Foods

The Five Best Seafood 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 >>

Hooked is a seafood shack anchored in Jeffrey Plaza — who'da sunk it?

Review Preview: Hooked Seafood Bar

This week, I visit Hooked Seafood Bar (8613 Olive Boulevard, University City; 314997-8886), a restaurant that reminds us that "seafood shack" isn't a pejorative term. A sneak preview of my review is after the jump.

A Tasty Recipe for Your Beefy Love Meat, Valentine's Day Style

While these days it seems like those who eat offal are adventurous gourmands, this wasn't always the case. Organ meats are humble by nature, the odd science-project leftovers after the animal has been broken down into the more obviously appealing roasts and steaks. With clever cooking techniques, th ... More >>

How to Make a Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Without a Strawberry

Rick Jordan has one word of advice for Valentine's Day shoppers: "Stop asking for chocolate covered strawberries when they're out of season!" Jordan proclaims wearily from his west county chocolate store, RJ Chocolatier (14882 Clayton Road, Chesterfield; 636-230-9300). Jordan, in chocolate-making c ... More >>

The Seven Best Hot Dog Stands 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 >>

Crab Cake and Heartbreak at BrickTop's

Ian Froeb"The Crab Cake" at Bricktop's​When I went to bed last night, several hours after my hometown Baltimore Ravens' agonizing loss in the AFC Championship Game, I didn't feel too bad. Wine, Tater Tots (my comfort-food guilty pleasure) and a couple of episodes of Archer had helped to dull t ... More >>

Jason Tilford of Milagro Modern Mexican: Recipe for Ceviche with Cilantro-Pepita Pesto and Mango Salsa

This is part three of Stacy Anderson's Chef's Choice profile of Jason Tilford of Milagro Modern Mexican. Part one can be found here. Part two, a Q&A with Tilford, is published here. A big part of chef Jason Tilford's history as a chef and his current work at Milagro Modern Mexican (20 Allen Avenue, ... More >>

Guess Where I'm Eating this Pastrami Sandwich and Win a Gift Certificate to La Tejana [Updated with Winner]!

You can win $10 worth of taqueria fare, and all you have to do is guess where we ate this massive pastrami sandwich. Rules: To be eligible, you must leave a valid e-mail address (or Twitter handle or Facebook profile URL) in the comment-entry field. One guess per e-mail address. Employees of the r ... More >>

Oops!...He Did It Again: RFT's insatiable food scribe chowed his way through another year — what a pig!

Holiday Cocktail Countdown #9: Mangia Italiano's The Grinch

Like any red-blooded American, Gut Check uses liquid medication to cope with holiday stress. Not only does a good winter cocktail make it possible to tolerate family members, say, inquiring about your procreation plans, it helps keep you warm, too. From now until Christmas, we're calling upon local ... More >>

Pizza My Heart: Mr. X will ignite your lust for crust

The Five Best Sandwich Spots 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. Though RFT restaurant critic Ian Froeb didn't write every edible item in the issue, our go-to food critic helped nudge us to consensus via various ... More >>

Askinosie's New Chocolate Drink to Benefit Filipino School

courtesy Askinosie ChocolatePresenting a package of Tableya or 232 school lunches.The do-gooding tendencies of ​Askinosie Chocolate are as much a part of the company as the chocolate itself. Owner and proprietor Shawn Askinosie has long made it a point to share the Springfield- ... More >>

J. Gilbert's Wood-Fired Steaks & Seafood Now Open

Screenshot: www.jgilberts.com​J. Gilbert's Wood-Fired Steaks & Seafood opened this week at West County Center (I-270 & Manchester Road, Des Peres) in the space previously occupied by Primebar. J. Gilbert's is a small chain, with only four other locations: Glastonbury, Connecticut; McLean, ... More >>

The Five Best Thin-Crust Pizzas 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 SilverbergThe Best Thin-Crust Pizza in St. Louis​Want to st ... More >>

Best and Worst Halloween Candy Countdown: No. 1

It wasn't all that long ago that Gut Check was donning our finest Disney princess Star Wars character drag outfit and joining the swarms of greedy American children on the hallowed Halloween quest for candy. So we remember well the post-trick-or-treat ritual of sorting the bounty into two piles, i.e ... More >>

Best and Worst Halloween Candy Countdown: No. 6

RFT photo​It wasn't all that long ago that Gut Check was donning our finest Disney princess Star Wars character drag outfit and joining the swarms of greedy American children on the hallowed Halloween quest for candy. So we remember well the post-trick-or-treat ritual of sorting the bounty int ... More >>

Bowled Flavors: Can Bocci Bar separate itself from the Italian-restaurant pack?

Best and Worst Halloween Candy Countdown: No. 8

RFT photo​It wasn't all that long ago that Gut Check was donning our finest Disney princess Star Wars character drag outfit and joining the swarms of greedy American children on the hallowed Halloween quest for candy. So we remember well the post-trick-or-treat ritual of sorting the bounty int ... More >>

Dolphin Tale and All-You-Can-Eat Fish Fry at West Main Cafe

​We usually forgo animal movies. Too often they turn into snuff films. Go ahead. Try to remember the last animal movie you saw that didn't end with the poor creature's death.We'll wait. Dolphin Tale is inspired by the true story of Winter, a bottlenose dolphin who lost her tail. She actually st ... More >>

Best and Worst Halloween Candy Countdown: No. 15

It wasn't all that long ago that Gut Check was donning our finest Disney princess Star Wars character drag outfit and joining the swarms of greedy American children on the hallowed Halloween quest for candy. So we remember well the post-trick-or-treat ritual of sorting the bounty into two piles, i.e ... More >>

Hooked Opens in University City

Evan C. Jones​Hooked, the new seafood restaurant from the folks who brought us Pho Long, is now open at 8613 Olive Boulevard in University City. As Gut Check learned when we previewed Hooked last month, the restaurant has been ready to go for a while but still awaited the approval of its liquor li ... More >>

Patty Quake: Can St. Louis withstand the "better burger" restaurant invasion?

Does Smashburger Deserve to Thin Out the "Better Burger" Competition?

Ian FroebThe "Spicy Baja" burger at Smashburger​The Place: Smashburger (1981 Zumbehl Road, St. Charles; 636-724-6667), the national "better burger" chain that opened its first area location this July.The Lunch: The "Spicy Baja" burger ($5.99) with a side of "Smashfries" ($1.99).Regular Gut Check r ... More >>

Home Wine Kitchen, Cassy Vires' new Maplewood restaurant, isn't afraid to shake things up

Unsteaksmanlike Conduct: Shula's 347 Grill needs to turn up the heat

Adobe Reds brings a taste of New Mexico to Midtown

PW Pizza, Paul and Wendy Hamilton's new place, isn't fancy. It's just good.

Battle Crispy (Springfield-Style) Cashew Chicken: Bobo Noodle House vs. Quik Wok

​For a kid in rural central Missouri, Chinese food means one thing: cashew chicken. And not a plate of stir-fried chicken chunks with celery, carrots and cashews. No, it had to be Springfield-style cashew chicken. As in Springfield, Missouri. Of course this isn't Chinese food. It's Chinese-A ... More >>

Take Me to Your Feeder: Welcome to the world's largest candy convention. Be advised: Resistance is futile.

Duck Yeah: Wes Johnson's new restaurant is fun -- and fantastic

Ludwig Farmstead Creamery's Unpasteurized Cheese: Safe, But Salty

Image viaRaw milk cheese won't make you sick...unless you're a pregnant woman or small child. Then it might.​While doing our Sunday grocery shopping at Straub's (8282 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton; 314-725-2121), something caught Gut Check's eye in the cheese island: a new unpasteurized offering ... More >>

Companion Breaded Bliss

Robin WheelerCompanion Breaded Bliss​Dr. Atkins just rolled over in his grave. Which was probably pretty easy, since it's still coated in bacon grease. Companion recently collaborated with Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate to make a carb-lover's dream: chocolate-covered bread. That's right. Ch ... More >>

Adding the Question Mark to It's a Better Burger

Ian FroebA bacon cheeseburger with fries at It's a Better Burger​The Place: It's a Better Burger (4881 Mexico Road, St. Peters; 636-922-7706), the fast-casual burger joint that former (football) Cardinals and Rams coach Jim Hanifan opened in St. Peters a few months ago.The Lunch: The half-pound bu ... More >>

Eating Some Tasty Tongue at Kopperman's Delicatessen

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. Holly FannThe A Brisket A Basket special at Kopperman's is a beast.​ The Place: Kopperman's ... More >>

#85: Legend Club at LeGrand's Market & Catering

Erika MillerThe Legend Club is 7" worth of meaty, saucy deliciousness.​Whether you're new to St. Louis or have lived here your whole life, you know there are some things you'll be ridiculed for if you haven't experienced. Never had Ted Drewes? What's wrong with you? Never boiled in the sun on ... More >>

Trying Out Café Pintxos' Tapas Menu

Robin UtzThe flatbreads and Melon Chorizo & Alcachofa Pintxo​This weekend, Gut Check had plans to see a show at Powell Hall. (We do things other than eat, you know!) This gave us a perfect opportunity to check out the tapas and atmosphere at the newly opened Café Pintxos (3407 Olive Street; 3 ... More >>

Ivy Magruder of Vin de Set: Recipe for Bouillabaisse

This is part three of Amanda Woytus' Chef's Choice profile of chef Ivy Magruder of Vin de Set. Part one can be found here. Part two, a Q&A with Magruder, is published here.Amanda WoytusVin de Set's bouillabaisse​If you eat one thing on Vin de Set's (2017 Chouteau Avenue; 314-241-8989 or www.vi ... More >>

Love Me Tenderloin at Yia Yia's Euro Bistro

Ian FroebThe beef tenderloin sandwich at Yia Yia's Euro Bistro​The Place: Yia Yia's Euro Bistro (15601 Olive Boulevard, Chesterfield; 636-537-9991), the St. Louis location of the restaurant chain that, unusually for a multi-state operation, uses some local meat and produce.The Lunch: The grilled b ... More >>

Ground Beef Recalls Abound

Wikimedia CommonsLots and lots of ground beef, recalled.​ Just in time for grilling season, ground beef has been recalled from opposite ends of the country. Irish Hills Meat Company in Tipton, Michigan (55 miles southwest of Detroit) recalled about 900 pounds of ground beef for possible E. co ... More >>

Reubenesque at Mike Duffy's Pub & Grill

Ian FroebThe Reuben at Mike Duffy's Pub & Grill​The Place: Mike Duffy's Pub & Grill (6662 Clayton Road, Richmond Heights; 314-644-3700), the local chain offering standard bar & grill fare.The Lunch: A Reuben sandwich, with fries, for $8.95

EarthDance Farms and Chipotle Teach Ferguson Kids About Farming

​On Monday, June 6, fifteen Ferguson middle school kids will get a first-hand lesson in farming from EarthDance. They'll partner with local Chipotle restaurants to introduce kids to organic gardening; they'll work in the fields of the oldest organic farm in Missouri and return to their classro ... More >>

Ozark Forest Mushroom Company -- It's Fungis...and Gals!

Holly FannNicola Macpherson and her son Henry at the Maplewood Farmers' Market.​ One of the best aspects of going to a local farmers' market is that you will have access to produce and specialty vendors who provide to local restaurants as well. At the Maplewood and Tower Grove markets, you wil ... More >>

Ian takes a flyer on sauerbraten at River City Casino's Beerhouse

Mike Ryan of Lola: Recipe for Andouille Corn Dog with Red Beans and Rice

This is part three of Chrissy Wilmes' Chef's Choice profile of Mike Ryan of Lola. Part one can be found here. Part two, a Q&A with Ryan, is published here. Chrissy WilmesAndouille sausage corndog with red beans and rice​When does a deep fried carnival staple evolve into an entree? When Mike R ... More >>

The Coldest Cut: Eat Your Cold Cuts Hot (With Poll!)

Image viaListeria monocytogenes: Goes well with honey ham, yellow American.​Do you enjoy cold cuts, in sandwich form or, perhaps, eaten directly from the wrapped deli package while standing in front of the fridge 'round midnight? Are you over the age of 50?THEN PUT THOSE COLD CUTS DOWN, MY FRIEND. ... More >>