Six picks for the best St. Louis flicks
I came this close to meeting Jessica Alba a couple weeks ago. I was in line at Whole Foods Market when my cashier confided that Ms. Alba had passed through just a bit before. Had I not lingered so long at the meat counter, who knows? Maybe I could have reached past her to put…
It’s Easy Being Green: Organic gardens require simple steps
Although “organic” seems like a contemporary buzzword for upscale restaurants and gourmet cooking shows, it’s showing up in local gardens. Why are gardeners leaning toward organic these days? Simply put, many gardeners, as well as consumers, are concerned about a cleaner environment and optimum health. Commercial organic food production has increased in recent years, and…
Smoky and a Little Sweet: Barbecue sauce styles converge in St. Louis
Just saying the word “barbecue” brings to mind social gatherings, grilling outdoors and the culinary art of meat slowly cooked and flavored with smoke. Cooking methods and styles vary from region to region, and even the spelling of the word is up for grabs. But one inarguable component of the barbecue experience is that most…
Seoul Food: Kimchi’s just a taste of the spicy Korean kitchen
When most people think about Korean food, the first thing that comes to mind is kimchi. This pickled cabbage is a popular traditional food; Koreans eat kimchi almost every day, serving it as a side dish with nearly every meal. It incorporates a variety of ingredients, such as hot peppers, fermented cabbage, spring onions and…
He Said / She Said: Dennis and Emily get the goods on St. Louis’ best bites between the bun
Most of us grew up on hot dogs. Nowadays we may equate them with junk food, but as kids, hot dogs were the best: perfect after a long day in the pool, ideal after school and maybe even for breakfast on the sly. D: Hot dogs were the first food I learned to barbecue, often…
Review: Mike Shannon’s Steaks and Seafood in St. Louis
GUY’S PERSPECTIVE Heady times in The STL in 1980. On June 9, August “Gussie” Busch Jr., in his 27th year as St. Louis Cardinals owner, hired Whitey Herzog as the team’s manager. Gussie and Whitey liked baseball and cold beer and, for the next decade, saw huge success. On Sept. 18, AC/DC played to a…
Review: Del Pietro’s in St. Louis
Whether you call it 30, trenta or XXX (the naughtiest of all Roman numerals), surviving three decades on this planet is an accomplishment. I made it, but against very long odds because of a large number of mind-numbingly idiotic acts my adolescent brain deemed to have been of acceptable risk levels at the time. For…
Poached Plums
12 servings
Father and son share the kitchen – and, often, their thoughts – at Annie Gunn’s
First and foremost, most people think of June as the marrying month. However, June is also the month we celebrate fatherhood. Instead of flowers, cards, candies and brunch, St. Louisans tend to celebrate dear ol’ dad with a barbecue, a ballgame and a drink. In the case of the Rooks, who work together at Annie…
Bevo Mill lightens up for its new morning role
Tired of putting money in your gas tank? Why not fill up for $7 at Bevo Mill? The recently re-opened historic restaurant is now serving breakfast, brunch and lunch seven days a week. After a revamp of the kitchen and a sprucing up to match the brighter, less formal menu, Bevo Mill, a South Side…
A sweet answer to a simple question at Club Escapade
Ahome away from home, Club Escapade in Belleville is the kind of place where bartender Bobbi Nix will gladly create a drink for an inquisitive regular, such as this month’s cocktail, the Chocolate-Covered Cherry. Nix said the drink came about when a patron noticed a bottle of Three Olives chocolate vodka behind the bar and…
Drink in the World Cup: The worldwide soccer tournament is a month-long excuse to taste something ne
Argentina and Italy, two teams to watch in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, share two passions: food and soccer. The latter, of course, is football everywhere outside the United States (except for Australia, where soccer is soccer and everything else is backward). When the World Cup begins in Germany June 9, whole industries go into…
Plums add summer sweetness to local farmers’ markets
Imagine summer’s sweetness warm and smooth in palm of your hand and you’ve got plums. Mottled yellow, translucent green, cherry rose and blackest purple, these beauties will show up at farmers’ markets, roadside stands and local grocers from mid-June through September, depending on the variety. This year, don’t wait to buy them. A March frost…
Missouri coopers have a big impact on the world’s wine industry
Although nearly any type of wood can be made into a barrel, for purposes of winemaking there is really no substitute for white oak or, more correctly, Quercus alba (American oak, primarily from the Midwest) and Quercus robur (English oak, primarily from France). Wine is often made in stainless steel, plastic, concrete (which may also…
