Asian Food and Cooking

First Look: Sushi Bistro Rolls Sushi and Hibachi Into a Single Concept in Downtown Kirkwood [Photos]

In late February, Kirkwood welcomed a new seafood-centric restaurant to town: Sushi Bistro (343 South Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood; 314-966-5545). The sushi bar and hibachi grill is run by owners Jimmy Li and Zhenkun Lin with chef Andy Chi, whose experience comes from rolling sushi on the East Coast for ... More >>

The 7 Best Indian Restaurants in St. Louis

Gut Check has been looking back on the Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis 2012, but we're also keeping an eye on the Best of St. Louis 2013 by nominating finalists for our awards this fall. To see hundreds more winners and finalists, suggest your own contenders and download the Riverfront Times Best ... More >>

Milagro Modern Mexican's Craig Bielke: Featured Bartender of the Week

The agave has been juiced, the limes have been purchased and the tequila has been stocked. Milagro Modern Mexican (20 Allen Avenue, Webster Groves; 314-962-4300) is ready to make hundreds of margaritas in celebration of Cinco de Mayo. Milagro isn't hosting a garish Cinco party, but as the winner of ... More >>

St. Louis Pho to Become Kim Ngan, from Former Owner of Phuc Loi

So here is a classic bad news-good news scenario. First, the bad: We told you last week that St. Louis Pho (3863 South Grand Boulevard; 314-664-4041) had closed temporarily and would reopen under new management. Today, I can confirm that the restaurant will not reopen as St. Louis Pho. This is a s ... More >>

South Grand Tidbits: St. Louis Pho Temporarily Closed, Hong An Coming Soon

St. Louis Pho (3863 South Grand Boulevard; 314-664-4041) is closed temporarily, according to a sign on its front door. The sign indicates that the Vietnamese restaurant will reopen on Monday, April 15, under new management. St. Louis Pho's phone number remains connected but went unanswered when I ca ... More >>

Takaya or Leave Ya: Didn't New Asian get old, like, ten years ago?

Slideshow: Inside Takaya New Asian

Olive Boulevard Asian Eateries & Much More: An Updated Guide to Restaurants Along Olive, Westward From University City

St. Louis' neighborhoods are gems in their own right: full of history, great people and, as far as Gut Check is concerned, fantastic food. Each week we'll take you into a specific neighborhood and point you in the direction of the best places to grab some bites. View Olive Boulevard Asian Eateries ... More >>

Thaidentity Crisis: At Ocha Thai & Japanese, it's too easy to lose your culinary bearings

Slideshow: Inside Ocha Thai & Japanese

Noodle House on South Grand Already Closed

Looks like a very short life for Noodle House (3924 South Grand Boulevard; 314-771-5197). The Vietnamese restaurant opened in late June of last year in a former Arby's restaurant along South Grand in Dutchtown. Driving past it this week, I spotted a For Lease sign posted outside the restaurant. Peer ... More >>

Small and unassuming, Fork & Stix is unlike any other Thai restaurant in St. Louis

Slideshow: Photo tour of Fork & Stix

Hokkaido Steak & Sushi Buffet Opening Second Location In South County

A second location of Florissant Asian buffet restaurant Hokkaido Steak & Sushi Buffet (660 North US Highway 67, Florissant; 314-921-6666) is currently under construction in Concord Plaza Shopping Center at South Lindbergh Boulevard and Baptist Church Road in south county. Currently butcher paper co ... More >>

Feed Me Banh Mi Truck Calls It Quits

Feed Me Banh Mi (@FeedMeTruck), the food truck that specialized in Vietnamese-style sandwiches, announced via Twitter last week that it is quitting the business.

Fork & Stix to Bring Northern Thai Cuisine to Delmar Loop

As Sauce was first to report, a Thai restaurant called Fork & Stix will open this fall at 549 Rosedale Avenue, the east Delmar Loop storefront vacated earlier this year by the Ethiopian restaurant Selam. Opening a Thai restaurant in the Delmar Loop might seem foolish, as the neighborhood already bo ... More >>

Tokyo Seafood Buffet's Conveyor-Belt Sushi Is Mesmerizingly Disappointing

Avocado. Avocado. Avocado. Spicy tuna? Avocado. Avocado. Avocado? I'm standing along the perimeter of the rectangular sushi station -- I'd call it the sushi bar but there's nowhere to sit -- at Tokyo Seafood Buffet (8004 Olive Boulevard, University City; 314-991-1188), watching as plates of sushi, ... More >>

First Look: Thai 202 Offers Sweet and Spicy Take-out in the Central West End

Restauranteur Art Lee keeps it all in the family when it comes to food. Growing up in Thailand, his family ran an open market grocery store. He says the skills he gained then come in handy even now for the new business, Thai 202 (235 North Euclid Avenue; 314-367-2002), which he runs with his wife an ... More >>

Drive-Thru Sushi Comes to Brentwood

A colleague noticed yesterday that the drive-thru hut at 8950 Manchester Road in Brentwood, which was the original home of Famous Szechuan Pavilion (8615 Olive Boulevard, Olivette; 314-685-0888), has new signage up advertising "To Go Sushi." Turns out that's not just what the new venture offers. Th ... More >>

The Veggielante Gulps Gokul Indian Restaurant

The Veggielante has had it up to here with people bitching that St. Louis restaurants are vegetarian unfriendly. Sure, we'd like to see more restaurants offering more meatless dishes, but there are excellent choices out there if you take the trouble to look for them. We're not here to proselytize ab ... More >>

St. Louis Pho transforms former Burger King into a deliciously noisy affair

Review Preview: St. Louis Pho

This week I visit St. Louis Pho (3863 South Grand Boulevard; 314-664-4041), a Vietnamese restaurant that opened in the Dutchtown neighborhood at the very end of last year. (Hence the leafless tree in the background of the photo I shot then.) Page through for a sneak preview of my review.

Food Truck Fever, Part 3: Gyro worship with a side(car) of bánh mì

The Ten Best Vegetarian Restaurants in St. Louis

Selecting Riverfront Times' Best of St. Louis 2011 was no picnic. Choosing the winner meant several worthy candidates would go unmentioned -- until now. In this Gut Check series, we are chewing our way through notable runners up in a number of categories. To see hundreds more winners and finalists a ... More >>

Raw Yellowfin Tuna Linked to Salmonella, Recalled

A California company has voluntarily recalled 58,828 pounds of frozen raw yellowfin tuna associated with an outbreak of salmonella. According to the FDA, as of Friday, April 13, this oubtreak has sickened more than 100 people across twenty states and Washington, D.C., including Illinois (ten cases) ... More >>

At last, a Korean taco truck. And you're maki me hungry!

Review Preview: Seoul Taco and Chop Shop

This week, I take a look at two of the more interesting food trucks rolling through our streets: the Korean-Mexican mashup Seoul Taco (@SeoulTaco; 314-517-9816) and the sushi truck Chop Shop (@chopshopstl). A sneak preview of my review after the jump.

The Five Best Sushi Restaurants in St. Louis

Selecting Riverfront Times' Best of St. Louis 2011 was no picnic. Choosing the winner meant several worthy candidates would go unmentioned -- until now. In this Gut Check series, we are chewing our way through notable runners up in a number of categories. To see hundreds more winners and finalists a ... More >>

Too Good to Be Stew: Haunted by the memory of a Pakistani delicacy

Nuoc Charm: Dao Tien is a peach of a Vietnamese bistro, and a slice of home-style heaven

The Five Best Vietnamese Restaurants in St. Louis

Selecting Riverfront Times' Best of St. Louis 2011 was no picnic. Choosing the winner meant several worthy candidates would go unmentioned -- until now. In this Gut Check series, we are chewing our way through notable runners up in a number of categories. To see hundreds more winners and finalists a ... More >>

Chop Shop Food Truck Launches Today

via Facebook​You know, I was just thinking it's been too long -- 24 hours, at least, maybe 48 -- since a new food truck hit the streets of St. Louis. Today, Chop Shop will make its maiden voyage, arriving at Purina headquarters (Chouteau Avenue between South Tucker Boulevard and South Seventh Stre ... More >>

Indian and Pakistani "Fast Food" Restaurant Coming to U. City

New life for Indian Food?​Signs in the windows of 6800F Olive Boulevard, the westernmost storefront of the small strip mall at the intersection of Olive and Ferguson Avenue in University City, tout the imminent arrival of an Indian and Pakistani "fast food" restaurant. There is no official signage ... More >>

The Five Best Thai Restaurants in St. Louis

Selecting the Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis 2011 was no picnic. Choosing the winner meant several worthy candidates would go unmentioned -- until now. This year, Gut Check is celebrating five contenders in several categories.Jennifer SilverbergA dish at this year's Best Thai Restaurant​One t ... More >>

Hiro's Welcome: The Loop's newest sushi joint has something extra to offer

Battle Chicken Korma: India Palace Vs. Sukhi's Gourmet Indian Cuisine

​Gut Check receives a lot of press releases for new products. Many are useless, but occasionally one passes through that piques our interest. In this case, Sukhi's Gourmet Indian Cuisine made us do a double-take with their promise of all-natural, authentic, complete Indian meals that can be pr ... More >>

The Sushi Roll Lunch Special at Thai Nivas

Deborah HylandThe Spicy Salmon Roll with Chef's Choice Nigiri at Thai Nivas.​The Place: Thai Nivas (11054 Olive Boulevard, Creve Coeur; 314-567-8989), a Thai/Japanese restaurant in the same Creve Coeur strip mall that also houses Pumpernickles. The Lunch: The Nivas Combo Deluxe (a choice from ... More >>

Hiro Prepares to Open in the Delmar Loop

Ian FroebHiro in the Delmar Loop​Hiro, a sushi and izakaya restaurant from 609 Lounge owner Bernie Lee, looks just about ready to debut at 609 Eastgate Avenue. It might have opened already, but calls this morning just before its posted lunch hours went unanswered.The address was previously the hom ... More >>

Spicing Things Up with House of India

Welcome to Lunch Bucket List, a recurring feature in which Gut Check checks out the many lunch specials available at restaurants around town. Know a lunch special we should check out? Drop us a line.Emily WassermanA plate from House of India's all-you-can-eat buffet​ The Place: House of India ... More >>

Lynne Truong of Banh Mi So #1 Saigon Gourmet: Recipe for Bun Ga Xao

This is part three of Antonio Pacheco's Chef's Choice profile of chef Lynne Truong of Banh Mi So #1. Part one can be found here. Part two, a Q&A with Truong, is published here. Antonio Pacheco​While chef Lynne Truong prepares myriad Vietnamese dishes, a highlight of Banh Mi So #1 -- Saigon Go ... More >>

The Veggielante Puts Bobo Noodle House to the Test

​The Veggielante has had it up to here with people bitching that St. Louis restaurants are vegetarian unfriendly. Sure, we'd like to see more restaurants offering more meatless dishes, but there are excellent choices out there if you take the trouble to look for them. We're not here to prosely ... More >>

Battle Mango Lassi: Gokul vs. Flavor of India

​Mahatma Gandhi probably wouldn't be thrilled that we're fighting. But despite the hardships of his life, Gandhi never lived in a climate that rockets from 45 to 90 degrees in a matter of days. Such sudden charges into the flaming death heat can make some of us abandon our policies of nonviole ... More >>

Review Preview: Izakaya Ren

Ian FroebYakitori tare and a bacon-wrapped shrimp at Izakaya Ren​This week, I visit the new Japanese restaurant Izakaya Ren (2948 Dougherty Ferry Road, Valley Park; 636-825-3737).The tako wasabi at Izakaya Ren is served in a bowl so small that a child could cup it in one hand. Tako is octopus, and ... More >>

Try the Yakitori Tare at Izakaya Ren

Ian FroebYakitori tare and a bacon-wrapped shrimp at Izakaya Ren​Whenever I recommend a new restaurant, I do so knowing that trying it represents a far greater investment for you than it does for me. Today, however, I can make a suggestion confident that, if I'm wrong, or if you and I simply have ... More >>

Would You Pay $40 for a Kurt Cobain Sushi Combo?

​The fine folks at Blue Ocean Sushi just dropped by with a menu folded into the shape of a collared shirt (see above). Down the right side there, you can see celebrity names; they continue on the back and, as it turns out, correspond to various sushi combo platters. Chuck Berry costs you $12 a ... More >>

Con Fusion: A Visit to Thai Pizza Co.

Ian FroebThe panang curry pizza (?) at Thai Pizza Co.​I last visited Thai Pizza Co. (608 Eastgate Avenue; 314-862-4429) five or maybe six years ago -- before I was the RFT's restaurant critic. Though the restaurant is located right down the street from Gut Check International Headquarters, I ... More >>

Gokul Indian Restaurant Now Open in the Delmar Loop

Annie ZaleskiNow open just east of the Loop: an all-vegetarian Indian restaurant.​ We were ridiculously excited to try Gokul, the new all-vegetarian Indian eatery that just opened on Delmar, a few blocks east of the Pageant Theatre (6101 Delmar Boulevard; 314-721-1888). For one thing, we loo ... More >>

At Addie's Thai House in Chesterfield, the serious eater finds true love

Indian Food in University City Has Closed [Updated]

​Indian Food, the Indian and Pakistani restaurant at 8629 Olive Boulevard in University City, appears to have closed. A sign advertising the restaurant for lease is in the front window, and the phone number has been disconnected.I reviewed Indian Food in 2007, and it was one of my favorite restaur ... More >>

Roll On (And On): When it comes to sushi, how much is "All You Can Eat"?

Review Preview: Sushi Ai

Image viaYou can eat a lot more sushi than this at Sushi Ai.​This week I visit Sushi Ai, an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant in Maryland Heights.In theory, all-you-can-eat sushi is a terrifying concept, the death blow to a noble cuisine struck by the imperialist reach of gluttonous America. I ima ... More >>

Wang Gang Asian Eats brings fast-casual Chinese and Thai to St. Charles

Yagu Asian Fusion is too flashy for its own good