July 2021

lia h o lte r , owner of your favo r ite ba k e ry, made. by lia, p. 28

READERS' CHOICE July 2021 I1 S T. L O U I S ’ I N D E P E N D E N T C U L I N A R Y A U T H O R I T Y // S A U C E M A G A Z I N E . C O M saucemagazine.com // F R E E , J UI SAUCE LY 2MAGAZINE 0 21

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JULY 2021 • VOLUME 21, ISSUE 5

A steak fry; it's a lot of potato, I know. But I like most shapes — crinkle, waffle — except matchstick, that is not a french fry. I don’t know why it exists.

Allyson Mace Meera Nagarajan Cheese fries, Liz Wolfson preferably with Lauren Healey steak fries Adam Rothbarth Lauren Healey Meera Nagarajan Michelle Volansky Sweet potato Julia Calleo, Jonathan Gayman, waffle fries Virginia Harold, Lauren Healey, Izaiah Johnson, David Kovaluk, Meera Nagarajan, The fries at Taste Adam Rothbarth, Madison Saunders, Carmen Troesser, Michelle Volansky CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Lauren Healey, Meera Nagarajan, Adam Rothbarth, Matt Sorrell, Michelle Volansky, Liz Wolfson ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Allyson Mace ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Angie Rosenberg EVENTS COORDINATOR Amy Hyde LISTINGS EDITOR Amy Hyde INTERNS Sophia Daniels, Hannah Freiberg, Lilley As long as I'm Holloran, Blakely Gibeaut, Rin Hubbard, dipping in mayo PUBLISHER EXECUTIVE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR DIGITAL EDITOR STAFF WRITER EDIBLE WEEKEND EDITOR ART DIRECTOR SENIOR DESIGNER CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

What’s your favorite kind of french fry?

ketchup, I'm happy.

I’m a big fan of crispy shoestring fries like Steak ’n Shake’s.

To place advertisements in Sauce Magazine, contact the advertising department at 314.772.8004 or sales@saucemagazine.com.

To carry Sauce Magazine at your store, restaurant, bar or place of business, contact Allyson Mace at 314.772.8004 or amace@saucemagazine.com.

All contents of Sauce Magazine are copyright ©2001-2021– by Bent Mind Creative Group, LLC. The Sauce name and logo are both registered to the publisher, Bent Mind Creative Group, LLC. Reproduction or other use, in

Crinkle cut

whole or in part, of the contents without permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. While the information has been compiled carefully to ensure maximum accuracy at the time of publication, it is provided for general guidance only and is subject to change.

The publisher cannot guarantee the accuracy of all information or be responsible for omissions or errors.

Additional copies may be obtained by providing a request at 314.772.8004 or via mail. Postage fee of $2.50 will apply.

Sauce Magazine is printed on recycled paper using soy inks.

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

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

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St. Louis, MO 63103 July 2021

contents J U LY 2 02 1

editors' picks

features

9 EAT THIS

18

Black garlic cheese bread at Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria

by meera nagarajan 10 HIT LIST 3 new places to try this month

by lauren healey, michelle volansky and liz wolfson 13 DEATH OF A BACHELOR Blood & Sand bartender Jacob Smith's riffs on his favorite cocktail, the Old-Fashioned

by matt sorrell 14 MEALS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE Beast Craft BBQ Co. and Beast Southern Kitchen & BBQ owner-pitmaster David Sandusky

READERS' CHOICE WINNERS

Our full list of winners 25

28

36

SWEET DREAMS

WINNING SPIRIT

Made. by Lia’s Lia Holter has been a baking competition champion, a brand ambassador and is now a successful business owner. Where will her dreams take her next?

by adam rothbarth

BY THE NUMBERS

32

by lauren healey

Italian salads

Westport Social

26

PATIOS YOU LOVE by liz wolfson

by liz wolfson 38

LET’S GO BOWLING

Dishes from your picks for the top ramen places in town

by michelle volansky

SO FRESH, SO CLEAN by adam rothbarth 34

10 REASONS

Randall’s Wines & Spirits

by adam rothbarth

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

COVER DETAILS MADE. BY LIA Lia Holter, owner of your favorite bakery, Made. by Lia PHOTO BY ASHLEY GIESEKING

by meera nagarajan

last bite 42 WHAT I DO Chris "Mac" McKenzie of Mac’s Local Eats

by liz wolfson 44 LANDMARK McGurk’s Irish Pub & Garden PHOTO BY CARMEN TROESSER

by lauren healey

July 2021

death of a bachelor at blood & sand, p. 13

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Eat This E D I T O R S ' P I C K S Readers’ Choice Favorite Restaurant (second, tied), Chef of the Year (second, Katie Collier), Favorite Pizza Place (second)

The black garlic bread at Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria is an unfussy pizza-style dish with minimal but perfect ingredients. Fermented black garlic with its sweet and sour notes, sweet roasted garlic and pungent sliced fresh garlic, set against a backdrop of milky burrata and pizza dough speckled with pockets of air and charred crust, allow you to taste the allium’s full flavor spectrum. Pair it with a beautiful day and a chilled rosé for an ideal meal.

PHOTO BY IZAIAH JOHNSON

Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria, 9568 Manchester Road, Rock Hill, 314.942.6555; 14171 Clayton Road, Town & Country, 636.220.3238, katiespizzaandpasta.com

July 2021

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E D I T O R S ' P I C K S

hit list

3 new places to try this month

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opposite page: the dining room at bolyard's meat & provisions; this page, clockwise from left: a charcuterie board at bolyard's meat & provisions; the bolyard's team, from left, jake rowan, ryan summercamp, faith beasley, owner chris bolyard, chef remi didry, manager bob komanetsky and zach cowee; from top, sliced pâté en croûte, a spring salad at bolyard's meat & provisions

PHOTOS BY MEERA NAGARAJAN

BOLYARD'S MEAT & PROVISIONS Bolyard’s Meat & Provisions has moved into larger digs down the street and now features an expanded menu with a range of creative offerings. Don’t be fooled by the butcher shop surroundings – the delightful spring salad comes with locally grown greens tossed generously in a preserved lemon dressing accompanied by grilled asparagus and sausage hush puppies atop a ’nduja hollandaise. The Pig Pen sandwich has tender pork char siu, sweet and sour cabbage, and just enough tangy gochujang mayo on a Companion Peacemaker roll. You can’t go wrong with the Bob’s Burger, which features two super-thin smash patties, pimento cheese, a fried green tomato and sweet tomato chutney.

Both sandwiches pair well with the tallow fries and a side of the pungent black garlic aioli.

2733 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, 314.647.2567, bolyardsmeat.com July 2021

GATHER Gather – A Neighborhood Cafe sees the cafe portion of Urban Fort Play (located next door) revamped as a cozy spot well suited for anyone looking for a place to catch up with a friend or linger over a book. The BLTE sandwich with crisp-but-not-greasy bacon, greens and an over-easy egg on toasted Union Loafers wheat bread dressed with tomato jam and garlic aioli was well-balanced, the tomato jam’s sweetness a welcome counterpoint to the salty bacon. A house-made buttermilk biscuit provided a tender (if slightly crumbly) bed for the biscuit sandwich’s freshly scrambled egg and grilled tomato draped with melted American cheese. A locally oriented drink menu includes espresso drinks made with Blueprint Coffee beans, cold brew from Living Room Coffee, and teas from Big Heart Tea Co., as well as alcoholic options like mimosas and canned cocktails from 1220 Spirits.

1854 Russell Blvd., St. Louis, 314.376.4235, gathercafestl.com

THE DRAWING BOARD Whether you’re stopping in for a bite or just chilling with friends around the pool table, The Drawing Board’s cozy, unpretentious vibes are what South City is made of. Fans of previous tenant Ryder’s Tavern’s smash burger can rest easy – it has a permanent home on the menu alongside other comfort foods courtesy of executive chef Alexa Camp. Gooey, arancini-style jambalaya balls with crispy panko breading were irresistible when dunked in tangy, house-made remoulade. The grilled cheese sandwich features a melty combo of goat cheese and white cheddar on classic toasted white bread.

Loading it up with apple butter and bacon is a must.

4123 Chippewa St., St. Louis, 314.899.9343, Facebook: TheDrawingBoardSTL saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 11

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E D I T O R S ' P I C K S

D E AT H O F A BAC H E L O R

PHOTO BY CARMEN TROESSER

BY MATT SORRELL // PHOTO BY CARMEN TROESSER

July 2021

Readers’ Choice Bartender of the Year Jacob Smith has been behind the bar at a unique array of spots, including The Curtain Call Lounge at The Fabulous Fox Theatre, Gamlin Whiskey House and Angad Arts Hotel, where working under Meredith Barry, he explored craft cocktails more deeply. Last September, he signed on at Blood & Sand, where his work has garnered him Sauce Readers’ Choice Bartender of the Year honors.

to Smith, “It’s just a great template for creating a cocktail, a great place to start with lots of room for creativity.” Smith prefers his Old-Fashioneds with a rye whiskey base, especially the bonded sixyear rye from A.D. Laws, a boutique distillery in the Denver area that produces whiskeys made with grains cultivated in Colorado. He and his Blood & Sand cohorts like the spirit so much that the restaurant will be getting its own barrel, finished in Sauterne casks, this summer.

Death of a Bachelor

Whether he’s imbibing or working on a new creation, Smith most often looks to the venerable Old-Fashioned for refreshment and inspiration. According

One of Smith’s favorite Old-Fashioned riffs is an off-the-menu tipple at Blood & Sand called Death of a Bachelor, created by his former co-worker, Dane Davis.

• Stir all ingredients with ice. Strain over a large ice cube in a rocks glass. Garnish with a burnt orange peel.

Courtesy of Blood & Sand’s Jacob Smith

2 oz. A.D. Laws San Luis Valley sixyear bonded rye ¼ oz. burnt orange syrup ¼ oz. cinnamon maple syrup 4 dashes house-made, cherry-vanillabourbon bitters 2 dashes Angostura bitters 2 dashes orange bitters

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Beef Stroganoff | 1986 The first dish that changed my life was my mother’s beef stroganoff, which was made with cream of mushroom soup. It blew my mind. I still try to mimic that from time to time without using cream of mushroom soup, and I’m not always successful. It became my favorite meal.

It’s what she made me for my birthday. She showed me how to open the can without cutting my fingers off – stuff like that. (She used) like boullion cubes and finished it with sour cream. It was just the absolute worst recipe. I appreciate really good food in places where I’m not supposed to. I think it’s really easy to appreciate good things in a fine-dining restaurant; you appreciate where the ingredients came from, you appreciate how they’re being prepared. But there’s really something to be said for just doing stuff that tastes good and feels good.

That’s why I got out of fine dining and into barbecue.

Bouillabaisse | 2001

MEALS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

DAV I D SANDUSKY

Readers’ Choice Favorite New Restaurant David Sandusky went from culinary school graduate and ministry school dropout to fine dining chef to barbecue titan. His fledgling barbecue empire of Beast restaurants is growing, and the latest, Beast Southern Kitchen & BBQ, is this year’s Readers’ Choice Favorite New Restaurant. “I just wanted to do some fun shit. Barbecue was a natural fit for a few reasons. One is: It’s competitive as shit, and I am competitive as shit,” Sandusky said of his career pivot. “I wanted to do something that hit people in the chest, something that met them at their dinner table and was part of their everyday life, not some pretentious meal you’re going to have once a year. It’s just not who I wanted to be or what I wanted to do at that point in my life.” Clearly, his intentions are landing, and diners are loving every bite. Here, Sandusky talks about three meals that changed his life. – Meera Nagarajan

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I think there’s an attention to detail that my background brings to what I do that I learned from chef Phillip Paris. With him, good enough is never good enough – that’s what I learned. I would say that a dish that impacted me was his bouillabaisse. In particular, the way that he created it. It’s just a classic stew, but it’s a soulful dish.

And the way that he built those flavors, it made me realize that flavoring things is more than just adding ingredients. There’s a way to bring up those flavors and bring them out for each dish in their highest form, and that’s the art. Also, that flavor comes from texture, and it’s

about surface area. You need the right surface area to achieve the textures that you need to achieve the flavors that you need.

Snoot | 2012 Smoki O’s snoot blew me away. It makes me a little sad – because I appreciate the roots of things. I appreciate the cultural aspect of it. I love to learn why and when and how it relates to people. I think we’ve forgotten a lot about where barbecue came from and what made it great. When I find great barbecue, it’s not in the place that someone told me to go; I have to dig for it myself.

And typically I find it in holein-the wall places in the inner city. You don’t find [snoot] on a lot of menus in St. Louis anymore. It has this beautiful crunch. It has this awesome burnt bacon kind of quality to it. The texture is crazy because it’s crunchy, but then you have these bursts of fat. It’s just a one-of-a-kind thing and that’s my favorite barbecue cut, by far. I saw it (at Smoki O’s) and thought, “What the hell is this?” Because what they teach you about barbecue is ribs and pulled pork and brisket and chicken – you don’t get these off-cuts. Like, the reason why we do low and slow is because we’re taking terrible pieces of meat and making something good out of them, and that’s the whole reason barbecue exists.

Beast Butcher & Block 4156 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314.944.6003, beastbbqstl.com; Beast Craft BBQ Co. 20 S. Belt W., Belleville, 618.257.9000, beastcraftbbq.com; Beast Southern Kitchen & BBQ 1280 Columbia Center, Columbia, 618.719.2384, beastsouthern.com

July 2021

ILLUSTRATION BY VIDHYA NAGARAJAN

E D I T O R S ' P I C K S

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RE A DERS ' CHOICE W INNE RS Every year, we invite our readers to vote on their favorite local places to eat, drink and shop.

Despite a challenging period for businesses that had to constantly adapt during the pandemic, restaurants continue to prove that our city’s dining landscape is vibrant and varied. Though we said farewell to many beloved places, it’s exciting to finally celebrate a few wins.

Here are the winners of this year’s Sauce Readers’ Choice poll.

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your favorite places to eat

FAVORITE SUSHI

SUSHI AI

Multiple locations, sushiaistlouis.com 2nd: Drunken Fish (tie) Wasabi Sushi Bar 3rd: Indo Honorable Mentions: Café Mochi, Nippon Tei

FAVORITE RESTAURANT

SUGARFIRE SMOKE HOUSE

FAVORITE STEAKHOUSE

TUCKER’S PLACE

Multiple locations, sugarfiresmokehouse.com 2nd: Grace Meat + Three (tie) Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria 3rd: Olive + Oak Honorable Mentions: Louie, Eleven Eleven Mississippi

Multiple locations, tuckersplacestl.com 2nd: Annie Gunn’s 3rd: Kreis’ Restaurant Honorable Mentions: Citizen Kane’s Steakhouse, Twisted Tree Steakhouse

CHEF OF THE YEAR

KEVIN MILFORD, SUGARFIRE SMOKE HOUSE

Multiple locations, sugarfiresmokehouse.com 2nd: Katie Collier, Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria 3rd: Loryn Nalic, Balkan Treat Box Honorable Mentions: Jessie Mendica, Olive + Oak; Ray Wiley, Beffa’s

FAVORITE PIZZA PLACE

IMO’S

Multiple locations, imospizza.com 2nd: Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria 3rd: Pi Pizza Honorable Mentions: Plank Road Pizza, Union Loafers Café and Bread Bakery

cheeseburger at mac's local eats, your favorite burger – turn to p. 42 for more

FAVORITE BRUNCH FAVORITE PATIO

HENDEL’S

599 Rue St. Denis St., Florissant, 314.837.2304, hendelsrestaurant.com 2nd: McGurk’s Irish Pub & Garden 3rd: Rockwell Beer Co. Honorable Mentions: Vin De Set (tie) Boadway Oyster Bar, Billy G’s Kirkwood FAVORITE CHICKEN WINGS

SYBERG’S

PHOTO BY VIRGINIA HAROLD

Multiple locations, sybergs.com 2nd: Sugarfire Smoke House 3rd: Grace Meat + Three Honorable Mentions: St. Louis Wing Co., Three Kings Public House FAVORITE ROMANTIC SPOT

THE BOATHOUSE AT FOREST PARK 6101 Government Drive, St. Louis, 314.366.1555, boathousestl.com July 2021

2nd: Sidney Street Cafe 3rd: Vin De Set Honorable Mentions: Louie, Olio FAVORITE GHOST KITCHEN/POP-UP

ELMWOOD PIZZA POP-UP (PIZZA CHAMP) 2704 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, 314.261.4708, elmwoodstl.com 2nd: Vegan Deli & Butcher by Chef Bertke 3rd: Wing Ding Dong Honorable Mentions: Upper Crust, Shift NEW RESTAURANT

BEAST SOUTHERN KITCHEN & BBQ

1280 Columbia Center, Columbia, 314.944.6003, beastsouthern.com 2nd: The Lucky Accomplice 3rd: Perennial on Lockwood Honorable Mentions: Winslow’s Table, The Parkmoor Drive-In

FAVORITE DINER

SOUTHWEST DINER 6803 Southwest Ave., St. Louis, 314.260.7244, southwestdinerstl.com 2nd: Uncle Bill’s Pancake and Dining 3rd: Olivette Diner Honorable Mentions: Chris’ Pancake and Dining, City Diner FAVORITE FOOD TRUCK

SEOUL TACO

Multiple locations, seoultaco.com 2nd: Mission Taco Truck (tie) Farmtruk 3rd: K-Bop Honorable Mentions: Blues Fired Pizza, Truck Norris FAVORITE DELI/ SANDWICH SHOP

GIOIA’S DELI

1934 Macklind Ave., St. Louis; 623 N. New Ballas Road, Creve Coeur, 314.776.9410, gioiasdeli.com

2nd: Blues City Deli 3rd: The Gramophone Honorable Mentions: Mom’s Deli, Union Loafers Café and Bread Bakery FAVORITE DOUGHNUT SHOP

OLD TOWN DONUT SHOP 508 New Florissant Road, Florissant, 314.831.0907, oldtowndonuts.com 2nd: Donut Drive-In 3rd: Strange Donuts Honorable Mentions: World’s Fair Donuts, Pharaoh’s Donuts

SHACK

Multiple locations, eatatshack.com 2nd: Rooster 3rd: Southwest Diner (tie) Egg Honorable Mentions: Brasserie By Niche, Polite Society (tie) Russell’s on Macklind FAVORITE ITALIAN

ZIA’S RESTAURANT 5256 Wilson Ave., St. Louis, 314.776.0020, zias.com 2nd: Cunetto House of Pasta 3rd: Anthonino’s Taverna Honorable Mentions: Trattoria Marcella, Pastaria

FAVORITE BARBECUE

SUGARFIRE SMOKE HOUSE

FAVORITE CHINESE

Multiple locations, sugarfiresmokehouse.com 2nd: Salt + Smoke 3rd: Pappy’s Smokehouse Honorable Mentions: Beast Craft BBQ Co., Bogart’s Smokehouse (tie) The Shaved Duck

8396 Musick Memorial Drive, Brentwood, 314.645.2835, maileestl.com 2nd: Lona’s Lil Eats 3rd: China King Honorable Mentions: Lu Lu Seafood Restaurant, Old St. Louis Chop Suey

MAI LEE

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FAVORITE GREEK

OLYMPIA KEBOB HOUSE

1543 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, 314.781.1299, olympiakebobandtavern.com 2nd: Spiro’s Restaurant 3rd: Michael’s Bar & Grill Honorable Mentions: Anthonino’s Taverna, Soulard Gyro FAVORITE MEDITERRANEAN/ MIDDLE EASTERN

BALKAN TREAT BOX

vegetarian dishes at lona’s lil eats, your favorite vegetarian/vegan restaurant

8013 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314.733.5700, balkantreatbox.com 2nd: Cafe Natasha’s 3rd: The Vine Cafe (tie) Sultan Mediterranean Cuisine Honorable Mentions: Layla, Aya Sofia FAVORITE SOUL FOOD/ SOUTHERN

GRACE MEAT + THREE FAVORITE FRIED CHICKEN

GRACE MEAT + THREE 4270 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314.533.2700, stlgrace.com 2nd: Hodak’s Restaurant 3rd: Southern (temporarily closed) Honorable Mentions: King Edwards Fried Chicken, Porter’s Fried Chicken

FAVORITE FROZEN DESSERT

TED DREWES FROZEN CUSTARD

6726 Chippewa St., St. Louis, 314.481.2652; 4224 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314.352.7376, teddrewes.com 2nd: Clementine’s Creamery 3rd: Fritz’s Frozen Custard Honorable Mentions: Serendipity Homemade Ice Cream, Ices Plain & Fancy

FAVORITE FINE DINING

SIDNEY STREET CAFÉ

2000 Sidney St., St. Louis, 314.771.5777, sidneystreetcafestl.com 2nd: Olive + Oak (tie) Eleven Eleven Mississippi 3rd: Tony’s Honorable Mentions: Annie Gunn’s, Blood & Sand FAVORITE BURGER

MAC’S LOCAL EATS 1821 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314.393.7713, macslocaleats.com 2nd: Hi-Pointe Drive-In 3rd: Stacked STL Burger Bar Honorable Mentions: O’Connell’s Pub, Carl’s Drive-In

FAVORITE CAJUN/ CREOLE

BROADWAY OYSTER BAR

736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314.621.8811, broadwayoysterbar.com 2nd: Sister Cities Cajun 3rd: Gulf Shores Restaurant Honorable Mentions: Highway 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen, Boogaloo, 909 Public House (tie) FAVORITE INDIAN

HOUSE OF INDIA

8501 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314.567.6850, hoistl.com

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2nd: Himalayan Yeti 3rd: India Palace Honorable Mentions: Everest Cafe and Bar, Rasoi FAVORITE KOREAN

SEOUL TACO

Multiple locations, seoultaco.com 2nd: Tiny Chef 3rd: Kimchi Guys (tie) Seoul Garden Korean Restaurant Honorable Mentions: K-Bop, Kim Cheese FAVORITE TACOS

MISSION TACO JOINT Multiple locations, missiontacojoint.com 2nd: Taco Circus 3rd: Taco Buddha Honorable Mentions: Seoul Taco, Hacienda Mexican Restaurant FAVORITE MEXICAN

HACIENDA MEXICAN RESTAURANT 9748 Manchester Road, Rock Hill, 314.962.7100, haciendastl.com 2nd: Rosalita’s Cantina

4270 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314.533.2700, stlgrace.com 2nd: Southern (temporarily closed) 3rd: Juniper Honorable Mentions: Sweetie Pie’s Upper Crust, Jerk Soul FAVORITE THAI

KING AND I

3155 S. Grand Ave., St. Louis, 314.771.1777, kingandistl.com 2nd: Pearl Cafe 3rd: Thai Kitchen (tie) Chao Baan Honorable Mentions: Fork & Stix, Pad Thai Kitchen FAVORITE VIETNAMESE

MAI LEE

8396 Musick Memorial Drive, Brentwood, 314.645.2835, maileestl.com 2nd: Pho Grand 3rd: Banh Mi So 1 Honorable Mentions: Lemongrass, Little Saigon Cafe FAVORITE RAMEN

NUDO HOUSE

6105 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis,

314.370.6970; 11423 Olive Blvd., Creve Coeur, 314.274.8046, nudohousestl.com 2nd: Robata Maplewood 3rd: Blue Ocean Honorable Mentions: Ramen Tei, Nami Ramen VEGETARIAN/VEGAN

LONA’S LIL EATS

2199 California Ave., St. Louis, 314.925.1888, lonaslileats.com 2nd: Lulu’s Local Eatery 3rd: Tree House Restaurant Honorable Mentions: SweetArt Bakeshop & Cafe, Pizza Head (tie) Everest Cafe FAVORITE SEAFOOD

PEACEMAKER LOBSTER & CRAB CO. 1831 Sidney St., St. Louis, 314.772.8858, peacemakerlobstercrab.com 2nd: Broadway Oyster Bar 3rd: Gulf Shores Restaurant Honorable Mentions: Yellowbelly, Indo FAVORITE PAN-ASIAN/ASIAN FUSION

SEOUL TACO

Multiple locations, seoultaco.com 2nd: Indo (tie) Guerrilla Street Food 3rd: Copper Pig Honorable Mentions: Kitchen Kulture, The Bao

your favorite places to drink BARTENDER OF THE YEAR

JACOB SMITH, BLOOD & SAND 1500 St. Charles St., St Louis, 314.241.7263, bloodandsandstl.com 2nd: Terry Oliver, Frazer’s 3rd: James Nahm, 909 Public House Honorable Mentions: Ted Kilgore, Planter’s House; Meredith Barry, Taste/La Verita Distilleria July 2021

PHOTO BY VIRGINIA HAROLD

3rd: Mi Ranchito Honorable Mentions: Chava’s Mexican Restaurant, El Burro Loco

July 2021

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FAVORITE LOCAL DISTILLERY

SQUARE ONE BREWERY AND DISTILLERY

1727 Park Ave, St. Louis, 314.231.2537, squareonebrewery.com 2nd: Still 630 Distillery 3rd: 1220 Artisan Spirits (tie) Pinckney Bend Distillery Honorable Mentions: Stumpy’s Spirits Distillery, Switchgrass Spirits Distillery FAVORITE LOCAL WINERY

WILD SUN WINERY

frozen drinks at narwhal's crafted, your favorite place to get a cocktail

FAVORITE HAPPY HOUR

THREE KINGS PUBLIC HOUSE Multiple locations, threekingspub.com (tie)

SASHA’S ON SHAW 4069 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, 314.771.7274, sashaswinebar.com 2nd: Narwhal’s Crafted 3rd: Planter’s House* Honorable Mentions: Vin De Set, The Pat Connolly Tavern* (tie) Basso *These happy hours are indefinitely on hiatus due to the pandemic.

FAVORITE COCKTAILS

PHOTO BY IZAIAH JOHNSON

NARWHAL’S CRAFTED

Multiple locations, narwhalscrafted.com 2nd: Planter’s House 3rd: Blood & Sand Honorable Mentions: Frazer’s, Olive + Oak

3rd: Picasso’s Coffee House Honorable Mentions: Park Avenue Coffee, Sump Coffee FAVORITE BEER BAR

THREE KINGS PUBLIC HOUSE

Multiple locations, threekingspub.com 2nd: The Side Project Cellar 3rd: International Tap House Honorable Mentions: Amsterdam Tavern, Chillax Tap & Co. (tie) Gezellig

JOHN D. MCGURK’S IRISH PUB & GARDEN 1200 Russell Blvd., St. Louis, 314.766.8309, mcgurks.com 2nd: The Scottish Arms 3rd: Llywelyn’s Pub Honorable Mentions: O’Connell’s Pub, Seamus McDaniel’s

your favorite places to shop KENRICK’S MEAT MARKET

1220 S. Eighth St., St. Louis, 314.436.1559, 4handsbrewery.com 2nd: Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. (tie) Schlafly 3rd: 2nd Shift Brewing Honorable Mentions: Rockwell Beer Co., Civil Life Brewing Co. (closed for expansion until September 2021)

Multiple locations, sybergs.com 2nd: Amsterdam Tavern 3rd: The Post Sports Bar & Grill Honorable Mentions: Tamm Avenue Bar, Joey B’s

4324 Weber Road, St. Louis, 314.631.2440, kenricks.com 2nd: Bolyard’s Meat & Provisions 3rd: Mannino’s Market Honorable Mentions: Beast Butcher & Block, G&W Meats

4 HANDS BREWING CO.

Multiple locations, kaldiscoffee.com 2nd: The Mud House

910 Westport Plaza, Maryland Heights, 314.548.2876, westportsocial-stl.com

WESTPORT SOCIAL

SYBERG’S

610 Rue St. Francis, Florissant, 314.551.2383, madebylia.com 2nd: Nathaniel Reid Bakery 3rd: Missouri Baking Co. Honorable Mentions: La Patisserie Chouquette, Jilly’s Cupcake Bar FAVORITE FARMERS MARKET

SOULARD FARMERS MARKET

730 Carroll St, St. Louis, 314.622.4180, soulardmarket.com 2nd: Tower Grove Farmers’ Market 3rd: Kirkwood Farmers’ Market Honorable Mentions: Ferguson Farmers’ Market, Lake Saint Louis Farmers and Artist Market FAVORITE LOCAL GROCERY Multiple locations, schnucks.com 2nd: Dierbergs 3rd: Straub’s Honorable Mentions: Jay International Food Co., DiGregorio’s Italian Market FAVORITE SPECIALTY SHOP

CROWN CANDY KITCHEN

FAVORITE BUTCHER SHOP

FAVORITE SPORTS BAR

FAVORITE GAMES BAR

July 2021

FAVORITE PUB

MADE. BY LIA

SCHNUCKS

FAVORITE BREWERY

FAVORITE COFFEE SHOP

KALDI’S COFFEE

2nd: 4 Hands Brewing Co. 3rd: The Silver Ballroom Honorable Mentions: Pieces, Two Plumbers Brewery & Arcade

4830 Pioneer Road, Hillsboro, 636.797.8686, wildsun.com 2nd: Grafton Winery & Brewhaus 3rd: Chandler Hill Vineyards Honorable Mentions: Cedar Lake Cellars Winery (tie) Montelle Winery, Chaumette Vineyards & Winery

FAVORITE CAKES/ PASTRIES

1401 St. Louis Ave., St. Louis, 314.621.9650, crowncandykitchen.net 2nd: Volpi Foods 3rd: Bob’s Seafood Honorable Mentions: Parker’s Table, BeerSauce Shop

SASHA’S WINE BARS

FAVORITE BREAD

FAVORITE BOTTLE SHOP

706 DeMun Ave., St. Louis, 314.863.7274; 4069 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, 314.771.7274, sashaswinebar.com 2nd: Grafton Winery and Brewhaus 3rd: Cottleville Wine Seller Honorable Mentions: Robust Wine Bar, 33 Wine Shop & Bar

1629 Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis, 314.833.6111, unionloafers.com 2nd: Companion Bakery 3rd: Missouri Baking Co. Honorable Mentions: Vitale’s Bakery, Federhofer’s Bakery

1910 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314.865.0199, shoprandalls.com 2nd: The Wine and Cheese Place 3rd: Intoxicology Honorable Mentions: Saint Louis Hop Shop, BeerSauce Shop

FAVORITE WINE BAR

UNION LOAFERS CAFÉ AND BREAD BAKERY

RANDALL’S WINES & SPIRITS

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13,500 square feet

9

classic games

219,000

wonton chips fried annually for nachos

11

Westport Social Mules sold daily

42

types of spirits available

1,205

ping pong balls lost

90,001

baskets made in hoops

Westport Social, by the numbers PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLIE PEPIN PHOTOGRAPHY

Westport Social has become a West County mainstay for a fun night out with friends and was voted Favorite Games Bar for good reason. Here’s what it takes to keep the drinks flowing and the balls rolling. – Lauren Healey Readers’ Choice Favorite Games Bar 910 Westport Plaza, Maryland Heights, 314.548.2876, westportsocial-stl.com

July 2021

20

beers on draft

19

trips to the ice machine a night

4

years in business

20 TVs

1,406

times Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” has been sung on karaoke

24

items on the menu

416

nights of live music

42

dancers (on average) a night for live music

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PHOTO BY DAVID KOVALUK

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PATIOS YOU LOVE

BOATHOUSE PHOTO SHOT BY RANDY ALLEN FOR FOREST PARK FOREVER; ROCKWELL PHOTOS BY DAVID KOVALUK; BROADWAY OYSTER BAR AND HENDEL'S PHOTOS BY LAUREN HEALEY; BILLY G'S PHOTO BY MICHELLE VOLANSKY

Maybe it’s our warm climate, or maybe it’s St. Louis’ German forebears’ love of Biergartens – whatever the reason, our city loves eating and drinking outdoors.

Here are some of your favorite patios to post up on.

Opposite page: Vin de Set Favorite Happy Hour (honorable mention), Favorite Patio (tie, honorable mention), Favorite Romantic Spot (third), 2017 Chouteau Ave., St. Louis, 314.241.8989, vindeset.com; this page, clockwise, from top left: Boathouse at Forest Park Favorite Romantic Spot (first), 6101 Government Drive, St. Louis, 314.366.1555, boathousestl.com, Rockwell Beer Co. Favorite Brewery (honorable mention), Favorite Patio (third), 1320 S. Vandeventer Ave., St. Louis, 314.256.1657, rockwellbeer.com; Broadway Oyster Bar Favorite Cajun/Creole (first), Favorite Patio (tie, honorable mention), Favorite Seafood (second), 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314.621.8811, broadwayoysterbar.com; Sasha’s On Shaw Favorite Happy Hour (tie, first), Favorite Wine Bar (first), 4069 Shaw Ave., St. Louis, 314.771.7274, sashaswinebar.com; Hendel’s Favorite Patio (first), 599 Rue St. Denis, Florissant, 314.837.2304, hendelsrestaurant.com; Billy G’s Kirkwood Favorite Patio (honorable mention), 131 W. Argonne Drive, Kirkwood, 314.984.8000, billygskirkwood.com

July 2021

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sweet drEAms M A D E . BY L I A’ S L I A H O LT E R H A S B E E N A BAKING COMPETITION CHAMPION, A BRAND AMBASSADOR AND IS NOW A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS OWNER. WHERE WILL HER D R E A M S TA K E H E R N E X T ?

BY ADAM ROTHBARTH PHOTOS BY ASHLEY GIESEKING

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July 2021

When Lia Holter left for New York City in February 2014 to compete on TLC’s Next Great Baker, she didn’t know if she would be gone for two days or two months.

In fact, until that point, she hadn’t even expected to get on the plane. But after an intensive interview process involving personality questionnaires, an in-person conversation and even a cake-decorating challenge, she made the cut. Like most who are chosen to battle in a food competition show, nothing she’d done previously had prepared her for the experience. “They took away our phones, our laptops, basically anything to contact the outside world,” Holter explained. “We did 20-hour days. It was the most intense and grueling experience of my life.”

Throughout the competition, Holter faced challenges she’d never dealt with before. Though she’d perfected her lemon meringue tart recipe before going on the show, she wasn’t ready for the sheer pressure of having to do it live and while making more tarts than she’d ever made. “I had to make hundreds of them on the show, and it’s not something that’s easy to make,” she reflected. “I had like six hours to make two or three hundred of them. I had to juice every lemon.”

After filming the episode, the judges asked her for the recipe. She had similar success with her peanut butter-chocolate cake, which was featured in People; she wasn’t so lucky with the 7-foot-tall seven-layer cake she made, which toppled over. “I remember that was a disaster,” she said, laughing. But despite that setback and many others, Holter won the season and was crowned a bona fide great baker.

But in St. Louis, Holter was already a great baker, having started many years earlier. It began with the Italian Christmas cookies she made with her family as a child. “The kitchen was my happy place from a very young age,” Holter said. “I loved to prep and cook and bake.” When she was old enough, it was jobs at Dairy Queen and Florissant hotspot Hendel’s, owned by her sister and brother-in-law, Christina and Nathan Bennett. At Hendel’s, she gained experience in a professional kitchen and started to think about what her career might look like. Since she was only 15 years old at the time, she was mostly waitressing and doing prep work like cracking eggs and cutting

July 2021

produce, which helped perfect her knife skills.

“Going into pastry school, I feel like I had a sense of what I was doing,” she said. She went to Forest Park Community College for an associate’s degree in baking and pastry arts and also earned a bachelor’s in business at Fontbonne University. At the same time, she worked in a cake shop, gaining experience as a wedding cake decorator. “I knew going in that I always wanted to have a job that I loved, and I love to bake, so that’s why I started off my career there,” she said. The foresight to study baking and business simultaneously would prove wise as she began looking toward crafting a brand of her own.

After college, Holter studied abroad in Italy, but she’s quick to point out that “studied abroad” should be in quotation marks. “I mostly just ate and drank too much,” she said with a chuckle.

When she returned, she was motivated to begin a new chapter, which came in the form of a Facebook page in 2012 called Made. by Lia. “It was just an avenue for friends and family to order little cakes and macarons,” she reminisced. “I remember when I got my first 10 followers and I thought it was the coolest thing ever.” During that time, she went back to Hendel’s to work as a pastry chef. Two years later, she won Next Great Baker.

“My little Facebook page boomed overnight,” Holter recalled. “I was working

out of my tiny little apartment that had a half-size refrigerator. I had to use the top of my oven for all of my work. It was a crazy time, but very awesome, because people wanted to support me.” As she toiled in her small space trying to fill orders, dreaming of another break, she got a call from AB Mauri, the company that owns Fleischmann’s Yeast, asking if she wanted to be their brand ambassador. Soon after she accepted the role, the company opened a beautiful, state-of-the art baking facility in the Central West End’s Cortex Innovation Community and invited her to operate Made. by Lia out of it. She said yes.

“I had all the space to take on quadruple the amount of orders and grow my wedding cake business,” she said. Eventually, it became so big that she and her husband Max Holter, whom she’d married in 2015, started thinking about getting their own spot. “Do I want to take on a crazy life change and open up my own storefront?” she asked herself. The answer was, of course, yes. When the building at 610 Rue St. Francois in Old Town Florissant became available, just down the street from her home, she jumped on it. Holter opened Made. by Lia there in August 2020.

Located on the same block as a small florist, a custom framing business, an appliance shop and the Citizens Bank of Florissant is Made. by Lia, a sleek, hip bakery

whose storefront looks like an ivory cake decorated with black typeface. If you’re a pastry head, the shop immediately seems like somewhere you’d want to hang out. Inside, it’s airy and bright, full of fair tones, sunlight and buoyant, sugary smells. There’s a wide range of beautifully displayed options at the counter, from a candy-sweet lemon poppy seed vegan doughnut and a brilliantly moist cinnamon sugar cake doughnut (also vegan), to a tender and savory cheddar-chive scone. The raspberry-almond galette, endlessly cute in its single-serving size, reveals a luscious, jammy center when broken apart. Everything here is delicate and purposeful but still somehow simple; and when you do finally order, the cashier wraps up your food with the delicate touch of a surgeon or a concert pianist, to the point where you almost feel nervous to open it. But when you do, you realize – if you haven’t already – that Made. by Lia is a very special place.

Holter’s philosophy starts with what’s printed under her name on the storefront: craft bakery. “Everything we do here is made from scratch,” she explained. “We do everything from your classic chocolate chip cookie to our vegan and gluten-free items. Scones, cupcakes. We make all of our jams, fillings, buttercreams, caramels and cakes from scratch.” And while classic bakery fare is her bread and butter, Made. by Lia puts a unique spin on things by giving vegan and gluten-free items a prominent spot on the menu. As most bakers know, those categories come with big challenges. “It’s about making sure it’s not too gummy or mushy,” Holter said, pointing out that her bakery uses a lot of flax eggs to avoid using too many substitutions, such as applesauce, which can ultimately dry out a pastry.

“We do a cinnamon sugar doughnut that literally you would have no idea is vegan. That’s one of my proudest and favorite recipes I’ve developed. Flax keeps the moisture in.” It’s been a journey to perfect her dairy-free items, but Holter is committed to the path. “Not every recipe is a win,” she said of the research and development process. But as far as her menu goes, most of them are.

Showcasing vegan and gluten-free food isn’t about optics for Holter; rather, a conscious relationship with animal protein is a central part of her life.

“After I had my first kid – my daughter, Ella – I was nursing, and she was really fussy at the time,” Holter explained, adding that she also used to have stomach issues after eating. Her doctor suggested eliminating dairy. “Dairy was a huge part of my life. I ate so much yogurt and milk and cheese. I was like, ‘How am I going to do this? It’s going to be impossible!’”

But she did do it, and she and her daughter immediately felt better. Now, Holter leans toward a whole food, plant-based diet. “I’ll still have ice cream, so I’m not 100% vegan, but I choose a plant-based lifestyle,” she said.

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Holter’s family includes husband Max and children Ella and James, and as much as what they eat matters to her, how they eat is also immensely important.

“I think that the kitchen should be the center of your home,” she declared. “Cooking and eating with your family, eating at the table, is kind of unheard of today. People will sit and watch TV or go to their separate rooms.” And though she’s clearly the baker and cook in the family, she’s already enlisting her young children to help out and encouraging them to

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start developing the same skills she started out with so many years ago; now, 4-year-old Ella helps slice mushrooms during prep for dinner. “We eat together as a family, we cook together as a family,” she said.

“It’s an important thing.”

Despite winning a national baking

competition, launching a successful brand and starting her own already-beloved bakery, Holter has no plans to slow down anytime soon. “I’m a

huge dreamer,” she said. “It drives my husband crazy. He’s like, ‘You’ve already got your dream.

You’ve already got your bakery.’” But she wants more. To start, her current bakery space is already maxed out, but she can see turning its 2,000-square-foot unfinished basement into a second baking facility one day. She’s also talked to a cookbook designer about launching a book series. “I’ve got so many different passions,” Holter said. “I’d love to have one on decorating

July 2021

cakes, cooking, baking. I’ve always wanted to have something that would teach the at-home baker how to bake from scratch.” Judging from the demand her bakery’s already seen – in under a year, she’s grown from having one baker to eight, with about 15 employees total – people will show up for whatever she does next.

Just like with getting on the plane in 2014 to compete in TLC’s Next Great Baker, nobody

July 2021

is more surprised by how things have turned out than Holter. “I’m blown away at how well everything’s going,” she said. “But nothing’s easy.

I’m still learning every day what to do and what not to do. I feel like I know that this is what I’m meant to do and where I’m meant to be.” Still, sometimes, on those late nights following a 16- or 18-hour day, she finds herself longing for more harmony. Holter recalls mopping the floors of her bakery at midnight after some shifts, imagining

a time where she wouldn’t have to be mopping at that hour. “I’m still trying to find that good worklife, mom-life, life-life, boss-life balance,” she said.

From the outside, at least, it seems like she’s got it under control.

Readers’ Choice Favorite Bakery Made. by Lia, 610 Rue St. Francois, Florissant, 314.551.2383, madebylia.com

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So Fresh, So Clean

BY ADAM ROTHBARTH //

PHOTOS BY MADISON SAUNDERS

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W

hile the Italian salad is a popular dish in most St. Louis Italian restaurants, it’s not always clear what you’re getting when you order one. That’s because “Italian salad” doesn’t denote a specific group of ingredients as much as it points to a philosophy of preparing and serving light, palate-cleansing courses.

Italian salads boast an array of tasty greens and herbs, always impeccably fresh and clean, as well as a selection of enticing vegetables, often chosen based on what’s in season. The aim of the Italian salad is to showcase a tight assortment of luminous flavors, from salty olives and sour vinegars to earthy ingredients like chickpeas and tomatoes. According to Marcella Hazan, author of the indispensable Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, Italian dressing is simply “extra virgin olive oil, salt, and wine vinegar.” She goes on to share an old Italian proverb that’s a tip for the perfectly balanced salad: “For a good salad you need four persons: A judicious one for the salt, a prodigal one for the olive oil, a stingy one for the vinegar, and a patient one to toss it.”

Clearly, there are many ways to make a great Italian salad, and St. Louis’ eclectic group of Readers’ Choice winners in the Favorite Italian Restaurant category all put their own unique spin on the dish.

Even if you haven’t eaten at Zia’s Restaurant on the Hill, you’ve probably at least seen their sweet Italian vinegar and oil dressing at the grocery store or tried it at a dinner party – it’s a treasured local brand that’s been on shelves since 1996. With ingredients like red wine vinegar, olive oil, soybean oil, salt and a small amount of Parmesan cheese, Zia’s Italian dressing is also popular at the restaurant, where it tops multiple salads: The dinner salad has romaine and iceberg, diced July 2021

Taverna, another staple on the Hill, offers an Italian salad with an artisan lettuce blend, pimentos, Sicilian olives, onions, artichoke hearts, pecorino Romano and red wine vinaigrette. At Trattoria Marcella in Lindenwood Park, the mista – Italian for “mixed” – is a punchy, homey take on a type of salad usually populated with a ton of fresh veggies; Marcella’s version features chopped romaine and iceberg, provolone, Parmesan, crispy artichoke heart leaves and red wine vinaigrette.

zia's on the hill

Pastaria offers a mixed greens salad with sliced pear, walnuts, goat cheese and red wine vinaigrette; its little gem chopped salad brings big, salty, funky flavors with chickpea, green olive, pistachio, pepperoni, oregano, pecorino and red wine vinaigrette.

The popular Clayton restaurant also retails the dressing, which can be bought next door at Pastaria Deli & Wine or online.

salads at zia's, from top: the sicilian and the dinner salad

red peppers and blended Italian cheeses, while the Sicilian features the same ingredients but adds prosciutto, artichoke hearts and green olives.

According to owner Dennis Chiodini, in addition to their venerated dressing, Zia’s has a few other tricks that set its salad game apart. “One thing that we do that a lot of restaurants don’t do is that we keep our salad plates in the freezer. People love it because it’s so cold,” he pointed out. “And we still use romaine and iceberg lettuce, and that’s kind of old school. Everybody else goes mixed greens. A lot of people say, ‘Why don’t you try to use this lettuce or

that lettuce?’ We don’t try to do any trendy stuff.” In any case, if you order a salad at Zia’s, you’re getting an appetizing introduction into Sauce readers’ selection this year for their favorite Italian restaurant in St. Louis.

A few blocks away, at Cunetto House of Pasta, the insalata Italiana features a simple romaine and iceberg lettuce mix with wine vinegar and virgin olive oil, whereas the insalata Cunetto adds green onions, pimentos, prosciutto, Provel and Parmesan cheeses and housemade croutons to the lettuce base, and dresses it all with Cunetto’s house dressing. ItalianGreek restaurant Anthonino’s

As their menus show, these restaurants are all attempting to do their own thing while still honoring the Italian tradition of making fresh, approachable dishes that bring strong flavor and sync up nicely with the entrees they precede. The common denominator here, of course, is that the salads mentioned above don’t come from Italy, but from your favorite Italian spots right here in town.

Readers’ Choice Favorite Italian Zia’s Restaurant 5256 Wilson Ave., St. Louis, 314.776.0020, zias.com Cunetto House of Pasta 5453 Magnolia Ave., St. Louis, 314.781.1135, cunetto.com Anthonino’s Taverna 2225 Macklind Ave., St. Louis, 314.773.4455, anthoninos.com Trattoria Marcella 3600 Watson Road, St. Louis, 314.352.7706, trattoriamarchella.com Pastaria 7734 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.862.6603, eatpastaria.com

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convenient for you. There’s one near our office, which brings daily temptation; they’re also about to build a fifth location on the Hill.

Pro tip: The Illinois Randall’s has beers that aren’t available in St. Louis, like Half Acre and Three Floyds.

You voted Randall’s Wine & Spirits your Favorite Bottle Shop. We love it too.

Here’s why. – Adam Rothbarth

5. The employees are knowledgeable. If you

1. The variety is great. In one trip, you can find a

6. Randall’s is for everyone. They respect the hard seltzer life, but also have top shelf rums and expertly curated French wines. You’ll never feel judged for buying whatever it is you desire, and we say this having recently bought Nonino Amaro and Bud Light Seltzer in the same order.

really nice scotch, score a rare bourbon, restock your favorite mezcal, grab some dope craft beer for the weekend and snag a box or two of White Claw.

2. The prices are good. We all know the feeling of reaching for our favorite spirit or six-pack on the shelf, only to find that the spot we’ve stumbled into is selling it for considerably more than we’re used to. That doesn’t really happen here.

3. If you’re on your way to smash some drinks with the gang, you can also grab a couple bags of chips or candy to bring. That way, you’re covering all the food groups.

4. With three locations across St. Louis and one in Illinois, Randall’s is probably 34 I SAUCE MAGAZINE I saucemagazine.com

9. If you’re one of those rare spirit chasers, pay attention to Randall’s social media or call in and ask about your favorite bottle – you may soon find yourself racing down Jefferson at 9:45 a.m. trying to snag the newest shipment of Blanton’s or WhistlePig. Or, sign up for their VIP program to be among the first to know about limited releases.

ask for a specific spirit, someone can usually tell you where it is, whether they have it (or why they don’t) and what people like about it.

7. They want to help you become a more

educated drinker. Randall’s has always offered classes and tastings on everything from local craft beer to scotch; the new location on the Hill is even going to have a dedicated whiskey room and a seminar space.

8. You can make it a one-stop shop if

you’re having a party – they have soda and seltzer, disposable cups, glassware and even decorations. If it’s an outdoor party, don’t forget to peruse Randall’s selection of cigars.

10. The employee picks are *chef’s kiss.*

Randall’s website and Facebook page have weekly picks and deals from employees, meaning you’re getting an expert’s favorite bottles or cans at a great price.

Favorite Bottle Shop Multiple locations, shoprandalls.com July 2021

PHOTOS BY ADAM ROTHBARTH

10 REASONS TO BUY ALL YOUR BOOZE AT RANDALL’S WINE & SPIRITS

July 2021

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WINNING SPIRIT With new players in the game and several award-winning spirits under its belt, St. Louis’ distillery scene shows no sign of slowing down. Here are six iconic bottles from your Favorite Local Distilleries. – Liz Wolfson

Switchgrass Spirits Rye Whiskey Follow Brasserie by Niche’s bartenders’ example and use this bold, complex rye in a Sazerac; their recipe uses simple syrup made from raw sugar as well as Peychaud’s bitters.

Pinckney Bend Distillery Hand Crafted American Gin

Still 630 RallyPoint Straight Rye Whiskey This smooth rye with notes of vanilla, oak and cinnamon serves as a great building block for any classic whiskey cocktail, from a Manhattan to a whiskey sour.

Stumpy’s Spirits Old Monroe Single Barrel Bourbon

This award-winning gin features traditional flavors like juniper and coriander accented by cardamom, lavender and citrus.

Try this mellow bourbon in a cocktail with sharp flavors that highlight the spirit’s caramel and vanilla notes, like a blackberry mint julep.

Square One Brewery & Distillery JJ Neukomm Malt Whiskey Made using 100% malted barley, this whiskey uses similar ingredients to a scotch but is aged like a bourbon, making it a nice bridge between the two styles.

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1220 Spirits Blue Morpho Gin Distilled with lavender, violet and citrus zest, this amethyst-hued gin will give your old gin and tonic a new lease on life.

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July 2021

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Shroomed Out | Nudo House

Raise your eyebrows all you want when we tell you the MVP of the menu at Nudo House – your Readers’ Choice pick for Favorite Ramen – is the vegetarian Shroomed Out. The rich, creamy mushroom broth boasts layers of addictive umami flavor. Tender slices of king oyster mushroom, sweet, tangy strips of menma (bamboo shoots) and a golden, custardy ajitsuke tamago (ramen egg) truly deserve a chef’s kiss.

Tonkotsu | Ramen Tei

Tonkotsu has become the de facto mascot of American ramen, and Ramen Tei’s version is the platonic ideal of the style. Pork bones simmer for 48 hours, resulting in a milky, intensely savory broth.

Perfectly charred chashu-style pork is arranged neatly floating alongside menma, scallion, roasted garlic-chile oil, ajitsuke tamago and a slice of nori (dried seaweed) for a picture-perfect bowl.

Roasted Black Garlic Tonkotsu | Nami Ramen

How can you possibly improve a bowl of tonkotsu?

Top that sucker with roasted black garlic oil. Nami Ramen’s irresistible take on the classic comes with tender, braised pork, minced onion, menma and bean sprouts.

Spicy Miso | Blue Ocean Restaurant

Sweating it out over a hot, spicy bowl of ramen in between gulps of ice-cold beer is one of life’s simple pleasures, and there’s no dish we’d rather perspire over than Blue Ocean Restaurant’s spicy miso. Fiery red broth is decked out with ground chile, slow-roasted pork belly, pickled ginger, scallions, naruto (fish cake) and menma with a final drizzle of hot chile oil.

Champon | Robata Maplewood

Diners love Robata’s build-ityour-way ramen menu, which has options to add everything from extra eggs to kimchi to whole pork gyoza to your soup, but we’re happy with the champon seafood ramen asis. Chewy chunks of scallop, shrimp and squid swim in the pleasantly light, salty pork broth with sautéed vegetables, bean sprouts and green onion piled on top.

Readers’ Choice Favorite Ramen

Nudo House 6105 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314.370.6970; 11423 Olive Blvd., Creve Coeur, 314.274.8046, nudohousestl.com Ramen Tei 14027 Manchester Road, Ballwin, 636.386.8019, Facebook: Ramen Tei Nami Ramen 278 N. Skinker Blvd., St. Louis, 314.833.6264, namiramen.com Blue Ocean Restaurant 6335 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314.726.6477, blueoceanstl.com Robata Maplewood 7260 Manchester Road, Maplewood, 314.899.9595, robatamaplewood.com

YO U R P I C K S FO R T H E TO P R AM E N D I S H E S I N TO W N

BY M I C H E L L E VO L AN S KY // P H O TO BY J U L I A CAL L EO July 2021

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PARTNER CONTENT

How to incorporate cannabis into your next backyard barbecue

BY L AU R E N H E ALEY

Swade Dispensary, with four locations currently open in the St. Louis area and one more in the works, will soon offer a new product perfect for those backyard barbecues. Later this summer, an alcoholfree, cannabis-infused beer called MOHI will launch in all Swade dispensaries.

Highly sessionable at 5 milligrams of THC per can, the MOHI brew is not only perfect for sipping while grilling, it’s also an inventive way to make your own THCinfused beer can chicken. “It tastes just like beer but won’t give you a hangover, and it will make for a really juicy chicken with a bit of the hoppy flavor,” said Jack Haddox, director of dispensary operations.

The chicken is cooked similarly to any beer can chicken recipe, but it’s crucial to keep the temperature at about 240 degrees. “That allows the THC to vaporize and infuse the chicken without overheating and destroying the THC,” Haddox said. “You can just pop the top on a can of the beer and then put it inside a whole chicken. I use a charcoal grill and keep it off direct heat, cooking for about four to six hours until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.”

Because MOHI contains just 5 milligrams of THC, it won’t make for a highly medicated chicken, but Haddox said you could easily up the dosage, if desired, by grinding cannabis flower and adding it to the beer before cooking the chicken.

“If you have a gram of cannabis flower that’s labeled 20% THC, it equates to 200

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milligrams of THC that would disperse throughout the chicken,” he explained.

It’s also easy to infuse barbecue sauce with THC using cannabis flower. “You first must decarboxylate the flower for at least 30 minutes in the oven (on 240 degrees) to activate the THC, then you can just grind it and add it to any barbecue sauce, which usually masks the herbal flavor,” Haddox said. “I’ve also cooked ribs like I normally would, but then top them with a cannabis-infused butter.”

To infuse butter, decarboxylate the cannabis as explained above, then mix with butter and simmer for two to three hours on low heat, then strain with a cheesecloth to separate the flower from the butter. Once you have infused butter, you can incorporate it into any recipe that calls for butter, such as cookies or brownies, though the lower the temperature it’s cooked in, the better so as not to burn off the THC. THC and CBD mocktails are another great way to include cannabis at a barbecue.

“The amend 1:1 tincture has a light minty flavor that pairs really well with a mojitoinspired mocktail for maximum relaxation and full vacation mode,” said Melissa Khan, director of marketing. "We don't recommend mixing THC with alcohol, so if you're imbibing in alcohol, it’s best to stick with CBD, like BeLeaf Life’s Oils. And if you're including THC in your barbecue, then mocktails are your best option.”

PHOTO BY SUPERDOG CONTENT

Summer has finally arrived and, with it, barbecue season. If you’re a medical marijuana patient, there’s never been a better time to learn how to incorporate cannabis into your next grilling session.

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This advertisement is intended only for Missouri medical marijuana patients.

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L A S T B I T E // W H AT I D O

CHRIS ‘MAC’ MCKENZIE OWNER, MAC’S LOCAL EATS

“ ( W h at I d o ) i s d i f f e r e n t e v e r y d ay – that’s a big part of

why it’s so fun. We like to say, from a restaurant point of view, we buy really high-quality raw materials and then get out of their way. We’re constantly trying to find these products that separate themselves from others.” “ T h e c h i c k e n t h at w e g e t f r o m R u s t i c R o ot s Fa r m

over in Brighton, Illinois – we like Rustic Root because they use all organic feed for their chickens. I’m not saying you’re wrong if you don’t; I’m saying I think it’s better if they do. But I like them because they are literally committed to making the best damn egg or meat bird that they can. They’re spending a bunch of hardearned, expensive dollars to buy not just any old feed.”

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“ I t e l l m y s ta f f a l l t h e t i m e , ‘Look, we don’t buy shitty

tomatoes.’ We never have. Because the more shitty tomatoes you buy, the more shitty tomatoes they make. And we are not going to be part of that equation.

I have yet to find a hothouse tomato in the middle of winter that is worth a damn.” “ I s ay i t a l l t h e t i m e : Local doesn’t mean good, i t m e a n s c l o s e . You’ve got to

remember that.”

“Our menu is a reflection

of us harvesting a pig and a cow. We use all the beef for the burgers. We grind up the whole cow. The offal from the cow – the hearts and the livers – we have a few customers that buy them, or we turn them into dog treats.”

“A n d t h e n w e h av e c r ac k l i n g s o n o u r m e n u,

because we have pig skin, and we have boudin on our menu, which is an outlet for

the heart, the liver, kidneys, those spare parts of that pig. That’s what we do, all in an effort to be respectful of that animal and not waste it.” “ W h e n w e ’ r e o u t o f b ac o n ,

I try to get bacon from the two big farmers we use. But if they don’t have any, well, guess what? We’re out of fucking bacon.” “ T w i c e n o w, w e ’ v e c l o s e d s h o p for a week and I took the staff

to a boucherie (a traditional Cajun pig harvest) so that everybody could be part and witness the harvesting of some animals.

We’re not just going to break down a side of pork or beef here. No, no, no. There’s a couple of steps that happen before we get to here. And it’s important that you see that shit, and to have an appreciation. And people cry, it’s very emotional, but it’s part of the story. And if you’re going to eat that meat, I think it’s important to see that stuff.” “ W h e n w e o p e n e d , i t wa s like, sure, I could cook, I

love to cook. I grew up with a mom who

was a scratch cook for five boys. … But when we opened, I did not work the line.

I was the guy selling the food. I worked the window. I know the story. I know the relationships. I can tell you why we like this product or why this is good or the characteristics, whatever.” “ I e n j oy wo r k i n g s e rv i c e , I

enjoy talking to people, I enjoy feeding the guests. I tell guests all the time, ‘We feed you so we can eat.’ At its core, that is what we do. And everybody on our staff gets paid well, more than a living wage – as well they should, because they work hard, and it’s got to be fair.” “ I t ’ s a c o n s ta n t e f f o r t t o m a i n t a i n b a l a n c e . Just

yesterday, a guy was like, ‘When are you going to open a bunch of restaurants?

You could franchise!’ I was like, ‘No, we are not going to do that.’ I’m 51 and I’m ready to fucking sit down and be done, because operations is for young humans. … We got a spot and we don’t need another one.”

July 2021

PHOTOS BY VIRGINIA HAROLD

Readers’ Choice Favorite Burger Mac’s Local Eats relocated in September 2019 from its original spot inside Dogtown’s Tamm Avenue Bar to bigger facilities inside Bluewood Brewing in Benton Park. Instead of needing time to grow into the new digs, owner Chris “Mac” McKenzie quickly realized demand for his smash burgers was already outpacing what his newly expanded kitchen could keep up with. “We were here for two weeks and I said to my wife, ‘We just moved here. We need a bigger fucking boat,’” McKenzie recalled. Here, McKenzie talks about his ever-changing role at Mac’s and the whole animal philosophy behind Sauce Readers’ Choice Favorite Burger. – Liz Wolfson

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L A S T B I T E // L A N D M A R K

JOHN D. MCGURK’S IRISH PUB & GARDEN

BY L AU R E N H E A LE Y

changed much since opening, but the pub remains a popular spot for people to grab a bite for lunch, after work or before a big game. “We’ve got the Irish classics like bangers and mash, Gaelic stew, fish and chips,” he said. “But we’ve also got stuff like chicken sandwiches and potato skins.” Bailey’s favorite menu item is the burger: “The grill has been there since ’78, so that nice, seasoned old grill just makes burgers and steaks taste a lot better,” he explained.

For many years, the pub offered live music seven days a week, but had to take a hiatus due to the pandemic.

Since reopening, there’s currently music four days a week, but Bailey expects it to ramp back up to seven soon. “We get musicians from out of town who often have a following,” he said. “And we have had an incredibly talented local band, Falling Fences, every Sunday since 2008, and they have a lot of regulars that come in just to see them.”

When John. D. McGurk’s Irish Pub & Garden opened in 1978, it was just a one-room pub in a refurbished row house on the corner of Russell Boulevard and 12th Street in Soulard.

Irish pubs were particularly popular in St. Louis at the time, and owner Jim Holloran and his family decided to go all out and feature live Irish music. “That’s what set them apart and made them a destination,” according to manager Christian Bailey, who has worked for the pub on and off in varying roles for over 20 years.

As its popularity grew, so did the need for more space, and McGurk’s –

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voted 2021 Readers’ Choice Favorite Pub – expanded west three separate times, with the last expansion taking place about 25 years ago. The pub now comprises four renovated row houses. “Soulard was pretty inexpensive at the time, so they kept buying the row house next door, knocking down the walls between but leaving the overall structure,” Bailey said. “It’s exactly what you’d picture when you think Irish pub – lots of old woodwork and bricks.”

With the growth, the owners were able to transform the four former residential backyards into over 15,000

square feet of gorgeous outdoor dining space.“The music was the biggest draw in the beginning, but the garden became the biggest draw over time,” Bailey explained.

“There are full-time gardeners that come in every day to maintain the landscaping. We’ve got mature trees, a ton of flowers, a koi pond, a fountain, a waterfall – it’s so beautiful and very unique for St. Louis.”

Although the ambiance and live music have been key in keeping patrons coming in over the years, so has the food. The traditional Irish fare and standard bar food offerings have not

Continuing the themes of westward expansion and historic buildings, McGurk’s Public House opened in an old mercantile in O’Fallon, Missouri, in 1999. The location offered a similar vibe and menu as the original, but closed temporarily when the pandemic hit and has remained shuttered due to a staffing shortage.

“Right now, 35% of our staff (in Soulard) is from the O’Fallon location, so we’re kind of in a pickle,” Bailey said. “As of now, it’s just a waiting game, but we’re hoping we might be able open by the end of summer.”

PHOTO BY VIRGINIA HAROLD

the patio at john d. mcgurk’s, your pick for second place favorite patio

Readers’ Choice Favorite Pub and second place Favorite Patio 1200 Russell Blvd., St. Louis, 314.776.8309, mcgurks.com July 2021

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