Subject: Food and Cooking

• Chef's Choice Recipes: Jeffrey Constance's Chèvre-Stuffed Meatloaf

  Robin Wheeler​During my visit with Jeffrey Constance of Hanley Grille and Tap, he prepared a meatloaf unlike any mama's meatloaf. With influences from both his classic French and Italian background, this dish has all the surprising, complex flavors of upscale cuisine without sacrificing the comforts of home cooking.

  October 15, 2009

• FoodWire: Owner Steve McIntyre on the New Balaban's

  As I reported last week, Central West End institution Balaban's is making a comeback of sorts as Balaban's Wine Cellar & Tapas Bar at 1772 Clarkson Road in Chesterfield. Steve McIntyre, who owned Balaban's for much of the twenty-year period between 1986 and 2006, is behind the new location, which is slated to open in November. (The original Balaban's location at 405 North Euclid Avenue is now Herbie's Vintage 72.) Last Friday, I had the chance to speak with McIntyre about the new Balaban's.

  October 19, 2009

• The Noble Writ: Wine Shopping from Afar

  A point comes in many wine lovers' lives when they are unable to find a bottle they really want in their local wine shops. It might be a wine from the birth year of a special person, a bottle enjoyed while traveling or just something about which they've read that simply captivates their imagination.The simple fact about wine distribution is that far from everything is available in any particular market. While we St. Louisans are relatively well placed in a large metropolitan area spanning two st

  October 20, 2009

• The Sneak: Sneako Maki

  Dara Strickland​The virtues of sushi as a food are significant, but its value to a sneak may be as elusive as a flying bird's reflection on a rippling pond. I've crafted these handy tables for you to compare the virtues of eating sushi in a restaurant to sneaking it into a movie theater.                                   

  October 20, 2009

• Re-Enter Balaban's — and Exit Ozzie's

  October 21, 2009

• The Novice Foodie: Bacon, Shakin' and Bikin'

  Kelli Best-Oliver​When I signed up for my friend's annual bike ride/pub crawl around St. Louis, the infamous Tour de Moose, I was worried more about how my body would hold up than what I would be drinking and eating along the route. After my retirement from collegiate sports, my only regular exercise is playing kickball in Tower Grove Park and walking my dog.However, my friend Andrew was quick to remind me that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially when you plan on drink

  October 20, 2009

• Review Slideshow: Taqueria la Monarca, Amigo Joe's and Latitude 26°

  Jennifer Silverberg​My review of three new Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants -- Taqueria la Monarca in University City, Amigo Joe's on Southwest Avenue and Latitude 26° in Dogtown -- is now available online. In this week's Back of the House slideshow, Jennifer Silverberg takes you into the kitchen of Taqueria la Monarca, where you can see such delicious dishes as the tamales (pictured right) being made.

  October 21, 2009

• FoodWire: Serious Eats Visits Thai Pizza Co.

  Well-respected national food blog Serious Eats today pays a visit to Thai Pizza Co. (608 Eastgate Avenue; website). In the article for Serious Eats' pizza blog Slice, Chicago-based Serious Eats contributor Daniel Zemans stops by the Delmar Loop restaurant to test the "universality of pizza." Zemans doesn't think that Thai Pizza Co. is up to snuff:There really isn't much worth reporting on the actual pizza. There are twelve different options for toppings and two different crusts, one thin and one

  October 21, 2009

• Farmers' Market Share: Autumn Latkes

  Alissa Nelson​Last week, while browsing the wares at Local Harvest Grocery, I encountered the biggest beets I'd ever seen. They were like cow hearts. I considered staging the Harrison Ford sacrifice scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, just for dramatic effect. Then I saw a sweet potato that was the size of a head, which would have served the role of monkey-head soup tureen. How can you pass up produce like that?According to proprietor Maddie Earnest, these monstrous root vegetabl

  October 21, 2009

• Chef's Choice: Josh Galliano, Monarch

  Robin WheelerJosh Galliano, executive chef at Monarch​In the summer of 2005, Monarch executive chef Josh Galliano was working at New York's Restaurant Daniel when his girlfriend, Audra, paid him a visit. She wasn't happy with what she saw."She said, 'Okay, A, you look anorexic. You're working too much and not eating anything. B, you're broke. I can't believe you're paying for this apartment. C, your subletter just bailed on you.' August 17th, she said to pack my bags, we were going back. Got b

  October 22, 2009

• Chef's Choice Recipes: Josh Galliano's Butternut Squash Ravioli with Chinese Bacon

  Robin WheelerMonarch executive chef Josh Galliano​While I interviewed Monarch executive chef Josh Galliano, he prepared butternut squash ravioli in a lemon-sage beurre blanc with Chinese bacon. After the jump, the recipe for this dish -- and for the fresh pasta you need to make it.

  October 22, 2009

• FoodWire: Beechwood Bistro Closed?

  ​Looks like Union Station might have claimed another one: Beechwood Bistro by Sage, the offshoot of Soulard's Sage, appears to be closed. The restaurant was closed during its usual operating hours this afternoon, and the phone number (314-621-1161) has been disconnected. Beechwood Bistro opened in early March of this year, featuring many of the same dishes as Sage, which debuted in the summer of 2007.

  October 27, 2009

• Chile Reception: Ian goes for the burn with Mayuri's Indian cuisine

  October 28, 2009

• Review Slideshow: Mayuri

  Jennifer Silverberg​My review of the Indian restaurant Mayuri is now available online. Mayuri is located at 12513 Olive Boulevard in Creve Coeur, in the space previously occupied by the Indian restaurant Ruchi. For more information, call 314-576-7272 or visit the restaurant's website. In this week's Back of the House slideshow, Jennifer Silverberg shows off the restaurant's lunch buffet and takes you into the kitchen.

  October 28, 2009

• Drink of the Week: Pot for Two, London Tea Room Blend, The London Tea Room

  ​My companion is not a "tea room" kind of guy. In fact, he winced a little when I suggested the London Tea Room for lunch. Still, he plays along, even when I propose ordering tea for two. Knowing that black coffee is more his style, I resist the frou-frou flavored options in favor of the London Tea Room Blend, an austere and balanced black tea blend. Upon ordering a half-sandwich and soup combo, in which bacon is featured both on the sandwich and in the soup, he seems a little more at ease.In

  October 28, 2009

• Java Enabled Previews the Midwest Regional Barista Competition

  ​"It's like Iron Chef with baristas making coffee drinks."That's how Josh Ferguson, owner of Kaldi's Coffee Roasting Company, describes the Midwest Regional Barista Competition. The competition gathers the best baristas from Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota to compete and share the latest in coffee."It brings people together to showcase their talents and come together with a community who want to raise the level of specialty coffee," Ferguson says.The

  October 28, 2009

• A Table for How Many? at Yummies Restaurant

  ​Yummies Restaurant3149 Shenandoah Avenue314-226-9800The Draw of MeatloafWe had more people attend our Dinner Club meeting at Yummies Restaurant than we've had in months. It could be the placement of the moon -- or it could be meatloaf. You wouldn't think that something as simple as meatloaf would have such a draw, but in a group where many of us live far from the comforts of Mom's kitchen, the appeal of simple home cooking can be huge.Yummies excels at bringing the feel of family dining to a

  October 29, 2009

• Chef's Choice Recipes: Vince Valenza's Muffuletta Sandwich

  Robin WheelerVince Valenza of Blues City Deli shows off his muffuletta sandwich.​The signature item on the menu at Blues City Deli, this giant sandwich is named for the round Italian bread used since New Orleans' Central Grocery invented the sandwich in 1908."Back in the mid-80s we didn't know what a muffuletta was," Blues City Deli owner Vince Valenza told me when I interviewed him for today's profile. "In the downtown St. Louis Italian neighborhood -- Sicilians -- we did muffulettas, but we

  October 29, 2009

• Gut Check: Kaldi's cops coffee kudos

  November 4, 2009

• (City)Garden Spot: Downtown's new cultural gem gets a restaurant to match

  November 4, 2009

• List of Hot Cocktail Trends Is a Good Excuse to Post This Video

  So Bombay Sapphire has surveyed "1,000 bartenders from 40 states" (according to the press release it sent out) to determine the top ten "hottest trends in mixology."The list includes both the expected (variations on classic cocktails) and, well, the unexpected -- such as hot trend #4. What is hot trend #4? Find out the answer (and the rest of the top ten) after the jump. But first, this clip to give you a clue...

  November 3, 2009

• Pleasures of the Flesh

  November 4, 2009

• Farmers' Market Share: Braise Those Greens!

  User "Quadell," Wikimedia CommonsSave those greens, beet fans!​Despite riding my bike in shorts on Monday -- shorts! in November! -- there is something about the trees losing their leaves and three straight weeks of rain that begs for hoodies and comfort food.Since I care about your colon, I'm not going to pass along a bunch of bacon recipes today. However, I will pass along that Greenwood Farms bacon is delightful, and I ate a bunch of it this week on Companion Bavarian Pretzels, the last of

  November 4, 2009

• Java Enabled: Fifteen Shots Later, Part 1

  ​When I received an e-mail a few weeks ago inviting me to sit as one of the sensory judges at the 2009-2010 Midwest Regional Barista Competition, I jumped at the opportunity. At my most delusional, it sounded like "celebrity judge" -- at the very least, it sounded like a great time. Last weekend, I trained for my judging certification and then sat as a sensory judge for the first round of the competition on Saturday. Fifteen shots later, I attended the final on Sunday. Over the next three week

  November 5, 2009

• 12th Street Diner Holds Grand Opening Friday

  12th Street Diner on Friday, located below the Washington Avenue Apartments.​Although it opened back in August, the 12th Street Diner (1137 Washington Avenue) hosted a "grand opening" of sorts on Friday night. Here's an early look at the exterior of the diner and some of its menu choices. The diner is open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday. It's open 24 hours on weekends, and closes at 3 p.m. on Sundays.The owner of 12th Street Diner, Eyad Tammas, also operated Copia Urban Winery, whic

  November 9, 2009

• Throwback of the House: The Taboo of Polynesian Green Beans

  When I was a kid, my dad often drank soda and iced tea from a big avocado-green tiki mug. That thing scared the hell out of me. I'd seen those Hawaii episodes of The Brady Bunch enough times during after-school reruns to know that idols = increased odds of getting whacked on the head with a surfboard or taken hostage in a cave by Vincent Price.I was afraid of a lot of things back then. Like the Hamm's Beer cartoon bear mascot.

  November 9, 2009

• Review Preview: Molly's in Soulard

  This week I visit Molly's in Soulard (808 Geyer Avenue), the new bistro opened by the original Molly's in the former Norton's space. Follow me after the jump for a sneak preview of my review.Steve TruesdellInside the new Molly's in Soulard​

  November 9, 2009

• Choose St. Louis' Most Underrated Restaurants

  David Benbennick, Wikimedia CommonsYou're the critic.​Niche. Monarch. Pi. Certain St. Louis restaurants are discussed frequently around these parts. Too frequently, some might argue. But regardless whether or not you believe those particular places are deserving of the hype, you probably can think of at least one area restaurant that undeservedly flies under the radar.I want to highlight these places. Or, rather, I want you to highlight these places. Choose the restaurant you think is the most

  November 9, 2009

• The Noble Writ: The Truth About Wine and Thanksgiving

  ​Thanksgiving increases interest in food and wine pairings. Since I have fun experimenting with combinations of wine and food, I generally enjoy the conversations I have with friends and family looking to step out and try something different.However, a significant number of conversations I have about Thanksgiving and wine are dripping with anxiety. Much comes from people on a quixotic quest for a meal of Rockwellian nostalgia, filtered through lens of Martha Stewartesque perfection. For these

  November 10, 2009

• FoodWire: Four Forbes Stars for Tony's Restaurant

  Forbes Travel Guide -- formerly known as Mobil Travel Guide -- is out with its annual star ratings of restaurants nationwide, and Downtown institution Tony's (410 Market Street; website) is the highest-rated St. Louis restaurant, scoring four out of a maximum five stars. The only other four- star restaurant in Missouri is the American Restaurant in Kansas City.No Missouri restaurants joined the rather select company of five-star winners. According to the Forbes website, a four-star restaurant "p

  November 10, 2009

• The Novice Foodie Goes Clandestine with the Clandestine Chef

  Kelli Best-Oliver​I'd read about underground supper clubs before. The New York Times has written a few features on them, as have several of the food magazines. But I didn't have the in on any operating here in St Louis -- being a Novice Foodie and all -- and I was intrigued by the speakeasy-ish allure of the ultimate insider's dinner.So when my friend Matt's wife unexpectedly couldn't attend an underground supper held this past Saturday, he offered his extra seat on Twitter, and I gladly thre

  November 10, 2009

• Creole Belle: Molly's in Soulard branches out with a bistro

  November 12, 2009

• Farmers' Market Share: Thanksgiving Wheat Berry Salad Recipe

  Jérôme Sautret, Wikimedia CommonsSweet potatoes: Try not to eat them all before you're done.​As a compulsive cooking overachiever, I have a tendency to see pot lucks as a challenge: How can I make something totally novel and awesome...yet avoid shopping? It's like Iron Chef: College Ingenuity.So when I was invited to a pot luck by a school friend with whom I'd never hung out off-campus, the stakes were raised. I don't want to be the person who brings a bag of tortilla chips -- I mean, reall

  November 11, 2009

• FoodWire: "A Slow Taste of Tuscany" Dinner at Onesto Wednesday 11.18

  Robin WheelerOnesto owner and chef Vito Racanelli​Slow Food St. Louis and Welcome Books have joined together with Onesto Pizza and Trattoria (5401 Finkman Street; website) to host "A Slow Taste of Tuscany," a dinner to celebrate the new book Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town by Douglas Gayeton. The book, which includes introductions from Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini and noted American chef and Slow Food proponent Alice Waters, celebrates the everyday foodways of Italy's Tuscany region. On Wednesd

  November 11, 2009

• A Table for How Many? at Royal Chinese Barbecue

  ​Royal Chinese Barbecue8406 Olive Boulevard314-991-1888The music is blasting, half the table is up dancing, and you're stuck screaming across the centerpiece to the groom's 80-year-old grandmother, whose name you can only remember because of her place card.The wedding round table never seems to work out.The other place where round tables are commonly found? Chinese restaurants. There the quiet almost forces you to converse. The dialogue seems to spin carefree around the table with each turn of

  November 12, 2009

• Chef's Choice: Josh Allen, Companion

  Robin WheelerJosh Allen, founder of Companion​It doesn't take much to change the face of baking in a city. For Companion founder Josh Allen, it started with a few watts. "I have a fond memory of stealing my sister's Easy-Bake oven, so I was pretty good at baking brownies by the heat of a light bulb."Growing up surrounded by his family's food distribution business, Allen Foods (now a part of U.S. Foodservice), he knew he'd be in the food business as an adult. He also knew he didn't want to wea

  November 12, 2009

• Chef's Choice Recipes: Josh Allen's Spinach-Walnut Pesto Crostini

  Robin WheelerJosh Allen, founder of Companion​Just as Companion founder Josh Allen's career has focused on bread, so does his family's diet: "We mainly eat a Mediterranean diet with lots of spreads like tapenade."Read the Chef's Choice profile of Josh Allen.Even pesto, traditionally relegated to pasta, turns into a fine spread when paired with crostini. To overcome the seasonality of fresh basil, Allen uses spinach instead, which gives the spread a tangy bite instead of basil's sweetness.

  November 13, 2009

• Sweet Scout Takes the (Cup)Cake

  User "Jellyfish Juice," Wikimedia Commons​I never got the cupcake thing. When I was a kid and there was a birthday party at school or a holiday celebration in the classroom, someone's mom always brought cupcakes. I ate them, because, you know, cake. But I never understood why cupcakes were preferable over actual cake. Is it just because you don't have to cut and serve them? Is it because they're small, and therefore automatically deemed cute by some people?

  November 13, 2009

• FoodWire: New Chef, Menu at the Delmar Restaurant & Lounge

  The Delmar Restaurant & Lounge (6235 Delmar Boulevard) has undergone a rather striking menu transformation, with new head chef Randy Wilson drawing upon the flavors of soul food and South Carolina. The menu that the restaurant's new general manager, Phil Ingram, sent me includes such entrées as crawfish and andouille sausage with bell peppers, garlic, white wine and butter over cheddar-cheese grits; bone-in, buttermilk-fried chicken breast with butterbeans, mashed potatoes and black-pepper

  November 16, 2009

• FoodWire: Travel Leisure Names Three Area Spots Best Barbecue

  This isn't exactly news, but a colleague just mentioned an article from the September issue of Travel Leisure magazine naming the country's best barbecue restaurants. (I read through the archives of some of my fellow food bloggers without finding this story, but if I missed someone's scoop, I apologize.)The article, written by Matt and Ted Lee (a.k.a. the Lee Bros.), names three St. Louis-area barbecue joints out of eighteen total: the 17th Street Bar & Grill in O'Fallon, C&K Barbecue

  November 16, 2009

• FoodWire: Sanctuaria "Wild Tapas" Now Open in Forest Park Southeast Grove

  Sanctuaria is now open at 4198 Manchester Avenue in Forest Park Southeast's Grove neighborhood (the former Agave location). Heading the kitchen is chef Christopher Lee, who might be the new busiest man in the St. Louis restaurant biz, thanks to his work at Café Ventana and the new Chuy Arzola's. The restaurant refers to its cuisine as "wild tapas." How wild is it? Read the menu -- or, better yet, go try it out -- and decided for yourself.Sanctuaria is open for dinner 5-10 p.m. Tue.-Sun. The bar

  November 16, 2009

• FoodWire: The U Introducing Breakfast Soon

  Popular Midtown eatery The U (3108 Olive Street; website) will soon add breakfast to its menu of sandwiches, burgers, wings and more. Owner Adam Kustra emailed to inform me that the new breakfast menu will debut soon and will be available at 6:30 a.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. There will be pancakes, omelets, fries topped with sausage gravy -- and, oh yes, there will be slingers. I'll let you know the exact start date for the breakfast menu once I learn it.If you h

  November 17, 2009

• The Noble Writ in the Lion's Den of California Cabs

  ​Following up on my post a couple of weeks ago about wine being fun, I decided to have some fun myself. I saw a post on the Wine and Cheese Place's blog about an upcoming tasting featuring the wines of Chateau St. Jean and Beringer. Regular readers of the Noble Writ will likely realize that these producers are outside my normal palate preferences. That we'd be tasting some high-end cabernet sauvignons from these folks moved me even further from my normal hunting grounds.

  November 17, 2009

• FoodWire: New Sunday Supper at Fond Begins 11.22

  Edwardsville restaurant Fond (106 North Main Street; website) will introduce a new Sunday menu format this Sunday, November 22. From 11 a.m. till 2 p.m. will be Sunday brunch. From 2 until 5 p.m., the restaurant will offer wine and light snacks. Finally, from 5 until 8 p.m. Fond will serve supper for $25 per person. The meal is served family-style -- see the menu here (PDF) -- and the announcement I received from Fond recommends it for groups of four or more. Call 618-656-9001 for more info.

  November 17, 2009

• Ask a Mexican: Cut It Out: Why do Mexican madres get short haircuts?

  November 18, 2009

• Gut Check: Let Us Praise the Unsung Restaurant

  November 18, 2009

• Whole Hog: Looking for authentic Vietnamese cuisine without the Americanized trimmings? Phuc Loi is the real deal.

  November 18, 2009

• The Novice Foodie in Asheville and Atlanta

  Kelli Best-Oliver​My husband and I were in desperate need of a road trip. Didn't care much where or why, we just wanted to hit the open road and get out of St Louis for a while. We ended up heading toward Charlotte, North Carolina, to see friends who'd moved out there. Along the way, we planned on taking my food adventures to the South, hoping to sample some casual fare.For several reasons, mostly time and unplanned detours, we ended up eating at only two places worth mentioning. The first wa

  November 17, 2009

• Chef's Choice: Chuck Friedhoff, Persimmon Woods Golf Club

  Robin WheelerChuck Friedhoff, Director of Food and Beverage at Persimmon Woods Golf Club​"I never realized that hot dogs and golfers are such a big thing," says chef Chuck Friedhoff, Director of Food and Beverage at Persimmon Woods Golf Club. "I've been told it's because it's an easy thing to eat. It's somewhat clean. I said to myself early on that we should make bratwurst. We did that this summer, and it was a huge success. So we now have our house-made bratwurst. We grind our own sausage."S

  November 19, 2009

• Chef's Choice Recipes: Chuck Friedhoff's Bacon Cheddar Burgers and Vinegar-Salted Fries

  Robin Wheeler​Anyone can buy ground beef and frozen French fries, but as I detailed in yesterday's Chef Choice's profile, Chuck Friedhoff of Persimmon Woods Golf Club wants to make these American classics transcend the manufactured version that's taken over in food service. It takes a lot of extra work to hand-grind burger meat, and there was much trial and error in finding a French-fry technique that pleased Friedhoff and his clientele, but it was worth it. "Putting the extra work in is one

  November 20, 2009