It’s not quite the tradition that Susan Stamberg’s Cranberry Relish recipe was each Thanksgiving back in her heyday on NPR’s All Things Considered, but…
I have shared this bit of audio (from 2002 when I was on mornings at WIL) several times just ahead of Super Bowl games. It’s a guacamole recipe from a chef at the former Casa Gallardo Grill at the Galleria. (That spot is now occupied by Urban Outfitters.)
My wife Jo-Ellen, who makes a killer guac, also chimes in with her best tip.
If you, like me, believe that guacamole is a must for the Super Bowl, whether you have dozens of guests or you’re watching the game by yourself, listen to this clip (runs 3:27) and take notes!
V-day is huge for restaurants. This year it falls on a Saturday. Convenient for couples. But owners would prefer V-day happen on a weeknight, since tables are generally in greater demand on Saturdays anyway.
Here’s what a few local restaurants have planned for Valentine’s 2014.
Panorama at the Art Museum is offering a special 3-course prix fixe dinner on Friday night, February 13, 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. For $65 per couple, you can share an Aphrodisiac Menu For Two, created by chef Ivy Magruder:
Roasted Asparagus with avocado, arugula salad and basil honey vinaigrette
Rum and Coffee Marinated Filet with artichoke-tarragon risotto and butter-poached lobster
Double Chocolate Brownie Tart with raspberries and vanilla ice cream
Panorama will offer brunch on Valentine’s Day and Sunday, Feb. 15 from 10:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m. The view is spectacular! Call 314-655-5490 for reservations.
The Ritz-Carlton in Clayton is featuring a Romance Menu on Friday and Saturday nights (February 13 and 14), 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in The Grill. It’s priced at $99/person. (They’ll also have a la carte items available.)
The Ritz has an overnight stay package that includes deluxe accommodations, dinner for two, breakfast for two, a “rose petal turndown” for $459. Available Friday and Saturday nights. Call 314-719-1433 for dining reservations or 800-241-3333 for the overnight package.
Kemoll’s is hosting a Valentine’s Dinner and Dance on Saturday, February 14 up on the 42nd floor of the Met Square building.
Cost is $100/person which includes your meal, open bar, tip and parking. (Not to mention a nice view of the Arch!) Dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m. Here’s the Kemoll’s V-day menu:
1st course: Caesar Salad with shaved parmesan, 5 cheese croutons, and grilled anchovies
2nd course: Farfalle Pasta tossed in a creamy wild mushroom alfredo and fries procuito
3rd course: Grilled Filet Mignon with garlic bourism and Tiger Shrimp sauteed in a roasted red pepper scampi butter served with balsamic marinated asparagus
Tenacious Eats, which matches a 5-course food and cocktail menu to a movie, is sold out for its Valentine’s Day presentation of When Harry Met Sally. But, at last check, tickets are available for Friday, February 13. For info visit TenaciousEats.com.
You should note that a Tenacious Eats dinner is not your usual formal dinner date. It’s not quite Rocky Horror at the Tiv, but it is a looser, more fun kind of night out. $65/person.
Whatever restaurant you may be thinking about for Valentine’s Day, it’s important to make your reservation soon.
Also, consider that Valentine’s Day means a bit of an adjustment for restaurants, since most V-day reservations are for parties of 2. (A normal Saturday may include several parties of 4 or 6.)
And now, to conclude this post and put you in a romantic state of mind for Valentine’s Day, here’s a classic love song from the Reverend Al Green!
While reading all about the world of pizza in St. Louis in the new February issue of St. Louis magazine (click HERE for link), I recalled a few personal memories of pizza.
As a child in Birmingham, pizza was a rare treat. I recall one place put their pies into a bag to be carried horizontally. One night, my dad let me go in to the joint and pay for the pizza. Unfortunately, I carried the pizza vertically. Everything slid off the surface of the crust into one greasy pile at the bottom of the bag.
As an adult, the radio station I worked for in Davenport, Iowa, had a basketball team. We would face off against high school faculties. Then after each game, team members always went to a local Pizza Hut for pizza and beer. Good times!
After visiting a college friend in Chicago and tasting that city’s deep-dish pies, I was excited in the 80’s when Pizzaria Uno went national. They opened in Philly. I loved it but my wife did not. We moved to Dallas and my son and I had their stuff there. Shortly after we moved to St. Louis, Uno opened in the area but their product was not quite as good as I had remembered from Philly and Dallas. The chain has since closed all of its St. Louis stores.
On the day we moved into our home here in St. Louis in 1988, a neighbor sent over a pizza. After the movers left, we unpacked and were exhausted and hungry. The pizza was greatly appreciated. But when we opened the box, my son had a strange reaction. He was puzzled by the Imo’s thin crust pizza, unlike anything he’d seen before. He later became a huge Imo’s fan and actually worked at an Imo’s briefly.
In the mid 90s, I took several Imo’s pizzas to country music star Vince Gill before he was to perform at Six Flags. He was immensely grateful. Vince is a notorious Imo’s fan who never fails to give an onstage shoutout to Imo’s anytime he plays here.
Just a few years ago when I was hosting mornings on KLOU radio, my teammates and I had a quick on-air chat about our favorite pizzas then moved on to the next element of the show. Suddenly the phones went wild as listeners wanted to chime in on their favorite pizzas. It reminded me that people are passionate about pizza.
Here are a few of my favorite foods I enjoyed during 2014.
Family circumstances prevented my wife and me from having a large number of dining out opportunities, but I did enjoy some good grub during 2014. Warning: This is not a haute cuisine, fine dining list.
Some of my highlights:
1. My wife’s Shrimp and Grits. A preparation she picked up during her tenure at Dierberg’s School of Cooking.
2. The BBL & T (above) at the new Rooster on South Grand. Two B’s indicating a double dose of bacon. Also their sweet house-made ketchup for my fries was a treat. Speaking of fries…
3. Sweet Potato Fries (above) at Saw’s Juke Joint in Birmingham. I like the ones at 5 Star Burgers here in town, but the ones at Saw’s are bigger and very tasty.
4. Bacon Maple Doughnut (above) from the Ex-Cop Doughnut Shop (on Telegraph Road), sampled at the Baconfest downtown on a rainy August Saturday.
5. Choro Huevo Torta (above) at Mission Taco on Delmar. Chorizo, egg, cheese, beans on a nice piece of bread.
6. Sushi from Drunken Fish at Ballpark Village. I’m not a sushi expert but everything from Drunken Fish I sampled at a media event at BPV in June was delicious.
7. Pulled Piggy Pizza at PW Pizza. Tasty pizza made better because my grandkids were with me!
8. Crabcake sandwich at The Crossing (a client). With a wonderful pesto sauce.
9. Barbecue. Pulled pork from Super Smokers and ribs from the SLOBS competition teams. (I worked with Terry Black at Super Smokers during 2014 and became reacquainted with his consistently good product. I also worked with the Tom Coghill and Bill Kunz and the SLOBS group and sampled many beautifully smoked ribs.) Additionally, I really liked the ribs from The Precinct downtown and dug the pulled pork from Hendrick’s BBQ in St. Charles and Highway 61 Roadhouse in Webster.
10. Waffle (above) from the Waffle House in Fultondale, Alabama. Perfectly cooked, promptly served and just what I wanted that morning.
I’ve had occasion to visit Smoothie King several times recently. Their smoothies are (mostly) delicious, quite filling and healthy. There’s no guilt involved when you enjoy a Smoothie King smoothie. (Compared to that suffered after a Frappucino or other such indulgence.)
Deciding what to order can be a challenge, especially for first-time visitors. Their menu choices are extensive. But the smoothie-istas (folks behind the counter who blend the smoothies) are familiar with what they have to offer and can provide guidance if you tell them your desires.
You can order based on flavor preferences or based on ingredients, such as protein. Or, with the Veggie and Vegan smoothies, items like kale or carrot. You can order your smoothie for a sweet treat, a thirst quencher or, especially with the Gladiator (which has 45 grams of protein), for meal replacement. Calorie content is clearly posted for all smoothies in all sizes.
Starting Monday, November 17, Smoothie King introduces Dark Chocolate Smoothies made with Ghiradelli cocoa. All three flavors—Dark Chocolate Strawberry, Dark Chocolate Orange and Dark Chocolate Mint—contain less than 300 calories in the 20 ounce size.
I’ve sampled the Strawberry and Orange versions and they are delicious! Try them!
My best advice regarding a visit to Smoothie King is to go for the 20-ounce size. (They also have 32-ounce and 40-ounce.) The 20-ouncers have been just the right size for me. I had a 32-ounce Gladiator and it was almost too much.
Also, take a moment to check out the large number of smoothie choices. The full menu at Smoothie King can be overwhelming. Realize that some flavors may not be as tasty as others—the folks behind the counter can help you here. In some cases, you may be willing to give up certain flavor ingredients to get other benefits.
Smoothie King also has Wheat Grass Juice which they sell in a one-ounce shot size. And, yes, they grow their own (wheat grass).
Smoothie King has multiple St. Louis area locations. Click HERE to find a Smoothie King location near you.
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.
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.
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.
The Brewbadours will provide live music during the event. Come hungry and thirsty!
Eat wings, drink beer, support a worthy cause—all for just 20 bucks!
The 2014 UCP Heartland Wing Ding is set for Thursday, August 21, 6:00 p.m., in the Greensfelder Building at Queeny Park. (The event is inside and air-conditioned.)
Your $20 advance ticket allows you to sample chicken wings from over 20 area restaurants. It also includes 2 drink tickets. Purchase advance tickets HERE, before 2:00 p.m. on 8/20 and pick them up at the event.
You may also purchase advance VIP tickets for $45. (Tickets will also be available at the door for $25 and $50.)
An important thing to know is these restaurants are bringing their best. This is a competition!
Participating restaurants include Sugarfire Smokehouse, The Salted Pig, Bogart’s, Twin Oak Pizza and BBQ, Fallon’s, J. Greene’s, Joe Buck’s, Gator’s South, Highway 61 Roadhouse, Hotshot’s, Milagro, Gobble Stop and many more.
I am flattered to have been asked to judge again this year, along with a stunning list of local media personalities. Categories are Best Traditional Wing (sauced), Best Specialty Wing (sauced), Best Dry Rubbed Wing (unsauced), Judges’ Overall Favorite and Hottest Wing. (I excused myself from the Hottest Wing category.)
The United Cerebral Palsy Heartland team puts on a great event with lots of food and drink for a modest admission fee. Bring a bunch of friends and family and enjoy these great wings!
BTW, this is a family-friendly event. Bring everybody.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit during lunchtime and sample some of the food at The Precinct in midtown St. Louis (1900 Locust). The Precinct is also open for dinner and post-game eating and drinking. (Until 1:00 a.m. Monday thru Thursday nights and until 3:00 a.m. on Friday thru Sunday nights.)
Not only will you find several great menu choices, you might also run into former St. Louis Cardinal (and Precinct partner) Jim Edmonds!
My tasting included ribs that were perfectly smoked and not sauced (which is my preference).
The Precinct’s BBQ “Carolina” Steak Burger is a beef brisket sandwich served with coleslaw. Delicious!
A spicy selection at The Precinct is the Southwest Steak Burger, made with chorizo, a fried egg, avocado, candied jalapeños and a sriracha aioli. Not something I’d want to eat everyday, but it delivers an interesting combo of flavors to be enjoyed on occasion.
The Precinct also has Flatbreads, including the Italian, shown below.
The dining room at The Precinct is spacious.
The bar is inviting and well-stocked.
And, as mentioned, you might run into Jim Edmonds. I caught Jim and Tim McKernan (and producer) during a break in their radio broadcast from The Precinct.
Click HERE to get a printable version of The Precinct menu, which includes The Precinct’s famous (infamous?) Hot Pursuit Challenge. That’s a plateful chicken wings with a powerfully hot sauce. The menu notes that anyone taking the challenge should “be prepared to sign a waiver.”
One more food note: If you’ve seen the new movie Chef and have been craving a Cuban sandwich, The Precinct menu has one that includes “cilantro pesto.” (Newly added to my “must try” list.)
The Precinct is a quick ride from the downtown business district, not far from Wells Fargo HQ and SLU, and generally has a good number of on-street parking spots available nearby.
Food Talk STL 
