Wes Johnson

Tidbits: Chef Shuffle at Salt, Local Harvest

Evan S. Benn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that chef Clara Moore is leaving St. Louis and her position as executive chef of Local Harvest's three cafes. Moore plans to move to Seattle. According to Benn, Local Harvest owners Patrick Horine and Maddie Earnest have hired three new chefs at ... More >>

Best of St. Louis 2012 Preview: Five Years of Best New Restaurants

In a matter of days -- hours, even! -- the Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis 2012 issue ("Creature Comforts" is the theme, and just you wait till you see this!) will hit the Internet and newsstands. Among the many food- and restaurant-related categories, one of the most eagerly anticipated is alwa ... More >>

Overlook Farm's Luv Luv Farm Festival and Barbecue Cookoff Returns

Now that the drought has relented and the temperature hovers on the better side of 100 degrees, it's prime time to enjoy all the fine summer festivities you can squeeze in before autumn takes over. And while the oppressive, dry heat certainly defeated many a backyard garden, the pros at Overlook Far ... More >>

Salt Restaurant Slapped With Federal Tax Lien

Restaurants often appear in the "Leads" section of the St. Louis Business Journal, which lists recent federal and state tax liens, lawsuits and the like, but the high profile and high dollar amount of the federal tax lien listed in the paper's June 15 issue grabbed Gut Check's attention. The federal ... 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 >>

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 >>

Wes Johnson of Salt on NBC's Today: Video

Wes Johnson of Salt (4356 Lindell Boulevard; 314-932-5787) appeared on NBC's Today this morning -- the second St. Louis chef to do so this very week, following Gerard Craft of Niche on Monday. Like Craft, Johnson had only a few minutes to provide an overview of his recipes for black-pepper pot roast ... More >>

Gerard Craft of Niche on NBC's Today: Video

​Gerard Craft of Niche (1830 Sidney Street; 314-773-7755) didn't have much time during his appearance on NBC's Today this morning, but in his three-plus minutes he managed to get a big ol' beef brisket browning, lay out the basics of a casserole made from the leftovers of that brisket, plug Be ... More >>

Celebrity Chef Tour at Sidney Street Café on April 16

​Kevin Nashan is excited. OK, so, this probably won't surprise anyone who knows the owner and chef of Sidney Street Café (2000 Sidney Street; 314-771-5777). Better to say Kevin Nashan is really excited. Better yet to let him say it. "I'm really excited about everything that's going on" in t ... More >>

Salt, Four St. Louis Chefs Among James Beard Semifinalists

The James Beard Foundation today announced the semifinalists for its annual awards honoring restaurants and chefs (link PDF). St. Louis scored four chefs in the category "Best Chef: Midwest" and -- a first, to the best of my knowledge -- a restaurant in the "Best New Restaurant" category, which incl ... More >>

Salt's Wes Johnson Celebrates, Preps for NBC's Today

Chef Wes Johnson of Salt (4356 Lindell Boulevard; 314-932-5787) learned that his restaurant is among the semifinalists for the James Beard Foundation's "Best New Restaurant" only when our friends at Sauce called him this morning for comment. "I didn't know what was happening," he says. "We are caug ... 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 >>

Oops!...He Did It Again: RFT's insatiable food scribe chowed his way through another year — what a pig!

Wes Johnson of Salt: Recipe for Pork and Fennel Meatballs

This is part three of Natalie Mclaury's Chef's Choice profile of Wes Johnson of Salt. Part one can be found here. Part two, a Q&A with Johnson, is published here. The secret to Chef Wes Johnson's art is building his menu around ingredients. Rather than working to create a recipe, Johnson starts wit ... 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 >>

Top Ten Dishes 2011 #2: The Seared Scallop at Salt

I'm counting down my ten favorite dishes from the restaurants that I reviewed in 2011. The top dish will be revealed on Tuesday, December 27, and look for a slideshow featuring most of the winners on Wednesday, December 28.​Chef Wes Johnson sears a single plump scallop, dresses it in a cracked-mus ... More >>

Wes Johnson of Salt

This is part one of Natalie McLaury's Chef's Choice profile of Wes Johnson of Salt. Part two, a Q&A, will be posted tomorrow, and part three, a recipe from Johnson, will be published on Thursday. Savannah Dodd​The culinary career of Wes Johnson of Salt (4356 Lindell Boulevard; 314-932-5787) h ... More >>

Post of the Month: The Five Best New Restaurants in St. Louis

Gut Check is constantly working to bring the latest food news to our readers. As a result, we do a lot of blogging. In an effort to draw attention to great posts that may have otherwise been lost in the blogosphere (and to recognize our hard-working writers), we present Post of the Month.Selecting t ... More >>

Food Truck Follies, Candy Conventions and Salt Savories: RFT Readers Chew the Fat

Duck Yeah: Wes Johnson's new restaurant is fun -- and fantastic

Review Slideshow: Salt

Jennifer SilverbergSalt owner and chef Wes Johnson​Wes Johnson's Salt (4356 Lindell Boulevard; 314-932-5787) is only three months old, but already very well seasoned. My review of Salt is now available online, as is Jennifer Silverberg's slideshow.

Review Preview: Salt

Jennifer SilverbergChicken fried in duck fat, with mashed potatoes and pickled watermelon rinds, at Salt​This week, I visit Salt (4356 Lindell Boulevard; 314-932-5787), the new restaurant from chef Wes Johnson.Of all the reasons why you should try the duck fat-fried chicken at Salt, Wes Johnson's ... More >>

April 2011 Openings & Closings

Chrissy WilmesSalt opened in the old Savor space on Lindell Boulevard this month.​A fairly busy month for comings and going on the St. Louis restaurant scene. Among the high-profile openings were Salt, from chef Wes Johnson (Eclipse, the Shaved Duck) and Bocci Bar, from the folks who brought you B ... More >>

Wes Johnson's Salt Restaurant Now Open

Jennifer SilverbergWes Johnson, formerly of the Shaved Duck and Eclipse, now of Salt​Fans of contemporary American cuisine and the macabre-minded alike have reason for interest this weekend: Wes Johnson has opened his new restaurant Salt at 4356 Lindell Boulevard. St. Louis restaurant wonks know t ... More >>

Alice in Wonderland Dinner at Eclipse, Sunday, March 14

Image via​Down the rabbit hole, food fans! Eclipse (6177 Delmar Boulevard; 314-726-2222) will host a special five-course dinner on Sunday, March 14, to coincide with the release of the new film version of Alice in Wonderland directed by Tim Burton.The five-course meal will feature dishes and cockt ... More >>

FoodWire: "Carnivorale" Dinner Monday, November 9

Meat-lovers, rejoice: Wes Johnson and Brendan Noonan, currently of Eclipse and formerly of the Shaved Duck, are putting on a special meat-centric meal, Carnivorale. The seven-course dinner will take place on Monday, November 9, at Sol Lounge (4239 Lindell Boulevard). The cost is $125 per person, whi ... More >>

Sky's the Limit: When Joe Edwards opens a moon-themed hotel and restaurant in the Loop, hopes are high

FoodWire: Eclipse at the Moonrise Hotel Opens Today

Click image for larger version.Eclipse, the restaurant on the first floor of the new Moonrise Hotel (6177 Delmar Boulevard), opens for business today.The 130-seat restaurant promises fine dining at affordable prices, says Moonrise owner and local impresario Joe Edwards. Sidewalk dining will fit arou ... More >>

Quack Quack: The Shaved Duck reinvented — and hotter than before

FoodWire: The Shaved Duck Is NOT Dead -- Long Live the Shaved Duck!

Much talk about the fate of Tower Grove East gastropub the Shaved Duck (2900 Virginia Avenue) over the past few days. But rumors of its imminent demise were greatly exaggerated. Owner Ally Nisbet has sent out a press release to explain that the restaurant will close after service tonight -- but onl ... More >>