Chop, Chop: In-house butchering gives restaurants a cutting edge
“It’ll take me a couple of minutes just to get this nice and sharp,” said Gerard Craft, shuttling his paring knife across a whetstone. Whenever struck by the whim, Niche’s executive chef likes to butcher a little something at the Benton Park spot. On one recent day, he’d ordered a pig’s head. What can Craft…
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. • Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl. • Mix the contents of the two bowls together until moist. • Stir in the chocolate chips and, if desired, the nuts. • Pour the mixture into 2 greased medium loaf pans and…
Cheddar-Herb Bread
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. • Combine the buttermilk, egg, baking soda and honey and set aside. • Mix the dry ingredients together, then stir in the shredded Cheddar cheese. • Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry mixture and stir until well blended. • Grease 1 large or 2 medium loaf pans…
Reviews: Old Rock House in St. Louis
As a guy who devours nearly everything I can find on St. Louis urban planning and redevelopment, I am a daily visitor to www.urbanstl.com. There, I lurk, visiting forums detailing the major and minor construction projects all over the urban core. Back in January, a post talking up a bar rehab on the 1100 block…
Review: Lynch Street Bistro in St. Louis
There was a period in my life, several years back, when I still had my youth, when one of my best friends had just started working for a small company called Anheuser-Busch. The company made a product that’s good for social gatherings or something, because just about every Friday afternoon, I received a call regarding…
Mother-in-Law Bread and Butter Pickles
About 7 1-pint jars
Refrigerator Dill Spears with Pearl Onions
About 9 1-pint jars
Experiment with this luminous rum that can be had for not a lot of loot
How’s your rum and Coke? More often than not, there isn’t much to say. It’s an easy cocktail of uninteresting taste. It is, however, highly undervalued, for the right rum with a bit of the right cola can come together to form a complex, subtly sweet and downright luxurious drink. It’s an experience you frankly…
Bright and airy Geyer House fills a jazzy, history-filled niche
There’s something about the words “jazz brunch” that I find instantly appealing. Kicking back, enjoying some good live music, food and company is an experience I relish – but options are limited. Now, Geyer House in Soulard fills that niche nicely; for the next several weeks you can catch guitarist John Farrar performing laid-back jazz…
Crown Valley Winery blazes a trail with innovation and showmanship
From the first time I visited Crown Valley Winery’s Ste. Genevieve site, it was obvious that this was not your typical mom-and-pop type of winery. Indeed, for the first few years, there seemed to be more effort spent on making a splash with overall showmanship and stunning facilities rather than on the wines themselves. And…
This underutilized root’s got a flavor that’s out of this world – and looks like an alien to boot
I hefted a softball-sized celery root, heavy and rough. The lumpy, lopsided brown thing topped with shocking green fuzz resembled an alien patron from the Mos Eisley Cantina in Star Wars. I sniffed. The clean odor of celery came back to me. I chose two firm candidates with the fewest protrusions and the freshest-looking tops.…
Quick-process and refrigerator are two pickles you’ll want to be in
To the uninitiated, pickles can be off-putting. Any food that vies for blue ribbons at the state fair automatically implies a certain level of complexity. Couple this award-winning potential with the lore of champions relinquishing titles over softness, cloudiness or, God forbid, spoilage, and the intimidation factor is enough to cause seasoned cooks to gasp…
Gay DeMichele adds education, inspiration to meal preparation
More and more people want to eat restaurant-quality meals at home. Unfortunately, many of those same folks lack the time and sometimes the knowledge to cook meals from scratch. Enter meal-preparation services. These businesses have been growing in popularity exponentially over the past few years, and the latest entrant in this culinary genre is Celebrity…
He Said / She Said: Where to catch the perfect fry
There are around 9,000 fish and chip shops across the U.K., about seven for every one McDonald’s. These chippies, as they’re called, have a loyal clientele who keeps them going. In the States, though, fish and chips is a bit harder to come by, especially the kind that keeps you coming back for more. And…
