Ted Kilgore

Eat Me in St. Louis: Ten Splurge Restaurants for March Madness Visitors

Hello, fans of North Carolina, North Carolina State, Kansas and Ohio, and welcome to St. Louis for the -- deep breath -- 2012 NCAA Division One Men's Basketball Championship Midwest Regionals! You've come all the way to St. Louis to watch your beloved team fight for a berth in the Final Four. Why n ... More >>

The Future of Monarch: Gut Check Suggests and Speculates

As you likely know by now, Monarch closed after service this past Saturday, March 10. The closure leaves a hole in the dining scene and one of our most talented chefs without a professional kitchen to call his own. It also means a large piece of property in the heart of Maplewood stands empty. Mona ... 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 >>

Wes Johnson of Salt, Part 2

This is part two of Natalie Mclaury's Chef's Choice profile of Wes Johnson of Salt. Part one can be found here. Part three, a recipe from Johnson, is published here. Did your family cook when you were a child? Mostly my father. How old were you when you started cooking? 10. First cooking job? Waf ... More >>

Holiday Cocktail Countdown #12: Taste's Dear Elisabetta

Like any red-blooded American, Gut Check uses liquid medication to cope with holiday stress. Not only does a good winter cocktail make it possible to tolerate family members, say, inquiring about your procreation plans, it helps keep you warm, too. From now until Christmas, we're calling upon local ... More >>

Food & Wine Names Taste One of 50 Best Bars

Laura Ann MillerInside Taste, one of America's best bars​In a slideshow posted this week, Food & Wine magazine named Taste (4584 Laclede Avenue; 314-361-1200) one of the 50 best bars in America. A brief blurb does manage to mention "local hero" mixologist Ted Kilgore and of the dishes from che ... More >>

Your Weekly St. Louis Bestseller List

Here's your weekly St. Louis bestseller list for the week ending October 2, as compiled by the St. Louis Independent Booksellers Alliance and based on sales at Left Bank Books, Main Street Books, Pudd'nhead Books, Subterranean Books and Sue's News. There are plenty of new titles on this week's adu ... More >>

Vodka: Mixologists Just Say Nyet

Whip cream vodka? No thanks, says Taste's Ted Kilgore.​There's a war going on among modern mixologists -- a war over a spirit. Vodka has recently been outed as the unwanted stepson in many restaurants and bars that specialize in house and hand-crafted cocktails. After all, even the priciest vo ... More >>

The New Taste: Just like the old Taste -- only different

Whip cream vodka? No thanks, says Taste's Ted Kilgore.​There's a war going on among modern mixologists -- a war over a spirit. Vodka has recently been outed as the unwanted stepson in many restaurants and bars that specialize in house and hand-crafted cocktails. After all, even the priciest vo ... More >>

The Lou's Best and Booziest Compete for a Spot in the Manhattan Cocktail Classic

Kristen KlempertChad George of Demun Broadway Oyster bar gives his drinks a good shake during the signature ingredient round. ​Sunday April 17, St. Louis' best bartenders competed at Taste's new home in the Central West End in the St. Louis' Top Mixology Competition sponsored by DonQ Rum. Mixo ... More >>

South Central Regional Barista Competition: And the Winner Is...

The setup at one of the stations at the South Central Regional Barista Competition.​Several former baristas work here at Gut Check International Headquarters, and sometimes when we're really, really bored, we gather in someone's cubicle and compare war stories. Oddly enough, none of these stor ... More >>

Spare the Rod, Spoil the Drink: High-toned cocktails require top-shelf...ice?

The setup at one of the stations at the South Central Regional Barista Competition.​Several former baristas work here at Gut Check International Headquarters, and sometimes when we're really, really bored, we gather in someone's cubicle and compare war stories. Oddly enough, none of these stor ... More >>

Kold-Draft: The Machine Behind the Ice Revolution

www.kold-draft.comA Kold-Draft ice cube​If you've read this week's article on the ice revolution in mixology -- if you haven't, hurry! before it melts! -- you know that its local origins can be traced back to Ted Kilgore, now of Taste, using a Kold-Draft ice machine to Monarch when he worked there ... More >>

This Week's Review Is on Ice

Ian FroebThe ice cylinder at Taste​No restaurant review this week. Instead, a look at the coolest* development in mixology since the cocktail shaker:As you peruse the cocktail menu at Taste, the restaurant and bar that opened earlier this month in the Central West End, you might be intrigued by th ... More >>

Adam Altnether Opens Taste Tomorrow, March 11

​The relocated and reimagined Taste -- formerly Taste by Niche -- will open at 5 p.m. tomorrow, March 11, at 4584 Laclede Avenue in the Central West End. Taste strongly encourages that you have a reservation (for any evening, not just the opening), which you can make at 314-361-1200.Taste is the f ... More >>

Cross Booze-Spiked Ice Cream Off the To-Do List: St. Louis Has Plenty!

Wikimedia Commons​Three weeks ago Men's Health named St. Louis the sixth-drunkest city in America. Gut Check knows we can do better, so we posted some tips on how to reach the pinnacle of national drunkenness in '12. This past weekend we got an e-mail from a fellow named John Clopton, who ow ... More >>

We're Number Six! What St. Louis Needs to Do to Become America's Drunkest City in 2012

Bravo, St. Louis! We worked hard, and we did it: Men's Health has named us America's sixth-drunkest city -- and the drunkest city in the entire Midwest! Daily RFTSt. Louis: Where the squirrels go to hide their Everclear!​But we can do better. What do Fresno, Reno, Billings, Riverside and Aus ... 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 >>

This Week in Gut Check, Regurgitated

Jennifer Silverberg​It's back to school season, and Gut Check University is no exception. The semester started with a rigorous and delicious survey course covering all things Cheese-ology. Check out Ian's full review, and be sure to take notes; a pop quiz on Ian's Provel stance could b ... More >>

Taste By Niche's Ted Kilgore: 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 Taste by Niche bartender Ted Kilgore. Below is a Q&A with Kilgore, followed by a video of him mixing an El Maestro No. 1 cocktail. Alissa Nelson​The "10,000 ... More >>

Taste By Niche Bartender Ted Kilgore Mixes...An El Maestro No. 1!

Welcome to Girl Walks into a Bar, a weekly Gut Check feature that spotlights local bars and bartenders. This is part one of Alissa Nelson's two-part profile of Taste by Niche bartender Ted Kilgore. Part two, a Q&A with Kilgore, will be posted tomorrow. "In reality, the best bartenders are unselfish ... More >>

Ted Kilgore Claims Heirloom-Tomato Cocktail Throne

Alissa NelsonEvan Benn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch evaluates cocktails from (left to right) Nate Selsor, Matt Seiter and Kilgore.​On Saturday, a robust crowd descended upon the event space at Orlando's Catering to watch three of our region's preeminent mixologists -- Ted Kilgore, Nate Selsor&nb ... More >>

The Good, The Big & The Ugly Tomato Festival Saturday, July 31

Image via​If you are a summer tomato stalwart like Gut Check, this is the time of year you have been waiting for. The first red spherical joy bombs have been hitting the farmer's markets with the promise of more to come. Slow Food St. Louis and Farm to Family Naturally understand our delight. This ... More >>

Food & Wine: Taste by Niche One of World's Top 100 Bars

Stew SmithTed Kilgore, mixologist extraordinaire​The accolades keep piling up for Ted Kilgore. This past week, Food & Wine magazine named Taste by Niche (1831 Sidney Street; 314-773-7755) one of the Top 100 Bars in the World.That's right, THE WORLD.Food & Wine releases the listings in a h ... More >>

Jazz Club at Taste by Niche

Image via​Drink of the Week's best ever summer job was "working" in the floral department of a grocery store. We made big arrangements for display on the counter, and shoppers would come by to admire them. Women would often exclaim, "Those roses are so beautiful -- they don't even look real!" In ... More >>

Gut Check's Week in Tweets

​Don't you know? Gut Check has a Twitter account. You can follow us @gutcheckstl.Here's some of what you missed on the Twitter feed this week: Anthony Bourdain features the "Heartland" on tonight's No Reservations. Doesn't look like Missouri made the cut... Salmonella: It's Not Just for Chicke ... More >>

This Week in Gut Check, Regurgitated

Image via​ After Ian dined at Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse for this week's review, he decided to poll readers about their favorite cuts of steak (click here to vote -- the poll closes on Monday, July 19). We also put our livers into recovery and recapped the World Goblet, plus we learned a little ... More >>

Bon Appétit Names Taste by Niche One of the Top 10 Best New Cocktail Bars

Stew SmithTaste by Niche mixologist Ted Kilgore​Bon Appétit has named Taste by Niche (1831 Sidney Street; 314-773-7755) one of the "Top 10 Best New Cocktail Bars" in its August issue. The blurb mentions mixologist Ted Kilgore's "Grey Fizz," a combination of gin, vermouth infused with Earl Grey te ... More >>

Nightclubbing: Book 'Em, Danno's -- The Craft-Beer and Classic-Cocktail-Favoring Pub, That Is

​Danno's American Pub is a bit off the beaten path, but it's a good reminder why venturing out of the city is a worthwhile exercise. Danno's is exactly what you expect from a classic American pub. It has a casual atmosphere, comfy club chairs, Big Buck Hunter, a pool table and a kitschy '60s ... More >>

All for Aughts: Let's count down the best local restaurant openings of the decade!

​Danno's American Pub is a bit off the beaten path, but it's a good reminder why venturing out of the city is a worthwhile exercise. Danno's is exactly what you expect from a classic American pub. It has a casual atmosphere, comfy club chairs, Big Buck Hunter, a pool table and a kitschy '60s ... More >>

The Ten Most Important St. Louis Restaurant Openings of the Aughts #4: Taste by Niche (2009)

​Taste by Niche (2009)Like Local Harvest Café (#6 on this list), Taste by Niche represents a potential new direction for St. Louis restaurants, with the quality of the food and drink trumping splashy build-outs and the pretensions of upscale dining. The food is terrific -- it scored No. 1 on last ... More >>

The Ten Most Important St. Louis Restaurant Openings of the Aughts #2: Monarch (2003)

​Monarch (2003)Josh Galliano is reason enough to rank Monarch so high: The Louisiana native, sent packing when Katrina devastated New Orleans, is everything you could want in a chef -- creative yet respectful of tradition; ambitious yet humble. Yet he has been the executive chef at Monarch for onl ... More >>

2009 in Review: July

​Kevin Ward, Wikimedia Commons​July was a quiet month at Gut Check International Headquarters as St. Louis turned its attention to a certain Midsummer Classic. We did offer dining recommendations to our out-of-town guests -- and, for those who took a shine to St. Louis cuisine, tips on how to br ... More >>

Drink of the Week: Pastis Plenty, 33 Wine Shop & Tasting Bar

User "Chriusha," Wikimedia Commons​Supposedly the world is running out of bitters. Not bitter people, mind you, but the cocktail mixer. Specifically, Angostura bitters, those that come in the ubiquitous paper-wrapped bottle with the yellow plastic cap. Just a few years ago, such news wouldn't hav ... More >>

Photos: St. Louis Mixologists Get Behind the Bar for "Blood & Sand" at 33 Wine Shop

Last night, bartenders and mixologists from various St. Louis restaurants and bars met at 33 Wine Shop & Tasting Bar (1913 Park Avenue; website) for "Blood & Sand," an event to signal St. Louis establishing its own local chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild.Photo: Stew SmithMixologi ... More >>

FoodWire: "Blood & Sand" at 33 Wine Shop & Tasting Bar

This Monday, November 9, 33 Wine Shop & Tasting Bar (1913 Park Avenue; website) will host a special cocktail event. Blood & Sand will bring together some of the area's leading mixologists, including Ted Kilgore and T.J. Vytlacil, to kick off the new local chapter of the United States Bartend ... More >>

Accounting for Taste: Niche gets a new next-door neighbor — think of it as mini-Niche

This Monday, November 9, 33 Wine Shop & Tasting Bar (1913 Park Avenue; website) will host a special cocktail event. Blood & Sand will bring together some of the area's leading mixologists, including Ted Kilgore and T.J. Vytlacil, to kick off the new local chapter of the United States Bartend ... More >>

Review Slideshow: Taste by Niche

Photo: Jennifer SilverbergThe crew, starting in front, going clockwise, owner/chef Gerard Craft, chef de cuisine Adam Altnether, mixologist Ted Kilgore, cook Nick Blue, pastry chef Mathew Rice and sous chef James Peisker. See a slideshow of photos from Taste by Niche.​My review of Taste by Niche ( ... More >>

Review Preview: Taste by Niche

Jennifer SilverbergThe crew, starting in front, going clockwise: Gerard Craft, chef de cuisine Adam Altnether, mixologist Ted Kilgore, cook Nick Blue, pastry chef Matthew Rice and sous chef James Peisker.​This week I visit Taste by Niche, the new offering from acclaimed chef Gerard Craft. Of cours ... More >>

St. Louis Food Blog Digest: 10.3-10.9

Gut Check dishes on our favorite St. Louis food blogs.Off the Menu: Joe reported changes afoot at Kitchen K. Stl Bites: Bill's friend Mike Sweeney will be consulting on beer menus for Gerard Craft's expanding empire. Sounding My Barbaric Gulp: Kelly celebrated her birthday with lots of good chow. ... More >>

Chez Leon gives way to a new Niche

Gut Check dishes on our favorite St. Louis food blogs.Off the Menu: Joe reported changes afoot at Kitchen K. Stl Bites: Bill's friend Mike Sweeney will be consulting on beer menus for Gerard Craft's expanding empire. Sounding My Barbaric Gulp: Kelly celebrated her birthday with lots of good chow. ... More >>

Gut Check: Stimulus packages!

Gut Check dishes on our favorite St. Louis food blogs.Off the Menu: Joe reported changes afoot at Kitchen K. Stl Bites: Bill's friend Mike Sweeney will be consulting on beer menus for Gerard Craft's expanding empire. Sounding My Barbaric Gulp: Kelly celebrated her birthday with lots of good chow. ... More >>

FoodWire: Ted Kilgore Claims Bombay Sapphire Award

Bombay Sapphire has tapped mixologist Ted Kilgore of Niche Taste Bar (1831 Sidney Street) as the "Most Inspired St. Louis Bartender" in its contest to determine -- quoting from the press release here -- the "most exciting, creative libations using Bombay Sapphire" gin.Kilgore's drink, "Gem of a Punc ... More >>

Gut Check: New Arrivals: Niche Taste Bar, Chouteau's at 39th and more make their debuts

Bombay Sapphire has tapped mixologist Ted Kilgore of Niche Taste Bar (1831 Sidney Street) as the "Most Inspired St. Louis Bartender" in its contest to determine -- quoting from the press release here -- the "most exciting, creative libations using Bombay Sapphire" gin.Kilgore's drink, "Gem of a Punc ... More >>

FoodWire: Niche Taste Bar Opens Tomorrow

One of the more anticipated restaurant debuts of the year occurs tomorrow as Niche Taste Bar officially opens its doors. (The restaurant had a soft opening this past weekend.)Niche Taste Bar is located at 1831 Sidney Street in Benton Park, the same address as its namesake restaurant, Niche (Web site ... More >>

FoodWire: Even More Restaurant Tidbits

A surprisingly busy Tuesday on the local restaurant front. First, Sauce Magazine scores a major scoop: Mixologist extraordinaire Ted Kilgore is leaving Monarch for the soon-to-open Niche Taste Bar, which replaces Veruca in the space adjacent to Gerard Craft's Niche.At Feast, George Mahe reports that ... More >>

Sot in the City: It's time to hit the bottle — not the beach!

A surprisingly busy Tuesday on the local restaurant front. First, Sauce Magazine scores a major scoop: Mixologist extraordinaire Ted Kilgore is leaving Monarch for the soon-to-open Niche Taste Bar, which replaces Veruca in the space adjacent to Gerard Craft's Niche.At Feast, George Mahe reports that ... More >>

Drinks Of The Year

Monarch,
7401 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314-644-7175.

Al Smith's Feasting Fox,
4200 South Grand Avenue; 314-352-3500.

Mango,
7307 Watson Road, Shrewsbury; 314-752-8300.

Monarch Martini

Monarch, 7401 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314-644-7175.