Josh Galliano

St. Louis Doesn't Have Food & Wine Magazine's "People's Best New Chef"

For the third consecutive year Food & Wine asked readers to vote for the "People's Best New Chef". Last year, Josh Galliano -- formerly of Monarch, now of the soon-to-open Libertine -- won for the Midwest. This year, the area had two chefs represented among the ten finalists in that category: Cassy ... More >>

Home Wine Kitchen's Vires, Tavern Kitchen & Bar's Haifely Up for Food & Wine Magazine's "People's Best New Chef" Honor

Cassy Vires of Home Wine Kitchen (7322 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314-802-7676) and Justin Haifley of the Tavern Kitchen & Bar (2961 Dougherty Ferry Road, Valley Park; 314-825-0600) are two of the ten chefs in the running for the Midwest category of Food & Wine magazine's "People's Best New Chef" a ... More >>

Chef's Choice: Rick Lewis of Quincy Street Bistro, Part 2

This is the part two of Gut Check's Chef's Choice profile of Rick Lewis of Quincy Street Bistro. Read part one, a profile of Lewis, here. Part three, a recipe, will be available on Thursday. I met with Rick Lewis, head chef of Quincy Street Bistro (6931 Gravois Avenue; 314-353-1588), early on a Mon ... More >>

Chef's Choice: Rick Lewis of Quincy Street Bistro

This is part one of Gut Check's Chef's Choice profile of Rick Lewis of Quincy Street Bistro. Part two, a Q&A, will be published Wednesday, and part three, a recipe from Lewis, will be available on Thursday. When Rick Lewis took the helm of south city's Quincy Street Bistro (6931 Gravois Avenue; 314 ... More >>

James Beard Foundation Announces Award Semifinalists: Gerard Craft, Kevin Nashan in Running for "Best Chef: Midwest" [Updated]

The James Beard Foundation this morning announced the semifinalists for its annual Restaurant and Chef Awards (link PDF). This year, two St. Louis chefs made the cut of twenty in the "Best Chef: Midwest" category: Gerard Craft of Niche (7734 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton; 314-773-7755) and Kevin Nashan ... More >>

Owner Nick Luedde Discusses the Libertine

Gut Check learned last week that St. Louis native Nick Luedde and his wife, Audra, planned to open a new restaurant called The Libertine, with acclaimed chef Josh Galliano (An American Place, Monarch) in the kitchen. We had a chance to speak with Nick Luedde this morning about his new venture, whi ... More >>

RFT's 10 Biggest Stories of 2012

They're probably not the most important stories of 2012, but if you wish to really know what's up in St. Louis, make sure you've made it through the ten most-viewed articles on Riverfronttimes.com in 2012. Happy New Year! 10) Samantha Edwards: Charged With Naked Ice Capades in Greene CountyIt's all ... More >>

Ten Best Food Events This Weekend: Nov. 2-4

Friday (Nov. 2): The Haunted Hunter @ Lemp Mansion Restaurant & Inn Enjoy a dinner of soup, salad, chicken with vegetable and potato, wine, dessert and coffee/tea over a murder mystery dinner show that tells a detective story focusing on the tale of Billy the Spook. $48.95 per person. Call 314-664 ... More >>

James Beard Foundation Opens 2013 Awards Nominations

The James Beard Foundation has opened the nominations for its 2013 awards. Through December 31, anyone -- me, you, even your dog (if he has his own email address) -- can nominate up to two candidates in each category. The main category for which St. Louis restaurants are eligible is "Best Chef: Mid ... More >>

The Five Best Restaurants to Die in the Past 12 Months 2012

Selecting the Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis 2012 was no picnic. Choosing the winner meant several worthy candidates would go unmentioned -- until now. In this Gut Check series, we're chewing our way through notable runners up in a number of categories. To see hundreds more winners and finalists ... More >>

Tidbits: Galliano's Gumbo Pops Up Today, Brazilian Steakhouse in Clayton

- A reminder (as if you needed it): In mere minutes, Josh Galliano will open his second one-day-only pop-up restaurant. Today's pop-up features several different kinds of gumbo and is located at Pint Size Bakery & Coffee (3825 Watson Road; 314-277-0882). Service begins at 10:30 a.m. and continues t ... More >>

Tidbits: Tower Grove Farmers' Market Fundraiser, Bigger Penzeys

- Tower Grove Farmers' Market will hold a fundraising dinner at the downtown location of Local Harvest Cafe & Catering (815 Olive Street; 314-241-3196) on Thursday, September 20.

Gerard Craft Nominated for James Beard Foundation "Best Chef: Midwest" Award [Updated]

Gerard Craft of Niche (1831 Sidney Street; 314-773-7755) is one of five finalists for the 2012 James Beard Foundation Awards in the category "Best Chef: Midwest." This is the third time that Craft has been a finalist for the award, following nominations in 2009 and 2010. Craft was in a meeting when ... More >>

Celebrity Chef Tour at Sidney Street Café on April 16

​Kevin Nashan is excited. OK, so, this probably won't surprise anyone who knows the owner and chef of Sidney Street Café (2000 Sidney Street; 314-771-5777). Better to say Kevin Nashan is really excited. Better yet to let him say it. "I'm really excited about everything that's going on" in t ... More >>

Salt, Four St. Louis Chefs Among James Beard Semifinalists

The James Beard Foundation today announced the semifinalists for its annual awards honoring restaurants and chefs (link PDF). St. Louis scored four chefs in the category "Best Chef: Midwest" and -- a first, to the best of my knowledge -- a restaurant in the "Best New Restaurant" category, which incl ... More >>

St. Louis Chefs Are an Educated Lot

Chrissy WilmesChris Williams of Franco studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York.​Last week Eater asked chefs if they thought culinary school was worth the time and expense for aspiring chefs. The answer was a resounding "probably not." The discussion made us wonder how well-e ... More >>

Slow Down with Feast in the Field

Claverach Farm & VineyardsClaverach's barn​Tomorrow, tickets go on sale for Slow Food St. Louis' annual Feast in the Field event scheduled for June 26. The event, formerly held at Prairie Grass Farm in New Florence, moves this year to Claverach Farm & Vineyards (570 Lewis Road, Eureka; 636 ... More >>

Meet StewedSTL, the New St. Louis Food Podcast

​This week saw the debut of StewedSTL, a new podcast about food, drink and restaurants in St. Louis. Its four hosts are active participants in the area's food community: Bill Burge, who writes the food blog STL Bites and contributes to St. Louis Magazine; Kelli Best-Oliver, who wrote the "Novice F ... More >>

St. Louis Chefs Fall Short in Food & Wine Vote

Screenshot: www.foodandwine.com​As seemed likely since early last week, all three St. Louis chefs competing to be named the "People's Best New Chef" by Food & Wine magazine fell short of being named a finalist for the Midwest region when voting closed yesterday.Lee Richardson of Ashley's at th ... More >>

Chef Christopher Lee Kicks Off Mardi Gras With Cajun Cook-Off Win

Robin WheelerChristopher Lee, your 2011 Cajun Cook-off champeen!​St. Louis started Mardi Gras season on Saturday not in Soulard but at the World's Fair Pavillion, with the annual Cajun Cook-Off. Chef Christopher Lee of Cafe Ventana, Sanctuaria, and Chuy Arzola's and chef de cuisine Katie Case ... More >>

"The People's Best New Chef" Voting Update

Screenshot: www.foodandwine.com​You have until Monday, March 1, to cast your vote in Food & Wine magazine's "The People's Best New Chef" competition -- and St. Louis' three competitors need your vote! As of 11 a.m. this morning, each of the three St. Louis chefs -- Anthony Devoti of Five Bistr ... More >>

Three St. Louis Chefs and a Sommelier Are James Beard Award Semifinalists [Updated]

​The James Beard Foundation this morning announced the semifinalists for its annual awards (link PDF). Gerard Craft of Niche, Kevin Nashan of Sidney Street Café and Kevin Willmann of Farmhaus are among the semifinalists in the category "Best Chef: Midwest."In addition, Glenn Bardgett, the wi ... More >>

Food & Wine Nominates Three St. Louis Chefs as "The People's Best" [Updated]

Screenshot: www.foodandwine.com​Do you think St. Louis' best chefs deserve more national attention? Well, the power to bring them that acclaim is now in your hands.Anthony Devoti of Five Bistro, Josh Galliano of Monarch and Kevin Willmann of Farmhaus are among the 100 chefs nationwide vying to be ... More >>

Additional Thoughts on the Closing of An American Place

Larry Forgione​Tom Finkel already provided a thorough postmortem yesterday on the news that Larry Forgione's An American Place will soon close its doors. To his analysis I'd add only this:In the same Sauce Magazine roundtable that Tom cites for Forgione's comments about portion size, the chef also ... More >>

Sidney Street Café Hosts "Operation Charcuterie!" Dinner to Benefit Operation Food Search

​Sidney Street Café (2000 Sidney Street, 314-771-5777) will host "Operation Charcuterie!", a six-course dinner to benefit Operation Food Search, on Tuesday, September 28. This dinner is the culmination of an event organized by Kevin Nashan, owner and executive chef of Sidney Street Café, to incr ... More >>

News from Monarch, Araka, Pappy's Smokehouse

Robin WheelerSteven Caravelli is leaving Sleek for Araka.​A few interesting news items over the past couple of days. Monarch (7401 Manchester Road, 314-644-3995) will celebrate its grand reopening on Monday, August 2, according to a Tweet from the restaurant. Monarch is currently undergoing renova ... More >>

St. Louis Food Blog Digest, 6.28-7.4

​Gut Check dishes on our favorite St. Louis food blogs. Rhubarb and Honey: Kimberly contemplated food independence. FamilyStyle Food: Karen dished up homemade Nutella. Iron Stef: Stephanie made a Blender Coconut Pie.

Last Night: Photos from the RFT's Iron Fork Competition at Union Station

Last night, the business department for the Riverfront Times staged its annual Iron Fork chef competition. New this year was a bartending competition (photos on page 2.) The venue was the Marriott Hotel at St. Louis' Union Station, and in addition to the food-and-drink prep throwdown, more than 25 a ... More >>

James Beard Foundation Honors Gerard Craft

Gerard Craft of Niche made the cut when the James Beard Foundation whittled the list of Best Chef: Midwest nominees -- a list that had also included Monarch's Josh Galliano -- to the finalists this morning. The James Beard Foundation Awards take place May, 3 at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Justin and Danielle Leszcz chucked the 9-to-5 in favor of a 3,700-square-foot farm in Affton

All for Aughts: Let's count down the best local restaurant openings of the decade!

The Ten Most Important St. Louis Restaurant Openings of the Aughts #3: An American Place (2004)

​An American Place (2004)Five years, the economic plunge that stalled downtown's "renaissance" and, frankly, the disparaging comments about St. Louis diners that Larry Forgione made during a Sauce Magazine interview have taken some of the luster off An American Place. Still, when it opened in 200 ... More >>

The Ten Most Important St. Louis Restaurant Openings of the Aughts #1: Niche (2005)

​Niche (2005)If a hurricane hadn't sent Josh Galliano here, both An American Place and Monarch would have had very different trajectories. And if an ambitious young chef in Salt Lake City hadn't taken the time to research emerging markets to open his first restaurant, we might not have had Niche. ... More >>

2009 in Review: October

​Waldo Jaquith, Wikimedia Commons​October saw the return of Drink of the Week, the column founded by Randall Roberts and continued by Kristie McClanahan that muses on life and libations. Alicia Lohmar is the new author, and we're thrilled to have her as part of the Gut Check family. The rest of ... More >>

2009 in Review: August

​Ian FroebThe Terrace View in Citygarden​August was an unusually busy month, with numerous restaurant openings and closings. Let's dwell on the positive above the fold: The Terrace View opened in Citygarden, Downtown's spiffy new sculpture park; Downtown scored an honest-to-God grocery store in ... More >>

2009 in Review: June

​Alberto Gottardo, Wikimedia Commons​What better time than the onset of warm weather for a delicious beer? So what better time than June for the first St. Louis Craft Beer Week? A week filled with tastings, talks and more tastings celebrated the booming craft-beer scene in St. Louis. And speakin ... More >>

2009 in Review: February

​​February was a big month here at Gut Check International Headquarters, as we rolled out our first new columns written by freelance writers: The Noble Writ, Java Enabled, The Sneak, The Dive Bomber and Throwback of the House. It was also a big month for Gut Check favorite Pappy's Smokehouse, wh ... More >>

FoodWire: James Beard Foundation Opens 2010 Awards Nominations

Doesn't seem that long ago that I was reporting on Gerard Craft of Niche, Taste by Niche and the soon-to-open Brasserie by Niche being a finalist for the 2009 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards. Now the foundation has opened the nominations for the 2010 awards. Anyone can nominate a c ... More >>

St. Louis Food Blog Digest: 8.22-8.28

Gut Check dishes on our favorite St. Louis food blogs.St. Louis Eats and Drinks: Joe and Ann review Five Bistro and discuss Texas wines.Adventures in Eating Locally: Kimberly peeks at EarthDance FARMS. Becky and the Beanstock: Becky continues her mystery project with no-knead dough. STL Hops: Mik ... More >>

Introducing the Novice Foodie: Crashing the Cook's Night Out

​Kelli Best-Oliver is on a quest to become a full-fledged foodie. Beginning this week, she will chronicle her adventures for Gut Check. She writes about any damn thing she pleases at South City Confidential.I have no formal culinary training. It's been ten years since I worked in a restaurant, wai ... More >>

Marc Baltes Storms the "Dorm Room" at 33 Wine Shop & Tasting Bar

Hedwig von Ebbel, Wikimedia Commons​As I waddled back to my car last night after the latest Dorm Room dinner at Lafayette Square's 33 Wine Shop & Tasting Bar, the evening air thick with woodsmoke from the grill where Marc Baltes was braising pork shoulder for the next seating, I wondered which ... More >>

Around the Horn: Ian covers all the bases to find you the best All-Star Game chow

FoodWire: Slow Food St. Louis Wine Dinner at the Crossing

The Crossing (7823 Forsyth Boulevard; Web site) is hosting a wine dinner on Tuesday, July 7, to benefit Slow Food St. Louis. The six-course meal -- the menu is available on Slow Food St. Louis' Web site -- will be paired with wines from Ransom, SNAFU and Murphy's law.The cost is $75 per person. For ... More >>

Gerard Craft of Niche a 2009 James Beard Award Finalist

Jennifer SilverbergGerard Craft of Niche (1831 Sidney Street; Web site) is one of five finalists in the "Best Chef - Midwest" category of the 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards. The finalists were announced today. The awards ceremony will be held Monday, May 4, in New York City.Craft, who last year ... More >>

St. Louis Food Blog Digest: 2.21-2.27

Gut Check dishes on our favorite St. Louis food blogs.STL Bites: Earlier this week Gut Check's Brooke Foster bemoaned a new policy asking solo coffeeshop patrons to sit only at two-top tables. Bill argues the other side.Sauce: Sauce posts a picture of a mama and baby pig to illustrate a story on K ... More >>

Gut Check: The Restaurant Shuffle

Grill Marks: Ian turns to the West End Grill to pull us all out of the restaurant-scene doldrums

Food & Wine finds our Niche!

Gerard Craft on Being Named Food & Wine Best New Chef 2008

Gerard Craft of Niche Named "Best New Chef 2008" by Food & Wine Magazine