Pumping Iron

To quote the ubiquitous Rally's commercials, "You gotta eat." You just can't get around this simple fact. So why not graze in style? Why not dine at the Ritz-Carlton St. Louis (100 Carondelet Plaza, Clayton)? Now, before you start whining that you can't afford to eat at such a classy locale, keep reading. The Ritz is the site of the Riverfront Times' own Iron Fork Chef Competition & Restaurant Tasting, an event that will net you fancy foods from many, many St. Louis restaurants (including Cyrano's, Revival, Chi and Tortillaria) at not-too-fancy a price ($30 in advance or $35 at the door). And don't even think that the folks at the paper here will be using your admission fee to line our pockets, wallpaper our cubes and install (another) beer vending machine — a portion of the ticket sales benefits the St. Louis Area Foodbank (www.stlfoodbank.org). Plus, in addition to all of the charity, yummy samples, free drinks and live music, four local chefs battle it out beginning at 7 p.m. to see who uses the secret ingredient best. Iron Fork runs from 6 to 9 p.m.; purchase tickets and find more information by visiting www.riverfronttimes.com/ironfork.
Thu., April 17, 2008