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Wings! (+ Beer and Vodka)!

The UCP Heartland Wing Ding is set for this Thursday night (August 22) at Queeny Park in the Greensfelder building (that’s on the Weidman Road side of the park). Doors open at 6:00 p.m. (Scroll down for full details on the event poster.)

Your ticket to the event allows you to sample wings from 14 different restaurants, along with beer from Ferguson Brewing, Schlafly and A-B/InBev. (With a VIP ticket, you can enjoy early admission plus specialty vodka drinks from Pinnacle/Major Brands!)

I am honored to be one of the judges for the competition. Last year, I enjoyed the best wings I’ve ever tasted! Below is a photo of one of the judges’ tables from the 2012 Wing Ding.

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Below is a photo of Scott Thomas, aka the Grillin’ Fool, responding to one of the extremely hot hot wings at last year’s Wing Ding. (Pardon my wimping out, but I’ll pass again on the hot wing judging.)

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Gather a group of wing lovers and join us this Thursday evening!

Flyer 8-14 v 2-1

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Location, Location, Location

Someone expressed disappointment last week via a social media post toward Kirkwood and its fine citizens for the closing of the Local Harvest store on Big Bend at I-270.

kirkwood-mo-sign

But the issue, I believe, is not the residents of Kirkwood and the greater southwest St. Louis County area. Had Local Harvest stepped into a better suburban location, I think they would’ve had a greater shot at success.

Big Bend is a main drag but doesn’t match Manchester or Kirkwood Road (aka Lindbergh Boulevard in other locales) in terms of shopping opportunities. Global Foods thrives on Kirkwood Road. West of I-270, Trader Joe’s on Manchester—despite access issues—is always busy.

This is not to say that Local Harvest would’ve necessarily had huge sales in the ‘burbs if they were in an ideal location. There may have been other issues at play as well. However, on each of my visits, I was impressed by the store and its fare.

Had they located in a busier shopping area, they would likely have had more store visits and more opportunities to convert newbies into partisans. And that, for any retail business, is a vital key to growth and success.

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Fish Market, Birmingham

Last month I finally had the opportunity to eat at the Fish Market in Birmingham. I met the owner George Sarris at Railroad Park in B’ham last year and my dad had told me that his restaurant was excellent.

Fish Market

I took my dad out to dinner (for his 85th birthday) at the Fish Market (dining area pictured above) and it was good (and plentiful). Our visit was just a few days after a Birmingham News feature on the restaurant and just a couple of days before the Fish Market was featured on a Bizarre Foods segment that spotlighted Birmingham. (Included in the Andrew Zimmern visit was a stop at Jim ‘N’ Nick’s, a barbeque joint, at whose Gardendale location I dined in May.)

Fresh fish

At the Fish Market you can go to the counter and order from among the many fish on display (above). You can also select a live lobster or a live trout (below). Or you can opt for table service (as we did).

Trout

My dish was a grilled red snapper and barbeque shrimp combo, pictured below.

Grilled Fish

My dad ordered (and loved) a fried fish platter. He also enjoyed his gorgeous Greek salad with feta, pictured below.

greek salad

If you enjoy raw oysters, The Fish Market has several different types of oysters available at their oyster bar.

Should you find yourself in Birmingham, Alabama, check out the Fish Market. On 6th Avenue South, between 21st and 22nd Streets. Official address is 612 22nd Street, 35233.

If you didn’t click the link to the Fish Market’s website at the top of this post, click HERE for a (quick) fun video intro from owner George Sarris.

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Beer—It’s What’s for Dinner!

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St. Louis Craft Beer Week runs Saturday, July 27 through Sunday, August 4.

Special beer dinners and other events are happening all over the area.

Click HERE for a complete listing.

PW beer 6-13

PW Pizza at 2017 Chouteau is presenting monthly Beer Dinners on the last Wednesday of each month. The July 31 dinner with Crown Valley Brewing is sold out. The next PW Pizza Beer Dinner will be August 28 with Blue Moon. Call 314-621-1996 for information.

basso

Basso at the Cheshire (7036 Clayton Avenue) kicks off its “Brewers in the Basement” series TONIGHT (July 25) with Civil Life. On August 1, the featured craft brewer is Cathedral Square.

(We’ve been assured that the name is not a dig on a certain NL Central rival which currently resides in last place.)

Goose event

Goose Island is sponsoring a St. Louis magazine Table Talk beer dinner on Wednesday, August 21, at Scape in the CWE, featuring various Goose brews plus Stella Artois Cidre and Leffe Blonde. Chef Eric Kelly is providing the food pairings. Click HERE for info.

dos man

As The Most Interesting Man in the World says, “Stay thirsty, my friends!”

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Panorama at St. Louis Art Museum

I recently was invited to taste some of the food at Panorama, the new beautiful new dining area at the St. Louis Art Museum.

Panorama is located in the newly-opened east addition to the museum. Panorama has a huge picture window that looks to the north and offers great natural light during daytime hours.

The beef at Panorama is grass-fed from Rain Crow Ranch. The salmon is wild caught.

Thanks to the crew at Panorama and the Art Museum for great food and hospitality.

I interviewed Panorama’s chef Edward Farrow. Click on the link below to listen to our chat, which begins with a mention of his St. Louis connections:

Edward Farrow interview (5:54)

Here are pics of a few of the items sampled.

Pave of Quinoa and Avocado:

Pave

Skirt Steak:

Skirt steak

Salmon:

Salmon

Chocolate Cherry “Pot de Créme”:

Pot de Créme

Panorama’s hours are:

Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Sunday (brunch), 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Call 314-655-5490 for reservations.

Online at slam.org/dining.

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Sparkling Ice

During June I have become a fan of Sparkling Ice, a zero calorie flavored drink. I discovered this product when I limped into Katy Trail Bike Rental in Defiance one Sunday morning with a painful thigh cramp and an empty water bottle. After a bottle of  Kiwi Strawberry flavored Sparkling Ice from their cooler and a brief rest, I was on my way.

I tracked down Sparkling Ice and found it at Wal-Mart and Dierbergs. I’ve tried several of their flavors but prefer the Kiwi Strawberry. Although the Pink Grapefruit flavor is a very close second!

Sparkling

What I like about this stuff is the flavors are sweet but not overwhelming (unlike most mainstream diet sodas). Also, the carbonation is just enough to liven up the drink but not quite enough to make you feel bloated. My only problem with Sparkling Ice is the poor design of the bottles: they are tall and slim and tend to fall over inside my refrigerator.

If you are a diet soda drinker, you might like Sparkling Ice. Dierbergs has Sparkling Ice on sale this weekend: a 17 ounce bottle for 88 cents.

 

 

 

 

 

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Tomatoes

Spotted this week at the Wash U Medical School’s weekly Farmer’s Market.

Tomatoes

The market is set up each Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the plaza, a couple of blocks south of the intersection of Forest Park Avenue and Euclid.

Since next Thursday is July 4th, next week’s market will be held on Tuesday, July 2.

 

 

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prasino, St. Charles

Thanks to the folks at prasino in St. Charles for inviting me to visit and try out some of their food and drink!

Up first was a delicious Magherita Flatbread. It went well with Goose Island Nut Brown Ale.

Magherita Flatbread

Then came the Lobster Avocado appetizer. It contains chunks of chilled lobster atop an avocado. A nice looking dish with some interesting flavor combos.

Lobster avocado

The Halibut was a gorgeous and tasty chunk of fish, nicely grilled and presented.

Halibut

And here’s prasino’s take on Gooey Butter Cake. Looks good, no?

Gooey

FYI, prasino is located where the old Noah’s Ark used to be, at the 5th Street exit off I-70. Find them online by clicking HERE. Check their menus. They are open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late evening. For your Google map: 1520 S. 5th St. St. Charles, MO 63303.