Katie Moulton

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From December 10 to 16

And now a Public Service Announcement from RFT Music: It's wintertime, folks, and you know what that means: It's cold! And as we all know, in the cold, everything dies. The trees, the bugs, at least one ill-prepared bird I found in my side yard -- and most important for the purposes of this post: t ... More >>

Kaya's Import Wine & Spirits Closes

Kaya's Import Wine & Spirits (4117 Union Road, south St. Louis County; 314-894-0007) closed after ten years this weekend. "Let's blame it on the economy," owner Kata Lozina tells Gut Check, with a sigh. As Gut Check learned when Katie Moulton profiled Lozina and Kaya's last May, the store filled a ... More >>

The Five Best (Cheap) Italian 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 >>

Out Every Night: The Best Shows From April 16 to 22

Ok folks, this week is insane -- the number of excellent shows that did not make the cut for this post could easily fill another, if not for the nagging reality that time is finite. We don't want to short-change you though, so here's the runner-up rundown: Crowbar at Fubar on Monday, Cursive at Off ... More >>

Matthew And The Atlas Is Coming To The Duck Room

Matthew and the Atlas​The Communion Music organization, which started in London as a collective and monthly showcase and has since expanded internationally into a promotion/label/musician catchall, is launching its U.S. operations with a tour featuring Matthew and the Atlas, The David Mayfield ... 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 >>

How to Turn Your Vomit Into Food Art

Screenshot via​This is Millie Brown. All signs suggest that she is thoroughly modern: We're not sure if she makes an actual living from her work, but Millie is an artist by trade. Although the title of her piece, "Nexus Vomitus," should have clued us in pretty early, we still pressed play on t ... More >>

Christina Grady on Dancing with Gaga, Diddy and More

courtesy of Christina Grady​Christina Grady, a south-county native, has gone on to a career dancing in Hollywood, snaring gigs with some of the heavyweights of Top 40. She's a woman of many interests: She was offered a scholarship to study medicine and is now starting to work on a singing car ... More >>

Take a Flying Leap

Summertime St. Louis 2011

Johnny Flynn on Bob Dylan and Playing American Folk Music

Steve Gullick​Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit will be in town on Monday at the Duck Room. We talked to Flynn from the UK, where he lives. For more from our interview, read on as Flynn talks about American folk music and being the only kid at his school who liked Bob Dylan. Katie Moulton: Are ... More >>

Las Brisas Opening Today

Katie MoultonBud Starr of Starr's​Las Brisas is now open inside Starrs (1135 South Big Bend Boulevard, 314-781-2345). The soft opening is today, and there are plans for a grand opening next week, although no date is set yet. Bud Starr is sharing his liquor license with Sergio Zegar, Las Bris ... More >>

Jelly Underbelly: Q&A with Jelly Belly Creator David Klein

Lies! Buyouts! Blackmail! Jelly beans! Katie Moulton​ In 1976, lifelong candy enthusiast David Klein had an idea: to take the lowly jelly bean, that reject runt of the Easter basket, and turn it into gold. Jelly Belly, the world's premiere gourmet jelly bean, was born, and the rest was histo ... More >>

Ten Best Things to Do in St. Louis This Weekend: April 29-May 1

Bunnygrunt​After last weekend's total insanity, things are a little calmer in the 'Lou. As usual, however it wasn't hard to find ten things you could be doing with your time: Kinky Friedman plays tonight at Off Broadway, the Incurables are releasing an EP at the same place tomorrow and Bunnygr ... More >>

Battle Gourmet Jelly Beans: Jelly Belly vs. Gimbal's

​With Easter fast approaching, candy companies are vying for consumers' bunny bucks. Some, like Gimbal's Gourmet Jelly Beans, appeal to our paranoia about childhood allergens, while others, like Jelly Belly, forgo gimmicks and bank on name recognition to strike it rich in the hunt for consumer ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Coastal Vines 2009 California Pinot Noir at Garland Wines

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where the experts will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you wether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our no ... More >>

What Dangers Lurk Within...Jelly Beans?

www.icanhascheezburger.comNo word on whether the cat was allergic to shellfish.​Gimbal's Fine Candies is on a mission to make Easter baskets safe for kiddos. How does the venerable sweets maker propose to protect children from unseen dangers hidden in the candy cornucopia? With allergen-free ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Domaine Santa Duc "Les Vieilles Vignes" Côtes du Rhône at Starrs

Gut Check loves us some wine. We want a bottle with bang and a bang for our buck, so every week we will visit a local wine shop, where the experts will recommend a good-value wine priced under $15. We'll drink some and tell you wether we want to continue -- because the only time Gut Check has our no ... More >>

Stuff This, Burger King: A Visit to the Wicked Lady Pub

Ian FroebThe "Wicked Burger" at the Wicked Lady Pub​I was already planning to visit the Wicked Lady Pub (4534 Gravios Avenue; 314-448-1978) to order the "Wicked Burger" when I saw that Katie Moulton had taken a bullet for Gut Check and sampled the new "Jalapeño & Cheddar BK Stuffed Steakhouse ... More >>

That's What She Said: Swallowing Papa John's Hearty Italian Meats Pizza

Katie Moulton​Has Papa John's created the Jersey Shore of pizzas? The chain's limited-edition Hearty Italian Meats pizza is meaty, cheesy, over the top, hard to talk about without snickering and ultimately, not in good taste -- in other words, a bit of a "Situation." Is it possible to order t ... More >>

5 Worst Wines with Which to Celebrate American Wine Appreciation Week

www.motifake.com​According to the Internets, the week of February 21 is American Wine Appreciation Week, so christened in 1993 by our nation's 42nd president, William Jefferson Clinton. The celebration kicked off this past Friday with a pre-party (as it were) known as National Drink Wine Day ... More >>

Return of the Gerber! Ruma's Deli Reopens After Remodel

Katie MoultonHome of the Gerber, or the World's Best Use of Prove!l​ After being closed for more than a month, Ruma's Deli, a local family-owned fixture for 37 years, will reopen its south-county location this Friday, February 18. The deli, opened in 1974 by Dee and Tom Ruma, is now headed u ... More >>

2010: The Year In Music

Review Photos Setlist: Ben Kweller and Julia Nunes Delight a Sold-Out Off Broadway, Thursday, November 11

Jason StoffBen Kweller at Off Broadway​Last night at Off Broadway, Ben Kweller put on a raucous acoustic show with a DIY vibe which got the audience in on the act. View a Julia Nunes/Ben Kweller at Off Broadway slideshow (link coming soon)

Tonight! Active Child vs. Los Campesinos!/Johnny Foreigner vs. Motion City Soundtrack vs. Dawes

Tonight's Tuesday, but you'd be forgiven for mistaking it for a weekend night -- after all, there's a ton going on. A recap: Nick SchnelleA scene from last August's Los Campesinos! show at the Firebird. Serious fun.​*Los Campesinos! with Johnny Foreigner at the Firebird The kicky, cheeky indie ... More >>

Show Review Photos Setlist: Paste Tour featuring Jason Isbell and Langhorne Slim Brings Hodge-Podge of Talent to Off Broadway, Friday, October 15

Jess LutherJason Isbell​The Paste Tour brought together a hodge-podge of big talent to Off Broadway last night, and despite a disconnect in pacing between the first and second halves, the show was a solid showcase of guitar-heavy up-and-comers.

The Avett Brothers are loving you and you and you

Party in the Park: The first LouFest was an unqualified musical success

Show Review: Modest Mouse Brings the Sound and the Fury to the Pageant, Saturday, July 17

Jason StoffIsaac Brock of Modest Mouse at the Pitchfork Music Festival, Friday, July 16. More photos coming tomorrow.​The Scottrade Center may have hosted a bigger light show last night, but everyone left the Pageant satisfied after Modest Mouse performed with fervor and nuance before a sold-o ... More >>

Show Review Photos: Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears Rolls Nice and Rough at Off Broadway, Sunday, June 27

Katie MoultonGood luck trying to capture anyone still at a Black Joe Lewis show​With every music writer in America comparing Black Joe Lewis to shout-it-out soul idols Wilson Pickett and James Brown himself, I expected last night's show at Off Broadway to be all about the man and his vocals. I ... More >>

The Best of 2009 in Music

Over the Weekend: Bruce Springsteen, Victorian Fetish Ball, A Place to Bury Strangers and Samantha Crain

It was a weekend for great concerts in St. Louis. We also saw the pre-Halloween parties begin. Here's a recap of our weekend coverage.Victorian Fetish Ball at Lure NightclubPhoto: Egan O'KeefeSee more photos from Saturday night's Victorian Fetish Ball at Lure Nightclub. Some photos are NSFW (Not Saf ... More >>

Over the Weekend: Sonic Youth, Chris Isaak, Pitchfork Music Festival and Beach Bodies

It was a music-heavy weekend, and here's what you might have missed.Sonic Youth at the ArchPhoto: Todd OwyoungIndie rock godfathers, and godmothers, Sonic Youth played a free show under the Arch on Friday. See more photos.Music editor Annie Zaleski called this show on Friday "one of the best concert ... More >>

Show Review: The Avett Brothers and Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers at the Pageant, Thursday, June 25

BY KATIE MOULTON The Avett Brothers barnstormed the Pageant last night and lead a stomping jubilee with its genre-razing folk-punk. Fronted by string-snapping multi-instrumentalist brothers Seth and Scott Avett, the band destroyed any notion of traditional or roots music with a raucous set where ... More >>