Month: October 2014

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Too Much Halloween Candy?

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In years past, my kids have returned from trick-or-treating with enough candy to last for weeks.

If your kids get too much candy this Halloween, give some of it to the USO, via Noodles and Company.

On Saturday and Sunday, November 1 and 2, St. Louis area Noodles and Company locations will trade a small noodle bowl for a donation of wrapped candy. This deal is just for kids, age 12 and under, accompanied by an adult. Kids are encouraged to wear their costumes if they wish.

All candy donated will be passed along to the USO and distributed to U.S. military personnel. Suggested donation is a small bowl size of wrapped candy.

Noodles and Company has 6 STL stores: Hampton Village, The Loop, South County, Creve Coeur, Des Peres and Chesterfield.

(photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jfanaian/6167937426, http://photopin.com, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Nuggets! (Random Notes of Interest)

Eyeball Laumeier

Sauce magazine’s Harvest Festival is set for Sunday, October 19, at Laumeier Park in Sunset Hills (near I-44 and I-270). Food and beer from great restaurants and breweries, plus live music and art. Admission is $10.

Click HERE to go to the Harvest Festival Website. Click HERE to see my pics from last year’s Festival. (The eyeball above is one of the art items at Laumeier!)

 

Carney pic

John Carney’s annual “Taste of Restaurant Tuesday” Halloween Spooktacular happens Friday night, October 24, at Hotel Lumiere. 15 restaurants will provide food and the bar will be open for 4 hours. Good times!

Click HERE for ticket information and a full list of restaurants. That’s John in the middle above.

 

Baiku_MVolansky_14

There’s a new sushi joint that recently opened in midtown St. Louis called BaiKu Sushi Lounge, located in the Hotel Ignacio, at 3407 Olive.

The restaurant will feature “an extensive sushi menu with specialty nigiri, fresh fish being flown in fresh from Hawaii, as well as a healthy selection of engaging appetizers. Lunch will feature a noodle shop concept with ramen noodles made by Midwest Pasta especially for Baiku.”

Baiku is Japanese for motorcycle, which is appropriate since it is located near the Triumph Grill and the Moto Museum. Click HERE to visit the BaiKu website.

 

Pastry book

Nick Malgieri will be back in St. Louis for an event at Cravings on Big Bend in Webster Groves on Tuesday, December 9, promoting his latest book Nick Malgieri’s Pastry. Call Cravings for info on Nick’s visit at 314-961-3534.

I interviewed Nick in 2012 when his Nick Malgieri’s Bread book was new. Click HERE to listen to that interview. (Click HERE to go to Nick Malgieri’s website.)

 

budlogo

Ballpark Village will host the 1st annual Brew Fest by Budweiser on Saturday, November 8, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Samples of various Anheuser-Busch beers will be available, along with samples from seven local home brew clubs. There will be live music and Clydesdale photo ops.

Jeffco Home Brew

Tickets for the beer sampling are $35. In addition, a special VIP package is available for $75 that includes a four-course lunch with special beer pairings led by an Anheuser-Busch Brew Master, a souvenir glass and rare beer samples! For complete event information and to purchase tickets, click HERE.

 

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On Sunday, November 9, McCormick and Schmick at West County Mall in Des Peres will offer a free meal (complimentary lunch or dinner entrée) to all U.S. Veterans, in honor of Veterans Day on November 11. (They ask that you bring along some credentials to verify your service.) Click HERE for the McCormick and Schmick website, where you can make reservations.

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BBQ Weekend!

Two big barbecue events on the agenda this weekend!

On Saturday, October 11, at Firemen’s Park in Maryville, Illinois, the Grillin’ Fools present their Backyard BBQ Bash. The park is located on Illinois route 159, about a mile north of I-55/70.

The Backyard Bash is a competition that features local amateur teams offering up their best. This family friendly event will feature music from a DJ starting at 10:00 a.m. with live bands playing from 2:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

I will be one of the judges for the event. Below is the event poster.

5th annual backyard (2).jpg

Then on Sunday, October 12, the St. Louis Occasional Barbecue Society (aka the SLOBS) will hold a charity BBQ competition, Victory in the Valley, at PM BBQ, 161 Long Road, in Chesterfield. See map.

PM BBQ sky view

The event runs 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For a $25 charitable contribution, guests can sample ribs from all competing teams. Proceeds will be split evenly between Circle of Concern food pantry and Lift For Life Gym. Rib sampling begins at noon.

Along with SLOBS ribs and other food from PM BBQ, iTap Chesterfield, located next door to PM, will present a Homebrew competition beginning at noon. (PM will have popular beer brands and other food and beverages available at 11:00 a.m.)

Area restaurants with teams participating include Iron Barley, BBQ ASAP, Keeton’s Double Play, Colorado Bob’s, Kilderkin’s, Highway 61 Roadhouse, Dylan’s Sports Bar, PM BBQ, among others.

PM

The Brewbadours will provide live music during the event. Come hungry and thirsty!

 

 

 

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Cards in Playoffs Can Be Tough Time for Restuarants

Cards

When you hear all the news touting the economic benefits to St. Louis of having the Cardinals in postseason play, remember your local independent restaurant.

When the Cards are on TV in the postseason, business is impacted. For sports bars and places within walking distance of Busch, there’s a huge upside. But for others, the damage can be significant.

What should a restaurant owner do? Here are a few ideas.

  1. Let your patrons know it’s okay if they check scores on their smart phones. Not that they wouldn’t anyway, but if you and your crew sanction such behavior, they are likely to feel more comfortable about doing it (and may return during future playoff games).
  2. Have at least one TV in the joint. You may not want to position it so every diner can watch, but for those who may want to keep up, an occasional glance can make them feel in touch. (I attended a beer dinner at PW Pizza during game 1 of last year’s World Series. A TV in the room allowed us to check on the game from time to time while enjoying the pizza and beer.) (Make sure you can get the Fox Sports 1 channel for games 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7.)
  3. Keep your servers aware of the game score so they can share that info with diners who are interested. (I recall a server at Bookbinder’s in Philly providing frequent updates on a Phillies-Astros NLCS game when we dined there in 1980.)
  4. Offer special catering packages to your patrons who want to throw playoff parties in their homes!
  5. Look for additional business on open dates. I’m not sure where the Giants and their traveling party are staying in STL (Westin? Ritz?), but they may want to go beyond their hotel and its environs for dinner this Friday night (and next Friday if the series goes beyond 5 games). Make sure the concierges/front desk crews at all major hotels know you’d welcome the business.

Cards jersey

For diners, a Cards playoff game may result in less demand for tables, even on a generally busy Saturday night.

In the long run, having our Cardinals in the NLCS and, maybe, in the World Series is a great thing for our city. Despite that silly Wall Street Journal piece last week, many people around the U.S. genuinely like the Cardinals. And because of their affection for the team, they are more likely to embrace our city and the entire region. And, as Martha Stewart might say, that’s a good thing.

 

 

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Jack Daniels Whiskey Taster Lynne Tolley in STL

Lynne Tolley in STL

Lynne Tolley is in St. Louis this week to teach cooking classes at several Dierbergs School of Cooking locations. She comes from Lynchburg, Tennessee, where she works for Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey.

Lynne is a charming Southern lady with a beautiful accent. I think you’ll enjoy hearing her talk!

I visited with Lynne Wednesday morning (October 1). We talked about cooking with Jack—I mentioned pecan pie—but I began our chat by asking what it says on her business card. (Segment 1 runs 5:10)

 

I asked Lynne about Miss Mary Bobo’s, the restaurant in Lynchburg that my parents visited several years ago. (Segment 2 runs 3:29)

 

I asked her to mention a few of the items she would be cooking at Dierbergs. I also asked about a special treat for cold weather months called Winter Jack. (Segment 3 runs 4:28)

 

For more information about Jack Daniels Distillery and its products click HERE.

For info on Dierbergs School of Cooking, click HERE.