Spanish Food and Cooking

Modesto Tapas Bar Unveils a New Spring Menu

It may be cold and rainy in Madrid right now, but at Modesto Tapas Bar & Restaurant (5257 Shaw Avenue; 314-772-8272), Spring is officially here. Last Wednesday, the Spanish restaurant introduced its new Spring/Summer menu, which includes tapas dishes as well as "small bites," which will be availab ... More >>

Neighborhood Bites: The Hill

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. The Hill is the classic St. Louis ... More >>

More Than a Mouthful: Joyia Tapas has a lot to offer

Slideshow: Inside Joyia Tapas in the Grove

Joyia Tapas: Review Slideshow

Tapas? Small plates? Joyia Tapas (4501 Manchester Road; 314-531-5300) might not fit even the loosest definition of either term, but there are still some tasty dishes to be had at this new restaurant in the Grove. My review of Joyia is now online.

Review Preview: Joyia Tapas

The lamb tagine at Joyia Tapas (4501 Manchester Avenue; 314-531-5300) is a hearty stew for a winter evening, a golden broth perfumed with saffron and thick with hunks of lamb, apricot, orange rind and slivered almond. The lamb is very tender, and the sweetness of the fruits, mellowed by cooking, act ... More >>

Viva la V Day

Guess Where I'm Eating This Pizza and Win $25 to Guido's Pizzeria & Tapas [Updated with New Clue]

Guess where I'm eating this pizza, and you could win a $25 gift certificate to Guido's Pizzeria & Tapas (5046 Shaw Avenue; 314-771-4900). No, the answer isn't Guido's Pizzeria & Tapas. Rules: To be eligible, you must leave a valid e-mail address (or Twitter handle or Facebook profile URL) in the c ... More >>

New Tapas Restaurant Joyia Reveals Menu

Chuck Pener, a partner in Momos Ouzaria Taverna (630 North and South Road, University City; 314-863-5311), will soon open the tapas restaurant Joyia at 4501 Manchester Avenue in Forest Park Southeast's Grove district. In promotional material Pener describes Joyia as "an eclectic Mediterranean Tapa ... More >>

Wes Johnson Leaves Salt [Update]

George Mahe of St. Louis Magazine breaks what is, without a doubt, the biggest restaurant story of the year so far: Chef and co-owner Wes Johnson has departed Salt (4356 Lindell Boulevard; 314-932-5787), the restaurant that he opened in early 2011 to acclaim both local (Riverfront Times' "Best New R ... More >>

Modesto's New Chef Selects Spring Menu

On March 1, Gut Check reported that chef Grace Dinsmoor had left Modesto Tapas Bar and Restaurant (5257 Shaw Avenue; 314-772-82720) over creative differences, and Michael Warhover, former executive chef of Bailey's Range (920 Olive Street; 314-241-8121), had landed at Modesto as its new executive ch ... More >>

The Nine Best Tapas/Small Plates 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 >>

Café Pintxos Drops the Tapas (Including the Pintxos)

Jennifer SilverbergCafé Pintxos​When I reviewed Café Pintxos (3407 Olive Street, 314-338-2500) this July, I noted how I was unable to order the restaurant's namesake dish, a Basque variation on Spanish tapas. For no clear reason, the pintxos weren't available during my visits.Now the pintxos -- ... More >>

Cafe Pintxos: The Case of the Transient Tapas

Review Slideshow: Café Pintxos

Jennifer SilverbergRoasted garlic, with accompaniments, at Cafe Pintxos​I present to you one of the stranger experiences from my five years of reviewing restaurants: the futile quest for the namesake dish at Café Pintxos (3407 Olive Street; 314-338-2500). My review of Café Pintxos, the tapas bar ... More >>

Review Preview: Café Pintxos

Jennifer SilverbergThe ensalda de pulpo (octopus salad) at Café Pintxos​This week, I visit Café Pintxos (3407 Olive Street; 314-338-2500), the restaurant inside the new Hotel Ignacio in midtown.The Basque term pintxos is roughly synonymous with tapas, and if you think of Café Pintxos as a tapas ... More >>

Trying Out Café Pintxos' Tapas Menu

Robin UtzThe flatbreads and Melon Chorizo & Alcachofa Pintxo​This weekend, Gut Check had plans to see a show at Powell Hall. (We do things other than eat, you know!) This gave us a perfect opportunity to check out the tapas and atmosphere at the newly opened Café Pintxos (3407 Olive Street; 3 ... More >>

Grace Dinsmoor of Modesto

This is part one of Chrissy Wilmes' Chef's Choice profile of chef Grace Dinsmoor of Modesto tapas bar on Shaw Avenue on the Hill. Part two, a Q&A with Dinsmoor, will be posted tomorrow. Look for part three, a recipe from Dinsmoor, Thursday. Chrissy WilmesExecutive Chef Grace Dinsmoor in her kitchen ... More >>

Who Put the Bar in BARcelona Tapas Restaurant?

Kristen Klempert​The Joint: BARcelona Tapas Restaurant 34 North Central Avenue, Clayton; 314-863- 9909 The Hours: Mon.-Fri. 4-7 p.m. The Deal: $2 domestic bottles, $2 well cocktails, half-off pitchers of sangria; $2 calamari and sliders. Sliders?! At a tapas bar?! O M Freakin' G!

St. Louis Happy Hours: The Hill

Top Ten Happy Hours for Foodies

In this week's hot-off-the-presses print edition, we've compiled the Riverfront Times' comprehensive guide to the finest happy hours in St. Louis. (And no, this wasn't done only as a public service -- we're also bringing to your attention the very cool free smart-phone app that includes our fascinat ... More >>

Happy Hour of the Day: Modesto Tapas Bar & Restaurant

In this week's print edition, we're rolling out the Riverfront Times' comprehensive list of the best happy hours in St. Louis. (And no, this isn't only being done as a public service to you, dear reader -- we're also promoting the very cool free smart-phone app that includes our fascinating fin ... More >>

You know what they say about restaurants: Small plate, small wine list

Review Slideshow: One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar

Jennifer Silverberg​Tapas without the quotation marks? On a couple of dishes, yes. My review of One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar in Kirkwood is now available online. For pictures of the restaurant and its food, check out Jennifer Silverberg's slideshow of One 19 North.

Review Preview: One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar

Jennifer SilverbergShrimp wrapped in pancetta at One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar​After a week's break for the Best of St. Louis 2010, I return with a visit to One 19 North Tapas & Wine Bar in Kirkwood. Follow me after the jump for a sneak preview of my review.

Is Modesto Your Happy Place?

Kristen Klempert​The Joint: Modesto 5257 Shaw Avenue 314-772-8272 www.modestotapas.com The Hours: Mon.-Fri. 5-7 p.m., and all day on Tuesday The Deal: $2.50-$3 for a (small) selection of bottled and draft beers, $5 daily cocktail special, $6 sangría del día and $16 pitcher of sangría roj ... More >>

World Cuppage: Spain 1 - Portugal 0; The Iberian Incident at Guido's Pizzeria & Tapas

photos by Keegan HamiltonNo bull: the Spain fans at Guido's take their soccer seriously. ​If skirmishes haven't yet erupted on the Spanish-Portuguese border, the bullets (hopefully proverbial) will start flying shortly. There's a strong mutual dislike between the two nations and today's knockout r ... More >>

World Cuppage: Spain 2 - Honduras 1; Sangria and Sangre Español at Guido's Pizzeria & Tapas

photos by Keegan HamiltonThis Spain fanatico says, "¡La sangre de España es bueno!"​Spain is a country of simple pleasures. There are three, in particular, that define the nation: eating, drinking and fútbol -- and not necessarily in that order, either. For the closest thing to the authentic Sp ... More >>

David Molina's Paella Valencia Recipe

This is part three of Robin Wheeler's Chef's Choice interview with chef David Molina of BARcelona Tapas. Part one is available here; part two is here. Robin Wheeler​Paella Valencia Serves 6 4 1/2 cups chicken stock Robin Wheeler​1 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons chopped garlic 1 1/4 poun ... More >>

Mojo Tapas Restaurant & Bar Now Open on South Grand

Ian Froeb​Now open at 3117 South Grand Boulevard is Mojo Tapas Restaurant & Bar. The restaurant is headed by Eric Erhard, who has done time at such notable local restsaurants as Annie Gunn's and Harvest.Erhard's menu (available on the restaurant's website) is expansive. The tapas section alone ... More >>

Good Old Guido's: A home away from home on the Hill

For Balaban's Wine Cellar & Tapas Bar, the legendary name is a lot to live up to

Review Preview: Sanctuaria

This week I visit Sanctuaria, which opened in November in Forest Park Southeast's Grove neighborhood. The restaurant serves tapas -- or, by the restaurant's own definition, "wild" tapas -- with Chris Lee (Melange, Café Ventana) in charge of the kitchen.Jennifer Silverberg​Follow me after the jump ... More >>

FoodWire: Balaban's Wine Cellar & Tapas Bar Opens Today, 11.20

The year of Balaban's resurrection is complete. Balaban's Wine Cellar & Tapas Bar opens today at 1772 Clarkson Road in Chesterfield. Owners Steve McIntyre and Brian Underwood are offering tapas dishes, carry-out fare and a retail wine selection, with some of chef Kevin Sthair's dishes drawing&nb ... More >>

Re-Enter Balaban's — and Exit Ozzie's

FoodWire: Owner Steve McIntyre on the New Balaban's

As I reported last week, Central West End institution Balaban's is making a comeback of sorts as Balaban's Wine Cellar & Tapas Bar at 1772 Clarkson Road in Chesterfield. Steve McIntyre, who owned Balaban's for much of the twenty-year period between 1986 and 2006, is behind the new location, whic ... More >>

FoodWire: The Return of Balaban's

Well, this one caught me by surprise: Central West End institution Balaban's is being reborn in (wait for it...) Chesterfield as (wait, again, for it) Balaban's Wine Cellar & Tapas Bar. The new Balaban's will be located at 1772 Clarkson Road, in a Dierberg's shopping center. The Balaban's websit ... More >>

Cold Spell: Ice Kitchen deserves a chilly reception for its concept and its food

Review Preview: Ice Kitchen

This week I visit Ice Kitchen, a "fusion tapas" restaurant at Westport Plaza: "So you're familiar with tapas?"I don't fault the server for asking the question. On two previous visits to Ice Kitchen, two different servers had made the same inquiry. They were just following orders, I'm sure. Yes, I'm ... More >>

Small Plates, Big Hearts

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Tip o' the Cap: Guido's Pizzeria & Tapas

Hot Plates

Boogaloo is so sexy and fun, it practically leaves lipstick on your collar

Best Tapas

Modesto Tapas Bar & Restaurant

Best Tapas

Modesto Tapas Bar & Restaurant

Tapas 'n' Things

Aaron Whalen brings Spanish flair (and delicious food) to the Lou

Tapas Without Passion

The wrong location, the wrong vibe for this lively style of dining

Appetizers

T.G.I. Friday's

Sangria Jarra

Barcelona, 34 North Central, 314-863-9909

O Solomillo!

One taste of Modesto's offerings, and you'll be the Spanish prisoner

Side Dish

New eats to report

Eat and Run

Guido's Pizza and Tapas evokes the spirit of Spain's cafe-to-cafe noshing tradition