Natural Bridge…
Kick-start Modesto’s anniversary with a round of horchata
In this business, restaurateurs breathe a sigh of relief when they make it past that important one year mark. Five years is even better, and 10 years? Well, now you’ve got some history! Modesto owners Brendan Marsden and Julie Block are celebrating that decade milestone this month at their tapas bar and restaurant located on…
Sensational Sippers: Chefs turn to farm-fresh flavors to make house-made sodas pop
MAKE IT: Want to whip up a batch of fresh soda at home? Click here for everything you need to infuse your favorite flavors into a simple, bubbly sipper. We’ve all been there: It’s the middle of the afternoon, and you’re craving something a bit stronger than water to get you through your lunch meeting.…
The Many Ways of Watermelon
Flesh, rind, seeds: Everything’s edible in a watermelon. Here’s your no-waste guide to transforming that 10-pound summer wonder into ruby red elixirs, unexpected starters, sides, snacks and even a sweet confection. 1. Cocktails Dustin Parres, bar manager at Sub Zero Vodka Bar, recommended a basil-watermelon cooler: Combine 1½ ounces Grey Goose vodka, 1½ ounces watermelon…
A Simple, Syrupy Staple
Orgeat (pronounced “or-zat”), a sweetened almond syrup, is simple to make. All it takes to prepare this bar staple is almonds, sugar and orange or rose water, and you can then begin whipping up an assortment of summertime sips, like the four featured here. Orgeat Courtesy of BC’s Kitchen’s Justin Cardwell Makes 4¼ cups 1…
No-Cream Creamed Spinach
I love dairy. Like, I want to marry it. And yet, some of the people I cook for the most, my vegan friend Caroline and my lactose-intolerant mother-in-law, are dairy-free. I can’t imagine living in their Gruyère-less world. On the other hand, I suspect real chefs don’t use “Just add cheese so it tastes good”…
