New Year's

Sundance 2013: America's Black Indie Film Renaissance

Don't Eat This Stuff! Recall Roundup for January 14-18, 2013

It has been a quiet week, generally speaking, for food recalls involving the Greater Gut Check Metropolitan Area. A quiet month, for that matter. Maybe it has something to do with New Year's resolutions: Gonna scrub the ol' slaughterhouse and keep 'er spotless this year! A Springfield, Illinois out ... More >>

St. Louis Hits the Road: Tips From the Many Local Bands that Toured in 2012

Hard times, high gas prices and an ill economy did little to derail local artists from expanding outward in 2012. As a musician, I've never seen so many of my peers crawl out from these red brick buildings to push their River City sounds than in the past 12 months. Many return with invaluable advice ... More >>

St. Louis Food Blog Digest, 12.24-12.30

Gut Check dishes on our favorite St. Louis food blogs. Iron Stef: Stef recapped the year of balls with a look at curry potato balls, chicken sausage balls with fennel and waffled polenta and more. Cupcake Project: Stef shared savory hoppin' John cupcakes for New Year's Day. Eat Write: Judith made ... More >>

Need Last Minute New Year's Eve Plans? These 15 St. Louis Restaurants Have You Covered.

At face value December 31 is a day like any other day. Nothing changes at Midnight except for the calendar year, but sentiment and tradition say otherwise. New Year's Eve, the official name of otherwise average December 31, demands recognition, review, revelry and resolutions, and really, that's ask ... More >>

The Ten Best Shows in St. Louis This Weekend: December 28 to 30

Hey guys, I'm Daniel Hill! Well, sort of. On the computer I'm using, I'm known in techie login terms as "Hillda" at least. Cute nickname, huh? My name's Mabel, and I'm hanging out at Hillda's desk as the new Clubs Editor until somebody around here shows me to a desk of my own. Meanwhile, the real Da ... More >>

Ten Best Food Events This Weekend: Dec. 28-31

Friday (Dec. 28): Schlafly Tap Takeover @ Pi Pizzeria Schlafly Beer celebrates its twenty-first anniversary with twenty-one beers by taking over twenty taps and hauling along a cask. Wallets tapped out for the holidays can hold out a little longer - the tap takeover runs through Saturday, January ... More >>

Cold Comfort

Lights! Car! Action!

A New Resolution

Fight Over Missouri's Cigarette Tax Heats Up; Lung Association Gives State Failing Grade

​Missouri received its annual report card last week from the American Lung Association. The result ain't pretty. The state earned an "F" for tobacco prevention and control (spending just $58,693 last year to prevent tobacco use statewide); an "F" for smoke-free air (with legislators refusing to pa ... More >>

Another Year, Another Story About Lebron James' Birthday Cake

​One year ago, Gut Check marveled at the Tower of Babel-esque birthday cake made for basketball megastar and serial playoff choke artist LeBron James. So we weren't exactly surprised to see this week's news from the Miami Herald that LeBron James' "people" had rejected the cake prepared for h ... More >>

Ten Best Food Events This Weekend: December 30-January 1

Friday (Dec. 30): New Year's Eve menu @ Oceano Oceano features a special menu on Friday, Dec. 30 and Sat. Dec. 31 including Maine lobster bisque, pan fried lamb sweetbreads, Northern Atlantic lobster tails and more. Make reservations by calling 314-721-9400. Saturday (Dec. 31): New Year's Eve P ... More >>

A Public Service Announcement from Gut Check: Don't Drink and Walk This New Year's

Image via​Gut Check doesn't need to tell you not to drink and drive this New Year's Eve and Day. You might spill your drink!Seriously, though. Don't drink and drive.HOWEVER, the answer is not to drink and walk instead, at least according to Freakonomics Radio. You see, it's actually more dange ... More >>

Beware the Killer Chitlins!

File under: "Things You Were Already Afraid Of But For Other, More, Shall We Say...Visceral Reasons ." This just in from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service: Undercook those holiday chitlins at your peril. (Or, more precisely, at the peril of Grandma, Gramps and ... More >>

Coastal Bistro and Bar Features Southern-inspired Land and Sea Cuisine

Mabel SuenChefs in the kitchen at Coastal Bistro and Bar.​This past September the Schmitz family welcomed a new kid on their cozy, close-knit Clayton block -- Coastal Bistro and Bar (14 North Central Avenue; 314-932-7377). The Southern-inspired seafood bar and restaurant, featuring a combinati ... More >>

Where to Eat on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Image via​For some folks, Christmas is a day of mandatory family time in celebration of some cool old cat's birthday, and for others, it's an ever-annoying nuisance that means little to them except that there's nothing to do. But there's one thing we all have in common: We gotta eat. -Demun ... More >>

March of the Penguins

A Salty Salute: St. Louis Does Guided by Voices

8 p.m. Thursday, November 24. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue.

Too Hot To Live Winter Music Mix: Ten Songs To Lower Your Temperature

Refreshing! ​Finally, we seem to be on the other side of this week's bout of soul-shredding heat. Summer's all well and good, but the Beach Boys weren't singing about an endless summer where it feels like 115 degrees. Their summers were a good 30 degrees cooler than what we've been experiencin ... More >>

Food Fights Signal Bad Manners, End Times.

Sure, we all love food. But are we willing to fight for it? Go to jail for it? Or, perhaps, die for it? Judging from recent headlines, the End Times have arrived, signaled by that famine horseman who's prompting people to ape shit on one another over snack foods. Or maybe it's just time to offer ... More >>

Review: Chuck Berry and the Postelles at the Blueberry Hill's Duck Room, Wednesday, January 19

Bob KuskyChuck Berry was alive and very well last night at the Duck Room.​After Chuck Berry collapsed during a show in Chicago on New Year's Day, fans began to worry. Was this it for the duck-walking one? Would they forever regret that they never bothered to catch one of his monthly shows at B ... More >>

Chuck Berry Show on Wednesday at the Duck Room Is On!

Erin Kinsella​Chuck Berry gave fans quite a scare in Chicago on New Year's Day, when he was forced to cut his show at the Congress Theater short due to exhaustion. Such a cancellation is exceedingly rare for Berry, who's known for being punctual and a man of his contractual word. It's also ver ... More >>

Ten Musicians Who Don't Act Their Age

Last weekend, Chuck Berry gave fans in Chicago a scare: A New Year's Day concert ended prematurely after the 84-year-old fell ill. This gig aside, however, Berry remains a workhorse: Without fail, he plays monthly at Blueberry Hill's Duck Room, and he told Rolling Stone last year that he's working o ... More >>

Chuck Berry New Year's Show Ends Early Due to "Exhaustion"; Legend "Home Resting Comfortably"

Erin KinsellaChuck Berry at Kiener Plaza, July 29, 2010​Chuck Berry's New Year's Day concert in Chicago ended prematurely, after he slumped over a keyboard and had to be helped from the stage. "Chuck had played a bit of very spotty piano earlier in the set during 'Let It Rock,' so when he he ... More >>

Photos: New Year's Eve 2010 in St. Louis

As it's now January 3, hopefully your New Year's Day hangover has subsided. Unfortunately, the photographic evidence from your night out lives on forever -- at least if you attended the following three events, where RFT photographers were documenting the debauchery. Check it out. Funk 'N Horny NYE ... More >>

Can Freedom Save Your Life?

This book could save your life!​Another year in the most dangerous city in America. Gunshots went off everywhere at midnight on New Year's Day, and nobody gave you a bulletproof vest for Christmas. (Not that you asked for one. But still.) The good folks at ElectricLiterature have a solution. O ... More >>

Bah Humbug! Brits Aren't Going for the Sprout Surprise Whopper.

How about a Burger King Sprout Surprise for a quick Christmas nosh? Eater.com says that the Brits aren't thrilled with the holiday concoction, which was being sold in three U.K. cities until today. The burger features Emmentaler cheese and what looks like a fried patty of mashed Brussels sprouts. It ... More >>

Those Post-Holiday Blues

Five More Good Bets on New Year's Eve in St. Louis

Wikimedia Commons​There were so many things to drink about this year, from the oil bleeding into the Gulf to the earthquake in Haiti. But, despite having every reason to booze up, you still don't have New Year's plans. A few weeks ago, we suggested ten ideas for your year-end revelry. Below, h ... More >>

Video: Woman Goes McBallistic After Being Refused McNuggets

This incident occurred in Toledo, Ohio, on New Year's Day. However, the surveillance-camera footage wasn't released until now, via Eater. A McDonald's drive-thru customer, apparently unable to order McNuggets at this time of day, goes completely nuts. No sound, but rather violent. Proceed with cauti ... More >>

Teen Delinquency Won't Stand a Chance Against Lap Pool and Gym, St. Louis Officials Hope

ofallonpark.org​Mayor Francis Slay and several north St. Louis aldermen gathered in O'Fallon Park today for the groundbreaking of a new recreational complex. Officials are optimistic that the rec-plex will be a resource for north city kids and teenagers.

KDHX Host Larry Weir is Ailing

Larry Weir​On New Year's Eve, KDHX programmer Larry Weir, who hosts the Sunday show "Songwriters Showcase," fell at a New Year's Eve party. Upon being taken to the hospital, his condition degenerated rapidly and suddenly. He's currently on a ventilator with a severe brain injury, and things ar ... More >>

Photos: St. Louis New Year's Eve Parties at Off Broadway, Home Nightclub and the Skatium

Happy New Year. A bit hungover, you might be. RFT night life photographers were out last night at Off Broadway's New Year's Eve Party, the glitzy Masquerade Ball at Home Nightclub and the gritty Skatium in Lemay for "Dance Fiasco."Here's a recap of our NYE nightlife coverage, in photos:- New Year's ... More >>

Cowboy Mouth

8 p.m. Thursday, December 31. The VooDoo Lounge at Harrah's Casino, 777 Casino Center Drive, Maryland Heights.

Native/La Dispute

8 p.m. Thursday, December 31. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, 3301 Lemp Avenue.

St. Louis Weekend Concert Calendar: Thursday, December 31 to Sunday, January 3

Thursday, December 31 *List of New Year's Eve shows etc., here Friday, January 1 *Bobby Bare Jr/David Vandervelde, Off Broadway *Wyoming Street/hntr gthrr/Cold Bear Scout, Firebird

Ain't No Party Like a Patriot Party, Because a Patriot Party ... Involves "Celebrity Readings of the Bill of Rights"

You could spend your New Year's Eve at a variety of parties in St. Louis. There's Western-themed hoedowns, rollerskating soirées, arts galas and more.But before you finalize your NYE plans, think about a party that involves local celebrities reading aloud from the Bill of Rights. We've seen th ... More >>

Top 10 St. Louis New Year's Eve Parties Over $75 for 2009

Feeling like going all-out this New Year's Eve in St. Louis? Here's our rundown of some best ways to have an extravagant last night of 2009 and first day of 2010. As always, call ahead, make reservations if needed! Party organizers, feel free to hype your event in the comments section!- Here's our l ... More >>

St. Louis' Top 10 Cheap New Year's Eve Parties for 2009

If you plan on having an Andre champagne sort of New Year's Eve, these options may suit your budget.​Now more than ever, we need not-expensive alternatives to kicking a tough 2009 out the door and welcoming a new year. So we're bringing it back to you this year, our top ten list of cheap New Year' ... More >>

St. Louis' Top 10 New Year's Eve Parties Under $75 for 2009

​The $75-and-under category for New Year's Eve parties this year seems to have grown a great deal since last year. From special-menus being offered at restaurants to expanded party packages at night clubs, there are more than a dozen nightlife options to choose from if you've got the scratch. - He ... More >>

New Year's Eve Shows in St. Louis: A List

New Year's Eve: Amateur night or time to let loose? (A little bit of both, more than likely.) Things are rather quiet this year, in terms of music shows. Here's what I've found below; what else do you know? CBGBs? House shows? Etc.? Chime in and help those bored and looking for fun to end the decad ... More >>

St. Louis' "Best Kept Secret" to Play New Year's Eve. For Free. In a Retirement Community.

Did you know that rock and soul crooner Vince Martin is one of St. Louis best-kept secrets? Frankly, neither did we. But who are we to argue he's not -- especially when Orchid Terrace Retirement Community declares him that in a press release sent today to Daily RFT? (Yes, we respect our elders here! ... More >>

New Ice Age

Setting Goals

And knocking 'em down!

Picture Perfect

A celebration to last throughout the years

Holiday and Holi-Night

Picture Perfect

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Week of October 26, 2005

Three for Tea

A trio of St. Louis tea rooms revive a lovely, genteel tradition