June 26, 2015 by davidcraigstl

Soused—Vodka and BBQ! Coming July 8

Isn’t it about time that one of the hottest categories in food (BBQ) comes together with one of the hottest categories in drink (vodka)? Yes, it is.

Capitalist Pig, located at the Mad Art Gallery, 2727 South 12th Street, just north of the A-B brewery, has a big event set for Wednesday, July 8, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Sowsed (get it?), a vodka-themed barbecue dinner featuring Cardinal Sin vodka from St. Louis Distillery, will infuse vodka into every aspect of the meal, from smoking to sauces.

Among the menu items for Sowsed from Capitalist Pig chef Ron Buechele:

Barrel-smoked pork and pear with lemon vodka compote. (Smoked over wood from the vodka aging barrels.)
Vodka braised smoked brisket with with roasted grapes, carrots and garlic and more (pictured below).

Black bean salad with corn, hominy, red peppers and avocado in a vodka-lime cilantro vinaigrette.
Stuffed conchiglie with pork belly bacon and vodka arribiata sauce.
Drunken summer vegetables.
And… a vodka-infused dessert!

_MG_8937 sm

Of course, the meal will be accompanied by a flight of Cardinal Sin vodka cocktails.

Hot jazz/swing band Miss Jubilee will provide live music.

But wait, there’s more! Each diner age 21 and over will take home a 375mL bottle of Cardinal Sin Starka.

Cost of the dinner is 49/person and tickets may be purchased from BrownPaperTickets.com or by clicking HERE.

One more thing: If you’ve never been to the Mad Art Gallery and Capitalist Pig, you should know that the building has a big sign out front that reads “Police.” It’s there for a reason. The building is the former Third District St. Louis Police Station.

June 16, 2015 by davidcraigstl

BPV Crawfish Fest Saturday (June 20)

St. Louis’s Ballpark Village will host its 2nd annual Crawfish Fest on Saturday, June 20, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Budweiser Brew House. Two packages are available.

For $25, you get unlimited crawfish, jumbo shrimp, red potatoes, corn on the cob and smoked sausages plus $3 draft Abita Beer specials. (Abita is brewed about 30 miles north of New Orleans.)

For $50, you get all that PLUS early admission at 4:00 p.m, a commemorative Crawfish Fest t-shirt and glass and reserved seating in the Budweiser Brew House Garden.

BPV will have a thousand pounds of crawfish to boil Saturday, so don’t be timid about going back for seconds.

The very cool North of the Quarter band will provide live music during the event.

For more info, go to stlballparkvillage.com.

June 15, 2015 by davidcraigstl

Tequila Dinner at Cantina Laredo!

Cantina Laredo, the new Mexican restaurant in Clayton, is hosting a Tequila Dinner on Wednesday, June 17, 7:00 p.m.

(RFT pic)

The three-course meal will feature three different Milagro brand tequilas, selected by Cantina Laredo chef Sean Scott to complement each course.

Here’s the menu:

1st course: Choice of Ensalada de Mango or Sope de Brisket

2nd course: Choice of Filet Pasilla served with potato confit and sautéed green beans or Sea Bass Oscar served with a chili lime sauce and asparagus.

3rd course (dessert): A special Dia y Noche flan (a “day and night” chocolate flan).

Cost for the dinner is 49.99. Advance reservations recommended. Call 314-725-2447.

Cantina Laredo is located at 7710 Forsyth Boulevard in Clayton in the Centene complex.

Cantina Laredo will offer its tequila dinners four times each year: one per season and will feature a different tequila brand at each dinner.

Tequila!

May 6, 2015 by davidcraigstl

Mother’s Day—Take Your Mom Out To Eat!

Yes, Mother’s Day is a busy day for restaurants. But if you make a reservation and show up on time, you should be able to be seated and served promptly.

Tons of spots around St. Louis are offering Mother’s Day brunches. Here’s a list compiled from my inbox and my Twitter feed. It includes a few obvious spots (Four Seasons, e.g.) and some you may not have considered (Frazer’s, e.g.).

You should note: Some brunches are buffets. Others are not. Here are a few you might like to know about…

Flemings on Lindbergh has a 3-course brunch featuring appetizer, entrée and dessert for 39.95. (The Baked Brioche French Toast, pictured, is one of the entrée choices.)

Brioche French Toast

Plus all moms receive a 25-dollar gift card for a future visit. FlemingsSteakhouse.com.

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Tenacious Eats at 3117 Olive combines a 5-course meal (+ 5 special cocktails) with a movie! For Mother’s Day, the film is The Help. All moms receive a corsage and complimentary Mimosa on arrival. (And, yes, dessert will be chocolate pie!)

Doors open at 10:00 a.m. First course and first reel are at 11:00 a.m. Cost is 65.00 advance. (85.00 at the door.) TenaciousEats.com.

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Eleven Eleven Mississippi is offering a 3-course prix-fixe Mother’s Day lunch from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for 28.99 (+ tax and tip). 1111-m.com

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Cielo at the Four Seasons Hotel has a Mother’s Day Brunch with bottomless Bloody Marys and Mimosas. Cost is 90.00 (35. for kids 5-12). It features 70 items and action stations.

For info: FourSeasons.com/StLouis

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Robust Wine Bar at the MX Downtown (635 Washington) will feature an a la carte menu starting at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. Click HERE to view the menu and get more info.

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Highway 61 Roadhouse in Webster Groves begins its Mother’s Day Brunch at 9:00 a.m. with last seating at 2:30 p.m. Cost is 16.99. Hwy61Roadhouse.com

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The Restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton has a Mother’s Day brunch buffet that runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Cost is 89.00. (44.50 for ages 5-12.) RitzCarlton.com

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Frazer’s at 1811 Pestalozzi, just across I-55 from the brewery will serve Mother’s Day brunch 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. FrazersGoodEats.com

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Remember your mom (and all the other moms in your family) and remember to make reservations!

April 28, 2015 by davidcraigstl

Alastair Nisbet Brings Scotland And Its Food to St. Louis and The World

Alastair Nisbet, owner of The Scottish Arms restaurant and bar in St. Louis, is starring in a series of videos celebrating the food of Scotland. (2015 is the Year of Food and Drink in Scotland.) Here’s the first video:

Nisbet spoke recently about why he came to the U.S. from Scotland and the work he did in St. Louis before opening The Scottish Arms a decade ago. (Audio runs 2:54)

Alastair points to his hometown of Aberdeen on the map of Scotland he proudly displays at The Scottish Arms.

How was Alastair chosen to do the videos? (Audio runs 3:55)

Here’s Alastair’s April video in which he prepares Scottish Salmon:

Alastair has another restaurant and bar in St. Louis called The Shaved Duck, featuring a totally American type of cooking. He explained how the place got its name. (Audio runs 2:26)

The bar at The Scottish Arms is well stocked.

There have been changes in the beer selection at The Scottish Arms in recent times. (Audio runs 2:00)

Be sure to bookmark the website scotland.org/scottishrecipes and look for Alastair’s videos each month.

The Scottish Arms is located at 8 South Sarah Street, just north of Forest Park Avenue (and just a hop, skip and jump from the new IKEA store). thescottisharms.com

The Shaved Duck is located at 2900 Virginia at Pestalozzi in Tower Grove East. theshavedduck.com

April 25, 2015 by davidcraigstl

Sample QuikTrip’s Breakfast Pizza

Leftover pizza is a classic breakfast food. Though often found in same cardboard package it came in the night before, it can provide you with that needed morning fuel, even if it is a bit stale.

You may have wondered why nobody offers a breakfast pizza, made fresh each morning. Well, now, Quiktrip does just that. They’ve had decent grab’n’go food for years. Recently they introduced their QT Kitchens in many of their locations, with a variety of foods prepared to order from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Click HERE for a post from last summer that can tell you more.)

And now, QT has breakfast pizza with egg, sausage, bacon and cheese. Cost is $2.99 per slice or $5 for 2.

Watch this video for more info:

And here is the sampling schedule for free tastings of QT’s Breakfast Pizza over the next few weeks. Sampling will occur at listed locations from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Monday, April 27, 2015	676	10768 W Florissant Ave St. Louis, MO 63136
Tuesday, April 28, 2015	628	2791 Dunn Rd St. Louis, MO 63136
Wednesday, April 29, 2015	605	10845 Lilac Ave St. Louis, MO 63137
Thursday, April 30, 2015	688	3120 Nameoki Rd Granite City, IL 62040
Friday, May 01, 2015	694	2490 Troy Rd Edwardsville, IL 62025
Monday, May 04, 2015	639	11802 Lusher Road St. Louis, MO 63138
Tuesday, May 05, 2015	698	2809 Godfrey Rd Godfrey, IL 62035
Wednesday, May 06, 2015	695	605 W Bethalto Dr Bethalto, IL 62010
Thursday, May 07, 2015	670	2105 N Hwy 67 Florissant, MO 63033
Friday, May 08, 2015	627	150 Howdershell Rd Florissant, MO 63031
Monday, May 11, 2015	686	755 S Belt W Belleville, IL 62220
Tuesday, May 12, 2015	690	1800 Lebanon Belleville, Illinois 62220
Wednesday, May 13, 2015	674	4435 Telegraph Rd St Louis, Missouri 63129
Thursday, May 14, 2015	633	3475 Lemay Ferry Rd St. Louis, MO 63125
Friday, May 15, 2015	649	6312 S Lindbergh Blvd Green Park, MO 63123
Monday, May 18, 2015	657	1150 Feise Rd Dardenne Prairie, MO 63368
Tuesday, May 19, 2015	619	4646 S St Peters Pkwy St Peters, MO 63304
Wednesday, May 20, 2015	660	1500 Zumbehl Rd St Charles, MO 63303
Thursday, May 21, 2015	673	2260 1st Capitol Dr St Charles, MO 63301
Friday, May 22, 2015	602	1640 S 5th St St Charles, MO 63303
Monday, May 25, 2015	659	12700 St Charles Rock Rd Bridgeton, MO 63044
Tuesday, May 26, 2015	664	11444 St Charles Rock Rd Bridgeton, MO 63044
Wednesday, May 27, 2015	635	10111 St Charles Rock Rd Breckenridge Hills, MO 63114
Thursday, May 28, 2015	614	10793 Page Ave St. Louis, MO 63132
Friday, May 29, 2015	622	11829 Lackland Road Maryland Heights, MO 63146

Okay, one more TV spot for the breakfast pizza. This one is pretty funny!

March 25, 2015 by davidcraigstl

Opera Tastings

Look, I know opera is weird to many people. Maybe better words would be different, exotic, unknown. Kind of like green vegetables were to me when I was a kid. I now love green veggies and I think opera is okay, too. Which is why this is such a cool idea.

Opera Theatre of St. Louis is partnering with several local food/beverage venues for Opera Tastings. These are hourlong events which will offer a sampling of opera performances, along with wine samples and small bites. All for just $10.

The lineup:

Thursday, March 26, 7:00 p.m. at Herbie’s, 405 N. Euclid in the CWE.

Friday, March 27, 7:00 p.m. at Moulin Events, 2017 Choteau in Lafayette Square.

Saturday, March 28, 7:00 The Dark Room, 615 N. Grand in Grand Center.

Of course, each of these venues invites you to stick around and enjoy drinks and dinner afterward.

If you’d like more information about this week’s Opera Tastings, call Opera Theatre of St. Louis at 314-961-0171.

March 2, 2015 by davidcraigstl

Spring Training Games, Burgers and Beer at BPV

A burger and a beer for $10 at BPV. And Cards baseball on the big screen!

For the following Cardinals spring training game telecasts from Florida (each starting at noon, CDT), participating BPV restaurants will offer any menu burger and a pint of domestic beer for $10.

Here are those dates: March 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30 and 31. And April 2. The games will be shown on BPV’s giant 40 foot screen as well as on monitors inside each restaurant.

Budweiser Brew House, Cardinals Nation and Fox Sports Midwest Live will serve up the burgers. Drunken Fish will offer an appropriate burger substitute.

For more info, click HERE.

February 27, 2015 by davidcraigstl

Beer, Glorious Beer!

The Centennial Beer Festival happens this weekend at Moulin Events and the Malt House Cellar at 2017 Chouteau in St. Louis. Sadly, I’ll be out of town and will miss the fun.

If you’re going, my advice is to take lots of pics with your phone of the beers you taste. Later, after you’ve sampled dozens of beers, you’ll better be able to recall more than just a handful of standouts.

During the last 12 months, I have drunk less beer than in other recent times, but I have enjoyed the beer I did drink quite a bit more. Here are a few fave beers from my Instagram account. (If I hadn’t taken these pics, I might’ve forgotten a few.)

First, Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan…

Lazy Magnolia is brewed in Kiln, Mississippi. I enjoyed this tasty brew at Jim ‘n’ Nick’s BBQ in Birmingham last fall. This beer is not, to the best of my knowledge, available in St. Louis city or county, but is available throughout Jefferson County, Missouri.

Next up, Left Hand Good Juju…

This beer was served at The Shack in Valley Park. It has a bit of ginger flavor. Left Hand comes from Denver.

Oktoberfest #1—Schlafly…

Loved this beer! Drank it at the Wing Ding at Queeny Park in August, then enjoyed it at the Bottleworks in Maplewood in September.

Oktoberfest #2—Goose Island…

Another delicious fall brew. This one from Goose was poured at the Biergarten at the A-B brewery. I also enjoyed this brew at VB’s Chocolate Bar in Cottleville this fall.

From my hometown of Birmingham comes Good People Coffee Oatmeal Stout…

Had this at Saw’s Juke Joint in Birmingham. It brings a ton of flavor but doesn’t overdo it (like some stouts do).

From Nashville comes Yuengling lager…

Had this one with my pulled pork at Saw’s BBQ in Homewood, AL. Not my favorite, although I know many who love this brew.

Another favorite from Left Hand, their Milk Stout…

I still recall my first LHMS, poured at the recently closed Plush at a Pecha Kucha night in 2012. I’ve enjoyed it at home and at bars and restaurants every since. I like the foamy head! I turned my cousin Randy on to this one at last year’s Centennial Beer Festival but he did not love it.

My favorite Urban Chestnut brew…

This is Schnickelfritz. I had it at the newer Urban Chestnut location in The Grove last summer and just last week at the 21st Street Brewer’s Bar. Hard for me to describe, except to say that it tastes really good!

Here’s one you may have never heard of…

As you can tell from the frosty glass, Phin and Matt’s Extraordinary Ale was enjoyed at PW Pizza (in the same building where the Beer Fest is held). Brewed by Southern Tier in Lakewood, NY.

The old standby…

For many of us in St. Louis, Schafly Pale Ale was our gateway craft beer. I had Sam Adams earlier, but Schlafly Pale Ale had more going on than did the early Boston brew. This cup was enjoyed on a warm spring day at Paddy O’s, just south of Busch Stadium.

And a new favorite…

Goose Island Honker’s Ale is now, following Goose’s takeover by A-B/InBev in 2011, available in more places than before. Less bitter than Schlafly Pale Ale and great with a burger.

From Italy…

At Acero in Maplewood, more people order wine from the Piedmont region of Italy. (As do I much of the time.) But I really like this Menabrea brew from the city of Biella.

Like Belgian beer?

This Mikkeller was among a mixed six-pack I got at the new Craft Beer Cellar store on Maryland Avenue in Clayton. I liked it but doubt that it’ll enter my regular rotation.

From back in the day…

Yep, had a Stag at a gathering at Spoke Marketing on Locust back in the summer. Hey, after a round of salty snacks, it hit the spot.

Another local brew…

From Dave and the crew at Kirkwood Station, their delicious Marzen beer.

And from a year ago at the Beer Fest…

Another from Southern Tier in Lakewood, NY. Their Jah-Va Coffee Stout.

If these beer pics made you thirsty and/or curious, you’ll want to hit the Centennial Beer Festival this weekend. Sessions are set for Friday night, Saturday afternoon and Saturday night. Click HERE for a link to all the info.

As the Dos Equis guy says, “Stay thirsty, my friends!”

—–David Craig

By the way, I invite you to follow me on Instagram at @davidcraigstl. Not just beer, but also food, animals (including humans) and outdoor scenery.

November 19, 2014 by davidcraigstl

A-B Lights It Up For The Holidays

Driving by the Anheuser-Busch brewery to enjoy Christmas lights has been a St. Louis holiday tradition for years. For the 2nd year in a row (following the opening of the Biergarten), A-B now offers a walking tour on the brewery campus. With food and drink!

The tours begin November 20 and run every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., through January 4, 2015. (No tours on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s days.)

Along with walking tours of the grounds, guests 21 and older can sample beers (complimentary tastings) along the way including Bud and Bud Light. Other beers available include Stella Artois, Stella Cidre, Shock Top Shockolate and Bud Light Ritas.

Other offerings include:

S’Mores Stations—Fire pits for roasting s’mores. (S’mores kits $2.50 each.)

Biergarten Buffet—$10 for adults; $8 youth.

Holiday Cheer Pass—Pose for a photo in a themed snow globe or with a Clydesdale and take home a print, plus a sampling glass. ($10.)

The Biergarten Package—Buffet, sampling glass, photo and s’mores kit. ($22.50 adults; $10 youth.)

Fire Pit Fun—Reserve a fire pit for 8 people for 3 hours. Includes 8 s’mores kits and wait staff service. ($75.)

VIP Clydesdale Photo Op—Dinner for 4 in Biergarten, 15 minute photo session with a Clydesdale and 2 holiday ornaments. You get a print and a digital copy (for your family Christmas card) of your photo. (Limited availability. $200.)

For info on special experience tickets, click HERE.

Parking is free at the Tour Center lots at 12th and Lynch. The holiday lights experience is wheelchair and stroller friendly.

Drive-through tours of the A-B brewery are welcome Monday through Wednesday evenings from November 24 until December 31 from dusk to midnight and on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Enter from Arsenal onto Seventh Street, then along Pestalozzi.

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