Greet the Meat

The temperatures are cooling off, but that doesn’t mean the grills have to go cold! Keep the barbecue dreams alive (even if you’re tired of manning the ´cue) with a full day of sizzling wishes and outdoor-dining dreams. The Downtown Dutchtown Blues & BunFest, happening at Meramec Street and Virginia Avenue from 1 to 7 p.m. (www.dt2stl.org), shows you how it’s done with its “Best Between the Buns” hamburger contest. Various restaurants compete, and you can try out the entries after buying taste tickets (five for $10). And out in Ballwin, Vlasis Park (Holloway Road and Vlasis Park Drive; 636-227-8950 or www.smokeandfiregallery.com) is where you’ll find more than 70 groups participating in the second day of the Smoke N Fire Barbecue Bash competition from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; samples of all manner of grilled-up goods will be available for purchase. Finally, Mount Pleasant Winery (5634 High Street, Augusta) heats things up with its Chefs Wine Country Barbecue from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets cost $45, and more than 30 local culinary masters work their magic; call 800-467-9463 or visit www.mountpleasant.com for more information.
Sun., Sept. 30, 2007