SHORT ORDERS [FIRST LOOK]
New, Old Flavors Sureste Méxican is serving Yucatán cuisine at City Foundry Written by
CHERYL BAEHR
F
or several years, chef Alex Henry has been injecting the menus of the restaurants he’s worked at with tastes of his native Yucatán Peninsula. Now, he is stepping out on his own with Sureste Méxican (3730 Foundry Way), an entire restaurant dedicated to the vibrant cuisine, which opened October 20 in the Food Hall at City Foundry. “I felt like this needed its own concept, because I’ve been doing this here and there at other restaurants,” Henry says. “I really wanted to do the food that I grew up eating, and this seemed like a good place to do it.”
Sweet Idea Andy Cohen and Clementine’s announce Peppermint Andy collaboration Written by
JAIME LEES
C
lementine’s Creamery (multiple locations including 1637 South 18th Street, 314-474-5800) and favorite St. Louis son Andy Cohen have launched a new ice cream flavor, and it’s currently available at Clementine’s scoop shops. Named Peppermint Andy, the new flavor is a swirly pink peppermint-chocolate mix, and it’s arriving just in time for the holiday Mariah Carey season. It’s made with Clementine’s dairy base, crushed King Leo Peppermint candies, dark chocolate curls and a hint of vanilla. The new flavor is more than just a new sweet treat, though; it’s the first step in
Chef Alex Henry shares flavors from his boyhood home at his new restaurant. | CHERYL BAEHR As Henry explains, Sureste Méxican is informed by the recipes of his mother and grandmother, the two main culinary in uences in his life. Growing up, the two women showed him how to cook and were by his side as he explored the food stalls and markets of their hometown, Merida. When Henry grew up, he carried these experiences with him on his own professional culinary journey at such acclaimed restaurants as a charitable chain. Clementine’s is donating 50 percent of sales of the peppermint-chocolate flavor to DOORWAYS, a local interfaith nonprofit organization which provides housing and related supportive services to improve quality of life and health outcomes for people affected by HIV/AIDS. For Andy Cohen’s family, this project is a continuation of a decades-long relationship with DOORWAYS. Cohen says his mom has been “heavily involved” with the organization since he came out of the closet in 1989. “Andy Cohen has been a steadfast DOORWAYS supporter and friend for many, many years,” Opal Jones, president and CEO of DOORWAYS, says in a news release. “It’s wonderful to see Clementine’s honor him with this new ice cream! Peppermint is known as both a remedy and a delightful essence — two characteristics among Andy’s many traits. He helps improve the lives of people in need — such as our DOORWAYS clients — through his generous and kind spirit.” “We are honored to partner with Andy and DOORWAYS on this special flavor,”
Vicia, Niche and Nixta, where he was honored as a “Young Gun” by the in uential food site Eater. At each of his jobs, he took every opportunity afforded him to sprinkle in bits of Yucatán cuisine, but now Henry is eager to dedicate an entire restaurant to it. City Foundry feels like a particularly special venue to do that, because of how much it reminds him of the markets and food stalls in Merida. At Sureste Méxican, diners can
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expect such traditional Yucatán dishes as chime, which consists of turkey stewed in burnt chile mole with a hardboiled egg and pork meatball and cochinita pibil, made with citrus roasted pork, macerated onions and habanero. “I want people to learn a little bit about this region,” Henry says. “Mexico is our neighbor to the south, but we don’t get a large variety of food, and a lot of places have similar stuff. That’s not bad, but it’s good for people to know there are a lot of options.” Dishes at Sureste Méxican come in two formats. Guests can either choose from entree portions with sides and tortillas or tacos. Henry is excited to be serving up the food himself on the line to his guests so that he can answer any questions and explain the dishes and heritage that have made him the chef he is today. “Mexico has so many diverse cultures, languages, foods; this just happens to be the one I grew up with,” Henry says. “I think it’s something worth sharing with everyone here.” Sureste Méxican is open on Mondays and Wednesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. and on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. n
Andy Cohen with Peppermint Andy, a new Clementine’s Creamery flavor. | CLEMENTINE’S CREAMERY Tamara Keefe, CEO of Clementine’s Creamery, says in the announcement. “What a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday season with a delicious new ice cream that will also benefit a most wor-
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thy organization in our community.” Peppermint Andy is currently available in Clementine’s scoop shops and can also be ordered online. Visit clementinescreamery.com for more information. n
NOVEMBER 10-16, 2021
RIVERFRONT TIMES
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