Email Author Ian Froeb

Awards

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

  "Near Beer"

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

  "Jeffrey Plaza Jewel"

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2010 Stories by Ian Froeb

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  Gut Check's New Year's Eve Recommendations

  published Dec 31, 2010

  While Gut Check prefers to spend New Year's Eve nursing a bottle of whiskey and another twelve months' worth of accumulated regrets, I suspect more than a few of you plan to ring in 2011 with a fancy ... More >>

• Rolf's Patisserie Recall Strikes Local Whole Foods Market Locations

  published Dec 29, 2010

  Monday's Morning Brew mentioned a recall of gingerbread houses made by Rolf's Patisserie of Linconwood, Illinois, and sold at Whole Foods Market because of possible S. aureus (or staph) contaminationI... More >>

• Food Feuds Gooey Butter Cake Battle Airs Thursday, 12.30 -- Tomorrow Night

  published Dec 29, 2010

  Update: (Wednesday, 12.29, 11 a.m.) A reminder from earlier this month that the Food Network appearance of Park Avenue Coffee and Gooey Louie is tomorrow night at 9 p.m.Original post:When Iron Chef Am... More >>

• Gut Check's Favorite Local Story of 2010: The Malt Imposter

  published Dec 29, 2010

  Gut Check has a long-standing dislike of eating competitions and challenges, but even we had to admit shock and a certain grudging admiration when we first heard what happened at Crown Candy Kitchen i... More >>

• Top Ten Dishes of 2010: Honorable Mentions and a Posthumous Nod

  published Dec 28, 2010

  Today concludes my counting down of the Top Ten Dishes of 2010, as drawn from my reviews of new restaurants throughout the year. This 2010 list marked a change from my previous year-end top tens, in w... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  #1: Poached Escolar at Farmhaus

  published Dec 28, 2010

  Since adolescence, chef and owner Kevin Willmann has been an avid fisherman, and his abiding love for the sea is manifested on the plate. My favorite of his seafood dishes was a Hawaiian escolar fille... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  #2: Gang Kua Ped Yang at Addie's Thai House

  published Dec 27, 2010

  The best Thai curry I've eaten in St. Louis, probably the best Thai dish I've had here and maybe the best duck dish, period. Remarkably, though the duck was chopped into half a dozen pieces and served... More >>

• Remembrance of Wings (and Curries and Briskets) Past: The Best Dishes of 2010

  published December 30, 2010

  You had to look around a little to find this year's best dishes. There were few splashy restaurant openings — even fewer worthy of the... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  #3: Quesadillas Tradicionales at Milagro Modern Mexican

  published Dec 27, 2010

  Not quesadillas as we Americans know them. Rather, these resemble empanadas: a thin, crisp shell of fried corn masa stuffed with Chihuahua cheese and finely chopped and sauteed huitlacoche and wild mu... More >>

• #4: Cassoulet at Brasserie by Niche

  published Dec 27, 2010

  The classic white-bean stew is served with pork (belly on my visit, shoulder more recently), a confit of duck leg and a garlicky pork sausage. The beans are the ideal texture, firm to the first bite b... More >>

• #5: Torta Ahogada at Taqueria Durango

  published Dec 23, 2010

  Ahogada means "drowned," and a torta ahogada brings carnitas and grilled onions on the traditional oblong bolillo roll coated with red-chile sauce. The sauce is smoky and, to my capsaicin-craving pala... More >>

• #6: Beef Brisket at PM BBQ

  published Dec 23, 2010

  Smoked for twelve hours and as tender as medium-rare roast beef, the brisket is as good as any in town. Brisket is a cut that's prone to dryness, which makes PM's preparation all the more impressive, ... More >>

• #7: Lasagna at Mama Josephine's

  published Dec 23, 2010

  The lasagna is served in a large bowl, as sure a sign of any of its serious intent. There are eight layers, though you will likely be too busy digging into the gravy-thick meat sauce -- simmered for e... More >>

• Yummies Owner Loses "Everything" in House Fire [Updated]

  published Dec 22, 2010

  A fire this weekend destroyed the home of Jackie Phillips, owner of Yummies Soul Food Cafe. Phillips, her husband and their five children didn't suffer any serious injuries, but an employee at Yummies... More >>

• #8: Pappardelle with Stewed Tomatoes and Italian Sausage at the Tavern Kitchen & Bar

  published Dec 22, 2010

  The pasta is served in a plain white bowl: flaxen ribbons of pasta slicked with sauce. Tomato is the dominant flavor of this sauce, rich, with a fleeting sweetness. The sausage adds depth, but this is... More >>

• Rolling on E and Looking to Eat!

  published Dec 22, 2010

  Yesterday, we brought you an example of how not to ask for a restaurant recommendation online. Today, via Eater NY, a counterexample from Chowhound:rThe replies are generally helpful! Do you like Kore... More >>

• #9: Meat Shawarma at the Vine Mediterranean Cafe & Market

  published Dec 22, 2010

  Inevitably your order of meat shawarma will contain a few pieces from the exterior of the spit -- crisp, even crunchy, and enjoyable in its own way, like the edges of pork carnitas. But the majority o... More >>

• Who Will Free the Chilean Winersr

  published Dec 22, 2010

  No, that isn't a typo in the headline. Via Grub Street comes the news that a London-based creative agency called Unreal (no relation to the RFT staffer) has produced a limited edition wine called Chil... More >>

• #10: Smoked Chicken Wings at Flavors BBQ Sports Bar & Grill

  published Dec 22, 2010

  The wings here are smoked, not fried, and they are massive. Each is served as one whole wing, all three parts (tip, middle wing and drumette) still attached, and even the typically scrawny tip is plum... More >>

• The Tavern Kitchen & Bar: Review + Slideshow

  published Dec 22, 2010

  Pappardelle, pork belly and more: My review of The Tavern Kitchen & Bar in Valley Park is now available online. Jennifer Silverberg's slideshow of the Tavern showcases the people, the space and, o... More >>

• How Not to Ask for a Restaurant Recommendation

  published Dec 21, 2010

  Meet Yelp user Chun "Tennis Guru" L, who decided to turn to the wisdom of the Yelp crowds for a restaurant recommendation. This recommendation had to meet a few criteria, though:rDid something in his ... More >>

• The Top Ten Dishes of 2010: An Introduction

  published Dec 21, 2010

  You had to look around a little to find this year's best dishes. There were few splashy restaurant openings -- even fewer worthy of the hype they received. On the margins, though, tucked into strip ma... More >>

• A Wish for Less Cheese in 2011

  published Dec 21, 2010

  We asked what you do and don't want to see on the St. Louis food scene next year. Reader Mantelli is cheesed about...well...cheese:A forlorn hope...how about the end of cheese in every dish on every m... More >>

• Review Preview: The Tavern Kitchen & Bar

  published Dec 21, 2010

  This year's restaurant reviews wrap up with a trip out to Valley Park to visit The Tavern Kitchen & Bar. Will this late entry find a place into my Top Ten Dishes of 2010r Follow me after the jump ... More >>

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  Bliss out on comfort food at the Tavern Kitchen & Bar

  published December 23, 2010

  The housemade pappardelle with stewed tomatoes and Italian sausage at the Tavern Kitchen & Bar could not be less ostentatious. You might... More >>