Pizza

Soccer Bars and Farmers' Markets: An Updated Guide to Tower Grove

St. Louis' neighborhoods are gems in their own right: full of history, great people and, as far as Gut Check is concerned, fantastic food. Each week we'll take you into a specific neighborhood and point you in the direction of the best places to grab some bites. View Tower Grove in a larger map Tow ... More >>

University City: Delmar Boulevard, from Big Bend to 170

St. Louis' neighborhoods are gems in their own right: full of history, great people and, as far as Gut Check is concerned, fantastic food. Each week we'll take you into a specific neighborhood and point you in the direction of the best places to grab some bites. View West Delmar in a larger map The ... More >>

Katie's Pizza & Pasta Finds a Home in Rock Hill

Katie's Pizza & Pasta started with a concept: artisan pasta and pizza. Thanks to a Kickstarter campaign, it raised over $40,000 for its development -- and attracted a few traditional investors to boot. Now, the new project from Katie Lee of Katie's Pizzeria Café (6611 Clayton Road, Clayton; 314-727 ... More >>

Pi Pizzeria's Pi Squared: Gut Check's Hump-Day Cocktail Suggestion

Wednesday. Hump Day. Congrats, you've made it halfway through the work week! Unfortunately, you still have two days to go. Dunno about you, but in order to survive the midweek blues, we're going to need a drink. Which brings us to our Wednesday Gut Check feature: "Gut Check's Hump-Day Cocktail Sug ... More >>

New Favorites, Old Friends: An Updated Guide to Restaurants in Lindenwood Park

St. Louis' neighborhoods are gems in their own right: full of history, great people and, as far as Gut Check is concerned, fantastic food. Each week we'll take you into a specific neighborhood and point you in the direction of the best places to grab some bites.

Katie's Pizza & Pasta Reaches Kickstarter Goal

Katie Lee of Katie's Pizzeria Café (6611 Clayton Road, Clayton; 314-727-8585) told us in January about her plans for a new venture, Katie's Pizza & Pasta. The new restaurant, she said, will be "an artisan Italian restaurant with an open kitchen, a wood-burning oven [and] some cool new techniques wi ... More >>

Happy Hour at Colorado Bob's: An Unsinkable Proposition

Colorado Bob's Ship of Fools (3457 Morganford Road; 314-772-7564) The Hours: Daily, 4 to 6 p.m. The Deal: $2 longnecks, $2.50 Wells, $2.50 bottled beers and $10 buckets.

Viva la V Day

Tidbits: El Paisano Opens, Mama Gusto's 314 Closes and Imo's Makes National Pizza List

- We told you last month that the local chain of Mexican restaurants El Paisano Mexican Bar & Grill was opening a new location at 5916 Delmar Boulevard, where Delmar intersects with Hamilton Avenue, a few blocks east of the Delmar Loop. (The space formerly held the Twisted Olive.) The restaurant ope ... More >>

Gut Check Chows Down on Imo's New Provel Bites

Riverfront Times restaurant critic Ian Froeb's animus for Provel is, let's face it, well documented. (He once famously summed up that "Provel is a processed cheese made from Swiss, provolone and cheddar cheeses. Sounds harmless, no? Sadly, it is considerably less than the sum of its parts.") Gut C ... More >>

Bottoms Up and All Aboard

The Cheshire's Lower-Level Gastropub Basso Opens Monday, December 17

Basso (6300 Clayton Road; 314-932-7818), the gastropub located in the lower-level of the Restaurant at the Cheshire (6300 Clayton Road; 314-647-7300), opens its doors Monday, December 17. Basso's opening comes a little more than a month after the Restaurant at the Cheshire's opening on November 5. ... More >>

RFT vs. Our Readers: Second Round Results

As we celebrate the Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis 2012, Gut Check is asking you, dear readers, to settle the disagreements between our picks and our readers' poll. Once again, we asked you, dear Gut Check readers, to settle the debate between our picks and our readers' choices in some of the m ... More >>

Guess Where I'm Eating Deep-Dish Pizza and Win $25 to Mile 277 Tap & Grill [Updated]!

You can win $25 to Mile 277 Tap & Grill (10701 Watson Road, Sunset Hills; 314-645-3277) to and all you have to do is guess where we ate deep-dish pizza. The details of this one are important, though. Not only must you correctly name the restaurant we dined at, but where in St. Louis we were. Up to ... More >>

The Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis 2012: Food & Drink Winners

It's Christmas Day here at Gut Check International Headquarters, and we're playing the part of Santa Claus. Yes, the Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis 2012 is live. Click here to view the Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis 2012 "Food & Drink" winners. This year's winners take us on a quick trip t ... More >>

Review Preview: Tavolo V and Pazzo's Pizzeria

Since last fall, restaurateur Michael Del Pietro has added two new ventures to his stable: Pazzo's Pizzeria (140 South Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood; 314-821-6500) and Tavolo V (6118 Delmar Boulevard; 314-721-4333). This week, I take a look at both spots. Page through for a sneak preview of my review.

Tidbits from La Cantina, Pi

- La Cantina opened this week at 35 North Gore Avenue in Webster Groves. La Cantina is the new Mexican restaurant from Roberto Trevino, owner and chef of Amigos Cantina (120 West Jefferson Street, Kirkwood; 314-821-0877). La Cantina is open from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m.-1 ... More >>

Stuff It: Gut Check Makes Stuffed Crust Pizza Monsters, Nasty Food Gang Bang Ensues

Gut Check is suffering from Pizza-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In the last month we've seen Pizza Hut UK introduce a hot dog stuffed crust pizza and Pizza Hut Middle East roll out a cheeseburger-stuffed-crust pizza and a chicken-filet-stuffed-crust pizza. We reported that Pizza Hut US re-released its ... More >>

Best of Coachella Day Four (A.K.A. One Again)

The first weekend of Coachella: cold, damp, and wet. The second weekend of Coachella: hot, sultry, and steamy. Here are our scribes' picks for the best of what they saw on Friday, April 20 at Coachella.

Jackpot! With Epic Pizza & Subs, ex-casino honcho Todd George goes from counting dough to baking it

From Garage to Gourmet at Epic Pizza & Subs

When Todd George first walked into the space that would become Epic Pizza & Subs (1711 South Ninth Street; 314-644-4430), it was nothing more than a concrete box. The floors were unfinished, the walls nothing more than gray cinder block. Even the ceiling was concrete. He had a builders tell him the ... More >>

Pi Pizzeria to Dedicate Its Food Truck to Benefit Charity

​Pi Pizzeria is known for many things. Its pizza is loved by President Obama, it has a great happy hour, it set the standard for the food-truck boom in St. Louis and, of course, it serves up a mean deep-dish pizza. Now, founder Chris Sommers intends to use the brand's visibility for good -- by d ... More >>

Tidbits from Joanie's Pizzeria, Wasabi Sushi Bar

The original Joanie's Pizzeria in Soulard​- Gut Check reported in September that ​Joanie's Pizzeria (2101 Menard Street; 314-865-1994) planned to open a new location at 5441 Telegraph Road in the Oakville area of south St. Louis County. That location is now open, according to Joanie's Facebook p ... More >>

River City Savories Offers Homemade Cheese Spreads and Baked Goods

Courtesy of Laura Van AlstineA Cardinals-themed hand-painted pie by River City Savories.​People call Brian Runge the cheesemonger. When a friend sent him nearly 100 pounds of dehydrated morel mushrooms, he decided to get creative by incorporating them into a cheese spread that became so popula ... More >>

Black Moth Super Rainbow's Tobacco On The New Album (Maybe), Drugs and Prank Calls

​For a guy who makes some of weird sounding shit, Tom Fec is a pretty normal dude. He exercises. He dreams of giving up, getting fat and going bald. He loves the '80s, but not in a lame, ironic way. But Fec crafts day-glo hallucinogenic pop with Black Moth Super Rainbow, and drops bass like a ... More >>

Miguel Carretero of Guido's, Part Two

This is part two of Deborah Hyland's Chef's Choice profile of Miguel Carretero of Guido's. To read part one, click here. Stay tuned for part three, a recipe from Carretero, which we'll publish tomorrow. Deborah HylandCarretero in Guido's homestyle dining room​Did your family cook when you we ... More >>

Miguel Carretero of Guido's Pizzeria and Tapas

This is part one of Deborah Hyland's Chef's Choice profile of chef Miguel Carretero of Guido's Pizzeria and Tapas. Part two, a Q&A, will be published tomorrow. Look for part three, a recipe from Carretero, on Thursday. Deborah Hyland​When most eighteen-year-olds were still popping zits and gr ... More >>

The Good Pie Announces New Breakfast-Lunch Spot in Clayton

Image via​Midtown Neapolitan pizza restaurant The Good Pie announced via Twitter on Friday that it will open a new breakfast-lunch spot called Half & Half in Clayton. Good Pie owner Mike Randolph tells Evan Benn of the Post-Dispatch that the restaurant will seat approximately 70 and open in ab ... More >>

This Election Night, The Rent Is Too Damn Pi

Courtesy: Pi Pizzeria​It seems like only yesterday that Gut Check was noting its perhaps exhaustive coverage of Pi Pizzeria. But when owner Chris Sommers sends us a graphic as amazing as this, we have no choice but to share it with you.This Election Day night -- Tuesday, November 2, for those of y ... More >>

Restaurant Tidbits from Caito's Pizzeria, Pasta House Co.

George Mahe reports on Relish that Caito's Pizzeria in Chesterfield has closed. (A spinoff location in Glendale was already shuttered.) Caito's was one of the first restaurants I reviewed for the RFT. I was especially fond of its lasagna-like deep-dish specialty, spinjuine.Mahe also confirms what wa ... More >>

Today! The Midtown Alley Street Fest

The Midtown Alley Street Fest is taking place today from 4-11 p.m. in, um, Midtown. Says the event's website: The Happy Hour of the summer takes place on Locust Street in the heart of Midtown Alley. Free to the public, Locust will be closed from Garrison to Compton to celebrate the neighborhood wit ... More >>

July 2010 Openings and Closings

Ian FroebPizzeria Tivoli opened last month in Princeton Heights.​Apparently, last month was too hot and muggy to open or close a restaurant. In fact, I'll start this week's column by mentioning an opening from late June that I missed in the previous edition of Restaurant Roll Call: One 19 North Ta ... More >>

Pizzeria Tivoli Now Open in Princeton Heights

Ian Froeb​Gut Check first reported on Pizzeria Tivoli in May. This weekend I received an email informing me that the restaurant is now open at 5861 South Kingshighway (the former home of Jasminka Homemade Cakes). Hours are 4-9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, 4-11 p.m. Saturd ... More >>

Party with Tattooed Restaurant Folks & RFT at Pi! Benefit the St. Louis Area Food Bank!

Gut Check and Riverfront Times invites all St. Louis-area restaurant workers -- especially the tattooed ones -- to join us on July 12 for a Kitchen Ink party at Pi pizzeria's Delmar Loop location. The party, scheduled on a Monday so restaurant folk will be able to attend, coincides with the opening ... More >>

The Morning Brew: 6.9

How to spot oil-tainted seafood? The nose knows. Slashfood reports that, in an effort to find a cost-effective way to keep products ruined by the BP oil disaster from reaching customers, the FDA and NOAA are busy training seafood inspectors on how to detect oil by smelling the fish. The Atlantic v ... More >>

Chef's Choice, Part 2: Mark Sanfilippo of Salume Beddu

This is part two of Robin Wheeler's Chef's Choice interview with Mark Sanfilippo of Salume Beddu; to read part one, click here. Look for part three tomorrow. Robin Wheeler​3 favorite restaurants in St. Louis, besides yours? El Bronco, Gokul, Niche. Local chef who most impresses you? José a ... More >>

Chef's Choice: Marc Baltes of Pi Pizzerias

This is part one of Robin Wheeler's Chef's Choice interview with Marc Baltes of Pi Pizzerias; stay tuned for parts two and three. Robin Wheeler​"I was the world's pickiest eater as a child," says Marc Baltes, a Culinary Institute of America grad who now works as executive chef for Pi Pizzeria ... More >>

First Lady of United States of America Settles Pizza Rivalry: New York is Better Than Chicago

But what about St. Louis? Pi: Not even in the running.​Many of us know by now that President Barack Obama dug the pizza from St. Louis' own Pi so much when he ate it here during his campaign, he invited Pi's staff to the White House to prepare it there.

Drink of the Week: Clementine Mimosa, Katie's Pizzeria Café

Today is the first day you can get away with wearing a light jacket instead of a winter coat. The sky is a fuzzy blue baby blanket, the sun is a revelation. Winter's oppression lifting is like falling in love: You wait, and wait, and wait, but when it finally happens it feels sudden and unexpected. ... More >>

Racanelli's Cucina Closed Indefinitely for Renovations

​Racanelli's Cucina (6655 Delmar Boulevard; 314-727-8880) has closed indefinitely for renovations, according to a sign posted on the front door of the Delmar Loop pizzeria. The restaurant -- itself a thorough renovation of the Market in the Loop building -- opened in November 2008, serving a more ... More >>

Restaurant Roll Call for 2009

RFT editorial coordinator Courtney Schilling and I did our best to compile as thorough a list of openings and closings as possible. Inevitably, though, some places will slip through the cracks. Please drop us a line or leave a comment with additions or deletions. - IanIan FroebMcCormick & Schmic ... More >>

Serious Eats Celebrates The Good Pie

​Slice, the pizza-centric site from food blog Serious Eats, has once again filed a report on a St. Louis pizzeria. Daniel Zemans has previously filed reports on Thai Pizza Co., Pi and Imo's. Now (last week, technically) he offers a glowing review of Midtown's Neapolitan pizzeria The Good Pie (3137 ... More >>

Tenticular Fortitude: Ian counts down the top 10 dishes of '09 (hint: he loves him some octopus!)

The Top Ten Dishes of 2009 #8: Neapolitan Pizza at the Good Pie

​The key to any Neapolitan pizza is the quality of its crust, and at its best, the Good Pie's is very good: Crisp on the bottom, and even dotted here and there with char, but with an ever-so-tender chew and a pleasant, mild sour note. Pork gluttons might consider the "Mast'nicola," which includes ... More >>

Stuck to My Ribs: Bono's Pizzeria

Josh Bacott​One of the detriments to living in a city that claims its own "style" of pizza? A significant chunk of the locally-owned establishments ignore the alternatives.Seemingly every neighborhood joint that offers delivery specializes in thin-crust St. Louis-style pizza. As a lifelong reside ... More >>

FoodWire: Serious Eats Visits Pi

Last week, I noted that Slice, the pizza-centric blog run by national food blog Serious Eats, had filed a report on Thai Pizza Co. in the Delmar Loop. This week, Slice returns to the Loop to check out Pi (6144 Delmar Boulevard; website).Daniel Zemans, who also wrote the Thai Pizza Co. post, is gener ... More >>

FoodWire: New Restaurant with Familiar Name on Laclede's Landing

Splashy ad in this week's dead-tree RFT for a new restaurant and bar at 800 North 3rd Street on Laclede's Landing: King Louie's Courtyard Bar & Pizzeria. Yeah, they went there, taking the name of the late, lamented restaurant at 3800 Chouteau Avenue.At first, I was all, "Oh, no, they didn't!" Bu ... More >>

Review Slideshow: Racanelli's Cucina

Jennifer Silverberg​My review of Racanelli's Cucina is now available online. Racanelli's Cucina is located at 6655 Delmar Boulevard (the former Market in the Loop building). You can check out the restaurant's menu and more at its website.In this week's Back of the House slideshow, Jennifer Silverb ... More >>

Love That Bevo Pie: Never hear of Laganini, the south-side Bosnian pizzeria? You have now.

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