Napa Valley

Eric Heath Destroys a Giant Vase and Bans Death Metal in His Kitchen: A Q&A with the Cleveland-Heath Chef

This is part two of Gut Check's Chef's Choice profile of Eric Heath of Cleveland-Heath. Read part one, a profile of Heath, here. Part three, a recipe from Heath, will be available on Friday. For years Eric Heath and Jenny Cleveland planned to open a restaurant together. But when they found the pe ... More >>

Chef Eric Heath of Cleveland-Heath Calls Edwardsville "An Awesome Place"

This is part one of Gut Check's Chef's Choice profile of Eric Heath of Cleveland-Heath. Part two, a Q & A with Heath, will appear Thursday. Part three, a recipe from Heath, will be available on Friday. "Sometimes, we'll get cooks in here who are like, 'You don't sous-vide? You don't do this? You ... More >>

Six Solid Wine Values from the Shelves at Schnucks

A lot of people feel intimidated about shopping for wine at a wine store. Gut Check understands this -- for the uninitiated, darkening the doorway of a retailer that specializes in wine can be as daunting as walking onto a used-car lot: What are they going to try to sell me? How will I know if they' ... More >>

Missouri's Mount Pleasant Winery Featured in November Issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine

Mount Pleasant Winery (5634 High Street, Augusta, Missouri; 800-467-9463) based in Augusta, Missouri, recently received some national praise. Wine Enthusiast, the de facto national magazine for wine lovers, has rated ten selections from the winery, which is located less than 50 miles outside St. Lou ... 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: Farmhaus Nose-to-Tail Dinner, Niche Lobster Rolls

- Farmhaus (3257 Ivanhoe Avenue; 314-647-3800) has announced a special "Nose-to-Tail" dinner on Tuesday, August 21. Chef de cuisine Andrew Jennrich is putting together the dinner's tasting menu, which will feature locally raised pork. Among the dishes promised by general manager Eric Scholle are pig ... More >>

Ten Best Food Events This Weekend: June 15-17

Friday (June 15): Third Friday Party @ Third Degree Glass Factory Sip mojitos, eat south-of-the-border themed small plates such as loaded nachos with green chili chicken, meet Aladdin and Jasmine from the Muny's Production of Aladdin, enjoy live entertainment and glass blowing, and more. Admission ... More >>

Comfort Shmumfort: Edwardsville newcomer Cleveland-Heath defies categorization most tastily

Review Preview: Cleveland-Heath

This week, I travel to Cleveland-Heath (106 North Main Street, Edwardsville, Illinois; 618-307-4830), a new restaurant that boasts quite the pedigree: Cleveland-Heath takes its name from partners (in life as well as in business) Jennifer Cleveland and Eric Heath. The name is a rather audacious move ... More >>

Ten Best Food Events this Weekend: June 17-19

Mabel SuenKerry Soraci, owner of I Scream Cakes​This weekend, treat yourself to some cheap thrills by attending a free burlesque show at Al Waha Restaurant & Hookah Lounge, tuning into a free concert at Tower Grove Farmers' Market's Harvest Sessions or grabbing some from-scratch ice cream and ... More >>

Valentine's Dinner Deal at Robust Wine Bar

​The best Valentine's Day dinner deal we've found so far has to be the prix fixe tasting menu offered at Robust Wine Bar & Cafe. Three courses, each with its own three-ounce wine pairing, for $55 per person. Better still, the Webster Groves wine bar will feature this deal all through Valentin ... More >>

Bob Colosimo of Eleven Eleven Mississippi, Part 2

This Q&A is part two of Robin Wheeler's Chef's Choice profile of Bob Colosimo of Eleven Eleven Mississippi. Part one is available here; part three, a recipe, we'll publish on Friday. Robin Wheeler​Did your family cook when you were a child? If so, what meals stand out? Growing up in an Italia ... More >>

Kentucky Man to Use the Caffeine Defense in Murder Trial

Too much caffeine makes him tense. CNN reports that a Kentucky man claims that he murdered his wife because his high caffeine consumption made him crazy. He claimed he had consumed a great deal of soda, diet pills with caffeine, and No Fear energy drink before strangling his wife with an extension c ... More >>

Lou Rook III of Annie Gunn's, Part 2

This is part two of Robin Wheeler's Chef's Choice interview with Lou Rook III of Annie Gunn's. To read part one, click here. Part three, a recipe from Chef Rook, will be available soon. Robin WheelerChef Lou Rook III in the Annie Gunn's kitchen with Samantha Beard.​Every other year chef Lou R ... More >>

Wine Buy the Bottle - Great Values in St. Louis: 33 Wine Shop & Tasting Bar

Given Gut Check's never-ending quest for obsession with great wine values, we figured it'd be a good idea to check in from time to time with local merchants. They pick three wines they consider to be excellent values, and Gut Check buys and tries one of them. Price is important, but value is really ... More >>

The Bridge Tap House sweats the small stuff, to great effect

Wine Buy the Bottle - Great Values in St. Louis: Grapevine Wines

Given Gut Check's never-ending quest for obsession with great wine values, we figured it'd be a good idea to check in from time to time with local merchants. They pick three wines they consider to be excellent values, and Gut Check buys and tries one of them. Price is important, but value is really ... More >>

The Morning Brew: 3.11

​Missouri state representative Jim Viebrock wants to circumvent federal bans and allow horse slaughter for food in Missouri. Viebrock argues that unwanted and abandoned horses can be slaughtered and sold to European and Japanese markets. (USA Today) New York State legislator introduces bill t ... More >>

FoodWire: Free Napa Cabernet Tasting at Wine & Cheese Place

[Updated 3/2/10 with tasting notes; click through to read...] ​Never had the disposable income to buy into the north-of-$50 world of Napa Valley cabernets? Here's your chance. Paul Hayden, manager of the Clayton location of the Wine & Cheese Place (7435 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton; 314-727-8 ... More >>

The Noble Writ's New Year's Resolutions

Unlike several of my fellow Gut Check contributors, I'm not much for reminiscing about, dissecting or ranking the past year. Instead, I enjoy the challenge of looking forward and setting goals. So here are my plans for both my personal wine consumption and The Noble Writ in 2010.Aaron Logan, Wikime ... More >>

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 ... More >>

FoodWire: Veritas Hosting Pahlmeyer Wine Dinner August 19

Veritas Gateway to Food and Wine (1722 Clarkson Road) is hosting a five-course dinner featuring Pahlmeyer Wines on Wednesday, August 19, at 6:30 p.m. Pahlmeyer Winery sales manager Dave Landis will be a guest. Pahlmeyer Wines include the "Jayson" line, named after founder Jayson Pahlmeyer, which eve ... More >>

Gerard Craft Featured (Again!) in Food & Wine Magazine [Updated]

Gerard Craft (alone, right) cooks for Napa Valley winemakers. Gerard Craft of Niche (1831 Sidney Street; Web site) is featured in the April issue of Food & Wine. In the article "Napa Cabernet Now," the magazine had Craft, one of its reigning Best New Chefs, cook lunch for seven of Napa Valley's ... More >>

FoodWire: New Year's Eve at Big Sky Café

As many special New Year's Eve menus as Gut Check can find.Big Sky Café (47 South Old Orchard Avenue) is hosting a three-course prix-fixe dinner on New Year's Eve. (The regular menu is available, too.) The cost is $37 per person, and Kelly Donovan from the All Great Restaurants group lets me kn ... More >>

Not Quite Ripe: Send it back. Bottle Shock's corked.

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

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

Food & Wine: January 2008

Restaurant Tidbit: Harvest

Your Weekly Food Blog Digest

The Wine Master

A St. Louis sommelier strives to be among the best in the world.

Small Plates: Thursday, 2/22

Off the Rack

If The Tuxedo Room's food and service don't improve, it'll be curtains.

Bounty by the County

The state’s winemakers and food producers aren’t exactly key playersin the global economy. A Mizzou professor aims to change all that.

Under the Hampton Sun

Find a foodie paradise in south St. Louis

Sofia Mini Blanc de Blancs

World Market, 24 Brentwood Promenade Court, Brentwood, 314-918-7800

Charbay Blood Orange Vodka

Sub Zero Vodka Bar, 308 N. Euclid Avenue, 314-367-1200

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Week of July 28, 2004

Robert Pecota Moscato d'Andrea

Frazer's Traveling Brown Bag, 1811 Pestalozzi Avenue, 314-773-8646

French Connection

Leon Bierbaum's renowned namesake restaurant needs some polishing

That's a Winner

Culinary star David Slay teams up with baseball great Ozzie Smith to produce a terrific dining experience

Subculture Club

Globe-trotting food writer/TV host Anthony Bourdain is hungry for more than just what's on his plate

Family Tradition

Corky's Restaurant lifts classic American comfort food to new heights

Side Dish

The latest offering from wine purveyors: the white merlot

EYE OF THE NEEDLE

Kellwood's taking fashion forward by making virtually all our clothes in the Third World. But the St. Louis giant carefully cloaks its operations, its plant locations and its monitoring of labor conditions.

Paint Your Wagon