Email Author Ian Froeb

Awards

• 2011 - Association of Food Journalists Awards, published November 4, 2010

  "Jeffrey Plaza Jewel"

• 2011 - Association of Food Journalists Awards, published November 11, 2010

  "Near Beer"

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2009 Stories by Ian Froeb

• Happy New Year from Gut Check

  published Dec 31, 2009

  And so ends another year. I hope you enjoyed our third annual End-of-Year Bonanza. We'll return Monday with -- gasp! -- a full week of content, including the first restaurant review of 2010, which wil... More >>

• 2009 in Review: December

  published Dec 30, 2009

  OK, there's really not much point reliving a month that, as of this writing, is still occurring. Especially since we've spent half of this month reviewing the rest of the year -- and the decade. So I'... More >>

• FoodWire: Breakfast at the U, Lunch at Pi and the Shaved Duck

  published Dec 30, 2009

  How about one final batch of restaurant tidbits for the year -- the decade, even! (Sorry.)At any rate, Midtown's The U (3108 Olive Street; website) will open for breakfast daily beginning Monday, Janu... More >>

• 2009 in Review: November

  published Dec 30, 2009

  rNovember was all about Thanksgiving -- though not in the traditional sense. No, our Thanksgiving was all about booze. (Or maybe that is traditional.) Anyway: The Beertender told you what beers to dri... More >>

• 2009 in Review: October

  published Dec 29, 2009

  rOctober saw the return of Drink of the Week, the column founded by Randall Roberts and continued by Kristie McClanahan that muses on life and libations. Alicia Lohmar is the new author, and we're thr... More >>

• The Ten Most Important St. Louis Restaurant Openings of the Aughts #1: Niche (2005)

  published Dec 29, 2009

  Niche (2005)If a hurricane hadn't sent Josh Galliano here, both An American Place and Monarch would have had very different trajectories. And if an ambitious young chef in Salt Lake City hadn't taken ... More >>

• The Ten Most Important St. Louis Restaurant Openings of the Aughts #2: Monarch (2003)

  published Dec 29, 2009

  Monarch (2003)Josh Galliano is reason enough to rank Monarch so high: The Louisiana native, sent packing when Katrina devastated New Orleans, is everything you could want in a chef -- creative yet res... More >>

• 2009 in Review: September

  published Dec 29, 2009

  rSeptember is a very special month here not only at Gut Check International Headquarters but at the RFT as a whole: We release our annual Best of St. Louis issue. Check out our winners in the Restaura... More >>

• The Ten Most Important St. Louis Restaurant Openings of the Aughts #3: An American Place (2004)

  published Dec 29, 2009

  An American Place (2004)Five years, the economic plunge that stalled downtown's "renaissance" and, frankly, the disparaging comments about St. Louis diners that Larry Forgione made during a Sauce Maga... More >>

• All for Aughts: Let's count down the best local restaurant openings of the decade!

  published December 30, 2009

  Wait — what? The decade's over? You mean, after cultivating my list of this year's best dishes, I have to turn around and do the... More >>

• The Ten Most Important St. Louis Restaurant Openings of the Aughts #4: Taste by Niche (2009)

  published Dec 29, 2009

  Taste by Niche (2009)Like Local Harvest Cafe (#6 on this list), Taste by Niche represents a potential new direction for St. Louis restaurants, with the quality of the food and drink trumping splashy b... More >>

• The Ten Most Important St. Louis Restaurant Openings of the Aughts #5: Atlas (2003)

  published Dec 28, 2009

  Atlas (2003)I've heard more than one person call Atlas one of St. Louis' best-kept secrets, which makes no sense because pretty much everyone I know loves the place, and those who don't are misguided ... More >>

• 2009 in Review: August

  published Dec 28, 2009

  rAugust was an unusually busy month, with numerous restaurant openings and closings. Let's dwell on the positive above the fold: The Terrace View opened in Citygarden, Downtown's spiffy new sculpture ... More >>

• The Ten Most Important St. Louis Restaurant Openings of the Aughts #6: Local Harvest Cafe & Catering (2009)

  published Dec 28, 2009

  Local Harvest Cafe & Catering (2009)If Iron Barley (#8 on this list) represents how the casual neighborhood restaurant evolved in the Aughts, Local Harvest Cafe & Catering could serve as an ex... More >>

• The Ten Most Important St. Louis Restaurant Openings of the Aughts #7: Arthur Clay's (2003)

  published Dec 28, 2009

  Arthur Clay's (2003)The only shuttered restaurant (its Maplewood space is now Acero) to make this list, and one I include not out of sentiment -- I never ate there -- but because my many conversations... More >>

• The Ten Most Important St. Louis Restaurant Openings of the Aughts #8: Iron Barley (2003)

  published Dec 28, 2009

  Iron Barley (2003)Tom Coghill's laidback -- but decidedly not quiet -- restaurant has enjoyed a recent surge in interest thanks to its appearance on the Food Network's megapopular Diners, Drive-Ins an... More >>

• FoodWire: New Chef at Mangia, New Ozzie's Downtown

  published Dec 28, 2009

  A couple of restaurant tidbits for this short week: First, Mangia Italiano (3145 South Grand Boulevard; website) has brought David Timney on board as executive chef. Timney was both executive chef and... More >>

• 2009 in Review: July

  published Dec 28, 2009

  rJuly was a quiet month at Gut Check International Headquarters as St. Louis turned its attention to a certain Midsummer Classic. We did offer dining recommendations to our out-of-town guests -- and, ... More >>

• FoodWire: Restaurant Tidbits from Kevin Willmann, Grand Center

  published Dec 23, 2009

  My Christmas gift to you, dear readersr (Besides, of course, the unending cavalcade of joy that is the Year-End Bonanza.) Restaurant news! Yes, our friends around town have reported several tidbits in... More >>

• 2009 in Review: June

  published Dec 23, 2009

  rWhat better time than the onset of warm weather for a delicious beerr So what better time than June for the first St. Louis Craft Beer Weekr A week filled with tastings, talks and more tastings celeb... More >>

• 2009 in Review: May

  published Dec 23, 2009

  rIt was the month of Kristen! My colleague Kristen Hinman won three prestigious journalism awards for her stellar feature about Missouri hog farmer Russ Kremer, "The Pope of Pork": a James Beard Found... More >>

• The Ten Most Important Restaurant Openings of the Aughts #9: Pappy's Smokehouse (2008)

  published Dec 22, 2009

  Pappy's Smokehouse (2008)The most annoying food comment we have to make to out-of-towners: "Yes, St. Louis has its own style of pizza." The runner-upr "No, St. Louis doesn't have its own style of barb... More >>

• 2009 in Review: April

  published Dec 22, 2009

  rIn 2008, then-Senator Barack Obama fell in love with Pi's pizza during a campaign visit to St. Louis. In April of this year, President Obama invited Pi's Chris Sommers and team to the White House to ... More >>

• The Ten Most Important St. Louis Restaurant Openings of the Aughts #10: Pi (2008)

  published Dec 22, 2009

  Pi (2008)Forget for a moment that then-Senator Obama declared Pi's pizza the best he'd ever eaten. Forget too that President Obama invited Pi owner Chris Sommers and staff to cook at the White House. ... More >>

• 2009 in Review: March

  published Dec 22, 2009

  rThe world as Gut Check knew it ended in March when we launched our Twitter account. Really, things have never been the same around these parts. The rest of the month after the jump. NewsThe Corn Refi... More >>