Soft Drinks

All Action, No Bull

St. Louis Zoo Says There's No Evidence Employees Were Poisoned

Apparently, some of the animals at the zoo can be found outside the cages. At least two workers at the St. Louis Zoo have complained that someone intentionally put chemicals in their beverages. A supervisor and his employee in the maintenance department both say they got a nauseating shock after le ... More >>

The Fling's The Thing

Ten Best Food Events This Weekend: June 29-July 1

Friday (June 29): Yelp Drinks Friday Happy Hour @ Ernesto's Wine Bar Yelp often? Meet other Yelpers for a special happy hour complete with half price drinks like razzberry lemon punch and screaming bloody marias. Snack on special food prices for pulled pork sliders, flatbreads and more. 5 to 7 p.m ... More >>

Extreme Coca-Cola Habit Contributes to Woman's Death

Back when Gut Check had the metabolism of a teenage boy (because, at the time, we were in fact a teenage boy), we'd think nothing of slamming back a six-pack of ice-cold Coca-Cola over the course of a lazy afternoon. Of course, we'd also think nothing about slamming back a bacon double cheeseburger ... More >>

Food Service Job Applicants, Mind Your Fucking Manners

Fact: Gut Check frequently eats lunch at the Chipotle Mexican Grill (6316 Delmar Boulevard; 314-678-3200) in the Delmar Loop. Not only is the location just steps away from the RFT offices, it's ahem, Chipotle. We love its burritos, tacos, chips and salsa and burrito bowls, and, as far as we know, it ... More >>

A Tasty Recipe for Your Beefy Love Meat, Valentine's Day Style

While these days it seems like those who eat offal are adventurous gourmands, this wasn't always the case. Organ meats are humble by nature, the odd science-project leftovers after the animal has been broken down into the more obviously appealing roasts and steaks. With clever cooking techniques, th ... More >>

Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio

7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 1 to Saturday, February 4. Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington Avenue.

Was a Mouse Really Found in a Mountain Dew Can? Local Lawsuit Goes Viral

​Remember Ronald Ball, the Illinois man who's been suing PepsiCo on a claim that he opened a can of Mountain Dew and found a dead mouse inside? The Madison Record broke the story a year and a half ago, followed by the Daily RFT (here and here). But yesterday, websites from the Daily Mail in Great ... More >>

Tea (and Lunch) for Two at London Tea Room

Robin WheelerA proper tomato soup and grilled cheese lunch for a rainy day.​ The Place: The London Tea Room (1520 Washington Ave., 241-6556), the cheeky British tea house and cafe across from the City Museum. The Lunch: As the weather turned drizzly and gray, the mood turns to tea. When it fee ... More >>

Bailey's Range Now Open for Lunch

Mabel Suen​Last week, Dave Bailey's newest venture, Bailey's Range, debuted with its soft opening in downtown St. Louis. On Wednesday, Oct. 26, the restaurant began offering lunchtime hours as well. Gut Check caught up with Bailey for a glimpse into the brand new burger-and-shake eatery's offe ... More >>

Seven Commercials That Led to the Taste Test Comedy Revolution

​Cheese is awesome, but it can't replace love. Or car keys. Your computer. Your job. Some Second City alumni try to prove that cheese isn't a substitute for non-food items, and trying to force the issue will break a woman. In doing so, Kraft's Cracker Barrel Cheese (not to be confused with ... More >>

All This Soda Talk is Enough to Make Us Sick

It's bad news for soda. Reuters reports that sugared soda consumption is dropping in America. It's not so great in the land of diet soda drinkers, either. A report presented at the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions suggests that even sugar-free sodas can be linked to diabetes. An ... More >>

Videos: New York Soda Anti-Soda Ad Grossout

The latest weapon in New York City's ongoing war against unhealthy food and drink? Grossing the hell out of people.New ads from the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene attack sodas with very literal interpretations of their sugar and calorie contents.This first one isn't that gross, actua ... More >>

Danno's American Pub's Chris Muether: Featured Bartender of the Week

Welcome to Girl Walks into a Bar, a weekly Gut Check feature that spotlights local bars and bartenders. This week Alissa Nelson profiles Danno's American Pub bartender Chris Muether. Below is a Q&A with Muether, followed by a video of him mixing an Agent Orange cocktail. Alissa NelsonA martinez by ... More >>

Ten Lamest Halloween Candies

It's that time of year again. On Sunday evening millions of pint-size Iron Men and Hermiones will fill the streets and ring our doorbells, visions of tooth decay Skittles, Snickers and Hershey's full-size milk chocolate bars dancing in their heads. Yes, folks, it's Halloween, and our collective pl ... More >>

Boylan's Creamy Red Birch Beer, Macklind Avenue Deli

failblog.org​We land at the Macklind Avenue Deli after a long morning of digging for sweet deals at estate sales. It's a favorite summertime Saturday morning ritual and we were happy to get back to it on this first truly hot day. By the time we went looking for lunch, we were sweaty, tired and ... More >>

Drink of the Week: Barritt's Bermuda Stone Ginger Beer, Randall's Wines and Spirits

via​We knew we were pushing it. We'd spent the month of December eating too much sugar and drinking too much alcohol, being stressed out and overtired. On New Year's Eve, we should have toasted with champagne and gone home early. We knew it as we stood outside sucking cigarette smoke and icy air i ... More >>

No Hallucination, STL Addicted to Caffeine

An outfit called HealthSaver -- a "health-care discount program" -- has released its second annual HealthSaver Caffeinated Cities Survey. The survey looked at caffeine consumption in twenty major metropolitan areas, including St. Louis.How do we rank? Well, we love our caffeine -- God knows, it's t ... More >>

The Morning Brew: Monday, 12.29

In today's news: Mexico bans U.S. meat, Diet Coke Plus shouldn't be "Plus," and France isn't happy about its wine.

Gut Check Christmas* Gift Ideas: The Alinea Cookbook

As part of the Year-End Bonanza, here are some Christmas* gift ideas for the foodie in your life. These are personal favorites, and these posts in no way imply an official RFT endorsement. The makers of these products didn't pay for my "endorsement," either.The Alinea CookbookEven if I restrict th ... More >>

Tomorrow Night: Dine Out for the United Way

Expand Your Mind

Bad Dudes

8 p.m. Sunday, May 4. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, 3301 Lemp Avenue

Dogtown's Big Day

The many faces of Andrew Gladney

Lyrics Born

8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28. Lucas School House, 1220 Allen Avenue.

Alison Krauss and Union Station

8 p.m. Wednesday, July 25. Scottrade Center, 1401 Clark Avenue.

The Gourds

9 p.m. Thursday, March 1. VooDoo Lounge at Harrah's Casino (777 Casino Center Drive, Maryland Heights).

The world can be cruel to the very, very sweaty.

Plus: The great pop-vs.-soda debate and a chat with Missouri's Most Handsome.

Attention: College Students

You can't spell "party" without "art"

The Other Basement Tapes

"I Drink Sody." "Disco for Drunks." "Pull My Finger." Pearls from the overlooked oeuvre of Bruce Cole and the Screamin' Mee-Mees.

Cowboy Mouth with Soul Asylum and Jennie DeVoe

Friday, May 23; Rib America Festival, Soldiers Memorial Plaza (Market and Tucker)

Wrap-Up Show

Mexican-food lovers should swing by El Burrito Loco

Water Table

The Robert E. Lee once helped keep St. Louis fine dining afloat

Best Free-Music Venue

Forest Park Boathouse

Best Neighborhood Grocery Store/Deli

Garavaglia's Deli & More

Best Statue At a Strip Mall

The clown at General Grant Center

Best Place to Eat Junk Food

Barnes-Jewish Hospital (BJH South) Cafeteria

Best Run

Labor Day Classic