Food and Cooking

Saleem's West and Lots of Garlic to be Featured on Travel Channel's Food Paradise

A word of advice to St. Louis vampires: Steer clear of Saleem's West restaurant (14560 Manchester Road, Manchester; 636-207-1368). According to the Travel Channel, it's a garlic paradise. Back in July, a crew from the show Food Paradise filmed at Saleem's for an episode devoted to garlic. They caug ... More >>

First Look: Bombay Food Junkies Food Truck

When Sid and Krupa Panchal moved from Mumbai (formerly Bombay) to St. Louis eight years ago, they knew they would miss the street food of the coastal Indian city. Finding that none of the Indian restaurants in town specialize in the type of food traditional to Mumbai, the Panchals took matters into ... More >>

Hop On Over to Two Beer Festivals This Weekend

It seems that once Spring arrives, it's time to bust out some brews. And we are so down with that. This Saturday, April 27, Global Brew Tap House & Lounge (112 South Buchanan Street Suite 1, Edwardsville; 618-307-5858) will host the Edwardsville Spring Beer Festival and Ferguson Brewing Company (41 ... More >>

The Ten Best Food Events in St. Louis This Weekend: April 19 to 21

See also: -Bike to Work Tomorrow, Get Free Coffee and Breakfast On the Way! -Saturday is Webster Groves Herb Society's Annual Herb Sale -Broadway Oyster Bar Invites You to Suck It at Crawfish Fest This Weekend -Celebrate The Sweet Divine's Grand Opening in Soulard Saturday Friday (Apr. 19): Bike ... More >>

The Ten Best Food Events in St. Louis This Weekend: April 19 to 21

Third Friday is here, which means Third Degree Glass Factory's Third Friday Free Party, an Around the World Wine Dinner at Missouri Botanical Gardens, and Trailnet's seasonal Bike to Breakfast. Read on for an array of ways to fill that plate this weekend. See also: -Bike to Work Tomorrow, Get Free ... More >>

Wade Waller Takes Over at Eleven Eleven Mississippi and Carl Hazel Leaves to Pursue New Project

Things are changing at Eleven Eleven Mississippi (1111 Mississippi Avenue; 314-241-9999), Paul and Wendy Hamilton's Tuscan-inspired restaurant in Lafayette Square. Evan Benn of the Post-Dispatch first reported that Carl Hazel has left and Wade Waller has taken over as executive chef. Hazel departed ... More >>

Top 5 Recipes to Celebrate 4/20 -- From a Professional!

Didn't win our 4/20 Cannabis Cupcakes giveaway? Fret not, dear reader. Gut Check has a treat for you! It just so happens that a person of our acquaintance -- we'll call her "Mary Jane" -- spent three years traveling the jam-band circuit, supplying cannabis-based baked goods to hungry audiences from ... More >>

Wine Do's on Washington: Robust does a brisk downtown trade

Slideshow: Inside Robust on Washington Avenue

Pastaria's Bucatini All'Amitriciana: A Recipe from Brian Moxey

New Food Truck Slice of the Hill Hits St. Louis Streets Next Week

Though food trucks abound in St. Louis, since Wanderlust Pizza trucked out of town in 2011 and Pi Pizzeria retired its food truck last summer, the city hasn't had a go-to pizza truck. Thanks to new food truck Slice of the Hill (@SliceoftheHill; 314-791-2557), that's about to change. According to o ... More >>

Sultan Palace on South Grand Already Closed? Plus More from South Grand

Sultan Palace Bakery and Cafe (4144 South Grand Boulevard; 314-875-9653) opened in Dutchtown only last November. A banner still hangs outside the Middle Eastern restaurant announcing its grand opening. Signs that it is stil open at all are not good. See Also: - First Look: Sultan Palace Bakery and ... More >>

Broadway Oyster Bar Invites You to Suck It at Crawfish Fest This Weekend

The mighty mud bug is the star of this month's food festival at Broadway Oyster Bar (736 South Broadway; 314-621-8811), and chef Brad Hagen is pulling out all the stops (and all the crawfish) to make this a feast worthy of the Big Easy. Gut Check spoke with Broadway Oyster Bar's Mary Moramarco to ... More >>

Pimento Cheese, Heavy Metal and Learning to Salt Your Food: A Q&A with Brian Moxey of Pastaria

This is part two of Gut Check's Chef's Choice profile of Brian Moxey of Pastaria. Read part one, a profile of Moxey, here. Part three, a recipe from Moxey, will be published on Thursday. Though a native son of Sikeston, Brian Moxey made his bones as a young cook on the world's biggest stage: New Yo ... More >>

Maplewood: An Updated Guide to Restaurants on Manchester, from Big Bend to the City Limits

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. Maplewood crams a lot of life into a ... More >>

Mad Tomato's Cavatelli with Spring Lamb Ragù: One of 100 St. Louis Dishes You Must Eat Right Now

The Gut Check One Hundred is our accounting of the 100 dishes in St. Louis that you must eat right now. These are the best dishes at the newest restaurants and the newest dishes at the best restaurants. These are the 100 dishes that define St. Louis dining in 2013. Our list culminates this fall when ... More >>

Sample Craft Brews at Inaugural Belleville Ale Fest Saturday

Belleville, Illinois, is jumping on the craft-beer bandwagon. The small city to the east of the big river is hosting its inaugural craft-beer festival this Saturday, April 20, from noon to 4 p.m at the Belleville Crossing shopping center. Gut Check spoke with John Lengerman, the executive director ... More >>

Brian Moxey Journeys from Starry-Eyed Young New York City Cook to Executive Chef of St. Louis' Hottest Restaurant

This is part one of Gut Check's Chef's Choice profile of Brian Moxey of Pastaria. Part two, a Q&A with Moxey, will be published Wednesday. Part three, a recipe from Moxey, will be available on Thursday. A chef can't hide at Pastaria (7734 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton; 314-862-6603). Not only is its k ... More >>

The Libertine Hiring Kitchen and Service Staff; Quincy Street Bistro Seeks Front of House Help

Opening day approaches for the Libertine (7927 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton), the new restaurant from the married team of Audra and Nick Luedde, with Josh Galliano helming the kitchen, and the restaurant has a call out for both back and front of the house staff. For the back of the house, the Libert ... More >>

A Good Man Is Hard to Find's "Pork-n-Beans": One of 100 St. Louis Dishes You Must Eat Right Now (Seriously, Only Three Weeks Left)

The Gut Check One Hundred is our accounting of the 100 dishes in St. Louis that you must eat right now. These are the best dishes at the newest restaurants and the newest dishes at the best restaurants. These are the 100 dishes that define St. Louis dining in 2013. Our list culminates this fall when ... More >>

Celebrate Restaurant Week on the Hill Through Sunday

Every day is a celebration of food on the Hill, St. Louis' iconic Italian neighborhood. Toasted ravioli was invented there, and there's an Italian eatery on every corner. Dining on the Hill can feel like stepping into your Italian grandmother's kitchen for a taste of the old country. Every square fo ... More >>

12 St. Louis Food and Drink Deals and Freebies for Tax Day

Today is Tax Day, also known as mass chaos at the Springfield Post Office Day. Whether today finds you scrambling to get your info in order or basking in the smug satisfaction of submitting your taxes weeks ago, there is a reward: food and drink deals at restaurants across the St. Louis area. Once ... More >>

Vegetarian Toasted Ravioli and More Meat-Free Meals at Sandrina's

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 >>

Tidbits: Dierdorf & Hart's at Westport Plaza to Close, Alpha Brewing Company Now Open

- Dierdorf & Hart's Steak House (323 Westport Plaza, Maryland Heights; 314-878-1801) will close after 30 years. George Mahe of St. Louis Magazine broke the news with confirmation from owner Lou Garesche. Garesche was unavailable when Gut Check reached the restaurant yesterday. According to Mahe's r ... More >>

The Ten Best Food Events in St. Louis This Weekend: April 12 to 14

Friday (Apr. 12): Tagine: Vessel and Dish @ Kitchen Conservatory In this hands-on class, learn all about the tagine, a vessel and dish, while preparing honey potato orange salad, mussel and clam tagine with Isaraeli couscous, spicy potato tagine with olives, beef short rib tagine with raisins and ... More >>

Katie's Pizza & Pasta Finds a Home in Rock Hill

Katie's Pizza & Pasta started with a concept: artisan pasta and pizza. Thanks to a Kickstarter campaign, it raised over $40,000 for its development -- and attracted a few traditional investors to boot. Now, the new project from Katie Lee of Katie's Pizzeria Café (6611 Clayton Road, Clayton; 314-727 ... More >>

The Kitchen Sink's Corn Fritters: One of 100 St. Louis Dishes You Must Eat Right Now

The Gut Check One Hundred is our accounting of the 100 dishes in St. Louis that you must eat right now. These are the best dishes at the newest restaurants and the newest dishes at the best restaurants. These are the 100 dishes that define St. Louis dining in 2013. Our list culminates this fall when ... More >>

Harvest's Strip Steak with a Root Beer Reduction and Bacon-Braised Mustard Greens: What to Eat This Weekend and Where to Eat It

Gut Check tells you what's new and tasty at our favorite restaurants. So this "What to Eat This Weekend and Where to Eat It" feature is still squeaky brand new, and we're learning that sometimes when you call a great local chef without warning and ask what he or she is most excited about this week ... More >>

Salt's Tim Rabior: 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 Tim Rabior of Salt. Below is a Q&A with Rabior, followed by the recipe for a "Green Goddess." Tim Rabior has blond highlights and sunglasses that never lea ... More >>

One of St. Louis' most talented chefs works in the Cheshire's basement. Time to let Basso's big dog bark.

Slideshow: Inside Basso at the Cheshire Inn

Pack a Restaurant Picnic for Your Next Visit to Busch Stadium

Gut Check loves us a day at the ballpark. And Gut Check loves us some ballpark food. Nachos? Bratwurst? Soft pretzels? Pretty much anything shellacked with orange cheese product? Yes, please. We ain't always caviar-and-Champagne snobs. Gut Check, however, doesn't loves us the cost of ballpark food. ... More >>

Happy Hour at the Crow's Nest in Maplewood: Cruise for Boozing

The Crow's Nest (7336 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314-781-0989) The Hours: Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m., with late-night specials Monday through Thursday from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. and Sunday from 9 p.m. to Midnight. The Deal: Drink specials include $3.00 rail drinks, $2.00 PBR and Miller ... More >>

Webster Groves' Old Orchard Business District: An Updated Guide

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 Webster Groves "Old Orchard" Ne ... 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 >>

Loving Pig's Face and Learning to Leave His Roast Chicken Alone: A Q&A with Vino Nadoz's Chris DiMercurio

This is part two of Gut Check's Chef's Choice profile of Chris DiMercurio of Vino Nadoz. Read part one, a profile of DiMercurio, here. Part three, a recipe from DiMercurio, will be published on Friday. Chris DiMercurio worked alongside -- and learned from -- some of St. Louis' talented young chefs ... More >>

Eric Brenner Opens Alumni, a Culinary Ode to St. Louis

Local chef Eric Brenner has made his triumphant return to the St. Louis food scene with the new restaurant Alumni (200 North 13th Street; 314-241-5888), which opened Monday. Alumni is a joint effort between Brenner and the Lawrence Group, a local planning and design firm. Together, they have create ... More >>

Pi Pizzeria's Pi Squared: Gut Check's Hump-Day Cocktail Suggestion

Wednesday. Hump Day. Congrats, you've made it halfway through the work week! Unfortunately, you still have two days to go. Dunno about you, but in order to survive the midweek blues, we're going to need a drink. Which brings us to our Wednesday Gut Check feature: "Gut Check's Hump-Day Cocktail Sug ... More >>

Chris DiMercurio of Vino Nadoz Wants You to Trust Him

This is part one of Gut Check's Chef's Choice profile of Chris DiMercurio of Vino Nadoz. Part two, a Q & A with DiMercurio, will be available Wednesday. Part three, a recipe, will be published Friday. You could easily miss Vino Nadoz (16 The Boulevard, Richmond Heights; 314-726-0400), dwarfed as it ... More >>

Chop Shop's "El Camino" Roll: One of 100 St. Louis Dishes You Must Eat Right Now

The Gut Check One Hundred is our accounting of the 100 dishes in St. Louis that you must eat right now. These are the best dishes at the newest restaurants and the newest dishes at the best restaurants. These are the 100 dishes that define St. Louis dining in 2013. Our list culminates this fall when ... More >>

The Upside Downstairs: A Preview of This Week's Review of Basso

Basso (7036 Clayton Avenue; 314-932-7818) should not be an afterthought. Yes, it is in the basement of its glitzier older (by a matter of weeks) sibling, the Restaurant at the Cheshire. But what a basement it is! The cavernous space features both throwback elements (a fireplace, gas lamps and a wood ... More >>

Fresh, Bright Vegetarian Fare Shines at Sunset 44 Bistro in Kirkwood

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 >>

Quincy Street Bistro's BLT: One of 100 St. Louis Dishes You Must Eat Right Now

The Gut Check One Hundred is our accounting of the 100 dishes in St. Louis that you must eat right now. These are the best dishes at the newest restaurants and the newest dishes at the best restaurants. These are the 100 dishes that define St. Louis dining in 2013. Our list culminates this fall when ... More >>

Home Wine Kitchen's Fried Chicken: One of 100 St. Louis Dishes You Must Eat Right Now

The Gut Check One Hundred is our accounting of the 100 dishes in St. Louis that you must eat right now. These are the best dishes at the newest restaurants and the newest dishes at the best restaurants. These are the 100 dishes that define St. Louis dining in 2013. Our list culminates this fall when ... More >>

The Ten Best Food Events in St. Louis This Weekend: April 5 to 7

Warm weather means more excuses to leave the house in search of eats. Plenty of options await, depending on what food you're in the mood for. Participate in a pot luck, get a head start on that garden or check out some monthly menu specials. Click ahead for edible adventure ideas this weekend.

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 >>

Hwy 61 Roadhouse Owner Talks Diners, Drive-ins and Dives Episode, Meeting Guy Fieri

In December 2012 Hwy 61 Roadhouse & Kitchen (34 South Old Orchard Avenue, Webster Groves; 314-968-0061) appeared on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Since its initial airing, the episode has replayed a handful of times each month, with four airings slated for April, including tonight at 8:30 ... More >>

Fuel Up: A happy belly trumps an empty tank at BBQ ASAP

Slideshow: Inside BBQ ASAP on Manchester

No, He Meant the Champagne of Beers and Not-Poisoning a Prince of Saudi Arabia: A Q & A with Andrew Jennrich of Farmhaus

This is part two of Gut Check's Chef's Choice profile of Andrew Jennrich of Farmhaus. Read part one, a profile of Jennrich, here. Part three, a recipe from Jennrich, will be available on Friday. Is it unseemly to be thankful for the financial stresses that others have faced? Of course. So put it ... More >>

Happy Hour at Three Monkeys: See No, Hear No, Speak No Sobriety

Three Monkeys (3153 Morganford Road; 314-772-9800) The Hours: Monday through Friday 3 to 6 p.m., and late-night happy hour from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. The Deal: $2 domestic bottles, $2 well drinks, $3 house wines, $1 off drafts, $5 appetizers and $8 one-topping pizzas. See also: -Happy Hour at the ... More >>

Riverbend Restaurant & Bar's Red Beans and Rice: One of 100 St. Louis Dishes You Must Eat Right Now

The Gut Check One Hundred is our accounting of the 100 dishes in St. Louis that you must eat right now. These are the best dishes at the newest restaurants and the newest dishes at the best restaurants. These are the 100 dishes that define St. Louis dining in 2013. Our list culminates this fall when ... More >>

Modesto Tapas Bar Unveils a New Spring Menu

It may be cold and rainy in Madrid right now, but at Modesto Tapas Bar & Restaurant (5257 Shaw Avenue; 314-772-8272), Spring is officially here. Last Wednesday, the Spanish restaurant introduced its new Spring/Summer menu, which includes tapas dishes as well as "small bites," which will be availab ... More >>