SEPTEMBER 27–OCTOBER 3, 2017 I VOLUME 41 I NUMBER 39
we made it to 40 .... Now to Infinity, and Beyond
BEST OF ST. LOUIS 2017
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This is
40
This week, we’re celebrating two things: the 40th anniversary of the RFT’s founding and the very best of St. Louis 2017. There’s a whole lot of ground to cover on both fronts. Taking a look at the paper’s history and heritage are a bevy of RFT writers past and present — including current editor in chief Sarah Fenske, former staff writers Jeannette Batz Cooperman and Joe Schuster, former editors in chief Tom Finkel and Chad Garrison and contributing writer Thomas Crone, who wrote for the RFT in the 1980s and continues to do so today. But enough about us. In celebration of the city we just can’t quit, we’ve also got a host of Best of St. Louis content, including 40 cheap thrills, 40 marvels and 40 flavors. Oh, and let’s not forget our annual readers’ poll, which includes 40 food and drink winners and another 40 in arts, culture, shopping, media, politics and the outdoors. Finally, much as we’d normally skip right over the news in an issue already bursting at its seams, we’ve been overtaken by current events, which have remained as compelling in recent weeks as in any time in the paper’s history. Our coverage of the disruption that’s seized the metro area continues in our news section. (For the very latest, please visit our website.) Thank you for being here to celebrate our big birthday, and thank you for reading along with us week in, week out, as we strive to cover this fascinating city and the people who call it home. We couldn’t have done it without you, and we’re delighted you’re still here — yeah, and that we are too.
—the Riverfront Times
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TABLE OF
CONTENTS NEWS .....................................................................10 40 YEARS OF RAISING HELL: A CELEBRATION SARAH FENSKE......................................................16
JOE SCHUSTER......................................................38 JEANNETTE BATZ COOPERMAN......................63 THOMAS CRONE...................................................85 CHAD GARRISON..................................................97 TOM FINKEL.............................................................111
BEST OF ST. LOUIS 2017 40 CHEAP THRILLS..............................................20 40 MARVELS..........................................................42 40 FLAVORS...........................................................68
READERS’ CHOICE FOOD & DRINK.......................................................88 CITY LIFE...............................................................100
CALENDAR .....................................................117 MUSIC ...................................................................122 SAVAGE LOVE ...........................................127
Cover illustrated by
NOAH MCMILLIAN
Publisher Chris Keating Editor in Chief Sarah Fenske E D I T O R I A L Arts & Culture Editor Paul Friswold Music Editor Daniel Hill Digital Editor Elizabeth Semko Staff Writers Doyle Murphy, Danny Wicentowski Restaurant Critic Cheryl Baehr Film Critic Robert Hunt Contributing Writers Mike Appelstein, Allison Babka, Sara Graham, Roy Kasten, Jaime Lees, Joseph Hess, Kevin Korinek, Bob McMahon, Nicholas Phillips, Tef Poe, Christian Schaeffer, Lauren Milford, Thomas Crone, MaryAnn Johanson, Jenn DeRose Editorial Interns Katie Hayes, Melissa Buelt
A R T Art Director Kelly Glueck Contributing Photographers Sara Bannoura, Mabel Suen, Monica Mileur, Micah Usher, Theo Welling, Corey Woodruff, Tim Lane, Nick Schnelle P R O D U C T I O N Production Manager Brittani Schlager Production Designer Devin Thompson
M U LT I M E D I A A D V E R T I S I N G Sales Director Colin Bell Senior Account Executive Cathleen Criswell, Erica Kenney, Nicole Starzyk Account Managers Emily Fear, Jennifer Samuel C I R C U L A T I O N Circulation Manager Kevin G. Powers E U C L I D M E D I A G RO U P Chief Executive Officer Andrew Zelman Chief Operating Officers Chris Keating, Michael Wagner Human Resources Director Lisa Beilstein VP of Digital Services Stacy Volhein Creative Director Tom Carlson www.euclidmediagroup.com N A T I O N A L A D V E R T I S I N G VMG Advertising 1-888-278-9866, www.voicemediagroup.com S U B S C R I P T I O N S Send address changes to Riverfront Times, 308 N. 21st Street, Suite 300, St. Louis, MO 63103. Domestic subscriptions may be purchased for $78/6 months (Missouri residents add $4.74 sales tax) and $156/year (Missouri residents add $9.48 sales tax) for first class. Allow 6-10 days for standard delivery. www.riverfronttimes.com The Riverfront Times is published weekly by Euclid Media Group Verified Audit Member Riverfront Times 308 N. 21st Street, Suite 300, St. Louis, MO 63103 www.riverfronttimes.com General information: 314-754-5966 Fax administrative: 314-754-5955 Fax editorial: 314-754-6416 Founded by Ray Hartmann in 1977
Riverfront Times is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies of the current issue may be purchased for $1.00 plus postage, payable in advance at the Riverfront Times office. Riverfront Times may be distributed only by Riverfront Times authorized distributors. No person may, without prior written permission of Riverfront Times, take more than one copy of each Riverfront Times weekly issue. The entire contents of Riverfront Times are copyright 2015 by Riverfront Times, LLC. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the expressed written permission of the Publisher, Riverfront Times, 308 N. 21st Street, Suite 300, St. Louis, MO 63103. Please call the Riverfront Times office for back-issue information, 314-754-5966.
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10
NEWS
Top, Zachary Becker celebrates his release from the Justice Center in Clayton after getting swept up in the arrests at the St. Louis Galleria on Saturday afternoon. Right, Rodney Brown faces charges of rioting and resisting arrest after police came for protesters — sometimes, in violent ways.
‘Galleria 22’ Win Release as Protests Continue Written by
DOYLE MURPHY
T
he last of nearly two dozen people arrested during a crackdown on protesters at the St. Louis Galleria was released from jail late Sunday afternoon to a cheering crowd. “Who shuts shit down?” shouted 27-year-old Rodney Brown, leading more than 100 demonstrators
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in a favorite chant. “We shut shit down!” It was a celebratory moment for protesters outside the Buzz Westfall Justice Center in Clayton after what had been a long night that continued through most of the day. Defense attorneys, including multiple lawyers from the nonprofit firm ArchCity Defenders, began working almost immediately to free the Galleria defendants, who were taken into custody Saturday at the Richmond Heights mall. Protests have broken out in the area every day since September 15, when ex-St. Louis cop Jason Stockley was found not guilty of murder in the 2011 killing of Anthony Lamar Smith. But while a pair of mall protests on September 16 ended without incident, one week later, tension ran much higher. Richmond Heights and St. Louis County riverfronttimes.com
police officers swarmed protesters shortly after 1 p.m. on September 23. Richmond Heights police say mall management called them, after an hour of peaceful demonstrations, when one protester threw a trash can and others blocked an escalator. “This was not tolerated by mall management, and they wanted all protesters removed from the mall,” according to a statement from Richmond Heights police. Police say officers gave three warnings to disperse, although some protesters say they didn’t hear them. County police said on Twitter that 150 protesters left peacefully, but a smaller group stayed behind. Videos from the scene show officers grappling with people young and old, slamming a number of them to the tile floor before binding their wrists with
zip ties. A county officer suffered a back injury in the melee, according to police. County police say 22 were arrested; Richmond Heights says the total was 23. Defense attorneys arrived within two hours at the justice center only to find they couldn’t get in with their bar cards because the facility had been locked down, handcuffs fastened across the door handles. Even friends and family members who tried to deliver medicine for people inside were turned away, lawyers say. The attorneys tried to reach the duty judge but were told that wouldn’t be possible until Sunday morning. Lawyers were finally allowed in the judge’s chambers shortly before noon Sunday and spent the next several hours working for the release of those arrested.
ALL PHOTOS BY KELLY GLUECK
Top, protesters blocked streets in Clayton Sunday in a peaceful protest drawing attention to their comrades being held in St. Louis County’s Justice Center. Left, a protester gestures to security. For hours, the jail was on lockdown, with detainees denied both access to their attorneys and medicine dropped off by family members.
Thomas Harvey, executive director of ArchCity, says that attorneys were kept from clients and blocked when they tried to find out more about the mall protest. “At every turn, our lawyers were met with delay, miscommunication and a general indifference to the rights of the people arrested and the attorneys who work with them,” Harvey said in a prepared statement. Several entities, including the National Lawyers Guild and Jail Support, raised bail for the defendants, who were slowly released throughout the day. Those arrested included the Rev. Dr. Karla Frye, who was charged with third-degree assault on a law enforcement officer after she came from behind and grabbed a cop who had pinned her thirteen-year-old grandson to the floor. Support-
ers were incensed by a St. Louis Post-Dispatch photo that showed a Richmond Heights officer with his hand around her throat during the arrest, although county police were quick to point to earlier shots that show Frye coming up on the officer. Frye was released to a hero’s welcome on Sunday before supporters whisked her away. Another newly freed protester collapsed outside of the jail and was taken away in an ambulance. Organizers say he was manhandled during his arrest, and they worried he was suffering from a concussion. Police say injuries to protesters were limited minor scrapes. Fifteen people were released without bond or charges, although they could still be charged in the future, ArchCity says. A number of those released de-
clined to speak with reporters, citing possible court cases to come. Jeffrey Stack, 57, of Columbia, emerged from the justice center with a bandage covering a swollen gash above his left eye, a wound he says he suffered when a county officer slammed him to the tile. “I wasn’t intending to be arrested,” Stack says. “I’m a non-violent activist.” Stack is the longtime coordinator of the Mid-Missouri Fellowship of Reconciliation, an interfaith organization that works for non-violent conflict resolution. The mall was the perfect place for the protest because of the out-sized importance that society places on commerce and the “indifference” of the wealthy to issues that disproportionately affect the poor, he says. “This is where it hurts a society,” he says. “They want to go ahead
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and pretend that it doesn’t matter when an African American’s life is taken, well, then there is going to be a response and shut it down, because all too often the economy is seen as the cathedral of our times. The well-to-do think they’re insulated from this.” He says protesters had begun to leave after dispersal orders from police, but apparently not everyone left quickly enough. When the first arrests began, he says he lingered behind, hoping to ensure protesters weren’t abused. But he ended up being arrested, too. He was charged with resisting arrest and rioting — a charge that Attorney General Josh Hawley has recommended prosecutors use against protesters. Stack says he was guilty of neither and looks forward to returning in October for his first court appearance. n
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Presented By
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Prepare to be amazed as the RFT throws a birthday bash like no other. Drink from a champagne fountain. Grab tasty cocktails from an ice luge. Enjoy an eclectic range of entertainment including live music, fire performances, break dancers, all outrageously hosted by a fabulous drag queen emcee. Meet current and past Best of winners. Extremely limited number of $15 tickets available. Don’t miss out! Get yours today!
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HERE’S TO 40 YEARS OF RAISING HELL
gr ba no kn
m re Tw W di an al th te m th di offi Lo ha th
... AND TO ALL THE WRITERS, EDITORS, DESIGNERS, SALES REPS AND PUBLISHERS WHO MADE IT HAPPEN
SARAH FENSKE
W
hen I first took on the task of editing the Riverfront Times, I was six months pregnant. This was mostly a problem because everything about the Riverfront Times is tailor-made to drive a person to drink: You have no idea just how badly you want a martini until you are stressed out and excited in equal parts, unable to stop thinking about your work even at 2 a.m. — and not only denied an Ambien, but also told you absolutely cannot have gin. The one thing that’s been true about the paper from 1977 to 2017, from its founding by Ray Hartmann to the crew of rag-tag bon vivants here today, is that there is always too much news that demands to be covered and too few people to do it justice. And so you work overtime, and you fret, and you fume, and you generally always have a little smoke coming out of your ears. It is a near-constant adrenaline rush that makes most other jobs seem boring as hell. But it is perhaps not the best profession for those incubating a future youngster, and it didn’t help when the RFT’s office sprung a plumbing leak in June 2015, leaving us without working toilets for two weeks. As I waddled up and down Delmar to use the loo at Blueberry Hill, self-conscious in my massiveness, I was certain the situation was untenable, but had no idea where I’d erred. Was having the baby the mistake? Or was coming back to an alt-weekly in 2015 the real error? The truth, it turns out, was neither — I just really needed a drink. After Cecilia was born, and I could suddenly take a deep breath without getting kicked by a tiny foot, I realized how great I had it. Being pregnant sucks, kind of like thinking about the future of journalism sucks: It’s all anticipation of pain, no pleasure. But taking care of a baby? That’s kind of like running an alt-weekly. And running an alt-weekly — or at least, running
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to be is br I’m Co a ou in ta w an of ar an it
w on is fo er ste w de
the Riverfront Times — is wonderful. Humbling, stressful and crazy, but wonderful. And definitely enough to drive you to drink. In the 40 years that the RFT has existed, countless writers, editors, sales reps, publishers and support staff have powered this machine. In any given year, I’d posit, at least twothirds of them are nuts. They are the kind of people who wake up with a hangover and push through the day on a cocktail of caffeine and QuikTrip calories, who live to do what they’re doing and would never dream of keeping track of their hours. They might not last in a normal office — not all smell quite right, and some are seldom seen before 11 a.m. — but they are
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committed. These are the people who are happy at the RFT. Then there are the people who strive to achieve work-life balance, who turn off their notifications once they’ve left the office, who have hobbies other than clever quips and substance abuse. These people will do fine — in fact, they often do better than fine — but they don’t last. Eventually, at some point, they will realize they’ve had enough, and wonder why they’re working with a bunch of maniacs without the big fat paycheck that such onerous work ought to include, and either they start openly napping in the office in hopes of getting fired or they simply quit. It might
take years (this place has never been great about enforcing even minimum performance standards), but they’re almost always happier for it. The maniacs keep going. For this, the RFT’s 40th anniversary issue, I asked some of the writers and editors who’ve made this paper what it is to weigh in on their experiences. I didn’t tell them what to write, and so I was amused when they started filing and I realized just how many essays touched on the sheer volume of writing required to sustain a paper like this. Today it’s the Internet; 30 years ago, it was a weekly print issue that routinely topped 100 pages, even though the staff had just a handful of journalists. The beast is always hun-
ha pe al tim ne
ev cit tim In Ev la w de th
w m bu he
Sa of
gry for more — and writing back-toback cover stories is an exclusive club no writer wants to join, but everyone knows is the true mark of arrival. And it’s not just longform. The demands of breaking news are all too real, even at what remains a weekly. Two weeks ago, when Judge Timothy Wilson released his “not guilty” verdict, staff writers Danny Wicentowski and Doyle Murphy simply canceled all their weekend plans and took to the streets, walking alongside as protesters raised hell and police officers moved in with tear gas. On Saturday, they were joined by the paper’s art director, Kelly Glueck, who left her office behind to shoot scenes in the Loop as riot police moved in. No one had to ask any of them. This is what they are here to do. There may not always be working toilets — though that problem has been solved, thank God — but there is always, always another thing that’s broken. As I write this, for example, I’m surrounded by a mountain of Diet Coke cans. We moved to a new office a month ago, and no one can figure out how to get someone (the cleaning people? a recycling company?) to take care of our bin. It’s now got three weeks of detritus in it, Diet Coke cans and pizza boxes and empty bottles of booze. There are boxes piling up around it full of even more empties, and a sign that begs someone to haul it all away. In any normal office, someone would take care of this, or assign someone else to handle it. But everyone here is zipping all over the city selling ads for this issue or interviewing protesters or desperately trying to stay one step ahead of the tear gas — and anyway, it’s probably my job and I’m on deadline. I’m always on deadline. The RFT is, after all, kind of like having a six-month-old baby. The paper is always hungry, always messy, always impatient for more of your time, more of your lifeblood. Who needs sleep? And these days, we feel luckier than ever just to have the chance to tell the city’s stories. Alt-weeklies in Boston, Baltimore and San Francisco have folded. In Kansas City they’ve gone monthly. Even New York City — the freakin’ Village Voice! — has gone digital-only. Yet we are still here. We’d be fools to squander the opportunity ... or sleep through the best job we’ll ever have. At some point, surely, someone will figure out the trash situation. Or maybe not. One day, maybe we’ll be buried in it. And wouldn’t that be one hell of a story? Sarah Fenske has been the editor in chief of the Riverfront Times since April 2015.
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We’ve learned a few things in our four decades in St. Louis. One big one: how to have a blast without breaking the
40Cheap T
bank. The people, places and things highlighted in these 40 superlatives keep us laughing, keep us drinking, keep us on a fascinating journey and, perhaps most importantly, keep us excited about St. Louis. Use this list to fill your calendar — and savor all the wonderful little things that together make the fabric of this city. 20
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BEST SOUND
THE CROWS OF FOREST PARK
There was a time when parents pulled their small children inside when University City’s crows appeared in the trees. Standing two feet tall (and appearing larger, depending on your own physical size), the birds weren’t so much aggressive as they were menacing. Then came the summers of avian flu, and by 2004 you rarely saw any crows. It’s been a long road back, but after more than a decade of sparse sightings, gangs of sizable birds again wing east through the late-afternoon skies. They’re all croaks and caws as they pass over the Delmar Loop’s buffet of dumpsters, but by the time they end up in the tippy-tops of Forest Park’s big old trees, they’ve settled down for the night. There’s something in corvids though that makes them incapable of remaining still even when sleeping. If you find yourself in Forest Park near sundown you’ll hear the susurration of their wings as they mutter wickedly in their sleep. It’s chilling, but also comforting; these are the everyday sanitation engineers, picking up edible garbage from the streets and over-full dumpsters. And besides that, they’re simply beautiful creatures, intelligent and playful. Honestly, some of us prefer them to children. — Paul Friswold
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BEST PLACE TO SEE THE FUTURE
THE FORTUNE TELLER BAR 2635 Cherokee Street, 314-776-2337 As a bar, Fortune Teller could stand on its own, but the raised window booth on site for tarot card readings was a master stroke. Every night, a revolving cast of readers takes its perch behind a small table and welcomes the curious to peer into the future. Screw pool or darts. This is by far one of the best drinking activities in the city. You don’t even have to get a reading to appreciate it. Just grab a cocktail, position yourself with a decent sight line, and enjoy the before-and-after view of people who partake. Sure, a lot of people climb those stairs on a lark, but more than a few exit the tiny, semi-private stage with the look that comes from wrestling with some heavy business. (Our favorite might be the couples; now that they know what they know, should they run for the hills?) You could search a long time and never find people-watching this compelling. But be prepared to go from spectator to participant by the end of the night. It’s nearly impossible to watch the parade and not wonder what’s really going on up in that booth. —Doyle Murphy
BEST PLACE TO EXPERIENCE THE MISSISSIPPI CHAIN OF ROCKS BRIDGE
Intersection of Schillinger and Chain of Rocks roads, Granite City, Illinois Other than a trip back in time to join a riverboat crew alongside Mark Twain, the old Chain of Rocks Bridge directly north of St. Louis offers perhaps the most memorable encounter with the mighty Mississippi in the world. The structure first opened to automobiles in 1929 and was once the bearer of heavy Route 66 traffic — but now it’s a picturesque byway reserved for pedestrians and cyclists. And whether you access the bridge via the Riverfront Trail extending all the way from downtown or the parking lot adjoining the Illinois side, the mile-long, quirkily bending span does not disappoint. Lean over the railing and watch the swirls of water and driftwood below. Imagine a life inside one of the charming intake towers that stand nearby, solid and historic above a fast-moving current. Take a stroll just before sunset and ponder the great river’s unfathomable vastness — and take some great pictures while you’re at it. Even if your photography skills are next to nil, the setting is so gorgeous that any latergrams you post are sure to make your feed light up with virtual love. —Evie Hemphill
CHAIN OF ROCKS BRIDGE.
cocktail or a bottle of wine with the three dozen (hell, at this price, make it four) you order, and the classy but casual bar serves a great ginger Manhattan and, if you’re lucky, a tomato shrub, with bloody maryinfused vodka and sweet green sriracha. It’s a killer pairing with the main attraction. —Roy Kasten
BEST TRIP TO BRAZIL
T hrills BEST FREEBIE TOWER TEE 6727 Heege Road, 314-481-5818 Dave Swatek is running a power drill on a laundromat coin slot, which he’s rigged onto the batting cages at Tower Tee, his south-county temple to golf clubs and baseball bats. Suddenly he springs up and strides over to the 80-mph cage, where a young lefty has just blasted a 30-degree line drive off a small, circular sign at the back of the cage. When the batter’s twelve hacks are up, Swatek grabs him, pulls out a point-andshoot camera, and shoves the unwitting man in front of home plate. “The latest inductee into the Wall of Fame! All right. Hold this baby like that.” He gives him a token. “Be proud! All of your peers will walk by and say, ‘I know that guy!’” The sign the man has hit contains two simple words: “Cubs Stink.” And Swatek, the eccentric man who has manned Tower Tee for 50 years, awards a free round of hits to anyone who can smack the put-down with a well-placed shot. “It’s a family-friendly place, right? So it doesn’t say ‘Cubs Suck,’” he says. Inductees — there’s a new one every couple days or so — have their photos plastered on the Wall of Fame by the service desk. It may not be Cooperstown, but it’s the closest any of us will ever get. —Robert Langellier
K E L LY G LU E C K
RADIO RIO KDHX (88.1 FM) on Mondays, noon to 2 p.m. Andrea Dunn has hosted Radio Rio since October 2001, enough time for her to get to know her audience really, really well. With a show that’s moved across different days and times over those many years, she can recall the experience of fielding calls from her most devoted fans with each move. (Those who listened on Saturday nights, she recalls, consistently told her “how they enjoyed listening while they cooked dinner.”) Along the way, the show has become a soundtrack for many St. Louisans and, for others, their first concentrated exposure to Brazilian music. Dunn notes that the two-hour program does touch on new works, which she finds through internet searches or via labels supplying music to the community station. But a big part of the show is given over to the important performers and composers in the Brazilian music canon, several of whom burst onto American airwaves in the 1960s and ’70s, “which makes it a little bit of an oldies show,” she says, adding, “I even have listeners in Brazil, who don’t hear these songs on the radio there.” Though she’s taught herself a modest Portuguese vocabulary, this mother of two and KDHX donor relations point-person says that she hopes someday to visit Brazil, preceded by some language immersion. In the meantime, she’ll speak the universal language of music, with a listenership that spans the globe. —Thomas Crone
BEST PLACE TO GET WET
BEST HAPPY HOUR
ST. VINCENT WATER PARK
DEMUN OYSTER BAR 740 DeMun Avenue, Clayton; 314-725-0322 There are two kinds of happy hours in the world: the discount drink joints and the half-price appetizer establishments. Sometimes, the two converge, but rarely with panache, let alone an atmosphere that recalls the last undiscovered café in the French Quarter. The DeMun Oyster Bar presents a third option: the freshest oysters in a landlocked city at the mouthwatering price of just a buck a shuck. What’s more, the venerable Concordia Park-side establishment considers an hour an afternoon, as the bargain runs through the daylight, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. And while the bar, which first opened its wide, garage-style windows in 1999, is best known for its succulent West Coast oysters, the happy hour selection focuses on medium-sized East Coasters, similar to the classic Blue Points, just a little creamy and delicately brined. Like all of the bar’s finest offerings — the Purple Mountains, the Miyagis and the Miradas — these molluscs were harvested in the morning, flown direct to Lambert, and met at the airport every day at 6 p.m. sharp. Few restaurants in town can match the freshness. Of course, you’ll want a
7335 St. Charles Rock Road, 314-615-8788 St. Vincent Park, established in 1978 after the county purchased 130 rolling acres from the Catholic church, is among our most underappreciated public spaces. Nestled between two cemeteries in Normandy, the park’s ball fields, tennis courts, and hiking and biking trails are excellent and rarely crowded, though on a steamy summer day, the coolest attraction becomes a family-friendly party like no other green space in town. Part of the St. Vincent Community Center, the aquatic park is modest in size but vast in fun: The shallow pools feature sprawling hammocks for swinging or chilling; volleyball nets for spiking; and jets, pipes and fountains for spraying, like Water Wiggles gone mad. Thumping R&B mixes provide the soundtrack as a twisting, 30-foot slide launches kids into a pool with a howling splash. Admission is cheap: $4 for adults, $3 for kids ages twelve to five, and toddlers are free. The water park is open Memorial Day through Labor Day, but only on weekends in August. It’s not exactly a read-anovel-under-a-parasol kind of pool. This is a party cove built for kids — and oldsters, if they can keep up with the action. —Roy Kasten
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BEST PLACE TO CHASE YOUR TAIL PENROSE PARK VELODROME 4200 North Kingshighway Boulevard, 314289-5300 You wouldn’t think riding a bicycle around in a circle would be all that difficult — but that’s because you haven’t tried doing so on a 28-degree bank. Not that you couldn’t have tried — after all, the Penrose Park Velodrome is right here in north city. A rather unique piece of St. Louis history, the cycling track is one of only 27 such structures in the United States, and the only one in Missouri. Designed by Olympic cyclist Frank Burlando, the track sits on land donated to the city in the early 1960s when the velodrome at Forest Park was demolished to make way for Highway 40. The track is perfect for bike races or exercise or simply seeing what it’s like to balance upright on an angle. Who’d have thought riding a bicycle the same one-fifth of a mile over and over and over again could be so much fun? —Daniel Hill
BEST HANDHELD ECKERT ’S 951 South Greenmont Road, Belleville, Illinois; 618-233-0513 You hear a lot of chatter about the wonders of Georgia peaches, but for an ardent contingent, nothing can surpass the taste of peachflesh grown in southern Illinois. Many and devoted are the St. Louisans who look forward to the day Eckert’s peaches show up in grocery stores, waiting impatiently for the heat of summer to finish ripening the golden harvest. There is an interminable stretch when June turns into July and the bins are all still labeled “California peaches,” but the faithful are certain that their great reward will arrive by their next grocery visit. And then that day finally comes: You walk through the doors and spy a double-wide bin of Eckert’s peaches. You will see elderly women and young mothers standing side by side as they root through the first harvest, handing each other ripe peaches to hold and judge, reminiscing about how good they were two or ten or twenty years ago. This year’s crop was nothing to sneer at, rife with fat little hand-fillers bursting with sweet juice. Eckert’s is rightly famous in these parts for its apples, but this year’s peaches will go down in local history for their succulence and their well-balanced flavor. —Paul Friswold
BEST TRIP TO THE SLAMMER CAPITALIST PIG 2727 South 12th Street, 314-772-1180 If your street cred needs a little buffing up, we suggest locking yourself away at Capitalist Pig, where you can go to jail for the price of a pulled pork sandwich. This counter-service lunch and Sunday brunch spot is located inside Mad Art Gallery, which is housed in what used to be the city’s 3rd District Police Station. The barbecue joint is sustainable in every sense of the word, sourcing from local and regional farmers who grow organic produce and raise their animals humanely on a primarily vegetarian diet — and you can taste the difference. Take a menu Continued on pg 22
SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 3, 2017
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40 CHEAP THRILLS Continued from pg 21 and get in the line forming up to the window to order from Capitalist Pig’s variety of sandwiches, platters and sides. Then grab a sauce or three from the wide assortment on the nearby counter before grabbing a table in one of the prison cells. Don’t worry, you can enter and exit at will. The rustic feel combined with low lighting will make you swear you’re in an old Western movie. And when your meal arrives? Let’s just say prison food has never tasted this good. —Elizabeth Semko
BEST BRINGER OF LAUGHS BOBBY JAYCOX @bobbyjaycox An upbeat, energetic sort, Bobby Jaycox was training to be a firefighter in his dad’s own High Ridge, Missouri, department. But when his application for full-time status was due, he wavered, knowing that he had to give comedy a true shot. “I believe I’m confident,” Jaycox says. “Less confident than some people might think, but definitely more confident than most people in the room. I don’t mind being the center for attention, for any reason. That’s probably not a healthy thing, you know?” These days, Jaycox, 27, isn’t fighting fires, but works day jobs as he can, in between frequent trips out of town for standup gigs. In St. Louis, he works in sketch and improv groups, too, often at his home base, the Improv Shop, where he indulges in all forms, “a comedy polygamist.” He explains, “A lot of people limit themselves and don’t realize how good they could become.” While St. Louis has provided him a wealth of opportunities, there’s little doubt that Jaycox is going to test himself further with an extended run in New York, a move he plans to make in 2018. “The community here is so cool,” he says. “It’s weirdos finding other weirdos. We were in high school and stressed out and now we’ve found each other. But there’s a bigger goal. It might come predominantly from improv, or maybe I’ll become a staff writer on a show, or write some copy for something that’s not as fun, but makes me enough money to fund myself and create whatever else I want.” His confidence intact, of New York’s challenges and opportunities, Jaycox says simply: “Bring it on.” —Thomas Crone
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5901 Delmar Boulevard, 314-899-5021 The St. Louis food media scene is notoriously overcrowded and overly competitive — seriously, if there’s another town this size with two print magazines devoted solely to the dining scene, we’d love to hear about it. As a result, openings and closings are greeted with the kind of saturation coverage that other municipalities reserve for mayoral elections. Which is why Beyond Sweet’s instant, over-the-top success was so fascinating to behold: The ice cream hotspot outgrew its original location within a month of opening this January without so much as a single press clipping. Instead, the scoop on owner Dallas Holland’s amazing
G R E AT A M E R I C A N HUMAN FOOSBALL.
creations spread by word of mouth — and thousands upon thousands of Instagram oohs and ahhhs. It makes sense. Holland’s milkshakes aren’t just delicious; they’re flat-out dazzling. Glasses of cold, creamy ice cream come studded with chocolates, brownies, sprinkles or marshmallows, then topped with showstoppers like entire ice cream sandwiches, Oreo cookies, donuts and even chocolate-dipped ice cream cones. They’re a marvel to behold and just as much fun to eat, the kind of guilty pleasure that sends sugar rushing through your veins and leaves you downright giddy. The shop’s second home, which Holland opened just a few blocks from its previous incarnation in the city’s West End on April 1, has been packing in customers ever since opening day. Small surprise that the food press eventually — finally! — got hip to the scene, too. Treats this visually stunning aren’t only fit for online consumption; they look pretty amazing on the cover of food magazines too. –Sarah Fenske
BEST PLACE FOR SOBER GAMESMANSHIP GREAT AMERICAN HUMAN FOOSBALL 3227 Morganford Road, 314-882-6191 Some people might suggest that friendly competition is best accompanied by a drink or two. Hey, there’s a reason games like volleyball, pool and ping pong are often found at bars. But at Great American Human Foosball, you won’t have time for that — or even a hand free to take a sip. At this family-owned business, the classic tabletop soccer
SARA BANNOURA
game is expanded to life-sized proportions, and you and your friends become the players on the field. Teammates grab onto handles attached to rods and move side-to-side in an effort to get the ball and score. Previously the home of Future Antiques, the venue now hosts fitness classes, parties, Boy and Girl Scout programs, neighborhood nights, fundraisers and even human foosball leagues. Foosball isn’t the only attraction — other life-sized games include foot pool, tic tac toe, Connect 4, checkers, Yahtzee and chess. Great American Human Foosball understands that all that activity is bound to make you thirsty: Gatorade, water, light snacks and popcorn are for sale, and the company has specials worked out with nearby restaurants. Alcohol is not allowed, but who needs it? You’ll be on to your next game before you even notice its absence. —Elizabeth Semko
BEST PLACE FOR DRUNKEN GAMESMANSHIP SKUNK’D PING PONG PARLOR AT BRENNAN’S 4659 Maryland Avenue, 314-497-4449 Brennan’s seems like a natural fit in one the city’s most upscale neighborhoods. High-end spirits and a wide variety of fine cigars attract a certain clientele. But just beyond the blue haze of cigar smoke and the business casual crowd, not-so-distant cheers can be heard rumbling up from the basement below. In the grotto beneath Brennan’s sits Skunk’d Ping Pong Parlor, a marvelous den of sport. To say that the environment at Skunk’d is a stark contrast to the bar’s upstairs persona is an understatement — the
quirkiness of the ping pong parlor seems more suited for the Grove or Cherokee Street than the Central West End. As the bar’s website proclaims, the parlor is a tribute to the Chinese paddle master Wang Liqin. The shrine features three glossy red ping pong tables, a mural of Muhammad Ali, a collage of photos of ping pong royalty, and various vintage video game consoles set up on the TVs along the perimeter. And the best part? It’s all totally free. When is the last time you heard that in the Central West End?
Sponsored By
—Jered Schneider
BEST HARBINGER OF SPRING ST. PIUS V FISH FRY 3310 South Grand Boulevard, 314-772-1525 South-city neighbor St. Cecilia Catholic Church is rightly celebrated for its margaritas and chile rellenos, but give us the underappreciated St. Pius fish fry for a purist’s execution of the annual ritual. The golden brown cod or jack salmon are solid. The sides of mac-and-cheese, cooked vegetables, iceberg lettuce salads and sliced bread with butter aren’t going to surprise or thrill you. But it all comes together in the church basement for a perfectly earnest evening in a cynical world. You’ll cram into folding tables alongside parishioners and Tower Grove East neighbors while a loosely formed band plays in the back and occasionally pulls in new musicians from the crowd to bang on drums. Little kids dance in the aisles like maniacs while an array of donated desserts wait for you to make your selection. There’s a booth where you can buy cans of Continued on pg 26
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Delicious Food and Drink Pairings in the CWE!
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The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. This disclosure is required by rule of the Supreme Court of Missoui.
SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 3, 2017
RIVERFRONT TIMES
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40 CHEAP THRILLS Continued from pg 23 beer, but if the line to get inside the church is especially long, the kind people of St. Pius have been known to hand out a few free Bud Lights to keep the spirits up. Was Lent really meant to be so pleasant? —Doyle Murphy
MAUHAUS CAFE.
BEST PLACE FOR A DISNEY MOMENT THE BOOK HOUSE 7352 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314968-4491 Disney’s Beauty and the Beast blasted back into the zeitgeist this year when Harry Potter star Emma Watson took on the role of Belle in the live action version of the fairy tale. But bookworms and tried-and-true Disney aficionados having been obsessing over the Beast’s impressive library long before Watson brought his comely paramour back to the big screen. Fans can get their own real-life dose of that magic by stepping inside the Book House, an independent bookshop where customers are greeted by a room with floor-toceiling shelves of books and gliding book ladders not unlike the ones in the movie. Don’t get us wrong, this new and used bookstore is nowhere near the size of the castle library on screen — but when you experience its cozy vibe, you’ll realize you wouldn’t have it any other way. You’ll also have a children’s section and a lower level to explore, with genres ranging from fiction to cooking to books by St. Louis authors, plus rare and out-of-print books. Big-box chains can keep their fancy e-readers and in-store coffee shops. For a truly enchanting experience, the Book House is the place to go. —Elizabeth Semko
WE ALL BLEED BLUE
ST. LOUIS BLUES
PUCK DROP
SATURDAY, OCT. 7 7PM VS
The regular season is right around the corner, do you have your ALLfor TOGETHER NOW tickets Opening Night?
WHEN THE BLUES GO MARCHING IN
LET’S GO BLUES
Plan to arrive early for the outdoor rally and the pregame show on the new state-of-the-art scoreboard. Come with an appetite — our new food options include local favorites from Sugarfire Smoke House, Byrd & Barrel, and Hi-Pointe Drive-In.
All fans receive a team calendar courtesy of
stlouisblues.com 314-622-BLUE 26
SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 3, 2017
MPIN’
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE riverfronttimes.com
BEST FREE WORKOUT
BEST PLACE TO GET YOUR SKATE ON PETER MATHEWS MEMORIAL SKATE GARDEN
4256 Magnolia Avenue, www.tgmarket.org Sure, the Tower Grove Farmers Market is a prime location to stock up on your produce, let the kids play in the splash pad and gush over all the cute dogs accompanying their owners — but it’s also a good spot to kick off your weekend with a workout. The market, which takes place on Saturday mornings from April through November, offers a free yoga class starting at 9 a.m. Everyone from beginners to yoga veterans gathers on the lawn near the vendors’ tables, forming a loose circle around the instructor for an hour. Don’t let the open-level concept give you the idea that you won’t break a sweat: One moment you will be doing a gentle stretch, the next you may find yourself attempting a headstand (though, seriously, there’s no shame in going at your own pace — injury doesn’t look good on anyone). If you’re extra crazy, pick a spot in the sun. Who needs hot yoga in a temperature-controlled classroom when you have the St. Louis heat beating down on you? Bring water and your own yoga mat and get ready to breathe in the fresh air.
4415 Morganford Road The Peter Mathews Memorial Skate Garden has just seen a major upgrade. The Bevo-area skate spot earned a $25,000 grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation in August, triggering a flurry of construction and improvements. Hawk himself even touched down in mid-September to grant his blessing to the three-year-old outdoor park — as strong a co-sign as you can possibly find in the skating world. The park was initially constructed in 2014 after the guerrilla alternative beneath the Kingshighway Bridge found itself on the chopping block owing to a massive construction project. That park had technically been an illegal affair — the skaters responsible for its construction had poured concrete and built the park without permits, asking for forgiveness rather than permission — but it was allowed to operate by the city, which was pleased that the spot’s new inhabitants were diligent about cleaning up trash and removing graffiti. When the time came to move on, the Skate Garden was constructed by that same group with the city’s blessing, making it St. Louis’ first fully legal outdoor skate park. Three years later, thanks to the hard work of volunteers and some cash from one of skateboarding’s patron saints, that park is still open for business — and better than ever.
—Elizabeth Semko
—Daniel Hill
YOGA AT TOWER GROVE FARMERS MARKET
LIGHT THE
LAMP
K E L LY G L U E C K
BEST PLACE FOR A KITTY CUDDLE
BEST REASON TO HAVE ANOTHER
MAUHAUS CAFE
SAMANTHA LEVISON
3101 Sutton Boulevard, Maplewood, 314384-CATS You really, really want to adopt a cat, but it’s just not in the cards right now. Maybe your landlord doesn’t allow animals. Maybe your honey is allergic. Maybe you’re not sure that you’re responsible enough to fully care for another life. But, man, you need some feline friendship STAT. Luckily, Mauhaus is here to let the fur fly. As one of the only cat cafes in the Midwest, Mauhaus offers kitty lovers a safe space to snuggle with a dozen purrrrfectly sweet cats. Get to know Taylor, Lorelai and other new friends while enjoying coffee, pita and hummus, artisan cheeses and cupcakes. And though the cafe welcomes human buddies, the socializing area really caters to the cat crowd with its high kitty walkways and floor-to-ceiling climbing tree. To experience Mauhaus, book an hour online for just $10, or drop in (and wait quite a while for your turn) for $5. For those who can’t host cats at home, Mauhaus certainly scratches an itch, but if you happen to fall in love with one special sweetheart and live in a space where kitty can thrive, you’re in for a treat — you can apply during your visit to adopt a fur baby. All feline friends come from Stray Haven Rescue and are spayed/neutered, microchipped and up to date on their shots. Paws up for that!
Atomic Cowboy and Thaxton Speakeasy Now about ten years into her run as a bartender, Samantha Levison has worked at high-volume bars like the Pin-Up Bowl and regulars-heavy spots like the Crow’s Nest. These days, she splits time between the Prohibition-themed Thaxton Speakeasy and everything-but-the-kitchen-sink appeal of the Atomic Cowboy. Her blend of experiences and interests have given her a unique skillset, met with a personality that shines in any setting. The 33-yearold Levison combines excellent customer service with sharp technical skills. “Obviously, you have to have a balance of both, or you’re not going to succeed,” she says. “That’s my life’s story: It’s a blessing and a curse that I can see both sides to everything and want to balance things out. I used to worry that I didn’t specialize in anything, whether bartending, my hobbies, what I went to school for. But, maybe, I could interweave all these things into my own life and career while helping other people have good lives.” While she has an abiding interest in the finer aspects of bartending and digs a busy night with simpatico co-workers, Levison really just wants to share the good vibes, even on shifts when the bar is slammed. “I’ve met so many beautiful people; that’s one of the perks of the job,” she says. “Maybe you see a stranger, looking bummed out and no friends with them at that moment? Introduce them to someone else. That creates Continued on pg 28
—Allison Babka
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SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 3, 2017
RIVERFRONT TIMES
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40 CHEAP THRILLS Continued from pg 27 good energy in the place. People take that energy outside and, hopefully, they’re nicer to family and friends.” Cheers to that. —Thomas Crone
J O H N F. K E N N E DY M E M O R I A L F O R E S T.
BEST REASON TO LOOK UP NOGUCHI DESIGN AT U-HAUL MOVING AND STORAGE 1641 South Kingshighway, 314-773-1400 Sometimes, you just want to rent a truck. Other times, you want to be swept away by an otherworldly, swoopy masterpiece of 1940s sculpture by JapaneseAmerican sculptor Isamu Noguchi. For either, head to the U-Haul building in the Hill. A section of the lobby’s ceiling — criminally obscured by a drop ceiling for decades — was restored last year to its Zen-like futuristic glory. The sculpture was designed for the building’s original owner, the American Stove Company Magic Chef Building. Before U-Haul bought the property in 1977, it had been sitting vacant for about a decade. In the course of considering upgrades to the lobby in 2014, local U-Haul executives were hopeful about revealing the ceiling. And a model of the ceiling in Saint Louis Art Museum’s 2015 St. Louis Modern exhibition further whetted folks’ appetite to see it. After a delicate and painstaking process, it was again ready for its close-up last May. Drop by during business hours to enjoy the feeling of being inside a lava lamp. The lunar landscape includes compelling droplet shapes and a section in deeply saturated purple and scarlet. Just don’t get in the way of the folks lining up for truck rentals.—Melissa Meinzer
“Triple-threat sonic powerhouse”—E.Y. Asantewaa
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BEST MOVIE EXPERIENCE
— The New York Times
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Sat Sep 30 7:30 PM • Sun Oct 1 3 PM
314.534.1111 | metrotix.com 28
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THE SKYVIEW DRIVE-IN 5700 North Belt West, Belleville, Illinois; 618-233-4400 By far the worst part of going to the movies is the exorbitant prices you’re expected to pay at the concession stand. The robber barons at the AMCs and Wehrenbergs of the world want you to spend some $30 on chicken feed and sugar water, leaving you with no choice but to line your pockets with more reasonably priced snacks purchased on the way to the theater. It is not fair or right that you are reduced to the status of a common smuggler just for daring to watch a movie on a huge screen. Luckily there’s another option, a better way. Belleville’s Skyview Drive-In has been entertaining moviegoers in their own cars since 1949 — no smuggling required. Want some popcorn? Go ahead and bring a whole tin. Soda? A cooler full in the backseat will quench your thirst. Go big and get some brown liquor to go with that too; just make one of your more sober companions drive you home. Not that we have any first-hand knowledge about this or anything, but it’s reasonable to think you could smoke blunts back to back in your car all throughout the show, as long as you’re sly about it. Ditch the pricey concession stands in the typical theaters. It is time to put the dignity back in the moviegoing experience. It is time to visit the Skyview Drive-In. —Daniel Hill
BEST PLACE TO EAVESDROP ON THE REVOLUTION MOKABE’S COFFEEHOUSE 3606 Arsenal Street, 314-865-2009 If you ever wanted to feel better about the Resistance, spend a few nights camped out in MoKaBe’s. The Tower Grove South institution unabashedly mingles its business with a progressive social conscience. When St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch announced in 2014 that ex-Ferguson cop Darren Wilson would face no charges for killing Michael Brown, 70 to 80 people watched a broadcast of the announcement inside the coffee house and later took shelter there when city police dropped canisters of tear gas just outside the doorway. It’s not usually that dramatic. On any given night, you’re likely to spot people of all ages addressing envelopes to politicians as part of letter-writing campaigns, customers dropping off packages of socks to be handed out to the homeless and volunteers creating assembly-line operations on a back table, stuffing tampons, toiletries and informational fliers into care packages for young women in need of help. Far from the alt-right fantasy of a shadow network of mercenary protesters paid by a bogeyman George Soros, the activists quietly at work in MoKaBe’s embody a reassuringly genuine example of grassroots organizing. Plus, the sandwiches are pretty good. —Doyle Murphy
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BEST PLACE TO GET AWAY FROM IT ALL
BEST SUGAR RUSH
JOHN F. KENNEDY MEMORIAL FOREST
1101 Lemay Ferry Road, 314-631-3333 Depending on your appetite and imagination, you could probably spend weeks — and more — trying to devour every possible variety of donut available at the Donut Stop. How many varieties, precisely? The store touts 103 combinations of cake donut alone, but that estimate is likely outdated. On a recent morning, an employee just laughs at the question. “We’ve stopped trying to count,” she says. To be fair, the folks behind the counter at this south-county pastry temple have better things to do than play donut accountant. The options are dizzying. For instance: Start with the base cake (vanilla, devil’s food or blueberry) and then choose icing or glaze, and of course then you have to decide what kind of icing or glaze. Maybe you’re in the mood for sprinkles, nuts, cream filling, powdered sugar — or then again, you may be aiming for that which can’t be classified as a donut at all, like the lumpen pleasure of the “Cinnamon Glob.” The aforementioned glob, nationally recognized several times over, is a fried hunk of pastry with the visual appeal of a sat-upon muffin and the taste of buttery heaven encased in crispy fried dough. Now on its fourth set of owners and continuously in business since 1953, the Donut Stop is proof positive that quality and quantity can coexist, and in this case, in the sweetest of harmonies. —Danny Wicentowski Continued on pg 32
Forest Park, southwest corner, forestparkmap.org/kennedy-forest We love our Forest Park standbys — landmark spots like the Muny and the Saint Louis Zoo are truly priceless (never mind their “free” price tag). But among your go-to destinations should be a less recognized, but no less wonderful, destination: the John F. Kennedy Memorial Forest. This forest preserve is a free oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Skinker Boulevard and Highway 40. You can leave the din of traffic in the distance as you head down one of the bike trails or gravel paths winding through these 60 acres of beautiful of trees, flowers and wetland. Kennedy Forest became the first part of Forest Park reserved for environmental conservation when it was dedicated in 1964. Today, it’s a prime spot for bird watching and serves as home for a number of frog species in addition to being a favorite spot for hiking and biking. Whether you want to explore, work out or simply enjoy a few moments of solitude, this bit of tranquility is a great place to go. Sure, you already have plenty of places you love in Forest Park — but Kennedy Forest should definitely be one. —Elizabeth Semko
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SLUCP
40 CHEAP THRILLS Continued from pg 29
St. Louis University Med School Compliance Project
LACLEDE’S L A N D I N G WA X MUSEUM.
Driving education, awareness, and positive change towards systemic improvement for St. Louis University med school residents, faculty, and staff.
Find out more at:
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SLUCP is not affiliated, endorsed, connected, sponsored, or associated with/by St. Louis University or its med school.
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BEST PLACE TO GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN WITH CELEBRITIES (WAX VERSION) L ACLEDE’S L ANDING WAX MUSEUM 720 North Second Street, 314-241-1155 Your life is boring, and your friends are starting to catch on. Your social media feeds betray your secrets (or lack thereof). The only photos you’ve uploaded in the last year are of your dinner (for one, sigh) and your dog (cute, but also bored of you). What do you do? You fake it for the ’gram, of course! Head on down to the Laclede’s Landing Wax Museum and snap some selfies with the stars. Pull up that seat next to Barack Obama on a park bench and smile for the camera. Cower beneath Michael Jordan’s mighty dunk and get an employee working there to take a convincing picture of your lack of sports prowess. “#SLAMDUNK” you’ll tweet to your followers, and no one will be the wiser. “Oh my god, you met Shrek? The real Shrek?” your friends will ask you enviously, and you will click “like” and all will be fooled. With more than 200 life-size figures in its collection, from presidents to movie stars to super heroes to monsters, you’re sure to find something at the Laclede’s Landing Wax Museum capable of tricking the gullible into thinking your life is interesting. If not, at least they have an ice cream shop where you can drown your sorrows. —Daniel Hill
BEST PLACE TO GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN WITH CELEBRITIES (REAL VERSION) ECLIPSE AT THE MOONRISE 6177 Delmar Boulevard, 314-726-2222 The kingdom of Joe Edwards is vast. It sprawls throughout the Delmar Loop, including many of the retail shops and buildings on both sides of the busy street. Notably, it includes all of the district’s major music venues now that Cicero’s has closed its doors. Blueberry Hill’s smaller Duck
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Room, the mid-sized Delmar Hall and the worldclass Pageant stage are all firmly under Edwards’ dominion. How do you think he achieved that bonkers wall of photos with celebrities inside Blueberry Hill? Seeing all the stars he has shared photos with is enough to make anyone jealous. But fret not, dear reader, because here’s a little tip: Edwards owns the Moonrise Hotel as well, and oftentimes when musicians perform at one of his venues they also stay at his inn. The Moonrise has a terrific rooftop bar sitting atop it, meaning that, if you’re smart about the timing (and a little lucky) there’s a decent chance you can catch some of those musicians putting back a few following their concerts just down the street. Say goodbye to your envy and start your own celebrity wall of photos! —Daniel Hill
BEST TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE CRUISE NIGHT AT CHUCK-A-BURGER 9025 St Charles Rock Road, St. John; 314-427-9524 Fifties nostalgia is hot right now. While in some cases that amounts to a rather soul-crushing national effort to make our country Great Again™, at Chuck-A-Burger it’s more about golden oldies, flattened burger patties and classic cars. For some 60 years the north-county drive-in has been a hub of such time-tested delights, serving up soda pop and Elvis in equal measure while customers in the lot outside debate the merits of Ford versus Chevy. And on the last Saturday of each month the nostalgia gets kicked into overdrive, when the eatery hosts its monthly Cruise Night, bringing dozens of ancient automobiles out from the safety of their garages to be ogled and gawked at by strangers. With a bacon cheeseburger in one hand and a handdipped milkshake in the other, you can stride throughout the lot and behold these carefully restored beauties in what is truly their natural habitat. Just make sure you don’t spill anything on the cars, or you just might find yourself on the wrong end of an old-fashioned ass-kicking. —Daniel Hill
THE HAUNT
BEST THROWBACK BEST PLACE TO BAR FIND A G-SPOT
5000 Alaska Ave
MIKE’S TEN-PIN LOUNGE
SHAMELES S GROUNDS
18 East Broadway, Alton, Illinois; (618) 465-6565 As we arrive at Mike’s Ten-Pin, the bartender scrambles away from her perch near the bar’s entry. First, it’s to button up her flowing shirt; before long, she’s scooting to the back room, from which she emerges wearing ... pants. (As in, yes, pants, and no, they were not part of her earlier ensemble.) These are clues that Mike’s Ten-Pin Lounge is a critical link, tying the current day to Alton’s not-so-distant life as a nightlife zone with a touch of extra, unexpected, random excitement. A pool table stays active throughout our stay and the drinks are appropriately priced; a Three Olives Rangtang cocktail and bottle of American lager are $5.50. The room, an unusual hue of light green, is lit primarily by televisions and beer signage, including a glowing Spuds McKenzie, the backbar’s appropriately decorative centerpiece. Despite a handful of large rubber rats that seem to be a thing here, every surface is strangely pristine (like, eat-off-the-floor clean), even though a deep nicotine funk hangs heavily in the air. Combined, these are all vivid reminders that Mike’s Ten-Pin is only two blocks removed from Alton’s downtown bar district and a good two decades removed from that area’s wilder past. Or, its present, if you know where to visit and happen by on just the right night.
1901 Withnell Avenue, 314-449-1240 All libraries contain magic of a sort, and the enchantment held by the wall of bookshelves in Shameless Grounds opens a portal to a world you’ll be hesitant to leave. The café, a sex-positive haven where even the menu items are raunchy — such as the “Ample Breast” turkey and bacon sandwich — boasts a library of human sexuality that begs to be explored over a bottomless cup of coffee and a long afternoon. More than 1,700 titles, plus periodicals, are available for reading and check-out, with subjects that cover everything from Cosmopolitan sex manuals to academic research on gender theory. Perhaps most impressively, the library hosts a gargantuan amount of literary smut, ranging from vanilla fantastical BDSM kinkery to pulp fiction stories so outlandishly written, they’re best enjoyed by passing the copy to your partner and daring them to read the hot-and-heavy metaphors without cracking up. Be warned, though, lest ye wind up on the Wall of Shame. Just because this is a library of wonderful smut, you still have to return your books on time.
—Thomas Crone
BEST OLD HOLLYWOOD FLASHBACK THE HI-POINTE THEATRE 1005 McCausland Avenue, 314-644-1100 Ditch the high-priced megaplexes for a truly unique movie experience at the Hi-Pointe Theatre, the area’s second-oldest movie theater that’s still in business today. Built in 1922, the main 414-seat theater served as the movie house’s single screen until the HiPointe Backlot, a 48-seat satellite theater in a building behind the original theater, opened in 2015. Family-owned since the 1970s, the theater has experienced numerous upgrades over the years, including Dolby Digital sound, a new screen and refurbished seating. Despite these additions, however, the small cinema maintains its old-school charm with details such as a turquoise curtain, old Hollywood movie posters and cozy, local vibe. The nostalgia gets especially real when Hi-Pointe features special showings of old Christmas movies on Saturday mornings in December. You’ll love the prices, too: the first show of the day is only $5, and movies are $5 all day on Wednesdays. Even at later times other days of the week, adults only pay $9 and seniors and students pay $7 — a definite improvement from the double-digit price tags you see elsewhere. The deliciously addictive (and equally affordable) popcorn at the concession stand is the cherry on top. —Elizabeth Semko
DAILY SPECIALS
OCT EVENTS
Happy Hour 3-7 Every Day $2 domestics & Rails $3 Fire Ball Shots All Day
October 8th LIBRA PARTY Oct 21st CRYSTAL CITY
OPEN POOL TABLE Monday & Tuesday
DANIEL MONKH HORRELL
LADIES NIGHT Wed 9pm-1am
Oct 27th BROOM
HALLOWEEN PARTY The Punknecks Dustin the Magician Judas and Magnolia KARAOKE MADNESS EVERY THURSDAY AT THE HAUNT 9PM TO 1AM
Costume contest at midnight Oct 28th $5 cover
Gallagher Pizza Corn Dogs • Soft Pretzels Beef Jerky
HALLOWEEN NIGHT Music by Thank You Jesus $5 cover
—Danny Wicentowski
BEST FREE POOL RYDER’S TAVERN 4123 Chippewa Street, 314-899-9343 Comedian Patrick Monahan recently tweeted, “Bars with pool tables are good because you get to drink and watch very serious people ask people to move aside so they can miss pool shots.” His point: Bars with pool tables are often annoying. Many times the hardcore pool sharks camp out at the lone table in the bar, taking far too seriously a game meant to be enjoyed by drunks. These billiards bullies will not abide a group of tipsy amateurs knocking around the balls for the evening. And even if a table is available, someone is going to have to dig up four quarters, which in the days of Apple Pay and Square is an almost impossible feat. Ryder’s Tavern on Chippewa eliminates the downsides of most public pool tables with a low-key atmosphere and free pool table welcoming to groups of pool noobs who fear the judgment of the elite poolerati. Between games you can treat yourself to a burger and cheese curds served from the kitchen just feet from the pool table, and keep the hits coming on the nearby jukebox. Just don’t forget — loser buys the next round. — Jered Schneider
Open Mon-Fri @ Noon • Sat & Sun @ 11 am
a taste of our menu 1/2 Golden Fried Chicken Dinner ........................................... 8.95 Wing Appetizers ............................................................................ 8.75
BEST PLACE TO LIVE YOUR HGTV DREAMS
Freshly Breaded Mushrooms ................................................ 6.60 8 oz Pork Chop Dinner ............................................................. 8.05 Chicken FriedChicken Dinner ................................................ 8.30
REFAB
Charbroiled Salmon Dinner ................................................ 12.25
3130 Gravois Avenue, 314-357-1392 If your idea of a good time involves lounging in front of shows like Fixer Upper and Property Brothers, you need to pay a visit to Refab ASAP. Step inside this warehouse, and you’ll immediately find yourself surrounded by rooms overflowing in furniture, housewares, Continued on pg 34
Black Angus Chopped steak dinner ..................................... 7.25
weekday luncheon specals only $7
2100 GRAVOIS AVE • 314.776.7292 HODAKS.COM • OPEN 7 DAYS
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40 CHEAP THRILLS Continued from pg 33 lumber, decor and other odds and ends to make your renovation dreams come true. But don’t think of this as IKEA 2.0. The nonprofit creates jobs by providing training in deconstruction and refabrication to people who can then safely disassemble buildings and remove useful items that would otherwise be demolished by machine. As a result, the perfectly good materials from these buildings can be sold for reuse rather than being sent to a landfill. As an added bonus, the warehouse offers plenty of unique extras to complete your home or contribute to your renovation project, whether that’s a funky doorknob, a toilet, a front door, a vintage chandelier or even something as random as a (fake) Christmas tree. You can further get involved in the effort by dropping off or asking Refab to pick up products you’d like to donate, or volunteer to help with deconstruction. It’s a true treasure hunt that also saves the earth and creates employment. And that’s something sure to get any HGTV host’s approval. —Elizabeth Semko
BEST PLACE TO STUFF YOUR FACE SUSHI AI Multiple locations, including 910 Olive Street If you need a place to stuff your face, Sushi Ai can’t be beat. The homegrown chain (now with three restaurants, and counting) offers a $12.99 allyou-can-eat special for lunch. The dinner all-youcan-eat special, which rings in at $19.99, includes some special rolls not available on the lunch menu. That’s hard to beat in this town, especially when the offerings include favorites like the Spider Roll, an overstuffed roll positively bursting with battered soft-shell crab. There’s plenty of appetizers to choose from here, including the ginger salad, sweet and crisp crab Rangoons and miso soup. It’s a great spot to bring apprehensive first-timers. Don’t like spicy tuna rolls? Move on to the baked salmon. With locations in Clayton and St. Charles as well as Midtown, you won’t have to worry about driving too far out for a lunch date. If you’re going to stuff your face, though, be sure to do just that — or get a friend to pick up your slack. Sushi Ai charges an extra fee for any sushi ordered that you don’t finish. —Taylor Vinson
BEST PLACE TO BUY CLOTHING BY THE POUND GOODWILL OUTLET 3728 Market Street, 314-531-0671 You really messed up this time. You got greedy and got caught, and now your significant other is out of patience and has thrown you out on your ass. The entire contents of your closet were left on the lawn for the neighbors to pick through; you have been left with nothing. What to do? Easy. Head on down to the Goodwill Outlet and buy yourself a whole new wardrobe — by the pound. You see, the Goodwill Outlet is no ordinary Goodwill store, with such amenities as “racks” and “shelves.” No, here you will instead find blue bin after blue bin, priced as cheap as can be (the “expensive” stuff goes for 99 cents per pound; the cheap stuff a mere 29 cents) and ripe for the picking. “Ripe” is an appropriate word here: This is a Mad Max Thunderdome free-for-all affair of completely unsorted goods — gloves and maybe even a painter’s mask are highly recommended. Deck yourself out in hand-picked secondhand duds at unreasonably cheap prices and get ready to strut your stuff for the next poor sucker foolish enough to fall for your crap. The Goodwill Outlet is here to help. —Daniel Hill
BEST PLACE TO SEE A $5 ROCK SHOW THE SINKHOLE 7423 South Broadway, 314-328-2309 Since opening in the fall of 2016, the Sinkhole has become the go-to hole-in-the-wall for the local DIY, noise and experimental punk scene, while offering a space for touring bands that have outgrown their buds’ basements. Co-founder Mitch Kirkwood has described the cash-only Carondelet venue as a kind of “clubhouse for the music scene”; that gets it about right. Likely dating back to the 1890s, the building sports one of South Broadway’s coolest facades, and beneath the exposed rafters, the cement-block walls are covered with blurry photos and setlists from shows. With a capacity of 150, the stage action is up-close and in your face. New and underground St. Louis bands dominate the schedule (the club has shows nearly every night of the week), along with stalwarts like the Homewreckers and Boreal Hills as regular
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openers for out-of-towners you’ve probably never heard of — at least not yet. And the club’s bookings, led by veteran talent scout Matt Stuttler, occasionally dip into indie pop and even Americana. St. Louis may have no shortage of small music venues, but there’s no better place in town to grab a beer and catch a loud, fast and messy rock & roll show. —Roy Kasten
BEST PLACE TO LAUGH ON A MONDAY THE HEAVY ANCHOR 5226 Gravois Avenue, 314-352-5226 Most bars and restaurants treat Mondays as their de facto weekend, a day off after several busy nights serving the nine-to-five crowd. But the Heavy Anchor in Bevo Mill knows what most people really need after a Monday at work: a cold drink and a good laugh. Every Monday at 10 p.m. the bar hosts the most popular open mic comedy night in the city. The free show, hosted by local comedian Chad Wallace, is an opportunity for novice and veteran comedians to test out new material. The crowds are often generous with laughs, as Mondays are also “Case of the ($1 PBR) Mondays,” so most of the crowd has spent a few dollars on Pabst Blue Ribbons before venturing into the show. Although the talent ranges from complete rookies to touring veterans, during their five minutes under the hot stage lights, alone against the weathered maroon wall, they are all equal. Think you’ve got what it takes to make a room of strangers laugh? Put your name on the legal pad in the back and give it your best shot. If you aren’t made for the spotlight, you can still sit back, kick back a few $1 beers and enjoy the show. —Jered Schneider
BEST WAY TO CELEBRATE ST. LOUIS BLUES AT THE ARCH SERIES www.bluesatthearch.com Don’t get us wrong: Forest Park has been a fine steward of the annual Fair St. Louis Fourth of July celebration for the last four years. But remember back when America’s biggest birthday party was called the VP Fair and was held at the Arch every year? There’s something magical about being able to gaze out at the riverfront while standing shoulder to
shoulder with your fellow music-loving St. Louisans as a band performs in the shadow of the world’s largest horseshoe. Fortunately, the Blues at the Arch series has kept that experience going for the last two years, hosting late-summer concerts featuring local and national blues luminaries. And frankly, these events may even edge out Fair St. Louis in terms of pure St. Louis-ness. Our city’s blues history is storied, and hearing those soulful sounds on the Arch grounds qualifies in our book as the quintessential St. Louis experience. And sure, Fair St. Louis recently announced that the party would be returning to the Arch next year, but that shouldn’t diminish the Blues at the Arch experience one bit. After all, which is the more St. Louis experience: Counting Crows performing for a crowd of thousands or our very own Marquise Knox doing the very same? We’ll take the latter every time. —Daniel Hill
BEST WAY TO GET LOST DUNAWAY BOOKS AND SUBTERRANEAN BOOKS 3111 South Grand Boulevard, 314-771-7150 6275 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-862-6100 St. Louis is blessed with a treasure-trove of great bookstores, but two of them are truly underappreciated gems: Subterranean Books in the Loop and Dunaway Books on South Grand. In keeping with their evocative names, they’re each filled to the brim with hidden depths and adventures just waiting to be discovered — simply wander the stacks and see. You may think you’re just stopping by for one specific work only to find yourself wondering where the last hour has gone. Meanwhile, from the moment you arrive, a palpable sense of gladness emanates from kind staff members who never seem put off when a visit becomes lengthy (and less than lucrative). The two operations are also the respective domains of very good bookstore dogs Teddy (at Subterranean) and Blue (at Dunaway). And both operations celebrate local writers in generous ways. But don’t get them confused; their wonderful assortments for St. Louis bibliophiles are as distinct as the architectural spaces and neighborhoods they inhabit. While Dunaway’s several floors are bursting with a wide array of rare, used and outof-print books, the volumes cleverly tucked inside Subterranean’s storefront along Delmar Boulevard are all brand new. —Evie Hemphill
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THE STORIES WE TOLD JOE SCHUSTER
I
n many ways, I learned to write in my three years at the Riverfront Times. Before I joined the newspaper in 1986, I’d been an editor at St. Louis Magazine, so the RFT job was not my first in journalism, but perhaps more than my earlier stint, it shaped who I became as a writer. Partly, that was due to the people: editor Ray Hartmann, who’d founded the newspaper in 1977; managing editor Susan Hegger, who later moved on to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch; and the arts & entertainment editors, at first David Folkers and later Cliff Froehlich. While I’d learned something at the magazine, I had no formal training in journalism. I got a master course at the RFT: Get to the point. Compress. Move this paragraph here and that one there and the story becomes tighter. The other staff writer aside from me, Julia (J.A.) Lobbia, a Mizzou journalism graduate, was tiny — under five feet — but the most dogged reporter I’ve encountered, one who fiercely took on sacred cows in St. Louis (the Veiled Prophet organization, the Busch family and others). It’s a sign of her relentless muckraking work that one of her articles from that time had a recent sort of second life and was partly responsible for one of Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees withdrawing: In 1989, she co-wrote a cover story about allegations that Andrew Puzder, then a St. Louis attorney, had abused his former wife. At the time, Puzder was set to head a Missouri abortion task force but after the article appeared, he resigned. This year, after Trump nominated him as labor secretary, that 1989 RFT story garnered a flood of new attention, and the ensuing political pressure
led Puzder to withdraw his name. J.A. Lobbia, unfortunately, didn’t live to see it. Not long after she published that story, she landed at the Village Voice, where she wrote fearlessly about slum lords and then-mayor Rudolph Giuliani before she died much too soon at 43 in 2001. At the RFT, we turned to each other for advice on sources (she was likely more helpful to me than I could be to her) and read each other’s work before it went to press. She was often blunt. Once, to my chagrin now, I used a French phrase in a lede and she laughed. “That’s pretentious,” she said. “You’re showing off.” She was right and I cut it. Her message was clear: The work must be honest, the rest is just silliness. There were other reminders in those days that it was the story that mattered above everything. It certainly was not the ambience. When I joined the RFT, before we moved downtown in 1988, our offices were on two floors over a bar in Lafayette Square, where the only design consideration seemed to be, where could we fit a desk? The carpet was ragged, threadbare in places, and there were holes in the subfloor we instinctively learned to avoid. When a heavy rain fell, even if I shut the window near my desk, it was so poorly sealed anything I didn’t move got wet. We wrote on computers that had only 256 kilobytes of memory. (As context: the shortest song in my iTunes library, the Beatles’ “Her Majesty” — 26 seconds — requires roughly three times as much memory.) The dust in the air sometimes affected those computers, causing a glitch, making pieces of an article disappear, replaced with nonsensical mathematical symbols, meaning we had to start over. Because the staff was so small, although we also used freelancers, Julie and I wrote a lot. In my time there, I calculated I published more than 100,000 words a year. On a practical level, it taught me to write quickly: Find the story, research it, shape it and get it
down in time to meet the Monday deadline. On a larger level, I can’t help but think of 100,000 words as a novel and the words we wrote in those years as a sort of non-fiction story capturing that time: the end of the Reagan years and the start of the first Bush administration. Because we practiced advocacy journalism, our stories tended toward a clear narrative: good and evil; the underdog striving against a hostile system. There was, for example, the story about a man who worked 30-plus years in a coal mine but couldn’t afford to fight the mining company to collect benefits for the black lung disease those years had given him. There was the story about the gradeschool dropout who’d been homeless, and had been in and out of jail but also founded a massive food bank, and the one about a woman who taught college philosophy but who lived in “voluntary poverty” as part of her life with the Catholic Workers. There was the story about the World War I veteran who talked of surviving the Spanish flu that tore through the ship taking him to the front by sucking non-stop on lemons, and the one about the woman whose years as a clerk with Gen. Douglas MacArthur in the Pacific were so central to her identity that, 40 years after World War II, despite a long civilian career and two children, she still preferred people refer to her by her military rank, “Sarge.” Some are dead now — the coal miner, the former homeless man who founded the food pantry, the doughboy who sucked lemons to stay alive
and the sergeant who was a clerk for MacArthur — but in a way, despite our small staff and our initially ramshackle environment, the work we did documenting that time and their lives was a record that they had been here, that they’d had aspirations and faced adversity, which they sometimes overcame and sometimes did not, none surrendering easily. I like to think we wrote about them with honesty and that what those years taught me still shows in my work. The truth is, even decades later when I get clever and forget that the story is what’s important, not me, I can hear J.A. Lobbia: “You’re being pretentious.” I hope I have the wisdom to change it. After leaving the Riverfront Times in early 1989, Joe Schuster earned an MFA in creative writing. The author of a novel, The Might Have Been, he is a professor in the Department of Communications and Journalism at Webster University.
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RICHARDSON ESTATE LAND RICHARDSON ESTATE
LAND RICHARDSON ESTATE LAND
TH TH SATUR DAY, OCT. 7 SATURDAY, OCT. 7
BEGINNING AT 10:00 A.M.
BEGINNING AT 10:00 A.M.
LOCATION: XXX SB1XXX ROUTE GG ROAD, LOCATION: SB13 &ROUTE 3 &WATERLOO, GG ROAD,ILWATERLOO, IL WatchWatch for signs Rt. 3 between Road and GG Road foronsigns on Rt. 3Hanover between Hanover Road
and GG Road
“OPEN HOUSE & LAND VIEWING” This is“OPEN a greatHOUSE opportunity forVIEWING” an investment, & LAND SATURDAY, SEPT. 16TH -- 1:00 -TH3:00 P.M. hunting, fishing and farming. farm-has 87+ or - acres w/63.87 SATURDAY , SEPT. 16This 1:00 - 3:00 P.M. RICHARDSON ESTATE acres tillable. 6 acres of the tillable is
LAND
This farm has 87+ or - acres w/63.87 in CRP w/3 years left on contract. This farm has 87+ - acres acres or tillable. 6 acresw/63.87 of the tillableacres is This farm is zoned A2 Agriculture. New Hanover Road tillable. 6 acres ofCRP tillable is CRP w/3 Legal Description: Parts of in Sec. 2the w/3 years left onin contract. years left on contract. is zoned A2 & 11 in T2S R10W. Route 3 This farm isThis zonedfarm A2 Agriculture. PinAgriculture. # 07-02-400-015: 55.49 acres; rights also available. New Hanover Road Mineral Legal Description: Parts of Sec. 2 Pin #07-11-200-009: 23.16 acres; BEGINNING AT & 11 in T2S R10W. Pin #07-11-200-002: 8.5 acres. Part of this farm in Waterloo, city limits. 10:00 Part of this farm liesA.M. in Waterloo, Pinlies # 07-02-400-015: 55.49ILacres; This property has a 3 room club house, IL city limits. This property has a Pin #07-11-200-009: 23.16 acres; lake and (Lines Not Exact) 3 room house, lake/pond and twoclub ponds, andPin good hunting woods. #07-11-200-002: 8.5 acres. good hunting woods. Terms: 10% down day of auction. Remainder Part of this farm lies in Waterloo, Terms:and 10% down of auction. Watch for signs on Rt. 3 between Hanover Road GGdayRoad due at closing, approx. 30 days. Taxes IL city limits. This property has apro-rated Remainder due at closing, approx. (Lines Not Exact) to date of closing. to tenant’s rights. 30 days. Taxes pro-rated to 3 date ofSubject room club house, lake/pond and Possession when fall 2017 crops are harvested closing. Subject to tenant’s good rights.hunting woods. TH Possession whenland. fall 2017 crops on farm Terms: 10% down day of auction. areAttorney harvested on farm land.Estate: for David Friess, Red Bud, This farm has 87+ or acres w/63.87 GG Road Remainder due at closing, approx. Attorney for Estate: David Friess, 618-282-4599 acres 6 acres of the tillable Redtillable. Bud, 618-282-4599 30 isdays. Taxes pro-rated to date of in CRPfishing w/3 years leftfarming. on contract. Auctioneer’s Note: This is a great opportunity for an investment, hunting, and closing. Subject to tenant’s rights. This farm is zoned A2 Agriculture. For information please call Auction Service. Possession when fall 2017 crops New Hanover Road Legal Description: Parts of Sec. 2 are harvested on farm land. & 11 in T2S R10W. GG Road Pin # 07-02-400-015: 55.49 acres; Attorney for Estate: David Friess, OWNER: License #444000501 Pin #07-11-200-009: 23.16 acres; Red Red Bud, IL -- 618-282-3931 MARGARET RICHARDSONBud, 618-282-4599 Pin #07-11-200-002: 8.5 acres. Cell: 618-534-2295 Auctioneer’s Note: This is a great opportunity for an investment, ESTATE hunting, fishing and farming. Part of this farm lies in Waterloo, Website: www.burmesterauction.com For information please call Auction Service. Auctioneers: Col. Dale A. Burmester • Col. Kent Miller • Col. David York IL city limits. This property has a (Lines Not Exact) 3 room club house, lake/pond and good hunting woods. Terms: 10% down day of auction. License #444000501 OWNER: Remainder due at closing, approx. Red Bud, IL -- 618-282-3931 30 days. Taxes pro-rated to MARGARET RICHARDSON date of Cell: 618-534-2295 closing. Subject to tenant’s rights. ESTATE Website: www.burmesterauction.com Possession when fall 2017 crops Auctioneers: Col. Dale A. Burmester • Col. Kent Miller • Col. York are David harvested on farm land. GG Road Attorney for Estate: David Friess, Red Bud, 618-282-4599
SATURDAY, OCT. 7TH
LOCATION: XXX SB1 ROUTE 3 & GG ROAD, WATERLOO, IL “OPEN HOUSE & LAND VIEWING” SATURDAY, SEPT. 16 -- 1:00 - 3:00 P.M.
Burmester Auction Service, LLC
Burmester Auction Service, LLC
Auctioneer’s Note: This is a great opportunity for an investment, hunting, fishing and farming. For information please call Auction Service.
Burmester Auction Service, LLC License #444000501
Red Bud, IL -- 618-282-3931 Cell: 618-534-2295
Website: www.burmesterauction.com Auctioneers: Col. Dale A. Burmester • Col. Kent Miller • Col. David York
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OWNER:
OWNER: RICHARDSON ESTATE MARGARET RICHARDSON 314-421-9538 ESTATE
richardsonestate42@gmail.com
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M U R A LS O N PA G E B O U L E VA R D B E T W E E N K I N G S H I G H WAY A N D U N I O N B O U L E VA R D S .
If our four decades in St. Louis have taught us anything, it’s to seize hold of the sublime. Whether it’s pausing to marvel at a gorgeous sunset, reveling at a killer street party or splurging on an
40 Marv
unforgettable night out, we’ve learned to seek out reasons to fall in love with St. Louis all over again. Whether you’re a newcomer looking for the Gateway City’s peak experiences or an old-timer who just needs a reminder about what drew you in, this list of 40 things to see, eat, hear, do and savor should keep you busy — and marveling at the city’s bounty. 42
SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 3, 2017
BEST PLACE TO BELIEVE IN ST. LOUIS AGAIN CITYGARDEN
801 Market Street, 314-241-3337 Oh, sure, there are great swimming pools accessible to the public across the metro area. But to our mind, on a blistering day, there’s no better spot to see rich and poor, black and white come together than the wading pool and splash pad at Citygarden. There’s no entry fee and no metal detector at this privately maintained, publicly accessible park, no one asking for your membership card or where you went to high school. Instead, there are kids, whooping and hollering and enjoying the great outdoors with the sort of excitement that baby boomers swear has entirely disappeared from America. It’s seriously one of the only places you can go in the entire country where people are busier having fun than recording it on their smartphones. (Maybe it’s the proximity to all that splashing — too dangerous for our expensive devices?) Citygarden has thrived in its downtown home for eight years now, but this year was still a notably good one — after much trial and error and a few good concepts that simply didn’t fit the space and/or the garden’s patrons, the gorgeous glassed-in restaurant overlooking the site finally got a tenant that makes perfect sense. Kaldi’s at Citygarden is uniquely equipped to feed all those engaged parents and their soaking-wet offspring, giving everyone
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an excuse to sit down, fuel up and recharge their batteries for yet more fun. What could be better? –Sarah Fenske
BEST RESIDENCY SOUL ARD BLUES BAND AT BROADWAY OYSTER BAR 736 South Broadway, 314-621-8811 The Soulard Blues Band’s weekly show at the Broadway Oyster Bar is billed as “the longest running blues jam session in the nation.” That’s not without merit — the band has had a standing gig at the downtown blues bar since 1978, closing in on four decades — though it is certainly hard to verify whether that’s indeed long enough to claim the No. 1 slot. Even the band’s sole founding member, Art Dwyer, isn’t sure. “I don’t know if it’s true or not,” he told the Ste. Genevieve Herald in June. “We’ve been doing it. People come up and tell me things about it that I don’t remember.” In a town overflowing with blues talent that spills out onto concert calendars with remarkable frequency, the Soulard Blues Band stands apart. Musicians who have passed through its ranks have gone on to fill the lineups of innumerable acts around town over the years, making the band a sort of proving ground in the local blues world. And there’s just something remarkable about watching the band perform the blues, a form of music inextricably tied to St. Louis,
at a downtown bar while surrounded by like-minded music fans. It is a living history you can take part in on a whim — each and every Monday night. —Daniel Hill
BEST ART WALK FIRST FRIDAYS IN OLD NORTH In the city’s Old North neighborhood, First Fridays are unlike any other Friday of the month. On North 14th Street, visitors will find art galleries UrbArts, the Gallery and 14th Street Artists Community showcasing new exhibits, music performed by blues and jazz artists and DJs, and culture enthusiasts eagerly checking out all of the above. Hungry? The strip is home to verified St. Louis treasure Crown Candy Kitchen, which stays open every Friday until 9 p.m. Grab a sandwich or some ice cream with licorice on the side and head to the nonprofit print shop and community space Central Print. There you will find activities where guests are encouraged to create original compositions, including personalized notebooks, postcards and greeting cards, as well as bookmarks made with wooden type on a printing press. La Mancha Coffeehouse also stays open until 8 p.m. on Fridays and offers burgers, wraps, sandwiches and quesadillas. The party is a great time to connect with artists of color who live in and around the city — and visit some great local businesses too. —Taylor Vinson
SARA BANNOURA
rvels BEST BEAUTIFICATION EFFORT
BEST CITYWIDE PARTY
MURALS ON PAGE BOULEVARD BETWEEN KINGSHIGHWAY AND UNION BOULEVARDS
www.gatewaycup.com Undoubtedly, the people who are really, really into bicycles could rattle off chapter and verse about why the Gateway Cup is significant for cycling. The event, which launched in 1985, is part of the USA Cycling Pro Road Tour, with four separate race courses sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale. For non-cyclists, though, that’s the boring stuff. What isn’t boring are the races themselves — and the party they create. By racing through the city streets in four gorgeous St. Louis neighborhoods (Lafayette Square, Benton Park, the Hill and Francis Park), the races bring in fans, support staff and onlookers who patronize local businesses and swell to create a street party lasting all day (or, in the case of Lafayette Square, well into the night). Yeah, it’s vaguely inconvenient if you live along the route, but you won’t hear a word of complaint from anyone who’s not a complete asshole. It’s not only that the race organizers do an amazing job of restoring the neighborhoods overnight to pristine condition (although that goes a long way with residents). It’s the sheer thrill of watching dozens of cyclists round hairpin turns, sending an audible “whoosh” through the crowds and a sudden, sharp gust of wind through the muggy air. You don’t have to know a thing about cycling to find these races a blast — and you don’t
Find a dose of St. Louis pride in an unexpected location — boarded-up doors and windows of blighted buildings along Page Boulevard. In general, downtrodden old homes don’t inspire. But on these, you can see murals by local artist Christopher Green, commissioned by nonprofit Better Family Life. Beyond just beautifying the old buildings and jazzing up the plywood, the murals give hope and show that greatness can arise from anywhere. Martin Luther Mathews, depicted in one of the portraits, co-founded the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club with the late Hubert “Dickey” Ballentine in 1960, when the two men, then coaching neighborhood baseball teams, wondered how to instill values in the kids they saw. Since its inception, millions of St. Louis kids and teenagers have benefited from the club’s athletics, education and professional development. Another mural shows East St. Louis native Jackie Joyner-Kersee, grinning over a shoulder with her half-dozen Olympic medals tossed across it. Talk about inspirational. —Melissa Meinzer
have to live in the neighborhoods that host them to join in the party. Grab a beer and start cheering. —Sarah Fenske
THE GATEWAY CUP
BEST WEEKEND TRIP POPEYE PICNIC www.popeyepicnic.com In St. Louis, we recognize achievements through fairly traditional means — a company award, a networking dinner, maybe even a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame if you’re a really big deal or play sportzpuckball. But 90 minutes away, Chester, Illinois, puts the Gateway City to shame when it comes to honoring one of its own. Here, a polite golf clap simply won’t do — not for Popeye the Sailor Man. Every year as tribute to the spinacheating comic-strip character conceived by Chesterborn E.C. Segar, residents shut down State Street for a weekend-long festival that’s heavy on kitsch, nostalgia and fun. Naturally, there’s a huge parade full of homemade floats, high school marching bands and roving Popeye characters running from the high school to the courthouse, but the Popeye Picnic offers even more opportunities to celebrate the town’s favorite character. Run a 5K. Watch classic cartoons on inflatable screens. Hit up the Popeye museum memorably named Spinach Can Collectibles. Satiate that fair-food craving with
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greasy french fries and candy apples. Snuggle with your baby on carnival rides. Take in a magic show. Check out the wiener dog races. And if that’s not enough, you can always explore the Popeye Character Trail, which starts with a giant Popeye statue near the Mississippi River in Segar Park and wanders throughout town to include love interest Olive Oyl, hamburger mooch Wimpy, villain Bluto and more, with additional statues unveiled every year during the Popeye Picnic. Join thousands of fans the weekend after Labor Day, and stay until you echo Chester’s favorite son by saying, “That’s all I can stands; I can’t stands no more.” Until next September, that is. —Allison Babka
BEST WAY TO FEEL LIKE A BALLER BUY A ROUND FOR THE BAR AT THE SILVERLEAF LOUNGE 3442 Hereford Street, 314-481-4080 Depending on the time of day and size of crowd, you can probably pull this off for $50 or less. The Silverleaf is, after all, a tiny place. Hidden away on a mile-long side street in Northampton, the nearly perfect south-city bar has been slinging drinks inside a space about the size of your living room since before Prohibition. (Note the wooden coolers.) The close quarters almost guarantee you’ll find yourself chatting away with Continued on pg 46
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“The Best Salami in the Country” (Forbes Magazine)
ANNOUNCING Salume Beddu at Parker’s Table
featuring lunch, artisan cured salumi, fresh salsiccie, and accompagnamenti. www.parkerstable.com
7118 Oakland Avenue
It’s A Good Time For
A Portion Of Our Menu… Chicken, Shrimp & Fish Dinners
Regular is mixed pieces of chicken. Special is pick your own pieces. REGULAR SPECIAL
3 piece Dinner $5.79 4 piece Box $6.29 3 piece wing $4.75 Chicken Tender Meal $7.29 2 piece breaded Cod $6.69 2 piece Jack Salmon $6.69 Catfish Nuggets $6.49 6 piece Jumbo Shrimp $7.29 8 oz. Mini Shrimp (18-21 count)
$7.09 $9.09
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All dinners served with mashed potatoes, cole slaw and a roll
HOLIDAY, OFFICE & BIRTHDAY PARTIES or ANY OCCASION Dine-In • Carry-Out Catering • Open 7 Days 3628 S. BIG BEND 314-781-2097
www.porterschicken.com 44
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Chicken & Seafood Buckets
REGULAR SPECIAL
8 piece Bucket $12.49 16 piece Bucket $18.49 20 piece Bucket $22.49 30 piece Shrimp Bucket $33.49 6 piece Cod $15.49 6 piece Catfish $17.49 6 piece Jack Salmon $15.49
$15.49 $25.49 $30.49
Sides & Extras
Pint Cole Slaw/ Mashed Potatoes $3.49 Pint Potato Salad $3.99 French Fries $1.99 Corn Fritters (10 pieces) $3.69 Fried Okra $3.69 Buffalo Wings $6.99
The Place For Steaks in St. Louis! Still #1 After All These Years Thank you! Patio Open West & South County Locations Gift Certificates Are Always A Great Idea! HISTORIC SOULARD 1/2 Blk. South of Russell 2117 S. 12TH ST. 772-5977
E S T.
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WEST COUNTY 1 Blk. East of Hwy. 141 14282 MANCHESTER RD. 636-227-8062
SOUTH COUNTY 1 Block East of I-55 off Lindbergh 3939 Union Road 845-2584
w w w. t u c k e r s p l a c e s t l . c o m
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40 MARVELS Continued from pg 43
WHERE THERE’S SMOKE, THERE’S FUN
We’re all about BBQ, so we’re bringing the world’s most elite pitmasters to STL to serve it to you. Pound some pork, bury some brisket in your facehole, and enjoy live music in Kiener Plaza.
Get all the info at QINTHELOU.com Follow us @QintheLouSTL
K E L LY G L U E C K
RIVER SCENE TRAIL IN CASTLEWOOD S TAT E PA R K . Made possible by Official Print Media Partner
the regulars by your second beer. This is the time to spring for a round. Tell the bartender your new friends have a drink coming on you, pause a moment to glance over the crowd of off-duty firefighters and neighborhood walk-ins and then correct yourself — you’d like to buy a round for the entire bar. The low prices will make it an affordable extravagance but still a notable gesture. Maybe it’s not popping bottles in the Champagne Room, but treating the working man in one of the city’s greatest dive bars has got to be worth more for your soul.—Doyle Murphy
the 1920s and 1930s. Eventually, the trail takes you back toward the parking area, leaving just a short walk to the car. You can easily do it all in a morning and make it back to the city in time for lunch. —Doyle Murphy
BEST ESCAPE FROM THE CITY
We are the most modern people who have ever lived. We knew well in advance that there would be a total solar eclipse this summer. We had seen the computer models and maps and the animated predictions of what it would look like at near-totality, and we understood the forces that were at work high above Earth as the clock ticked down to 1:17 p.m. on Monday, August 21, 2017. And yet, there was something unnerving about the encroaching darkness as the moon covered more and more of the sun. At the moment when St. Louis went utterly dark and all the streetlights came on, there was no technological device that could calm the queasy flutter in your stomach. Some things are simply bigger than us, no two ways about it. Watching the sky go out and then slowly come back on was an excellent reminder that in the grand scheme of things, CGI models and maps aren’t the same as seeing it for yourself. If it gets just one of you to stop trying to capture every moment of your life in your phone’s screen, it is a lesson well learned. —Paul Friswold
WHERE THERE’S CHOICE, Where there’s choice,
THERE’S HOPE.
There’s Hope
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618-451-5722 | HOPECLINIC.COM 46
SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 3, 2017
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RIVER SCENE TRAIL IN CASTLEWOOD STATE PARK 1401 Kiefer Creek Road, Ballwin; 636-2274433 Take a hike. Get out. Leave. We love the city, but sometimes the city doesn’t love us back. For those moments, there is the River Scene Trail. The wooded escape is less than 40 minutes away in Castlewood State Park. The trail is a 3.25-mile loop that has a little of everything. The first portion has a quick climb to the top of a bluff that offers picture-worthy views of the Meramec River Valley below. Descend through the trees on a wooden staircase and cross under a railroad trestle through a short tunnel. You’ll pop out the other side and find yourself at the river’s edge within seconds. From here, it’s a flat, shady stroll along the water, giving you plenty of time to catch your breath from your earlier climb. You’ll pass the old foundations from the area’s previous life as a resort destination in
BEST CELESTIAL EVENT THE GREAT AMERICAN ECLIPSE
BEST GLASSBREAK LYDA KREWSON
BEST PLACE TO HEAR A GHOST STORY MIS SOURI STATE PENITENTIARY 115 Lafayette Street, Jefferson City; 866998-6998 Movies like Jailhouse Rock and The Shawshank Redemption provide a romanticized notion of what it means to be locked up, but let’s be real — life in the “A” block is no treat. But for those who insist on faux cell time, might we suggest a trip to the Missouri State Penitentiary? Built in the 1830s when Missouri was still a relatively new state, the maximum security prison eventually became one of the largest in the country. Notable inmates include bank robber Charles Arthur “Pretty Boy” Floyd, anti-war activist Kate Richards O’Hare and James Earl Ray, who escaped and later assassinated civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. All of that history and more comes to life during the Pen’s smorgasbord of tours, which generally run two to three hours and may be led by a former inmate or a knowledgeable narrative guide. We know these walls can talk, though, so we’d rather put our money on the offerings focused on paranormal experiences. Learn about the unusual occurrences that have spooked the Pen’s guards or try to find Casper himself during evening sessions and even overnight ghosthunting investigations. Camping out in the penitentiary during the witching hour will only set you back $100, and you’ll have plenty of wowinducing stories about the now-closed institution
OFF B R O A D WAY.
NATE BURRELL
Five months after Hillary Clinton’s dreams of the presidency ended in a shocking upset, St. Louis elected as mayor a candidate who had many, many things in common with the 2016 Democratic Party standard-bearer. It wasn’t just that Lyda Krewson was a pragmatist in a race that had attracted some progressive candidates, or that she was the darling of the donor class, easily outraising what began as a roster of many, many opponents. It was also that she was a woman. To which you might say, “Duh” — but not so fast. While Krewson didn’t run explicitly as a female candidate, wisely eschewing a strategy that touted the virtues of her gender, that she broke the glass ceiling in this old boy’s club of a city was in fact remarkable. And her achievement was, if anything, made even more remarkable in that the candidate who finished second, city Treasurer Tishaura Jones, is also female. Men have run this city for centuries — and clearly, St. Louis was ready for change. Here’s to the smart, hard-working woman who proved it could be done — and here, too, is to the prospect of many more women on top in years to come. –Sarah Fenske
that used to be the oldest operating penal facility west of the Mississippi River.— Allison Babka
BEST FRONT-ROW SEATS OFF BROADWAY 3509 Lemp Avenue, 314-498-6989 One of the many amazing things about Off Broadway is how easy it is to get the VIP experience. Because the tickets at the smallish music venue south of Cherokee are usually general admission, you just need to arrive reasonably on time, walk up to the stage and stand there until the show starts. That’s it. This isn’t advanced game theory here. You can even grab a tallboy and still have time to find a spot close enough to read the set list lying at the bass guitarist’s feet. This feat is possible because most of the crowd lingers away from the stage until the last moment. There is an outdoor bar, and the patio feels so much like a backyard get-together that people like to just hang out. Off Broadway is a casual place, so that’s understandable, but it also provides an opening for the more ambitious. All you need to do is beat them inside by a few minutes, and you’ll find yourself with your knees pressed against the stage when the action begins. If you’re the pushy type, you don’t even have to get there early. Just wriggle through the crowd of polite Midwesterners and claim your place. —Doyle Murphy
BEST WAY TO GET HIGH GATEWAY ARCH HELICOPTER TOURS Riverfront at 50 South Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard, 314-496-4494 It’s no secret that construction surrounding the St. Louis Arch has put a damper on tourist-like activities downtown in the last couple of years. But the Gateway Arch Helicopter Tours are bringing the beautiful sites of St. Louis back to tourists and natives alike. The tours are located on the downtown riverfront, where construction finished last summer. Thrill-seekers can enjoy the bird’s-eye view of countless St. Louis attractions on one of four tours: the Riverfront Tour ($37 per person), the Anheuser Busch Tour ($63 per person), the Botanical Garden Tour ($105 per person) and the Deluxe Tour, which visits these sites along with Forest Park, the City Museum and more ($150 per person). The actual flight times vary per tour from as short as two minutes to as long as twenty minutes. The operation runs first-come, first-served and does not take reservations. There are two different helicopters — one seats between two and four passengers and the other seats two or three passengers. Because, well, they want the helicopter to stay airborne, there are some weight restrictions, so inquire ahead of time if you’re on the bigger side. The establishment, which accepts cash and
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credit, is open from April through November every day from 11 a.m. until sunset. — Sabrina Medler
BEST CELEBRATION OF ART V I BE S G R A ND A RTS E V E N T @VIBESSTL Vibes highlights local musicians, visual artists, fashion designers, chefs and more at its yearly “Grand Arts Event” in St. Louis. At Vibes, you can catch rising stars like Smino Brown and Bloom perform before they make it to the big stage, as well as check out the work of up-and-coming visual artists. The event began at Cherokee Street’s Blank Space in 2012 and has been growing ever since. This year, for the first time, it was split into two separate days in different locations, promoting visual artists, merchants and chefs on one day and musicians on the second. Vibes is always packed and sells out quickly (one year, the event was “over-capacity after 45 minutes,” notes organizer Sierra Brown), so repeat customers know to secure their tickets in advance. And families are always welcome, but after 9 p.m., the crowd’s energy swells; you’ll want to put the kids to bed and prepare for a good time. All art on display at Vibes is available for purchase, making it a great way to support local artists and get some new decorations for your wall too. —Taylor Vinson Continued on pg 50
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TIVOLI, PLAZA FRONTENAC, .ZACK, WEBSTER U., WASHINGTON U., MISSOURI HISTORY MUSEUM
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40 MARVELS Continued from pg 47 BEST TRIBUTE CONCERT EXPERIENCE AN UNDER COVER WEEKEND
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www.undercoverweekend.com If there’s one thing St. Louisans like — nay, love — it is tribute acts. There is a reason El Monstero, the city’s premier Pink Floyd impersonators, are able to sell out the Pageant for a weeklong stretch every December. We also are home to Celebration Day (a tribute to Led Zeppelin), Grand Allusion (a tribute to Styx) and Shakey Deal (a tribute to Neil Young). We even have three separate tribute acts in town devoted solely to the Grateful Dead. Some of this can be chalked up to our location squarely in the midst of KSHE Country, but not all of it. For the last eleven years An Under Cover Weekend has found success painting outside of the lines of the classic rock set — and, in fact, expressly set the bar outside of that genre for its latest go-around. This year’s iteration took place for the first time at Delmar Hall after years at the Firebird, with local acts tackling tributes to musicians spanning three decades of music: Night one was ’80s night (Theresa Payne as Chaka Khan, Too Deep as Madonna); night two took us to the ’90s (Blank Generation as OutKast, Fivefold as Third Eye Blind); and night three pushed into the ’00s (the Fade as Justin Timberlake, Aida Ade as Erykah Badu). Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, it’s the best tribute experience in town each and every year. And that’s even with plenty of competition. —Daniel Hill
BEST ST. LOUIS STORY CHRISTOPHER PARRISH www.facebook.com/CParrishMusic/ A couple of years back, a young piano player from New York moved to St. Louis. Ethan Leinwand quickly found work, bands and creative opportunities. When Christopher Parrish, a piano man with similar, but not identical, interests in early twentieth-century music moved here earlier this summer, he found a kindred, welcoming spirit in Leinwand. But Leinwand is just one of many contacts that have encouraged Parrish, who’s comfortable in jazz, swing, ragtime, stride piano and the blues. “I make a new friend every day,” says Parrish, 32, who’s as enthusiastic as he is dapper. “I make a new connection every day. Originally, I thought I’d move here and have to find a job delivering pizzas or washing dishes. But I haven’t had to. I am shocked by the amount of support, generosity and graciousness of the people here. I really couldn’t be any happier.” An occasional player with Annie & the Fur Trappers, Parrish has also started a new group with TJ Muller and Jon Weiss, the St. Louis Ticklers, which has already found gigs. Again crediting the town’s positive vibe, he says, “Everyone’s been very supportive, especially given the style of music that I play. There’s a terrific, burgeoning music scene here. There’re no half-measures taken here, musically. Things are being done at a high level and I enjoy that.” Though he’s moved to town in advance of his wife, their temporary separation came with the idea of settling
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into a real community here; one with deep musical roots. “From a historical standpoint, St. Louis has always been a great city for music,” Parrish says. “It was, and still is, an incubator for ragtime and of piano and vocal blues. Debatably the incubator.” And, it appears, a place for new musicians to ply their trade in some of the oldest traditions we know. —Thomas Crone
BEST WAY TO LAUGH ’TIL YOUR FACE HURTS FATAL BUS ACCIDENT AT THE IMPROV SHOP 3960 Chouteau Avenue, 314-652-2200 It takes guts to helm a live comedy show with a name evoking vehicular manslaughter. For nearly two years, though, Fatal Bus Accident and its four principal performers have demonstrated why the production is beloved within the St. Louis comedy scene, and especially by the core group of faithful fans who watched the show develop in its former home at the Heavy Anchor. Loosely framed as a “live talk show,” Fatal Bus Accident serves as a crucible for the combined wits of comedians Stryker Spurlock, Amy Milton, Jeremy Hellwig and Jon Venegoni. At the height of the show’s prowess — which it reaches with a remarkable consistency — the combination of lightning-quick jokes and plot twists means the audience can hardly process one absurd premise before another comes charging in from stage-right, possibly in the form of a person dressed up as bald eagle trying to eat Milton’s liver or as a figure draped in green fabric who hops around and answers to the name “Portmantoad.” Nothing is as it seems. Along with a supporting cast of some of St. Louis’ best standup comics, Fatal Bus Accident incorporates video skits, show-specific zines and a love affair with time travel that goes much deeper than tired bits about becoming your own grandparent. With a recent move to the Improv Shop, Fatal Bus Accident aims to continue refining its strange comedy chemistry, brewing a show that is uniquely weird and weirdly wonderful. (Or as the Portmantoad would say, “weirderful.”) —Danny Wicentowski
BEST HISTORY TRIP HIDDEN HISTORY OF DOWNTOWN ST. LOUIS Many books have been written about St. Louis, but few are as full of peculiar facts and revelations as Maureen O’Connor Kavanaugh’s Hidden History of Downtown St. Louis. The slim volume charts the growth of the city from its days as a suburb of the great Mississippian culture centered in Cahokia, Illinois, up through the twentieth century. Kavanaugh digs into the city’s single Revolutionary War battle (spoiler alert: St. Louis owes its existence to Spanish soldiers, black people and a bunch of French farmers) to the rich culture that sprang Athena-like from the river trade. Many locals know that the murder ballads “Stagger Lee” and “Frankie and Johnny” were based on events that happened in St. Louis, but Kavanaugh digs deeper, discovering the name of the street singer who most likely wrote both songs.
— that same vantage point is now smack-dab in the center of a thriving arts district. There are people heading to see plays, art lovers heading toward the Contemporary and the Pulitzer, the cabaret crowd, and, for once a month in the summer, circusgoers. It’s incredible to think about the growth Grand Center has seen in the past decade and inspiring to realize it was driven by the power of Art — not a sports stadium, not a shopping mall, but Art. — Paul Friswold
G R A N D B O U L E VA R D A N D WA S H I N G T O N AV E N U E .
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(Did you know St. Louis had street singers prowling the wards 100 years ago?) From the creation of ragtime by Tom Turpin in 1897 to the working days of young Thomas Lanier Williams III (later known as “Tennessee”), St. Louis has been home to artists, writers, poets and, at one point, three professional baseball teams. Kavanaugh shows us a St. Louis that has been grander, more inclusive and stranger than you’ve ever imagined. — Paul Friswold
BEST VICTORY LAP DAVID ROBERTSON, ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY The 2017-2018 season marks the end of David Robertson’s thirteen-year tenure leading the St. Louis Symphony. Robertson arrived in 2005, shortly after a contentious labor dispute between the musicians and management; at its lowest ebb, Powell Hall’s doors were locked against the musicians. With his ready smile and a drive to restore lost glory, Robertson helped lead the symphony out of those dark days. Since his arrival there has been labor peace for the musicians and a return to prominence for the mighty orchestra, with well-received trips to New York, California and Europe. Robertson and Co. won a Grammy for their recording of John Adams’ City Noir (the symphony’s first such win since 1991) and expanded their fan base locally with exceptionally popular New Year’s Eve “surprise shows” and low-cost concerts of new and experimental music at the Pulitzer. David Robertson leaves the symphony healthier, more respected and better equipped for the future. —Paul Friswold
BEST PRIVATE ENTRANCE CLUB SEATS AT THE FOX THEATRE 527 North Grand Boulevard, 314-534-1111 Being a baller in this town doesn’t require the Busch family pedigree or a connection to the Veiled Prophet organization (ugh). Really, all you need is a friend with membership in the Fox Club. The incredible box seats on this tucked-away level at the ever-fabulous Fox Theatre don’t just offer comfortable chairs and a table to set your drink (or food — your server is more than happy to bring you both). They also offer private parking right next to the theater and, yes, a private hallway to whisk you from the gated lot straight into your luxury box. Walking down these lushly appointed halls, you can’t help but think this is how old money St. Louis lives. Who needs a Hummer when you have an entrance all your own? But don’t even think about saving up for this luxury. It’s not just that season tickets start at (gulp) $34,150 for a four-seat box. There’s also a waiting list. —Sarah Fenske
Hill Water Tower, a beguiling structure in Compton Hill Reservoir Park at Grand and Russell boulevards. Harvey Ellis (who’s also responsible for St. Louis City Hall) designed the 179-foot tower in 1897. The tower functioned to regulate water pressure for city homes, absorbing surges from reciprocating water pipes. It was retired from that line of work in 1929, but the city water division used it to support its dispatch antennae until 1984. It sat vacant and closed up until 1995, when the city contemplated demolishing it, but neighbors raised $19 million for restoration, leading to its reopening in 1999. The Compton Hill Water Tower and Park Preservation Society opens the observation deck afternoons on selected Saturdays and at night for full moons. Check its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/comptonhilltower, before you go. Your $5 admission fee supports the society’s upkeep of both tower and park. —Melissa Meinzer
BEST SIGN OF PROGRESS GRAND BOULEVARD AND WASHINGTON AVENUE
BEST PLACE TO REACH FOR THE STARS COMPTON HILL WATER TOWER 1700 South Grand Boulevard, 314-5529000 The St. Louis city skyline is a thing of beauty on its own, but when a full moon is added into the mix, it’s really worth taking a look. The best place to do that is at the observation deck atop the Compton
www.grandcenter.org Standing at the intersection of Grand Boulevard and Washington Avenue after the symphony on a Friday night used to be rather depressing. Maybe there were happy patrons streaming out of the Fox down the block, but you mostly saw empty buildings and shuttered theaters in the glow of the Third Street Baptist Church’s neon sign. Thanks to the pioneering spirit of several local theater companies — and especially the financial backing of the Kranzbergs
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www.opastl.com St. Louis isn’t hurting for tasty Greek cuisine — you can find excellent gyros and saganaki at any number of sit-down restaurants and food trucks — but the St. Louis Greek Festival in the Central West End is a special treat no matter how much moussaka you’ve downed recently. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2017, the Labor Day Weekend tradition offers cheap eats and plenty of entertainment. Inside St. Nicholas, parishioners bake and serve classic Greek dishes such as spanakopita, shish kabob and pastitsio, and their box of assorted pastries comes with the sweetest, most authentic baklava this side of Mykonos. Feast on the deliciousness while watching Greek folk dancers in the historic church’s auditorium, or head outside to the taverna to grab a few bottles of Zeos beer and listen to musicians play songs from the homeland. There’s a lot to take in, and first-timers may become a bit overwhelmed by the hubbub, so map out your strategy ahead of time online. Best advice of all might be to plan to visit this essential St. Louis festival more than once during the weekend; we guarantee that no two experiences will be exactly alike. For the love of Zeus, hundreds of thousands of revelers over an entire century can’t be wrong. Opa! —Allison Babka
BEST STAYCATION CHASE PARK PL A ZA 212 North Kingshighway, 314-633-3000 The staycation is a growing trend for road-weary travelers, for obvious reasons. It offers all the upside of the traditional vacation — the day drinking, the temporary resignation of responsibilities — without the inescapable downsides (the hassle of airports, the expense of rental cars and all that wasted time in transit). And that means there’s no good reason to let your out-of-town relatives hog all the fun; you too can spend a blissful weekend at the Chase Park Plaza. It’s the perfect place to get away in St. Louis without having to actually leave town. The classic hotel has the feel of high-end historic hotels in Chicago and New York, only without the hit to your bank account. The 1920s Art Deco architecture will make you want to head straight to the bar for a gin rickey before doing the Charleston with the nearest dame, while the pool outside features a poolside bar and plenty of deck chairs and cozy cabanas. Or maybe see a movie: The Chase is home to a fivescreen theater that features current films at great prices. Evenings at the Chase, too, are rich with possibility. Want to stay in for dinner? Choose between the Preston, which takes a “food is art” approach to small, thoughtful plates; the Chase Continued on pg 54
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40 MARVELS Continued from pg 51 Club, which offers more casual pub fare; and the Tenderloin Room, which has been serving up fine cuts since the 1960s. Heading out for the evening can mean a short walk to countless options around the Central West End. It’s a fun experience to see St. Louis through the eyes of a tourist, walking the streets and wandering into places you’ve previously only driven past. And at the end of your adventure, you need only stumble a few blocks to make it back to your room, where you can rest easy knowing that tomorrow morning, the pool will be there waiting for you. —Jered Schneider
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4260 Forest Park Avenue, 314-553-9239 For more than 100 years, St. Louis has been a meat and potatoes town, and while the city’s culinary landscape is changing rapidly, old habits die hard — which may be one reason Vicia found itself facing a mini-tempest this summer. The editorial page editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Tod Robberson, wrote an entire column denouncing the acclaimed Cortex district restaurant by suggesting it exemplified everything wrong with modern liberals: “This place (along with the entire culture that supports it) is trying way too hard.” Never mind that owners Michael and Tara Gallina have done nothing overtly political since moving to town a few years ago. To the old fogeys that live by (and grow flabby on) the city’s notoriously generous portions of dead animals, the Gallinas’ “vegetable-forward” cuisine was an affront, a situation that didn’t need to be avoided so much as stopped in its tracks. Still, once you get past the clumsy way Robberson tried to build his argument, the attempted takedown was actually hugely flattering — what restaurant is so revolutionary that it requires the full power of the Paper of Record’s editorial pages? Vicia is a gamechanger, and for anyone who cares about food, that’s a wonderful thing. For too long, many St. Louis restaurants used big portions to make up for a certain carelessness about freshness and flavor. The Gallinas, with their thoughtful attention to every last detail in carefully harvested fruits and vegetables, are changing that. Their tasting menu stands alone in town as a culinary experience that will change the way you think about food — and, perhaps, the status quo that so heavily relies on carcasses as a source of nutrition. No wonder Robberson felt threatened. And if you’re looking for a more insightful take on the Vicia experience, you might turn to the PostDispatch’s actual food critic: He calls the tasting menu “transcendent.” –Sarah Fenske
BEST WAY TO FEEL LIKE A CHAMPION ROOTING FOR THE ST. LOUIS SL AM Don’t let anyone tell you there’s something dishonorable about jumping on a winning team’s bandwagon. What do you think happened in St. Louis after the Rams’ Super Bowl-winning season in 2000, huh? Under the radar, however, those halcyon
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days have been replicated — and arguably exceeded — by the St. Louis SLAM, the reigning, back-to-back champions of the Women’s Football Alliance and the region’s only all-women, full-contact football team. Having won the WFA Division II championship in 2016, the SLAM defended its title in June, burying the Tampa Bay Inferno 42-15 and starting a bona fide dynasty in the process. Come springtime, the season will offer the opportunity for the roster of 40 or so players to chase their championship dreams anew. And this is a home team worth rooting for: because putting your butt in the bleachers and watching live football is a particularly American joy; because the fans to your left and right are likely cheering for sisters, mothers, daughters and partners; and because no one is paid, and therefore each run, hit, jump and block is executed by a woman who refuses to let the pain of the last play put her on the bench for the next one. So root, root, root for the home team. Let the energy lift you off your seat. Yell ‘til your lungs give out. That’s the feeling that championships are made of. —Danny Wicentowski
BEST CIVIC OBSESSION WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE 1564-1616 As far as the RFT can determine, William Shakespeare never made it to St. Louis during his lifetime (if you know otherwise, please send a telegram). No matter — St. Louis has taken in the Bard as an honorary son. Each new year brings with it more opportunities to see his plays presented in theaters, in parks
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THE TRIAL. OPERA T H E A T R E O F S T. L O U I S . and in the streets. We have one theater company devoted to his works (St. Louis Shakespeare). We have Shakespeare Festival St. Louis in Forest Park in the summer, as well as an autumn sub-festival that features a recast and modified Shakespeare play performed by actors and citizens together in a different neighborhood every year (Shakespeare in the Streets). His dramas show up regularly in the schedules of various theater companies around town (Repertory Theatre Saint Louis puts on its first-ever production of Hamlet in a little under two weeks). In the week leading up to Big Bill’s birthday (April 23), various groups team up to present all 38 of his plays in whole or in part at unusual locations (Shake-38), and the whole thing is capped off by the laying of a wreath at the base of his bust in Tower Grove Park on the day of his death (also April 23). Technically, William Shakespeare is dead and buried. But in St. Louis, William Shakespeare lives a pretty great life. —Paul Friswold
and Carol Schuchard, who took over in 2016 and invested more than $1 million to renovate and restore the property before reopening this year. Inside, the cavernous main dining hall features a soaring ceiling, walls lined with hunting trophies and an inviting communal table that can support the steins — or if you’re feeling particularly brave, ubersteins — of dozens of comrades. Outside, a biergarten offers a dog-friendly patio perfect for a snack of pretzels and sausages. Between bites and draughts, take a moment to marvel that Busch’s windmill still turns. The era that birthed this eccentric heirloom may have passed on, but the warmth of its old-world luxury persists, beckoning the common folk who each day pass by. At Das Bevo, every drink is a toast, every meal a banquet, each traveler a king. —Danny Wicentowski
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OPERA THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS
DAS BEVO 4749 Gravois Avenue, 314-832-2251 To imbibe aristocratically takes more than just a dinner jacket or a dainty pinkie extended from a tea cup. In St. Louis, where a German immigrant beer-brewing heritage still holds meaning, one should ideally locate the windmill now dubbed Das Bevo and its grand, chandelier-lit hall of dark wood. Built in 1916 by August Busch Sr., the south-city landmark has been given new life by owners Pat
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BEST REASON TO GET DRESSED UP 130 Edgar Road, Webster Road; 314-9610644 Yeah, yeah, you’ve heard the rap on opera: It’s for old people, it’s for rich people, it’s histrionic, it’s boring. Never mind, because the word on the street is all wrong, especially if the opera you’re talking about is being mounted by Opera Theatre of St. Louis. The area’s premier opera producers (oh yes, we have more than one opera producer) smashed it out of the park last season, with spot-on takes on Madame Butterfly and The Grapes of Wrath, as well as a darkly funny/ horrifying American premiere of The Trial, which brought Phillip Glass Continued on pg 58
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40 MARVELS Continued from pg 55 himself to the audience. But the experience isn’t just for opera buffs. The company’s young friends events, open to those 45 and under (opera takes an expansive view of “young”), provide a buffet dinner and outside bar before the show, a wonderful spot to meet, greet and get a Champagne buzz going before you head in. All in all, it makes for the perfect evening, rendered even more exciting in that it’s one of the only places in the city where you have a great excuse to dress smart. Elegant and enriching? Not many evenings can boast that combination — and at just $49 a person for an inclusive young friends ticket, it’s also a surprising bargain. All the better to buy a fabulous dress … or maybe even some opera gloves.—Sarah Fenske
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BEST SOURCE OF INSPIRATION www.tedxstlouis.com “Inspirational” conferences are a dime a dozen, and they’re often pretty darn bad — especially when they’re geared toward women. PowerPoint presentations riddled with mind-numbing platitudes? Speakers who insist that you can “have it all” if you just “lean in” and “believe in your dreams?” Yeah, no. You keep that swag bag full of nail files and fruity lip balm; we’re good. TEDxStLouisWomen is different. A local offshoot of TED talks, TEDxStLouisWomen gathers national and regional women with diverse experiences who have succeeded, failed and everything in between to help participants recognize and overcome obstacles. During the one-day conference, these women get you to think about your ideas, business and life, but you won’t find any of the typical faux-cheerleader stuff here. And why would you expect to, when Tabatha Coffey is one of this year’s keynote speakers? A noted business owner, editorial hairstylist and author, Coffey became known for her no-holds-barred coaching style on Bravo’s Tabatha Takes Over. She promises to bring the same fire to TEDxStLouisWomen, scheduled for November 2, at Peabody Opera House. With Coffey, Jessica Bryndza of Uber, Dr. Toniya Singh of St. Louis Heart & Vascular, Crystal Martin of LaunchCode’s CoderGirl program and other kick-ass women, TEDxStLouisWomen is more about substance and less about the trite “wisdom” taking over your Instagram feed. —Allison Babka
BEST PLACE TO EXPERIMENT ST. LOUIS THEATER SCENE St. Louis punches above its weight when it comes to theater. We have more companies than comparably sized cities, and we also have a greater variety of shows. What has been lacking in recent years are experimental shows — but even that problem has slowly worked itself out in the wake of the St. Louis Fringe Festival’s 2012 debut. A handful of avant garde companies have sprouted up, scratching the itch of those who crave non-linear plots, silent productions and interesting, atypical ideas of what a play is. TheatreLab, ERA, Theatre Nuevo, Prime and YoungLiars have all mounted shows that challenge audiences and provoke thought and argument. Not all
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of them will be to your liking — but neither will some of the more conventional shows produced in town. The young artists powering these new companies are willing to expend the time, talent and money to stage a work exploring the concept of Hell, or a series of short plays about conspiracies, or even a fractured recreation of a Greek tragedy because they believe there’s an audience for it — and there is. At long last, there really is. —Paul Friswold
BEST JOYRIDE THE WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE You don’t need to be literally naked to participate in the St. Louis World Naked Bike Ride, but there’s no reason for false modesty. Even if you decided to wear a thick parka — and you really shouldn’t, considering this is a summertime event — it would take just a single glance over your handlebars to see the glittery blur of nipples, flanks and butts pedaling against the evening sky. Still going strong after a decade in St. Louis, the ride attracted around 2,000 riders to its 2017 celebration of bikes and bodies, and each participant followed the “Bare as you dare” slogan however they saw fit. You’re just as likely to see painted slogans opposing the fossil fuel industry as bodies painted to look like Game of Thrones characters. At its heart, though, is the ride itself: a dozen or so miles on a circuit that starts at the Grove and winds its way downtown before returning to the starting line. It’s not a race or a parade, although thousands of spectators gather along the route to cheer and take pictures, and police officers temporarily halt traffic to allow the riders to pedal safely along downtown’s busy streets. Amid the vulnerability, the thrill of exposure, is the sense of being part of something bigger, stranger and more daring than any halftime streaker’s mad dash to the 50-yard line. Such is the glorious paradox of the ride, a straddling of the mainstream and taboo
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that’s best experienced perched on a bike seat, face to the wind, feeling comfortable and triumphant in your own skin. —Danny Wicentowski
BEST NEW BAR BRONSON HOUSE 3201 Washington Boulevard, 314-312-3192 The best new bar to open in St. Louis this year would be an awful place to visit on one of those steamy August days when the mercury tops 100 and the humidity ups the ante to flat-out oppressive. Nor would you even want to think of stopping by come December, when sleet streaks from a white-gray sky. But on a twilight night in September? It’s positively perfect. Located on the expansive back patio of the historic (and newly remodeled) Bronson House, the space boasts only a pergola over the bar for shade or cover, depending on your weather-related needs. But it also boasts incredible cocktails, courtesy of Noah Prince-Goldberg and Rob Somerscales of the Artisan Well, and a glorious ambience, with live music providing a soundtrack for the setting sun. It’s magic … especially when the weather is cooperating. —Sarah Fenske
BEST REASON TO GET UP EARLY SUNRISE AT BELLERIVE PARK 5570 South Broadway With the exception of the Gateway Arch grounds, the city of St. Louis is home to just two public parks that abut the Mississippi River: the North Riverfront Park near the Chain of Rocks Bridge and Bellerive Park (with the adjacent Sister Marie Charles Park just below) on the bluffs above Carondelet. The latter is one the city’s most unassuming jewels, a twoblock-long expanse of grass, brush, pines, oaks and a wildflower garden, planted to entice the monarchs
to rest a while. And you should join them, any time of day, but especially at sunrise, when the mist moves like smoke from a prairie fire over the Cahokia bluffs to the east and curls around the barges passing slow and silent downstream. Arrive at least a half-hour before dawn, find a bench up on the hill or just below the pavilion, and meditate on a low planet (if time and season align), as the sky turns from slate to peach and rose, and the waters seem as still as a winter pond. You might even climb the playground tower for a broader view. A train will signal in the distance. Radio towers will blink to the southeast. But it’s all still and luminous as the sun lifts over the Illinois side. One note of gentle caution: Bellerive is an urban park, so take a friend along. They can bring the donuts and coffee. You’ll have the St. Louis magic covered. —Roy Kasten
BEST NEWCOMER THE KARPELES MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY MUSEUM 3524 Russell Boulevard, 314-282-0234 American identity is shaped by many things, and Mark Twain and baseball — two Missouri specialties — undeniably loom large among them. A small museum in south city is now helping to showcase handwritten contributions to history relating to both of those and plenty more. The St. Louis branch of the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum dates back to just 2015. David and Marsha Karpeles, California real-estate magnates with an interest in original documents, have established manuscript libraries in cities across the country, with a mission of bringing primary documents to cities whose offerings were lacking. The museums house the couple’s impressive collection, which includes documents like a hand-copied (by Beethoven) version of Handel’s Messiah and Einstein’s notes on his theory of relativity. St. Louis Continued on pg 60
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bombers and conscientious objectors, who point to the annual toll of wounded humans, terrified pets and charred buildings. It’s neighbor versus neighbor, but the pleas for a more sedate Independence Day prove futile every year. The nights fill with the scream of rockets and the claps of small explosives, drowning out the complaints with Black Cats and six-shot mortar shells. Those behind the annual show of force seem to feed off the criticism as they detonate untold thousands of dollars in fireworks, reload and fire again. The objectors may have the law on their side, but the bombers always win. —Doyle Murphy
40 MARVELS Continued from pg 58
BEST PLACE TO LOOK DOWN ON EVERYONE ELSE THREE SIXTY 1 South Broadway, 314-241-8439 We’re not letting you in on any secrets by saying that Three Sixty is amazing — it’s been included in countless Best Of issues and featured on list after list of the city’s hottest hot spots. But here’s the thing about Three Sixty: Unlike many of the other places you might recall being wowed by back in the summer of 2011, Three Sixty’s charms don’t fade. Chief among them is that view — the bar soars 400 feet above the city, with a perfect angle on the action at Busch Stadium. Still, despite its lofty perch, there’s nothing snobby or pretentious about the scene here. The bartenders are actually helpful, and the food remains as good as the day the place opened, if not better. To our mind, Three Sixty is yet another reminder of all St. Louis has to offer. In New York or LA, a bar like this would be infuriating: overcrowded, overpriced and overwhelming. The beautiful people would make it impossible for the
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became the thirteenth iteration after the Karpeles acquired the gorgeous old Third Christian Scientist building in Compton Heights. Seeing the actual history-bending pen strokes of a genius is a unique thrill — and, thanks to the Karpeles’ incredible largesse, a totally free one. This summer, our branch’s featured exhibition showcased works of one of Missouri’s favorite sons, Mark Twain. Visitors could see his handwritten notes on a staged version of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer — and a note to a woman where Twain called himself a “loser.” In September, the exhibition changed over to Very Early Baseball, which includes documents from giants such as Babe Ruth. There are also two smaller, all-local companion exhibitions: one on the 1944 Streetcar Series, when the St. Louis Cardinals took on the St. Louis Browns in the World Series, and one on the city’s Negro League team, the St. Louis Stars. In addition to the featured traveling exhibitions and local supplements, the museum houses the St. Louis Media History Foundation, a fascinating retrospective of the city’s heritage in radio, television, print, advertising and public relations. Check out its Sports in the Media exhibition this fall after you’ve enjoyed Very Early Baseball. —Melissa Meinzer
rest of us to ever get a seat with a view, much less reasonably pleasant service. But here in St. Louis, 26 floors above the steaming sidewalks, you don’t need a connection or a big bankroll. You just need to show up and drink it in. —Sarah Fenske
BEST LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT THE MUNY 1 Theatre Drive, 314-361-1900 The Muny has seen it all in its 99 seasons, and also outlasted it all. The theater opened in 1919 with a production of the ballad opera The Bohemian Girl, which is about a young Hapsburg noblewoman who is raised by a band of Roma travelers. The show stayed in the repertoire until 1951, when changing tastes bumped it for more modern fare, like Carousel and Annie Get Your Gun. The Muny survived the decline of the comic operetta, the staple of its first 30 years, and just kept moving forward. It has ushered in the Golden Age of Musicals and witnessed that era’s eventual decline. It has outlasted two world wars and the advent of radio, TV and digital streaming. It has even weathered the rise and fall (and rise again) of St. Louis itself. Few other civic organizations can make that claim, with the notable exceptions of the St. Louis Artists’ Guild and the St. Louis Cardinals, and even the Cards eventually gave in and allowed video replay. At the Muny every show is still performed
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live, no do overs and no nets. And that’s part of its longevity. The star power featured has grown and waned over the years, but current artistic director and executive producer Mike Isaacson has restored luster to the Muny name in his short tenure. The casts are stronger, the staging is smarter and the shows continue to bring droves of St. Louisans to an outdoor theater on hot summer nights. Will season 100 be rung in with a reprise of The Bohemian Girl, just for old time’s sake? Probably not. The Muny hasn’t made it this far without having a very good idea just what the audience wants. —Paul Friswold
BEST SHOCK AND AWE TWO WEEKS OF FIREWORKS Your Alley, St. Louis The ban on fireworks has got to be the city’s mostignored law, eclipsing even prohibitions against being drunk and disorderly or driving with expired license plates. The shelling goes on for a solid two weeks around the Fourth of July. It begins with a steady increase in the firecracker pops that occur all year and descends into full-scale mayhem. By the date of the actual holiday, St. Louis is covered in a haze of smoke and smells of sulfur. It’s a balance of beauty, wonder and terror as explosions light the sky in all directions and homeowners run outside to search their roofs for signs of fire. The chaos divides the city into free-wheeling
BEST BREATHTAKING VIEW LEWIS & CLARK CONFLUENCE TOWER 435 Confluence Tower Drive, Hartford, Illinois The drive up Illinois’ Route 3 toward Alton and Grafton is just the thing on a lazy weekend afternoon, even without stopping anywhere. But if you’re feeling a little more lively, a visit to the Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower, which made its debut during the bicentennial celebration of the storied explorers’ westward voyage, offers spectacular panoramas and plenty of scope for the imagination. Overlooking the junction of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and the place officially deemed the 1804 “point of departure” in expedition journals, it’s a relatively unassuming facility compared to, say, a certain arch rising up from the opposing riverbank about fifteen miles south. But don’t judge a monument by its size alone: This one gives you not one but three different birds-eye vantage points — from platforms 50, 100 and 150 feet high — to view the surrounding Mississippi River basin in all its understated yet breathtaking glory. For just $6 (and $4 for kids 12 and under), you can channel Lewis and Clark, get in touch with your own spirit of adventure and learn about life along the river for peoples present and past.—Evie Hemphill
BEST DEFIANCE OF THE ODDS RIVERFRONT TIMES www.riverfronttimes.com The RFT made it to 40 — and still doesn’t care about golf. —Paul Friswold
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THE TRUTH WE FOUGHT FOR JEANNETTE BATZ COOPERMAN
T
he RFT’s Locust Street office, where I started in 1993, was an open newsroom, rubber bands and spitballs zinging over the partitions as we cranked out 9,000-word articles that weren’t called longform yet. We tackled anything — politics, social issues, sex, death, exposés of institutions that promptly pulled their ads. There was an Iron Curtain between us and the sales staff; not once in a decade did I worry about offending an advertiser or distressing the sensibilities of someone in power. But, God, we were a motley crew. Eddie Silva was a poet with a caustic wit; Geri Dreiling, a former lawyer who cheerfully labeled herself a nerd. I was a philosophy major, fresh out of grad school and too shy to teach. DJ Wilson was a laconic Irish city-politics addict who could level any delusion of grandeur with a funny story. Experience had lowered his expectations but left a hidden well of empathy unscathed; what came off as cynicism was really just disappointed idealism. Our editor, on the other hand, was an idealist who’d read about U.S. democracy as a kid in India, and he, miraculously, was not yet cynical. The only one of us with a formal journalism degree, Safir Ahmed read Noam Chomsky for fun. At midnight on press day, he’d be stroking his goatee, calmly searching for a better adjective or cleverer headline while the rest of us yawned and paced. The other staffers and freelancers were just as idiosyncratic. Everybody was smart, fiercely independent, passionate about something. The glue that bound us was irreverence. Staff photographer Jennifer Silverberg drove around the city with a “Question Authority” bumper sticker on her car (which didn’t exactly smooth the way when a corporate security guard approached to seize her film). We rolled our eyes at the pablum other outlets produced, mocking the obligatory seasonal and celebrity stories. My col-
leagues taught my prissy schoolgirl self to drink hard and cuss purposefully. Old habits of fear and obedience had me trembling every Tuesday morning, waiting for the fallout from that week’s paper — but by noon I was diving into my next assignment. (Docility, it turns out, is a bit like virginity; once you lose it, it’s gone.) Sure, we got too caught up in the arrogance of puncturing egos — including each o t h e r ’s . B u t w e did try to tell the truth. An exhilarating freedom came with that — as well as an insane degree of productivity. At one point we hired a supposedly kickass investigative reporter from a daily paper who resented all the fuss we made over words and muttered every week, at the ritual editorial meeting, “Those motherfuckers are stonewalling me, man.” He was gone inside a year. The rest of us came in whatever time we woke up and stayed late because we wanted to and wrote on weekends because we were on a roll. We didn’t punch clocks or count breaks or waste time with PowerPoint presentations or branding or clickbait (the personal ads brought in enough money that the future seemed ever-bright). The office politics were frank: blazing fights and outright grudges, nothing subtle or Machiavellian. We wore jeans; dogs and toddlers ran in the hall. One day my pup snatched the moss from the potted tree outside Ray’s office, and she was shaking her prey to its death when some elected official emerged. Brushing bits of fern from his trousers, he gave a tight smile and kept walking. People expected a certain degree of chaos from an alt-weekly whose publisher had asked for 231-6666 as a phone number, just to mess with those already suspicious. The people we were careful with were the ones who’d had a raw deal, who had no voice anywhere else. I’d spend hours in clandestine meetings with heroin addicts
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and, a few months later, be driving around rough neighborhoods with a former dealer whose drugs helped hook them. I interviewed rightfully convicted murderers and wrongfully convicted rapists and people who’d been abused by priests before anyone realized how often that happened. I learned to question, not just authority, but assumptions. And then a company called New Times bought us, and we were told to stop doing “victim stories.” The head honcho on the editorial side, Mike Lacey, took us all out to a bar, tossed back several shots of tequila, and announced our new mandate: “I want you to bitch-slap ’em off the bar stool.” That fast, the free booze lost its appeal. With New Times, drinking was machismo, not camaraderie. “Be contrarian,” we were told. “Be counter-intuitive.” Attitude was to be automatic: an attention-getting stance, not a reaction to public policy that needed challenging. It wasn’t the job I’d signed up for. I stayed another five years, loath to give up the freedom that was eroding beneath my feet — but it was never the same. The ego and posturing and power-play were on the inside, now. I’ve been so glad to see a compassionate irreverence restored. Jeannette Cooperman is the staff writer at St. Louis Magazine — owned by Ray Hartmann.
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B:9.25” T:8.75” S:8.25”
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40 Flavo
In our 40 years in St. Louis, we’ve eaten a lot of marvelous things — but who needs a trip down memory lane when the food scene is better than it’s ever been? In honor of our four decades in St. Louis, food critic Cheryl Baehr has compiled a list of the 40 dishes she can’t stop dreaming about right now. Read it and salivate. 68
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BEST FEAST
SEAFOOD PL AT TER AT MARISCOS EL GATO
2818 Cherokee Street, 314-449-1220 If the seafood platter at Mariscos el Gato makes you leap to your feet and erupt into applause, then you are completely normal. The signature dish at this Cherokee Street temple to seafood is so impressive, you can’t help but respond with some audible mix of shock and awe. The hefty price tag might result in sticker shock, but once you realize what all is included, it becomes clear that this is, in fact, a steal. The platter includes a four-pound lobster, stuffed with what seems like a quarter of the Pacific’s bounty, two different types of whole fried fish, spicy shrimp, a bowl of creamy seafood stew, ceviche, octopus cocktail and another whole fried fish stuffed with shrimp. The scene looks less like a dinner out on the town and more like an offering to Neptune — one that (do not doubt your server) will easily feed a table of six. So gather your friends, take a seat around one of the restaurant’s rustic tables, and let the sounds of Cherokee Street fade away as you drift off to thoughts of a beach barbecue on the Sea of Cortez. It’s a transportive feast.
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BEST USE OF BUTTER
SALTED CARAMEL CROIS SANT AT PINT SIZE BAKERY & COFFEE 3133 Watson Road, 314-645-7142 The line out the front door at Pint Size Bakery & Coffee on Saturday around 9:30 a.m. can mean only one thing: The croissants are coming. Available just one day of the week, the bakery’s signature salted caramel croissants are one of the hottest delicacies in town, for good reason. These butter-soaked beauties, served fresh from the oven, are a master class in balancing sweet and savory. The salted caramel goodies are fashioned into a disc, allowing each layer to soak up the sugary butter concoction like a sponge. On the outside, they are flaky and golden brown; the inside is almost creamy and melts on the tongue like a pat of tempered butter. Owners Christy Augustin and Nancy Boehm say they only offer the treats once a week because they are so labor-intensive, but we suspect there’s a different reason: If they were available every day, no one would be able to get anything done. We’d all be standing in line, waiting to gorge ourselves on this most perfect pastry.
BEST STEAK
FILET BEARNAISE AT SIDNEY STREET CAFE
2000 Sidney Street, 314-771-5777 Food trends come and go, but even as fusion becomes fried chicken becomes ramen, one thing has stayed the same in St. Louis: the sheer excellence of Sidney Street Cafe under chef Kevin Nashan. His Benton Park restaurant is romantic without being stuffy, elegant without being formal — and the food can, as of May, deservedly boast a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest. Definitely something to note! But we had Sidney Street on repeat even before the Beard folk weighed in for an entirely personal, largely selfish reason: the filet bearnaise. A perfect cut of steak stuffed with lobster, smothered in a terrific tarragon-scented bearnaise and served atop a puree of potatoes, it’s the kind of perfectly balanced, easily accessible entree that never goes out of style. Sure, Nashan is offering far more interesting dishes that change with the seasons, salads that take advantage of the latest Missouri produce and a roster of insanely tempting starters. But there’s a reason he never takes the filet bearnaise off the menu: We wouldn’t let him.
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garlic bread dipped in marinara. This is one boat you’d like to sink — your teeth into, that is.
CHEESE PIDE AT BALKAN TREAT BOX
BEST USE OF FAT
www.balkantreatbox.com; 314-667-9926 If the words “boat full of cheese” mean nothing to you, clearly you’ve never eaten at Balkan Treat Box. From their bright red and blue food truck, chef Loryn Nalic and her husband Edo Nalic are creating some of the city’s best Bosnian and Balkan cuisine, and the cheese pide may just be their most delectable offering. The Nalics outfitted their truck with a wood-fired oven so that they can bake fresh Turkish flatbread practically to order. That bread, shaped like a hollowed-out canoe and kissed with wood char, is then filled with a mild, white Bosnian cheese that has the taste of stracciatella with the texture of mozzarella or provolone. The cheese oozes into every one of the flatbread’s nooks and crannies and forms about an inch-thick layer of molten goodness that melds with the bread so that it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. The Nalics serve this wonder with ajvar, a Bosnian mild red pepper condiment; the effect is a Balkan version of cheese
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BRISKET AT SALT + SMOKE 6525 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-727-0200 When you order the brisket at Salt + Smoke, your server will ask what style you want, as if there is really a choice. Burnt end, lean — sure, you can order your beef either way and be happy, but why would you settle for mere happiness when you could have a religious experience? That’s what happens when you bite into a slice of Salt + Smoke’s fatty brisket, a piece of barbecue so perfect, it enraptures you in a meat-trance for the entirety of your meal. The flesh takes on the texture of tempered butter, so silken you can almost spread it on a roll like marrow. Owner Tom Schmidt and his team of pitmasters don’t fuss with a complicated rub that would take away from the pure beef flavor. This is salt, smoke and fat — exactly the way you want it.
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40 FLAVORS Continued from pg 69 BEST FUSION DISH TL AYUDA AT NIXTA 1621 Tower Grove Avenue, 314-899-9000 Chefs Ben Poremba and Tello Carreon came up with the idea for Nixta when they were playing around in the kitchen of Poremba’s fine-dining flagship, Elaia. Though they were born worlds apart — Poremba in Israel, Carreon in Mexico — the pair bonded over a shared love of food that, when they really thought about it, was not all that different. That discovery led Carreon to deem Mexico the “American Mediterranean,” an idea that has informed his cooking at their now nationally acclaimed Nixta. As the executive chef under restaurateur Poremba, Carreon interprets Mexican classics with subtle nods to the Mediterranean flavors he so often used as a chef at Elaia. This is not overtly fusion-style cooking. Instead, you’ll see hints of flavors not often associated with Mexican cuisine in traditional Latin dishes where Carreon has found a connection. Nowhere is that exemplified better than on the tlayuda, an open-face tortilla dish that’s a contender for the very best thing to eat in St. Louis at this moment. Carreon begins with a paperthin, crispy tortilla for a base, then covers it in a puree of carrots, coriander, guajillo and achiote peppers and pomegranate molasses. This alone is delectable, but Carreon does not stop there, topping the puree with luscious burrata, fresh herbs and pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds. It’s as much Middle Eastern as it is Mexican, but don’t waste time parsing those differences. Just enjoy this melting pot of flavor.
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4500 HAMPTON AVE. ST. LOUIS, MO 63109 (314) 644-6666 BONOSPIZZERIASTLOUIS.COM 70
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AMBER CAKE AT NATHANIEL REID BAKERY 11243 Manchester Road, Kirkwood; 314858-1019 We’ve all been there: You grab what looks like a work of edible art off the buffet at a fancy hotel brunch and dig in, only to be shocked at the disconnect between how the dessert tastes and how it looks. Rarely are the prettiest desserts the tastiest — unless they come from the talented hands of acclaimed pastry chef Nathaniel Reid. At his namesake Kirkwood bakeshop, Reid crafts an array of desserts that seem tailor-made for the covers of food magazines without ever sacrificing taste. His amber cake, which in fact has been featured in a prestigious national pastry magazine, is his best example of how something can taste as good as it looks. A shiny dome of glistening salted caramel mousse is gilded with pecan caramel, then placed atop a shortbread bed that’s like a nutty brown buttery biscuit. Caramelized pecans encircle the shortbread, with a single flake of edible gold leaf crowning the masterpiece. It’s a feast for the eyes, indeed, but what makes the amber cake so special is that it looks as good as — nay, even better than — it tastes.
AMBER CAKE AT N AT H A N I E L R E I D B A K E RY.
BEST COOKIE CHOCOL ATE CHIP COOKIE AT COMET COFFEE & MICROBAKERY 5708 Oakland Avenue, 314-932-7770 When Mark Atwood and Stephanie Fischer opened Comet Coffee, they set out to create a hub where coffee from the city’s best roasters could be enjoyed under one roof. They succeeded, garnering a loyal customer base in the process, but there’s another reason people speak of Comet with fanatical devotion, and it has nothing to do with coffee. Comet is also home to Fischer’s microbakery, where she quietly turns out some of the city’s best pastries: delectable croissants, a riff on Momofuku’s birthday cake, bear claws, savory scones and brioche. All are worthy of accolades, but Fischer’s best-in-class chocolate chip cookie is her claim to fame. These massive treats are the perfection of the form, filled with discs of couverture chocolate the size of quarters that somehow manage to stay melty even after they’ve cooled. Fischer folds them into a vanilla-laden cookie batter made 24 hours before baking the cookies, a pause that allows the flavors to fuse together and develop. Once finished, the cookies strike a balance between chewy and crispy with their soft interior and crunchy exterior. A few flakes of fleur de sel are sprinkled over the top to underscore the toasty, savory flavors of butter and flour. Dunk one into your coffee, eat it on the side or wash it down with just a glass of milk. However you choose to enjoy this magnificent cookie, you’re in for a treat.
SARA BANNOURA
BEST WAY TO CARB OUT “LIGHT AND MILD” AT UNION LOAFERS 1629 Tower Grove Avenue, 314-833-6111 Union Loafers serves some of the best wood-fired pizza you can get in town. It has sandwiches that show all the beauty of a simple ham and cheese, soups that will make you consider licking your bowl and salads that are positively joyful. Yet in the midst of all this culinary greatness, the soul of the restaurant is contained in its simplest item: a loaf of bread. Since opening in Botanical Heights in 2015, Union Loafers has set the standard for bread in St. Louis, a fact that is not all that shocking considering that its baker, Ted Wilson, honed his craft at the acclaimed Sullivan Street Bakery in New York. There, Wilson discovered a passion for naturally fermented breads that he carried with him back to St. Louis as the pizzaiolo at Mike Randolph’s the Good Pie. There, he threw his passion for baking into making the restaurant’s outstanding pizza dough. He also met his partner, Sean Netzer, and the two of them set out on a five-year journey to open a simple café anchored by the best bread the city had ever seen. Though it sells several varieties, Union Loafers’ signature bread is the “Light and Mild,” a rustic loaf of wheat, with a hearty dark crust that yields to a fluffy interior taking its subtle tang from the natural fermentation process. You can get it as a sandwich or alongside a cup of soup, but bread this beautiful needs nothing to enhance it. It’s perfect as it is.
BEST WRAP BRISKET WRAP AT LONA’S LIL EATS 2199 California Avenue, 314-925-1888 Some of the best brisket in town comes from the hands of a woman whose upbringing was steeped in hill country barbecue culture — but it has nothing to do with the hill country of Texas. Growing up in a remote corner of southwestern China, Lona Lao began to cook out of both passion and necessity, learning to incorporate the kaleidoscopic flavors of nearby Laos, Burma and Thailand into the grilled meats of her village. That skill is on display at the wildly successful Lona’s Lil Eats, which she runs with her husband Pierce Powers in Fox Park. Lao and Powers first made a name for themselves selling dumplings out of a stall at the Soulard Market, parlaying that recognition into their brick-and-mortar spot, which regularly has a line out the door during lunch. Loyal patrons gather for any number of dishes — those dumplings, spicy eggplant, whole fish, tofu — though the restaurant’s biggest draw is its unique giant rice paper wrap, a stretchy translucent shell that can be stuffed to the brim with any number of ingredients. If you’re lucky enough to be there when Lao is serving her special brisket, you’re in for a treat. Succulent, char-kissed meat could make even the most seasoned pitmaster shed tears of joy. Paired with her smoked vinaigrette in a wrap, it’s transcendent. Forget traditional barbecue; this is brisket in all of its glory. Continued on pg 74
meat
me at
pappy’s BOOK YOUR PARTY NOW.
Call 314.607.2446 or catering@pappyssmokehouse.com
DINE IN OR CARRY OUT 3106 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103 pappyssmokehouse.com 314.535.4340
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HOURS: Mon. – Sat. 11 am – 8 pm* Sun. 11 am – 4 pm* *May close earlier if we sell out of food.
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AWA R D W I N N I N G S U S H I FOR A REASON sushi
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40 FLAVORS Continued from pg 71 BEST DUMPLINGS SOUP DUMPLINGS AT PRIVATE KITCHEN 8106 Olive Boulevard, University City; 314989-0283 You know a dish has to be good when demand for it necessitates its own restaurant — and that is exactly what’s happened with Private Kitchen’s soup dumplings. The restaurant, a celebration of just how elegant authentic Chinese cuisine can be, is a parade of one delicious dish after another, and so the very fact that the soup dumplings stand out is no small feat. A bite into one of these plump beauties reveals why, though you’ll want to make sure it’s a very small, careful bite: When pierced, the dumplings spill out a rich, pork-laden broth. It’s so delectable, you might want to consider asking for a straw to suck up every last drop. Tender steamed pork takes up the remainder of the dumpling’s real estate. Until this point, the only thing that has kept these dumplings from flying off the shelves is just how difficult it can be to dine at Private Kitchen. The upscale, reservations-only concept is not the sort of place you can just drop into and order a massive to-go order. But owner Lawrence Chen is about to take away the only barrier that’s saved us from ourselves. He recently took over the storefront adjacent to Private Kitchen and is converting it into a casual, grab-and-go spot called St. Louis Soup Dumplings, where he will be offering several varieties of his beloved dish. Great. Now there’s nothing to hold us back.
BEST USE OF AVOCADO AVOCADO SMOOTHIE AT VIETNAM STYLE 6100 Delmar Boulevard, 314-405-8438 As a child in Ho Chi Minh City, VietNam Style’s Thao Truong worked in her mother’s restaurant, where she was tasked with gathering items for the day’s menu. Her mom was a perfectionist, and if something wasn’t up to her impossibly high standards (which was most of the time), Truong was sent back to the market until she got it right. That experience made the young restaurateur an expert not only at selecting the best avocados around; it also instilled in her a drive to strive for perfection. Both traits come in handy in the making of her avocado smoothie. At VietNam Style, Truong shows off her skills for making the rich, creamy treat, beginning with avocados at the peak of their ripeness. She blends them with sweetened condensed milk and just a hint of vanilla, which combine with the green fruit to form a sweet, but not too sweet, concoction that has the texture of plush velvet. A dollop of whipped cream and some fresh mint sprigs cap off this celebration of the sweet side of what is all too often considered a savory fruit. Sure, guacamole is great, but a smoothie just might be the avocado’s ideal form.
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BEST VEGGIE PIZZA WHITE PIZZA WITH SPINACH AND ARTICHOKES AT PIZZA HEAD 3196 South Grand Boulevard, 314-2665400 At Pizzeoli, Scott Sandler proved he is the master of white-sauced Neapolitan-style pizza with his simple yet glorious “Bianca.” At his punk-rock, New York-style joint Pizza Head, he may have improved upon that perfection. The crust at Sandler’s South Grand fast-casual pizzeria could bring a tear to a Manhattanite’s eye — thin in the middle, spongy on the outside and cut into meal-sized triangles that are best enjoyed folded lengthwise, it’s a terrific representation of the form. That crust serves as an excellent base for his “white” pie, which subs out tomato sauce for a creamy ricotta and olive oil concoction that’s infused with what tastes like an entire clove of garlic. You can stop there, but when you add fresh spinach and artichokes to the party, the result is a genius hybrid of pizza and spinach artichoke dip that will make you wonder why the world decided that tortilla chips were the way to go. The bad news about this masterpiece is that, unlike Pizza Head’s red-sauced offerings, the white pizza is only available as a whole twenty-inch pie that is so large you’ll be enjoying the leftovers for days. The good news is that it’s only available as a twenty-inch pie. Wait, was that supposed to be bad news?
BEST NOODLES SINGAPORE MEI FUN AT BEK HEE 10200 Page Avenue, Overland; 314-4264773 Driving down this nondescript section of Page Avenue, you might assume that Bek Hee is just one more of the numerous Americanized chop suey joints that populate the area. You’d be right ... sort of. At this humble north-county shack, you can indeed get everything from sweet and sour chicken to a St. Paul sandwich, but what you might never suspect is that the restaurant is an unexpected gem, a secret hot bed of delicious cuisine from the owners’ native Sha County in China. When the Lin family took over Bek Hee in 2015, they knew they would have to keep the American dishes to pay the bills, but their passion for the traditional food of their culture prompted them to pepper the menu with specialties from their homeland as well. One of these is the Singapore mei fun, a super-sized platter of thin rice noodles that glisten with a fiery yellow curry. The Lins throw everything into this delicious concoction — chicken, shrimp, beef, pork, onions, bok choy — resulting in a family-sized feast that will leave you convinced you are in the presence of culinary greatness in spite of the humble digs. And what’s even better, the Lins give you such a large portion, you can work your biceps as you haul the takeout box back to feed the entire family. It’s a win-win.
MABEL SUEN
AV O C A D O S M O O T H I E AT VIETNAM STYLE.
Greek Restaurant Authentic Mediterranean and Greek Cuisine EVERYTHING HOMEMADE
Unique Dine-in Experience Special Lunch Menu Every Day 11am-4pm
BEST USE OF LOBSTER MAINE-STYLE LOBSTER ROLL AT PEACEMAKER LOBSTER & CRAB
Great food, great price! Parking available behind building
1831 Sidney Street, 314-772-8858 Who would have thought that, miles from the coast in the middle of the Midwest, we’d be blessed with an outstanding example of what can be done with fresh seafood? Then again, considering that the offering in question comes from James Beard award-winning chef Kevin Nashan, we should not be surprised. At his breezy Benton Park restaurant Peacemaker Lobster & Crab, Nashan has managed to prepare lobster rolls so fresh and delicious you’ll think you’re at a seaside shack in Maine. Large hunks of meat can be dressed one of two ways: either as a cold, mayonnaise-based Maine version brightened by lemon zest or as a warm Connecticut-style treat dripping with butter. No matter which version you choose, the lobster will come tucked into a roll that reads like a cross between brioche and Texas toast. Nashan spent months developing the bread with the bakers at Companion. He also spent a good deal of time in Maine, not only researching the art of the lobster roll but also developing relationships with local fishermen, whose photos hang on the walls of the restaurant. His lobster roll is proof that his efforts were well spent. Continued on pg 76
6836 Gravois • (314) 353-1488 • (314) 553-9830 apolloniarestaurant.com
Voted Favorite Mexican Restaurant
-2016 RFT Readers Restaurant Poll Voted Favorite Mexican -2016 RFT Readers Poll
WHITEHALL PLAZA : 3157 NWLindbergh H I T E H A LBlvd, L PLAZA : 314-291-8500 3157 N Lindbergh Blvd,
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314-291-8500
Mon - Fri: 10AM - 9PM Sat - Sun: 9AM - 9PM
Mon -latejanataqueria.com Fri: 10AM - 9PM Sat - Sun: 9AM - 9PM latejanataqueria.com
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40 FLAVORS Continued from pg 75 BEST USE OF CURRY KHAO SOI AT FORK & STIX 549 Rosedale Avenue, 314-863-5572 If you ask any of the city’s top chefs where they choose to dine on their days off, Fork & Stix is almost always at the top of the list. It’s no wonder the underthe-radar northern Thai spot is the go-to for people who dedicate their lives to food: Every last dish is a symphony of color, fragrance and flavor that makes you feel like you are dining in color after eating in black and white your entire life. Nothing exemplifies that feeling better than the restaurant’s signature dish, the khao soi, a yellow curry-based soup that’s so flavorful, it’s haunting. The warmly spiced broth teems with ribbons of tender egg noodles and large hunks of chicken (tofu is available as well), evoking the sort of chicken noodle soup your worldly grandmother would make after being inspired by a sojourn to Chiang Mai. Red onion and pickled mustard greens add a bite that cuts through the rich liquid, and crispy egg noodles give the sort of crunch you get from adding crackers to chili — an apt comparison, since there is nothing you’d rather warm yourself with on a crisp, fall evening. Take it from the experts.
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BEST BREAD SERVICE
Y
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DINNER ROLLS AT SARDELL A
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7734 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton; 314-7737755 When Gerard Craft opened Sardella last year, he did so with the intention of creating the sort of warm, inviting space where you could sink into a banquette and bask in elegant comfort — a counter to the hallowed dining room of his now-shuttered Niche, where you felt the need to sit up straight. Nothing embodies this new zeitgeist better than the restaurant’s already legendary bread service: a serving of warm dinner rolls. These pillowy poufs are so light and airy they’re almost beignets. However, for all of their delicateness, the rolls have an intense yeasty flavor that’s brought out by a dusting of sea salt flakes. The rolls are always accompanied by butter, typically infused with black garlic or flavored with miso, which adds to the enjoyment. Not that you need much more of anything to be completely enraptured. No, they’re not gratis, but they’re worth every penny.
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BEST WAY TO EAT GUACAMOLE AREPAS AT PÚBLICO 6679 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-8335780 Last year, Mike Randolph’s Público was a semifinalist for the James Beard award for the best new restaurant in the country. The nod let the rest of the nation in on what has been apparent to the rest of us ever since biting into one of his guacamolecovered arepas: Público is a work of pure genius.
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Instead of serving guacamole with a side of tortilla chips as you might expect, Randolph places his guac on top of a delectable housemade arepa that is a cross between cast-iron cornbread and a traditional tortilla. It’s like a griddled corn pancake, good enough to eat on its own but even better covered in mashed avocados that are enlivened with lime and cilantro. It’s hard to decide which is the canvas for which: Does the arepa exist to showcase the pleasure that arises from simple, well-executed guacamole? Or does the guacamole act as a garnish to an arepa so authentic you’d think it was crafted in the home of someone’s abuela? It’s a good thing we don’t have to concern ourselves with such matters and can instead simply dig in and enjoy a signature dish at one of the city’s most acclaimed restaurants.
BEST WAY TO EAT AN ONION ONION RINGS AT TWISTED TREE 10701 Watson Road, Sunset Hills; 314394-3366 For more than two decades, the Pear Tree Restaurant was a must-stop for big-city businessmen passing through the tiny town of Bevier, Missouri, on their way to the area’s hunting grounds. Though it was known for its steaks, battered lobster tails and fivestar service, the restaurant’s signature appetizer, the onion rings, was the one dish you’d find on every table. When a fire destroyed the Pear Tree in 2012, devotees assumed the golden rings were lost forever. Today, however, they live on, together with most of the Pear Tree’s menu at Twisted Tree, a celebration of all that was beloved about the lost restaurant. It’s clear why the onion rings are at the top of that list. The thick rounds of sweet onions are coated in a light and flaky batter that has just a whisper of peppery heat; the onion slices are cut on the thicker side so that when they soften, they have the texture of silken flower petals. The rings come to the table so hot, the steam from the fryer still rises from the plate, cautioning you to wait to dive in even as they tempt you to risk a mouth burn all at the same time. At this Sunset Hills restaurant, Pear Tree’s legacy lives on with food as good as ever — and we no longer have to drive all the way to northeast Missouri for a taste.
BEST ’70S THROWBACK “FONDUE MIDWEST ” AT THE LIBERTINE 7927 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton; 314862-2999 While chef Samantha Mitchell was making a name for herself as the queen of refined farm-to-table cuisine with her food truck Farmtruk, restaurateur Nick Luedde was busy solidifying his reputation for decadent, over-the-top fare. Now that Mitchell is executive chef at Luedde’s the Libertine, those styles have married in a most enjoyable dish: the “Fondue Midwest.” Taking as a jumping-off point the European molten cheese dish that starred in many 1970s parties, the Libertine gives it a downhome flair, subbing out hoity-toity Swiss
for creamy pimento. This not only gives the dish a decidedly Southern inflection, but also a piquant pop of flavor that cuts through the creaminess. Griddled housemade bread, roasted seasonal vegetables, grilled apples and mild andouille sausage are served for dipping, though really, you might just cut to the chase and ask for a spoon to scoop it up straight from the cast-iron crock. You may not be able to get away with such behavior at a traditional Swiss fondue party, but at the Libertine, anything goes.
“HOT CRISP FISH” AT C AT E Z O N E .
BEST NON-ST. LOUIS BBQ 1261 Castillions Arcade Plaza, 314-6281010 If your idea of the range in barbecue styles consists of Memphis dry rub versus Carolina vinegar sauce, a trip to Wudon will be an eye-opening experience. At this west county Korean barbecue hotspot, you’ll find brisket, pork belly and ribs caramelizing to perfection on tabletop grills, filling the air with the mouthwatering smoke of a backyard barbecue. Sans marinade and sauce, these meats are divine, but the restaurant’s version of kalbi, or Korean marinated short ribs, is so delectable it will quash the debate over whether you should sauce your ’cue. Owners Victor and Moon Jang got the recipe for their galbi from family in Seoul that has owned a Korean barbecue restaurant for more than two decades. The reason for that staying power is evident upon first bite. Strips of beef ribs are marinated in a sweet and savory concoction made from soy, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and sesame oil, infusing it with flavor that is less sticky-sweet than other versions. The marinated beef arrives at the table raw, so you get the satisfaction of smelling the beef caramelize right under your nose. And caramelize it does — the marinade forms a crispy coating that marries the charred meat, forming a most delicious crust. In a city known for its barbecue, this is some of the best.
BEST SANDWICH HOT SAL AMI AT GIOIA’S DELI 1934 Macklind Avenue, 314-776-9410 When Alex Donley, owner of Gioia’s Deli, got the call announcing that his beloved Hill neighborhood sandwich shop was being honored with an “American Classic” award from the James Beard Foundation, he thought they’d gotten it wrong. “You know we’re a sandwich shop, right?” he asked the foundation’s representative, incredulous that a humble deli would be bestowed such a distinction. He should have asked a different question: “What took you so long?” For 100 years, Gioia’s has been chipping away at the heart health of hungry St. Louisans with its beloved hot salami sandwich, a secret blend of pork head meat and beef that dates back to the deli’s founding as a small grocery store in 1918. These days, the market is long gone and the deli is under different ownership, but one thing hasn’t changed: Gioia’s hot salami is hands-down the best sandwich you can get in this city. Served warm (the name refers to temperature, not to spice), the meat is like a cross
MABEL SUEN
GALBI AT WUDON
between sausage and pate, spiced with a secret seasoning blend. The folks at Gioia’s slice it to order, then layer it atop crusty Italian bread and garnish it with Provel cheese that gently melts the second it touches the warm meat. You can garnish it however you want, and even pair it with other meats (cream cheese and giardiniera, anyone?), but no matter how you dress it up, the hot salami is an American classic.
BEST USE OF CHOCOLATE “ THE DARKNES S” AT L A PATIS SERIE CHOUQUET TE 1626 Tower Grove Avenue; 314-932-7935 Before La Patisserie Chouquette’s “the Darkness” came into being, we were content calling the chocolate-chunk-studded pastry you find at any selfrespecting French bakery a “chocolate croissant.” Boy, were we wrong. At the elegant Botanical Heights bakery owned by pastry chef Simone Faure, “the Darkness” exists as a study in just how much chocolate can be consumed in one sitting. The answer? Quite a bit. Not content with simply adding chocolate to a plain croissant and calling it good, Faure and her assistant pastry chef Patrick Devine make “the Darkness” with not only chocolate dough but also chocolate butter to boot. They also fold in batons of bittersweet 72 percent chocolate and finish it with a chocolate drizzle and a little bit of pink Himalayan sea salt to balance it all out. The result is a luxuriously rich and flaky pastry that may be dark as night, but is still so delicious it makes us see the light.
BEST USE OF SPICE
“HOT CRISP FISH” AT CATE ZONE 8148 Olive Boulevard, University City; 314-738-9923 You might think something’s gone wrong when you take that first bite of Cate Zone’s “Hot Crisp Fish.” Almost immediately, your lips begin to tingle and then your tongue, and before you know it, your entire mouth feels shockingly numb. It’s not an allergic reaction. You’ve merely been kissed by the daring Sichuan peppercorns that are flecked throughout the platter of crispy, flour- and panko-coated whitefish. They’re just one of the five different types of peppers that enliven the dish, as whole chiles, peppercorns and chile oil each reveal their nuanced flavors. It looks scary, but the “Hot Crisp Fish” is deceptively tolerable in its spice level, perhaps because the Novocain-like Sichuan peppercorns make you blissfully unaware of the level of heat assaulting your palate. More likely, however, is the fact that this entree, like just about everything at this University City hotbed of modern Chinese cuisine, is balanced, full of flavor and so addictive you won’t care (much) about the burn. It’s a small price to pay for enjoying an unforgettable dish from one of the city’s most exciting restaurants.
BEST APPETIZER “BALKAN DIPPING BOARD” AT LEMMONS BY GRBIC 5800 Gravois Avenue, 314-899-9898 When Senada, Erna and Armin Grbic envisioned their restaurant Lemmons by Grbic, they knew they wanted it to be a reflection of their childhood. Born to Bosnian immigrants, the siblings inhabited two worlds growing up: the traditional Balkan culture of their family and the all-American upbringing of their peers in south city. Lemmons, by extension, fuses those two worlds by offering dishes that give an American-style inflection to traditional Bosnian specialties. One dish,
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however, is Bosnian through and through — because, frankly, there’s no way to improve upon the original. Called the “Balkan Dipping Board,” this wonderful appetizer consists of ustipci, or fried dough fritters that are round like a hush puppy but have the fluffy texture of a beignet. Chef Senada Grbic pairs the ustipci with three condiments: feta butter, a red pepper tapenade called ajvar, and a mouthwatering mushroom duxelle. Really, though, it’s hard even to get that far, because taking the time to dip a knife into the ramekin and spread one of the condiments on the ustipci means delaying its arrival in your mouth by a good fifteen seconds. For something this wonderful, that seems like an eternity. Then again, it’s a small price to pay for the luxury of dipping a doughnut hole into cheesy butter.
BEST THING TO EAT OFF A BONE RIBS AT STELL AR HOG 5623 Leona Street, 314-481-8448 When it opened nearly 100 years ago, Super’s Bungalow had a singular mission: to serve beers to the neighbors of Holly Hills in the most unassuming way possible. The quintessential south-city tavern is still doing just that, only now, it just happens to be home to some of the best barbecue in town. This is thanks to pitmaster Alex Cupp, a veteran of Adam’s Smokehouse and various country clubs around town. Cupp bought Super’s a little over a year ago and, inside, opened the barbecue joint the Stellar Hog. Cupp learned from the Pappy’s masters, so it’s no wonder his ribs are outstanding. Rubbed with just a touch of sweet and warm-spiced seasoning, the ribs’ meaty pork flavor shines through. Cupp smokes them until they are fork-tender, yet not so much as to take away the primal pleasure you get from eating meat off a bone. Continued on pg 78
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Ba r Now Ope n! e ic Ju dy Bo & d in M e in V Th e Di ni ng Ro om! Come Se e Ou r Ne w ly Remo
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40 FLAVORS Continued from pg 77
BEST USE OF RED HOT RIPLETS
Perhaps the best part of enjoying these beauties is the small pool of spices and rendered pork fat that pools at the bottom of the plate, making sauce irrelevant. Actually, that’s not true. The best thing about eating Ribs at the Stellar Hog inside Super’s Bungalow is seeing three generations belly up to the bar as if nothing has changed — only now, they have something world-class to pair with those brews.
“RIP FRIES” AT MAC ’S LOCAL EATS
BEST MARINADE BEEF SHISH KEBAB AT CAFE NATASHA’S KABOB INTERNATIONAL
ebanese Food L c ti en th u A e ad em Hom 2010 & 2012 Best of St. Louis Winner Best Middle Eastern Restaurant 2013 Best French Fry
2013-2016 Favorite Lebanese RFT Restaurants 2015
WINNER
restauran ts 2016
WInner
3171 South Grand
thevinestl.com •(314) 776-0991
3200 South Grand Boulevard, 314-771-3411 Beshid Bahrami, the late patriarch of Cafe Natasha’s Kabob International, was a perfectionist when it came to food, and nowhere is that culinary tenacity better displayed than in the restaurant’s beef shish kebab. After immigrating to the U.S. in the 1970s, Bahrami was dissatisfied with the taste of American lamb and decided to take matters into his own hands. For years — literally— he toiled away in the kitchen, working to perfect his recipe for a marinade that would make lamb more tolerable to his palate. He got what he wanted when it came to the lamb, but what he initially didn’t realize was that he was creating the best marinade to ever grace a cut of beef. It’s hard to deconstruct this delectable nectar (don’t bother asking for the top-secret recipe), but its salty, garlicky and subtly sweet taste does something to the flavor of beef that transforms it from merely satisfying into the most glorious taste to grace your palate. The best part is when the marinade pools inside the kebab as it cooks, forming a little pocket that becomes encased in smoky grill char. When you bite into one of these pockets, it’s a transcendent flavor burst unlike anything you’ve experienced. Bahrami may no longer be gracing the dining room with his wonderful presence, but his legacy lives on in one of the city’s biggest culinary joys.
BEST WAY TO ROLL ONE UP
early bird special:
SPRING ROLL AT BANH MI SO
TWO EGGS, CHOICE OF BACON OR SAUSAGE, CHOICE OF POTATO, AND TOAST: ONLY $4 7am-9am, Mon-Fri, except holidays. Dine in only
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4071 South Grand Boulevard, 314-353-0545 The neon sign that lights up the façade of Banh Mi So makes a bold proclamation: “Best Spring Rolls in St. Louis.” Any question as to whether this is hyperbole is thrown out the window the second you sink your teeth into one of the Truong family’s Vietnamese delicacies. The spring rolls are simple, and in terms of contents, not all that different from what you’d find at other Vietnamese spots. A sticky rice paper roll is stuffed with mung beans, vermicelli noodles, meat or tofu, fresh mint and lettuce. However, it’s the quality of the ingredients, the care that goes into making them, and the delectable housemade sauces that make these spring rolls stand out from the pack. Ask for a side of Banh Mi So’s signature fish sauce, then use the spring roll to soak up every last bit of this divine concoction (we recommend ordering the shrimp and pork combo). Then bask in the reverie of eating at one of the city’s most beloved establishments.
1227 Tamm Avenue, 314-479-8155 Until this year, if you wanted the sweet and fiery taste of Red Hot Riplets, your only option was to grab a bag of chips. Thankfully, the folks at Old Vienna caught on to their beloved chips’ cult status and released the seasoning blend in jars. The possibilities are now endless. Sprinkle it in fried chicken batter for a decidedly St. Louis riff on Nashville hot chicken! Add it to a barbecue rub to kick up ribs or even use it to rim a bloody mary (thanks, Byrd & Barrel)! However, the spot that has best embraced the Riplet in all of its glory is Mac’s Local Eats, with its “Rip Fries.” It’s such a simple concept, one that should be selfevident considering it’s only one step removed from seasoned potato chips. But don’t let that fool you into thinking these deep-fried beauties are anything less than a masterpiece. Really, is there a better way to enjoy Riplet seasoning than on a steaming basket of french fries? The piquant spice blend melds with fryer grease, encrusting the spuds with an addictive coating. It’s the seasoned fry of your dreams: salty, spicy, greasy, a touch sweet — and St. Louis through and through.
BEST RENDITION OF AN STL STANDARD PORK STEAK AT BEAST CRAFT BBQ 20 South Belt West, Belleville, Illinois; 618257-9000 By this point, David Sandusky must be used to the accolades. Since opening his Belleville barbecue spot in 2015, the pitmaster has developed a reputation as one of the area’s premier purveyors of smoked meats thanks to his “all killer no filler” insistence on using the best quality products around. Sandusky would be famous for his brisket and ribs alone, but Beast’s signature item, the pork steak, is what has earned him a legion of devoted fans. Though most St. Louisans are most familiar with the city’s signature barbecue dish as a backyard grill staple, cut thin and covered with Maull’s, Sandusky has upped the ante. His version is as thick as a Delmonico cut ribeye, yet so forktender you’ll be laughed out of the restaurant if you dare to ask for a knife. Spice rub and rendered fat form a glaze that glistens over the massive hunk of meat, giving it a subtle sweetness that amplifies the pork’s natural flavor. Forget DIY — this is one time when you should leave backyard cooking to the master.
BEST WAY TO MAKE GRANDMA JEALOUS CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP AT GROVE EAST PROVISIONS 3101 Arsenal Street, 314-802-7090 Barry Kinder is a man of many skills. He’s a musician, a building rehabber, a cook, a business
C E V I C H E AT FA I R V I E W LO U N G E .
MABEL SUEN
BARBEQUE IS THE REASON MAN DISCOVERED FIRE
owner, and, starting a year or so ago, an artisanal baker. However, the one title that trumps them all is the king of chicken noodle soup. Since opening his corner bodega, Grove East Provisions, three years ago, Kinder has been consistently making the city’s most delectable chicken noodle soup. It’s so authentically homey, he should be giving pro tips to everyone’s grandmothers. His rendition is as classic as it comes: a clean, flavor-packed broth that tastes like it’s been simmering for days; carrots, celery and onions; hearty noodles and massive hunks of pulled chicken. It’s basically a meal in a cup. Paired with a slice of crusty, woodfired bread, this is the sort of pure comfort usually enjoyed sitting on grandma’s divan wrapped in an afghan — only better. Just don’t tell her.
BEST CULINARY SURPRISE GAS STATION CEVICHE AT FAIRVIEW LOUNGE 10616 Lincoln Trail, Fairview Heights, Illinois; 618-394-8904 If the idea of eating ceviche from a Metro East gas station shakes you to your core, well, it should. Anyone with an iota of self-preservation would be crazy not to question the idea of noshing on a platter of basically raw fish from a place that’s a full day’s drive from the coast — and that makes its money on motor fuel and lotto. However, if you are brave enough to dive into the ceviche at Fairview Lounge, you’ll be rewarded
with the metro area’s most pleasant surprise. Owners Lorena and Abdallah Abraham didn’t think the idea for authentic Peruvian food inside of a gas station was all that odd. In Lorena’s native Peru, it’s not uncommon to find small business, roadside stands or even petrol marts serving up high-quality cuisine. Though they had originally planned to serve American bar food, the pair were inspired by a trip back to Lorena’s homeland to instead create a menu of authentic delicacies. Of course, ceviche had to be part of that vision, and the Abrahams do not disappoint. Shockingly fresh pieces of whitefish, dressed in mouth-puckering lime juice, are flecked with fiery serrano peppers, then dressed with cilantro and shaved red onions. As a bonus, the dish is plated with a side of cancha, a traditional dish of soured corn that tastes like a light corn nut. It’s the second best accompaniment to the Fairview Lounge’s ceviche — the first is courage.
BEST WAY TO EAT EGGPLANT YUSHIANG EGGPL ANT AT WEBSTER WOK 8162 Big Bend Boulevard, Webster Groves; 314-961-5999 Webster Wok doesn’t advertise its wonderful Yushiang-style eggplant. In fact, Webster Wok doesn’t advertise the fact that it has an authentic Chinese menu at all. Unless you’ve been tipped off, you’d have no Continued on pg 81
2727 S. 12TH STREET • ST. LOUIS, MO 63118 • (314) 772-1180
CAPITALISTPIGBBQ.COM • WED-SUN 11AM-3PM
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Thanks St. Louis for Supporting Independent Restaurants!
8396 Musick Memorial Dr. 314-645-2835 maileestl.com 80
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11423 Olive 314-274-8046 @nudohousestl
40 FLAVORS Continued from pg 79 idea that this three-decades-old mainstay of General Tso’s chicken was taken over earlier this year by a new management team, who converted it into a bastion of authentic Chinese cuisine. They keep the menu secret, assuming their diners want Americanized fare, but if you know to ask for it, an array of traditional delicacies awaits, including eggplant that is so delectable, it crushes any other attempts at utilizing this noble vegetable. This dish is visually stunning: Vibrant, purple-hued eggplant, flecked with ruby red chile peppers, glistens with sesame oil, giving it such a sheen it looks like it’s been shellacked. This is a spicy dish, but the heat is balanced out with vinegar and sugar, giving it a mouthwatering sweet and sour feeling that is as far removed from that cloying red nonsense as it gets. The chef skillfully cooks the vegetable so that it’s firm enough to retain its texture, yet soft enough to dissolve in the mouth. After eating this dish, who needs advertising? You’ll be screaming about it from the rooftops.
BEST AU JUS “THE DIP” AT EAT SANDWICHES 3148 Morganford Road, 314-797-8188 Byron Smith had had enough. “Why, in a city filled with great sandwich shops, was it so hard to find a good French drip?” he lamented, finally deciding to take matters into his own hands. Together with a few of his friends, Smith opened Eat Sandwiches in the heart of Morganford’s business district. It was a sandwich shop, sure, but it was also an excuse to give his town a taste of what a French dip should be. The result of his efforts is a heaping beast of a sandwich that makes you painfully aware of what you’ve been missing all this time. House roasted beef is shaved thin and stuffed between slices of crusty bread with a light, airy interior that is perfect as an au jus sponge. Raw red onions and pungent horseradish sauce add bite, and Prairie Breeze cheddar cheese gives the sandwich creamy and salty zip. Granted you don’t usually find cheese on a traditional French dip, but Smith didn’t set out to do things according to tradition; he set out to make the best. That, he did.
BEST SALAD DRESSING CREAMY GARLIC DRES SING AT FRANK & HELEN’S PIZZERIA 8111 Olive Boulevard, University City; 314997-0666 Dining at Frank & Helen’s is an exercise in difficult decision making. Pizza or steak? Broasted chicken or chicken spedini? Cheesy bread or cheese sticks? Thankfully, in the midst of these mind-spinning choices, there’s one question that answers itself: What type of salad dressing would you like? If the house creamy garlic dressing is not what immediately comes to mind, this is obviously your first time dining at the six-decades-old institution.
For as long as it’s been around, the landmark University City pizzeria has been smothering its salads in a glorious nectar so pungent as to bring a tear to the eye. The creamy concoction is basically garlic in liquid form. It can make your nose run the same way a hot chile pepper can — but you’ll be so intoxicated by its magnificence, you might hardly notice. There simply isn’t a better topper for a bowl of iceberg lettuce, Provel cheese, croutons and a tomato wedge, and the servers know this. That’s why they serve it on the side in a ramekin big enough to cover three salads (it still counts as an individual portion at Frank & Helen’s). If there’s any left after you’ve made your salad into creamy garlic soup, perhaps use the remainder as a condiment for the restaurant’s cheese garlic bread, pizza crust, chicken or whatever else is in your line of sight. Or better yet, why not cut to the chase and simply shoot it straight from the ramekin? We won’t judge.
BEST BRAIN FREEZE DARK & FANCY AT ICES PL AIN & FANCY 2256 South 39th Street, 314-601-3604 If they start giving out Nobel prizes for food and drink, the first recipient should be the person who came up with the idea for boozy ice cream. It’s genius, really: pair something that hurts your brain with something that numbs it, cancelling out the bad parts of downing ice cream at lightning speed by adding alcohol to the equation. Nowhere is this win-win more apparent than at Shaw’s Ices Plain & Fancy, where the beloved “Dark & Stormy” cocktail has been turned into a luxuriously creamy treat. Here, Goslings’ dark rum (enough to make you feel it, at that) is blended with ginger beer and the parlor’s signature Nitro vanilla ice cream into a spicy, brown-sugary confection that tastes like the best parts of childhood and adulthood in one frosty bite. Forget a food and drink prize; give the folks at Ices Plain & Fancy the Nobel for Peace. Something this tasty is good enough to make the whole world sing kumbaya.
BEST USE OF PORK FLYING PIG AT GUERRILL A STREET FOOD 3559 Arsenal Street, 529-1328 When it first rolled onto the scene in 2009, Guerrilla Street Food dazzled diners by showing us that fine-dining flavors could come from a humble food truck. Fast-forward six years and two brick and mortars later and Joel Crespo and Brian Hardesty’s Filipino phenom is still making us fall in love. This staying power is evident in the fast-casual eatery’s signature dish, the “Flying Pig.” It’s so delicious, we could have eaten it every day of the last six years and still not be tired of it. How could one ever grow weary of pulled pork shoulder, roasted low and slow for twelve hours with its juices, together with sriracha, hoisin and tangy calamansi, soaking into fragrant jasmine rice with a fried garlic, black sesame and scallion garnish? To cap it all off, a luxurious, 63-degree
egg the texture of burrata oozes over the pork like a silken blanket. On a menu that’s a celebration of one delicious dish after another, the fact that the “Flying Pig” has been able to remain Guerrilla Street Food’s most beloved mainstay speaks volumes. Undoubtedly, we’ll be saying the same thing six years from now.
BEST TRIBUTE TO NEW ORLEANS MUFFULET TA AT BLUES CITY DELI 2438 McNair Avenue, 314-773-8225 If the idea of spending a frigid afternoon dodging beer-splashed beads (and god knows what else) while trying to avoid flashers does not sound like your idea of fun, there is a much better way to honor our city’s NOLA sisterhood than Soulard Mardi Gras. Just head a few blocks over to Benton Park, order a muffuletta at Blues City Deli and let your thoughts drift about 700 miles down the Mississippi. This beloved sandwich shop may be St. Louis through and through, but its ode to the classic New Orleans muffuletta is as authentic as you get this far north. Genoa salami, ham, mortadella, provolone and mozzarella are stuffed between two slices of crusty, sesamecoated bread. The key, though, is the olive spread, a piquant and chunky tapenade of equal parts Kalamata olives, Sicilian olives and spicy giardiniera that is so liberally applied there’s no way to avoid making a mess. Owner Vince Valenza took his St. Louis stewardship of this famous sandwich seriously, calling the folks at the famed Central Grocery in New Orleans, widely considered the axis mundi of all things muffuletta, to find out how to make one properly. His research paid off in the form of what may be the best way St. Louis honors its NOLA brothers and sisters.
BEST USE OF CARAMEL PORK RIBS AT VISTA RAMEN 2609 Cherokee Street, 314-797-8250 When you read the description of the pork ribs at Vista Ramen, you might think you’ve found a misprint. Crab caramel? It seems like an odd mix considering we’re not used to seeing the ubiquitous, brown-sugary ice cream and bread pudding topper outside of its dessert applications. Leave it to the brilliant Chris Bork to expand our ideas of flavor even further than he’s expanded notions of what a ramen shop can be. For his signature pork ribs, Bork marries butter, sugar, fish sauce and crab paste to make a concoction so sticky and funky, it’s like James Brown dipped in a honey pot. Bork uses the sauce to gild his fall-off-the-bone pork ribs, and each bite explodes with umami, salt, sea and sugar. It’s an intense flavor experience, but Bork mitigates the richness with crushed peanuts for texture and sprigs of cilantro for refreshment. That some of the best ribs in town come from a place calling itself a noodle shop might be shocking, but it’s this sort of unexpected genius that makes Vista one of the most exciting restaurants in the city.
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Serving Breakfast 200 N. Broadway #110 St. Louis, MO 63101 (314) 241-2255 Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-3pm Closed Saturday & Sunday
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and often doomed by funding that couldn’t match ambition. That things felt just a little bit seedy and dangerous only added to the appeal. With a staff of just nine writers and editors, I was called on to write more than music. I distinctly, tearfully recall hours spent in the microfiche room of the St. Louis Public Library, researching a cover story for editor Julie Lobbia, and covering the protest marches, rallies and media events that peppered downtown in those days. With page counts that routinely topped 100 pages an issue, seeing two, three, even four of your own bylines in any given issue wasn’t a surprise. For a young writer in need of discipline, the endless content needs, even pre-internet, were a fantastic training device. But the pace burned me out and, in a move that would predate other, ill-considered decisions, I left my staff job in 1997 to return to Webster University for video work. Only two classes later and dead-ass broke, I limped back to the RFT, a chastened role player with part-time pay and full-time clip expectations. It was a short-lived return and as Phoenix-based New Times bought the paper from Hartmann Publishing, the trajectory of my adult life shifted as I left again, and this time, not by choice. You never forget your first firing, and you’re lucky if you learn from it. My final byline as an RFT staffer was written in the Tivoli building, and it was a fine place to work, in a rapidly transitioning U. City Loop. But my memories come almost exclusively from the Shell. On Mondays at noon, we’d wander from there to the Missouri Bar & Grill, a busy lunch spot in those days. Over sad sandwiches, we’d tackle that week’s headlines, a task that was often (ably) handled by staff writer Richard Byrne Jr. and arts editors Cliff Froehlich and Daniel Durchholz. Not afraid to toss out clunkers, I did so, often. Occasionally, I’d hit on one, too, though those were infrequent wins. Already, though I didn’t fully appreciate it, I was winning at life, an annoying kid given a seat at exactly the lunch table I desired.
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lot of us have been the annoying kid brother at some point in our lives, sometimes serving that role for folks who aren’t kin. When I walked into the editorial department of the Riverfront Times, I was a nineteen-year-old intern from Webster University. At that point, in the late ’80s, the paper was already an established media voice in St. Louis, a decade old and a very representative example of the alternative press movement that grew throughout American cities in the 1970s and ’80s. Even if I was mostly compiling calendars, it was thrilling to be a part of that environment, around a solid group of seasoned, cranky journalists. Gunning for a staff position from day one, I served as an intern for a second semester, gaining a few more clips and a bit of confidence. A staff job at the St. Louis Journalism Review emerged first, though, and I served in that role for the better part of a year before quitting to string for the RFT, an uncertain role that slowly, surely morphed into a full-time gig as a staff writer before I turned 23. Covering the culture beat — local music in particular — I was able to parley an interest in the arts into a real, live job. Arguably the best one I ever had and one that’d define me for years to come. Looking back, I was too young for the role in some respects, too immature; my opinions regularly got the better of me when writing as a columnist. I’m thankful that most of that work — accompanied by a series of changing, foolish headshots — hasn’t been uploaded to the web. But it was a sweet gig with great perks, and a job that I enjoyed for basically my entire twenties. Looking back on those days, I can’t help but remember the powerful role that downtown played in the paper’s editorial bent. After a move from Lafayette Square, the RFT was housed on the ninth floor of a faded office building, the Shell, at 1221 Locust. Like much of downtown at the time, the Shell felt a bit worn, not unlike the neighborhood surrounding it. There, a few still-functioning warehouses and retail outlets reflected the area’s history as a center of fashion and shoe manufacturing. Lots of empty space was the rule, and “Wash Ave” was steadily transitioning into a district of underground arts activity. As a twentysomething with more spirit and curiosity than cash, it was a great playground. My first warehouse party took place at the loft of a Webster professor, Carol Hodson. My first pieces of art were purchased at the Sixth Floor Gallery. The first chef I got to know, Blake Brokaw, was populating multiple concepts in and around Wash Ave. Clubs came and went. Some of them, like 1227, provided lifelong memories; where else could a St. Louis kid see Nine Inch Nails and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins? Isolated developments began to spring up in every direction of the Shell’s home, and I recall killing time at work ’til showtime on dozens of nights, making the long walk to Laclede’s Landing for shows at Mississippi Nights, or in the opposite direction, to rooms in western downtown like the Side Door Music Club or the Other World. Then, as ever, it always felt as if the coolest rooms were created by the coolest people, independent of city planning
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Thomas Crone co-owns a bar, the Tick Tock Tavern, and still writes about local music and culture for, among others, the Riverfront Times.
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Mon/Thur: 5 pm to 9:45 pm 8501 Delmar Blvd. Fri/Sat: 5 pm to 10 pm St. Louis, MO 63124 Sun: 5 pm to 9 pm
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GRAMOPHONE
READERS The people have spoken! Here are our readers’ picks in 40 categories focused on food and drink. For goods, services, arts and culture, please keep turning the page — 40 additional winners are still to come.
BEST RESTAURANT
food & BEST LATE-NIGHT EATS
BEST BARBECUE
BROADWAY OYSTER BAR
THE GRAMOPHONE
736 South Broadway, 314-621-8811 Broadway Oyster Bar may serve Cajun food, but its soul is entirely St. Louis. For more than 35 years, this restaurant and music venue has been serving up étouffée, jambalaya, gator and crawfish to hungry diners, washed down with the best hurricanes this side of NOLA. And you don’t have to worry about eating too much — head outside to the live music stage and dance it all off to a zydeco beat.
4243 Manchester Avenue, 314-531-5700 If your idea of late-night dining means mediocre diner food and stale coffee, clearly you haven’t been to the Gramophone. After an eight-year run as a music venue, this Grove eatery converted into a sandwich shop in 2015 and made St. Louis a tastier place. For proof, order the “Manchester Melt,” a riff on the St. Louis classic gerber. It’s magnificent any time of day but tastes so much sweeter at 2 a.m.
20 South Belt W, Belleville, Illinois; 618-2579000 When you hear the word “beast,” you might think it refers to the animals that pitmaster David Sandusky has on the smokers at his wonderful Belleville smokehouse. Ask him, however, and he’ll tell you something different: “Beast is an adjective; it’s how we do things around here.” That intensity translates into what readers say is the area’s best barbecue and possibly the best pork steak on the planet.
BEST NEW RESTAURANT CORK & BARREL CHOP HOUSE AND SPIRITS 7337 Mexico Road, St. Peters; 636-387-7030 If you don’t have the cash to buy your own Big Green Egg, Cork & Barrel Chop House and Spirits has you covered. The upscale St. Peters steakhouse is the only restaurant in the entire state to cook using these coveted cookers. After just one bite of its mouthwatering steaks and chops, you’ll wonder why more places don’t take its lead.
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BEST BRUNCH THREE MONKEYS 3153 Morganford Road, 314-772-9800 If it’s Sunday in south city, there is only one place to be: brunch at Three Monkeys. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the seventh day, this beloved Tower Grove South bar and grill turns itself into a multiroom culinary extravaganza with everything from shrimp cocktail to made-to-order omelets, roast beef to pancakes to pasta. Add in a complementary mimosa or bargain-priced Bloody Mary, and there’s no better place to be on a lazy weekend morning.
BEAST CRAFT BARBECUE
BEST BAKERY JILLY’S CUPCAKE BAR & CAFÉ Two locations, including 8509 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-993-5455 Long before the accolades, before winning Cupcake Wars (twice) and being selected as the best cupcakes in the entire state, Jilly’s was a simple University City bakery with the singular mission of bringing St. Louis the biggest and best gourmet cupcakes it had ever seen. When you bite into one of its massive, buttercreamcoated treats, you’ll see it’s achieved that — and so much more — even if there’s nothing simple about it.
& drink BEST BURGER
BEST DESSERTS
BEST TACOS
D’S PL ACE
CYRANO’S
KALBI TACO SHACK
900 Barton Street, 314-773-1019 As if one juicy eight-ounce hunk of Angus beef wasn’t enough, the folks at D’s Place in Soulard take that, add a second, and then cover them both in bacon, cheddar and an onion ring. They call this behemoth “the Danimal,” but they should simply refer to it as the best damn burger in town.
603 East Lockwood Avenue, Webster Groves; 314-963-3232 For 40 years, Cyrano’s has been bringing St. Louis not only the best desserts, but the most comprehensive dessert selection. From classic flambés to the city’s best bread pudding, this Webster Groves mainstay harkens back to a time when you could grab a coffee and a slice of decadent pie after the theater — a treat that never goes out of style.
2301 Cherokee Street, 314-240-5544 If Korean-style short ribs, sweet and spicy jackfruit and teriyaki chicken don’t come to mind when you think of tacos, Kalbi Taco Shack shows why you’ve been missing out. At this Cherokee Street fusion taqueria, Mexican-style staples are infused with Asian flavor, proving that good tacos have no boundaries.
BEST BURGER, NON-BEEF DIVISION FRIDA’S VEGETARIAN DELI 622 North and South Road, University City; 314-727-6500 Frida’s owner Natasha Kwan has said that people often tell her that the “Frida Burger” tastes like a Big Mac. It’s the ultimate compliment — to the Big Mac. At this University City vegetarian and vegan spot, even the most dedicated carnivores enjoy sinking their teeth into this secret blend of Match Meat, beans, vegetables, herbs and spices, topped with tomatoes and tahini chipotle slaw. Whether you’re vegan or meat-eater, it’s no matter. We’re loving it.
BEST PIZZA
BEST WINGS
POINTER’S PIZZA
CULPEPPERS Two locations, including 300 North Euclid Avenue, 314-361-2828 Culpeppers may not have invented the chicken wing, but you wouldn’t know that by the reverence with which St. Louisans treat this perennial favorite. Crisp, juicy, meaty, tangy and stinging with enough heat to make your eyes water — these wings have set the standard in St. Louis for more than 70 years. Here’s hoping for 70 more.
1023 S. Big Bend Boulevard, Richmond Heights; 314-644-2000 What’s better than Pointer’s delectable, hand-tossed crust topped with its signature tangy tomato sauce, gooey cheese and a host of toppings? Why, the 28-inch version, of course! It may be impossible to eat the behemoth “Pointersaurus” in one sitting (go ahead and try with a friend), but we wouldn’t mind making the attempt.
CREDIT
RS’ PICKS BEST FRIED CHICKEN SOUTHERN
3108 Olive Street, 314-531-4668 Nashville may have given this style of hot chicken its name, but St. Louis’ Southern has given it its soul. At this restaurant co-founded by Pappy’s Mike Emerson and Rick Lewis (now of the newly opened Grace Meat + Three), the chile oil-dipped chicken is so fiery you’ll break a sweat, but so crisp, juicy and full of flavor, you won’t even notice. It’s worth the burn.
BEST MEXICAN TAQUERIA EL BRONCO 2817 Cherokee Street, 314-762-0691 These days, you’ll find everything on Cherokee Street from ramen to records, Saudi cuisine to tea. At its heart, though, the vibrant neighborhood remains the center of St. Louis’ Mexican cuisine, and no restaurant represents this better than Taqueria El Bronco. Whether feasting on authentic tacos, massive tortas or overstuffed sopes diners at this neighborhood mainstay, you’ll taste why this beloved taqueria is the heart of Cherokee Street.
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PORK BELLY PHOTO BY ED ALLER
WINNER RFT FAVORITE IRISH/ENGLISH/SCOTTISH 2006-2017 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK LUNCH & DINNER
FULL MENU AVAILABLE UNTIL MIDNIGHT FRI & SAT NEW LUNCH MENU FEATURING FRESHLY MADE PANINIS!
SAT & SUN BRUNCH 10-3PM ENDLESS MIMOSAS BLOODY MARY BAR
8 S . S A RA H ST R E E T, ST. LO U I S • 3 1 4 - 535 - 0 551 • WWW.T H E SCOT T I S H A R M S .CO M
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SMOKED RIBS
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2 9 0 0 V I R G I N I A AV E N U E , ST. LO U I S • 3 1 4 -7 76 -1 4 07 • WWW.T H E S H AV E D D U C K .CO M
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READERS CHOICE FOOD AND DRINK Continued from pg 89 BEST GREEK APOLLONIA 6836 Gravois Avenue, 314-353-1488 Apollonia may be located in the heart of south city, but its authentic Greek food will make you think you’re in the Mediterranean. For more than a decade, this delightful taverna has been serving St. Louisans classic Greek delicacies like saganaki, dolmades and moussaka, as well as what’s arguably the best gyro in town. It’s enough to make you want to shout “Opa!”
BEST ITALIAN CUNET TO HOUSE OF PASTA 5453 Magnolia Avenue, 314-781-1135 If you haven’t had the pleasure of being a guest at an Italian wedding, head down to Cunetto House of Pasta on any given weekend night. It’s basically the same thing. At this Hill mainstay, the lively yet sophisticated atmosphere and perennial favorites like veal saltimbocca and chicken cardinale make every meal feel like a celebration.
BEST INDIAN HAVELI 9720 Page Avenue, Overland; 314-423-7300 When you pull up to Haveli, which is located in an industrial part of north county, you might question whether you have the right spot. One taste of its northern Indian cuisine, however, will erase any doubts. Under the guidance of owner Hema Patel, Haveli is responsible for the best vindaloo, curry and masala in town. The building may be a former Shoney’s, but Patel has turned it into the Taj Mahal.
BEST CHINESE WONTON KING 8116 Olive Boulevard, University City; 314567-9997 Olive Boulevard, University City’s unofficial Chinatown, is crowded with good Chinese food, but one restaurant consistently stands out from the rest. For years, Wonton King has been wowing diners with its Hong Kong-style cuisine, best-in-class Peking duck and specialties like the “XO Seafood Rice” — so good it’s developed a cult following. Then there’s the dim sum, a selection of authentic small-plates goodies so delightful you’ll be glad they offer it seven days a week.
BEST THAI PEARL CAFÉ 8416 N. Lindbergh Boulevard, Florissant; 314831-3701 From a storefront in the heart of north county, Pearl Café consistently offers the area’s best Thai food, but that’s only part of the story. Sure, Scott Truong knows how to cook amazing pad Thai and yellow curries, but the innovative chef/owner is always looking for
ways to reimagine Thai cuisine through dishes like the “Phorito” or his forthcoming “Thai Burger.” Add in the extensive beer selection and 150 different types of whiskey and you’ll see why Pearl Café is so much more than your usual Thai spot.
BEST MIDDLE EASTERN THE VINE 3171 South Grand Boulevard, 314-776-0991 You might go to the Vine because of its impossibly succulent chicken shawarma. You could be partial to its shish kafta, its falafel or even a simple plate of hummus. Whatever Middle Eastern delicacy you crave, chances are this Lebanese gem not only has it, but has the best version this side of the Levant.
BEST SUSHI TANI SUSHI BISTRO 7726 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton; 314-2968069 If you judged the quality of a sushi restaurant by its atmosphere, the stylish Tani Sushi Bistro would take the grand prize. But it also takes top honors for what’s really important: impossibly fresh and impeccably presented sashimi and a collection of unique offerings that go far beyond spicy tuna and California rolls. This sleek Clayton eatery is the total package.
M
www.MayanaMex.com Delivery • catering • online ordering • homemade tortillas Mon-Sat 11am-8pm • 7810 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton
BEST VEGETARIAN FRIDA’S VEGETARIAN DELI 622 North and South Road, University City; 314-727-6500 The true mark of a quality vegetarian restaurant isn’t whether it’s perfected the art of cooking seitan or can properly prepare tofu. Those are important, of course, and Frida’s has them down, but the most telling thing about this lovely University City cafe is just how many non-vegetarians frequent it on a regular basis. Full flavors make Frida’s feel complete — and delicious — even to the most dedicated carnivore.
BEST DINER CITY DINER 3139 South Grand Boulevard, 314-772-6100 For the past 25 years, City Diner has been a staple of the south city restaurant scene, serving hungry patrons breakfast, lunch or dinner into the wee hours of weekend mornings. But the extended hours are only part of its allure. Those fluffy pancakes, overstuffed sandwiches and blue plate-style entrees are crave-worthy any time of day.
HEAD ON SHRIMP
ALL NEW SEAFOOD EXPERIENCE IN ST. LOUIS!
CLAMS & MUSSELS
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CAJUN • LEMON PEPPER GARLIC • THE WHOLE SHA-BANG!
how spicy?
BEST STEAKHOUSE
PLAIN & SIMPLE • JUST A KICK IT’S GETTIN’ HOT IN HERE I CAN’T FEEL MY MOUTH
TUCKER’S PL ACE Multiple locations, including 2117 South 12th Street; 314-772-5977 Continued on pg 93
SNOW CRAB LEGS
LUNCHAT 3PM, & DINNERWEEKENDS • OPEN ATWEEKDAYS AT 8080 3PM • OLIWEEKENDS AT •NOON314-801-8698 OPEN WEEKDAYS8080 NOON • V E BLVD. OLIVE BLVD. • 314-801-8698 • NOW SERVI NG BEER & WI NE
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BEST SPORTS BAR
READERS CHOICE FOOD AND DRINK Continued from pg 91
DUKE’S 2001 Menard Street, 314-833-6686 Duke’s isn’t just our readers’ choice for best bar; it also notched a win in the hotly competitive best sports bar category. Feast on wings, bruschetta or a sirloin steak sandwich while watching the game. Whether it’s hockey, baseball or the NFL (damn those Rams!), you’ll find a crowd that’s eager to have a good time and a welcoming atmosphere.
BEST NEW BAR
ICES PLAIN & FA N CY.
Tucker’s Place is not the fanciest steakhouse in town by a long shot — that pomp and circumstance is for the out-of-town chains. At this friendly Soulard institution and its offspring, you can wear jeans and a t-shirt while feasting on humongous, shockingly juicy steaks that come (gasp) with a baked potato and a salad. This beloved spot proves that spending more isn’t the only way to attain high quality.
BEST ICE CREAM ICES PL AIN & FANCY 2556 South 39th Street, 314-601-3604 Part of the novelty of getting ice cream at Ices Plain & Fancy is the show: Nitro ice cream, frozen to order in a cloud of cold smoke, is a sight to behold, one that’s worthy of a visit in its own right. However, one taste of this silken cream will leave you convinced that the best part of Ices Plain & Fancy is eating it.
BEST COFFEE SHOP COFFEE CARTEL 2 Maryland Plaza, 314-454-0000 Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, Coffee Cartel serves as the Central West End’s unofficial meet-up point, a place to see and be seen. If you need further proof, consider that there’s a live web-cam of its patio so you can monitor the goings-on even when you’re not there. Impossibly decadent coffee drinks in every flavor under the sun fuel the conversation all night long.
BEST DELI PICKLEMAN’S DELI Multiple locations, including 20 North Central Avenue, Clayton; 314-862-2224 You could say that Pickleman’s Deli is the quintessential sandwich shop, and you wouldn’t be wrong. Its classic toasted subs embody everything that is great in a deli sandwich: crusty bread, fresh toppings, hearty meats. However, Pickleman’s is so much more
MONICA MILEUR
TIN ROOF
than sammies. Mouthwatering soups, fresh salads and even pizzas make this boutique chain stand out from the crowded field.
BEST BAR DUKE’S 2001 Menard Street, 314-833-6686 Located in the former home of Clementine’s in the heart of Soulard, Duke’s isn’t fancy and it isn’t pretentious. It’s just a fun spot to catch the game or have a stiff drink with a bunch of people who know how to have a good time. In other words, it’s a classic Soulard bar. Duke’s has a host of high-definition TVs playing whatever game you care most about, a patio that’s perfect for a smoke break or outside day drinking and a full menu of bar fare.
BEST PLACE TO SING KARAOKE GOOD TIMES SALOON 200 North Main Street, Dupo, Illinois; 618286-9693 “The best patio bar around,” Good Times Saloon has drawn raves from readers under its new owners. While the big patio is a hit for day drinking, you’ll want to come back at night when aspiring Lady Gagas and Michael Jacksons strut their stuff — making this bar a draw for readers on both sides of the river.
BEST WINE BAR BRENNAN’S 4659 Maryland Avenue, 314-497-4449 A stylish three-story hangout in the Central West End, Brennan’s is far more than just a wine bar — it’s also got a terrific selection of whiskey and bartenders capable of mixing a great cocktail. But its wine list is definitely top-notch, and it offers just the vibe you want when you’re lingering over a great pour — sophisticated without being snotty, laid-back without being lazy. Come for the cigars and the great vibe; stay for a glass of pinot.
Multiple locations, including 6307 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-721-3388 With 30 beers on tap, 40 craft beer bottles and a cellar list that consists of unique finds, Three Kings Public House is the embodiment of the modern pub. With a selection this impressive — and a knowledgeable staff to guide you along the way — you’re guaranteed to find something you like, even if you didn’t know you were looking.
BEST MARTINI THE FAMOUS BAR
1000 Clark Avenue, 14-240-5400 The downtown St. Louis outpost of a Nashville-based chain, Tin Roof offers Southern-influenced food, Southern-style hospitality and the kind of party-hearty good-time vibe that would be totally at home in the Music City. Grab some food, get a round of shots and listen to a cover band or a DJ — but no matter where you start the night, you’ll want to close it down on the dance floor.
5213 Chippewa Street, 314-832-2211 Drink trends can disappear faster than an ice cube in room-temperature whiskey. In recent decades we’ve seen pre-Prohibition cocktails, sloe gin fizzes, tiki concoctions and choco-tinis. Then there’s Famous Bar, which eschews trends in favor of a timeless excellence. Sure, you can get different varieties of martinis at this south city gem, but its classic gin version, chilled until ice crystals form in the glass, shows that some things never go out of style.
BEST GAY BAR
BEST MARGARITA
JUST JOHN
HACIENDA MEXICAN RESTAURANT
4112 Manchester Avenue, 314-371-1333 This massive bar in the Grove neighborhood offers two patios, an outdoor bar and a stage for karaoke and drag shows. The roster of clever nightly specials includes “homo bingo” on Monday and Sunday showtunes, with happy hour prices all night long, as well as karaoke on both Tuesday and Thursday. Open til 3 a.m. six nights a week (and until 1 a.m. on the seventh, Sunday), Just John is always a great time.
BEST DIVE BAR CAT ’S MEOW 2600 South 11th Street, 314-776-8617 Fake dive bars may come and go, but the Cat’s Meow lives forever. This wonderful Soulard dive offers cheap prices, truly stiff pours and an incomplete but vivid history of the neighborhood’s Mardi Gras festivities on its weathered walls. Put down that fancy craft brew and come see how the real drinkers pass the time.
BEST COCKTAILS GAMLIN WHISKEY HOUSE 236 North Euclid Avenue, 314-875-9500 It’s no surprise that you’ll find the best whiskey selection in town at a bar whose entire raison d’etre is the brown spirit. What is a surprise, however, is that Gamlin Whiskey House is also the top spot to grab a cocktail. Everything on its list is whiskey-based, but that doesn’t mean they’re boring — at this Central West End hot spot, they’ve developed an endless list of delicious concoctions.
BEST BEER SELECTION THREE KINGS PUBLIC HOUSE
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9748 Manchester Road, Rock Hill; 314-9627100 On Cinco de Mayo, Hacienda gets so packed that it has to shuttle in patrons from far-off parking lots. You don’t have to wait until the fifth of May to experience a fiesta at this nearly 50-year-old Rock Hill institution. Order one of its refreshing “Hacienda Margaritas,” throw in a little mango or raspberry puree and let the festivities begin.
BEST IRISH PUB JOHN D. MCGURK’S 1200 Russell Boulevard, 314-776-8309 Maybe you go for the Guinness. Or the Irish music. Or the corned beef and cabbage and the lush outdoor garden. For nearly 40 years, this Emerald Isle in the midst of the city’s French district has been giving guests from all walks of life a million reasons to love it. It’s no wonder that the rest of the country has taken notice, deeming McGurk’s one of the best bars in the U.S. This one is obvious.
BEST BLOODY MARY THE SLIDER HOUSE 9528 Manchester Road, Rock Hill; 314-9426445 No, you haven’t had one too many. If you’re at the Slider House and having a bloody mary, there is indeed a mini-burger hanging off the side of your glass. Even without it, this is a fantastic version of the cocktail, with fiery mix, a healthy dose of Picker’s vodka and garnishes of celery, bacon and a stuffed peppadew. But the fact that you can have a meal and a cocktail all in the same glass makes this one take the prize.
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La Vallesana AUTHENTIC MEXICAN FOOD MA D E W I T H 10 0 % FRE S H I N G RE D I E N TS HOM E M A D E D E S S E RTS A N D I CE CRE A M FU L L B A R
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WHAT ABOUT RAY? CHAD GARRISON
I
joined the Riverfront Times as a staff writer in May 2004. By then it had been six years since the RFT’s founder, Ray Hartmann, sold the paper to the New Times chain of alt-weeklies. Six years and yet I got the same question on nearly every call I’d make as a reporter: “Is Ray Hartmann still there?” Over the years the question became both a joke and a curse for the post-Hartmann generation of the RFT. On one hand it revealed how little attention the general public paid to the local media landscape. (I blame the Channel 9 roundtable Donnybrook, which for years continued to identify Hartmann as “Riverfront Times Founder,” even though he owned St. Louis Magazine.) On the other hand, the question laid bare just how far Hartmann’s star continued to outshine our own. Rightly or — I’d argue — wrongly. Say what you will about the New Times ownership of the Riverfront Times, but it’s hard to deny the emphasis the company placed on writing. Sure, it may have been a bit irreverent at times, especially compared to the more earnest coverage associated with the paper in the Hartmann era. But, damn, the caliber of writers that RFT editor Tom Finkel and his New Times talent scout, Andy Van De Voorde, assembled. The seventeen years that New Times and its successor, Denver-based Voice Media Group, owned the paper saw many great journalists come to St. Louis to write for the paper — and the birth of more than a few stars. I’m thinking of people like Malcolm Gay, now a reporter with the Boston Globe, who could write brilliantly on damn near any subject from arts to crime, and who once penned a 5,000-
word story on the origins of Chinese food in St. Louis told through the lens of Western philosophy. Or Kristen Hinman, now an editor at the Washingtonian, whose infectious laughter and dogged reporting could get sources to reveal information that would often culminate with an authority figure losing a job or headed to prison (and Kristen on her way to scooping up another journalism honor). Or Mike Seely, a wickedly funny writer whose dissections of pop culture managed to go “viral” even in the days before social media. (Somewhere a million Paul McCartney fans are still fuming about Mike’s hilarious takedown of the cute Beatle.) There were so many other brilliant writers and sharp minds. At one time seemingly half the staff held Ivy League degrees. The music editor, for chrissake, graduated Harvard. Over the years, I’ve watched these former colleagues go on to work for outfits such as Vice News, Buzzfeed, the L.A. Times, the Chicago Reader, BBC Magazine, the Guardian and even our our old rival, the Post-Dispatch. Others, like my former colleague Ben Westhoff, now earn a living writing books. And yet walk through the RFT newsroom and at some point each week you’d hear one of these reporters on the phone bashfully replying, “No, Ray does not work here anymore.” Part of me wishes I had worked at the paper during the Hartmann years — back before Craiglist and OkCupid (and dozens of other free online platforms) took away the paper’s once-lucrative classified ads. Instead, I spent much of my time at the RFT weathering budget cut after budget cut. Somehow I survived the downsizing. After four years as a staff writer, in which my work occasionally held up to that of my colleagues, I took a position as the paper’s first news blogger. The goal was to increase the paper’s online readership, which (the theory went) would drive up our digital ad revenue. Yet during my two years as news blogger our budget kept shrinking, and that re-
mained the case even after a 22-year-old blogging wunderkind replaced me and shot our page views through the roof. From the blogging desk I went on to serve a couple years as the paper’s managing editor. In 2013, when Finkel left to take the job as editor of the Village Voice, I slipped into his seat as editor in chief. A year into that job (and four months before I would leave for a new career outside of journalism), I was sitting at my desk when the phone rang. The previous months had been a whirlwind, with our meager news staff (now down to two writers, a blogger and two editors) exhaustively covering the events in Ferguson. Still, we’d manage to break a multitude of stories, and now national and international media outlets were calling us for insight and analysis. So, too, was the caller on the other end of the line. It was Ray Hartmann. He was writing about Ferguson for
his St. Louis Magazine column and wanted to bounce around some ideas. For the next twenty minutes he verbally constructed his column as I sat there mutely with the phone to my ear. It’s not that I didn’t have any thoughts on the topic. It’s that I was rarely asked. Frankly, I’m not convinced he even knew who he was speaking to at the RFT. I could’ve been the music section intern. It didn’t matter. Ray needed a sounding board; I sufficed. Some of my former colleagues used to swear the paper’s office on Delmar was haunted. They’d see a peculiar shadow creep across their desk or catch an odd flash out of the corner of their eye. Me? I can’t say I ever saw a ghost while at the RFT. Once, though, I did take his call. Chad Garrison currently works as a corporate writer and editor.
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B A N Q U E T F A C I L I T Y U P T O 1 0 0 • PAT I O C AT E R I N G •
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ART HILL IN FOREST PA R K .
READERS’ Want to know the best place to go shopping, dancing, biking or get tatted up? We’ve got all the above in this final list of 40 readers’ favorites. Use this list to plan your next weekend — or the rest of your life.
BEST PARK FO R E ST PARK 5595 Grand Drive, 314-367-7275 This one’s a no-brainer. With wins in multiple categories — the best place to go biking, best place to go running, best place to get stoned …. need we go on? — it’s pretty clear readers are taking full advantage of Forest Park’s glorious 1,293 acres. And that doesn’t even mention the cultural amenities within its borders, which include the zoo, the art museum and the Muny. Forest Park really is forever.
BEST CITY NEIGHBORHOOD SOUL ARD St. Louis’ most charming neighborhood is also one of its most entertaining — with some great bars and restaurants filling the first floor of charming brick rowhouses. The French feel and walkable proportions make Soulard a great place to go on a bar crawl... or even a totally sober walk. It’s beautiful even without beer goggles.
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BEST PLACE TO OUT-OF-TOWNERS CITY MUSEUM 750 North 16th Street, 314-231-2489 Day or night, there’s nowhere in the St. Louis area that’s more fun or more unique than City Museum. The late Bob Cassilly created a place where your imagination can run wild, with tunnels, slides, treehouses and even historic artifacts. It’s simply a must-visit.
BEST PLACE TO GO BIKING FOREST PARK 5595 Grand Drive, 314-367-7275 The city’s largest park is home to dozens of recreational activities, but its cycling opportunities are a huge part of its appeal. A smoothly-paved 12.29 mile trail wends its way around and through the park, offering hills, straightaways and beautiful scenery. The only drawback? The large number of pedestrians who continue to use the bike trail instead of the walking path. Out of the way!
BEST POOL KIRKWOOD RECREATION STATION AQUATIC CENTER 111 South Geyer Road, Kirkwood; 314-984-6971 Community pools have gone far beyond the humble rectangle with a single diving board you remember from childhood. These days you need to offer water slides, obstacles and a high-filtration kiddie pool to keep families happy. Kirkwood’s Recreation Station Aquatic Center has everything a family could want: a competitive-length pool for the hardcore lap-swimmers, an aquatic playground with a twisty yellow slide for the high-energy kids and a Lazy River for the less-active soakers. Kirkwood even has a “leisure pool” with a beach for the non-active poolgoer.
BEST PLACE TO GO RUNNING FOREST PARK 5595 Grand Drive, 314-367-7275 Gone are the days of joggers having to be aware for swift-moving cyclists while getting in their road work in Forest Park. A few years back the park constructed a special pedestrian path that runs parallel to the bike path, giving runners a veritable open road for logging miles. Now your greatest threat is those massive, sixbabies-wide strollers that dominate the morning run.
c
city life BEST MUSEUM SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM
BEST PLACE FOR A FIRST DATE
1 Fine Arts Drive, 314-721-0072 This past year has been a busy one for the Saint Louis Art Museum, with exhibits covering Eastern and Western art alike. Textiles played a major role in the second half of the year, with shows exploring 300 years of men’s fashions, the hats of modern milliner Stephen Jones, a visit from Andre Leon Talley and a small display that showed how politics become a subject for quilts and other textiles. These popular exhibits showcased the breadth of the museum’s vision.
CLEVEL AND-HEATH
BEST GALLERY
BEST PLACE TO ESCAPE THE HEAT
SOUL ARD ART GALLERY 2028 South Twelfth Street, 314-258-4299 The Soulard Art Gallery is maintained and operated by resident artists. The former Soulard Art Market is known for monthly multimedia shows based on a theme. This combination of diverse exhibits and a welcoming attitude regularly draws a big crowd to opening nights. Clearly, the organizing artists are doing something right — the gallery is now celebrating eleven years.
106 North Main Street, Edwardsville, Illinois; 618307-4830 If you question why readers’ choice for a great first date entails driving all the way to Edwardsville, clearly you’ve never been to Cleveland-Heath. The acclaimed restaurant founded by Ed Heath and Jenny Cleveland is both wonderful and casual, with an energetic vibe that keeps conversation flowing even as you rave about the food. The fact it doesn’t take reservations is a great excuse to grab a drink while you wait.
SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM 1 Fine Arts Drive, 314-721-0072 Summer in St. Louis may mean a sickening combination of high temperatures and higher humidity, but its crushing wet blanket can’t touch you when you’re inside the Saint Louis Art Museum. The institution maintains a climate-controlled environment, constantly measuring and adjusting the humidity and heat. Browse the galleries in comfort, enjoying room after room of fine art and finer temperatures.
BEST PLACE TO ESCAPE THE WINTER THE SOPHIA M. SACHS BUT TERFLY HOUSE 15193 Olive Boulevard, Chesterfield; 636-530-0076 Winter in St. Louis can be a grim affair. The cold, the slush, the flat gray skies stretching on until May — sometimes you just want some heat and a little bit of color. A trip to the Butterfly House in mid-February is downright therapeutic. Its Conservatory Garden is 8,000 square feet of tropical paradise, filled with flights of jewel-tone butterflies and the blossoms that nourish them. With a central vault almost 40 feet high, the lepidoptera flutter freely while you warm up below.
BEST PLACE TO GET STONED
J B Y YA R D
’ PICKS
that only becomes a concern if you’re caught. Keep one eye open for the mounted police patrol — no matter how high you are, you’re never gonna outrun a horse.
BEST MUSIC VENUE TIN ROOF 1000 Clark Avenue, 314-240-5400 Also our readers’ choice for “Best New Bar,” this Nashville transplant offers live music almost every night of the week. Don’t expect anything esoteric or off-putting here — these bands are chosen to help you have a good time. Whether they’re covering Prince, leading you in live music trivia or spinning dance hits after a Cardinals victory, Tin Roof knows how to keep the party going.
BEST DANCE CLUB
FOREST PARK
REHAB
5595 Grand Drive, 314-367-7275 Our leafy green oasis at the edge of the city is RFT readers’ No. 1 spot for sparking up a leafy green bowl. With 6.48 square miles of trees, hills, ground cover, waterways and secluded trails, Forest Park is a quick and convenient location for enjoying a session while surrounded by Mother Nature. Yeah, it ain’t legal, but
4054 Chouteau Avenue, 314-652-3700 A laid-back neighborhood bar catering to LGBTQ drinkers by day, Rehab becomes a pulsing dance party after dark. Great DJs and reasonable prices keep the party going into the wee hours on Friday and Saturdays, while “all you can drink” specials on Saturdays and Sundays put the Continued on pg 105
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OYSTERS * SEAFOOD * CRAFT COCKTAILS * LIVE MUSIC
RIVERFRONT TIMES PRESENTS
*
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5
Celebrate your favorite briny bivalves at Riverfront Times’ inaugural Shuck Yeah! on Sunday, November 5 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This party on the patio will bring together oysters from both coasts for a celebration of all things oyster and other bites from your favorite local restaurants. Enjoy craft cocktails and beer and live music from Funky Butt Brass Band, all at Mollys in Soulard.
11 AM-3 PM at
8 1 6 G E Y E R AV E .
Tickets $30 in advance / $40 at the door. Include 1/2 dozen oysters, unlimited bites from participating restaurants and open bar!
RFTSHUCKYEAH.com SPONSORED BY
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READERS’ CHOICE CITY LIFE Continued from pg 101
boast stacks of Playboys, a comfy waiting room, Kaldi’s coffee, beer and even shots for those who like some liquid courage with their haircuts. The hip-hop soundtrack doesn’t hurt either.
READERS’ CHOICE CITY LIFE Continued from pg 105 we’re proud to live in: gorgeous old brick houses, quirky scenes and some truly clever T-shirts. We only wish St. Louis always looked this good.
MOONRISE HOTEL
BEST RADIO PERSONALITY
THEO WELLING
RIZZUTO
LO U F E S T.
phrase to the test. If you’re looking for a good time on the dance floor, readers say there’s no better place in town.
subdued sets in a solo piano or jazz trio configuration. Regardless of the number of musicians onstage, readers know that FatPocket delivers the goods.
BEST FESTIVAL
BEST LOCAL POLITICIAN
LOUFEST www.loufest.com St. Louis’ homegrown music festival has long been a reader favorite — and now that it’s back to local ownership, it really is better than ever. Highlights include the great food in the Nosh Pit, the numerous drink options and, most importantly, the killer lineups, which this year included Cage the Elephant, Weezer and a transcendent Snoop Dogg (as usual, don’t believe what you read in the Post-Dispatch — Snoop put on a terrific show). There’s simply no doubt about it: LouFest is the best.
BEST LOCAL BAND WHISKEY RACCOONS http://whiskeyraccoons.wixsite.com/ whiskeyraccoons With John Pressley’s delicate finger-picking style and Cara VonderBruegge’s soaring, soulful voice, it’s no wonder readers chose Whiskey Raccoons as St. Louis’ best local band. The acoustic folk duo just released its debut CD, This Is Us, in February 2017 and by August had already been chosen as finalists for a St. Louis Symphony-judged competition to perform the national anthem at a Blues game. While the group didn’t win this year, they did make it to the final fourteen, out of 650 submissions — next year’s competitors had better watch their backs.
Weekday mornings from 6 to 10 a.m., there’s no one readers would rather spend time with than the anchor of 105.7 FM the Point’s Rizzuto Show. Scott Rizzuto, The Original better known as “Rizz,” is a veteran of the alternative rock station. Previously one-half of “Woody & Rizz,” he’s shown in the last three years that he’s just as likable with a gang of “weirdos” as he was with a co-host.
6177 Delmar Boulevard, 314-721-1111 Joe Edwards’ boutique hotel on the edge of the Loop is a terrific place to visit and an even better place to stay. It’s not just its proximity to the Pageant, though that can’t be beat. It also has a killer rooftop bar, a lovely restaurant and well-appointed guest rooms. It’s not Craft Cocktail Bar cheap, but it’s worth it.
Award Winning
BEST TV Marys Bloody PERSONALITY
BEST TATTOO SHOP
ENIGMA TAT TOOS & Martinis
MIKE BUSH
& BODY PIERCING
6635 Delmar Boulevard, 314-863-8288 Toph and Ty, the co-owners of Enigma Tattoos, both got their start as fine artists, and it shows in their ink work. The pair bought the shop from its longtime owner two years ago after a stint as employees, and they’ve made it a comfortable spot that aims to please even as its delivers quality designs.
Rotating Seasonal Drink Menu
LYDA KREWSON It’s not an easy time to be mayor of St. Louis, but our readers have appreciation for Lyda Krewson: Where many people might have run away screaming, she’s squared her shoulders and dived into to a truly unenviable task. Krewson isn’t a showboater — can you imagine how loudly some of our (male) politicians would have screamed if someone chucked a rock through the window of their personal residence? Krewson never made it about her. She just went back to work. Stoicism is an underrated virtue, but our readers know to give this Iron Lady credit where it’s due.
BEST ST. LOUISAN TO FOLLOW ON TWITTER SARAH KENDZIOR @sarahkendzior St. Louis-based freelance journalist Sarah Kendzior has developed a huge following on Twitter (292,000 followers, and counting) for many reasons, but we’ll stick to two: She’s interesting, and she’s damn smart. A progressive with an interest in authoritarian governments, Kendzior not only knows of what she tweets; she also manages to make it compelling in 140 characters or less.
BEST LOUISAN BEST COVER BAND TO FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM FATPOCKET www.fatpocketnation.com JEFF VINES FatPocket has been playing high-energy, hornheavy hits for St. Louis music fans for thirteen years now. Initially formed by members of a Lindenwood University-based jazz quartet, the group has the chops to cover everything from James Brown to Rick James to Bruno Mars, as well as deliver more
BEST HOTEL
For 32 years, KSDK’s Mike Bush has kept St. Louis informed — news junkies and sports fans alike. But that’s not the only reason readers named him the city’s best TV personality. It’s also that he seems so damn nice. For many St. Louisans, the father of four seems almost like their dad ... the good kind of dad, who doesn’t ground you and delivers the news in a reassuring tone.
BEST MORNING RADIO SHOW THE RIZZUTO SHOW Not only is the eponymous “Rizz” our readers’ pick for Best Radio Personality, but the Rizzuto Show also won honors for best morning radio show. With regular features like “Real or Fake?” and “Craiglist Freak of the Week,” Rizz, Patrico, Burton and Moon keep the laughs coming. Listening to their show on 105.7 FM the Point is kind of like hanging out in a basement with your funny guy friends — only it’s happening in your car at 6 a.m.
BEST SALON GINGER BAY Two locations, including 437 South Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood; 314-966-0655 Ginger Bay gets raves from insiders in west county and the Kirkwood area, who love the salon’s Aveda products, relaxing vibe and talented professionals. Whether you come for a facial, massage or cut and color, you’ll leave looking — and feeling — better.
BEST BARBER
@stlgasm Jeff Vines is one half of the STL-Style duo (identical twin brother Randy is the T-shirt company’s co-founder). Jeff Vines is also our readers’ choice for the best Instagram follow in town, and it’s easy to see why. Vines’ Instagram depicts the St. Louis Continued on pg 107
BEST PLACE TO GET A BODY PIERCING IRON AGE STUDIOS 6309 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314725-1499 Iron Age Studios in the Delmar Loop has been the place to go for tattoos and body piercing since 1994. Owner Brad Fink and his crew have earned a national reputation for their designs. But it’s not just about a touch of ink; their piercings are top-notch, too.
BEST YOGA STUDIO URBAN BREATH Two locations, including 4237 Manchester Avenue, 314-421-9642 This yoga studio, with branches in both the city’s Grove neighborhood and Maplewood, earns high marks for its mellow atmosphere and diverse group of instructors who are capable of working with any skill level. Readers says Urban Breath is great for beginners; new students can get a pass allowing unlimited classes for just $30 in a 30-day period.
BEST BOOK STORE LEFT BANK BOOKS
399 North Euclid Avenue, 314-367-6731 Big enough to hold a huge variety of books but not so big you get lost or feel like you’re at one of UNION BARBERSHOP those chain stores, Left Bank Books offers a perfectly 1264 Gravois Avenue, 314-328-2411 curatedMO selection of new books upstairs and a great The newest barber shop in Soulard, Union Barbershop, 5213 Chippewa St • Saint Louis, 63109 has much to commend it, even beyond the talented used section in the basement. The children’s area, (314) 832-2211 folks cutting your hair. Not many places in town can too, is simply wonderful.
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READERS’ CHOICE CITY LIFE Continued from pg 105 we’re proud to live in: gorgeous old brick houses, quirky scenes and some truly clever T-shirts. We only wish St. Louis always looked this good.
BEST RADIO PERSONALITY RIZZUTO Weekday mornings from 6 to 10 a.m., there’s no one readers would rather spend time with than the anchor of 105.7 FM the Point’s Rizzuto Show. Scott Rizzuto, better known as “Rizz,” is a veteran of the alternative rock station. Previously one-half of “Woody & Rizz,” he’s shown in the last three years that he’s just as likable with a gang of “weirdos” as he was with a co-host.
BEST TV PERSONALITY MIKE BUSH For 32 years, KSDK’s Mike Bush has kept St. Louis informed — news junkies and sports fans alike. But that’s not the only reason readers named him the city’s best TV personality. It’s also that he seems so damn nice. For many St. Louisans, the father of four seems almost like their dad ... the good kind of dad, who doesn’t ground you and delivers the news in a reassuring tone.
BEST MORNING RADIO SHOW THE RIZZUTO SHOW Not only is the eponymous “Rizz” our readers’ pick for Best Radio Personality, but the Rizzuto Show also won honors for best morning radio show. With regular features like “Real or Fake?” and “Craiglist Freak of the Week,” Rizz, Patrico, Burton and Moon keep the laughs coming. Listening to their show on 105.7 FM the Point is kind of like hanging out in a basement with your funny guy friends — only it’s happening in your car at 6 a.m.
BEST SALON GINGER BAY Two locations, including 437 South Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood; 314-966-0655 Ginger Bay gets raves from insiders in west county and the Kirkwood area, who love the salon’s Aveda products, relaxing vibe and talented professionals. Whether you come for a facial, massage or cut and color, you’ll leave looking — and feeling — better.
BEST BARBER UNION BARBERSHOP 1264 Gravois Avenue, 314-328-2411 The newest barber shop in Soulard, Union Barbershop, has much to commend it, even beyond the talented folks cutting your hair. Not many places in town can
boast stacks of Playboys, a comfy waiting room, Kaldi’s coffee, beer and even shots for those who like some liquid courage with their haircuts. The hip-hop soundtrack doesn’t hurt either.
BEST HOTEL MOONRISE HOTEL 6177 Delmar Boulevard, 314-721-1111 Joe Edwards’ boutique hotel on the edge of the Loop is a terrific place to visit and an even better place to stay. It’s not just its proximity to the Pageant, though that can’t be beat. It also has a killer rooftop bar, a lovely restaurant and well-appointed guest rooms. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth it.
BEST CLOTHING STORE
BEST FURNITURE STORE
PAPERDOLLS
EMPORIUM
Multiple locations, including 110 East Jefferson Avenue, Kirkwood; 314-965-3655 A homegrown chain that’s grown to four stores in St. Louis County, Paperdolls offers a curated assortment of chic women’s clothing. Prices are reasonable (just about everything is under $150) and styles are on-trend without being stupid. Ask a well-dressed woman in Kirkwood or U. City where she got her look, and odds are good it will be Paperdolls.
9410 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314-9627300 Why go to a big box store and get a particleboard dresser that will fall apart in months when you can get something made to last? The furniture at Emporium, a “unique marketplace” in Maplewood, isn’t brand-new, but it is expertly crafted to stand the test of time. Multiple vendors means a selection that changes with regularity.
BEST GIFT SHOP
BEST RECORD STORE
THE PORCH
BEST TATTOO SHOP ENIGMA TAT TOOS & BODY PIERCING 6635 Delmar Boulevard, 314-863-8288 Toph and Ty, the co-owners of Enigma Tattoos, both got their start as fine artists, and it shows in their ink work. The pair bought the shop from its longtime owner two years ago after a stint as employees, and they’ve made it a comfortable spot that aims to please even as its delivers quality designs.
1700 South 9th Street, 314-436-0282 A charming (and surprisingly large) gift shop in Soulard, the Porch features everything from furniture to art to a great reasonably priced collection of wine. Pick up a gift for a friend, something for your garden or just something to drink — you can’t go wrong with this selection.
BEST ANTIQUE STORE EMPORIUM
BEST PLACE TO GET A BODY PIERCING IRON AGE STUDIOS 6309 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314725-1499 Iron Age Studios in the Delmar Loop has been the place to go for tattoos and body piercing since 1994. Owner Brad Fink and his crew have earned a national reputation for their designs. But it’s not just about a touch of ink; their piercings are top-notch, too.
9410 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314-9627300 A frequent winner in Best Of St. Louis contests for both “best antiques” and “best furniture store,” Emporium has done it again in 2017 with wins in two categories. The Maplewood store features vintage, one-of-a-kind home decor items, with a great, everchanging selection.
BEST THRIFT STORE GOODWILL
BEST YOGA STUDIO URBAN BREATH Two locations, including 4237 Manchester Avenue, 314-421-9642 This yoga studio, with branches in both the city’s Grove neighborhood and Maplewood, earns high marks for its mellow atmosphere and diverse group of instructors who are capable of working with any skill level. Readers says Urban Breath is great for beginners; new students can get a pass allowing unlimited classes for just $30 in a 30-day period.
BEST BOOK STORE LEFT BANK BOOKS 399 North Euclid Avenue, 314-367-6731 Big enough to hold a huge variety of books but not so big you get lost or feel like you’re at one of those chain stores, Left Bank Books offers a perfectly curated selection of new books upstairs and a great used section in the basement. The children’s area, too, is simply wonderful.
Multiple locations, including 4140 Forest Park Avenue, 314-371-1296 St. Louis loves Goodwill. The national chain of thrift stores often shows up in Best of St. Louis rankings, and there’s little wonder why. Goodwill has been upcycling and recycling since way back, while also providing work experience, education and literary programs and career counseling for its employees. Also, you can buy a massive ’70s-era Zenith TV console for a good price any time you get the urge. What’s not to like about that?
BEST BIKE SHOP BIG SHARK Multiple locations, including 1155 South Big Bend Boulevard, Richmond Heights; 314-862-1188 Whether you’re buying a brand-new bicycle or just need to tune up your existing wheels, Big Shark is ready to serve, with shops downtown, in Richmond Heights and in Chesterfield. Knowledgeable staff and a low-pressure environment keep cyclists coming back time and again for all their cycling needs.
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RECORD EXCHANGE 5320 Hampton Avenue, 314-832-2249 Vinyl albums continue their surprising comeback from the brink of extinction, but for Jean Haffner’s Record Exchange, the format has never gone out of style. Offering 10,000 square feet of sales floor inside a former library, at Haffner’s house of music, long players retain their place of pride. With everything from show tunes to novelty albums, if you can’t find something to take home at the Record Exchange, you must not have been looking.
BEST JEWELRY STORE PARAMOUNT JEWELERS 7348 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314-6451122 Since 1946, generations of St. Louisans have gone to Paramount Jewelers for engagement sets, club rings and the latest in fine jewelry. The friendly and knowledgeable staff is happy to help people find the perfect anniversary gift or design a custom piece for that once-in-a-lifetime special occasion. Paramount is the exclusive retail source for Tissot Watches and also handles battery replacement and watch repair. Speaking of repairs, if you have a beloved family heirloom that’s been damaged, Paramount specializes in fixing antique jewelry.
BEST ART SUPPLY STORE BLICK ART MATERIALS 6300 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-8626980 Blick’s expanded location in the Loop has what you need. Whether you’re looking for a respectable price on Winsor & Newton paint brushes, sculpting chisels or poster board for a last-minute science project, you can rest easy that the shop has it. (They can even frame the award if your kid wins.) With regular sales on essentials and overstock items, you can get something for practically nothing if you’re patient. And don’t forget Blick’s free preferred customer program, which guarantees Blick will match competitors’ prices and nets students and educators a ten percent discount. You can’t beat that.
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august 20–26, 2009 I volume 33 I number 34
rIverFronttImes.com I Free
GENERAL PRACTITIONER
FUNNY BUSINESS
CROSS-DRESSING
SURRENDERED LICENSE
CREVE COEUR
BY KEEGAN HAMILTON
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VIOLATED PATIENT PRIVACY
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our military doesn’t have a gambling problem HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT TO BET? • BY JOHN H. TUCKER
OR, HOW MY MEATGINA™ CHANGED EVERYTHING
TOM FINKEL
FLEW THE COOP
MAY 3–8, 2012 I VOLUME 36 I NUMBER 18
THE GENIUS OF TOM CARLSON
e’d just published a story about how the USDA killed a local beef co-op’s deal to export top-quality meat to Japan. The article would go on to win its author a James Beard Award — a serious national score for a writer at a Midwestern alt-weekly. But the cover was getting a less-favorable reception from Riverfront Times readers who were convinced that we’d foisted a subliminal obscenity on them. As covers go, it was stark: a photo of a disk of raw red meat centered on a white ceramic plate. The RFT logo at the upper left looked like part of the platter’s glaze. The type treatment was in every way minimalist. The headline: “Eat Me.” I liked the cover. It had, after all, been my idea, from the headline to the filet mignon right down to the platter, which came from my kitchen at home. To my eye, it was a striking visual whose sole (brilliant!) subtlety resided in the fact that if you rotated the image 90 degrees and squinted, it kind of looked like the Japanese flag. Our readers were more discerning. Where I pictured the Land of the Rising Sun, they saw a…vagina. This was disconcerting. It’s one thing to challenge one’s audience with confrontational imagery. A self-immolating monk, say, or a gay Ernie and Bert. (Or, to cite one of many RFT instances, 57 naked women forming a human peace sign.) In such cases, you expect a little blowback. But for crying out loud, we hadn’t done anything! Unlike all the other art directors I’ve ever met, RFT’s Tom Carlson has a way with words. So it was that when I complained to him about the injustice (“Sometimes a hunk of meat is just a hunk of meat!”), he shot back: “MeatGina™!” The following week, we published our very first art director’s note, accompanied by the cartoon drawing on the following page.
When the MeatGina™ fracas broke out in the summer of 2004,
I’d been at RFT a little more than a year. Tom Carlson had been at the paper for twenty years. St. Louis was a homecoming for me. I did most of my growing up in U. City, less than half a mile from the RFT office in the Delmar Loop, but I’d moved away for good — or so I’d thought — in the mid-1980s. I’d since stumbled into a career in alternative journalism, spending nine years in Miami and five in the Twin Cities. My goal at Riverfront Times was to provide coverage that reflected the diverse culture of the area, in a thought-provoking way that St. Louisans would engage with (if not always agree with). By that time, our contents had migrated online — which is to say, pretty much everything that went to press each week was simultaneously published at riverfronttimes.com. In the years that followed, the balance would tilt further and further to the internet, to the point where most stories would appear online as soon as they were ready for publication, and the advertising base for the hard-copy edition couldn’t support enough pages to fit all that stuff. But in 2004, print and online were essentially created equal. Except for the cover. To this day, there’s no online equivalent to a magazine cover. The
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opportunity for visual impact is and always has been enormous. And I felt it was crucial for RFT to take full advantage. There’s a lot working against top-shelf cover design at a weekly, though. Money is tight, and so are deadlines. (Think about it: The art director has to conceive and execute 52 covers a year.) And then there’s the editor. When it comes to designing covers, editors stink. This stands to reason — an editor’s job, after all, is to edit stories. Editors are word people. Art directors are picture people. Yet most editors love coming up with cover concepts and are entirely oblivious to how ill-suited they are to the task. A great cover image ought to convey something essential about the story it’s trying to sell. But at an altweekly, the subject matter is often complex, and the narrative usually doesn’t have an instantly recognizable (or exceedingly photogenic) protagonist. Right now, maybe, you’re imagining a sleek, tidy office in which our hero is hitting “send” on an email to his art director, enclosing a story that’s all set to be laid out, headline treatments and all. That might be somebody’s office, but it was never mine. At an altweekly, the art director almost always must begin designing the cover long before the story is in a publishable state. Continued on pg 112
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MEATGINA Continued from pg 111 Of all the people involved in the process, the editor is in the best position to envision what the workin-progress will look like when it’s finished. So it’s only right that they should have a seat at the drawing board. As long as it’s a back seat. Still, some editors want nothing to do with cover design. That might make for an undemanding working relationship in a good-fences-makegood-neighbors sort of way, but I don’t think it yields better covers.
But I digress.
Not long after the MeatGina™, Carlson and I hit on a strategy — and, not coincidentally, a vocabulary — that led to a breakthrough in the way he designed the cover each week. Here’s why: The “Eat Me” cover embodied the aesthetic I’d been pushing. The trouble was, I’m a word person (mostly, anyway) and he’s a picture person (mostly, anyway). So while we’d throw around notions like “strong central image,” and “simple” and “elegant,” and sometimes we’d even share illustrations that we liked, we weren’t on the same page. I have an unfortunate knack for brainstorming ideas for cover images that can’t be translated into a physical reality on the page. When I dream up a concept, I lack the apparatus to judge whether it is, for lack of a better term, illustratively possible. This is a serious limitation. Carlson, on the other hand, can grasp the visual potential intuitively. He is the most literate art director I’ve ever met. When an editor hands over a story draft, he reads it. (Not nearly as common a phenomenon as you might think.) He also comes up with some of the best headlines of anyone I know — a rare talent all on its own. The first epiphany we shared was that a cover image should not require any type in order to convey its message. That’s not to say that a cover shouldn’t have any words on it. The job of the words is to pick up where the image leaves off. To commit to this notion, I made Carlson two promises: 1) No more “teases” on the cover. (You’re familiar with the blurbs for ancillary stories that clutter most magazine covers.) Carlson hated them. I liked the idea of doing away with them, because they’re the enemy of simplicity. Which led to… 2) If Carlson could design a cover that needed no words to sell the story, we would put no words on it. In fact,
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this was to become a grail of sorts for him. And he made a few such covers, and they went to press as he intended, with no words on them. That said, an image that says it all isn’t necessarily the best design for every story. The second epiphany was the realization that as distinct elements of communication, stories and covers are analogous to grammatical parts of speech: A story is a verb, while a cover is a noun. This was huge. For one thing, it accounts for why editors make such bad art directors: They always attempt to convey the narrative arc of the story. This truth had been imparted to me years earlier at the annual convention hosted by the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, where SF Weekly editor John Mecklin and his art director teamed up for a presentation about cover design. Mecklin drew a crude sketch of a big cowboy boot filled with money, stomping on a little guy. This, he explained, is the narrative of every alt-weekly cover story. Better yet, the grammatical dichotomy served as a heads-up when we veered off the rails. If the image on the cover needed to be described in terms of an action, we needed to take a step back. And best of all, it led to an intermittent series of covers that mimicked actual physical objects: A 40-ounce beer bottle. A board game. A takeout container from a Chinese restaurant. When RFT’s corporate parent moved me to New York in 2013, I wanted Carlson to come too. It made a lot of sense: The Village Voice, where I was headed, was clunking along without an art director. But alt-weeklies — hell, all species of journalism — were clunking along without a sustainable business model. So I went, and Carlson stayed, until our bosses transferred him to Phoenix when they sold the Riverfront Times in 2015. (To bring the story full circle, he’s back now, working for RFT’s new owners in a corporate role.) As it turned out, money was in such short supply that for the two and a half years I ran the Voice before my bosses sold it, too, he designed nearly all of the covers. Like most long-distance relationships, it wasn’t as much fun, but by that time, nothing was.
“Eat Me” wasn’t the best idea I ever had, and it’s a drag when
people mistake your filet for genitalia, but I remember it fondly. And looking at it now, I still think it’s a pretty good concept. (For an editor.) More to the point, it ignited a conversation that continued for a decade and then some — a period that saw Tom Carlson create some of the best work to appear on the cover of any print publication, anywhere. This he accomplished in a medium that relies on cheap newsprint, as opposed to the coated stock that glossy magazines use. And that, boys and girls, is how my MeatGina™ changed everything. Now that I’ve put this into words, I’m afraid it might seem like I’m trying to take the credit for it. But that’s because these are just words. Take a look at the covers that follow. Because we all know what they say about how many words one picture’s worth. Tom Finkel, who was editor in chief of the Riverfront Times from 2003 to 2013, now lives in the other Maplewood, which is in New Jersey.
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Mainstage
Presented by
SEPT 6– OCT 1
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117
CALENDAR
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 4
Madco brings back Freedom for a timely encore. | STEVE TRUESDELL
BY PAUL FRISWOLD
FRIDAY 09/29 Lizzie Most of what we think we know about purported ace-murderess Lizzie Borden is inaccurate. She didn’t kill her mother and father; it was actually her father and her stepmother, a woman she distrusted and addressed rather frostily as “Mrs. Borden.” Borden was infamous in her day for her calm, cool manner following the murders and for beating the rap. The strangeness of the unsolved killings and Borden’s insistence on remaining in her hometown for the rest of her life fueled the rumor mill. She did it for her father’s fortune; it was revenge for her father’s sexual abuse of her; she had been caught in a romantic tryst with the house maid; she planned the murders with mother’s brother. Steven Cheslik-de-
Meyer, Alan Stevens Hewitt and Tim Maner recast the story for the modern age in their rock musical Lizzie. It’s a raucous, loud show that fuses the guitars and attitude of the Riot Grrrls with the gothic sensibility of the historical era, and relies on a cast of four women and a six-piece band. New Line Theatre opens its new season with Lizzie. Performances take place at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday (September 28 to October 21) at the Marcelle Theater (3310 Samuel Shepard Drive; www.newlinetheatre.com). Tickets are $15 to $25.
A Walk in the Woods Andrey and John have been too long at the negotiating table, with nothing to show for their labors. They decide to chuck everything and go for a stroll in the forest
above Geneva. As they walk, the American and Soviet discuss matters other than limiting their respective countries’ nuclear arms stockpile. They talk about the futility of their jobs and the camaraderie growing between them. But is friendship with a Russian something the idealistic John can believe in, or even desire? Lee Blessing’s A Walk in the Woods is a play about choosing to live your life as if it matters more than your job. The West End Players Guild opens its 107th season with the drama. Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (September 29 to October 8) at the Union Avenue Christian Church (733 North Union Boulevard; www.westendplayers.org). Tickets are $20 to $25.
Q in the Lou Have no fear: The organizers of Q in the Lou assure you that they’re
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going ahead with the third year of the smoked meat festival. With 18,000 pounds of flesh ready to enter the pit, they expect large and hungry crowds, so don’t disappoint them. This year’s Q in the Lou takes place from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday (September 29 to October 1) at Kiener Plaza (Seventh and Market streets; www.qinthelou.com). Admission is free, but bring your wallet, because everybody’s selling what they smoke. This year’s designated “Legends of the Pit” include Sugarfire’s Mike Johnson and Christina Fitzgerald, Skip Steele of Pappy’s and Bogart’s fame, Mississippi’s father/daughter two-fer Garry Roark and Leslie Scott Roark, and Marlando “Big Moe” Cason of Des Moines’ Ponderosa BBQ. There will be live music all three days, VIP options and even master-class sessions if you want to learn from the best.
SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 3, 2017
Continued on pg 118
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SAINT LOUIS ORCHESTRA 2017-2018 Concert Series
Classical 1 In Pursuit of “The Ring” Fri., Oct. 13, 2017 at 8 pm at Purser Auditorium, Logan University
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet (FantasyOverture) Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33 Bjorn Ranheim, cello Rossini: Overture to “William Tell” Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries from “Die Walküre” (arr. Hutschenruyter) Wagner: Magic Fire Music from “Die Walküre” Wagner: Siegfried’s Rhine Journey from “Götterdämmerung” (arr. Humperdinck) Wagner: Siegfried’s Death & Funeral Music from “Götterdämmerung” (arr. Stasny)
Classical 2 Reveling in Rachmaninoff Fri., Nov. 17, 2017 at 8 pm at Purser Auditorium, Logan University
Weber: Overture to “Der Freischütz” Ferdinand David: Concertino No. 4, Op. 4 for Trombone & Orchestra Matt Frederickson, trombone Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27
Holiday Pops (Holiday Concert – TOYS for TOTS) Friday, December 8, 2017 at 8 pm at Purser Auditorium, Logan University
with the Lindenwood University Choir, Pamela Grooms, director; Program TBD
Classical 3 A Fantastic Symphony
Fri., March 9, 2018 at 8 pm at the J. Scheidegger Center Auditorium, Lindenwood University
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14 Vaughan Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem with the Lindenwood University Concert Choir, Pamela Grooms, director and the Saint Louis Community College – Meramec Chorus, Gerald Myers, director vocal soloists to be announced
Classical 4 Sonic Showcase
Fri., April 27, 2018 at 8 pm at the Skip Viragh Center, Chaminade
Meyerbeer: Overture to “Le Prophete” (ed. Mark Starr) World Première Debussy: Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun (L’après midi d’un faun) Ravel: Une barque sûr l’ocean STL Philharmonic 2017 Aspiring Artist Concerto Competition Winner TBA Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D major, “Titan”
Table Seats - $30; Gallery Seats - $15
FOR TICKETS OR INFORMATION
(314) 421-3600
www.stlphilharmonic.org
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CALENDAR Continued from pg 118
SATURDAY 09/30 Madco: Freedom Madco brought the curtain down on its 40th season with Freedom, a collection of four new dance pieces inspired by images of the civil rights movement in the ’60s and what happened in Ferguson more recently. The four choreographers — Cecil Slaughter, Nejla Yatkin, Jennifer Archibald and Gina Patterson — didn’t seek to directly recreate scenes of fire hoses and heavily armed police officers on stage. Rather, they sought to evoke both a sense of oppression and the striving, human element that sought equality through peaceful means. Madco presents an encore performance of Freedom at 8 p.m. tonight at the Touhill Performing Arts Center (1 University Drive at Natural Bridge Road; www.touhill. org) on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus. Tickets are $30.
The Bodyguard moves from big screen to stage. | © JOAN MARCUS
There have been chimpanzee painters, elephant painters and even an octopus (which didn’t not specialize in watercolors) — but never a cat. That’s because all cats know they are works of art and deserve to be memorialized as such by others. Mauhaus, the cafe with all the kitties, recognizes this need with its inaugural Cat Art Fair. This show of cat-themed work created by local artists takes place outside, and no, you should not bring your own cat(s). You should, however, bring your sense of wonder. The Cat Art Fair takes place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today at Mauhaus (3101 Sutton Boulevard, Maplewood; www.mauhauscafe.com). Admission is free.
pope (he was officially Pope Alexander VI), but was then accused of hosting orgies in the Vatican. His son Cesare was frequently cited as an example of what not to do by Machiavelli in his famous treatise The Prince. Cesare’s sister Lucrezia was used as a pawn by the family to gain power through marriage, and she was rumored to be the family executioner, poisoning people who had outlived their usefulness. The Borgias have all the ingredients for a fantastic opera (or soap opera), which is exactly why Harold Blumenfeld wrote Borgia Infami. Blumenfeld’s opera weaves together fact and various fictional portrayals of the family to give a full picture of their significance in history. The Washington University Department of Music presents the world premiere of Borgia Infami at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday (September 30 and October 1) at Washington University’s Edison Theatre (6465 Forsyth Boulevard; www.edison.wustl.edu). Tickets are $10 to $25.
SUNDAY 10/01 Borgia Infami
TUESDAY 10/03 The Bodyguard
The Borgia family has been synonymous with brilliance and lust for power since the days of the fifteenth century. They dominated politics and ecclesiastical roles while remaining cunning warriors and generous patrons of the arts. But they were also slandered and libeled by the people they out-maneuvered. Rodrigo attained the position of
Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner brought old-fashioned romance back to the big screen with their 1992 smash film The Bodyguard. Alexander Dinelaris adapted the film into a musical and made a few changes along the way. Rather than focus on ex-Secret Service guy Frank Farmer, Dinelaris centers the story on singer Rachel. And
Cat Art Fair
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while Whitney is not going to take the stage to belt out “I Will Always Love You,” the musical is loaded with additional Houston hits, and the romance still sweeps the show along to a dramatic conclusion. The Bodyguard the Musical is presented Tuesday through Sunday (October 3 to 15) at the Fox Theatre (527 North Grand Boulevard; www.fabulousfox.com). Tickets are $35 to $105.
WEDNESDAY 10/04 The Witches The final film Jim Henson worked on before his death was an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book The Witches. Like most Dahl stories, there is a greater sense of peril and terror than what you find in most children’s books. Luke is a newly orphaned boy whose grandmother takes him to England. She warns him to beware of witches at all times, for they despise children and will destroy them whenever possible. Of course the hotel they’re staying in is hosting a national convention of England’s witches, and Luke is soon transformed into a mouse by the Grand High Witch (a perfectly cast Anjelica Huston). Can the rodent boy sabotage the witches’ plan to kill all of Britain’s children, or is this it for the kids? It’s a creepy and effective kids movie that works for adults as well. The Webster Film Series presents The Witches at 8 p.m. tonight at Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Avenue; www.webster. edu/film-series) as part of its Strange Brew series. Tickets are $5. n
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EMERY & ENTERTAINMENT
present
UPCOMING EVENTS 10/21 Boo! Silliage Festival and Werewolf Hunt 10/27 Fourth Friday Art Walk 10/28 Rural Heritage Days 10/28 Déjà vu Spirit Reunion 11/11 Cookie Crumb Trail
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Splatter Zone Tickets - $90 GET DRENCHED IN BLOOD FROM THE ONSTAGE MAYHEM! SPLATTER ZONE TICKETS INCLUDES: • Seats in the first 3 rows • Meet and Greet with photo opportunity following show • Option to purchase VIP parking across the street from the venue for an additional $5
Tickets: Call MetroTix at 314-534-1111 or MetroTix.com EvilDeadTheMusical.com @EvilDeadTO #EvilDeadTO
Evil Dead: The Musical
SATURDAY
OCTOBER 28 BOARD: 8 PM
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DEPART: 8:30 PM
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RETURN: 11 PM
Break out your Halloween best for a chance to win the Grand Prize during this costume party cruise. Dance to music played by a DJ. Enjoy light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, along with Halloween treats.
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122
OUT EVERY NIGHT
THURSDAY 28 BRUXISM #29: w/ Hands and Feet, Oxherding,
3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-8300.
[CRITIC’S PICK]
BRASKY: w/ Sisser, Bagheera 8 p.m., free. Schlafly
Joann J. McNeil 9 p.m., free. Schlafly Tap Room,
Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-
2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-241-2337.
2337.
CRUSHED OUT: w/ the Vanilla Beans, the Public
CARA LOUIS BAND: w/ 4th City Rockers 5 p.m.,
8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson
free. Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St.
Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.
Louis, 314-224-5521.
MAGIC CITY HIPPIES: 8 p.m., $10-$13. The Bootleg,
COLD CAVE: 9 p.m., $17.50-$20. Delmar Hall, 6133
4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775.
Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.
MOON JR.: w/ Angelhead 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy
DEERHOOF: 8 p.m., $15. The Ready Room, 4195
Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-
Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.
5226.
DIRTY KING: w/ Menace & Mad Moe/TRB, Tattooed
QUINN XCII: w/ Shallou 8 p.m., $12-$15. Old Rock
The Dog, Sails Through Storms, Blind Shepherd
House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.
6 p.m., $10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-
SEEKER: w/ Enfold Darkness, Wolf King 7 p.m.,
289-9050.
$12-$13. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis,
GREYHOUNDS: 7 p.m., $10-$13. Atomic Cowboy
314-535-0353.
Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis,
STABBING WESTWARD: 7 p.m., $20-$22. Fubar,
314-775-0775.
3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
HARPER & THE MIDWEST KIND: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s
TORREY CASEY & SOUTHSIDE HUSTLE: 9 p.m., $5.
Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis,
BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St.
Power Trip. | PHOTO VIA GROUND CONTROL TOURING
Louis, 314-436-5222. WILLIAM ELLIOT WHITMORE: 8 p.m., $15-$18. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444. THE WIMPS: 5 p.m., free. Meshuggah Coffee House, 6269 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314726-5662.
FRIDAY 29 ANNIKA CHAMBERS: 5 p.m., $10-$15. National Blues Museum, 615 Washington Ave., St. Louis. BIG GEORGE BROCK & THE HOUSEROCKERS: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222. BLACK UHURU: w/ Onesty 8:30 p.m., $20. 2720 Cherokee Performing Arts Center, 2720 Cherokee St, St. Louis, 314-276-2700. BRYAN RANNEY ALBUM RELEASE: 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-
The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Avenue. 314833-3929.
With death metal legends Obituary, thrash metal legends Exodus and German thrashers Dust Bolt all crowding for space on a packed bill, the October 1 show at the Ready Room is already a metalhead’s dream. But add to that considerable lineup the high-intensity crossover of Dallas’ Power Trip and you have a full-on headbangers’ paradise, with tasty riff after tasty riff raining down
6161.
from on high like manna from the metal gods. The Texas thrashers mix NYHC sounds (full-tilt chest-beating hardcore à la Cro-Mags) with the musical proficiency of the first four Metallica albums (except the drummer is better than Lars, duh) to create a punishing mix sure to rattle skulls. Waking Nightmare: Expect Power Trip to perform numerous songs off of its excellent sophomore LP, Nightmare Logic, released February on Southern Lord Records. —Daniel Hill
KSHE 95 50TH BIRTHDAY PARTY: w/ Sammy Hagar, ZZ Top, Collective Soul, Andrew Hagar 5 p.m., TBA. Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, I-70 & Earth City Expwy., Maryland Heights, 314-2989944. LOVE A LITTLE LOUDER: A MUSICAL MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS RALLY: w/ Adam Reichmann, Auset Music Project, Apex Shrine, The Poorhouse Says, The Vondrukes 7 p.m., free. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989. MUSICAL EDU-TAINMENT: w/ DJ G. Wiz 8 p.m., $5. The Stage at KDHX, 3524 Washington Ave, St. Louis, 314-925-7543, ext. 815. NOT WAVING BUT DROWNING: w/ Fuse 12, Daybringer, Kill Their Past 7 p.m., $10. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444.
6989. CAYETANA: w/ Hemming 8 p.m., $10-$12. Blue-
[CRITIC’S PICK]
berry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444.
Louis, 314-388-7777.
Marquise Knox Record Release
CRYWOLF: 9 p.m., $12-$65. The Ready Room, 4195
8 p.m. Friday, September 29.
Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.
Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Boulevard. $20. 314-7266161.
CLINT BLACK: 7 p.m., $37.50- $77.50. River City Casino & Hotel, 777 River City Casino Blvd., St.
JAYMES YOUNG: 8 p.m., $18-$20. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. LEROY JODIE PIERSON: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-4365222. MARQUISE KNOX CD RELEASE SHOW: 8 p.m., $20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314726-6161. THE MIRAGE THEORY: 6 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. NSEBLDR: w/ The Public 7 p.m., $8. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
SATURDAY 30 BO-LAR-OH!: 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar & Grill,
122
KORN: w/ Kings Bounty 8 p.m., $52.50-$65. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-
Power Trip 7 p.m. Sunday, October 1.
314-436-5222.
SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 3, 2017
Blues singers know how to tell tales of woe like no other genre can — stories of empty wallets, low-down women and hellhounds on their trail populate the form. But for Marquise Knox, the blues-guitar phenom who has lit up stages around town since he was a teenager, real life recently provided a gruesome and terrifying addition to the list. After a gig under the Arch, Knox was attacked outside of his home in riverfronttimes.com
THE OBSESSED: w/ Iron Tongue 7 p.m., $20-$22. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050. PARTNER: w/ Tiger Rider, The Crisis Walk Ins
Bowling Green, Missouri, and stabbed in the neck. Luckily he bounced back quickly, and used his active social media presence to remind his fans “I’m not going out like this.” Indeed, his new album Black & Blue will be celebrated with a release show this weekend. New album aside, the 26-year old has plenty to celebrate — and a lot more blues left to play. Total Knox-Out: Black & Blue is the first release on the newly formed Knox Entertainment label, which Marquise co-manages with Broadway Oyster Bar manager Alonzo Townsend. —Christian Schaeffer
8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100. PURE OCTOBER ALBUM RELEASE: w/ Old State, Noahfence 7 p.m., $5. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. ROCKY & THE WRANGLERS: 4 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314436-5222. UNDERTOW: A TRIBUTE TO TOOL: w/ Divide The Empire, Silent Hollow 7 p.m., $6. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353. THE WIMPS: 2 p.m., free. Paul Schroeder Park, Old Meramec Stn between Manchester & Big Bend roads, Ballwin, 636-391-6326.
SUNDAY 1 BRAIN BAGZ: w/ Bloodbags, Shitstorm 8 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309. THE CALIFORNIA HONEYDROPS: 7 p.m., $17. Atomic
[CRITIC’S PICK] 736 S Broadway • St. Louis, MO 63102 (314) 621-8811
Love a Little Louder 7 p.m. Saturday, September 30. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. Free. 314-4986989.
A year ago, the nephew of St. Louis musician Bob McKee (of the Poorhouse Says and the Vondrukes) took his own life. His death shocked his extended family, as he had given no overt warnings, though he had confided to some friends his painful thoughts. “Love a Little Louder” is McKee’s response to the tragedy, a concert featuring his bands — along with fellow St. Louis acts Auset Music Project, Apex Shrine and Adam Reichmann (formerly of Nadine)
— and an educational event focused on advocating for and supporting those who suffer from mental illness. The night is not a benefit per se (admission is free), but rather an opportunity to raise awareness — and raise the roof with some heartfelt, local rock & roll. Learning and Listening: Along with the music, the night will feature panel discussions from key suicide prevention resources, including Mental Health America of Eastern Missouri, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Great Circle and Provident.
KIM MASSIE: 10:30 p.m., $10. Beale on Broadway,
Louis, 314-775-0775.
701 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-7880.
LILLY HIATT: 8 p.m., $12. Blueberry Hill - The
THE NATIVE HOWL: 7 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108
Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City,
Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.
314-727-4444.
SCREAMING FEMALES: 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway,
LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz,
3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.
Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-
ST. LOUIS SOCIAL CLUB: 8 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues
436-5222.
& Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-
OBITUARY: w/ Exodus, Power Trip, Dust Bolt 7
5222.
p.m., $25-$30. The Ready Room, 4195 Manches-
STEPHEN KELLOGG: w/ Emily Hearn 8 p.m., $20-
ter Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.
$25. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis,
RIGHTEOUS VENDETTA: 7 p.m., $12-$15. The Fire-
314-588-0505.
bird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353.
YELAWOLF: w/ Mikey Mike, Big Henri, Cookup
SOUL REUNION: 10:30 p.m., $7. Beale on Broad-
Boss 8 p.m., $25. Pop’s Nightclub, 401 Monsanto
way, 701 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-7880.
Ave., East St. Louis, 618-274-6720.
MONDAY 2
WEDNESDAY 4
THE GOLDEN FLEECE: 7 p.m., $12. The Stage at
ANGEL OLSEN: w/ Mount Moriah 8 p.m., $20-
KDHX, 3524 Washington Ave, St. Louis, 314-925-
$22.50. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St.
7543, ext. 815.
Louis, 314-726-6161.
KMFDM: w/ ohGr, Lord Of The Lost 8 p.m., $27.50-
BOB “BUMBLE BEE” KAMOSKE: 8 p.m. Beale on
$30. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis,
Broadway, 701 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-
314-726-6161.
7880.
SLOW CAVES: w/ Comrade Catbox, Orphan Welles
CHRIS O’LEARY BAND: 10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues
8 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway,
& Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-
St. Louis, 314-328-2309.
5222.
SOULARD BLUES BAND: 9 p.m., $5. Broadway Oys-
CHURCH GIRLS: w/ Sister Wizzard, Party Dress 8
ter Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.
p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave.,
TELEKINETIC YETI: w/ Dibiase, Spacetrucker 8
St. Louis, 314-772-2100.
p.m., $8-$10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis,
GHOST FOOT: w/ Vampyre 8 p.m., $7. The Sinkhole,
314-289-9050.
7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.
THIRD SIGHT BAND: 8 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues &
THE GREEN MCDONOUGH BAND: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s
Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.
Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis,
SEPTEMBER 29
SEPTEMBER 30
9 PM
OCTOBER 1
fri. september 29
TORREY CASEY & SOUTHSIDE HUSTLE BIG GEORGE BROCK HARPER & THE MIDWEST KIND LOVE JONES
314-436-5222. THEORY OF A DEADMAN: 8 p.m., $28-$30. Delmar
BLACK PUSSY: w/ Rover, The Judge, Deep Space
Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.
Killer 8 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St.
TOKIMONSTA: 8 p.m., $15-$18. Old Rock House,
Louis, 314-289-9050.
1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.
BRETT NETSON: w/ Clark and the Himselfs, Town
WEDNESDAY NIGHT JAZZ CRAWL: 5 p.m. continues
Cars 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jeffer-
through Dec. 27, free. The Stage at KDHX, 3524
son Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.
Washington Ave, St. Louis, 314-925-7543, ext. 815.
thu. september 28
BASSEL AND THE SUPERNATURALS FROM CHICAGO
SEPTEMBER 28
—Roy Kasten
Cowboy Pavilion, 4140 Manchester Avenue, St.
TUESDAY 3
SEPTEMBER 27
JOYANN PARKER BLUES BAND
riverfronttimes.com
JAKES LEG 10 PM
sat. september 30
SCANDALEROS PLAY THE WATKIN’S GLEN TRIBUTE 10 PM wed. october 4
THE VOODOO PLAYERS TRIBUTE TO BOB DYLAN 9:30 PM
fri. october 6
CEDRIC BURNSIDE PROJECT 10 PM fri. october 13
MOUNTAIN SPROUT 10 PM sat. october 14
NOLA SUPERGROUP NEW ORLEANS SUSPECTS FEATURING: FORMER MEMBERS OF THE NEVILLE BROTHERS, DIRTY DOZEN AND JAMES BROWN’S BANDS 10 PM SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 3, 2017
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®
FRI 11/10
ON SALE NOW
FRI 1/5
ON SALE FRI. AT 10AM
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WEDNESDAY 9/27
TUESDAY 10/3
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THURSDAY 10/5
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UPCOMING SHOWS 10/13 ANDY MINEO
10/31 NAHKO - MY NAME IS BEAR
10/14 KREWELLA
11/1 GOGOL BORDELLO
10/15 AL STEWART/YEAR OF THE CAT SHOW
11/3 BEN FOLDS
10/17 WHITNEY CUMMINGS
11/4 TAKE ME TO THE RIVER
10/18 HOODIE ALLEN
11/12 LIL DUVAL
10/21 NEEDTOBREATHE
11/15 TURNPIKE TROUBADOURS
10/21 GEORGE WINSTON AT THE SHELDON CONCERT HALL
11/16 DIRTY HEADS 11/18 THE URGE
10/21 GIRLPOOL AT OFF BROADWAY
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10/24 MUTEMATH
11/22 SEVEN LIONS
10/27 TOM SEGURA 10/28 THE DEVIL MAKES THREE
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10/29 THE FRONT BOTTOMS
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thepageant.com // 6161 delmar blvd. / St. Louis, MO 63112 // 314.726.6161
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SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 3, 2017
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SAVAGE LOVE AT THE PALACE BY DAN SAVAGE I had a blast hosting Savage Lovecast Live at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts. Audience members submitted questions before the show, and I consumed a large pot edible right after the curtain went up and then raced to give as much decent sex advice as I could before it took effect. Here are some of the questions I didn’t get to before my judgment became too impaired to operate a sex-and-relationship-advice podcast. I’ve been on the dating apps a while. What’s up with serial first daters? Back when people primarily met at parties, bars, clubs, etc., we established baseline physical/chemical attraction before learning someone’s name and long before a first date. (We eyeballed ’em, we said hello, we made a moment’s small talk.) With apps, however, we can’t establish baseline physical/ chemical attraction until our first faceto-face meeting — until after that “first date,” which itself comes after we’ve swapped flirty messages, sent additional pics, and made a plan to meet. Since apps mean more “first dates,” it feels like we’re meeting a lot more “serial first daters” these days. We aren’t — it’s just that now we have to meet up with people to eyeball ’em, say hello, and make small talk. Don’t think of that first meeting with someone you met via an app as a “first date,” think of it as the preinterview before the first date. My best friend is in a relationship with a really jealous, controlling guy. He guilt-
trips her constantly and gets passive-aggressively mad whenever she tries to hang out with people besides him. When she complains about him, I want to say fuck him, he’s a dick, except… she’s having a full-on affair with another guy and seems not to feel bad about it! I don’t know what advice to give or how to make sense of the situation. What’s my responsibility to her? To her boyfriend? Maybe your best friend’s boyfriend is jealous and controlling because he senses — or because he knows — his girlfriend is cheating on him. Or maybe it didn’t occur to your best friend to cheat on her boyfriend until after he accused her of cheating for the millionth time — maybe she figured she might as well commit the crime since she was already being punished for it. Or maybe they’re both terrible people who deserve each other and neither is your responsibility. I feel like all my friends resent me for getting married. How do I make them feel less insecure about my new relationship? Ask yourself which is likelier: All of your friends — every single one of them — are so petty and insecure that they resent you for getting married, or you were a megalomaniacal bride-or-groom-or-nonbinary-zilla and behaved so atrociously that you managed to piss off all your friends? If it’s the (less likely) former, make better friends. If it’s the (more likely) latter, make amends. My brother’s fiancée told my mom that she doesn’t like my mom’s usual lipstick color and asked my mom to wear a shade she picked out for the wedding. My mom is 75 and wears cute pink lip-
stick. Is it wrong if both my mom and I wear the pink in solidarity? You should absolutely wear your mom’s shade in solidarity — and send me a pic of you two at the wedding, please! (Hey, person who asked the previous question, did you pull this kind of shit? Did you order your friends around the way this woman’s future DIL is ordering her around?) You’ve recommended marijuana to help women have better sex. I’ve tried it, but I often get so high that time seems to fracture. When that happens, I worry I’m missing orgasms. What should I do? Less! I want to try the new cannabis lubes. Should I tell my girlfriend first or just do it? It’s expensive, and I’m afraid she’ll say no since she doesn’t smoke the ganja. Do not dose your girlfriend without her consent. If it’s smoke she doesn’t like, ask her how she feels about experimenting with pot edibles and spreadables. And if the answer is no, the answer is no. Spiking your girlfriend’s twat with pot lube without her consent is not an option — it would be an unforgivable and very likely criminal violation of her bodily autonomy. DO NOT DO IT. You are always talking about adult children coming out to their fundamentalist parents about being queer, poly, kinky, etc. But how should older adults handle coming out to their batshit fundamentalist adult kids, especially when these kids control access to grandchildren? Just as an adult child’s presence is their only leverage over their parents, your presence is your only leverage over
127
your adult children. (Unless you’re sitting on a large family fortune, of course, and you can threaten them with disinheritance.) And just as queer kids are sometimes forced to lie to their parents — they sometimes have to tell hateful parents what they want to hear in order to avoid being cut off or thrown out — you may have to tell your kids what they want to hear (or not tell them what they don’t want to hear) in order to avoid being cut out of your grandchildren’s lives. It sucks, and I’m sorry — but once your grandchildren are grown, you can say whatever you like and tell your batshit fundamentalist adult kids to go fuck themselves. When is the best time to tell my married, ostensibly straight coworker that I want to have sexy gay times with his bubble butt? Hmm… maybe once you’ve updated your résumé, seeing as your gay trouble butt may get fired after you grab his straight bubble butt? What are some ways to overcome shyness and tell your partner what you want? Think how soon you’ll be dead (soon!) and how long you’re gonna stay dead once you’re dead (forever!). Then tell your partner everything. Do it in an email if you can’t do it face-to-face — but do it! Donald Trump is president and we could all be dead tomorrow. Don’t delay! Listen to Dan’s podcast at savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter ITMFA.org
STREAK’S CORNER • by Bob Stretch
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SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 3, 2017
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Y Y Y Y 100 Employment 120 Drivers/Delivery/Courier
DRIVERS NEEDED H H H ASAP H H H
ORIENTAL MASSAGE & REFLEXOLOGY
Requires Class E, B or A License. S Endorsement Helpful. Must be 25 yrs or older. Will Train.
Call 314-972-9998
DRIVERS NEEDED
You’ll Come Away Feeling Refreshed & Rejuvenated.
ABC/Checker Cab Co CALL NOW 314-725-9550
H H H ASAP H H H
Health Therapy Massage Relax, Rejuvenate & Refresh!
Flexible Appointments
Monday Thru Sunday (Walk-ins welcome) 320 Brooke’s Drive, 63042 Call Cheryl. 314-895-1616
Requires Class E, B or A License. S Endorsement Helpful. Must be 25 yrs or older. Will Train.
ABC/Checker Cab Co CALL NOW 314-725-9550
167 Restaurants/Hotels/Clubs Cooks, Dishwashers, Servers, & Food Service Workers needed ASAP. Call 314-863-7400
317 Apartments for Rent
530 Misc. Services
WANTS TO PURCHASE MINERALS and other oil & gas interests.
uuu Send details to P.O. Box 13557 Denver, CO 80201 533 Miscellaneous
mmmmmmm CABLE+ INTERNET
$29.99 each!
That’s $60 per month for TV and high speed internet! We are your local installers! 1-888-858-0262
mmmmmmm
600 Music
THE CHOICE OF A L AWYER IS AN IMPORTANT DECISION AND SHOULD NOT BE BASED SOLELY ON ADVERTISING.
FIRST MONTH FREE!
AFFORDABLE SENIOR LIVING (55+)
Newly Renovated 1 Bedroom Apartments $510 Appliances • Energy Efficient Laundry On-Site
HERITAGE SENIOR APARTMENTS NORTH COUNTY AREA 314-521-0388
CENTRAL WEST END ST. LUKE’S PLAZA APARTMENTS 5602 Enright Avenue St. Louis, MO 63112 (855) 269-4399 Limited number of studio and 1-bedroom units available. Our unit availability promotion will be open through September 30, 2017. During this period, future residents will receive move-in specials, and select customized features at no additional cost. NORTH-CITY $295 / $395 314-921-9191 4008 Garfield-1BR apt. $295 deposit. 5073 Ruskin-1BR $395 deposit
~Credit Check Required~ NORTH-COUNTY $510 314-521-0388 Newly renovated 1BR apts for SENIOR LIVING 55+. Safe and affordable. H H H FIRST MONTH FREE! H H H OVERLAND/ST. ANN $555-$595 314-995-1912 SPECIAL-1 MONTH FREE! Great location near Hwys 170, 64, 70 & 270. 6 minutes to Clayton. Garage, Clean, safe, quiet. RICHMOND-HEIGHTS $535-$615 314-995-1912
610 Musicians Services
MUSICIANS
Do you have a band?
We have bookings. Call for information (314)781-6612 Mon-Fri, 10:00-4:30
MUSICIANS AVAILABLE
Do You Need... A Musician? A Band? String Quartet? Call the Musicians Association of St. Louis
(314) 781-6612 M-F, 10:00-4:30
FILE BANKRUPTCY NOW! CALL ANGELA JANSEN 314-645-5900 BANKRUPTCYSHOPSTL.COM
WESTPORT/LINDBERGH/PAGE $545-$605 314-995-1912
300 Rentals
500 Services
SPECIAL-1 MONTH FREE! Near Metrolink, Hwys 40 & 44 & Clayton. 1BR, all electric off Big Bend. SOUTH CITY $400-$850 314-771-4222 1-3 BR Apts. Many different units. NO CREDIT, NO PROBLEM! www.stlrr.com SOUTH CITY $475 314-776-6429 2030 Ann Ave 1Bedroom, Appliances Included, Ceiling fans & hardwood floors. A Must See!! UNIVERSITY CITY $795 314-727-1444
SPECIAL-1 MONTH FREE! Nice Area near Hwys 64, 270, 170, 70 & Clayton. Patio, laundry, great landlord! Clean, safe, quiet. CENTRAL WEST END ST. LUKE’S PLAZA APARTMENTS 5602 Enright Avenue St. Louis, MO 63112 (855) 269-4399 Limited number of studio and 1-bedroom units available. Our unit availability promotion will be open through September 30, 2017. During this period, future residents will receive move-in specials, and select customized features at no additional cost. NORTH-CITY $295 / $395 314-921-9191 4008 Garfield-1BR apt. $295 deposit. 5073 Ruskin-1BR $395 deposit
~Credit Check Required~ NORTH-COUNTY $510 314-521-0388 Newly renovated 1BR apts for SENIOR LIVING 55+. Safe and affordable. H H H FIRST MONTH FREE! H H H OVERLAND/ST. ANN $555-$595 314-995-1912 SPECIAL-1 MONTH FREE! Great location near Hwys 170, 64, 70 & 270. 6 minutes to Clayton. Garage, Clean, safe, quiet. RICHMOND-HEIGHTS $535-$615 314-995-1912 SPECIAL-1 MONTH FREE! Near Metrolink, Hwys 40 & 44 & Clayton. 1BR, all electric off Big Bend. SOUTH CITY $400-$850 314-771-4222 1-3 BR Apts. Many different units. NO CREDIT, NO PROBLEM! www.stlrr.com SOUTH CITY $475 314-776-6429 2030 Ann Ave 1Bedroom, Appliances Included, Ceiling fans & hardwood floors. A Must See!! UNIVERSITY CITY $795 314-727-1444
2BR, new kitch, bath & carpet, C/A & heat. No pets.
2BR, new kitch, bath & carpet, C/A & heat. No pets.
MEN 4 MEN PERSONALIZE YOUR MASSAGE
BODY EXFOLIATION & GROOMING FOR MEN! • FULL BODY MASSAGE • SOFT SENSUAL TOUCH • TANTRIC • INCALLS • OUTCALLS TO YOUR HOTEL/MOTEL, HOME & OFFICE
314-236-7060 LIKEITXXXHOTT@AOL.COM
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR SPECTRUM CHANNEL LINEUP
Communities Served:
Cities of: Chesterfield, Warson Woods, MO; Towns of: Ballwin, Bridgeton, Charlack, Clarkson Valley, Crestwood, Des Peres, Fenton, Frontenac, Glendale, Hanley Hills, Huntleigh, Kirkwood, Ladue, Mackenzie, Manchester, Marlborough, Olivette, Richmond Heights, Rock Hill, Shrewsbury, St. John, Sunset Hills, Sycamore Hills, Town and Country, Vinita Park, Webster Groves, Westwood, Woodson Terrace, MO; Village of Grantwood, MO Effective on or after October 30, 2017, Sportsman Channel programming will no longer be available on Spectrum TV on Sports View/Digi Tier 2 channels 233 & 831.
225 Acreage/Land for Sale
Richardson Estate
Waterloo, Illinois
LAND AUCTION!
Saturday, October 7th • 10 am Route 3 & GG Road, Waterloo, IL 87+ acres for hunting, fishing and farming near Waterloo Illinois. Property has a 3 room clubhouse, lake & 2 ponds & good hunting woods. Mineral rights also available. OWNER: Richardson Estate (314) 421-9538 richardsonestate42@gmail.com For More Info Visit burmesterauction.com.
For a complete channel lineup, visit spectrum.com/channels. To view this notice online, visit Spectrum.net/ProgrammingNotices.
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SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 3, 2017
RIVERFRONT TIMES
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LET US HELP YOU PUSH THE RIGHT BUTTONS!
The Changing Pointe at
T Patricia’s T patriciasgiftshop.com
LIKE US 4
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CALL RFT CL ASSIFIED AT 314-754-5966, TO PL ACE AN AD DATING MADE EASY... LOCAL SINGLES! Listen & Reply FREE! 314-739-7777 FREE PROMO CODE: 9512 Telemates
EarthCircleRecycling.com
Earth Circle’s mission is to creatively assist businesses and residents with their recycling efforts while providing the friendliest and most reliable service in the area. llll
Call Today! 314-664-1450
PRESENTS...
Murder in the Man Cave!
Hope for a bright future
-----------------------------
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Bring 5 friends & your ticket is
EVANGELINE’S
FREE!
Bistro & Music House
-----------------------------
BBBBBBBB
Visit gatewayescaperooms.com or call 314-270-9884
“New” New Orleans Cuisine Live Music Outdoor Patio Sunday Swing Jazz Brunch Happy Hour
RFT WEEKLY E-MAILS For an Inside Look at Dining, Concerts, Events, Movies & More! Sign up at www.riverfronttimes.com
BBBBBBBB evangelinesstl.com
File Bankruptcy Now! Call Angela Jansen ~314-645-5900~ Bankruptcyshopstl.com The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertising.
FIRST MONTH FREE! AFFORDABLE SENIOR LIVING 55+
AUDIO EXPRESS!
Lowest Installed Price In Town — Every Time!
Back Seat Entertainment! Headrest Monitors And DVD! Complete rear-seat video system with 1-DIN DVD/CD receiver and a pair of 7” headrest video units.
Save 90 $
49999
10.1” Image!
Top Quality!
Save $30*
Save $50*
$ Ultimate Massage by
Summer!
Flip-Down DVD! FM and IR audio out. AV in.
•
314-620-6386 # 2006003746
130
SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 3, 2017
10.2” flip-down, DVD and 2 wireless headsets.
Save More When We Install It!
Mon. - Sat. 9 AM - 7 PM; Sunday Noon - 5 PM
some weekends
South County/Lemay Area
Save More When We Install It!
59999
$
SOUTH: 5616 S. Lindbergh • (314) 842-1242 WEST: 14633 Manchester • (636) 527-26811 HAZELWOOD: 233 Village Square Center • (314) 731-1212
SWEDISH & DEEP TISSUE FULL BODY MASSAGE mon - fri 10 am - 5 pm
*
Save More When We Install It!
27999
Unless otherwise limited, prices are good through Tuesday following publication date. Installed price offers are for product purchased from Audio Express installed in factory-ready locations. Custom work at added cost. Kits, antennas and cables additional. Added charges for shop supplies and environmental disposal where mandated. Illustrations similar. Video pictures may be simulated. Not responsible for typographic errors. Savings off MSRP or our original sales price, may include install savings. Intermediate markdowns may have been taken. Details, conditions and restrictions of manufacturer promotional offers at respective websites. Price match applies to new, non-promotional items from authorized sellers; excludes “shopping cart” or other hidden specials. © 2017, Audio Express.
riverfronttimes.com
AUDIO EXPRESS!
Get the Attention of our Readers
Call 314-754-5966 for More Info
EarthCircleRecycling.com
Earth Circle’s mission is to creatively assist businesses and residents with their recycling efforts while providing the friendliest and most reliable service in the area. llll
$
Newly renovated 1 bedroom apartments in North County. Heritage Senior Apartments 314-521-0388
ttttttt SL Riverfront Times — Made You Look!
Lowest Installed Price In Town — Every Time!
Call Today! 314-664-1450
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MINGLING COMING TOGETHER, SHARING STORIES, AND MAKING A MOMENT TO TREASURE.
Handcraft the moment.
123
RIVERFRONT TIMES
AUGUST 16-22, 2017
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S I P P I N’ S M OOTH RYE F R OM THE J A C K D A N I E L D I STI L L E RY
D R I N K R E S PO N S I B LY • R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y. O RG JACK DANIEL’S is a registered trademark. ©2017 Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye Whiskey, 45% Alcohol by Volume (90 Proof). Distilled and Bottled by JACK DANIEL DISTILLERY, Lynchburg, Tennessee. Code# 404-1012
LYNCHBURG, TENNESSEE 132
SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 3, 2017
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