Edwardsville (Illinois)

Chef Eric Heath of Cleveland-Heath Calls Edwardsville "An Awesome Place"

This is part one of Gut Check's Chef's Choice profile of Eric Heath of Cleveland-Heath. Part two, a Q & A with Heath, will appear Thursday. Part three, a recipe from Heath, will be available on Friday. "Sometimes, we'll get cooks in here who are like, 'You don't sous-vide? You don't do this? You ... More >>

Once Upon a Toy: Supporters Raise $80,00 to Save Nearly Bankrupt Shop (UPDATE)

After writing this morning about a local fundraising effort to save beloved Edwardsville store Once Upon a Toy from bankruptcy, Daily RFT received word that the initiative has been an overwhelming success. And it appears now that the small business will stay afloat after a crowdsourcing effort in le ... More >>

Openings & Closings 2012: The Final Reckoning

Yes, 2012 has been over for a few weeks now. No, we're not done looking back at it just yet. Don't worry. This isn't another Top Ten list. No, what we have here is Gut Check's annual omnibus listing of every restaurant that opened, closed, both opened and closed, relocated or changed its name in 2 ... More >>

Tidbits: Abby's Shell Corner Cafe, the Crafty Chameleon, Taj Indian Cuisine

- We learned only in September that Abby's Shell Corner Cafe had opened at 1221 Locust Street, inside the same building as and just across the lobby from Sen Thai Asian Bistro (1221 Locust Street; 314-436-3456). A Gut Check operative passed along word this week that the restaurant might have closed ... More >>

Review Preview: Five Star Burgers

This week I visit Five Star Burgers (8125 Maryland Avenue, Clayton; 314-720-4350), the new restaurant from former Harvest owner and chef Steve Gontram.

September 2012 Openings & Closings

September was an exceptionally busy month for restaurant openings. Notable debuts included the lastest venture from Gerard Craft, the new tasting-menu concept from Mike Randolph, a new barbecue spot from prolific restaurateur Mike Johnson, a new barbecue spot from the prolific team of Dr. Gurpreet P ... More >>

Six Songs for the Doomed Albino Hummingbird

Last week, our cohorts at Daily RFT brought you the story of an albino ruby-throated hummingbird, or maybe a pair of them, seen in northeast Missouri. The exceptionally rare species is easily spotted by predators and is therefore a small population that dwindles every year. The hummingbird, with its ... More >>

Tidbits: Balaban's Expands, Craft Chophouse in Edwardsville

- Balaban's Wine Cellar & Tapas Bar (1772 Clarkson Road, Chesterfield; 636-449-6700) has announced a 2,046-square-foot expansion. The new space will include a private-event space and a wine room. Business at the existing restaurant-slash-wine shop-slash-deli will go on as usual during work on the ex ... More >>

Ten Best Food Events This Weekend: August 10-12

Friday (Aug. 10): Food Truck Friday @ southwest side of Tower Grove Park Grab eats from Guerilla Street Food, Le Food Truck, recent Cupcake Wars winners The Sweet Divine and many more during this monthly mobile food event. Admission is free. 5 to 8 p.m. Julia Child inspired dinner @ Vin de Set In ... More >>

Stagger Inn Again and Again: Seven nights in Edwardsville

Madison County Sheriff Robert Hertz Bans Cell Phones in Courthouse Just in Case They're Guns

​You can no longer bring cell phones into the Edwardsville, Illinois Courthouse because Sheriff Robert Hertz has read reports of fake phones that are actually four-shot, .22 caliber pistols.A quick check of the official arbiter of sketchy information, Snopes.com, confirms that yes, such covert pis ... More >>

Tidbits from Five Guys, Goshen Coffee Company

Well, it certainly hasn't been a dull week for restaurant news in St. Louis. Here are a couple of additional items from the past day or so: - Joe Bonwich of the Post-Dispatch, who has a pretty impeccable source when it comes to matters involving Five Guys Burgers and Fries, reports that the chain's ... More >>

Comfort Shmumfort: Edwardsville newcomer Cleveland-Heath defies categorization most tastily

November 2011 Openings & Closings

​To begin our monthly roundup of restaurant openings and closings (and closings, with a question mark implied), some final news items from November:- As Gut Check learned when we spoke with co-owner Jennifer Heath a few weeks ago, the new Edwardsville, Illinois, restaurant Cleveland-Heath opened b ... More >>

Diane Lee: St. Louis Occupier Wants Better Life for Granddaughter

Photo: Jennifer Silverberg​This week Riverfront Times profiled the people of Occupy St. Louis. Here are few additional portraits of the "99 percent."Occupant: Diane Lee, age 67 Lives in: Edwardsville, Illinois; teacher Time at Occupy: Since Day 1 (on and off) Spends the night: No Reason to Occupy: ... More >>

The Veggielante Puts Peel 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 >>

Edwardsville's Historic Wildey Theatre Hosts Tasting and Movie Events

Image viaEdwardsville's historic Wildey Theatre​Edwardsville, Illinois' landmark Wildey Theatre (252 North Main Street, Edwardsville, Illinois; 618-692-7538) has over a century of history. Built in 1909 as an opera house by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the space was eventually convert ... More >>

April 2011 Openings & Closings

Chrissy WilmesSalt opened in the old Savor space on Lindell Boulevard this month.​A fairly busy month for comings and going on the St. Louis restaurant scene. Among the high-profile openings were Salt, from chef Wes Johnson (Eclipse, the Shaved Duck) and Bocci Bar, from the folks who brought you B ... More >>

Fond Restaurant in Edwardsville Closing

Robin WheelerFond owner and chef Amy Zupanci​Owner and chef Amy Zupanci confirms to Gut Check a reader's tip that she is closing her Edwardsville, Illinois, restaurant Fond.She declined to comment further on the circumstances of the closure and the future of the restaurant's space, located on Nort ... More >>

Death of a Bookstore: Piece of Mind Books

image viaPiece of Mind Books in Edwardsville closed down last summer.​When you report a feature story, you don't always have the space to put in all the smaller stories you found, no matter how much you'd like to. Here's one of those that didn't make it into this week's feature, "Band of Books ... More >>

Sweet Toothsome: SweetArt is rightly famous for its cupcakes and for its veggie burger

Amy Zupanci of Fond and Township Grocer

This is part one of Robin Wheeler's Chef's Choice profile of Amy Zupanci of Fond and Township Grocer in Edwardsville, Illinois. Part two, a Q&A with Zupanci, follows on Friday and part three, a recipe, on Monday.Robin WheelerAmy Zupanci, chef and owner of Fond and Township Grocer​When Amy Zupa ... More >>

The Cupcakery to Become the Cup

Image courtesy the Cupcakery/Cup​Central West End cupcake mecca the Cupcakery (28 South Maryland Plaza; 314-367-6111) will change its name to the Cup at the end of this month. Owner Ericka Robertson Frank explains, via email, "Several cupcake shops with the word 'cupcakery' in their name have popp ... More >>

Review Preview: Farmhaus

Jennifer SilverbergKevin Willmann (seated, center, on bar) with the front and back of house crews at Farmhaus.​This week I visit Farmhaus (3257 Ivanhoe Avenue; 314-647-3800), the new restaurant from chef Kevin Willmann, formerly of Erato on Main in Edwardsville, Illinois. Follow me after the jump ... More >>

Good harvests abound at local farmers' markets

Tower Grove, Edwardsville Farmers' Markets Begin Saturday, 5.8

Image via​Tomorrow, Saturday, May 8, is the kickoff for two of the area's larger farmers' markets: the Tower Grove Farmers' Market and the Land of Goshen Community Market in Edwardsville, Illinois.The Tower Grove Farmers' Market will run every Saturday from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. through October 23. ... More >>

Record Store Day in St. Louis: What's Going on at Vintage Vinyl, Apop Records and Euclid Records?

[Update, April 14, 3 p.m.: Now updated with info on what's going on at Slackers!] On Saturday, April 17, record stores around the country are celebrating Record Store Day -- a time to unplug from iTunes, eMusic and Amazon MP3 (or torrent sites) and purchase tunes in-person. As enticement, Record S ... More >>

Review Slideshow: Fond

Jennifer Silverberg​My review of Fond is now available online. Fond is located at 106 North Main Street in Edwardsville, Illinois. For more information, visit the restaurant's website.In this week's Back of the House slideshow, Jennifer Silverberg takes you inside the kitchen with chef Amy Zupanci ... More >>

Review Preview: Fond

Jennifer Silverberg​This week, after a break for the Best of St. Louis 2009, I visit Fond in Edwardsville, Illinois.I don't eat scallops. Even though I've convinced myself that my allergy is psychosomatic, the collateral damage of a childhood afternoon spent at the swimming pool with a box of Keeb ... More >>

X Marks the Spot: Indie nomad Emperor X tells us about his travels and tunes

Summertime St. Louis: Food Drive. Our restaurant critic's advice on where to go for some great out-of-town chow.

Three Farmers' Market Open for Season Tomorrow

Tomorrow is opening day for three area farmers' markets, including Tower Grove Farmers' Market, Riverfront Times' 2008 pick for Best Farmers' Market. The kickoff celebration runs from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and will feature live music, yoga, barbecue and, of course, vendors of food and artisan goods.Th ... More >>

St. Louis Stage Capsules

Dennis Brown and Paul Friswold suss out the local theater scene

Thursday, Blood Thursday

Tower Grove and Edwardsville Farmers' Markets Open Tomorrow

To Market, To Market: It's May, and farmers' markets are bustin' out all over!

Farmers' Market Season Calendar

Kentucky Knife Fight

Live at Stagger Inn, December 14, 2006
(self-released)

Left Arm

Dissatisoul

Musical Chronicle

B-Sides gets our oontz-oontz-oontz on with Canadian DJs MSTRKRFT.

Then we check out a book about Edwardsville's legendary Mississippi River Festival.

Chaiser Soze

La Dolce Via, 4474 Arco Avenue; 314-534-1699.

It's More Than Fair

Broadway (by Way of Edwardsville)

Best Coffee

Goshen Coffee Company

Party Like a Cougar

SIUE starts on the right paw

Tie Two On

Two running shoes, that is

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Week of February 11, 2004

Moveable East

The Edwardsville-Alton Studio Tour is worth the drive