Archive for the 'St. Louis' Category

Sauce Magazine

Published by Gastronomer on February 14, 2010 in Products I Love and St. Louis. 13 Comments

As much as I embrace and appreciate new media in all of its diverse and chaotic forms (blogging, Twittering, and Facebooking), there’s a part of me that pines for the good ‘ol days of print media. With everything moving in a digital direction, I can’t help but miss the feel of good quality paper between my fingertips, the excitement of receiving a new issue in the mail, and the simplicity of sitting down with a magazine and giving it my undivided attention. Sure, I find pleasure in having ten windows open on my laptop and erratically switching from one website to the next, but there was something glorious about the recent past that I can’t seem to get over.

On a recent trip to St. Louis, I re-experienced a thrill that I had abandoned sometime ago. Flipping through the gorgeous pages of Sauce Magazine, I felt giddy like a school girl. In a time when beloved publications are folding and talented journalists are being laid off, it was uplifting to read a magazine that seemed to not only be surviving, but truly thriving.

Sauce is St. Louis’ monthly food-focused magazine. It is available for free at nearly every eatery in town and highlights the city’s bounty.

Sauce‘s pages are filled with restaurant reviews, seasonal recipes, chef interviews, ingredient breakdowns, and pertinent trends. It provides a window into the city’s belly.

The writing is solid and all, but what I adore about the publication is it’s clean design and vibrant photography. The magazine’s paper and pixels are just a smidgen nicer than the daily newspaper, which means that colors really pop and the photos really shine.

I think Sauce needs to come to Los Angeles. We’d rename it Salsa, of course.

BBC Asian Bar and Cafe – St. Louis

Published by Gastronomer on February 12, 2010 in Asian Fusion, Banh Mi, Restaurant Review, St. Louis and Vietnamese. 17 Comments

As curious as I am about Vietnamese restaurants located outside of major ethnic enclaves, I rarely visit them out of fear of being disappointed. Even though St. Louis is home to a large refugee community, I’ve avoided exploring the Vietnamese establishments in the city during my last couple of visits due to my big city leanings and Midwest prejudices. Growing up on my ba ngoai‘s fabulous home cooking and living abroad in Vietnam, I’ve developed an admittedly snotty attitude toward the cuisine. In my mind, there’s a right way to do things in the Vietnamese kitchen, and as a result, I have avoided eating in places that might compromise my notions of properness.

A mouthwatering spread on banh mi sandwiches in the January issue of Sauce Magazine, St. Louis’ monthly food-focused publication, convinced me to reconsider my policy. The vivid photos and sharp writing painted an exciting picture. As far as I could tell, the humble banh mi was taking over the city and I had to have a taste—authenticity be damned.

The majority of the banh mi shops featured in the article were located on or near Grand Avenue in South City. However, due to time constraints and lack of wheels, The Astronomer and I visited BBC Asian Bar and Cafe in the Central West End. The Korean-owned restaurant was formerly called BBC Banh Mi, Boba Tea & Crêperie.

Both of our sandwiches were served with snack-sized bags of Doritos. I thought the side item was a bit strange, but somehow fitting of our environs.

Based on Sauce‘s recommendation, we ordered the lamb banh mi ($5.50).

One of the more noteworthy local variants of the banh mi graces the menu at BBC Asian Cafe & Bar in the Central West End. There, lamb inspires wolfish gusto over an exceptionally well-balanced, if amusingly messy, sandwich.

I was initially weary of fusing Greek gyro meat with traditional banh mi fixins, but the combination turned out to be a treat of Zeus-like proportions! I was most impressed with the baguette, which was light, warm, crispy, and the ideal thickness. Additionally, the chili infused mayo gave the sandwich an edge unlike any banh mi I have ever tasted.

We also ordered a good ‘ol banh mi dac biet ($4.95) to see how it stacked up. The sandwich contained slices of head cheese, ham, and cha lua (pork loaf), along with the usual mayonnaise, pate, pickled vegetables, cucumbers, chilies, and cilantro. I appreciated that the pate, cha lua, and head cheese were served in all their funky glory, not watered down one bit. The sandwich’s ingredients melded together impressively, save for the deli counter ham.

After such a positive Midwestern banh mi experience, I am convinced that it’s only a matter of time before the-little-Vietnamese-sandwich-that-could goes totally global.

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BBC Asian Bar and Cafe
#241-43 North Euclid Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63108
Phone: 314-361-7770

Fitz’s American Grill & Bottling Works – St. Louis

Published by Gastronomer on February 26, 2009 in Burgers, Restaurant Review and St. Louis. 1 Comment

St. Louisans love few things more than the Cardinals, toasted ravioli, and Fitz’s root beer. Just ask The Astronomer—he’s a native.

Fitz’s root beer was first produced in 1947 and sold alongside hamburgers and fries at a small drive-in located in Richmond Heights, Missouri. The eatery and root beer production shut down in 1970 when the owner retired. It wasn’t until 1985 that the original Fitz’s root beer recipe was resurrected and “St. Louisans once again could enjoy their favorite root beer in bottles.”

Fitz’s American Grill & Bottling Works opened in 1993. According to the eatery’s official website, “To assure authenticity, the call went out for a vintage bottling line. Incredibly, a 1940’s bottling line was found in an old barn in Shawano, Wisconsin. It was refurbished and installed at the restaurant, where it is visible from every table on the main floor. Fully operational, the bottling line can turn out a bottle every second.”

Wes and I sat on the second floor and thus avoided being treated to non-stop bottling action and unflattering florescent lights during our meal.

To kick things off, Wes ordered a root beer served in an icy mug, while I ordered a cool bottle of cream soda ($2.19). My vocabulary isn’t Swarthmorean enough to describe the cream soda’s nuanced flavors, but I assure you that it was superior to everyday root beers like Mug and A&W. There’s definitely something spicy in the mix that gives the brew a smooth and mellow kick. The secret root beer formula was developed with the help of a flavor house in St. Louis and remains a closely guarded secret to this day.

The menu at Fitz’s features all-American favorites like pizzas, pastas, wraps, sandwiches and burgers. I ordered a bison burger—a lean bison patty grilled and topped with spring mix, a tomato slice and onions, and served with a side salad ($9.99).

The bison patty was as dry as a bone, while the grilled onions were raw and the spring mix was a wilted mess. I kept sipping my cream soda to moisten up the meat and help it down my esophagus.

The side salad served with my burger was substantial and uninspiring. Poorly made salads are why Americans have a tortured relationship with vegetables.

Wes went for a BBQ burger with Colby Jack cheese, BBQ sauce and onion tanglers ($8.19), which really satisfied his burger tooth. In retrospect, I probably should of gone for some fatty cow instead of the bony bison.

We also shared an order of onion rings, the first of many during my stay in St. Louis. The freshly fried ringers were of the mass-produced-in-a-factory variety, which is to say that they were tasty and greasy, but not so special.

Come to Fitz’s for the house special root beer, cream soda, and ice cream floats, but don’t bother with the grub. It’s not worth the space.

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Fitz’s American Grill & Bottling Works
6605 Delmar Blvd
St Louis, MO 63130
Phone: 314-726-9555

The Cupcakery – St. Louis

Published by Gastronomer on February 23, 2009 in Bakery, Dessert, Restaurant Review and St. Louis. 11 Comments

The transition from “trend” to “staple” is best illustrated by Uggs—a plush boot that’s easy on the feet and questionably easy on the eyes. Sometime during the fall of 2003, everyone and their mother, in cold climes and downright hot ones, started donning Ugg boots. Seemingly overnight, every gal from California to Maine was tucking her skinny jeans into a pair of chunky Uggs. Copycats emerged to compete with the Australian powerhouse, but the Ugg brand never lost its comfy edge. Six years later, Uggs are still as popular as ever—their unparalleled warmth and comfort have propelled them from uber-trendy footwear to wardrobe staples.

It’s unclear which direction the cupcake trend is headed, but I hope with all of my heart that cupcakes have Ugg-like staying power. While Los Angeles embraces Sprinkles and New York adores Magnolia, St. Louis has The Cupcakery. With its sparse and modern space, cute-as-can-be packaging, and toothachingly sweet creations, it is clear that The Cupcakery is applying the same successful formula as its East and West Coast counterparts.

During a short jaunt to St. Louis to visit my dear friend Wes, I found myself at The Cupcakery on more than one occasion. On our first visit, Wes picked out a Strawberries and Cream ($2.75) cupcake, while I indulged in a Gold Rush ($2.75). The skewed ratio of cake to frosting on the Gold Rush had me worried initially, but after one bite it was clear that the bakers here know what they’re doing. The classic yellow cake was moist and light, while the chocolate buttercream frosting was rich, thick, and sweet. A yellow cupcake with chocolate frosting is a benchmark for cupcakes in much the same way that the pizza Margherita is the benchmark for pizzas. The Cupcakery’s Gold Rush was phenomenal.

A couple of evenings later, Wes and I headed back to The Cupcakery for a post-dinner nightcap. This time around, Wes ordered a Confetti—vanilla buttercream with French vanilla cake, while I had a Raspberry Beret—raspberry buttercream with French vanilla cake with raspberry filling. The Raspberry Beret was so very sweet that my molars ached. I should’ve stuck with the tried and true Gold Rush.

What sets The Cupcakery apart from places like Magnolia and Sprinkles is their unapologetic use of trans-fats. You gotta love Midwestern sensibility.

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The Cupcakery
28 Maryland Plaza
St Louis, MO 63108
Phone: 314-367-6111

Trattoria Marcella – St. Louis

Published by Astronomer on January 15, 2007 in Italian, Restaurant Review and St. Louis. 0 Comments

January 5, 2007
Cuisine: Italian

3600 Watson
St. Louis, MO 63109

Phone: 314-352-7706
Website: http://www.trattoriamarcella.com/

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Appetizer I: Fresh baked bread served with hummus (complimentary)

Appetizer II: Home-Made Toasted Ravioli – Slow Braised Seasoned Beef filled Ravioli, made the old fashioned way, by hand, lightly breaded and toasted, served with Tomato Sauce ($8.99)

Entree: Grilled duck breast served with sauteed wild mushrooms and farro risotto with butternut squash ($17.50)

Contorni I: Freshly made whole wheat pasta with white sauce ($5.99)

Contorni II: Baby greens, candied pecans, goat cheese, and beets with a balsamic dressing ($7.50)

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Growing up in St. Louis, my love of pasta and Italian food in general had not yet fully developed, so I failed to take advantage of many of the city’s wonderful Italian restaurants. Upon returning to visit, I was therefore excited to try some of the best that St. Louis had to offer. The heart of the city’s Italian community lives in a neighborhood called The Hill, but we finally chose a restaurant called Trattoria Marcella located several blocks away. It was an excellent decision–the Gastronomer is a genius at finding good restaurant advice on the message boards. The food was subtly flavored and ridiculously delicious, comparable to meals we’ve had in Philadelphia for twice the price. We’re still trying to figure out how St. Louis restaurants manage to make such classy food so affordable. Alabama should take notes. Anyway, we enjoyed it thoroughly while we were there.

While we waited for our food at Trattoria Marcella, we snacked on fresh bread with hummus. I’m normally not a big fan of hummus, but Trattoria Marcella’s was spectacular. The Gastronomer and I quickly consumed all of our bread and asked for more.

As a child in St. Louis, my favorite food was toasted ravioli. Legend has it that this local delicacy was invented when a cook at a restaurant on The Hill accidentally dropped some normal beef ravioli into a pile of bread crumbs. Inspiration struck, and instead of discarding the sullied ravioli he decided to deep-fry it, thereby initiating one of the great breakthroughs in culinary history. Trattoria Marcella had homemade toasted ravioli on the menu as an appetizer, so of course we had to order some. They were larger and more delicately constructed than the standard store-bought variety, but I couldn’t decide for sure whether I liked them better. In any case, it was an ideal start to the meal.

Things only got better from there. The Gastronomer and I spent quite a while deciding what to order; we felt we ought to try one of the special homemade pasta offerings, but the Gastronomer was having difficulty finding the perfect dish. Fortunately, the pasta side dishes came to the rescue. Every restaurant should offer this menu option–I believe that a good meat dish could almost always be improved by the addition of pasta. We ordered the homemade whole wheat fettucine with white sauce. It was excellent; the pasta tasted quite wheaty (in a good way), and I always appreciate a creamy white sauce. To supplement the pasta, the Gastronomer ordered a salad with beets, pecans, and goat cheese, thus initiating a beet-eating streak that would continue for three consecutive days. I passed on the beets, as I disagree with her assessment that they are “pleasant.” However, I did find the candied pecans, greens, and goat cheese to be delicious.

For my entree, I chose the grilled duck breast served on farro risotto with butternut squash. The dish came with a generous helping of mushrooms that I cheerfully handed over to the Gastronomer. The duck itself was awesome. It was incredibly tender and wonderfully flavored, and the risotto complemented it well. I loved the sweetness of the squash mixed in with the other flavors. It all came together to create one of my favorite meals in recent memory. Both of us were stuffed from gorging on bread, so we didn’t order desert.

In summary, Trattoria Marcella lived up to its billing as one of the top restaurants in St. Louis, offering possibly the most bang-for-buck that we have ever experienced at a restaurant. We enthusiastically recommended it to my family when they came to visit St. Louis the following weekend, and they had a similarly delightful experience.