Sauce Magazine // August 2020

What's your favorite pizza style?

AUGUST 2020 • VOLUME 20, ISSUE 6

PUBLISHER

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

ART DIRECTOR

DIGITAL EDITOR

STAFF WRITER

EDIBLE WEEKEND EDITOR

SENIOR DESIGNER

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

EVENTS COORDINATOR LISTINGS EDITOR INTERNS

Allyson Mace

Heather Hughes Huff

Meera Nagarajan

Lauren Healey

Adam Rothbarth

Lauren Healey

Michelle Volansky

It’s hard to beat Neapolitan when it’s fresh from the oven, but my love for New Yorkstyle requires no caveats.

Julia Calleo, Virginia Harold, Izaiah Johnson, David Kovaluk, Adam Rothbarth

Vidhya Nagarajan

Lauren Healey, Heather Hughes Huff, Meera Nagarajan, Adam Rothbarth

Allyson Mace

Bea Doerr, Angie Rosenberg

Amy Hyde

Amy Hyde

Emma Boyle, Olivia DuCharme

Grandma pies (Detroit-style) that I've been making at home.

Pizza rules!

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whole or in part, of the contents without permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. While the information has been compiled carefully to ensure maximum accuracy at the time of publication, it is provided for general guidance only and is subject to change. The publisher cannot guarantee the accuracy of all information or be responsible for omissions or errors. Additional copies may be obtained by providing a request at 314.772.8004 or via mail. Postage fee of $2.50 will apply.

Sauce Magazine is printed on recycled paper using soy inks.

A $30 CHECK TO:

EDITORIAL POLICIES The Sauce Magazine mission is to provide St. Louis-area residents and visitors with unbiased, complete information on the area’s restaurant, bar and entertainment industry. Our editorial content is not influenced by who advertises with Sauce Magazine or saucemagazine.com.

Our reviewers are never provided with complimentary food or drinks from the restaurants in exchange for favorable reviews, nor are their identities as reviewers made known during their visits.

Detroit style I love the crispy cheese.

Stuffed crust. I love cheese.

sesame tofu at lemongrass, p. 26

Nudo House is an undisputed champ in the ramen game, which is why it reigns as the No. 1 Readers’ Choice pick in the category. The Shroomed Out is its dark horse masterpiece. With profound, earthy depth and waves of mushroom bliss that come from both its broth and the king oyster ’shrooms that float alongside wavy noodles, bok choy, menma (bamboo shoots) and a custardy ajitsuke tamago (ramen egg), this satisfying bowl of warmth is good any time of year.

the spicy chicken out sandwich at chicken out in the loop

list 4 new places to try this month

clockwise from bottom left: chicken out in the loop, perennial on lockwood's crispy chicken thigh sandwich, claire's grilled cheese from perennial on lockwood, the cheep & cheddar sandwich at chicken out

CHICKEN OUT

The masterminds behind Sugarfire Smoke House and Hi-Pointe Drive-In have created another winner with Chicken Out. The extremely punny menu is full of chicken dishes done right. Go for the Spicy Chicken Out sandwich, which layers a juicy, Nashville-style fillet with flavorful pickles and creamy Crystal hot sauce mayo on a Martin’s potato bun. The Fauxhawk, which you can also get spicy, is a perfect vegetarian option made with the locally produced Hungry Planet plant-based meat alternative. There are also lighter options, like the Asian kale salad with ginger vinaigrette and grilled sesame chicken, which was a refreshing, summery starter. Don’t forget the crinkle fries with chicken salt – how can you not try that?

6197 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314.384.1010, chickenoutchicken.com

PERENNIAL ON LOCKWOOD

We can’t think of a stronger power couple than Perennial Artisan Ales and Olive + Oak. Their joint venture, Perennial on Lockwood, just opened for lunch in Webster Groves, and it’s as good as you’d expect. Olive + Oak sous chef Joe Biondo joined forces with Perennial’s Evan Buchholz to create a lunch menu worth going out of your way for. We loved the Claire’s grilled cheese, which came oozing with Fontina and local Prairie Breeze on soft white country bread layered with a savory-sweet onion-thyme jam, and the crispy chicken thigh sandwich: a juicy fried thigh spiced with Sichuan peppercorn and a chili aioli for something way beyond hot sauce and mayo. The bibb wedge was also transcendent, layered with horseradish French dressing, lardons, julienned beets, onion and just-funky-enough gouda bleu. We can’t wait to try the Chicago-style fried bologna paired with our next lunch beer on the patio.

216 W. Lockwood Ave., Webster Groves, Facebook: Perennial on Lockwood

BARRIO

People who loved Barrio when it opened in 2018 might be confused to see it on a list of new restaurants. The spot quietly reopened on June 19 after almost a year-long hiatus. Though the space is the same, 2020 Barrio offers a short menu of smash burgers, sandwiches, fries, floats and milkshakes instead of 2018 Barrio’s street tacos and margaritas. “I wanted the new Barrio to be viable, and the neighborhood was asking for a burger joint. I built Fitz’s in The Loop and I just decided to go back to my roots,” said owner Alan Richman. Make your choice of a beef, turkey or Impossible burger topped with a list of add-ons – we suggest cheddar and caramelized onions. Crispy, crinkle cut fries and a Fitz’s root beer float made with Clementine’s vanilla ice cream are standby assists for a winning meal. And check back – the brief menu is growing quickly under chef Giovanni Robles.

740 DeMun Ave., Clayton, 314.725.0322, Facebook: Barrio

CELLAR HOUSE

What started in 2015 as a small South County wine bar attached to its sister bottle shop, Bottle Cellars, Cellar House has moved north a mile and expanded into a full-service, upscale restaurant. We are here for it. Start with the delightful Brussels sprouts salad with chunks of crunchy Fuji apple and tender butternut squash, along with dried cranberries, almonds, Parmesan, fennel and a not-too-sweet lemon-maple vinaigrette. We also liked the braised beef short rib, paired with a slightly salty Boursin polenta, crispy red onion, butternut squash, parsnips, asparagus and red wine braising jus. The poutine was a hit: french fries topped with beef short rib gravy and garlic-and-herb cheese curds.

5634 Telegraph Road, Oakville, 314.846.5100, cellarhousestl.com

Black is Beautiful

readers' choice favorite brewery

By Heather Hughes Huff

This is probably the only time that you will be able to enjoy the same beer made by four different Readers’ Choice winners. Your No. 1 favorite brewery, 4 Hands Brewing Co., along with 2nd Shift Brewing (honorable mention), Schlafly (honorable mention), Side Project Brewing (No. 3 favorite beer bar) and other local favorites like Perennial Artisan Ales, Main & Mill Brewing Co., Wellspent Brewing Co. and Earthbound Beer, have joined more than 900 breweries from across the world in making a stout called Black is Beautiful.

Weathered Souls Brewing Co., a black-owned brewery in San Antonio, Texas, launched the collaboration

to draw attention to racial injustice, raise funds for those harmed by police brutality and promote inclusivity in the brewing community. Each brewery can put its own spin on Weathered Souls’ base recipe, and 100% of the beer’s proceeds go to an organization of the breweries’ choice that supports the Black is Beautiful mission.

After the protests against police brutality in Minnesota, 2nd Shift coowner Libby Crider was looking for opportunities like Black is Beautiful. “I was feeling frustrated about what I could do to help,” Crider said. “I wanted to actually do something. This was one of the ways we could

actively participate and raise funds.” 2nd Shift had been planning a brewing collaboration with beer writer Chalonda White (Afro Beer Chick), which was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, they worked together virtually on Black is Beautiful, staying true to Weathered Souls’ original recipe.

Other breweries put their own spin on the recipe, like 4 Hands, which produced a 10% Imperial milk stout with maple syrup, cacao nibs and coffee. Owner Kevin Lemp said he thinks people will be excited to try many versions of the beer. “It’s unique that every brewery that is doing this project has their own take on it.

Hopefully that gets more traction to what the project represents.”

Both 4 Hands and 2nd Shift plan to make several versions and continue to raise money. “It’s important to keep the discussion going – not just throw some money at it and go on with our lives,” Crider said. “The discusson and the movement – it’s important for us to keep it going until Black lives matter.”

2nd Shift is donating the proceeds from its first Black is Beautiful stout to Black Lives Matter, and plans to donate to other organizations as it makes more beer. Along with Schlafly and Perennial, 4 Hands is donating to the Missouri Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which defends civil liberty in Missouri through means like legal advocacy and legislative education programs. Other organizations receiving funds from local breweries include Action St. Louis, Arch City Defenders and the Close the Workhouse Campaign.

From left, Earthbound Beer's Jeff Siddons and Saint Louis Hop Shop’s Justin Harris. Earthbound partnered with Saint Louis Hop Shop to make its Black is Beautiful stout, adding

READERS' CHOICE WINNERS

Readers’ Choice feels a little different this year. Saucy Soirée, our annual tasting party to celebrate the winners, was canceled due to the coronavirus. Many of St. Louis’ favorite restaurants, bars and shops are temporarily closed. Some winners have opened and then been forced to shut their doors again. It may not feel like a time for celebration, but we believe that makes it all the more important to honor St. Louis’ most beloved food and drink establishments.

Congratulations to all the 2020 Readers’ Choice favorites and thank you for everything you do for St. Louis!

your favorite places to eat

FAVORITE RESTAURANT

OLIVE + OAK

216 W. Lockwood Ave., Webster Groves, 314.736.1370, oliveandoakstl.com

2nd: Sugarfire Smoke House

3rd: Twisted Tree Steakhouse

Honorable Mentions: Balkan Treat Box, Eleven Eleven Mississippi

FAVORITE NEW

RESTAURANT OF 2019

BALKAN

TREAT BOX

8013 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314.733.5700, balkantreatbox.com

2nd: Indo

3rd: Beast Butcher & Block, Taco Circus (tie)

Honorable Mentions: Utah Station, Mayo Ketchup

CHEF OF THE YEAR

RICK LEWIS, GRACE MEAT + THREE

4270 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314.533.2700, stlgrace.com

2nd: Matt Glickert, Sugarfire Smoke House

3rd: Katie Collier, Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria

Honorable Mentions: Jesse Mendica, Olive + Oak; Gerard Craft, Niche Food Group

FAVORITE BARBECUE

SUGARFIRE

SMOKE HOUSE

Various locations, sugarfiresmokehouse.com

2nd: Salt + Smoke

3rd: Beast Craft BBQ Co.

Honorable Mentions: Pappy’s Smokehouse, Hogtown Smokehouse

FAVORITE BRUNCH THE SHACK

Various locations, eatatshack.com

2nd: Rooster, Russell’s on Macklind (tie)

3rd: Southwest Diner

Honorable Mentions: Sqwires

Restaurant & Annex, Egg Restaurant

FAVORITE BURGER MAC’S LOCAL EATS

1821 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314.393.7713, macslocaleats.com

2nd: Hi-Pointe Drive-In

3rd: Stacked STL Burger Bar

Honorable Mentions: Brasswell at Rockwell Beer Co., O’Connell’s Pub (tie)

FAVORITE CAJUN/ CREOLE

BROADWAY OYSTER BAR

736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314.621.8811,

broadwayoysterbar.com

2nd: Highway 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen

3rd: Sister Cities Cajun, Gulf Shores Restaurant & Grill (tie)

Honorable Mentions: Boogaloo, Evangeline’s Bistro and Music House

FAVORITE CHICKEN WINGS

SYBERG’S

Various locations, sybergs.com

2nd: Sugarfire Smoke House

3rd: Grace Meat + Three

Honorable Mentions: St. Louis

Pizza and Wings, Peel Wood Fired Pizza

FAVORITE CHINESE

MAI LEE

8396 Musick Memorial Drive, Brentwood, 314.645.2835, maileestl.com

2nd: Lona’s Lil Eats

3rd: China King

Honorable Mentions: Lu Lu Seafood & Dim Sum, Bo Fung Chinese Kitchen

FAVORITE DELI/ SANDWICH SHOP

BLUES CITY DELI

2438 McNair Ave., St. Louis, 314.773.8225, bluescitydeli.com

2nd: Gioia’s Deli

3rd: Mom’s Deli

Honorable Mentions: The Gramophone, Union Loafers Café and Bread Bakery

FAVORITE DINER SOUTHWEST DINER

6803 Southwest Ave., St. Louis, 314.260.7244, southwestdinerstl.com

2nd: Uncle Bill’s Pancake House

3rd: Chris’ Pancake And Dining

Honorable Mentions: Benton Park Café, Courtesy Diner

FAVORITE DOUGHNUT SHOP

DONUT DRIVE-IN

6525 Chippewa St., St. Louis, 314.645.7714, Facebook: Donut Drive-In

2nd: World’s Fair Doughnuts

3rd: Strange Donuts

Honorable Mentions: Old Town Donut Shop, Vincent Van Doughnut

FAVORITE FINE DINING

OLIVE + OAK

216 W. Lockwood Ave., Webster Groves, 314.736.1370, oliveandoakstl.com

2nd: Annie Gunn’s, Sidney Street Café (tie)

3rd: Tony’s

Honorable Mentions: Eleven Eleven Mississippi, Louie

FAVORITE FOOD TRUCK GUERRILLA STREET FOOD TRUCK

314.529.1328

2nd: Seoul Taco Food Truck

3rd: Mission Taco Truck

Honorable Mentions: Farmtruk Food Truck, Essentially Fries (tie)

FAVORITE FRIED CHICKEN

GRACE MEAT + THREE 4270 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314.533.2700, stlgrace.com

2nd: Hodak’s Restaurant & Bar

3rd: The Original Crusoe’s Restaurant

Honorable Mentions: Southern, Byrd & Barrel

FAVORITE FROZEN DESSERT TED DREWES FROZEN CUSTARD

6726 Chippewa St., St. Louis, 314.481.2652; 4224 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314.352.7376, teddrewes.com

2nd: Clementine’s Creamery

3rd: Ices Plain & Fancy

Honorable Mentions: Fritz’s Frozen Custard, Serendipity Homemade Ice Cream

pho ga at mai lee, your favorite vietnamese restaurant

FAVORITE GREEK

OLYMPIA KEBOB HOUSE AND TAVERNA

1543 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, 314.781.1299, olympiakebobandtavern.com

2nd: Michael’s Bar & Grill

3rd: Anthonino’s Taverna

Honorable Mentions: Spiro’s Restaurant, Soulard Gyro

FAVORITE INDIAN HOUSE OF INDIA

RESTAURANT

8501 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314.567.6850, hoistl.com

2nd: Himalayan Yeti

3rd: Everest Cafe & Bar

Honorable Mentions: India Palace, Rasoi

FAVORITE ITALIAN ANTHONINO’S TAVERNA

2225 Macklind Ave., St. Louis, 314.773.4455, anthoninos.com

2nd: Cunetto’s House of Pasta

3rd: Trattoria Marcella

Honorable Mentions: Zia’s on the Hill, Pastaria

FAVORITE KOREAN SEOUL TACO

Various locations, seoultaco.com

2nd: Oriental Spoon 3rd: K-Bop

Honorable Mention: Seoul Garden, Kimchi Guys

FAVORITE MEDITERRANEAN/ MIDDLE EASTERN BALKAN TREAT BOX

8013 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314.733.5700, balkantreatbox.com

2nd: Aya Sofia Restaurant 3rd: Layla

Honorable Mentions: Cafe Natasha, The Vine Mediterranean Cafe

3rd: Billy G’s Kirkwood

Honorable Mentions: The Boathouse at Forest Park, Molly’s in Soulard

FAVORITE PIZZA PLACE

IMO’S

Various locations, imospizza.com

2nd: Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria

3rd: Peel Wood Fired Pizza

Honorable Mentions:

Blackthorn Pub, Union Loafers

Café and Bread Bakery

FAVORITE RAMEN

NUDO HOUSE STL

Various locations, nudohousestl.com

2nd: Robata Maplewood

3rd: Blue Ocean Restaurant

Honorable Mentions: Midtown Sushi & Ramen, Nami Ramen

FAVORITE ROMANTIC SPOT

VIN DE SET

2017 Chouteau Ave., St. Louis, 314.241.8989, vindeset.com

2nd: Baileys’ Chocolate Bar

3rd: Sidney Street Café

Honorable Mentions: Elmwood, Billie Jean

FAVORITE MEXICAN

CHAVA’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT

925 Geyer Ave., St. Louis, 314.241.5503, chavasmexican.com

2nd: Taco Circus

3rd: Hacienda Mexican Restaurant

Honorable Mentions: La Catrina, Rosalita’s Cantina, Mi Ranchito (tie)

FAVORITE PAN-ASIAN/ ASIAN FUSION

SEOUL TACO

Various locations, seoultaco.com

2nd: Guerrilla Street Food

3rd: Indo

Honorable Mentions: Kounter Kulture, Copper Pig

FAVORITE PATIO

JOHN D. MCGURK’S IRISH PUB AND GARDEN

1200 Russell Blvd., St. Louis, 314.766.8309, mcgurks.com

2nd: Rockwell Beer Co., Vin de Set (tie)

2nd: Annie Gunn’s, Twisted Tree Steakhouse (tie)

3rd: Citizen Kane’s Steak House Honorable Mentions: The Tenderloin Room, Hamilton’s Urban Steakhouse

FAVORITE SUSHI SUSHI AI

Various locations, sushiaistlouis.com

2nd: Cafe Mochi

3rd: Indo, Nippon Tei (tie) Honorable Mentions: Blue Ocean Restaurant, Kampai Sushi Bar

FAVORITE TACOS MISSION

TACO JOINT

Various locations, missiontacojoint.com

2nd: Taco Circus

3rd: Seoul Taco Honorable Mentions: Chava’s Mexican Restaurant, Taco Buddha

FAVORITE THAI KING & I THAI RESTAURANT

3155 S. Grand Ave., St. Louis, 314.771.1777, kingandistl.com

FAVORITE SEAFOOD PEACEMAKER

LOBSTER & CRAB

1831 Sidney St., St. Louis, 314.772.8858, peacemakerlobstercrab.com

2nd: Broadway Oyster Bar

3rd: Yellowbelly

Honorable Mentions: Gulf Shores Restaurant & Grill, Oceano Bistro

FAVORITE SOUL FOOD/ SOUTHERN GRACE MEAT + THREE

4270 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314.533.2700, stlgrace.com

2nd: C and C Food for Your Soul

3rd: Southern

Honorable Mentions: Juniper, Sweetie Pie’s Upper Crust

FAVORITE STEAKHOUSE TUCKER’S PLACE

Various locations, tuckersplacestl.com

2nd: Fork & Stix

3rd: Chao Baan

Honorable Mentions: Pad Thai Kitchen, Basil Spice Thai Cuisine

FAVORITE VEGETARIAN/ VEGAN

LONA’S LIL EATS

2199 California Ave., St. Louis, 314.925.1888, lonaslileats.com

2nd: Utah Station

3rd: Source Juicery

Honorable Mentions: Everest Cafe & Bar, SweetArt

FAVORITE

VIETNAMESE

MAI LEE

8396 Musick Memorial Drive, Brentwood, 314.645.2835, maileestl.com

2nd: Pho Grand Restaurant

3rd: Banh Mi So 1

Honorable Mentions: Lemongrass, DD Mau Vietnamese Eatery

PHOTO BY JULIA CALLEO

po' boys at peacemaker lobster & crab, your favorite seafood restaurant

dishes from chef of the year, rick lewis at grace chicken + fish

2nd: Urban Chestnut

Brewing Co.

3rd: Rockwell Beer Co.

Honorable Mentions: Schlafly, 2nd Shift Brewing

FAVORITE COCKTAILS

PLANTER’S HOUSE

BARTENDER OF THE YEAR

MORGAINE SEGURA, OLIVE + OAK

216 W. Lockwood Ave., Webster Groves, 314.736.1370, oliveandoakstl.com

2nd: Jeffrey Moll, Planter’s House

3rd: Tim Wiggins, Yellowbelly

Honorable Mentions: Kyle Mathis, Westport Social

FAVORITE BEER BAR

INTERNATIONAL TAP HOUSE (ITAP)

Various locations, internationaltaphouse.com

2nd: Gezellig

3rd: The Side Project Cellar

Honorable Mentions: Three Kings Public House, Amsterdam Tavern

FAVORITE BREWERY

4 HANDS BREWING CO.

1220 S. Eighth St., St. Louis, 314.436.1559, 4handsbrewery.com

1000 Mississippi Ave., St. Louis, 314.696.2603, plantershousestl.com

2nd: Narwhal’s Crafted

3rd: Olive + Oak

Honorable Mentions: The Royale, Taste

FAVORITE COFFEE SHOP

KALDI’S COFFEE HOUSE

Various locations, kaldiscoffee.com

2nd: The Mud House

3rd: Blueprint Coffee Honorable Mentions: Sump Coffee, Park Avenue Coffee

FAVORITE GAMES BAR

WESTPORT SOCIAL

910 W. Port Plaza Drive, St. Louis, 314.548.2876, westportsocial-stl.com

2nd: Recess STL

3rd: 4 Hands Brewing Co.

Honorable Mentions: Pieces, Blueberry Hill

3rd: 33 Wine Shop & Bar

Honorable Mentions: One 19 North Tapas and Wine Bar, Olio

FAVORITE LOCAL WINERY

WILD SUN WINERY

4830 Pioneer Road, Hillsboro, 636.797.8686, wildsun.com

2nd: Chandler Hill Vineyards, Cedar Lake Cellars Winery (tie)

3rd: Montelle Winery

Honorable Mentions: St.

James Winery, Chaumette Vineyard and Winery

2nd: Bolyard’s Meat & Provisions

3rd: G & W Bavarian Style Sausage Co.

Honorable Mentions:

LeGrand’s Market & Catering, Beast Butcher & Block

FAVORITE CAKES/ PASTRIES

NATHANIEL

REID BAKERY

11243 Manchester Road, Kirkwood, 314.858.1019, nrbakery.com

2nd: The Missouri Baking Co.

3rd: La Patisserie Chouquette

Honorable Mentions: Russell’s on Macklind, Jilly’s Cupcake & Ice Cream Bar

FAVORITE HAPPY HOUR

MISSION TACO JOINT

Various locations, missiontacojoint.com

2nd: Three Kings Public House

3rd: Helen Fitzgerald’s Honorable Mentions: Narwhal’s Crafted, Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria

FAVORITE PUB

JOHN D. MCGURK’S

IRISH PUB AND GARDEN

1200 Russell Blvd., St. Louis, 314.766.8309, mcgurks.com

2nd: The Scottish Arms

3rd: Llywelyn’s Pub, Seamus McDaniel’s (tie)

Honorable Mentions: Helen Fitzgerald’s, The Pat Connolly Tavern

FAVORITE SPORTS BAR

SYBERG’S

Various locations, sybergs.com

2nd: Amsterdam Tavern

3rd: The Post Sports Bar & Grill

Honorable Mentions: Westport Social, Billy G’s Kirkwood

FAVORITE WINE BAR

SASHA’S WINE BAR

706 DeMun Ave, St. Louis, 314.863.7274, sashaswinebar.com

2nd: Robust Wine Bar

your favorite places to shop

FAVORITE BREAD UNION LOAFERS CAFÉ AND BREAD BAKERY

1629 Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis, 314.833.6111, unionloafers.com

2nd: Companion Baking

3rd: The Missouri Baking Co., Vitale’s Bakery (tie) Honorable Mentions: 222 Artisan Bakery, Knead Bakehouse & Provisions

FAVORITE BOTTLE SHOP

RANDALL’S WINE & SPIRITS

Various locations, shoprandalls.com

2nd: The Wine & Cheese Place

3rd: Gezellig Honorable Mentions: Intoxicology, 33 Wine Shop & Bar

FAVORITE BUTCHER SHOP

KENRICK’S MEAT MARKET

4234 Weber Road, St. Louis, 314.631.2440, kenricks.com

FAVORITE FARMERS MARKET

SOULARD FARMERS MARKET

730 Carroll St., St. Louis, 314.622.4180, soulardmarket.com

2nd: Tower Grove Farmers’ Market

3rd: Kirkwood Farmers’ Market

Honorable Mentions: Lake Saint Louis Farmers and Artists Market, Ferguson Farmers Market

FAVORITE LOCAL GROCERY

DIERBERGS MARKETS

Various locations, dierbergs.com

2nd: Schnucks

3rd: DiGregorio’s Italian Market

Honorable Mention: Straub’s, LeGrand’s Market & Catering

FAVORITE SPECIALTY SHOP

CROWN CANDY KITCHEN

1401 St. Louis Ave., St. Louis, 314.621.9650, crowncandykitchen.net

2nd: Parker’s Table

3rd: Bob’s Seafood Honorable Mentions: Volpi Foods, The Smokehouse Market

drinks at westport social, your favorite games bar

How to build a home bar

Creating the bar of your dreams may seem like a tediously expensive task, especially if you’re not sure how to most efficiently spend your money. With an oversaturation of options, both booze- and tool-wise, you could easily spend some big bucks, but blowing your budget isn’t necessary. By picking up a few key products, you’ll have a ballin’ bar to start (for under $250) and can slowly add other items as your budget allows.

Stocking the best base spirits is of paramount priority. Begin with a few whiskey options. Let’s start in the USA: Fistful of Bourbon ($20) is made by blending five distinct styles of straight bourbon and increases depth and versatility in cocktails. You’ll also want a blended malt scotch whiskey like Monkey Shoulder ($30), which is great for mixing drinks or as a nice dram to sip on alone. Don’t miss out on the ever-increasing popularity of Irish whiskey. We recommend Tullamore DEW ($22) with a full structure from its triple-grain recipe that’s perfect in an Irish coffee or paired as a shot with your favorite pint of beer.

Next up, you’ll need gin. Hendrick’s ($30), for example, is meticulously crafted to be balanced and

approachable while offering aspects of floral, citrus and earth. We then head south to the land of tequila. Milagro Silver ($28) is twice distilled using column and pot stills and utilizes fully matured agave to preserve every bit of flavor. Finally, round out the base spirits with rum and vodka. Flor De Cana Rum ($17) is a richbodied tipple made at the base of a volcano, while Reyka Vodka ($18) hails from the island of Iceland and is filtered through lava rock.

Once your base spirits are covered, make sure your ice game is on point. The Frost Silicone Round Ice Cube Tray with a 2½ -inch mold ($11) is excellent to keep your drinks cold without excessive dilution. Keeping your ice sealed with an Oxo Silicone Covered Ice Tray ($13) will ensure that pesky freezer odors don’t translate into unintentional flavors in your drink.

No home bar is complete without a few basic mixers. We suggest Q Ginger Ale ($5), Fentiman’s Tonic ($7), Schweppes Club Soda ($3) and fresh citrus ($10). To impart sweetness, make your own simple syrup by mixing equal parts sugar and hot water. Other sweeteners include honey ($3) or dark agave nectar ($6).

If you’ve stocked your bar with all of the above and still have cash to spare, the following additions can add depth to your cocktails. Modifiers like Cointreau orange liqueur ($20), sweet or dry vermouth ($12 each) and Campari bitter Italian liqueur ($28) add variance to your cocktails while broadening the variety of classic cocktails you can make. For spice, you will want some bitters, and three reign supreme in the world of classic drinks: Angostura ($7) for an earthy, round flavour, Peychaud’s ($6) for an herbal touch, and Regan’s ($6) for a hint of orange.

Finally, don’t forget the groovy glassware. Great deals on vintage punchbowls, coupes, rocks and Collins glasses can be found at thrift stores and flea markets (prices range from $10 to $100 for a full set). Finally, round out that growing home bar with a few key tools (most under $20): a paring knife, a muddler with a smooth bottom (toothed muddlers will shred your herbs and fruit, releasing too much bitterness), stirring spoons and glasses, a tin shaker and, last but not least, a strainer. Cheers!

PHOTOS BY KEYAN STILL

PHOTO BY VIRGINIA HAROLD

The (south) Grand Tour

By Heather Hughes Huff and Adam Rothbarth

South Grand is a wonderful place to eat. The boulevard’s carryout options are ideal for a socially distanced picnic at neighboring Tower Grove Park, and from sushi and Thai to pizza, hummus and crepes, it truly has something for everyone. Nowhere in the greater St. Louis area can one find a more concentrated grouping of Readers’ Choice winners. Here are 10 of your favorite spots.

Banh Mi So 1

Favorite Vietnamese, 3rd place 4071 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314.353.0545, banhmiso1.com

A neon sign in the window of Banh Mi So 1 reads, “Best Spring Rolls in St. Louis.” Unlike most signs like that, this one is absolutely true. The Goi Cuon Chay (famous mung bean) is vigorously fresh and comes with a sauce full of herbs and deep, punchy acidity. The rest of the menu – banh mi, curries and rice dishes – proves the restaurant’s greatness extends far beyond its appetizers.

LemonGrass

Favorite Vietnamese, honorable mention 3161 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314.664.6702, lemongrass-rest.com

LemonGrass’ Vietnamese food is dependable and refreshing. Its masterful rice hot pots are worth the journey alone, and the vast vegetarian menu, with eternal hits like sesame tofu (tangy, beautifully fried tofu with broccoli) and curry eggplant (stirfried eggplant with vegetables and coconut milk), abounds with winners.

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previous page: banh mi so 1 owners lynn and thomas truong; dishes from lemongrass

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DAVID KOVALUK

Pho Grand

Favorite Vietnamese, 2nd place 3195 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314.664.7435, phogrand.com

Pho Grand offers a massive Vietnamese menu with all the bun (vermicelli noodle bowls), banh cuon (rice flour crepes) and noodle- and rice-based entrees you could ask for. But you know why you’re here. The pho ga (chicken and rice noodle) soup is a solid choice with a flavorful chicken broth, but if you can only try one, the pho bac biet (beef and rice noodle soup) is where it’s at. Labeled “Pho Grand’s special combination,” it comes with medium-rare round steak, lean brisket, meatballs and tripe.

above: from left, pho grand servers anh tuan nguyen and arny wichaya and owner tami trinh; opposite page: pho bac biet at pho grand

Cafe Natasha

Favorite Mediterranean/Middle Eastern, honorable mention 3200 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314.771.3411, cafenatasha.com

Open for more than 35 years, Cafe Natasha has some seriously devoted regulars. Co-owner Natasha Bahrami attributes her family restaurant’s continued success to her mother, Hamish Bahrami. “Mom is still in kitchen,” Natasha said. “She’s still there, still cooking the food and prepping the food and sometimes now even serving the food.” Don’t miss Hamish’s signature kashke bademjune – grilled, sauteed eggplant topped with caramelized mint and onion – and her popular lamb biryani pilaf, a braised lamb dish featuring biryani rice with chickpeas, caramelized onion, cumin and lamb broth.

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Basil Spice

Favorite Thai, honorable mention

3183 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314.578.9541, Facebook: Basil Spice

This South Grand staple offers a long menu of Thai favorites from num nam tok beef salad to its popular curries. The restaurant’s presumed namesake, pad krapao, just called “basil” on the menu, offers crisp vegetables and your choice of protein swimming in a savory sauce with lingering heat and sweetness.

Blackthorn Pub and Pizza

Favorite Pizza Place, honorable mention

3735 Wyoming St., St. Louis, 314.776.0534, Facebook: Blackthorn Pub and Pizza

Listen, we know that Blackthorn isn’t technically on Grand. We don’t care. Its insanely cheesy, oregano-forward deep-dish pizza is a wonderful departure from all the St. Louis- and New Yorkstyle pies you can get in the area. The garlic cheese bread is also great. Even though it’s often a Readers’ Choice, it still feels like an underground spot.

King and I Thai Restaurant

Favorite Thai, 1st place

3155 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314.771.1777, kingandistl.com

The King and I is the quintessential American Thai restaurant –and has been since it opened as St. Louis’ first in 1980. Its menu offers the gamut of classics like tom yum soup, spicy kee mao noodles and comforting pad thai, along with crowd pleasers like crab rangoon and Chinese fried rice. Our current obsession is the spicy, coconut-y panang curry. It is bright but rich and warming, with serious heat and a substantial, creamy broth.

Cafe Mochi

Favorite Sushi, 2nd place

3221 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314.773.5000, cafemochi.com

Cafe Mochi’s sushi rolls are affordable even when its famous happy hour deals aren’t offered. One of the most popular rolls is the Volcano, filled with tempura shrimp, asparagus and avocado, and topped with crab, scallops, spicy mayo, eel sauce and roe. Indulgent sushi rolls aren’t the only thing on offer. Owner Victor Pham said his family’s Vietnamese dishes, especially the pho, are a sleeper hit on the menu. “We

opposite page: panang curry at king and i thai restaurant; right, banh mi so 1’s famous mung bean spring rolls

cook in a natural way – the way we cook for ourselves,” he explained as the reason for their success.

Rooster

Favorite Brunch, 2nd place (tied with Russell’s on Macklind) 3150 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314.772.3447, roosterstl.com

If you drive past Dave Bailey’s brunch mecca on a weekend, you’ll see dozens of people waiting to get in – it’s just part of the experience. You’re sure to score among Rooster’s massive list of staples, ranging from sandwiches and scrambles to crepes and slingers. The vegan slinger, with savory, peppery gravy and house-made focaccia, is an awesome on-menu option for plantbased diners. (And it tastes even better doused in Cholula and paired with a bloody mary).

The Vine

Favorite Mediterranean/Middle Eastern, honorable mention 3171 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314.776.0991, thevinestl.com

The Vine has, hands down, one of the best salads in St. Louis: the fatoush with falafel. But the menu of Mediterranean delights goes far beyond that. The creamy baba ghanoush is a must, as are the luxurious makdoos (cured eggplant with pomegranate sauce). And pardon us if you already know this, but the fries are low-key amazing.

drunk in love

how olive + oak’s morgaine segura fell hard for bartending

by adam rothbarth // photos by izaiah johnson

When most children are 8 years old, they’re taking down limitless amounts of soda and candy and fantasizing about what their school cafeteria might serve for lunch. When Morgaine Segura was 8, she was discovering wine and mastering the Negroni.

Her playground was her mintfilled backyard and her play dates were with industry professionals at her parents’ parties. Her mother was a photographer for bars and cocktail competitions, so it only made sense that the staff of Sanctuaria would wind up at the Seguras’ house on Derby Day and the Fourth of July.

In addition to the parties, Segura was receiving sommelier training

in St. Louis that she officially found her door to the big leagues: barbacking at the Moonrise Hotel.

from her father, who had been taking level 2 classes. “He would bring a bottle of wine home after his class and he would go through our kitchen cabinets and pull out a bunch of different spices and herbs,” Segura said. “We would have to go through and pick out what we could smell in the wine from the herb and spice containers. I use those skills often.” Though she did not imbibe many of those drinks, she began to love what they meant for her. While most kids her age were deciding to be astronauts or firefighters, Segura knew she wanted to be a bartender.

She started by working as a dishwasher at Morgan Le Fay’s Tapas Bar & Lounge in Town and Country when she was 14. “I was like, ‘I’ll do anything,’” Segura said. “I would go up on my day off and ask questions. I tried to force my way into it, but I was too young to do that.” Soon after, she found herself working in a tap room in Vermont while attending college; then it was a short stint in New York City. But it was back

“It was kind of like any fantasy that I had about bartending,” Segura reminisced. “It was fast-paced – a party bar.” While working, she observed bartenders Seth Wahlman and Charlie Martin. Watching them, she took in lessons about speed and quality. It was almost like a boot camp. “I was like, ‘Alright, these guys are putting out really awesome drinks so quickly. It’s five deep right now and they’re making six-touch cocktails. I don’t believe this.’” She was overwhelmed and felt that she may never be as fast or confident as her new mentors, but she persisted. As she increased in confidence, she also got to know Martin better. “I would definitely say we both had a crush on each other, but it took a while because we didn’t want to date someone we were working with. We tried to not for a long time.” But after about eight months, they did start dating. They got married in 2017.

While still working full time at the Moonrise, Segura started hosting at The Libertine to study cocktails with bartenders like Ben Bauer and Naomi Roquet. The Clayton restaurant’s more eclectic bar offered new opportunities to go deeper and refine her skills. “I never bartended there, but I feel like I interviewed them a lot,” Segura said. “I would go in on my days off. [Bauer] would teach me how he does things. We would work Sunday brunch, and when it was slow, [Roquet] would let me taste all the spirits.” After work, she’d retire elsewhere to decompress and drink. Her favorite spot at the time was the recently opened Olive + Oak.

“Charlie took me there on one of our first dates. I was super confused about why he was taking me to the county, what we were doing this far west,” she said, laughing. But after one trip she was sold. Olive + Oak became her regular post-shift

#78 cocktail at olive + oak, made with rye, tart cherry and spiced bitters the bar at olive + oak’s new location

hangout, the endgame of a mad rush from The Libertine, which closed at 9 p.m., just an hour before the Webster Groves hot spot. She and her friends would enjoy chef Jesse Mendica’s dynamic New American menu and sip cocktails from bartender Chelsea Little.

One day, as she contemplated her love for her new favorite restaurant, something clicked. If she liked Olive + Oak so much, why not just work there? She filled out an application, but was discouraged when nobody contacted her. “I knew that I didn’t get it and I was like, ‘Whatever,’” Segura said wistfully. “I had moved up to bartender at Moonrise.” Six weeks later, the phone rang.

She started as a bartender at Olive + Oak, but quickly secured the position of bar manager. “I don’t know that I ever set out wanting to be a bar manager,” Segura reflected. “I’m maybe a little bit bossy and I naturally want to organize things.” The position gave her the latitude to think about what kind of bar she wanted to run, so she approached owner Mark Hinkle with some ideas. “Can I be OK to, like, change some stuff?” she asked him. “Of course,” he said.

She strived to add more consistency measures and started to develop a pedagogy for the bar staff built off of her own learning

experiences at the Moonrise and The Libertine, and her childhood home before that. Rather than teaching her bartenders a menu, she wanted to give them a base of knowledge, a background for the drinks they were making. Instead of drilling into her bartenders a particular cocktail’s list of ingredients, for example, she’d explain why a specific bourbon was the best choice. “I’m trying to help raise another generation of bartenders,” she said.

Segura also beefed up the staff, which included convincing Martin to follow her to Olive + Oak. “I tried to get him to work there pretty much as soon as I started,” she said. “It’s a great place to work and I wanted Charlie to experience that too.” At the Moonrise, Segura and Martin had only worked together about one shift every other week since there were multiple bars. But Olive + Oak had one small bar. “I always say that it exhilarates our relationship. We spend all our time together,” she said.

Though she adored her new home, she knew it wasn’t perfect. There were some issues with the equipment, and the space and seating were limited. “The beer drains… there wasn’t even a drain. It was just a hole that was leading straight to the bottom of the cooler that had a golf tee wrapped in plastic wrap in there,” she explained. So she took it as welcome news when Hinkle announced he was going to move Olive + Oak to a new location and wanted the staff to help design the bar.

Olive + Oak bought the former Auto Body Specialists building at 216 W. Lockwood Ave., a massive, 20,000-square-foot complex with room for multiple new establishments. Soon, plans to add a private event space and partner with Perennial Artisan Ales on a brewpub emerged. The new Olive + Oak opened at the end of June.

olive + oak bar manager

morgaine segura

“We had a pretty decent amount of input,” Segura said, and the bar team got a lot of what they wanted, including a 24-seat bar –twice the size of the former one –and a massive walk-in cooler.

“Everything is so pristine,” Segura said. “The way that everything is set up is just going to make it so easy for us to do our jobs, and so possible for us to put out 400 cocktails a night, if that’s what we need to do.” Now, when customers are five deep, ordering six-touch cocktails, she’s the one the other bartenders are watching.

RC Favorite Restaurant

RC Favorite Fine Dining

RC Bartender of the Year

RC #3 Favorite Cocktails

Olive + Oak, 216 W. Lockwood Ave., Webster Groves, 314.736.1370, oliveandoakstl.com the #330 cocktail, made with mezcal, tequila, raspberry, orgeat, lime and besk

Even with a brand new space to play in, Segura and Martin still discuss fantasies of opening their own bar one day. “We would have a big list of classics, some funky wine, lots of cheese,” she speculated. “We pick out buildings that our bar would go into all the time.” In her mind, Martin’s background in finance combined with his charm with customers make him a sure bet for success in managing the spot. Plus, she and her husband have already mastered working together. “I think it’s really cool to feel like I don’t have to censor myself as much,” she said. “We can be open and really honest with each other. He’s like a coworker that you 100% trust and who has your best interest in mind.” Still, among all the unknowns, Segura is sure of two things: Wherever she is, she’ll always want to be behind the bar 60 hours a week, and Martin will have a bar “one day soon.”

There’s something else she and Martin are going to have one day soon: a baby. She’s due in December, but that hasn’t stopped her from charging full force into the new Olive + Oak space and making it her own. Segura has come full circle, from a child dreaming about gin drinks and mint gardens to a woman teaching a fleet of younger bartenders to make cocktails she’s can’t currently drink. “It’s a refreshing break,” she admitted. “I haven’t not drank in a long time. It’s a new perspective.” She’s certainly earned a break.

readers' choice favorite new restaurant

BALKAN TREAT BOX

When chef Loryn Nalic recreated her and her husband Edo Nalic’s favorite dishes from the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe for Balkan Treat Box, she found the perfect nexus of nostalgia and technique. “I had to figure out what made [the street food] so special,” she said. “A lot of it was the hustle and bustle of downtown Sarajevo, the smells of charcoal and wood – all of these elements going together.” After years of development, she arrived at a menu spectacular enough to make Balkan Treat Box both our readers’ Favorite New Restaurant and Favorite Mediterranean/Middle Eastern. Here are three of Nalic’s favorites. – Adam Rothbarth

Balkan Treat Box, 8103 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314.733.5700, balkantreatbox.com

Pide

“I knew I needed to utilize the wood-burning oven that we had welded to the food truck – that’s how the pide was born. That’s something I fell in love with – it’s very similar to pizza. In early Balkan Treat Box, it was a cheese pide. It was long and skinny and wasn’t attractive. Once we got customers, it had its own evolution, its own glow-up. It’s my menu darling. It’s tasty, it hits all the notes. It makes you feel the feels.”

Cevapi

“Cevapi probably means the most to me, with the connection to my husband’s family and the memory of that. Cevapi is different for everybody, depending on where you’re from in the Balkans. The dish is so simple; I had to figure out what made it so special there. When I came back to do our version, I was hitting a lot of road blocks because I didn’t have the equipment. [It was] trial and error in my house, on my backyard grill, in my oven. It was a long and hard process to get it to where it is now.”

Patlidzan

“It’s one of those sandwiches that you look at and you’re like, ‘That’s a lot of ingredients…’ And then you eat it and it’s joyful. You really have to like eggplant to enjoy it – it’s a textural thing. I had an eggplant dip with egg that was part of this Turkish breakfast. It was funny to me that they were putting eggplant with egg. Egg and egg! I wanted to play around with that. It’s creamy and crunchy. There’s vinegar. There’s all these elements that are surprising.”

PHOTOS BY MEERA NAGARAJAN

S A T IS H KU M AR

House of India is this year’s Readers’ Choice Favorite Indian. The local institution’s many regulars might be surprised to hear that owner Satish Kumar never wanted to open a restaurant. Both his father and grandfather ran restaurants in India, but when Kumar left everything and moved alone to the U.S. at age 24, he wanted something different. His positive outlook has seen him through countless changed plans, running a restaurant for a quarter century, and now it is seeing him and House of India through the coronavirus pandemic.

– Heather Hughes Huff

OWNER, HOUSE OF INDIA

“We celebrated 25 years in business this December. It was a big achievement – not too many restaurants make 25 years, you know. For me, all 25 years, it’s all meant to be. You don’t know where you’re going – we never wanted to come to St. Louis, and then it happened. Never thought of staying 25 years, but every day is a blessing. … I never wanted to open the restaurant, but I just love it now. I like it – what life has given me. I have no regrets.”

“My grandfather had a dhaba – that’s a street-side restaurant right on the main roads. You don’t have a big menu there, you have like four or five items you make every day and sell. At that time there were no ACs, and it used to be open – there were walls, but the whole thing was like a patio.”

“My dad always wanted me to go and do something different – go to college and do something. But I landed in the same business, you know. I always say whatever is meant to be, it’s going to come whether you like it or not. It just comes to you, and if you accept it happily, you live happily forever.”

“Which Wich, we opened in 2015. We wanted to see a franchise, hoping it could help us later; wanted to see how it works, how easy it is and all that. And now we know – it’s not that easy. The restaurant industry itself is not easy, to be honest.”

“Going forward with my kids, I don’t want them to join [the restaurant]. I want them to go and study first, whatever they like, and work outside in different fields, see life by working themselves. After that, if they want to come and join, they’re more than welcome.”

“My dad felt really good [about me opening a restaurant]. He was

very proud and he was very happy. He’s no longer here but, before he passed, he visited us twice and stayed with us months and months. He used to come and help and peel onions and all that stuff with me.”

“The kids can’t go out anywhere and meet their friends, so they are also at home. It’s a beautiful time with the family I think, in one way. … I have heard from a lot of my friends, they got so much time with their family, which they never had before. I think we were running a lot. Life was too fast. Before COVID, people were stressed out – it’s not just now. So it’s time to take some naps. Life will be back again. We’ll be running again once it’s over.”

“Are we losing money? Yeah. But we will make money again, you know. So I’m not worried about losing or winning. It’s part of life – take it the way it comes and enjoy the other things, which we were not enjoying before.”

“I generally tell people [to order] vegetarian because every vegetarian dish is different. Chicken curry, chicken karahi, chicken tikka masala – it might be a little bit of different cooking, but chicken is chicken. But okra is different than eggplant; eggplant is different than lentils. So I tell them, if they don’t know, close your eyes and pick one vegetarian dish and it will be good.”

“Feeling good during the bad times is more important than feeling good during the happy times. … A little yoga and a little meditation. When you do that, it’s a software. If you just keep on applying the good things, it will stay in the mind. Our mind is attracted by a lot of negative things. Negativity spreads

a lot quicker than the positive things. It’s just applying the good things – if we buy a software for our computer, if we don’t put that in the computer, it’s no help. It’s just a piece of plastic. But once we put it in the computer and we apply, we get more functions out of it. So any good things which we come across, which we hear or which we read – if you apply it, that’s the key to success.”

“If we don’t have a dishwasher for today, I can crib all day or I can ask other employees to come and help and give them an extra few bucks. It gets done and the day is over and the next day the dishwasher comes. So you take every day as a new day and you don’t try to remember the [bad] things from previous days.”

“I like to entertain the guests. I have learned all the parts of the business in

25 years, but I like most to be with the guests. And people appreciate that, you know. People appreciate if I’m there and I go to every table and spend a minute, two minutes with them and find out how they are doing and how is the food and everything.”

“Our retention is like five years, I would say, which is good. So they know [customers’] names and everything. That’s a good thing! If I’m eating chicken tikka masala every day, they know and they will just go ahead and put the order in with the kitchen. You don’t get that everywhere.”

Readers’ Choice Favorite Indian House of India, 8501 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314.567.6850, hoistl.com

readers' choice favorite specialty shop

CROWN CANDY KITCHEN

BY ADAM ROTHBARTH

For more than 100 years, Crown Candy Kitchen has held down the corner of North 14th Street and St. Louis Avenue. Though the city has evolved around it, not much has changed at the historic soda fountain and diner. Structurally, the restaurant is nearly the same as it was when it opened, the only major changes being some paint and detailing to keep it looking fresh. “We don’t change things around here. Change, I tell people, is a bad thing around here,” said co-owner Andy Karandzieff, whose grandfather, Harry Karandzieff, started the restaurant in 1913.

Readers’ Choice

Favorite Specialty Shop

Crown Candy Kitchen, 1401 St. Louis Ave., St. Louis, 314.621.9650, crowncandykitchen.net

Part of the reason for keeping things the same is because it’s simply what people want. “I think it’s a generational thing, to an extent,” Karandzieff explained. “All these people have been coming here for all these years. Grandparents, parents, their kids. At some point, I may have four generations of a family in here. It’s constant St. Louis.”

While it’s true that the old-school vibes are a major draw, nothing has a bigger pull than Crown Candy Kitchen’s menu. From the egg salad and roast beef sandwiches to the four-cheese grilled cheese and many chili options, Crown Candy has something for everyone. However, Karandzieff pointed out that there is one meal which stands above all others. “They all come in for the BLT and a chocolate shake,” he said. “That is the classic order.” While the legendary BLT – which “Man vs. Food” host Adam Richman once called a contender for the best sandwich in America – might be the most crowd-pleasing, Karandzieff loves an underdog. His favorite sandwich is Crown Candy’s Reuben. “I think it’s a great sandwich. I think it’s underrated,” he said.

PHOTOS BY DAVID KOVALUK

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Look up your favorite restaurants to see their current offerings on our Covid-19 Restaurant Guide - open dining rooms, curbside service, delivery, and more. Visit saucemagazine.com/restaurant-guide