Gut Check loves Wendy's, especially for its classic Frosty. Softer than soft-serve yet not quite a milkshake, the Frosty has always been our preferred french-fry condiment. Naturally our curiosity was piqued when Wendy's informed us it would be taking this iconic dessert out of a cup and putting it ... More >>
Having properly mourned the passing of the classic Wendy's dollar menu, Gut Check's former favorite grab-bag of fast-food bargains, we decided it was time to check out the chain's latest innovation in low-price, high-value fast food: the "Moonlight Meal Deal," described in a company press release as ... More >>
Rasheen Aldridge had just finished working the lunch rush at the Jimmy John's in Soulard when he says his manager handed him a hand-written sign and asked that he hold it while he snapped a photo. The sign's message? "I made three wrong sandwiches."
Last week's edition of Fight Club Sandwich pitted two fast-food chains' "premium" fish sandwiches against one another, as Wendy's Premium Cod Fillet Sandwich took on Burger King's Premium Alaskan Fish Sandwich. Having declared Wendy's the victor, Gut Check figured we'd performed our fishly obligati ... More >>
Be honest: The last thing you're thinking about when you go to a fast-food restaurant is "fish sandwich." However, when Lent rolls around, it's a valid thing to consider, especially if you're giving up red meat until Easter. Some fast-food chains pounce on this opportunity and feature fish on their ... More >>
The Lent season gives rise to a great St. Louis tradition, the Fish Fry. But local church parishes aren't the only folks in on the fish. At least since 1962, when McDonald's debuted the Filet-O-Fish, fast-food restaurants have offered Lent-friendly options for patrons. Gut Check figured we'd run do ... More >>
It's Valentine's Day, and love is in the air. But also burgers. Love and burgers. And fries. And does Gut Check detect a hint of waffle? We do! This Valentine's Day, both White Castle and Waffle House are capitalizing on the romantic holiday by offering a (comparatively) upscale couple's dining exp ... More >>
Don't you just hate it when you catch a fast-food commercial on TV and you get all hot and bothered? And you think to yourself, "Man, I wanna bone that mascot so hard"? And then all your waking moments are consumed by thoughts of getting it on with some costumed clown and chowing down on burgers pos ... More >>
When Wendy's (multiple locations) revamped its restaurants to an "ultra-modern" design last year, we expected some menu changes to accompany it. Welp, here it is. In 2013 the fast-food chain is doing away with its dollar menu, replacing it with menu called "Right Price, Right Size," with eighteen it ... More >>
We're not exactly ready for our close-up on Extreme Couponing, but Gut Check does love us a good deal on food. And though Halloween isn't the most food-based holiday, it isn't the least, either. After much research and investigative reporting, we've compiled a list of the best restaurant and food de ... More >>
Today, Wendy's opens its first "ultra-modern" fast-casual restaurant in the Greater St. Louis Area at 2130 South Hampton Avenue. By coincidence -- because we haven't been stalking it daily -- Gut Check crashed happened upon the restaurant's grand opening VIP event yesterday evening. And let's just ... More >>
America has a tendency to ignore Canada, our neglected neighbors to the north, only paying enough attention to mock their accents. Canada, however, has a history as rich as our own -- minus a civil war, of course. They vote for an elected government, put their pants on one leg at a time and even dri ... More >>
Oh, Burger King. For many years Gut Check called you the perpetual fast-food bridesmaid because your Jan Brady burgers could never catch up to McDonald's Marcia. Then earlier this year Wendy's passed you to become the No. 2 fast-food chain. What to do, BK? What to do? Own the animal-welfare issue. ... More >>
Sarah BarabaThis week, I visit Boodles BBQ (10024 Gravois Road, south St. Louis County; 314-241-8121), a new venture from one of the cofounders of Bandana's Bar-B-Q. A sneak peek at my first review of 2012 is after the jump.
This week, I look at four of the so-called "better burger" joints to have opened in St. Louis over the past several months: Christy's Hamburgers (14560 Manchester Road, Winchester; 636-527-4737), Dave & Tony's Premium Burger Joint (12766 Olive Boulevard, Creve Coeur; 314-439-5100), Jim H ... More >>
Happy birthday, MTV! Although you take a lot of whacks for not playing music anymore, there's no doubting the swift and massive change in American culture after your debut. Not only did video kill the radio star, it smacked the crap out of staid old food advertising. In a few brief years, we ... More >>
aldenteblog.comYou want fries with that Burger King beer? Taking lead from a handful of Whopper Bars -- Burger King restaurants that serve beer -- and a few Seattle Starbucks outlets that have started serving beer and wine in the evenings, Sonic's jumping on the fast food booze bandwagon. Two ... More >>
The world is full of dynamic duos. Bonnie and Clyde. Beavis and Butt-Head. Bill and Hillary. But no other pairing is more near and dear to the American psyche than perhaps those two lovebirds and objects of gastronomic affection: burgers and fries. Whether rich and drunk or poor and hungry, ... More >>
Wendy and Paul Hamilton, the husband-and-wife owners of 1111 Mississippi and Vin de Set, have opened their newest venture, PW Pizza, at 2017 Chouteau Avenue, in the same building as Vin de Set and several of the Hamilton's other ventures.Unsurprisingly, pizza dominates the menu. You can build you ... More >>
Of all the staples on the fast-food menu, Gut Check has a special place in our plaque-clogged heart for the fried chicken sandwich. The softness of the bun yielding to the crispness of the exterior of the chicken and then the juicy meat inside...it's heaven! Of course, that's the idealized v ... More >>
Last week, Gut Check learned that Wendy's might open its restaurants earlier to capitalize on an apparent demand for burgers early in the morning. We asked, all things being equal, would you eat a burger for breakfast? The results, as you can see above, were conclusive: Yes. Yes, you would. The f ... More >>
Buried in an article about Wendy's introducing the unfortunately title new "Dave's Hot 'n Juicy Burger," named after the fast-food chain's late founder Dave Thomas, who surely deserves better than this, is this tidbit:[CEO Roland] Smith also hinted at the possibility that Wendy's might offer burg ... More >>
Fat? Eat for free! The aptly-named Heart Attack Grill in Arizona is giving free food to people who weigh over 350 pounds. The New York Daily News reports that the medically-themed restaurant features burgers named after heart surgeries, waitresses in sexy nurse uniforms, no diet soda, and fries cook ... More >>
Image viaIt's been just over a week since Spain took the World Cup, and the rattling buzz of the vuvuzela is finally fading to a mild case of tinnitus. No one ever wants to hear that sound again. So what to do with your now-useless horn? KFC wants it. Send your used vuvuzela to KFC's corporate h ... More >>
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 >>
www.wendys.comWendy's has introduced four "totally reinvented" salads to its menu. These salads entice the ever-more savvy consumer with the promise, according to the press release that landed in Gut Check's mailbox this morning, of "high quality ingredients, freshly prepared." In addition, on th ... More >>
The government thinks the FDA needs to step up food inspections. Despite a rash of recalls in the past six years, the FDA has inspected less than half of the organizations it regulates with the number dropping annually. The food safety legislation currently in Congress would provide more resources ... More >>
In 2005 Anna Ayala bought a friend's severed finger, simmered in it chili, then planted it in a bowl of chili at her local Wendy's in hopes of a financial windfall. Ayala served her time and has been talking about how she hatched her scam. While she might have put far more thought and effort into ... More >>
What became of Anna Ayala, the California woman who placed a severed finger in her chili and blamed Wendy's? She cooked the finger, went to jail, and got banned for life from Wendy's. (San Jose Mercury News)In the last century, Americans have lowered beef intake while eating more cheese, chicken ... More >>
Gut Check dishes on our favorite St. Louis food blogs. Cupcake Project: Stef made the ultimate St. Patrick's Day cupcakes and announced a chocolate liqueur cups giveaway. One Hot Stove: Nupur made black bean pumpkin soup. Sugar Spice and More Things Nice: Rachel discussed Michael Pollan's F ... More >>
Earlier this morning, eight campers, age nine to twelve, and their two counselors, Washington University students, crouched around a potato bed in the university's student garden, the Burning Kumquat."OK, who here can tell us how long it takes for a potato to grow?" asks counselor Katie Anderson, wh ... More >>
Dennis Brown and Paul Friswold suss out the local theater scene.
Looking for the perfect songs for Valentine's Day? Yeah, we're not going to help you out at all.
Local restaurants have been hurting in recent months, and it's up to the community to give something back.
Week of January 16, 2002
Just what makes a diner a diner?
No. 70 Grand
When Wendy Huddleston fell $1,370 behind in child-support payments, she was jailed indefinitely. She needed money or a lawyer -- and she had neither.
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