Editor’s note: Quincy Street Bistro, Niche, Central Table Food Hall, The Precinct, and Michon’s Smokehouse have closed. 4 Seasons Bakery has moved and rebranded as Sucrose Bakery. Athlete Eats has rebranded as Revel Kitchen.
Here’s a look at what’s on the plate, in the glass and atop our wish list right now.
Pimento cheese
That pâté of the South rises again. A pimento BLT has been on the menu atSugarFire Smoke House since it opened (And with location No. 2 soon to open in St. Charles, it will double the pleasure.). Pimento cheese also appears at Juniper, where y’all can find it in a pimento grilled cheese sandwich. The spreadable orange stuff is everywhere at Quincy Street Bistro: in smothered potato chips, pimento cheese skins and, of course, its (artery) killer The Hog Burger. Last November, QSB collaborated with Strange Donuts on a hog burger stuffed inside a doughnut and topped with pimento cheese; it still ranks among the most popular of the doughnut shop’s savory late-night Strangers.
Bologna
David Chang thinks bologna is going to be bigger than pork belly. At least in these parts, the old-school sandwich with its underappreciated meat is back and maybe even worth being dubbed “artisanal.” The Southsider at Quincy Street Bistro is no ordinary fried bologna sandwich with house-made, smoked, thick-cut bologna plus cheddar mornay and a farm egg on a Companion brioche. At Annie Gunn’s, diners dug into a hearty lunch of fried bologna with Comté on brioche served with heirloom tomato soup. It’s left the menu, but fear not; it’ll be back come June when tomatoes begin to ripen. And when Michon’s Smokehouse opens downtown on Washington Avenue in May, you can get a smoked bologna sandwich there, too.
Fernet
As we enjoy a pint of Odell Brewing Co.‘s new Fernet-Aged Porter, we’re scrolling through Twitter to find fernet aflutter. The herbacious liqueur, popular among the restaurant-industry crowd, is trending in everything from Fernet-spiked hot chocolate to a minty sipper (and Italian-American marriage) of equal parts Fernet-Branca and Colorado-made Leopold Fernet to fernet vinaigrette. We simply must #fernetaboutit.
Cheesy Bar Snacks
Gougeres, aka French cheese puffs, have been on Brasserie‘s menu since day one. Now you can find these airy, cheesy poppers at wine bar and photo gallery The Dark Room, newly opened in Grand Center. For a meat-flavored, Southern spin, munch on spicy cheddar cracklins at Juniper.
Earl Grey Desserts
Tea is no longer just for drinking. It’s accenting sweet treats across town, and Earl Grey – that black tea with a touch of citrus – is the blend of choice. You can find this timeless classic in baked goods and pastries at 4 Seasons Bakery (Earl Grey macarons), La Patisserie Chouquette (Earl Grey macaron with Cream Earl Grey caramel ganache and Earl Grey tea biscuits), at Comet Coffee (Earl Grey cookies), the recently relocated London Tea Room (lavender Earl Grey bread) and Winslow’s Home (a rotating special of chocolate cake-bread pudding with Earl Grey anglaise). In the mood for a tea-spiked frozen sundry? Go for Earl Grey-blended gelato at Gelateria del Leone – they call it London Fog.
Farro
Quinoa is so 2013. This is farro‘s year. At Elaia, the ancient grain lived in modern comfort for a time with sausage, charred eggplant and kefir. It’s still making waves at Taste, where it offers nutty flavor and satisfying chew in risotto. They went far(ro) out with ragout at Sidney Street Café, and Planter’s House served it up in a hearty vegetarian farro pilaf during this long winter.
Cauliflower
Move over kale. Cauliflower is the veggie of the hour, so much so that those white florets are pushing proteins aside to star in main plates. In NYC, it was in a veg version of chicken and waffles at Dirt Candy, and it’s taco filling at Salvation Taco. In STL, it was the principal character in the cauliflower “lasagna” at Niche. Although that show is now over, you can still catch it at The Precinct in a grilled cheese ‘wich, at Athlete Eats as the rice base in a protein-packed bibimbap bowl and at Central Table Food Hall, where a thick-cut cauliflower steak rests on a bed of warm hummus, sauteed chickpeas and kale. And you thought cauliflower was just for ranch dressing.
This article appears in April 2014.