Email Author Tom Finkel

2010 Stories by Tom Finkel

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  FEATURED STORY

  Gerard Craft's Niche Restaurant Musical Chairs Act Won't Commence Till February -- Got Thatr!

  published Dec 09, 2010

  Local chef/restaurateur Gerard Craft took to Twitter earlier today to counter misconceptions that his Benton Park twosome, Niche and Taste by Niche, have closed for renovation. Niche will "close day ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  What Is Wrong with This Picturer Special World Series Edition!

  published Nov 02, 2010

  Let's just say you don't turn to FOX -- or to Joe Buck, who recited this graphic word for word last night -- for the facts. rThe Giants won the World Series last night for the first time since 1954. ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Show Review + Setlist: Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses Rock the Old Rock House, Sunday, October 24

  published Oct 25, 2010

  It was a dark and stormy night. That didn't deter a sold-out turnout for Ryan Bingham at the Old Rock House, despite the fact that the doors didn't open till 9 and Bingham and his backing band, the De... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  An American Place No Longer a St. Louis Place

  published Oct 22, 2010

  New York-based restaurateur Larry Forgione tells Sauce Magazine that An American Place St. Louis, the restaurant he opened six years ago in the Renaissance Grand Hotel on Washington Avenue, will soon ... More >>

• Google Instant: Something to Like About It!

  published Sep 09, 2010

  There's two kinds of people in the world. Them that like the new Google Instant, and them that prefer this ad, which appropriates Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" proto-music video: Which... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Sonic Drive-In Makes Cameo in New York Times Magazine Rex Ryan Profile

  published Sep 09, 2010

  Y'know how sometimes you're just minding your own business, doing your editing thing with one eye and trolling the internets with the other (myopic) one, and out of nofreakingwhere, a veritable bolt f... More >>

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  COVER STORY

  2010 MasterMind Awards

  published August 25, 2010

  Here at Riverfront Times, I like to think we look at St. Louis from a slightly skewed angle. We relish the unpredictable — the... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Be Sure to Overcook Your Chicken! (But for Heaven's Sake Don't Grill It!)

  published Aug 20, 2010

  Ya know that warning you see when you buy chicken at the grocery store, the one that says you need to cook it until it's all dried up and stringy so as to avoid certain death food poisoningr Well, an... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Tattooed You: Photos of Kitchen Ink Event at Pi

  published Jul 13, 2010

  Incomparable longtime RFT photographer Jennifer Silverberg was hard at work at Pi last night, shooting tattooed restaurant folk at the first-ever Kitchen Ink event. After the jump see photos of Silve... More >>

• Ever Had the Urge to Dress Up Like a Cowr Today's Your Day!

  published Jul 09, 2010

  Chick-fil-A will give you a free meal today if you show up dressed like a cow. No, really. Chipotle wants you to know it has its sustainably raised heart in the right place. But it's not a marketing ... More >>

• Sauerkraut and Pizza Top Today's Headlines

  published Jul 08, 2010

  Sauerkraut factory collapses in Ohio, killing one and injuring three. In other food mayhem news, cops in Los Angeles say a slice of pizza figured in their pursuit of the purported "Grim Sleeper" seri... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Party with Tattooed Restaurant Folks & RFT at Pi! Benefit the St. Louis Area Food Bank!

  published Jul 07, 2010

  Gut Check and Riverfront Times invites all St. Louis-area restaurant workers -- especially the tattooed ones -- to join us on July 12 for a Kitchen Ink party at Pi pizzeria's Delmar Loop location. The... More >>

• The Golden Age of Airline Food Revisited, and the West's Gift to Southeast Asia

  published Jul 07, 2010

  The state of Ohio reached an agreement with the Humane Society of the United States to enact animal-welfare legislation. The HSUS had Ohio's agriculture industry by the scruff of the chinny-chin-chin,... More >>

• Now Serving: Jim Beam-Infused Ice Cream to Start Your Day

  published Jul 06, 2010

  Many adventurous diners these days have tried flavors of ice cream that, just a few years ago, might have seemed nutty. (Would you like a scoop of Salted Butterr What about Baconr) Elizabeth Weil, w... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Happy Fourth of July Weekend! Beer Run!

  published Jul 03, 2010

  On a day like today all you need is a chicken on the grill, Todd Snider...and beer: ... More >>

• The Chefs Get Richer and the Clientele Get Fatter

  published Jul 02, 2010

  Has it been a yearr Alreadyr Yes, once again, as it has been since 1957, July is National Hot Dog Month! According to National Hot Dog & Sausage Council president and self-described "Queen of Wien" Ja... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  GUT CHECK CONTEST! Win a $25 Gift Certificate to Mike Shannon's Steaks and Seafood

  published Jul 01, 2010

  When it comes to bargain hunting and coupon clipping, Gut Check's mother-in-law is nearly as obsessive as Gut Check. On the other hand, she's a little scattered. So it is that Gut Check finds oursel... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Kids Going Hungry in Missourir Let Them Eat Hardee's 2/3 Pound Monster Thickburgers!

  published Jul 01, 2010

  Just in time for the Fourth of July, Health.com presents "50 Fattiest Foods in the States," which we quickly bookmarked for our next road trip. Representing Missouri: Hardee's 2/3 Pound Monster Thickb... More >>

• What Do You Call a KFC Double Down Bunless Chicken Sandwich on a Bunr

  published Jun 30, 2010

  KFC's infamous, bun-less Double Down chicken sandwich is getting...a bun. The "Doublicious" debuts July 5. (Read Gut Check's taste test of the original Double D here. Meanwhile, Taco Bell continues t... More >>

• Something Fishier This Way Comes

  published Jun 29, 2010

  Bad week for tuna lovers. On Sunday the New York Times Magazine ran a feature warning of the dwindling numbers of bluefin tuna, those big and tasty cash cows of the deep. Now the paper's Green blog br... More >>

• Bread Co. Up, Airline Food Upchucked in Today's Headlines

  published Jun 28, 2010

  The Wall Street Journal reports that Panera Bread, still stubbornly known around these parts as Saint Louis Bread Co., is scouting locations in Manhattan. "Current real-estate conditions are paving th... More >>

• 10 Alternatives to Rush Limbaugh's Dumpster Diving Suggestion for Impoverished Youth

  published Jun 21, 2010

  Last week conservative talk-radio stalwart Rush Limbaugh made a modest proposal on his syndicated show, suggesting that underprivileged kids who suffer from malnutrition should consider Dumpster divin... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Update: Tour of Missouri Officially Canceled

  published May 27, 2010

  In an e-mail to sponsors and other interested parties late this afternoon, Steve Brunner, sales director of marketing agency KOM Sports, announced the cancellation of the 2010 Tour of Missouri. "[W]e... More >>

• Lambstravaganza V Tix: Get 'Em While They Last!

  published May 25, 2010

  Every spring for the past four years, Slow Food Saint Louis has staged Lambstravaganza, a multi-course dinner showcasing the lamb raised by Dave and Barb Hillebrand at Prairie Grass Farm in New Floren... More >>

• Schlafly Beer's New iPhone App: A Gut Check Test Drive

  published May 18, 2010

  [Editor's note: Schlafly Beer debuted its smart-phone app last month, and we asked two Gut Check bloggers, Robin Wheeler and Andrew Veety, to take it for a spin. Below, their respective reviews.] Rob... More >>