Gut Check: Ian taps into the tasty world of St. Louis-area food bloggers

As regular readers know, this is the print version of Riverfront Times' food blog, Gut Check. One of Gut Check's regular features is a digest of what's being written at some of the area's other food blogs. If you've never browsed some of these sites, you're in for a real treat.

The Cupcake Project (www.cupcakeproject.com): Stefani Pollack bakes some of the most amazing cupcakes that you will ever see. And not just the "ordinary" sweet variety, either. Recent recipes have included cupcakes made with baby food and honey-baked ham. (Don't worry: You can also find black-forest and strawberry-banana cupcakes, among the most recent posts.)

Show Me Vegan (showmevegan.blogspot.com): It can be difficult to find good vegetarian food, let alone good vegan food, but every week blogger Lisa comes up with at least one recipe that sounds and looks absolutely delicious. Lisa also keeps an eye out for vegan-friendly dishes at local eateries.

A Veggie Venture (kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com): Alanna Kellogg is the den mother of St. Louis food bloggers, passionate about her blogging and her food. This blog offers numerous, seasonally appropriate vegetable recipes and a super-handy recipe-search function.

St. Louis Eats & Drinks (stlouiseats.typepad.com/st_louis_eats_and_drinks_/): Joe Pollack has been reviewing St. Louis restaurants for decades. He and his wife, Ann Lemons Pollack, offer their thoughts on St. Louis restaurants new and established, spots they visit on their out-of-town travels and wine. Those who miss Joe Pollack's movie and play reviews from KWMU (90.7 FM) can find them here.

Beer, Wine and Whisky (www.beerwineandwhisky.com): Dave Nelson, who writes the Noble Writ wine column for Gut Check, also blogs about (as you might have guessed from its name) beer, wine and whisky (and whiskey, too). Nelson has an encyclopedic knowledge of these beverages, and neophytes and connoisseurs alike will dig his blog.

STL Hops (www.stlhops.com): The place to go for news on the St. Louis beer scene, Mike Sweeney's blog has helped expand the range of beers available in St. Louis. You can talk shop on Sweeney's forum, check out updated beer lists from the best brewpubs and learn about different beer styles.

Are you opening a new restaurant? Know of a place that has closed? Something else for Ian to chew on? E-mail ian.froeb@riverfronttimes.com. And check out this column's virtual doppelganger here.