Sauce Magazine // June 2022

readers' choice

the team at brasserie by niche, your favorite fine dining restaurant, favorite romantic spot, and chef of the year Evy Swoboda

What is your go-to order at Union Loafers Café and Bread Bakery?

JUNE 2022 • VOLUME 22, ISSUE 6

PUBLISHER

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

MANAGING EDITOR

DIGITAL EDITOR

STAFF WRITER

EDIBLE WEEKEND EDITOR

ART DIRECTOR

SENIOR DESIGNER

PROOFREADER

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Allyson Mace

Meera Nagarajan

Liz Wolfson

Lauren Healey

Iain Shaw

Lauren Healey

Meera Nagarajan

Michelle Volansky

Heather Hughes Huff

If it’s daytime, it’s a little gem and cheesy bread. If it’s nighttime, it’s an Italian salad and a classic pizza.

and mustard

Julia Calleo, Lauren Healey, Ashley Gieseking, Virginia Harold, Izaiah Johnson, David Kovaluk, Christina Musgrave, Carmen Troesser

James Boeckmann, Lauren Healey, Heather Hughes Huff, Catherine Klene, Meera Nagarajan, Adam Rothbarth, Iain Shaw, Michelle Volansky, Liz Wolfson

ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

EVENTS COORDINATOR

LISTINGS EDITOR INTERNS

Allyson Mace

Angie Rosenberg

Amy Hyde

Amy Hyde

Any of the Bianca sandwiches, but I have a soft spot for the Toscano.

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Pepperoni pizza, Caesar salad and rosé

Smoked beet sandwich, add a pickle spear

Nicky Althoff, Jamie Korenblat, Joey Knese, Sophia Liu, Kennedy Morganfield, Alexander Olson, Emma Pawlitz

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.

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Sauce Magazine is printed on recycled paper using soy inks.

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.

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Pretzel

semolina

Order the vegetarian combination platter at Meskerem Ethiopian Restaurant to enjoy the restaurant’s many veggie delights, all meant to be scooped up with pieces of spongy, slightly sour injera flatbread. Among the seven dishes the platter samples, some of our favorites include the colorful tikil gomen, cabbage sautéed with carrots, garlic, ginger and curry; dark green gomen wat, chopped and braised collard greens, and the vibrant miser alecha, a mild yellow lentil stew. Take a bite of each and then try mixing and matching for a choose-your-own flavor adventure.

DRINK THIS

With three types of rum –light, dark and overproof – plus Falernum (and a two-per-person limit), the Zombie at Mission Taco Joint might make you think it will bowl you over with booziness, but it’s actually quite light and refreshing, with plenty of citrus juice and a splash of grenadine that lends just enough sweetness. A drizzle of cinnamon syrup adds a hint of spice, and a splash of bitters accentuates the full gamut of flavors. Served in a Tiki-themed ceramic cup with a flaming pineapple garnish, this drink evokes beach vacation vibes.  Readers’ Choice Favorite Happy Hour, Favorite Mexican, Favorite Tacos, Favorite Food Truck (third place) Mission Taco Joint, multiple locations, missiontacojoint.com

BY

PHOTO

CHRISTINA MUSGRAVE

the interior at menya rui

PHOTOS BY MICHELLE VOLANSKY

From the intimate 24-seat dining room to the Japanese noodle machine to the line spilling down the sidewalk, every detail of Menya Rui in Lindenwood Park evokes the tiny noodle shops of Tokyo. Then, of course, there’s the ramen – chewy, fresh noodles are available in three styles: ramen, tsukemen (chilled noodles dipped into concentrated scallop aroma broth) or mazemen (a brothless noodle dish with an assortment of toppings). The concise menu is completed with a crisp, pickled cucumber salad and impossibly juicy, crisp fried chicken karaage. Chef-owner Steven Pursley’s years of experience working in ramen joints in Japan, some of St. Louis’ finest restaurants, and his popular pop-up series Ramen x Rui have led to this well-oiled machine, and it’s something special.

3453 Hampton Ave., St. Louis, 314.601.3524, Facebook: Menya Rui

Small-scale microgreen grower Micro Meadows has opened a café and shop featuring super-fresh salads made with their greens; grab one to go or eat it there, paired with a locally made kombucha or Mighty Kind seltzer. Made with broccoli, kale, kohlrabi, arugula microgreens and more, the mixed microgreens are a welcome change of pace from the typical lettuce and baby spinach. The fiesta verde was sublime, with roasted corn, black beans, shredded sharp cheddar and tortilla strips dressed with a subtly sweet cilantro-lime vinaigrette. We also loved the signature summer salad with fresh strawberries and blueberries, as well as a sprinkling of feta and maple-glazed pecans in a maple-balsamic dressing.

2422 Taylor Road, Wildwood, 636.893.3372, micro-meadows.com

MENYA RUI

MICRO MEADOWS

from top: tsukemen; karaage; and the team at menya rui, from left: jason karcher, chefowner steven pursley and erika pursley

THE ROSE BARREL

The Rose Barrel brings upscale comfort food to Ballwin. The truffle-Swiss burger is topped with mushrooms drizzled with truffle oil on a sturdy brioche bun – all taken up a notch with a garlicky Parmesantruffle oil aioli. Pro tip: For no charge, upgrade your side of regular fries to the lightly breaded sweet potato fries, which were salted to perfection. We also tried the crab Rangoon appetizer special; generously filled and crispy, they are served with a rich and creamy sriracha-chile dipping sauce reminiscent of the sweet-andsour sauce the dish is normally served with. Pair your meal with a minty blueberry mojito, which is highly refreshing with its delicate balance of rum, simple syrup, a splash of soda and lime juice.

15483 Clayton Road, Ballwin, 314.370.1676, therosebarrel.com

FORDO'S KILLER PIZZA

At Fordo’s Killer Pizza, the newest restaurant from Niche Food Group, Neapolitan-style pizza crust reigns supreme. Tucked in the back corner of the food hall at City Foundry, you’ll find Fordo’s wood-burning pizza oven firing pizzas with pillowy, chewy dough and toppings that range from traditional to unconventional. The classic margherita and marinara let the sauce shine – it’s simple, sweet and acidic. Inventive pizzas, like the taco pizza with salsa verde, beans and carnitas, had bursts of heat from jalapeños and a sharp finish from cilantro and lime. Notable starters include salads – a classic Caesar salad and the mixed greens with orangethyme vinaigrette and mozzarella – made with remarkably fresh greens, and smoky charred carrot hummus with salty feta and a tender herb salad topper. There will be a line, but the food at Fordo’s – especially the pizza – is definitely worth the wait.

3730 Foundry Way, St. Louis, fordospizza.com

LA OAXAQUEÑA

This new Oaxacan restaurant is a bit tucked away (look for it on the backside of the property where USA Halal Meat is located), but you’ll know you’ve made it when you see the brightly colored paint framing the doorway. The breakfast tacos are a great way to start the day with scrambled eggs, a bright and punchy pico de gallo, shredded cheese and cilantro encompassed by sturdy, housemade blue corn tortillas. The bandera features a mix of three enchiladas: beef with creamy cheese dip, chicken with a smoky mole, and cheese with spicy salsa verde. The tlayuda is an iconic and delightful Oaxacan dish with a hardened corn tortilla that houses refried black beans, asiento (unrefined pork lard), cabbage, avocado, Oaxaca cheese, salsa and the meat of your choice – we recommend the al pastor (pork), which was tender and piquant.

2925 Lemay Ferry Road, Mehlville, 314.200.8212, laoaxaquenastl.com

HONEY BEE TEA

Honey Bee Tea’s space is cozy and luxe with gleaming gold signage and plush banquet seating. An expansive menu runs the gamut from classic milk tea favorites to colorful, fruit-forward lattes. Okinawa milk tea is dripping in roasted brown sugar with fresh, springy boba bobbing along the bottom. We recommend capping it off with a crème brulee topping for even more sweet, toasty flavor. For a mellower treat, try the ube-taro latte, a gorgeously purple non-caffeinated milk drink subtly infused with ube’s sweet potato-like flavor. Don’t miss the dessert case on your way out and get an Instagramworthy slice of pandan-coconut crepe cake. Each satisfying bite sinks through gradient layers of soft, thin crepe and bright fruit flavor.

429 Lafayette Center Drive, Manchester, 636.220.8316, honeybt.com

from top: the bandera plate at la oaxaqueña; pizzas at fordo's killer pizza

Every year, we invite our readers to vote on their favorite local places to eat, drink and shop. Here are the winners of this year’s Sauce Readers’ Choice poll.

doughnuts from old town donuts, your favorite doughnut shop

your favorite places to eat

FAVORITE RESTAURANT

HI-POINTE DRIVE-IN

Multiple locations, hipointedrivein.com

2nd: Olive + Oak

3rd: Grace Meat + Three (tie)

Balkan Treat Box

Honorable Mentions: Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria, Indo

CHEF OF THE YEAR

EVY SWOBODA,

BRASSERIE BY NICHE

4580 Laclede Ave., St. Louis, 314.454.0600, brasseriebyniche.com

2nd: Tyler Layton, Twisted Tree Steakhouse

3rd: Rick Lewis, Grace Meat + Three

Honorable Mentions: Jesse Mendica, Olive + Oak; Nick Bognar, Indo

FAVORITE PATIO

JOHN D. MCGURK’S IRISH PUB & GARDEN

1200 Russell Blvd., St. Louis, 324.776.8309, mcgurks.com

2nd: Rockwell Beer Co.

3rd: Billy G’s

Honorable Mentions: Vin de Set, Cinder House

FAVORITE CHICKEN

WINGS

SYBERG’S

Multiple locations, sybergs.com

2nd: Salt + Smoke

3rd: Grace Meat + Three

Honorable Mentions: Sugarfire Smoke House, Three Kings Public House

FAVORITE

ROMANTIC SPOT

BRASSERIE BY NICHE

4580 Laclede Ave., St. Louis, 314.454.0600, brasseriebyniche.com

2nd: Sidney Street Cafe

3rd: Vin de Set

Honorable Mentions: Louie, Olive + Oak

FAVORITE NEW RESTAURANT

BOWOOD BY NICHE

4605 Olive St., St. Louis, 314.454.6868, bowoodbyniche.com

2nd: Twisted Tavern

3rd: Songbird

Honorable Mentions: Terror Tacos, Root Food + Wine

FAVORITE AFGHAN SAMEEM

4341 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314.534.9500, sameems.com

2nd: Taste of Persia

3rd: Majeed

Honorable Mention: Kabul Express

FAVORITE AFRICAN MESKEREM

3210 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314.772.4442, meskeremstl.com

2nd: Chez Ali

3rd: The Benevolent King

Honorable Mentions: House of Jollof, African Palace

FAVORITE BOSNIAN

BALKAN TREAT BOX

8103 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314.733.5700, balkantreatbox.com

2nd: Grbic Restaurant

3rd: J’s Pitaria

Honorable Mentions: Lemmons by Grbic, Berix Coffee Restaurant

FAVORITE DINER

SOUTHWEST DINER

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

2nd: Uncle Bill’s

3rd: Courtesy Diner

Honorable Mentions: Benton Park Café, Kingside Diner

FAVORITE FOOD TRUCK

SEOUL TACO

Multiple locations, seoultaco. com

2nd: Balkan Treat Box

3rd: Mission Taco Joint

Honorable Mentions: Cajun Seduction, Farmtruk

oldtowndonuts.com

2nd: Donut Drive-In

3rd: Vincent Van Doughnut

Honorable Mentions: Strange Donuts, World’s Fair Donuts

FAVORITE FINE DINING BRASSERIE BY NICHE

4580 Laclede Ave., St. Louis, 314.454.0600, brasseriebyniche.com

2nd: Olive + Oak

3rd: Annie Gunn’s (tie) Louie Honorable Mentions:

Sidney Street Cafe, Tony’s

FAVORITE BURGER MAC’S LOCAL EATS

5656 Oakland Ave., St. Louis, 314.393.7713, macslocaleats.com (tie)

HI-POINTE DRIVE-IN

Multiple locations, hipointedrivein.com

2nd: Brasswell

3rd: O’Connell’s Pub Honorable Mentions: Stacked STL, Carl’s Drive-In

FAVORITE CUPCAKES, CAKES AND PASTRIES

NATHANIEL REID

BAKERY

11243 Manchester Road, Kirkwood, 314.858.1019, nrbakery.com

2nd: Jilly’s Cupcakes

3rd: La Patisserie

Honorable Mentions: SweetArt, Russell’s on Macklind

FAVORITE DELI

SANDWICH SHOP

GIOIA’S DELI

Multiple locations, gioiasdeli.com

2nd: The Gramophone

3rd: Blues City Deli

Honorable Mentions: Union Loafers Café & Bread Bakery, Mom’s Deli

FAVORITE DOUGHNUT SHOP

OLD TOWN DONUTS

508 New Florissant Road, Florissant, 314.831.0907; 3941 Mid Rivers Mall Drive, Cottleville, 636.447.0907,

FAVORITE FROZEN DESSERT CLEMENTINE’S NAUGHTY & NICE CREAMERY

Multiple locations, clementinescreamery.com

2nd: Ted Drewe’s 3rd: Boardwalk Waffles (tie) The Fountain on Locust Honorable Mentions: Ices Plain & Fancy, Serendipity

FAVORITE CAJUN/ CREOLE BROADWAY OYSTER BAR

736 S. Broadway St., St. Louis, 314.621.8811, broadwayoysterbar.com

2nd: Gulf Shores

3rd: Sister Cities (tie) Cajun Seduction Food Truck Honorable Mentions: Boogaloo, Graffiti Grub

FAVORITE INDIAN HIMALAYAN YETI

3515 S. Kingshighway Blvd., St. Louis, 314.354.8338, himalayanyetimo.com

2nd: Everest Café

the patio at john d. mcgurk's irish pub & garden, your favorite patio

3rd: House of India (tie) Rasoi

Honorable Mentions: Turmeric, India Palace

FAVORITE KOREAN

SEOUL TACO

Multiple locations, seoultaco.com

2nd: Tiny Chef

3rd: Kimchi Guys

Honorable Mentions:

K-Bop, Kalbi Taco Shack

FAVORITE TACOS

MISSION TACO JOINT

Multiple locations, missiontacojoint.com

2nd: Taco Buddha

3rd: Tacos La Jefa

Honorable Mentions: Terror Tacos, Seoul Taco

FAVORITE MEXICAN

MISSION TACO JOINT

Multiple locations, missiontacojoint.com

2nd: Rosalita’s Cantina

3rd: Hacienda (tie) Mi Ranchito

Honorable Mentions:

Taqueria El Bronco, Tacos La Jefa

FAVORITE GREEK

OLYMPIA KEBOB HOUSE AND TAVERNA

1543 McCausland Ave.,

Richmond Heights, 314.781.1299, 2nd: Spiro’s

3rd: Anthonino’s Taverna

Honorable Mentions: Michael’s, The Greek Kitchen

FAVORITE MEDITERRANEAN BALKAN TREAT BOX

8103 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314.733.5700, balkantreatbox.com

2nd: Anthonino’s Taverna

3rd: Aya Sofia

Honorable Mentions: The Vine, Layla

FAVORITE MIDDLE EASTERN LAYLA

4317 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314.553.9252; 20 Allen Ave., Suite 130, Webster Groves, 314.395.6649, laylastl.com

2nd: Aya Sofia

3rd: Ranoush

Honorable Mentions: Sultan, J’s Pitaria

FAVORITE SOUTHERN GRACE MEAT + THREE

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

2nd: Juniper

3rd: Southern Honorable Mention: Sweetie Pie’s Upper Crust

FAVORITE SOUL FOOD

SWEETIE PIE’S UPPER CRUST

3643 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314.932.5364, Facebook: The Original Sweetie Pie’s

2nd: Cathy’s Kitchen

3rd: CC’s Vegan Spot SoulVeganlicious

Honorable Mentions: Creole With a Splash of Soul, Mom’s Soul Food

FAVORITE THAI KING & I

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

2nd: Fork and Stix

3rd: Chao Baan

Honorable Mentions: Pad Thai STL, Pearl Café

FAVORITE VIETNAMESE MAI LEE

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

2nd: Pho Grand (Note: Following the poll’s close, Pho Grand announced plans to close June 13.)

3rd: DD Mau

Honorable Mentions: Banh Mi So 1, LemonGrass

FAVORITE RAMEN NUDO HOUSE

11423 Olive Blvd., St. Louis, 314.274.8046; 6105-A Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314.370.6970, nudohousestl.com

2nd: Ramen Tei

3rd: Robata Maplewood (tie) Nami Ramen

Honorable Mentions: Yummi Tummi, Blue Ocean

FAVORITE VEGETARIAN/ VEGAN

LONA’S LIL EATS

2199 California Ave., St. Louis, 314.925.8938, lonaslileats.com

2nd: Lulu’s Local Eatery

3rd: Terror Tacos

Honorable Mentions: Tree House, Frida’s

FAVORITE SEAFOOD PEACEMAKER

LOBSTER & CRAB CO.

Multiple locations, peacemakerlobstercrab.com

2nd: Broadway Oyster Bar

3rd: Indo

Honorable Mentions: Gulf Shores, Yellowbelly

FAVORITE ASIAN INDO

1641D Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis, 314.899.9333, indo-stl.com

2nd: Corner 17

3rd: Seoul Taco

Honorable Mentions: Cate Zone

FAVORITE FRIED CHICKEN

GRACE MEAT + THREE

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

2nd: Hodak’s 3rd: Juniper

Honorable Mentions: Southern, Porter’s Steakhouse

FAVORITE BARBECUE SALT + SMOKE

Multiple locations, saltandsmokebbq.com

2nd: Sugarfire Smoke House

3rd: Pappy’s Smokehouse

Honorable Mentions: Beast Craft BBQ Co., Adam’s Smokehouse

FAVORITE SUSHI

SUSHI AI

Multiple locations, sushiaistlouis.com

2nd: Indo

3rd: Nippon Tei

Honorable Mentions: Café Mochi, Drunken Fish

FAVORITE STEAKHOUSE

TUCKER’S PLACE

Multiple locations, tuckersplace.com

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

3rd: Citizen Kane’s Steak House

Honorable Mentions: Kreis’, Hamilton’s Urban Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar

FAVORITE PIZZA PLACE

IMO’S PIZZA

Multiple locations, imospizza.com

2nd: Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria

3rd: Blackthorn Pizza and Pub

Honorable Mentions: Union Loafers Café and Bread Bakery, Sauce on the Side

FAVORITE BRUNCH THE SHACK

Multiple locations, eatatshack.com

2nd: Rooster

3rd: Southwest Diner

Honorable Mentions: Brasserie by Niche, Egg

FAVORITE ITALIAN PASTARIA

7734 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.862.6603, eatpastaria.com

2nd: Trattoria Marcella, (tie)

Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria

3rd: Zia’s

Honorable Mentions: Cunnetto’s, Louie

FAVORITE CHINESE CORNER 17

6623 Delmar Blvd., St Louis, 314.727.2402, corner17usa.com

2nd: Mai Lee

3rd: Lona’s Lil Eats

Honorable Mentions: LuLu Seafood, China King

FAVORITE LATIN AMERICAN MAYO KETCHUP BY PLANTAIN GIRL

2001 Park Ave., St. Louis, 314.696.2699, plantaingirl.com

PHOTO BY IZAIAH JOHNSON

robbie montgomery of sweetie pie's upper crust, your favorite soul food restaurant

a charcuterie board from bolyards meat and provisions, your favorite butcher shop

2nd: Yemanja Brasil

3rd: Fritanga

Honorable Mention: Asador Del Sur

your favorite places to drink

BARTENDER OF THE YEAR

MADELYN ADAMS, BLOOD & SAND (Note: Following the poll’s close, Adams is no longer at Blood & Sand.)

1500 Saint Charles St., St. Louis, 314.241.7263, bloodandsandstl.com

2nd: Sam Linehan, Yellowbelly

3rd: Ted Kilgore, Planter’s House

Honorable Mention: Randy Boyce, The Blue Duck

FAVORITE COCKTAILS

PLANTER’S HOUSE

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

2nd: Olive + Oak

3rd: Blood & Sand

Honorable Mentions: Frazer’s, Platypus

FAVORITE COFFEE SHOP

KALDI’S COFFEE

Multiple locations, kaldiscoffee.com

2nd: Blueprint Coffee

3rd: The Mud House Honorable Mentions: Picasso’s, Park Avenue Coffee

FAVORITE HAPPY HOUR MISSION TACO JOINT

Multiple locations, missiontacojoint.com

2nd: Billy G’s Kirkwood

3rd: The Crow’s Nest Honorable Mentions: Basso, Yellowbelly

FAVORITE GAMES BAR PIECES

1535 S. Eighth St., St. Louis, 314.230.5184, stlpieces.com

2nd: Silver Ballroom

3rd: 4 Hands Brewing Co. Honorable Mentions: Westport Social, Blueberry Hill

FAVORITE PUB

JOHN D. MCGURK’S IRISH PUB & GARDEN

1200 Russell Blvd., St. Louis, 324.776.8309, mcgurks.com

Square One Brewery & Distillery

3rd: Switchgrass Spirits

Honorable Mentions: Still 630, Stumpy’s Spirits Distillery

FAVORITE LOCAL WINERY NOBOLEIS VINEYARDS

100 Hemsath Road, Augusta, 636.482.4500, noboleisvineyards.com

2nd: Chandler Hill Vineyards

3rd: Wild Sun Winery (tie) Cedar Lake Cellars

Honorable Mentions: Stone Hill Winery, Montelle Winery

FAVORITE BEER BAR SIDE PROJECT

BREWING

7458 Manchester Road, Maplewood, sideprojectbrewing.com

2nd: Three Kings Public House

2nd: Scottish Arms

3rd: O’Connell’s Pub

Honorable Mentions: Llywelyn’s Pub, Helen Fitzgerald’s

FAVORITE SPORTS BAR AMSTERDAM TAVERN

3175 Morgan Ford Road, St. Louis, 314.772.8224, amsterdamtavern.com

2nd: Syberg’s 3rd: The Post

Honorable Mentions: Joey B’s, Tamm Ave. Bar

FAVORITE WINE BAR

SASHA’S ON SHAW

4069 Shaw Ave., St Louis, 314.771.7274, sashaswinebar.com (tie)

SASHA’S ON DEMUN

706 De Mun Ave., Clayton, 314.863.7274, sashaswinebar.com

2nd: Robust Wine Bar

3rd: EdgeWild Restaurant & Winery

Honorable Mentions: Brennan’s, 33 Wine Shop & Bar

FAVORITE LOCAL

DISTILLERY

1220 SPIRITS

1220 S. Eighth St., St. Louis, 1220spirits.com

2nd: Pinckney Bend (tie)

Honorable Mentions: Mannino’s Market, Beast Butcher & Block

FAVORITE BREAD UNION LOAFERS CAFÉ AND BREAD BAKERY

1629 Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis, 314.608.5071, unionloafers.com

2nd: Companion Baking

3rd: Vitale’s (tie) Missouri Baking Co.

Honorable Mentions: Knead Bakehouse, Federhofer’s Bakery

FAVORITE FARMERS MARKET

TOWER GROVE FARMERS’ MARKET

4256 Magnolia Ave., St. Louis; 1 The Boulevard, Richmond Heights, 314.771.2679, tgfarmersmarket.com

2nd: Soulard Farmers Market

3rd: International Tap House Honorable Mentions: Amsterdam Tavern, Gezellig

FAVORITE BREWERY 4 HANDS BREWING CO.

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

2nd: Urban Chestnut Brewing Co.

3rd: Schlafly Beer Honorable Mentions: Rockwell Beer Co., Perennial Artisan Ales your

favorite places to shop

FAVORITE BUTCHER SHOP

BOLYARD’S MEAT AND PROVISIONS

2733 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, 314.647.2526, bolyardsmeat.com

2nd: Kenrick’s Meats and Catering

3rd: G&W

3rd: Kirkwood Farmers’ Market Honorable Mentions: Ferguson Farmers’ Market, Lake St. Louis Farmers and Artists Market

FAVORITE LOCAL GROCERY DIERBERGS

Multiple locations, dierbergs.com

2nd: Schnucks

3rd: Jay International Food Honorable Mentions: Straub’s, DiGregorio’s

FAVORITE SPECIALTY SHOP CROWN CANDY KITCHEN

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

2nd: Parker’s Table

3rd: Volpi

Honorable Mentions: AO&Co, Bob’s Seafood

FAVORITE BOTTLE SHOP

RANDALL’S WINES & SPIRITS

Multiple locations, shoprandalls.com

2nd: Intoxicology

3rd: The Wine and Cheese Place Honorable Mentions: Parker’s Table, Civil Alchemy

Wineries for the Win

BY ADAM ROTHBARTH

Noboleis Vineyards First place

Augusta’s Noboleis Vineyards has been one of the gold standards for Missouri wine for almost 20 years. Their wine list features around 20 wines; Chambourcin, Traminette, Vignoles and Norton grapes yield wines like Moscato, dry rosé, Vidal blanc and more. Visitors can enjoy wines by the glass or as flights in Noboleis’ tasting room or under its picturesque Hilltop Pavilion, which features incredible views, a menu full of dips and pizza, and live music on weekends from April to November.

100 Hemsath Road, Augusta, 636.482.4500, noboleisvineyards.com

Chandler Hill Vineyards Second place

Chandler Hill Vineyards offers a skin contact Vignoles, a Chambourcin, a white blend and more. Enjoy your wine in a rented outdoor vineyard cabana; lunch and dinner menus feature elevated bar-fare faves like fried chicken, baked goat cheese, Bavarian pretzels and smoked wings. Guided tastings in Chandler Hill’s Barrel Room take imbibers through wines from Missouri, Napa, Italy and France. For visitors who aren’t as into wine, Perennial Artisan Ales partners with Chandler Hill to offer 16 brews on tap and exclusive beers.

596 Defiance Road, Defiance, 636.798.2675, chandlerhillvineyards.com

Wild Sun Winery and Brewery Third place (tie)

Hillsboro’s Wild Sun Winery and Brewery offers a large selection of beverages: Wines include a cab franc, a cabernet sauvignon and a sparkling rosé, while the beer list features a blonde ale, a red ale, a porter and more. And if making wine and beer wasn’t enough, they also package their own artisan natural spring water. Wild Sun’s 10 acres includes a tasting bar; live music can be heard on weekends from May through October. Visitors can bring their own

snacks or order items like pizzas, meats and cheeses, burgers and other snacks.

4830 Pioneer Road, Hillsboro, 636.797.8686, wildsun.com

Cedar Lake Cellars

Third place (tie)

Cedar Lake Cellars is basically a large compound – on 400 acres! – geared toward the finer things in life: drinking wine and partying. Their Big Red Barn hosts private weddings, events and meetings, while anybody can visit for live music, bingo, ’80s nights and more. The wine bar and restaurant make it easy to try their wines while enjoying cheese plates, dips, burgers and pastas. Wines include traditional options like chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and malbec, but those feeling more adventurous can check out pomegranate sparkling wine, chocolate port and almond wine.

11008 Schreckengast Road, Wright City, 636.745.9500, cedarlakecellars.com

Honorable Mentions: Stone Hill Winery, Montelle Winery from top: guests outside at wild sun winery and brewery, the entrance to wild sun winery and brewery, the cellar at stone hill winery

12 years after serving its first profiterole, Brasserie by Niche is still at the top of the game

BY LIZ WOLFSON // PHOTOS BY VIRGINIA HAROLD

DON’T CA LL IT A COMEBACK

part of the team at brasserie by niche, from left: paris hubler, gina fischetti, melinda cooper, jennifer masur, catlin o’toole, fionna gemzon, evy swoboda, elise mensing

Elegant with an Old World air, Brasserie has long played the grande dame of the Niche Food Group restaurant family. It’s hard to picture her ever having been an infant restaurant – perhaps, at least in part, because she was born into the space long occupied by Chez Leon, itself an outpost of French gastronomic plaisir

Then, in 2016, Niche closed; last year, Taste by Niche shuttered as well. Other Niche projects – Porano, Sardella – had come and gone. Suddenly, Brasserie went from simply seeming like the oldest Niche progeny to actually being the longest standing of the group’s restaurants. Now, 12 years after Brasserie served its first profiterole, local diners and the national culinary community alike are feting the restaurant and its staff, who report that recently the restaurant has been breaking its own sales records practically every week.

In this year’s Readers’ Choice poll, Brasserie received top honors in both the Favorite Fine Dining and Favorite Romantic Spot categories; executive chef Evy Swoboda was voted Chef of the Year. On the national front, both Swoboda and longtime pastry chef Elise Mensing were nominated in the James Beard Awards’ Best Chef Midwest and Outstanding Pastry Chef categories, respectively.

“Comeback” would be the wrong word to describe this moment for a restaurant whose quality has remained remarkably consistent for over a decade. But clearly something special is afoot. Niche Food Group co-owner Gerard Craft acknowledges that there does seem to be a kind of renaissance about this particular phase in the restaurant’s trajectory. Even before Covid’s disruptions, “you saw a real rise in popularity and just overall guest satisfaction,” he recalled.

How, then, to explain this rekindled passion for a restaurant whose regular menu has remained largely unchanged for years? Craft credits longtime general manager Jennifer Masur, who was recently named director of service for the entire Niche group after eight years at Brasserie and five as a server at Niche before that. With Masur’s promotion to a companywide role, Brasserie has become the model for hospitality within the Niche group. “Service and training is definitely stemming out of Brasserie,” said Craft. “It’s almost a training ground in some ways for the rest of the company. They are the gold star, the gold example for our group, who we compare all of its siblings to.”

Though Masur is reluctant to accept credit for Brasserie’s success, her colleagues are not shy about giving it to her. “Jenn is just an incredible force,” Craft enthused. “And I would have to say, the greatest front-of-house person in St. Louis, hands down.”

Brasserie’s management team agrees. When asked for their take on the restaurant’s longevity in a recent conversation, their response was immediate: “Jennifer Masur!” “That’s what they would say,” Masur replied, sharing in the group’s laughter at their unanimity.

“She’s humble,” explained Melinda Cooper (herself recently promoted from Brasserie’s bar manager to the Niche group’s director of beverage and bar operations), pointing out Masur’s insistence on sharing credit with those she’s worked alongside. It’s a team-first mentality that many leaders at Brasserie share.

Craft was also quick to praise manager Catlin O’Toole, one of Masur’s first hires, who recently succeeded her as the restaurant’s general manager. On the kitchen side, Craft highlighted the experience and leadership of Swoboda and Mensing, who both spent years in other Niche group kitchens (Mensing at Niche, Swoboda at Pastaria’s Clayton and Nashville locations) before joining Brasserie. Despite Swoboda’s background in Italian cuisine, she picked up the restaurant’s French program “like it was nothing,” said Craft. On Mensing: “She’s been a star for a while, and it’s so exciting that this year she’s starting to get some recognition for that,” he said, referring to her James Beard nomination.

Reliable, comforting French bistro mainstays – French onion soup and braised beef that cook for several hours each day; rich chocolate mousse – are the cornerstones of Brasserie’s menu. It’s these dishes, together with the exceptional hospitality environment created by Masur and co., that have won Brasserie its legion of regulars. As such, these recipes are “untouchable” (Swoboda’s word), lest a diner who eats at the restaurant four nights a week notice a recalibration of their familiar roast chicken.

Yet Swoboda and Mensing find ways to make the cuisine their own, creating specials inspired by seasonal produce and marked by their own creative styles. Swoboda’s Parisian gnocchi, a seasonal special, is made using the batter for the restaurant’s gougères (fluffy, cheesy pastries made from choux dough), which is boiled like traditional gnocchi. As the dish changes with vegetables’ availability, the sauce changes as well; one of Swoboda’s favorite preparations is to serve it with brown butter sauce, seared maitake mushrooms and breadcrumbs.

While discussing the dish later via text, Swoboda emphasized that the gnocchi special was first developed with a former sous chef and insisted that most of the specials at Brasserie are collaborations. “My sole goal as a chef is to help the staff achieve their dreams however I can,” she explained. “Watching their creativity and growth [while] putting together dishes is what it’s all about.” Her motto, she said, is “train people to be better than yourself.” She seeks opportunities to challenge her staff and encourages them to take on ambitious projects, like the new Monday night pop-up series sous chef Jonathan Duffe debuted at Brass Bar in May.

opposite page: from left, pastry chef elise mensing and executive chef evy swoboda; this page, clockwise from top left: french onion soup, napkins rolled up for service, pastry chef elise mensing, goat cheese tarts, a soft-shell crab special, diners enjoying dinner, roasted cauliflower, executive chef evy swoboda

In 2012, éclairs were added to the Brasserie brunch menu, and Mensing proceeded to riff on them for years. She even did a series pairing a different éclair with a famous artwork; one paired a self-portrait by 17 th-century Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi with an éclair filled with Vin Santo pastry cream and topped with white chocolate mirror glaze, a sugared grape, a Jordan almond and gold leaf. (Mensing is also a gifted visual artist; she’s painted many of her Brasserie co-workers in small, intimate portraits that reveal something of the camaraderie between the restaurant’s staff.)

Swoboda admits that she never thought she’d be running a French kitchen, given her training in Italian cuisine. But looking at Brasserie last year, she saw a restaurant where guest satisfaction reflected a high level of teamwork across all areas of the restaurant. “I think I was happy to come back to Niche Food Group knowing how [Brasserie] was being taken care of,” she mused. “And I really like to be able to step into a back-of-house situation where it’s more of one team with front of house. Here, we really work together to be one team.”

“Which is rare,” added Masur. “A lot of restaurant groups, you go in and back of the house hates the front of the house, front of the house hates the back. We wouldn’t get any awards, no butts in seats, if we weren’t working together.”

Because Mensing and Masur started at Niche over a decade ago, they’ve been around long enough to witness the company’s culture evolve. “Before, kitchens were a little strict,” Masur explained. “As a server at Niche, I’d be scared if I messed something up – like, I could lose my job. That’s just how it was back in the day.”

Speaking from the perspective of the kitchen, Mensing added, “I think back then, it was very much focused on the food. Of course, it was a new restaurant … Maybe less [focused] on employees and people, more focused on the customer – less in balance, I would say for sure.”

Now, everyone agreed – including Craft – things are quite different. While there’s no doubt that Craft continues to helm the Niche ship, employees are actively encouraged to speak up if they see a problem. The word “empowered” came up repeatedly throughout the conversation. “Everyone is valued, and we do care what everyone has to say, even if we’re not going to agree on it,” Masur continued. “But you have a space to talk about it, with me, with Gerard, with Evy, with whomever.”

The shift is not only about words and behavior though (as important as those are), but also the material investment the Niche group is making in their employees. Benefits like 401(k)s, paid family leave and mental health services (among many others) give staff the financial and energetic resources necessary to

continue providing a high level of service and keep up with the extraordinary demand the restaurant currently enjoys. Most employees at Brasserie have a four-day work week. “We went from being really busy, then to Covid, and now the whole world is coming back out to eat,” Masur said. “And it’s really hard, not just physically but emotionally, to accommodate to the level that we want to accommodate with guests. I think we all thrive in it and love the chaos, but you do need a third day to recover.”

Ultimately, what it comes down to, Masur explained, is the new level of importance Craft is placing on hospitality, not only as a service model but also as a value that circulates within the company, starting from the very top. “That, I think, has completely changed in his head from when he first opened Niche to now – he understands the big picture now,” she said. “He really places the importance on how we all make the guests feel in the front of the house. And that also translates into hospitality – again, with one another, with guests, with each other.”

Craft confirmed these observations. “Years ago, I was a heavy micro-manager,” he acknowledged. “Niche opened, Brasserie opened, Taste opened and then Pastaria opened. And I had to kind of have a cometo-Jesus with myself at one point because I realized that I had no clue, really, how to manage people well.” Specifically, what he didn’t know was how to explain why he’d been successful up to that point to others in his growing company, the values that had driven his decision-making. “I didn’t know how to

convey any of that. Which made me a bad manager. Which made me very frustrated.”

Craft finally set about defining a set of company values in 2012. The list has evolved over the years, but hospitality and honesty, he said, are now ranked No. 1 and 2. (The other three are failure, innovation and legacy.) “We were always very honest – sometimes too brutally honest,” he admitted. “But I think it’s so important to be able to have conversations – civilized conversations – on a regular basis about what’s working and what’s not working. And it’s important for everyone to be able to participate in that.”

While an exercise like defining corporate values might seem at odds with the effortlessly chic dining experience and feats of culinary artistry one enjoys at Brasserie, it’s clear that Craft’s willingness to undertake the former has laid the foundation for the restaurant’s recent achievements. “Everyone does feel some ownership in this company now, and it’s kind of magical,” Masur observed. Returning to the conversation’s theme, she continued, “It does really start at the top. And we all do feel extremely empowered because of Gerard.” The Brasserie management team murmured a collective agreement. “Whether he meant to do that or not, now it’s happening. And we’re taking over!”

Readers’ Choice Favorite Fine Dining Restaurant, Favorite Romantic Spot Readers’ Choice Chef of the Year: Evy Swoboda Honorable Mention: Favorite Brunch

“My sole goal as a chef is to help the staff achieve their dreams however I can.”

executive chef evy swoboda

profiteroles

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE AT PIECES

BY MICHELLE VOLANSKY

Readers’ Choice Favorite Games Bar

At Pieces Board Game Bar & Café, you can emerge from your basement game room and still feel like you’re in your safe space. With over 800 different games, 23 signature cocktails, expansive dinner and brunch menus, plus weekly events, it can be overwhelming to figure out the best strategy for your ideal night out. We’ve got the cheat codes for a winning visit any day of the week.

CLOSED MONDAY

Game over – try again!

TUESDAY

Pieces charges a $5 library fee to access their impressive collection of games (the fee is reduced by one dollar for every food or drink item you order). Every Tuesday is free play, so it’s the best choice if gaming is more your vibe than imbibing. Visit their website for a meticulously updated list of their current game inventory, including five different versions of the popular Ticket to Ride, an adventure game in which players collect and play matching train cards to build railway routes.

WEDNESDAY

Geeks Who Drink hosts trivia night on Wednesdays beginning at 7 p.m. Round up a table of friends and make a night of it. Their quesadillas are irresistible

and we especially love the Meeple, a big, toasty pocket of onions, peppers, cheddar and your choice of protein, served with salsa and sour cream.

THURSDAY

Pieces boasts happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. Hit up the bar after work for $4 wines, draft beers, you-call-it cocktails and appetizers.

Happy hour is the perfect time for social card games like Obama Llama, a rhyming charade game where you act out, describe and mime hundreds of celebrity rhymes to your team.

FRIDAY

If you can’t make it early for happy hour, be prepared for a wait once Friday night hits. You can get on the waitlist ahead of time on Yelp,

but beware: When folks are sitting down to play, wait times can get unpredictable. We love posting up at the bar and getting competitive; the MVP of the shots menu is the Loser Shot, a truly horrifying punishment for coming in last place: either a bartender’s surprise concoction or good ol’ Malort.

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

On weekends, the pro tip is brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Try the Fork + Knife ham and swiss sandwich, their take on a croque madame with thick, toasted bread from Bridge Bread topped with a gooey fried egg. With almost 100 familyfriendly game options, this is a perfect time to include the kiddos. Indulge them by playing the Frozen edition of Hands Down!, a fun spin and slam card game, or push them to relive your childhood with 13 Dead End Drive, a classic Millennial bluffing game where you move pieces around the over-the-top, three-dimensional board full of traps and tricks. 1535 S. Eighth St., St. Louis, 314.230.5184, stlpieces.com

market fundamentals

BY CATHERINE KLENE

Hundreds of St. Louisans flock to the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market most Saturday mornings to stock up on locally grown produce and sustainably raised meat, eggs and dairy purchased directly from the farmers. They also indulge in impromptu picnics, snacking on everything from pastries and breakfast burritos to international street food and a local brew (a coffee and a beer, please and thank you). With more than 100 vendors and an abundance of local comestibles to consume now or later, go early, go often and go hungry. Here are some of our favorite vendors at your Favorite Farmers Market.

Produce

BIVER FARMS

This certified-organic Edwardsville farm trucks in a wide array of vegetables (and some fruits) to stock any produce drawer. Their candy-sweet Sungold cherry tomatoes are an especially popular treat. Early in the season, they’re the go-to spot to grab heirloom plant starters to set up your own backyard garden for success. Do you need three types of rosemary and four types of hot peppers? Yes, you do. Biverfarms.com

OZARK FOREST MUSHROOMS

This Midwest mycological powerhouse is well known for its umami-packed shiitakes, but it also cultivates several varieties you won’t find in any produce aisle: fluffy, shreddable lion’s mane; delicate fans of black pearl oysters; and meaty, thick-stemmed trumpets perfect for scoring, marinating and grilling. Ozarkforest.com

THREE RIVERS COMMUNITY FARM

Amy Cloud and Jose Lara use organic and regenerative growing practices at their Elsah, Illinois, farm, and their stand overflows with the colorful results:

a rainbow of peppers, tomatoes, root vegetables and greens are on constant rotation. Peep their Instagram for a preview of what’s coming each week and get there early to snag the most beautiful heirloom tomato varieties. Threeriverscommunityfarm.com

YODER PRODUCE

Harvey Yoder is a cash- or market tokenonly vendor who offers rotating seasonal fruits and veggies produced with little to no pesticides or other chemicals. Don’t miss the upcoming summer abundance of blueberries, juicy watermelon and sweet corn so heavenly, you need only shuck, trim the top and devour.

Prepared Foods

AMAIZ-ING CAKES LATIN FOOD

This stand purveys generous portions of Venezuelan street food like arepas and pepitas to order. Don’t miss the massive cachapa: a soft, buttery sweet corn pancake enfolding an inch-thick slice of salty Venezuelan farmers cheese griddled to gooey perfection.

Amaizingcakeslatinfood.com

CHAM BAKERY

Restaurants across St. Louis source supple, fresh pita from the Alderie family’s Cham Bakery. Buy it direct at the market, along with expertly prepared Syrian fare like thick, sumac-topped hummus; fatayer stuffed with spinach, walnuts and pomegranate seeds; and za’atar bread rich with olive oil and a thick layer of the Middle Eastern spice blend. Facebook: Cham Bakery

FIELD TO FIRE

Fans of Kounter Kulture and Songbird are no stranger to chef and co-owner Mike Miller’s way with locally sourced produce. With Field to Fire, Miller offers a rotating menu of about 15 prepared food items like yellow tomato gazpacho, green tea soba noodle salad, and larger format

meals to feed a crowd, like pasta con broccoli and lemongrass beef. Fieldtofirestl.com

A Little Something Extra

URBAN BUDS

Forget a dozen red roses or dyed carnations – this urban flower farm grows stunning florals in an array of textures and colors in Dutchtown. Select a pre-made bouquet or build your own from the selection of that week’s blooms. Owners Mimo Davis and Miranda Duschack have plenty of tips to get the most out of your dahlias, delphiniums and snapdragons. Urbanbudscitygrownflowers.com

JAX SNAX

Farmers markets are ideal people- and pupper-watching places, and those very good dogs deserve a little something, too. Pastry chef Sarah Osborn Blue takes spent grain from local breweries and turns them into tasty treats for your dog – or the one in line behind you. Jaxsnaxstl.square.site

Readers’ Choice Favorite Farmers Market

Tower Grove Farmers’ Market

Tower Grove Park, St. Louis, tgfarmersmarket.com

WINNERS ONLY

Throw a gold-medal party with international bites and champion cocktails from St. Louis’ favorite establishments of 2022. All of these recipes come from first-place winners of Sauce Readers’ Choice.

By Heather Hughes Huff

photos by carmen troesser and christina musgrave

Lona’s Mushroom Dumplings

Lona’s Mushroom Dumplings

Courtesy of Lona’s Lil Eats’ Lona Luo

If you want your dumplings to taste just like Lona’s, you can purchase the restaurant’s unique red spice mix and dipping sauces in Fox Park. Or, Luo recommends experimenting with your own spice blends. Try combining four of your favorite spices starting with smoked paprika and a mild chili powder.

ABOUT 60 DUMPLINGS

For the filling:

1 lb. Napa cabbage and/or bok choy, very finely chopped

1 tsp. salt, plus more to taste

1 lb. mushrooms, finely chopped

2 to 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 garlic clove, smashed

1 Tbsp. Lona Q Sauce or sesame-chili oil, plus more for dipping

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. Lona’s red spice mix or preferred spice blend

For the dumpling dough:

4 cups flour, plus more for sprinkling

2 cups water

1 tsp. salt

For the filling:

• In a large colander, combine the Napa cabbage and/or bok choy with 1 teaspoon salt and mix thoroughly with your

with remaining filling and dough.

• Cook the dumplings in your preferred method. Boil dumplings in a large pot of water until tender, about 4 minutes. Steam dumplings in a steamer until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Pan-fry dumplings with a drizzle of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add a few tablespoons of water and cover until tender, about 4 minutes.

• Serve dumplings with Lona Q Sauce or sesame-chili oil for dipping.

Tostones con Aguacate (Twice Fried Green Plantains with Avocado)

Courtesy of Mayo Ketchup’s

Mandy Estrella

24 SERVINGS

For the pickled red onion:

1 large or 2 small red onions, thinly sliced

2 cups white vinegar

2 cups water

¹∕³ cup sugar

1 Tbsp. salt

2 garlic cloves

hands, rubbing the salt into the vegetables. Let rest about 10 minutes, then squeeze the water out of the vegetables, move to a large bowl and set aside.

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, combine the mushrooms, vegetable oil and garlic. Cook until mushrooms release moisture and become browned and tender, about 10 to 20 minutes. Transfer to the large colander and let drain.

• Stir the mushrooms into the Napa cabbage and/or bok choy. Add the Lona Q Sauce, soy sauce and spice mixture. Stir until combined, then taste for seasoning and add more salt, sauces or spices to taste.

For the dough:

• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir with a fork to incorporate, then knead with your hands until the dough comes together and becomes smooth and tacky. Wrap in plastic and let rest 15 to 20 minutes (you can prepare the filling during this time).

• Roll the dough into a long snake and divide into about ½-ounce portions, roll each into a small ball of dough. Sprinkle your work surface with flour and roll out each ball into about a 2-inch circle.

Assembly:

• Place a spoonful of filling into the center of a circle of dough and fold in half. Seal by pressing the dough tightly together or folding in your preferred pattern. Repeat

flatten each piece with the bottom of a glass or plate.

• Increase the heat to medium-high and return the smashed plantains to the oil, frying until crispy, about 1 minute per side. Place on a paper towel-lined plate or cooling rack and sprinkle with sea salt.

• Prepare the avocados by cutting them in half, removing the pits, scoring the flesh into cubes and scooping into a small bowl. Add the lime juice and salt and slightly smash with a fork until the avocado mixture is chunky but combined.

• Plate the plantains, top each with 1 to 2 tablespoons avocado mixture and 2 to 3 slices of red onion. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.

Blue Jeans Cocktail

Courtesy of Blood & Sand’s Madelyn Adams

1 tsp. whole allspice

For the tostones:

2 green plantains

2 cups vegetable or canola oil

Sea salt, for sprinkling

3 ripe avocados

1 tsp. lime juice

½ tsp. salt

Cilantro, for garnish

Lime wedges, for garnish

For the pickled onions:

• Place the sliced onions in a glass jar or bowl.

• In a saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, garlic and allspice over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

• Pour the brine over the onions. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

For the tostones:

• Trim the ends off each plantain, cut through the tough outer peels lengthwise top-to-bottom and remove. Slice into 1-inch rounds.

• Add the oil to a large, heavy-bottomed skillet (it should fill about ¹∕³ the skillet), and place over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the plantains and fry until softened and golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.

• Place the fried plantains on a cutting board or plate and gently smash and

Act like a winner and make your own blueberry jam for this recipe, rather than using store bought. “I think making the jam homemade makes the cocktail unique. It’s also all natural,” said Bartender of the Year Madelyn Adams.*

1 COCKTAIL

1½ oz. High West Double Rye whiskey

½ oz. Koval Ginger Liqueur

½ oz. lemon juice

½ oz. lime cordial

¼ oz. cane syrup

2 bar spoons blueberry jam

• Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into a glass and serve.

For the blueberry jam:

320 g. (about 1² ∕³ cups) blueberries 220 g. (about 11∕8 cups) white or turbinado sugar

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

• Place a large bowl in the freezer.

• In a medium pot over low heat, combine the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice. Muddle the berries until they are broken down and produce a lot of juice.

• Increase the heat to high and allow the berry mixture to boil, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the berries and sugar come together, 10 to 15 minutes.

• Remove the bowl from the freezer and pour the jam into it. Refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.

* Note: Following the poll’s close, Adams is no longer with Blood & Sand.

Tostones con Aguacate

Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine Cocktail

Courtesy of Planter’s House’s Ted

Make one of Planter’s House’s topselling current cocktails at home.

1½ oz. Milagro Silver Tequila

1¼ oz. Greenbar Fruitlab

1 oz. blood orange juice or purée

½ oz. lime juice

Lime wheel, for garnish

• Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into a sour glass or over ice, garnish with a lime wheel and serve.

Kilgore

1 COCKTAIL

Hibiscus Liqueur

Cauliflower Lahmacun

Courtesy of Balkan Treat Box’s Loryn Nalic

“This is a vegetarian/vegan version of a classic lahmacun with a healthy, meat-free twist that we serve at Balkan Treat Box.” – Loryn Nalic

8 SERVINGS

½ head cauliflower

1 small onion, thinly sliced

½ red bell pepper, chopped

5 sprigs parsley, plus more for garnish

Leaves from 5 sprigs mint, plus more for garnish

¼ cup red pepper paste or tomato paste

3 Tbsp. butter, melted and browned

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 tsp. cumin

½ tsp. Aleppo pepper or red chile flake

½ tsp. smoked paprika

¼ tsp. cayenne

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

8 pitas

1 Tbsp. sumac, plus more to taste

Lemon wedges, for serving

Strained full-fat yogurt, for serving

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Cut the cauliflower into florets, reserving thick stems for another use.

• In a food processor, pulse the cauliflower until it resembles couscous, about 30 seconds. Add about half the sliced onion, the red bell pepper, parsley, mint, red pepper paste, browned butter, garlic, cumin, Aleppo pepper, paprika, cayenne, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Pulse until combined, finely chopped and slightly tacky. Season with more salt and pepper, to taste.

• Spread about ¼ cup cauliflower mixture over each pita so it thinly and evenly covers the surface all the way to the edge. Arrange pitas on a baking sheet and bake until browned, 7 to 10 minutes.

• In a small bowl, toss the remaining onion with the sumac until tinted red, season lightly with salt and more sumac, to taste.

• Garnish with more fresh herbs and serve alongside the sumac onions, yogurt and lemon wedges. Cauliflower lahmacun can be served hot or at room temperature.

Canh Chua

Courtesy of Mai Lee’s Qui Tran

If you’d like a more substantial soup, Mai Lee owner Qui Tran said you can add tofu, shrimp or almost any other seafood to this recipe (added at the end, with the okra and bean sprouts). He also suggested serving this hotpot-style, starting with the broth and cooking ingredients as desired.

2 TO 4 SERVINGS

4 cups water

1 cup cubed pineapple

2 Tbsp. minced lemongrass

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. tamarind powder

½ Tbsp. salt

1 cup peeled bac ha (elephant ear vegetable)

1 cup sliced celery

1 cup cubed tomato

1 cup bean sprouts

1 cup whole, trimmed okra (optional)

½ cup rough chopped rice paddy herb (or Thai basil)

½ cup rough chopped culantro (or cilantro)

1 Tbsp. fried garlic, for garnish

• In a medium pot, combine the water, pineapple and lemongrass. Place over high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer 5 to 10 minutes.

• Add the sugar, tamarind powder and salt and stir until dissolved. Cook until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes.

• Add the bac ha, celery and tomato and continue to simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the okra, if using, and the bean sprouts. Simmer 5 more minutes. Stir in the rice paddy herb and culantro, top with the fried garlic and serve.

10 REASONS UNION LOAFERS WE LOVE

BY

ADAM ROTHBARTH // PHOTOS BY IZAIAH JOHNSON

semolina loaves at union loafers café and bread bakery

PIZZA ROSSA AND THE SMOKED BEET SANDWICH AT UNION LOAFERS CAF É AND BREAD BAKERY

Union Loafers Café and Bread Bakery is the Swiss army knife of bakeries, the rare kind of spot that does many things, and does them all perfectly. Loafers (as it’s called by its most devoted followers) opened in 2015 as a bakery and café, but quickly became much more than that, adding pizza, an impressive list of low-intervention wine, and a multitude of incredible snacks and bites. You voted it your favorite place to get bread, and it scored honorable mentions in the sandwich and pizza categories as well. Here’s why we love it.

1. The pizza program is impeccable. From the spicy, savory marinara pizza to the earthy mushroom ’za and the simple but elegant cheese and pepperoni pies, Loafers’ pizza game is beyond solid.

2. The beet sandwich. Featuring smoked beets, Emmentaler cheese, Thousand Island dressing, hard egg and sauerkraut, this lunch item is basically the veggie Reuben of your dreams.

3. The wine list is full of pizza-friendly bottles as well as options that are delicious on

their own, from low-intervention California wines to spectacular Alsatian, Italian and French offerings. Whatever you pick, you’re guaranteed to get something that’s certified cool (and tasty).

4. The service mirrors the East Coast edge of Loafers’ pizza and wine: not necessarily upbeat and bubbly, but friendly and meticulous enough that you’ll be very comfortable. You might even relax a bit.

5. The ease of online ordering, which started during the pandemic, has made it easy to score the items you desire. Smash that “Add” button at 11 a.m. sharp to ensure you get your coveted semolina loaf. We can’t lie and say we don’t miss the experience of rushing to stand in Loafers’ bread line at 10:45 a.m., but as long as we get our desired loaves, we’re happy.

6. On that note, the bread game is unparalleled. Literally, that’s why it won first place in this year’s Readers’ Choice. Highlights among coowner Ted Wilson’s collection of masterpieces include a sour-ish, custardy Light & Mild loaf, a delightfully homey marble rye and the sesameladen, beautifully crusty semolina.

7. The pizza rossa is unreal. It’s spicy, tomato-y, crunchy-soft, oily, aromatic, drippy, funky and, of course, absolutely delicious.

8. Union Loafers’ location is perfect. Situated at the main intersection of Botanical Heights’ culinary center, it’s within a block of AO&Co, Olio, Nixta, Indo and La Patisserie Chouquette. It’s part of a neighborhood of legends.

9. The Italian salad is one of the finest in the city. Featuring pickled pepper, sliced fennel, olives, fresh mozzarella and Grana Padano and a note-perfect Italian dressing, this is a salad you’ll regret sleeping on.

10. The team is killer. From Ted Wilson and beloved industry vet Bernardo “Cowboy” Lopez in the back to beverage director and co-owner Sean Netzer and general manager Steve Russell up front, everyone at Loafers is incredible at what they do.

Union Loafers Café and Bread Bakery, 1629 Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis, 314.833.6111, unionloafers.com

part of the team at union loafers café and bread bakery, from left: mariah ellis, ted wilson, jacob huff, brian moxey, steve russell, noah yacyshyn and iris emerson

queens of soul

TOUR ST. LOUIS’ SOUL FOOD SCENE WITH THESE READERS’ CHOICE FAVORITE SOUL FOOD WINNERS

BY IAIN SHAW // PHOTOS BY IZAIAH JOHNSON

Sweetie Pie’s Upper Crust

First place

Just a few hundred yards from Grand Center Arts District, Sweetie Pie’s Upper Crust earned a national audience via a reality TV show following the fortunes of the Montgomery family and its matriarch, singer-turned-restaurateur Miss Robbie. The restaurant has become a local soul food institution, with frequently long lines attesting to its popularity. Order meat or fish and two or three sides from a menu of rotating daily specials – barbecue ribs and rib tips on Saturday, roast beef and huge turkey legs on Sunday – alongside staples like baked chicken and smothered pork steaks. No matter what day of the week you go, you’ll be eating hearty fare grounded squarely in the soul food canon like black eyed peas, mac ‘n’ cheese and okra. Don’t forget to order a slice of the peach or pear cobbler.

3643 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314.932.5364, Facebook: The Original Sweetie Pie’s

Cathy’s Kitchen

Second place

A Saturday lunch at this delightful diner in the historic heart of Ferguson is a lunchtime well spent. The Route 66 decor adorning the walls takes you on a journey across the U.S., and chefowner Cathy Jenkins’ menu reflects her love of travel as she puts her own spin on dishes she’s picked up on her adventures. Grab a booth or a chrome counter stool and take comfort in shrimp and grits, catfish nuggets, gumbo and Cathy’s

signatures like the Cajun seafood macaroni, or go big with Philly cheese steaks and Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches.

250 S. Florissant Road, Ferguson, 314.524.9200, cjenkinscompany.com

CC’s Vegan Spot

SoulVeganlicious

Third place

Owner Trezel Brown is passionate about the health benefits of plant-based eating, but she also wants her vegan cooking to offer the comforting quality of a good home-cooked meal. At CC’s (named after her granddaughter) in Princeton Heights, Brown puts a plant-based spin on a number of soul food staples. The SoulFood Plate serves fried oyster mushrooms in place of chicken with yams and greens on the side. Other dinners feature plant-based takes on fried fish and roast beef, but Brown’s menu reaches beyond iconic soul food dishes to include plant-based burgers, nachos with vegan cheese, and highlights like the fried cauliflower bites with barbecue, Buffalo, sweet Asian or teriyaki sauce.

4993 Loughborough Ave., St. Louis, 314.899.9400, ccsveganspot.com

Mom’s Soul Food Kitchen & Catering Honorable mention

Mom’s Soul Food offers cafeteria-style dining by the book, with minimal fuss and plenty of heart. The dining room at the Delmar Boulevard

location is simple and casual, but it’s really all about the food. Expect to find numerous types of red and white meats – brisket, chicken wings, pork neck, ribs – often coated liberally with barbecue sauce or gravy. The yams spring with warming holiday spices, the mac ‘n’ cheese has a pleasing crispy crust, and your meat and two sides will come in at under $20. Mom’s also offers a $7.50 lunch deal Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

4909 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314.328.1333, momssoulfoodkitchen.net; 1507 Goodfellow Blvd., St. Louis, 314.389.0916, momssoulfoodkitchen.com

Creole With A Splash Of Soul

Honorable mention

The weekday menu at Creole With A Splash Of Soul is imbued with Creole flavor, from Louisiana classics like shrimp étouffée and gumbo to crab cakes and the Down-on-the-Bayou pork chop. On weekends, the kitchen brings more than a splash of soul, particularly for Soul Food Sunday, a meat-and-two-sides affair that includes entrees like oxtails, meat loaf, and crispy and deliciously seasoned fried catfish. Sides like the dressing, red beans and rice, and mac ‘n’ cheese play a starring role, and it’s all attractively presented. The dining room feels personal and homey, with the light scent of incense and a soundtrack – Al Green, The O’ Jays and more – that adds to the ambiance. Reservations are recommended, particularly for groups of three and up.

4353 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314.349.2385, creolemeetsoul.com

from left: robbie montgomery of sweetie pie's upper crust, ronda walker of creole with a splash of soul, the dining room at creole with a splash of soul

Oh, what a night!

An inside look at the nightlife at the Broadway Oyster Bar

by Lauren Healey // Photo by David Kovaluk

Take one step into the eclectic Broadway Oyster Bar and it’s as if you’ve been magically transported into New Orleans’ French Quarter. The building, originally constructed in the 1840s, has been added onto several times throughout the years, but its essence remains intact with original fireplaces, tin-tiled ceilings and well-worn brickwork. The walls and ceilings are adorned with an explosion of everything from massive Mardi Gras beads, kitschy light fixtures and neon

signs to sports and music memorabilia. Even the bathrooms are decked out in trippy mosaic mirrors and tiles. It may be a little over-the-top and a tad frayed at the edges, but that’s part of the charm.

This unfussy St. Louis institution is the 2022 Readers’ Choice pick for Favorite Cajun/Creole and second Favorite Seafood, but you may not realize that the Oyster Bar, lovingly called “Bob” by regulars, is as much an iconic nightlife

destination as a place to fill up on some of the city’s finest Cajun/Creole dishes and seafood.

Just a stone’s throw from Busch Stadium and not much farther from Enterprise Center, the Bob attracts a fascinating cross-section of the St. Louis community and some pretty interesting characters as droves of Cardinals and Blues fans trickle in after a game. On one occasion, a woman made her way to the front of

the bustling dance floor, did the splits and started swinging her long ponytail around like a helicopter. She later attempted to rush the stage, which led to her relatively peaceful ejection from the premises. Although incidents like this aren’t necessarily the norm, given the freewheeling atmosphere, they aren’t much of a surprise either.

With Hurricanes flowing, an aura of elation wafts through the air. There’s live music seven nights a week, as well as many daytime shows, so there’s always a good time waiting to beckon you in. Home to many lively dance parties, the Bob has no backstage area, so you’re likely to catch the band members smoking on the sidewalk during set break or hanging at the bar after the show.

On the south patio where the concerts take place, there are cobblestones underfoot and hoards of oyster shells scattered in place of mulch around a row of trees that line the patio. Sound technicians have even been known to use the oyster shells to stabilize speakers perched atop the uneven floor.

Recent updates and additions to the Bob show this venerable institution has no intention of slowing down. A beer garden recently opened for weekend use, and new air conditioning has been installed on the north patio. A retractable roof over the south patio is also on the way in the next month or so.

Try as we might, the vibe here is truly indescribable and must be experienced to be fully understood. There’s nowhere quite like the Broadway Oyster Bar.

736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314.621.8811, broadwayoysterbar.com

FAHIME MOHAMMAD

CO-OWNER, SAMEEM AFGHAN RESTAURANT

When Sameem Afghan Restaurant co-owner Fahime Mohammad arrived in St. Louis in 1991, he didn’t expect to stay 30 years. With his home country, Afghanistan, enduring internal conflict and Soviet occupation, he and his brother Qayum fled across Afghanistan’s mountainous border with Pakistan to avoid compulsory military service. From Pakistan, they decided to join their uncles who were already living in St. Louis. “We thought that things will become peaceful in Afghanistan, and someday we will go back,” he explained. “Obviously, that never happened.” Here, Mohammad delves into the story behind opening Sameem and how his unexpected career as a restaurateur has enriched his life. – Meera Nagarajan

“I was working two jobs [after moving to St. Louis] – I was working in one of the country clubs here in St. Louis, and I was also working at Edward Jones. My brother was working full-time. He was a supervisor at the country club.”

“During the month of Ramadan, my brother would bring me some home-cooked meals. I had to eat during sunset, [and] then I would share with my co-workers at the country club. They were like, ‘Oh my God, this food is amazing! You should open a restaurant.’

Sometimes the idea gets planted in your brain by somebody just telling you.”

“One day, my brother opened up a [St. Louis] Post-Dispatch, and he saw this restaurant for sale on South Grand [Boulevard]. It was the old Gulf Coast Cafe, owned by a Bosnian gentleman. He goes, ‘Let’s call him on Monday,’ and then we went, took a tour. We liked it. The big challenge was getting the funds.”

“Ever since we opened up the South Grand location we had

so much support; some of our former coworkers [from the country club] came in and supported us, and it was amazing. Until today, there’s not even a single moment that I regret opening this restaurant.”

“Owning your own place, there’s a lot of challenges, don’t get me wrong. But who would love life without challenge?”

“What inspired us to open a restaurant is because a lot of people have a really negative sentiment about Afghanistan. But Afghanistan has this very rich culture, we have this amazing food, our culture is based on hospitality, we have this very entrepreneurial spirit.”

“The [popular] dishes based on our sales and feedback are eggplant boorani, the lamb qabelli pallow, the muntoo (dumplings), the chicken teekha masala, the kebab dishes.”

“My brother and I worked in restaurants, but we had always had exposure to good food. My

mom was a really good cook and then my brother’s wife [Sitara Mohammad], she is amazing – she and my brother are the main chefs at the restaurant.”

“Afghan cuisine is a very healthy, very balanced cuisine. So if you notice the country of Afghanistan where it’s situated between China, several former Soviet states, Iran and Pakistan (which used to be India).”

“The population of Afghanistan is very diverse. These people just brought these ideas, the culture, the food. So Afghan food is Mediterranean, it’s Indian, it’s Persian, but at the same time, it has its own uniqueness.”

“[In 2021] when the Taliban came, it created this mayhem and fear, people wanted to flee, and cities [including St. Louis] see the value in refugees coming to their cities. Immigrants are generally entrepreneurs; they want to work.”

“I remember when I first came here, I was like, ‘I can work here? I’ll have my own wage? I can buy a car? I can own my own place?’ It’s a really positive shock. You get a lot of freedom here. Things can happen really quickly here. You can open up a business in one day, one week.”

“I’ve lived in the United States for the past 30 years, and I’ve lived a life that I couldn’t even dream. I love it here. I own my own business, I can do whatever I want. You forget. That’s human nature – you subtract your bad experience from your good experience and you enjoy life.”

Readers’ Choice Favorite Afghan 4341 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314.534.9500, sameems.com

KING & I THAI CUISINE

BY IAIN SHAW

Few restaurants can claim to be the place where just about everyone in town first encountered a particular type of cuisine. But things were a little different in 1983, when Suchin and Sue Prapaisilp decided to open a Thai restaurant, St. Louis’s first, on the corner of Grand Boulevard and Humphrey Street in South City. “For a lot of St. Louisans, the first time they ever had pad thai was at King & I,” Suchin Prapaisilp said.

Introducing St. Louis diners to the flavors of their homeland at King & I Thai Cuisine turned out to be a rewarding journey for the Prapaisilps, but being first on the scene was undoubtedly equal parts challenge and opportunity. “It definitely took time to introduce St. Louis to Thai cuisine,” said Sue Prapaisilp.

Indeed, when King & I first opened, the Prapaisilps included a number of Chinese dishes on the menu to ensure customers saw something familiar to ease them in. A very small number of Chinese items remain

today – crab Rangoon, for example – but with patience and gentle nudges from the Prapaisilps, customers took King & I’s Thai dishes to their hearts. “Suchin would go around the restaurant offering samples of

Thai items for free to at least get people to try it,” Sue said. “Soon they were hooked.”

Although it would be years before Thai cuisine achieved the popularity it

readers' choice favorite thai from top: the entrance to king & i, pad thai

enjoys today, the Prapaisilps resisted the temptation to attempt to accelerate or force that process. They refused to dilute or adapt the distinct flavors of Thai cuisine, even in the days when securing a reliable supply of key ingredients could be a struggle. “We’ve always tried to be true to the seasoning of Thai food the way you would have it in Thailand,” Suchin said. “In fact, for a while, we were known as the restaurant where if you wanted heat, we were the place to go. That still holds true today.”

King & I built a following in St. Louis and moved to a new location at Grand Boulevard and Juniata Street in 1993. As Thai cuisine gained acclaim in the broader culture, over the following decades, King & I remained one of the city’s go-to Thai spots. “It always came back to providing good food and good service,” said Shayn Prapaisilp, son of Suchin and Sue. In 2019, Shayn opened his own restaurant, Chao Baan, honoring the regional cuisines of northeastern (Esaan) and southern (Pak Tai) Thailand, where Sue and Suchin grew up, respectively.

Although King & I still welcomes customers who are trying Thai food for the first time, today’s guests are more likely to be wellversed consumers of pad thai, tom yum soup, and curries red, green or massaman. What diners may not appreciate is just how personal these dishes are to the Prapaisilps. “The curry paste recipes are my Aunt Preeya’s recipes,” said Shayn Prapaisilp. “They’re really special and unique to us.”

For the Prapaisilps, King & I is a family business in the broadest sense. “We’ve treated the King & I more as a symbol of our family and our journey in St. Louis than an investment or merely a business,” Suchin said. “That means running the business and treating our staff and customers as if they were part of our family.”

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

JUNE

BY JAMES BOECKMANN

International Horseradish Festival

June 3 to 4 – 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Main Street, Collinsville, internationalhorseradishfestival.com

Come for the bloody mary contest, stay for the local food and horseradish root toss. There are also local craft vendors; a new kids area in the city hall parking lot; a car show on Saturday; live entertainment; cornhole at Old Herald Brewery & Distillery and more. This is a great family-friendly festival celebrating the Horseradish Capital of the World. Free admission.

Juneteenth in the Loop

June 11 – noon to 5 p.m., Delmar Blvd. at Hamilton Ave., St. Louis, https://samg.bz/DelmarJuneteenth

Start the week of Juneteenth on the 5800 block of Delmar Boulevard with a celebration of the Loop’s Black-owned businesses and the community they support. Catch the Vails Brothers food truck or grab some seafood from AAA Fish House and Krab Kingz while taking in giveaways, art and live music from acts including the Red and Black Brass Band. Free admission.

Uncorked: STL Wine Fest

June 11 – 7 to 11 p.m., St. Louis Science Center, 5050 Oakland Ave., St. Louis, uncorkedwinefestivals.com

With over 100 wines from wineries ranging from Purple Toad Winery in Kentucky to Tosti1820 in Asti, Italy, Uncorked STL Wine Fest offers the vinophile’s dream night at the Science Center. There’s enough to taste to get one’s head spinning. Just be careful in the flight simulator. Tickets available online.

Cocktails for a Cure

June 16 – 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Barnett on Washington, 3207 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, Facebook: Cocktails for a Cure

After taking two years off, Cocktails for a Cure is back to raise even more money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer. The cocktail party

is moving to Barnett on Washington this year and will feature food by Sugarfire Smoke House and Hot Box Cookies. Tickets are available online and at the door and include unlimited food and beverages.

Eye for the Appetite:

Explore the World of Food

Photography with Jennifer Silverberg

June 25 – 11 a.m. to noon, International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum, 3415 Olive St., St. Louis, iphf.org

Current and aspiring food photographers can’t miss award-winning food photographer and St. Louis resident Jennifer Silverberg at the International Photography Hall of Fame. She’ll be dishing on her career and offering insight into her creative process. And Grand Center is a great neighborhood to get hungry in – you’ll be seconds from brunch at Turn or a midday sundae at The Fountain on Locust. Tickets available online.

Bourbon & Brews Festival

June 25 – 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Frankie Martin’s Garden, 5372 St. Charles St., Cottleville, bourbonandbrewsstlouis.com

Sample some of over 200 whiskeys and craft beers at the all-new Frankie Martin’s Garden in Cottleville. Local and regional favorites like Wok & Roll and Angie Burger will fill the food truck row, with Steve Ewing rocking the perfect summer afternoon vibes. Tickets available online.

Blaze Cannabis Expo

June 3 & 4 – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., St. Louis Union Station, 1820 Market St., St. Louis, blazemissouri.com

Blaze: Missouri Brand Showcase is a consumer cannabis product expo that will feature cooking demos from three celebrity chefs, workshops and

networking opportunities, among other attractions and entertainment. Tickets available online.

Food Truck Friday

June 10 & 24 – 4 to 8 p.m., Tower Grove Park, 4501 Southwest Drive, St. Louis, 314.772.8004, saucemagazine.com

Like tough choices? Tower Grove Park offers dinner from about 20 of our favorite food trucks in St. Louis on seven more Fridays this summer. Luckily you can’t go wrong with any of them. There’s also local beverages and live music. Free admission.

Central West End Cocktail Party

June 11 – 5 p.m., Central West End, St. Louis, cwescene.com

The Central West End’s tribute to the famed “first cocktail party on record” returns to Euclid Avenue after a two-year, pandemic-induced hiatus. There’s plenty of food and drink available for purchase from CWE bars and restaurants, as well as live music and entertainment. Don’t miss the CWE Cocktail Competition. Free admission.

Saucy Soirée

June 12 – 3 to 7:30 p.m., Union Station, 1820 Market St., St. Louis, saucysoiree.com

Celebrate with your favorite restaurants, bars, breweries and wineries as Sauce Magazine hosts dozens of Readers’ Choice winners in the most awesome tasting event of the summer. Tickets available online.

Sauce @ Sophie’s

Every Friday and Saturday – 8 p.m., Sophie’s Artist Lounge, 3333 Washington Ave., Suite 102, St. Louis, 314.710.5647, Facebook: Sauce @ Sophie’s Food Truck Weekends

Sophie’s Artist Lounge receives a food truck upgrade every weekend through August. Visit the Sauce Facebook page on Wednesdays for each week’s lineup. Free admission. denotes a sauce-sponsored event