January 2023

food and drink pros with promise, p. 25

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Allyson Mace

Meera Nagarajan

Liz Wolfson

Lauren Healey

Iain Shaw

Meera Nagarajan

Michelle Volansky

Lauren Healey

Heather Hughes Huff

Virginia Harold, Izaiah Johnson, David Kovaluk, Christina Musgrave, Michelle Volansky

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FACT-CHECKER INTERN

Lauren Healey, Katie Herrera, Heather Hughes Huff, Meera Nagarajan, Iain Shaw, Matt Sorrell, Michelle Volansky, Jiana West, Liz Wolfson

Allyson Mace

Kelli Jones Amy Hyde Amy Hyde Alexander Olson Wenting Yu

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

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

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editors' picks last bite features

TO WATCH

THE KNOW 2LaodCrew by iain shaw

A

LA CART

Salve Osteria’s tableside amaro carts are here to educate and delight by matt sorrell

LIST

new places to try this month by lauren healey, meera nagarajan, iain shaw, michelle volansky and liz wolfson

COVER DETAILS

ONES TO WATCH

Clockwise from top left: Jonathan Duffe, M.J. Stewart, Adrian Maldonado and Brandon Panosh, more on p. 25.

PHOTOS BY IZAIAH JOHNSON

Tune in to St. Louis Public Radio 90.7 FM this month when Sauce joins St. Louis on the Air.

PHOTO BY CHRISTINA MUSGRAVE

Eat This

The best pizza on the menu at Pizza Champ is the one with the least amount of cheese on it: the marinara. Yes, we were also surprised, but its bold flavors are undeniable: sliced garlic, tomato sauce, spice from red pepper flakes, bite from red onion and pops of fresh herbs make it an understated hit.

A light dusting of shaved Parmesan and pecorino is just enough cheese to bring the symphony of flavors underneath into balance.

2657 Lyle Ave., Maplewood, pizzachampstl.com

PHOTO BY IZAIAH JOHNSON

DRINK THIS

Grand Spirits Bottle Co.’s Crazy For Negroni bridges brunch and cocktail hour with a playfulyet-balanced take on the classic cocktail. Steeping the batched cocktail with Cocoa Puffs cereal for 24 hours lends hints of sweet chocolatiness while retaining the drink’s signature bitterness. The cereal infusion also transforms the cocktail’s texture, lending it a viscous quality that likewise serves to round the drink’s corners a bit, explained owner Michael Fricker, who created the drink. Served with a sidecar of Cocoa Puffs to munch while you sip, it takes us back to watching Saturday morning cartoons and eating cereal straight from the box in the best way possible.

Grand Spirits, 3194 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, grandspiritsco.com

PHOTO BY CHRISTINA MUSGRAVE

IN THE KNOW

2LAODCREW

“Do you like spicy food? If you like spicy food, you’ll love Laotian food.” That’s Christina Manisisaket’s opening pitch to guests at her 2LaodCrew pop-ups, which showcase what she calls “translations” of her mother’s Laotian cooking.

Manisisaket’s roving pop-up has stopped at venues including Nudo House and Bootleggin’ Bob’s in recent months, offering around five dishes that frequently include barbecued meats and classic Laotian dishes like papaya salad and laap. There’s always a soup, and sticky rice is a must. “We eat with our hands, so your sticky rice is your vessel,” Manisisaket said.

Spice plays an important role in Laotian cuisine, but Manisisaket said ingredients like tamarind and padaek (an unfiltered, fermented fish sauce used widely in Laotian cooking) add depth and contrast to each dish. “I’m not trying to water it down,” she said. “I’m trying to give everybody the 2Laod flavors, and that’s where the name comes from – I’m not just ‘loud,’ I’m ‘too loud.’”

Facebook: 2LaodEats, Instagram: 2_laodeats

NATHAN WILSON

THE FRISCO BARROOM

Position: Executive Chef

Married? Yes

Kids? Two beautiful daughters. My oldest is 2.5 years old and youngest is 5 months

Where are you originally from? I am from St. Charles originally

Where did you go to school? St. Charles West High School, Forest Park Culinary Program

How did you get to where you are? One of my earliest memories is making pasta with

my dad on the kitchen counter. When I started at Charlie Gitto's as a server assistant, I was naturally drawn to the kitchen. Watching four guys send out four hundred dinners flawlessly amazed me so much. I wanted to master that skill. After that I was hooked and nothing was going to stop me.

New things going on in your restaurant: We are currently in the middle of a lot of projects that I cannot go into too much detail about – just know that some awesome changes are coming to the area.

Favorite menu item: Grilled Kielbasa

Three cool facts:

• I love woodworking and carving.

• I'm a jack of all trades.

• I bet you can't out argue me.

What is your favorite piece of equipment or kitchen item? I hate choosing favorites, but I could not live without our grinder.

Frisco Barroom , 8110 Big Bend Blvd, Webster Groves, thefriscostl.com

A La Cart

by matt sorrell // photos by virginia harold

one of the amaro carts at salve osteria

How To Order From the Cart

Enjoying an aperitivo before a meal or a digestivo afterward is a long held culinary tradition in other parts of the world, but on these shores, where it’s less familiar, it can be a hard sell. The folks behind Salve Osteria, however, are doing their part to make curated pre- and post-meal imbibing the norm here with bespoke amaro cart service.

Whether guests are looking for something to open their palates and stomachs to prepare for an epic meal or help settle things down after, they’re not on their own to sift through the various flavorful pleasures each cart has to offer. Savvy servers are on hand to guide diners through the myriad bitter, sweet and effervescent selections.

“We try to build it toward the individual guest, and it allows us to really customize

what we’re doing to give the guest the perfect cocktail for the moment that they’re trying to have,” said partner and beverage director Michael Fricker. Potable bitters (another way to phrase amaro, the overarching category that comprises aperitivos and digestivos) can be a difficult category for guests to get into, so having someone there to guide them through the various choices is imperative to ensure a successful experience, according to Fricker.

“It really helps people understand the category, which is our ultimate goal,” Fricker said.

The inspiration for the tableside service came from a recent visit to Italy, when Fricker and his wife and business partner, Natasha Bahrami, found themselves going to different bars and creating their own cocktail experiences

based on how they were feeling and eating.

“It just clicked while we were there that it doesn’t always have to be a certain spritz,” Fricker said. “It’s more important that we understand our bodies and what we’re feeling, what mood we’re in and what we’re doing over the next couple of hours and build from that.”

Cart service is available during Salve’s dinner service, and if guests want to further delve into amari, flights are available. If they take a fancy to something, most of the bottles on the carts are available just a few doors down at Salve’s sister business, Grand Spirits Bottle Co.

Salve Osteria, 3200 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314.771.3411, salveosteria.com

Step 1: Request the cart.

Step 2: Admire the cart as it rolls up to your table.

Step 3: Think about your taste preferences. Do you like a sweeter drink? Or one that’s more on the bitter side? Do you like citrus or herbal notes?

Step 4: Allow your server to guide your selection of a base spirit. Based on your preferences, they’ll offer a few different options and help you pick the right one for your tastes and mood.

Step 5: Relax while your server prepares your personalized beverage. Sip, and enjoy.

natasha bahrami and michael fricker make custom spritzes for guests

hit list 9 new places to try this month

the dining room at wright's tavern

PHOTO BY MICHELLE VOLANSKY

opposite page: dishes at wright's tavern; this page, from top: potato-crusted halibut at wright's tavern; from left: owner matt mcguire and head chef cary mcdowell at wright's tavern

WRIGHT'S TAVERN

Bathed in golden light, the luxurious dining room at Wright’s Tavern is a welcoming sight. Party vibes abound while servers bustle about wearing jackets and ties, providing friendly service with a touch of formality. Start with the Martini and the Car, a cross between a martini with a twist and a dirty martini. It combines two kinds of vermouth, orange bitters and Ford’s gin. Served with three huge, green olives (pro tip: request the blue cheese-stuffed olives if you’re a fan) and a sidecar of extra cocktail to top off your tipple, the fun never ends. Nothing pairs with the martini better than the thick, golden Tavern onion rings

The baked crab cake, potato-crusted halibut, raw oysters and sizzling shrimp scampi all feature seafood that is flown in almost daily. The buttermilkherb dressed wedge salad, classic sides (melted spinach, green beans, potatoes several ways) and various cuts of premium Iowa beef signal the renewed interest in steakhouses we’ve noticed in other cities has made its way to St. Louis. Over-the-top desserts like a giant, top-it-yourself ice cream sundae or a generous slice of wedding cake make a rich finish to a decadent meal.

7624 Wydown Blvd., Clayton, 314.390.1466, Instagram: wrightsonwydown

1933 HOUSE OF BOURBON

This new spot in Edwardsville is all about the bourbon. They have a growing collection (150 bourbons and counting), a cocktail list highlighting bourbon, and even lockers where diners can pay to store their bottles to enjoy when they come for dinner. If you want a little dinner with your bourbon, the menu is eclectic with starters like arancini served with a fresh tomato sauce or the wild mushroom cappuccino, a creambased soup flavored with onions and garlic with a verdant, spicy kick from serrano peppers. A few salads and flatbreads are there to support the “main cuts,” which feature a pork chop, several steaks, pan-seared Atlantic salmon and a couple burgers Don’t miss dessert — the popcorn crème brûlée was a salty and sweet treat, while the warm apple tart had a flaky crust and was served with housemade vanilla ice cream.

1001 Enclave Blvd., Suite D, Edwardsville, 314.898.2654, 1933hob.com

ORIGINAL FAMILY SMOKEHOUSE

Fortune Teller Bar has hosted several great food options over the years (we still dream of the pickled eggs that graced their original menu), and the all-vegan menu from Original Family Smokehouse continues the trend. The Chris-burger, made with a housesmoked Beyond burger dressed with dairy-free cheese, barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion, hits all the best burger flavor and texture notes: smokiness, crunchy freshness, cheesy creaminess, crispy, savory meatiness. The C-food gumbo has both the spice level and body we look for in gumbo (the latter thanks to its use of okra); it also features oyster mushrooms and wakame (a kind of seaweed) that add satisfying chunkiness and additional umami flavor.

2635 Cherokee St. (inside Fortune Teller Bar), St. Louis, 314.325.2332, originalfamilysmokehouse.com

opposite page: dishes at casa de tres reyes; this page, from left: the bar at casa de tres reyes, the dining room at casa de tres reyes

CASA DE TRES REYES

For their new concept, the team behind Three Kings Public House wisely enlisted consulting chef Andrew Cisneros of Jalea to help develop the menu, and his mark is evident. Verdant guacamole is super fresh and seasoned to perfection with salt and lime. Don’t miss the delectable pork belly carnitas taco with pico de gallo, cilantro, crema and Cisneros’ sharp and citrus-y aji verde, one of our favorite sauces of the year. The tangy, smoky elote, topped with queso, garlic aioli and Tajin plus a sprinkling of cotija and cilantro, makes an excellent side. The hearty chicken enchilada, stuffed with chile-braised chicken, bursts with flavor. It’s served with sofrito rice and black beans laced with lime juice – a noteworthy upgrade from the standard beans and rice. Pair your dinner with one of the well-balanced beverages, like the rumbased mai tai, which was fruity and sweet without being too cloying.

1181 Colonnade Center, Des Peres, 314.394.0214, casadetresreyes.com

LOUSIES ON THE LOOP

Lousies on the Loop offers tasty, affordable sandwiches that are the exception to that old saying about getting what you pay for. The “Lousies” are loose meat sandwiches: seasoned ground beef, served on a bun with grilled onions, mustard and pickles. The base sandwich is just $6, a bargain in this era of inflation. Add mayonnaise, lettuce, sliced onions and tomato for a couple extra dollars, or top your sandwich with your choice of cheese for as little as 50 cents. A vegan offering uses chopped mushrooms in place of the beef, to similarly satisfying effect. There are various combo deals on the Lousies, as well as sides like a whole roasted sweet potato with local honey butter, blue cheese coleslaw and mushroom and wild rice risotto Breakfast Lousies, grits, oatmeal, eggs and hash browns are available all day. This is an ideal place for a quick togo meal, but the restaurant has a few seats inside if you’d like to hang out.

567A Melville Ave., University City, 314.696.2002, Facebook: Lousies on the Loop

SANDO SHACK

Sando Shack is the latest restaurant to make the journey from food truck to brick-and-mortar with its recent move into the former Dam space in Tower Grove South. The signature dishes here are the pork and chicken katsu sandos, a Japanese innovation combining deep-fried, panko-breaded cutlets, cabbage slaw and katsu sauce between two slices of white bread. However, along with the falloff-the-bone teriyaki pork wings, the chicken karaage sando might be the highlight, brined in sake, breaded with potato starch and served with pickled Fresno peppers on a brioche bun.

All sandwiches come with crisp fries, seasoned with your choice of sea salt, curry or togarashi. Grab one of the handful of stools in the window or take your order next door to Amsterdam Tavern to enjoy it with a beer.

3173 Morgan Ford Road, St. Louis, 314.449.1011, Facebook: Sando Shack

from top: the dining room at nobu's; the dining room at 1929 pizza and wine

The pizza at 1929 Pizza and Wine in Wood River, Illinois, is really, really good. Co-owners Matt and Amy Herren previously had separately owned businesses in Edwardsville (222 Artisan Bakery and Fond Restaurant, respectively) and are bringing fresh ideas to Wood River. Matt brings his bread baking experience to 1929; he’s currently using a levain (akin to sourdough starter) to make the dough, resulting in a tangy crust with a lightbut-structured texture. We tried the margherita and the four cheese with housemade mozzarella, fontina, Parmigiano-Reggiano and ricotta; herbs added bursts of freshness. Starters shine too: The share board appetizer was served with bread, a couple of compound butters, warm olives, ricotta with honey and a head of roasted garlic so you can customize each bite. The house salad with romaine, red onion, blue cheese, parsley and a white wine vinaigrette was perfect: each ingredient was in harmony, the dressing had just the right acidity and the greens were crisp and fresh. There are cannoli in rotating flavors for dessert; the dark chocolate and hazelnut flavors were concentrated and vivid, and the shells were flaky. These are not to be missed, no matter what.

7 N. Wood River Ave., Wood River, Illinois, 618.216.2258, 1929pizzaandwine.com

HEATERZ HOT CHICKEN

The third location of this locally owned franchise is tucked into a bustling section of Kirkwood. It’s primarily a takeout spot, although there are a few tables inside the small storefront. The spicy cheese curds pack quite a fiery bite – an invigorating way to whet your appetite. The Nashville street corn on the cob has a kick too, but creamy enough to temper some of the heat. For the main course, choose from four heat levels – plain, mild, hot and barbecue – on your chicken sandwich, tenders, drumsticks or wings. When it’s time to select your sauces, don’t sleep on the amazing garlicky Heaterz House sauce or the smooth ranch that pleased even our resident ranch connoisseur.

129 W. Jefferson Ave., Kirkwood, 314.946.5051, heaterzchicken.com

NOBU'S

Nobu’s new location on the Delmar Loop takes the classic Japanese flavors you fell in love with at their previous location in University City and dials everything up a notch. The space couldn’t feel fresher, with light, floor-to-ceiling wood paneling and gleaming white quartzite countertops. Reservations are required for the intimate, 18-seat space and omakase is the name of the game; chose between three-, four- or six-course chef’s choice tasting menus. You can expect soup, a variety of sashimi and sushi, a surprising roster of amuse-bouche called tsukidashi, and small plates like buttery miso-marinated cod. A concise drink menu features sake, Japanese whisky, beer and natural wine. Don’t skip the matcha ice cream for dessert – Big Heart Tea Co. matcha is mixed in-house with Clementine’s Creamery vanilla ice cream and accompanied with a scoop of azuki (red bean) paste for the perfect last bite.

6253 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis, 314.449.6628, nobustl.com

1929 PIZZA AND WINE

Anew year is upon us once more and, after the months-long indulgences of the holidays, you may be hoping to restart your healthy living habits. These St. Louis businesses can help you on your way.

FRESH THYME MARKET AT CITY FOUNDRY STL

Voted one of St. Louis’ Businesses of the Year by the St. Louis Development Corporation, Fresh Thyme Market at City Foundry STL is proud to serve the people of St. Louis by providing fresh produce, a wide variety of grocery items including over 1500 local products, a full-service meat & deli counters, $6 sushi rolls every Thursday, and friendly service. Get your fresh start at Fresh Thyme Market! Stop by the Health & Wellness section between January 4th through the 10th and enjoy 33% vitamins & body care items! Take advantage of Fresh Thyme’s biggest sale of the year! 3701 Foundry Way, Suite 201, St. Louis, 314.597.4400, freshthymefoundry.com

PAN-ASIA SUPERMARKET

Pan-Asia Supermarket is the largest Asian grocery store in Missouri with a wide assortment of healthy options. There are over 200 fresh Asian vegetables and fruits to choose from, as well as a selection of over 100 fresh meats and seafood plus live lobster, crab, tilapia and catfish, along with fresh zabiha halal meat. Choose from a large array of organic seasoning and spices, perfect to go with all the fresh ingredients to make pho noodles, pad thai, lo mein and much more. And don’t miss out on the in-house cafe and bakery options. If you’re traveling west, check out the other branches of the supermarket in Overland Park, Kansas, and Omaha, Nebraska.

14246 Manchester Road, Manchester, 636.220.9999, panasiasupermarket.com

ROBUST BISTRO & WINE BAR

The owners of Robust believe balance is the key to enjoying life’s indulgences, so they curated a line of wellness and better-for-you-beverages to help boost your immunity, reduce inflammation and support overall wellbeing. Along with a full list of “clean” wines that are not only good for the environment, but also better for your body, their new concept, Clean & Juicy, offers coldpressed juices, housemade, infused high-alkaline waters and bone broth from Butcher & Farmer. Beginning in January, jumpstart your wellness intentions with preordered and packaged juice and water cleanses, wellness shots and “Be Well” bundles. Order online for curbside pickup and home delivery or stop in the shop from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. 227 W. Lockwood Ave., Webster Groves, 314.963. 0033, robustwinebar.com/clean-juicy

SAL Y LIMON MEXICAN GRILLE

Healthy living may not be the first thing that comes to mind at a Mexican restaurant, but the brand-new Sal y Limon Mexican Grille is breaking the mold with a bevy of nutritious options. Choose one of their marinated steaks and pair it with a healthy side like black beans for a low-carb, high-protein meal. This concept from the team behind Padrinos Mexican Restaurant uses fresh ingredients every step of the way for added health benefits across the menu.

1221 Strassner Drive, Brentwood, 314.282.0022, salylimonstl.com

SOURCE JUICERY

With Source Juicery you can enjoy the convenience of clean eating on the go. Source offers a plethora of nutritious grab-and-go options, from cold-pressed juice and wellness shots to nut milks, smoothies, smoothie bowls, salads and more. Try a one- to three-day juice cleanse with the option to add meal packs or protein packs like grilled chicken and power bites. All items are gluten-free, and there are many vegan options too. Source offers an easy online ordering system with curbside pickup or contactless home delivery to the Edwardsville area. Walk-in ordering is also welcome.

228 N. Main St., Edwardsville, 618.650.9080, sourcejuicery.com

SAL Y LIMÓN

Valentine's Day

If you’re looking for the perfect romantic spot for Valentine’s Day, look no further than these fine establishments.

MEXICAN

GRILLE 

What's more romantic than margaritas and guacamole made tableside? This Valentine's Day, visit the new Sal Y Limón Mexican Grille for a fresh new take on Mexican cuisine from the team that brought you Padrinos Mexican Restaurant. The space has perfect date night vibes with handmade Talavera tiles, wall-length fireplace and fullservice bar including many hard-tofind tequilas, premium margaritas and signature drinks.

Sal y Limón Mexican Grille, 1221 Strassner Dr, Brentwood, salylimonstl.com @salylimonstl_2022 @salylimonstl

 STRAWBERRY CITRUS WINE FROM ST. JAMES WINERY

St. James Winery was founded in 1970 and is still a family-owned business, now in its 3rd generation. Their Strawberry Citrus wine is only available for a limited time as part of their seasonal line of wines which also includes the new Pineapple Mango for summer, new Spiced Apple for fall and fan favorite Cranberry for winter.

Strawberry Citrus is made with awardwinning, 100% fruit, strawberry wine with natural lemon-lime accents, perfect for drinking on its own or incorporated into fun and creative cocktails. Strawberry Citrus is available in stores as well as online through stjameswinery.com

St. James Winery, 540 State Rte B, St. James, stjameswinery.com

@stjameswinery

SERENDIPITY

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM

On Friday and Saturday (February 10th and 11th), Galentine’s Day (February 12th), and Valentine’s Day (February 14th), Serendipity Homemade Ice Cream in The Grove will transform into a festive destination with tableside service and plated desserts. Enjoy a fun, romantic evening of decadent ice cream, special drinks, and spirited shakes. Reservations strongly recommended – call 314-833-3800.

Serendipity Homemade Ice Cream, 4400 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, serendipity-icecream.com

@serendipityicecream

@serendipityhomemadeicecream

 THE FOUNTAIN ON LOCUST

In addition to being the home of the ice cream martini, The Fountain on Locust is St. Louis' top location for dates, from first dates to blind dates to proposals. The team at The Fountain creates their own handcrafted ice cream sauces, chocolates, and deliciously unique, freshly made-fromscratch foods. Expect a high level of service and to leave with a full belly and a full heart after each visit.

The Fountain on Locust, 3037 Locust St, St. Louis, fountainonlocust.com

@fountain_locust

@fountainonlocust

 VALENTINE'S DINNER SPECIALS AT ROBUST WINE BAR

Enjoy Valentine's Day dinner specials or classics from the regular menu onsite or to-go for a romantic dinner at home. Celebrating Galentine's Day? Bring your besties! Tables of four or more receive a complimentary glass of bubbles. Reservations, curbside pick up and home delivery available.

Robust Wine Bar, 227 W Lockwood Ave, Webster Groves, robustwinebar.com

@robustwinebar @the_robustlife Robust Wine Bar

Root Food + Wine, 5525 Walnut St, Augusta, rootfoodwine.com @rootfoodwine

O N ES TO

WAT C H

by heather hughes huff, iain shaw and liz wolfson // photos by izaiah johnson

food and drink pros with promise

Pastry chef M.J. Stewart is ready for food to be fun again – and she thinks diners are too. Fun meaning: a little daring, a little outside the box – a meal that’s also an event, something you go someplace to experience rather than eating it on your couch.

Enter DNFT (chef speak for “Do Not Fucking Touch”), Stewart’s monthly pop-up dessert series at Brass Bar. Though Stewart had access to Brass Bar due to her role with Niche Food Group (she also lends an occasional extra hand with pastry at Pastaria), she’s clear that her choice to hold DNFT there was not simply a matter of convenience. “Everything about DNFT is very thought out to me – every detail,” Stewart said.

In this sense, DNFT eats like a love letter to fine dining – its heart is a three-course, all-dessert tasting menu, though a la carte options are also available – and Stewart is

quick to declare her appreciation for the culinary genre. “I honestly love my finedining training that I received at Niche,” she said, reflecting on an early stop on her journey through several of St. Louis’ top kitchens – first the original, now-closed Niche, then Yellowbelly, then Olive + Oak before circling back to the Niche group.

For a recent DNFT tasting menu, Stewart resurrected one of her Niche-era creations, a cereal milk ice cream made with Cocoa Krispies. Served in a wide, shallow bowl, it combined a smear of intensely chocolatey ganache topped with sandy, pulverized Cocoa Krispies; a rounded spoonful of cereal milk ice cream; and a few crunchy, crouton-like chunks of housemade croissant, fried and tossed with butter and sugar. Titled Bottom of the Bowl, the dish paid homage to Stewart’s past while also nodding to recent trends in pastry. “Pastry chefs everywhere have been doing

CHEF AT POP-UP DESSERT SERIES DNFT

cereal milk stuff for a while, but I feel like it’s making its own little comeback into St. Louis right now,” Stewart mused, citing Sugarwitch’s cereal milk lattes as an example. She also tapped a viral pastry sensation, the Suprême, a round croissant filled with pastry cream and topped with ganache and a crunchy garnish, created by New York City bakery and cafe Lafayette.

For the time being, Stewart is content with operating DNFT as a pop-up while maintaining her position at Bowood. “Obviously, I do love pastry, I think that’s what I would like to do with the rest of my life,” she said. “But also, it’s nice to have a balance, especially after the last few years.” Keeping DNFT at a manageable scale allows her to explore her culinary identity while calibrating her work-life balance. So, “the future of DNFT, I think, is something bigger than the pop-up,” Stewart said. “But I’m not rushing the process.” – LW

MALDONADO

Adrian Maldonado is a lifer.

He’s known it since his mom let him bail on college after one year and go to culinary school instead. It’s the first thing that his boss, Balkan Treat Box owner Loryn Nalic, said about him when we talked to her for this story.

“It’s not for everyone,” Maldonado said. “You really do have to tough it out; you really do have to make sure you love it.”

Restaurateurs and managers are always looking for cooks who are in it for the longterm, who are passionate and proud of their work. Lifers are a good investment, and increasingly hard to find. As a cheerful work horse, Maldonado would be welcome in any professional kitchen. But Maldonado isn’t just worried about his own station – he’s constantly checking in on his coworkers. He knows when to have fun and when to get serious. He’s aware of customer experience from all the way back on the line. He’s so good that his bosses and mentors don’t fight to keep him in their kitchens; they encourage him to leave.

While at Companion, his first restaurant job during culinary school, his mentor, chef Josh Galliano, set him up with a stage position at Sidney Street Café, which led to his five-year stint at that fine-dining institution. Nalic

jumped at the chance to hire him at Balkan Treat Box when he reached out to her in 2020, but she’s also hoping to help him open his own place someday.

“He’s really just a talent – he’s got a natural knack,” Nalic said. “You get the sense that he’s always thinking ahead – what’s the bigger picture, the end goal, the outcome we’re looking for. Not just with flavor profiles, but hospitality. He’s an asset from front to back.”

Maldonado said he grew up in his mom and grandma’s kitchen in Los Angeles, watching them cook Mexican favorites. Eventually he wants to share the things he learned there along with the classic French techniques he learned working in fine dining. That’s where Nalic sees him long term: in his own place, cooking from his roots.

Luckily, while we’re watching for what Maldonado does next, we can already get a taste of what’s to come in his specials at Balkan. “He’ll take dishes that are familiar to him from his culture and relate them to the techniques or flavor profiles of Balkan cuisine,” Nalic said, mentioning a “to die for” sigara borek-flauta mashup made with smoked lamb and a popular birria pide. “It’s fun to watch him do specials,” she said. We’re going to keep watching. – HHH

INDUSTRY LIFER.

BRANDON PANOSH

Brandon Panosh says making a satisfying fried chicken sandwich is easy. For Winslow’s Table’s head chef, the thrill in cooking lies in creating fun vegetarian and vegan options. “Not everybody likes to eat a carrot or celery root or squash or sweet potato by itself. But you can make it very, very rich, and immediately it’s like, ‘Wow, this is sweet potato? This is carrot?’” he said. “There are fun, unique ways to turn vegetables into the star of the show rather than just having meat all the time.”

Inspired by a Chef’s Table episode about Dan Barber that he watched while in culinary school, the young Panosh dreamed of staging at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. That dream wasn’t to be. “It was very hard for me to get my foot in the door and to move out there because of money,” he said. However, the next best thing happened for Panosh when Tara and Michael Gallina, both of whom held senior positions at Blue

Hill, relocated to St. Louis to open Vicia. Panosh was among Vicia’s first hires, and he immersed himself in the restaurant’s vegetable-forward philosophy. “I was really inspired by how many different ways you can use vegetables and different spices and create very unique food with simple ingredients,” he said. “It just opened my mind in a different way than most restaurants in St. Louis would have been able to do.”

Since becoming executive chef at Winslow’s Table in May 2022, Panosh has worked with the Gallinas and Aaron Martinez to create a more inclusive and less stressful kitchen culture. Panosh said that for leaders in the kitchen, that means modeling the kind of communication and respect they want to foster in others. “It’s like a domino effect,” he said. “You start doing it around everybody else, and everybody else starts doing it because you do it. That’s how you start to slowly change the atmosphere in different kitchens.”

Panosh combines his work at Winslow’s Table with Dinner at the Loft, the dinner series he started with former Winslow’s Table colleague Elliott Brown during the pandemic. “It’s helped me start to find my voice as a chef,” he said. “It’s fun to create a story for people to get to see a piece of art that you create, and you get instant feedback.” Wearing these two hats is something Panosh takes in his stride. It’s all experience that feeds into his overall skill as a chef, and he’s not afraid of the hard work involved. “It’s easy to take the easy route, but easy doesn’t always become successful,” he said.

Eventually, Panosh wants to open his own restaurant, though he’s still figuring out exactly what it might look like. A smaller place, maybe 50 seats. And he wants to name the restaurant for his mother, Lori Ann, who passed away on his eighth birthday. “A mix of Louie and Vicia,” he said. “Something that’s not classified as fine dining but has a lot of attention to detail –comforting, creative and just a great place to be.” – IS

JONATHAN DUFFE

AGE: 25

POSITION: CHEF DE CUISINE, 21C MUSEUM HOTEL

WHY WATCH HIM: HE GOES THE EXTRA MILE FOR GUESTS – ESPECIALLY GRANDMAS.

An anecdote Jonathan Duffe shares about his experience running the Monday Supper series out of Brass Bar’s open kitchen gives an insight into what hospitality means to him. “There were times where someone came up to me and was like, ‘Hey, I’m about to leave, but my grandma loved the sauce you made,’” Duffe said. “I would take a little, like, cup container and put some sauce in there and be like, ‘Hey, leave this at the table, tell the grandma she can take that home.’ That’s the best part. That’s what makes it all worth it, when we can do those little things for people.”

That impulse “to build relationships with the people that we feed” is part of why Duffe shelved his plans for a career in accounting to become a chef. “I didn’t just want to cook good food for myself – I wanted to share it with people,” he said. Until the last weeks of 2022, Duffe was sharing his cooking with diners at Brasserie by Niche in his role as sous chef. “He reads and studies and practices at home more than any cook that I’ve run into in a long time,” said Brasserie executive chef Evy Swoboda, whom Duffe described as a mentor.

Swoboda said Duffe is “extremely creative,” but a culinary education that started at Reeds American Table under chef-owner Matt Daughaday, then continued with Niche Food Group at Pastaria and Brasserie, has given him a foundational respect for the skill inherent in classical techniques and preparations. “The

classics are more difficult than new things,” Duffe said. “If I give you something that you have no reference point for, you’re gonna say it’s delicious. But what if I give you something you’ve already eaten 20 times in your life. I’ve got to make that really, really good to live up to the standard you’ve already had.”

Recognizing Duffe’s creative itch, Swoboda and Niche Food Group owner Gerard Craft gave him the opportunity to lead the Monday Supper series at Brass Bar, creating and executing his own menus in the former Taste space. The series gave Duffe his first taste of the responsibilities of a head chef. “I had to live and die by this menu and everything else that I’ve decided to do,” he said. “It was stressful at first, but you kind of fall into it, and then you almost take pride in the fact, and you really get on it and you become a well-oiled machine.”

Duffe’s next move sees him reunited with Daughaday in the kitchen at the forthcoming 21c Museum Hotel, where Daughaday is executive chef. He said he’d love to open his own restaurant one day, but he’s not in a rush. “I’ll learn a hell of a lot in the next year,” he said. He can’t yet reveal what’s in store at 21c Museum Hotel, other than an assurance that it will be delicious. “If you’re not excited about me, you should absolutely be excited about anything that Matt’s doing,” he said. Let’s put this on record: We’re absolutely excited about Jonathan Duffe’s future. – IS

I MES

BY KATIE HERRERA

Recent years have seen trends like Dry January and Sober October gain traction as more adults of drinking age choose to avail themselves of socially

sanctioned opportunities to curtail their alcohol consumption. Whether the expansion of thoughtfully crafted non-alcoholic (NA) spirits is helping drive this trend, or the other way around, increasing numbers of bars and restaurants are offering well-curated NA wine, cocktail and beer lists. “There are those that do not drink ever, but there is [also] a growing number of people that just don’t want to drink all the time or want to pace themselves throughout the evening,” observed Keyan Still, beverage industry consultant. “Having sophisticated options for those people will allow them to keep a drink in their

hand without getting to an embarrassing point of inebriation.”

Patrick Gioia, co-owner and beverage director for The Vandy and STL Barkeep and brand advocate for BARE Zero Proof Spirits, agreed that the number of sober and sober-curious (those interested in exploring an alcohol-free lifestyle) individuals is “growing at an astounding rate currently.” Implementing NA drink programs “also promotes safe spaces for people [and] brings a sense of community back to those who don’t drink” while contributing to the bar’s bottom line. “As a bar owner, it’s hard not to say, ‘I don’t want to make more money.’ The patron goes from a soda water or juice to a crafted cocktail that they enjoy more and will spend money to have,” Gioia pointed out.

While beer may be the most developed of the non-alcoholic categories, wine and spirits are following suit, and other NA options like cannabis-infused beverages are growing at lightning speed. Here’s how a few local bar professionals are shifting their drinking habits to include more (or all) NA options, as well as places to explore the trend.

The alcohol-free pop-up: Sans Bar STL

Looking for a social escape and night out while abstaining from alcohol? Sans Bar STL is here for you. Powered by PreventEd – a local nonprofit organization focused on preventing the harms of alcohol and other drug use through education, intervention and advocacy – Sans Bar STL, with their “get wild not wasted” and “shaken not slurred” ethos, has been quietly popping up all over the city with ticketed, alcohol-free events since 2019.

“Drinkers and non-drinkers have existed at two ends of the spectrum in a very black-and-white world: You are either a drinker or a non-drinker,” said Annie O’Donoghue, the mastermind behind Sans Bar STL. According to O’Donoghue, the NA sector’s growth has created a space for everyone to be themselves, regardless of their relationship to alcohol. “It has allowed adults to see that you can have a night out on the town, unwind at home, etc. and have it be a nice time,” she continued. “Our society, for the most part, links fun [and] adult sophistication with booze. That shouldn’t be the case.”

2023 looks bright for this young organization with an ambitious monthly pop-up calendar currently in the works. One of the first alcohol-free events of 2023 is a partnership with WellBeing Brewing and will be held at the Schlafly Tap Room on Saturday, Jan. 21. Tickets include NA beverages, snacks and joyous camaraderie and can be purchased through their website.

Sans Bar STL, sansbarstl.com

Where to NA: Local watering holes with the NA game on lock

THE VANDY

The Vandy is your place to go if you want to dive down the rabbit hole of classic cocktails with an NA twist, as the zeroproof spirits collection runs deep at this establishment. It also keeps things fresh with a rotating alcohol-free craft cocktail. 1301 S. Vandeventer Ave., St. Louis, Instagram: thevandystl

PRESS STL

In addition to non-alcoholic cocktails on draft, you will also find a rotating

Local bars and restaurants are embracing NA drinking trends

selection of alcohol-free beer, wine and an aperitif on the beautifully curated beverage menu, as well as delta-8 cannabis seltzers. And be sure to look for the optional booze or booze-free pairings when one of their dinner popups rolls around.

2509 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314.328.1094, press-stl.com

ROCK STAR TACOS

Bar manager Naomi Roquet builds NA cocktails using her housemade syrups and tinctures. Culinary ingredients like fruits and herbs create non-alcoholic flavor profiles that mimic the nuances of their boozy equivalents. And don’t worry, she leaves all her concoctions behind Rock Star Tacos’ bar for endless options even if she isn’t there.

4916 Shaw Ave., St. Louis, 314.571.9016, rockstartacos.com

SASHA’S WINE BAR GROUP

Led by certified sommelier and programs coordinator Denise Mueller, this bar group has added a rotating selection of zero-proof wine to their extensive wine portfolio. They are

currently offering Fritz Müller NA Müller-Thurgau Trocken and Leitz Eins Zwei Zero sparkling rosé at the Shaw location and Giesen NA Sauvignon Blanc and Freixenet NA premium sparkling at the De Mun location. At their casual bar concept Barrio, they have a full array of NA spirits and beer.

4069 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, 314.771.7274; 706 De Mun Ave., Clayton, 314.863.7274, sashaswinebar.com; Barrio, 740 De Mun Ave., Clayton, 314.725.0322, barrioburgersandfloats.com

POP’S BLUE MOON

With over 30 non-alcoholic canned cocktails and a large variety of spiritfree liquors and booze-free beers available, Pop’s Blue Moon is at the forefront of the NA bar movement. Non-alcoholic sales account for an astounding 30% of the bar’s total revenue, according to co-owner Josh Grigaitis. The bar also currently operates as the tasting room for Mighty Kind’s NA botanical and cannabis-infused seltzers and other beverages.

5249 Pattison Ave., St. Louis, 314.776.4200, popsbluemoon.com

How I NA: Tips + tricks from local

industry pros

COREY MOSZER

Beverage director, The Lucky Accomplice and Press STL

“I think the most fun and flavorful way to experiment with NA cocktails is through shrubs. There are endless combinations of fruits, vinegars, sugars, herbs and veggies to arrive at any flavor combo you are after. Heirloom [Bottling Co.] is a local company that makes great syrups and shrubs.”

PAT GIOIA Beverage director, STL Barkeep and The Vandy; brand advocate, BARE Zero Proof Spirits

“Lagunitas makes an incredible non-alcoholic IPA, [Golden Road Brewing’s] Mango Cart NA is solid, Heavenly Wheat from WellBeing Brewing is awesome. And for those hot days in STL, a Busch NA really still hits the spot.”

KEYAN STILL Beverage industry consultant

“NA doesn’t even have to be not drinking for the evening. Sometimes it’s a great way to pace yourself. With all the NA beers on the market now, I’ll have one of those to offset a glass of whiskey. I love the [Hellraiser Dark] Amber from WellBeing, and there are a lot of great CBD seltzers on the market now too.”

BRIAN MOXEY Executive chef, Union Loafers Cafe and Bread Bakery

“I mainly dig on NA beers. But when I’m really feeling fancy, I absolutely love what Proxies by Acid League is doing. [They’re] not dealcoholized like most NA wines; these are super special, thoughtful, curated beverages meant to really elevate the drinking and pairing experience. I was always more of a pink and white [wine] drinker, and these fit the bill. If we’re talking weeknight sipping, Ariel Chardonnay or Fre Rosé are what’s in my glass.”

ANNIE O’DONOGHUE Sans Bar STL

“Leitz Eins Zwei Zero is killing it. I’m obsessed with their sparkling rosé, which just so happens to frequently be on sale at Schnucks.”

PHOTO BY VIRGINIA HAROLD

LISA GOVRO

FOUNDER

& CEO, BIG HEART TEA CO.

Big Heart Tea Co. founder and CEO Lisa Govro got into tea “sort of by accident.” When she started the company in 2012, she was primarily interested in the beneficial health properties of herbs, and tea seemed the most straightforward way to get them into people’s bodies. “I thought, ‘Everybody has had a cup of tea, almost everybody in the world could relate to having a cup of tea,’” she said. While the company remains values driven, those values have evolved as she’s learned more about the history and process of growing, buying and selling tea. Here, Govro talks about growing authentically, Big Heart’s recent single-origin releases and the joy she takes in sourcing. – Liz Wolfson

“Really in those first two years, I think of the company back then as more of an art project or a community project than a business. I mean, I didn’t have a business plan – I never thought that we would be the company we are today.”

“By 2017, we were still focused on getting healthy food medicine into people’s bodies in a sensible way. But by that point in my journey, I had learned a lot more about supply chain and some transparency issues within the [tea] industry.”

“We’ve really focused on the quality of our ingredients since 2017 by working with a small handful of farmers around the world. I would say about 40% of our ingredients now are direct trade from small farms, and the remainder of ingredients are all certified organic.”

“We have our classics, our herbal blends, and those will never go away But our focus since 2020 has really been to launch new, single-farm teas or singlefarm blends.”

“All our single-farm lines are super exciting to me because it’s one way that we can work on a small scale. Because we’re still just a tiny little tea company.

But I think we are helping model that it’s possible to have a better-quality ingredient and better source no matter what size you are.”

“I think that we’ve been able to grow authentically because … we’re just really driving a value-based company authentically and not as a marketing proposition. I mean it’s not easy, but we’re really lucky that we have that signature line with the Cup of Sunshine and the Cup of Love. These more approachable herbal blends support us so that we can really work on some kind of ground level stuff with transparency.”

“The place that really makes my heart sing is sourcing. I still lead all our ingredient-sourcing, small farm relationships. And so I’ll do discovery, finding new farms to work with, vetting –we have a pretty informal but structured process for vetting suppliers.”

“The suppliers that we work with, that we are sourcing from directly, they’re small, family-run farms, similar to any family run farm here in Missouri. So during the harvest season, it’s really the farmer and their children and their cousins and brothers and sisters helping out.”

“While tea and a lot of the herbs that we’re working with are commodities, we’re not sourcing from big farms that sell at auction or dictate their price by the market – we’re paying the farmers what they ask instead of negotiating down to the market rate.”

“We also ask a lot about their agricultural practices. In the beginning … I thought we would have a lot more conversations around herbicides and pesticides, but a lot of the smaller farmers that we work with can’t afford herbicides or pesticides.”

“I’ve only traveled to source twice, and a lot of that got interrupted because of Covid. We had quite a few trips that we had to postpone in 2020, and we just never really were able to pick that back up. But I’m hoping next year I’ll be able to go to at least one farm.”

“We are a St. Louis company, and we love it here. … We’re small and growing. We look shiny and fancy on the outside, but we’re still just a hometown company.”

bighearttea.com

LONDON’S WING HOUSE

Dale and Hildred London opened London & Sons Wing House at 2237 Cass Ave. in 1963. Originally, the menu’s focus was hamburgers, hot dogs and ice cream, but within a few years, London’s wings and carryout chicken dinners had become the restaurant’s signature. Today, the menu’s core items are still made using recipes developed by Dale and Hildred, something their son, London’s current owner Patrick London, says will never change. The essential London’s order, Patrick said, is wings with a side of fries dressed with cheese, hot sauce and ketchup, and an order of rolls. The hot sauce is so popular

that they sell it by the bottle, but Patrick’s not giving away its secrets. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea to share that, but it is something that’s unique and special,” he laughed.

Patrick was born in 1966 and grew up around the restaurant where his parents both spent most of their day. Patrick said his father took responsibility for trying to grow the business and reach new customers. Dale spotted a glaring gap in the market: late-night dining. “There was a time in St. Louis when late at night, if you wanted something to eat, there were

rolls and wings with a side of fries dressed with hot sauce and ketchup

two options. One was White Castle, and the other was us – we stayed open to 5 o’clock in the morning,” Patrick said. Dale frequently worked the night shift himself. “He would be there right when the doors closed at 5 o’clock,” Patrick said.

For decades, London & Sons remained a favorite wing spot, serving several generations of customers in multiple locations by the early 2000s. The clientele was diverse, but Patrick said London & Sons was always supported predominantly by the Black community. “It was a muchloved business, mainly because of the product, but also because of the family – we were always involved in the community,” Patrick said. Hildred in particular was a strong supporter of organizations like the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club, and the restaurant often participated in the Annie Malone May Day Parade.

Hildred passed away in late 2006. Around that time, one London & Sons location had been forced to close under an eminent domain order, but the loss of the Londons’ matriarch was a knockout blow. “My father didn’t really have the energy and will to continue with the other location when my mom passed,” Patrick said. Similarly, neither he nor his two brothers, Gerald and Ronald, were in a place to fight for the restaurant’s survival. “Our hearts were broken,” he said.

Over the next few years, Patrick said the idea of reopening London & Sons was “always in the back of my mind,” but the restaurant remained dormant. In 2010, all that changed, and all it took was Patrick’s daughter creating a Facebook account for her father. “I would get friend requests from a lot of people that I knew, and people that I hadn’t heard from in a long time,” Patrick said. “The first question that people

would ask was, ‘Hey, how you doing? I haven’t talked to you in a while.’ And the second question would be, ‘So what about the restaurant, when are you guys going to open back up?’”

Within a year, Patrick had an answer for that question. The restaurant, now named London’s Wing House, reopened with a new location in Wellston; the current Dellwood location and another on South Broadway soon followed. However, the challenge of operating multiple locations soon caught up with Patrick. By 2019, only the Dellwood location of London’s Wing House remained, but Patrick said that in hindsight, being forced to downsize the business right before the pandemic was probably a blessing in disguise.

That doesn’t mean Patrick has given up on expansion. Like his 80-year-old

father, who still stops by the restaurant regularly to pick up food, he has supreme confidence in his product. “If I could figure out how to get the locations and staff them properly, I could have 20 of them right now,” he said.

For now, Patrick said he’s just concentrating on making sure customers at London’s receive piping hot food and a welcome that’s just as warm, whether at the walk-up counter or the drive-thru window. “When they place their order, we ask their name, and we tell everybody in the back that’s working, ‘Hey everybody, say hi to John,’ or ‘say hi to Jane,’” Patrick said. “It’s a good feeling.”

1412 Chambers Road, Dellwood, 314.521.0877, londonwinghouse.com