11 minute read
Short Orders
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SHORT ORDERS
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[YEAR END REVIEW]
Written by CHERYL BAEHR
In a year defined by upheaval it s i possible to understate the earth shattering chaos and uncertainty rained down on the hospitality world than s to . s any server che bartender prep coo valet restaurateur or anyone else in the business where they were that ate ul second wee end in March and the an swers are li ely to sound li e those given by witnesses to the ennedy assassination or . here was a sense that the world as they new it as all o us who dine out new it was about to change aybe orever but at least or the long ter indefinite uture. hey were scared. hey didn t now how they would pay their bills. hey weren t sure that the careers they d dedi cated their lives to would be there on the other side and in turn it ade any in the business ues tion who they were without the obs that had co e to define so uch o their lives. nd no one was co ing to help the . ure there were the loans and e panded une ploy ent benefits all wrapped up in cu berso e red tape but or the ost part the industry new it was on its own. n the ab ect is ery o this year one o the bright est spots has been the way that the hospitality industry has e panded its notion o service to include one another as well as the co u nity at large pulling together to see how they could help in a way that only those who dedicate their lives to service can. his end o year recounting a
Charlie Gitto, who died on July 4, made an indelible mark on the St. Louis restaurant scene. | JEN WEST
est and orst o t. ouis ining in tries to capture that blend o despair and opti is through so e o the year s ost defining ood o ents. his list is not e haustive there were too any individual o ents o sadness to ever ully now ust as there were s all acts o indness per or ed when no one was loo ing. THE WORST OF ST. LOUIS DINING IN 2020 asy answer . he es sence o all that was bad about t. ouis ood in can be su ed up in a single na e. s calendars turned to March and the yearly hope that the dar days o winter were drawing to an end started to spring the virus that see ed li e it could aybe possibly be a proble reared its ugly head turning the entire world upside down. o uch pain in the indus try flowed ro this but in a year o crap sandwiches it wasn t the only bad news. Brennan’s Fire hen rennan s closed in the entral est nd to a e way or the ever e panding t. ouis hess lub it see ed li e the world was ending. han ully it was only te porary as the bar relocated ust down the road and was poised to reclai its place as a beloved neighborhood watering hole. hen this ove ber not even a onth a ter it reopened its doors a fire da aged the spot re uiring about nine onths o reconstruction to repair the da age. ope ully we ll be cel ebrating the end o the scourge when its doors reopen the ne t ti e. Civil Life’s Stolen Giraffe iled to the hy are people dic s file so e idiots with a bo truc thought it would be unny to idnap eaches the iconic gira e that graces the lot ad acent to ivil i e brewery. hough it was re turned a wee later the incident is a re inder that there are so e people willing to steal our oy in the year we really needed it. Rest in Peace, Charlie Gitto harlie itto loved to regale his riends a. .a. anyone who d ever dined at his iconic talian restau rant harlie itto s owntown with stories ro his long career in the business. ro his stool at the corner o the bar ust to the side o the restaurant s ront doors he d entertain a steady strea o guests with tales o celebrities sports fig ures and politicians who he d got ten to now over the years. hat entertain ent value is why he got into the business and in addition to his restaurant s classic talian ood is what ade harlie itto s so special. hen we said goodbye to hi this uly we said goodbye to ore than ust the Mayor o i th treet we bid arewell to a leg end o t. ouis dining whose bar stool no one will ever be able to fill.
Rest in Peace, Robert Uyemura harlie itto en oyed the show o the restaurant business obert ye ura bas ed in being behind the scenes. hough the che and owner o ocal he itchen ade an undeniable i pact on the t. ouis ar to table ove ent well be ore it was a catchphrase
Brennan’s reopened in November, only to catch fire soon a er. | INSTAGRAM
he was an under the radar ind o guy whose talent indness and passion or bringing good whole so e ood to people defined his career. osing hi to cancer this ebruary elt li e losing a piece o the industry s spirit. t was a dev astating blow in a bad year.
Sexual Assault in the Grove his su er a spate o se ual assault allegations against pro i nent e bers o the rove area s ood and beverage scene roc ed the industry setting o a rec on ing that beca e the t. ouis area s Me oo o ent. hat so any
wo en e perienced this trau a over a decade at the hands o the scene s boys club culture places this on the orst side o the col u n even i the survivors brav ery puts the at the top o the est.
So Many Restaurant Closures Mangia. at ite. a sage. ousin ugo s ar rill. easting o . Missouri ar rill. ueblo uevo. e lost so any good ones this year due to and this doesn t count the te porary closures or ones whose ates re ain up in the air that it s di ficult to wrap one s head around what the dining landscape will loo li e on the other side o this ess. s those that re ain strug gle to survive the ones who did not serve as a star re inder to the dining public with the eans to do so ust how i portant it is to support those places you want to see stic around.
Taqueria Durango Fire n March a two alar fire bla ed through a ueria uran go burning the beloved verland restaurant to the ground. un by the ope a ily or eleven years the restaurant s ate re ains un certain. he ad acent grocery store they ve operated or over two decades is all that s le t unless you include the a ily s fighting spirit and the love ro the co unity shown to the throughout their ordeal.
THE BEST OF ST. LOUIS DINING IN 2020 this year taught us one thing it s that the t. ouis dining scene s resilience is its ost stri ing attri bute. n a year o worsts the outbrea brought out the best in those who have dedicated their lives to serving others.
Adopt a Server ocal nurse heri ee ley could not sit bac and watch her riends in the industry su er the loss o their livelihoods due to the pan de ic so she ca e up with a plan to help. er initiative dopt a server connected those who had the eans to help with industry ol s in need o daily living sup plies thin everything ro sha poo and groceries to cat ood and hygiene products . he progra was so success ul it not only helped
Bakers for Black Lives represents a collective action of several prominent members of the area’s pastry community to show support for the civil rights movement. | COURTESY HANNAH KERNE
those in the t. ouis industry but also pro pted other li e inded people around the country to start their own chapters.
Bakers for Black Lives n the wa e o the racial ustice rec oning that swept the country ollowing the urder o eorge loyd pastry che s haron arter and annah erne had an idea to use their talents to help support the ove ent. heir event a ers or lac ives raised thou sands o dollars or racial ustice organi ations around town and showed that there are any ways to lend your voice.
Cocktails To-Go hen the Missouri ivision o l cohol and obacco ontrol shut down struggling t. ouis restau rants to go coc tail service da and ason il ord and other area restaurateurs sprang into action. ter lobbying state o cials these tenacious restaurateurs were able to e ect the change we all needed this year easier access to boo e.
Ghost Kitchens he pande ic ay have de stroyed business but one thing it hasn t ta en away ro the res taurant industry is its ingenuity. ospitality pro essionals have had to be even ore creative than usual in figuring out how to generate revenue and any have turned to ghost itchens as a way to do ust that. ro olite ociety s ub ivision sandwich delivery service to utch er loc s wing spot ing un ner restaurants have created these sister restaurants within a restaurant finding a way to re tain sta e ercise creativity and stay afloat while adding to the delicious ood already on o er in town. t s a rare win in a year without any o the .
Hospitality Professionals Offer Help ven as deci ated their own livelihoods any hospitality industry pro essionals re used to deny their call to service and in stead stepped in to help the ost vulnerable in t. ouis. astry che ai avis devoted hi sel to putting together and deliver ing bo ed eals to area ids who ound the selves ood insecure a ter losing school lunches. e rard ra t partnered up his iche ood roup tea with the orth arah ood ub as a way to eep his sta wor ing while provid ing eals or those in need and too any restaurants to ention ade nown their intention to eed those who needed to eat or ree no uestions as ed. his year showed us that their co it ent to hospitality went ar beyond the our walls o a restaurant.
Meals for Meds ot long a ter the pande ic shut tered area restaurants this spring uniper s ohn er ins had an idea hy not figure out a way to eep his sta e ployed through coo ing or rontline wor ers ogeth er with irsten rown o nead a ehouse er ins launched Meals or Meds an initiative that allows the public to donate oney to eed rontline wor ers directly to their avorite restaurants who in turn would provide eals to area edical pro essionals. t was a li eline to restaurant wor ers and a delicious beacon o light or rontline wor ers in an otherwise dar year.
National Accolades for Area Restaurants espite the induced up heaval that roc ed the hospital ity industry across the globe the national press still ade a point to highlight the culinary bright spots across the country and ore than a ew happened to be in t. ouis. Esquire na ed al an reat o and ndo as two o its est ew estaurants in er ica. he accolades ept co ing or ndo whose che and owner ic ognar was selected as one o Food & Wine s est ew he s or . Food & Wine also ept the love co ing to t. ouis when it put utcher loc ol yard s Meat rovisions and en ric s Meats atering as three o the est utcher hops in the ountry. n a year o low points these accolades re inded us why ood culture is worth fighting or.
Outstanding New Restaurants his wasn t e actly the best year to open a restaurant but any orged ahead ta ing the long view in the belie that better days are co ing. he uc y cco plice hiang Mai o ad dera and e pus added even ore won der ul ood to our city s culinary landscape and gave us reason to hope that the other side o this ess will be even ore delicious than be ore.
Welcome Neighbor Drive-Thru Supper Clubs essica ueler and her elco e eighbor cohorts were not going to let the pande ic halt the o entu they d created or their upper lub progra . nstead she and the organi ation continued their ission to provide ean ing ul inco e to re ugee wo en by transitioning the traditionally in person dinners to drive thru events. he response has been nothing short o spectacular as ueler e plains the new or at is reaching even ore people than be ore and eeping the inco e and sense o purpose flowing to this group o inspiring wo en and their a ilies. n
