Beverages

Wine of the Week: The Velvet Devil Merlot at Copia Urban Winery & Market

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nos ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Villa des Anges Cabernet Sauvignon from the Wine and Cheese Place

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nos ... More >>

Bobby Flay's Spicy Mango Six Other Diet Pepsis No One Wants

Thanks, Bobby Flay. The Spicy Mango Diet Pepsi and Pineapple Chipotle Diet Pepsi you commissioned for your "Tacos & Tequila" event last weekend most certainly increased the Patron consumption. At least PepsiCo had the good sense to not put these flavors on the mass market. They already have enough ... More >>

Gut Check Visits Saint Louis Cellars' Fall Fling

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nos ... More >>

Cafe Ventana's Lucas Prize: Featured Bartender of the Week, Barista Edition

Welcome to Girl Walks Into a Bar, a weekly Gut Check feature that spotlights local bars and bartenders. This week, Sarah Baraba profiles Café Ventana's Lucas Prize. Below is a Q&A with Prize, followed by the recipe for a Spanish Coffee. Sarah Baraba​OK, so we cheated a smidge. Lucas Prize is ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Parker Station Pinot Noir from Starrs

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nos ... More >>

Sunny-Side Uprising: Half & Half gives breakfast the bistro treatment

Hop To It

Essen und Trinken

Vodka: Mixologists Just Say Nyet

Whip cream vodka? No thanks, says Taste's Ted Kilgore.​There's a war going on among modern mixologists -- a war over a spirit. Vodka has recently been outed as the unwanted stepson in many restaurants and bars that specialize in house and hand-crafted cocktails. After all, even the priciest vo ... More >>

Campos de Luz Garnacha 2007 from Grapevine Wines

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nos ... More >>

Cantele Negroamaro Rosato at the Vino Gallery

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nos ... More >>

Watch Kaldi's Trainer Joe Marrocco in Brazil

Last April Joe Marrocco of Kaldi's won the South Central Regional Barista Championship. One of the perks of being among the best baristas in the country is sometimes, you get to visit the places where the coffee beans grow. Marrocco, along with other regional barista champs, are visiting Brazil wit ... More >>

Domaine Lafond Lirac Rouge from the Wine Merchant

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nos ... More >>

In Honor of St. Louis Craft Beer Week, Gut Check Plans to Launch Our Own Brew

Image viaSt. Louis Craft Beer Week offers lots and lots of fancy-pants brew-centric events.​Call us crazy, but sometimes Gut Check International HQ misses the good ol' days when Anheuser-Busch drove this city like a team of clydesdales and you could actually buy a Busch beer at the stadium tha ... More >>

Attend a Tea Cupping at London Tea Room

Image via​Care for a cuppa tea? Lipton might never forgive us for saying it, but the American tea market is pathetic. For years, the only options were Lipton or Celestial Seasonings. Now of course, the market is growing. The artisan coffee shops are doing their part to offer a wider variety ... More >>

Vom Fass Samples Absinthe as Part of Let Them Eat Art

Deborah HylandVom Fass' absinthe​Long before Willard Scott was terrifying small children as the first Ronald McDonald or Tony the Tiger and Spuds MacKenzie, the Green Fairy was luring consumers to indulge in her wares: absinthe. And just like with Happy Meals and Joe Camel, the fuddy duddies f ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Peltier Station Hybrid Petite Sirah 2007 at Robust

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nos ... More >>

Cup of Colombia Cauca Inza, Half & Half

Image via​If you show up at Half & Half (8135 Maryland Avenue, Clayton; 314-973-0446), Clayton's bustling new breakfast-and-lunch spot, at 11 a.m., smack in the middle of the Sunday brunch rush and sans reservation, expect to wait. If the host informs you that it will be about a half an hour b ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Monteviejo Festivo Malbec 2009 at the Scottish Arms

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you whether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nos ... More >>

The St. Louis Brewers Heritage Festival Rolls In On a Wave of Inebriation This Weekend

Courtesy of the Brewers Heritage Festival​Being a geek might not be so bad after all, especially if you're a "beer geek." And this weekend at the St. Louis Brewers Heritage Festival, beer geeks from all over the city can indulge their inner nerd with beers from seventeen local breweries. This ... More >>

DeMun Oyster Bar's TJ Vytlacil: 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 Katie Moulton profiles DeMun Oyster Bar's TJ Vytlacil. Below is a Q&A with Vytlacil followed by the recipe for the award-winning Love Burns. Katie MoultonTJ Vytlacil pours an award-winn ... More >>

Beyond Schlafly: Three microbreweries for the St. Louis summer

Water Street Cafe and Cocktail Bar's Gabe Kveton: 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 Katie Moulton profiles Water Street Cafe & Cocktail Bar's co-owner Gabe Kveton. Below is a Q&A with Kveton, followed by the recipe for the Rye Half-Flip. Katie Moulton​This is Gab ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Alias California Cabernet Sauvignon at Kaya's Import Wine & Spirits

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you wether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nose ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Shooting Star Blue Franc at Gustine Market

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you wether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nose ... More >>

The New Coca-Cola Freestyle Machine Is Peachy Keen

Ian FroebCoca-Cola's new Freestyle soda fountain at the Ferguson Wingstop​On Monday, Gut Check told you about the slick new devices from Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Pepsi's "social" vending machine is still just a prototype, but Coca-Cola's Freestyle soda fountain is now available in St. Louis at the Win ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Domaine Les Aphillanthes Côtes-du-Rhône Rosé at Vino Gallery

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where an expert will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you wether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our nose ... More >>

The Lou's Best and Booziest Compete for a Spot in the Manhattan Cocktail Classic

Kristen KlempertChad George of Demun Broadway Oyster bar gives his drinks a good shake during the signature ingredient round. ​Sunday April 17, St. Louis' best bartenders competed at Taste's new home in the Central West End in the St. Louis' Top Mixology Competition sponsored by DonQ Rum. Mixo ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Coastal Vines 2009 California Pinot Noir at Garland Wines

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where the experts will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you wether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our no ... More >>

Six-Pack City: Six Row Brewing Company adds food to the equation

Wine of the Week: Vega Sindoa El Chaparral Grenache at the Wine Merchant

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where the experts will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you wether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our no ... More >>

The life, and death, of "Java" Joe Charleville, a local coffee icon

South Central Regional Barista Competition: And the Winner Is...

The setup at one of the stations at the South Central Regional Barista Competition.​Several former baristas work here at Gut Check International Headquarters, and sometimes when we're really, really bored, we gather in someone's cubicle and compare war stories. Oddly enough, none of these stor ... More >>

Kaldi's Hosts South Central Regional Barista Competition This Weekend

James HoffmannDream big: A participant in a past World Barista Championship. The South Central Regionals take place in St. Louis this weekend, April 1-3.​What's that buzz? It's the sound of baristas and coffee aficionados descending on the Chase Park Plaza today, April 1, through Sunday for th ... More >>

Top 3 Pet Peeves of a Wine Bar Bartender

Photo by Nicholas PhillipsNo need to hate on Riesling, friend.​In this series, food and drink professionals dish to Gut Check about their pet peeves anonymously -- but honestly.Gut Check Code Name:  Dr. DecanterPosition: Bartender at a city wine barPet Peeve #1Dr. Decanter: It bothers me when ... More >>

Vino Nadoz Opening at the Boulevard in Richmond Heights This Week

Vino Nadoz was transformed from a Cold Stone Creamery to a sleek 43-seat restaurant by the architects at SPACE.​For the past nine years, Steven and Kathy Becker have been serving up fast-casual meals at Nadoz Euro Bakery & Café -- with the original location at the Coronado Ballroom in midtown ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Paolo Scavino Rosso Vino da Tavola from West End Wines

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where the experts will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you wether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our no ... More >>

Hurricane Recipes? Try a Gulf Spill! Top 10 Natural Disaster Cocktails

Given that Saturday's Mardi Gras celebration is the proverbial bad-taste storm before the calm, it's only fitting that the big party's signature drink is sweet, lethal and named after an actual storm. That's right: the Hurricane. If you're in the mood for something different this weekend, Gut Check ... More >>

Valentine's Dinner Deal at Robust Wine Bar

​The best Valentine's Day dinner deal we've found so far has to be the prix fixe tasting menu offered at Robust Wine Bar & Cafe. Three courses, each with its own three-ounce wine pairing, for $55 per person. Better still, the Webster Groves wine bar will feature this deal all through Valentin ... More >>

Starbucks Pitches a Trenta

StarbucksA new size and a new logo (above) are among the changes at Starbucks.​Once upon a time, there were only two drink sizes at Starbucks: the eight-ounce short and the twelve-ounce tall. Now, of course, tall is the de facto small -- short cups are still around, though Starbucks rarely (if eve ... More >>

Ten Drinks to Help You Forget 2010

Image via​While many people are making resolutions and thinking about how to improve their lives (or simply have more fun), there are those among us who would simply like to forget the whole damn year. Maybe you lost your job. Maybe your relationship ended. Maybe you're still trying to figure ... More >>

Four Loko, 7-Eleven

image viaDrink of the Week is not acquainted with these hipsters, nor do we recognize the beach. But we're betting the Four Loko they've got is the original regular, not the reformulated unleaded.​If you subscribe to that line about living fast, dying young and leaving a good-looking corpse, t ... More >>

St. Louis Happy Hours: Central West End

Cheap Pinot Noir -- Not an Oxymoron?

Dave Nelson​Finding good pinot noir for under $30 is a tough task, but there's hope, in the form of a positive trend arising from our nation's recent, ahem, financial difficulties: Top wineries have been releasing value-priced bottlings. When we spot a pinot noir that fits this profile, Gut Ch ... More >>

You know what they say about restaurants: Small plate, small wine list

Death's Door White Whiskey, the Wine Merchant

image via​What do you think it's like to stand at death's door? This is how we picture it: Drink of the Week is a frail old lady with crepe-y skin and wispy white hair, lying in a hospital bed at the ripe old age of 112. With our last raggedy breath, we see once more the people who loved us be ... More >>

(Everybody Must Get) Stone Hill Vignoles 2009

Wine gets lost in the passionate "local" food movement. While locavores wax rhapsodically about farmers, cheesemakers, beekeepers and brewers, wine producers close to home are virtually ignored. With "Show Me Wine," Gut Check sets out to determine -- on a bottle by bottle basis -- whether we're miss ... More >>

Taste By Niche's Ted Kilgore: 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 Alissa Nelson profiles Taste by Niche bartender Ted Kilgore. Below is a Q&A with Kilgore, followed by a video of him mixing an El Maestro No. 1 cocktail. Alissa Nelson​The "10,000 ... More >>

So If I Can See Through My Soda, It Won't Make Me Fat?

Image via​Interesting story from Advertising Age: After several years of neglect, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Dr Pepper Snapple Group are preparing major marketing pushes for their lemon-lime soft drinks (Sprite, Sierra Mist and 7Up, respectively).OK, maybe not so interesting if you aren't a food-busin ... More >>