Anthony Bourdain

Taste's Kyle Mathis: Winner of Iron Fork's Mixology Competition and Featured Bartender of the Week

Welcome to Girl Walks Into a Bar, a weekly Gut Check feature that spotlights local bars and bartenders. This week, Kaitlin Steinberg profiles Kyle Mathis of Taste. Below is a Q&A with Mathis, followed by the recipe for Another Hop Pun. We know, we know. We just interviewed a bartender from Taste (4 ... More >>

Sassy Jac's Laura O'Connell: Featured Bartender of the Week

Welcome to Girl Walks Into a Bar, a weekly Gut Check feature that spotlights local bars and bartenders. This week, Alice Telios profiles Sassy Jac's Laura O'Connell. Below is a Q&A with O'Connell, followed by the recipe for the Capri Sun.In early May, a Soulard dining and drinking sanctuary rose fro ... More >>

Iron Man Doesn't Know What Shawarma Is? Bull. Crap.

Ever the pop-culture sheep, I plunked down my hardly earned 26 clams and took my wife to see The Avengers this past weekend. Now, growing up, I was always more of a DC than a Marvel kid, so I appreciated the movie as popcorn entertainment, not a geek apotheosis. At any rate, I'm not to here to provi ... More >>

Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations Visits Kansas City Tonight

For the second consecutive season, Anthony Bourdain is featuring Missouri on his Travel Channel show No Reservations. Once again, alas, he isn't visiting St. Louis. Last year, Bourdain visited the Ozarks, where he skinned a squirrel and met acclaimed novelist Daniel Woodrell (Winter's Bone). Tonigh ... More >>

"A Krampus Carol": What You Won't See on Anthony Bourdain's Holiday Special

Krampus, as imagined by Anthony Bourdain​Tonight the Travel Channel will air the annual holiday special episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. No doubt it will contain all manner of holiday-themed debauchery. However, it won't contain "A Krampus Carol," Bourdain's twisted animated telling ... More >>

Tea Fertilized by Panda Poop and Other Crap We Can't Afford

Image viaHey, panda! We have plans for that bamboo when you're done with it.​How often have you stared at your cup of tea while it's steeping and thought, "You know, the only thing that could make this tea better would be if it had been fertilized in panda poop."If the answer is very often, then s ... More >>

The Simpsons Tackle the Food World

​I was in sixth grade when The Simpsons aired its first episode, so I can't say I've always longed for an episode about out our culture's current obsession with food and food-related TV. But for a long time I've awaited the day I could write this: The Simpsons are starting a food blog.This wee ... More >>

Stellar Week for Chefs on Late Night Television

​ Subversiveness rules on late night TV with lots of celeb chef visits. Last night Momofuku Milk Bar pastry chef Christina Tosi introduced Conan O'Brien to her most popular dessert, Cereal Milk. That's milk flavored with Lucky Charms, which leads to O'Brien having a sexual experience before h ... More >>

Has "Ruth Bourdain" Been Unmasked?

​(Warning: This post contains spoilers. Food-media inside baseball, too. You've been warned.)For more than a year now, the parody Twitter account of Ruth Bourdain has delighted -- and grossed out -- the food world with his/her mash-up of the haiku-like tweets of former New York Times restaurant cr ... More >>

A Peach, a Tomato and a Fine Rosy Mist

Welcome to Read This Now, a recurring feature in which Gut Check recommends books, longer articles and other material worth an investment of your time.​Lucky Peach is a new quarterly food magazine founded by Momofuku chef David Chang and food writer Peter Meehan and published by McSweeney's. The n ... More >>

Oprah's Seven Best Food Moments

persephonemagazine.com​ Today the world bids farewell to "The Oprah Winfrey Show". Twenty-five years of gab, angst, couch-jumping, jailhouse interviews, favorite things, crazy giveaways, fad diets, weight loss, weight gains and lots of chow. No, we're not making any fluctuating weight jokes ... More >>

The Ten Best Things To Do This Weekend in St. Louis: April 22 to 24

Joy Formidible (Wikimedia Commons)​Flip a coin: there's no other way to choose which of the excellent shows to attend this weekend. Whether your betting tastes lean toward the Joy Formidable's melodic fuzz from across the pond, or Ha Ha Tonka's Bible-Belt punk from St. Louis' backyard, odds ar ... More >>

It's the little things, and Filomena's Italian Kitchen gets them right

KFC Does Christmas Right ... in Japan

What do people in Japan eat for Christmas dinner? KFC, of course. Laos News reports that the American chicken chain has created a Christmas tradition of eating fried chicken in Japan. Their catchy marketing slogan is, "At Christmas you eat chicken."If it's a KFC in Brazil, they'd better get ready to ... More >>

This Week in Gut Check, Regurgitated

Photo: The Travel Channel​Anthony Bourdain stopped in town over the weekend, and Ian was in the audience at the Fox Theatre. In case you missed it, catch up on the Missouri-related No Reservations news and then check out Ian's overall impressions of Bourdain's appearance. What else did we ... More >>

Reminder: Mark Bittman at St. Louis County Library HQ Tonight

​Food writer Mark Bittman will appear at St. Louis County Library Headquarters (1640 South Lindbergh Boulevard) tonight at 7 p.m. Bittman writes "The Minimalist" column for the New York Times and has published such acclaimed cookbooks as How to Cook Everything, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian an ... More >>

Anthony Bourdain Preaches (Profanely) to the Choir at the Fox Theatre

​A standing ovation from an enthusiastic (though under capacity) audience greeted Anthony Bourdain as the chef turned author and TV host strolled onto the Fox Theatre stage on Friday evening. For the next two hours, Bourdain demonstrated the force of personality that has made him one of the bigges ... More >>

This Week in Gut Check, Regurgitated

​It's Gut Check's favorite time of year! But it's not the changing leaves that gets us giddy, it's the arrival of our annual Best Of issue. Get Ian's take -- and a link to all the categories -- right here. And even though the Gut Check offices have been a little, uh, celebratory the last fe ... More >>

Anthony Bourdain Plans to Film No Reservations in Missouri

Photo: The Travel Channel​Just back from the highly entertaining appearance by Anthony Bourdain at the Fox Theatre. I'll have a full write-up of the event later, but Bourdain made news of local interest during the question-and-answer session when an audience member inquired whether No Reservations ... More >>

Reminder: Anthony Bourdain at Fox Theatre This Friday

Photo: The Travel Channel​Hear that happy hum from the foodies in your life? It means the big day is almost here. Chef turned author and television host Anthony Bourdain will appear at the Fox Theater this Friday, October 1, at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $29.50 to $49.50.Bourdain recently published ... More >>

Food Safety Legislation Stalls in U.S., Turns Violent in China

While a senator vows to stall the food safety bill in the Senate, the Chinese government takes a much firmer stance against producers of tainted food. The Associated Press reports that Chinese authorities will instate the death penalty against the worst food safety violators. Minnesota Public Radi ... More >>

Review Preview: Flavors BBQ Sports Bar & Grill

Jennifer SilverbergThe ribs at Flavors BBQ Sports Bar & Grill​After a week's break from reviewing to publish my interview with Anthony Bourdain, I return this week to visit Flavors BBQ Sports Bar & Grill, a new Forest Park Southeast restaurant. Follow me after the jump for a sneak preview ... More >>

Imo's Opens New Clayton Location

​Other pizza chains wax and wane, but Imo's Pizza keeps on truckin': The undisputed champion of St. Louis-style pie has opened a new Clayton location at 23 North Bemiston Avenue. The 3,000-square-foot, 85-seat restaurant replaces the Imo's at 7359 Forsyth Avenue.Imo's is synonymous with Provel, of ... More >>

Some Reservations: Galloping gourmand Anthony Bourdain pauses to take stock

This Week in Gut Check, Regurgitated

Photo: The Travel Channel Anthony Bourdain​This week, Gut Check went all Hollywood with not one but two celebrity chefs making appearances on the blog. First up, an interview with Anthony Bourdain, who will stop in St. Louis October 1 for his latest book tour. Then Ian was on hand as Food ... More >>

Interview with Anthony Bourdain: "I Wonder Sometimes If I'm a Malevolent Force"

Photo: The Travel ChannelAnthony Bourdain​"I'm gonna walk out on stage, talk for an hour, [do] question-and-answer," says Anthony Bourdain of his October 1 appearance at the Fox Theatre. "It's as crazy, as rowdy, as entertaining as the audience cares to make it."The visit will be Bourdain's first ... More >>

Anthony Bourdain at the Fox Theatre on Friday, October 1

​Writer, television host and Gut Check favorite Anthony Bourdain will appear at the Fox Theatre on Friday, October 1, at 8 p.m. Bourdain recently published Medium Raw, a sequel to his classic memoir-exposé Kitchen Confidential.Bourdain's live appearances tend to be freewheeling affairs, so I can' ... More >>

This Week in Gut Check, Regurgitated

Image via Aleppo, Syria​There was a sense of newness around the Gut Check desk this week. We learned about Aleppo pepper as we welcomed the first installment of Spice World, a column about overlooked spices from around the world, we found out about a new place for pizza in south c ... More >>

Anthony Bourdain on Fish Butcher Justo Thomas: Best Food Writing of the Year So Far

​I can't review Medium Raw, the new book from Anthony Bourdain. In part because I finished it only last night and am still forming an overall opinion. In part because I'm such a Bourdain fanboy that an objective reading might be impossible. So I guess take this recommendation with a grain of sea s ... More >>

Gut Check's Week in Tweets

​Don't you know? Gut Check has a Twitter account. You can follow us @gutcheckstl.Here's some of what you missed on the Twitter feed this week: Anthony Bourdain features the "Heartland" on tonight's No Reservations. Doesn't look like Missouri made the cut... Salmonella: It's Not Just for Chicke ... More >>

The Morning Brew: 5.12

Dude! Food! The changing image of male chefs, thanks to celebrity chef culture, is creating some new gender issues. So much so that Time examines the issue, from the somewhat classy machismo of Anthony Bourdain, to the crass blog-to-book "Cook to Bang". Josh Ozersky explains, "But in between these ... More >>

The Morning Brew: 4.2

Nearly forty years after opening local food stalwart Chez Panisse, Alice Waters still inspires both inspiration and ire. "Alice Waters annoys the living . . . . out of me. There's something very Khmer Rouge about Alice Waters. I'm suspicious of orthodoxy when it comes to what you put in your mouth, ... More >>

Chef's Choice, Part 2: Clara Moore of Local Harvest Cafe & Catering

This is part two of Robin Wheeler's Chef's Choice interview with Clara Moore of Local Harvest Cafe & Catering; to read part one, click here. Robin Wheeler​Local chef who most impresses you? Andy White's revamping of the Tap Room has been amazing, and he seems to be smiling every time I see hi ... More >>

Celebrity Foodie Anthony Bourdain Morphs into Dr. Feelgood on Yo Gabba Gabba!

All props to Robin for finding this ridiculous Eater link of celebrity chef/TV host Anthony Bourdain guest starring on Yo Gabba Gabba! This might be more appropriate for Gut Check, but the brief, electro-funk theme song spun here is a) a high-quality earworm; b) better than 95% of new hyped bands; c ... More >>

The Morning Brew: 2.15

​ Renowned restaurant El Bulli to close and become a culinary academy. (New York Times)As planting season nears, Haitians face another potential food crisis. (Bloomberg Business Week)Agriculture Department narrows definition of "organic". (USA Today)Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert launch sat ... More >>

The Novice Foodie Sheds Tears of Joy for the Humble Shallot

In his bestselling memoir, Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain lists as the first necessary food item in the chapter titled "How to Cook Like A Pro" -- before butter, my friends -- the humble shallot. He writes, "You almost never see this item in a home kitchen, but out in the world they're an e ... More >>

A Food Writer's List of 10 Essential Food Books

​As much as I'd like to assemble a Top Ten Food Books of 2009 list, I'm so far behind in my reading that I'd struggle to compose a Top Ten Food Books of 2008 list. Best I can do for this year is two books. First, Momofuku by David Chang and Peter Meehan. It's a cookbook, but you can -- and should ... More >>

Anthony Bourdain, the Cartoon Series?

Via Eater comes this trailer for a new Travel Channel animated series called Anthony Bourdain's Alternate Universe. Quoting Eater: "...assuming this isn't a hoax, it's only going to be online, as a six-part animated web series to debut sometime in 2010."

Grub Street

Gastropub, shmastropub. Newstead Tower Public House is Ian's kind of bar.

A Few Thoughts on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations

Shameless Unpaid and Unsolicited Promotion for Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations

Michael Ruhlman at Viking Thursday

Random Weblinks of the Day: QUOTSA in the Kitchen, Geezer Butler Speaks, Frances Bean's All Grown Up

Monday Morning Silliness

Light Dining

No Reservations is sweet and savory fare. Without the foam.

Pho Real

Pho might well be the ideal fast food.

St. Louis by the Slice

The Lou hits your eye with a big pizza pie.

You Little Rats!

A year in the alleys

Perfection Is Possible

At Tony's, it doesn't matter what you choose -- everything is stellar

Subculture Club

Globe-trotting food writer/TV host Anthony Bourdain is hungry for more than just what's on his plate