Say
cheese The country getaway you don’t want to miss
(Hint: Making mozzarella is involved.)
17 pumpkin beers
Grains
R e v i e w: D e at h i n
Smarter than the
m a d e
that pop
the Afternoon
av e r a g e b e a r c l aw
p. 46
p. 22
p. 11
i n p. 36
October 2014
s t l
FREE, october 2014
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october 2 014 • VO LUM E 14, Issue 10 PUBLISHER EXECUTIVE EDITOR ART DIRECTOR MANAGING EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR, DIGITAL SPECIAL SECTIONs EDITOR Fact checker PROOFREADER PRODUCTION DESIGNER EDIBLE WEEKEND EDITOR CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Candy corn — I like the colorful levels.
Events coordinator Listings manager ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Account Executives Advertising Accounts Coordinator interns
Allyson Mace What's your Ligaya Figueras favorite Meera Nagarajan Halloween Garrett Faulkner candy? Catherine Klene Garrett Faulkner Rosa Heyman Reese's Peanut Emily Lowery Butter Cups Michelle Volansky Catherine Klene Jonathan Gayman, Ashley Gieseking, Elizabeth Jochum, Elizabeth Maxson, Greg Rannells, Carmen Troesser Vidhya Nagarajan Glenn Bardgett, Matt Berkley, Garrett Faulkner, Ligaya Figueras, Sara Graham, Kellie Hynes, Byron Kerman, Jamie Kilgore, Ted Kilgore, Cory King, Catherine Klene, Meera Nagarajan, Michael Renner, Dee Ryan Rebecca Ryan Rebecca Ryan Allyson Mace Rachel Gaertner, Jill George, Hershey's Cookies 'n' Jackie Wagner Creme Jill George Georgia Kaye, Grace Kennedy, Kristin Schultz
Make your own Halloween candy this month. Find the recipe online at samg.bz/sauceweekendproject beginning Oct. 16. 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 ©2001-2014 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
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 will apply.
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.
Sauce Magazine is printed on recycled paper using soy inks.
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 October 2014
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contents october 2014
editors' picks 11
EAT THIS Almond Bear Claw from Comet Coffee
13
Fried chicken at The Salted Pig p. 19
HIT LIST 3 new places to try this month
14
Inside the Server's Stomach compiled by sara graham
reviews
28
COCKTAILS
19
NEW AND NOTABLE The Salted Pig
by michael renner
Bartenders get bookish
by garrett faulkner 30
22
POWER LUNCH Death in the Afternoon
by byron kerman
VEGETIZE IT Vegan potpie
by kellie hynes
36
33
25
NIGHTLIFE Southtown Pub
by matt berkley
MAKE THIS Root veggie fritters
by dee ryan
last course dine & drink Photo by jonathan gayman
27
52
STUFF TO DO
A SEAT AT THE BAR
by byron kerman
Four experts tell us what to sip, stir and shake
54
by glenn bardgett, cory king, and ted and jamie kilgore
John Rempe of Luxco
October 2014
Features
WHAT I DO by ligaya figueras
It's the Great Pumpkin Beer, St. Louis compiled by garrett faulkner and kristin schultz
39
Owensville Getaway The bucket list you never knew you had by ligaya figueras 46
Grains That Pop Chefs add crunch to our favorite dishes
Show your love for local pumpkin beer in #SaucePumpkinBeerHunt! Compete in our monthlong Instagram contest @SauceMag and you could win a $100 gift certificate to Craft Beer Cellar. Go to saucemagazine. com/blog Oct. 1 for contest details.
cover details A Jersey cow pauses for a portrait at Martha & Tom's Farm in Owensville, the quirkiest country destination you'll ever visit. photo by greg rannells p. 39
by dee ryan
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letter from the editor
Now Designs apron from Cornucopia Cornucopia, 107 N. Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood, 314.822.2440, cornucopia-kitchen.com
The home team is winning a lot lately. This summer saw River City Casino’s executive pastry chef Stephan Schubert named American Culinary Federation Pastry Chef of the Year. Last year, Jilly’s Cupcake Bar & Café chef duo Casey Shiller and Dana Holland won on Food Network’s Cupcake Wars, making them two-time champs of the popular TV baking battle, in which The Sweet Divine husband-and-wife team Jason and Jenna Siebert also claimed a victory in 2012. National accolades are hardly limited to our confectionminded chefs. It seems that nearly every month a St. Louis restaurant gets mentioned in a national publication or appears in a “best of” list (the word is out about Fozzie’s sandwiches), or one of our chefs participates in an estimable
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culinary event (The Libertine’s Josh Galliano cooks at the venerable James Beard House in New York this month). In the beverage world, we’re seeing homegrown talent like Tyler Thomas make wine for Dierberg and Star Lane Vineyards in Santa Barbara, California (p. 27). (Try Thomas’ first full vintage for Star Lane, its 2013 sauvignon blanc, released this past summer.) I smile at the successes of former Taste bartender Shannon Ponche, who moved to New York City a couple years ago. She’s shaking up a storm at two progressive cocktail bars there – Mayahuel and The NoMad Bar – but she really turned heads in the all-female bartending competition Speed Rack, when she beat fellow femme bartenders in NYC to earn a spot in the national finals held in May. And then there’s this mad scientist named John Rempe (p. 54) who works all day in a South City lab concocting flavors of Pearl vodka, a brand that saw sales increase by 15.7 percent in 2013 and has experienced double-digit growth in each of the last six years. There’s a lot of winning going on right now. Let’s add one more to the list: October marks Sauce’s 14th year as a print publication. I’m staring at a sheet of paper that commends the accomplishment. It’s a broadsheet filled with lofty
Give pastry chefs a slice of cake and a food fight ensues. From left: Dana Holland, Jason Siebert, Jenna Siebert, Ligaya Figueras, Lia Weber, Stephan Schubert and Casey Shiller.
words and sentences that begin “whereas,” because Mayor Francis G. Slay has proclaimed October to be Sauce Magazine Month. Hurrah for all of this city’s culinary victories! photo by jonathan gayman
O
n Aug. 19, more than 800 people gathered at Hendel’s Market Café in Florissant. A huge projector had been erected on the street so the crowd could watch Hendel’s pastry chef, Lia Weber, and her teammate, Al Watson, cake decorator at Wedding Wonderland Cakeshop, compete in the finale of TLC network’s baking competition, Next Great Baker. When Weber and Watson were declared champions 90 minutes later, the crowd erupted into cheers.
Cheers,
Ligaya Figueras Executive editor October 2014
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editors' picks
eat this
It’s hard to beat a fresh pastry and hot coffee in the morning. For that, we go to COMET COFFEE & MICROBAKERY, where you’ll find us sipping on a cappuccino and tearing unabashedly into an ALMOND BEAR CLAW. Rich 83-percent Beurremont butter holds together layer upon layer of house-made croissant dough baked to a golden crisp, while hidden photo by carmen troesser
in the center of that soft, chewy interior is a delicate ribbon of almond paste. Other bakeries might muck it up with almond extract, but not here. Instead, fresh almonds are ground smooth and touched with sweet honey. This teeny-tiny bakery is churning out mighty fine pastries, and this bear claw may be its best yet. Comet Coffee & Microbakery, 5708 Oakland Ave., St. Louis, 314.932.7770, cometcoffeestl.com
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hit list
3 new places to try this month
go – or the Truffles regular who wants to re-create one of the restaurant’s dishes at home.
9202 Clayton Road, Ladue, 314.567.7258, todayattruffles.com
The Old World meets the 21st century at St. Louis’ newest butcher shop. Located next door to Truffles (and operating under the same ownership), Butchery sources its meat from local and regional farms. It specializes in whole-animal butchery, which enables it to offer unique cuts like tomahawk steaks and secreto, the pork equivalent of a skirt steak, not readily available at other butcher shops or grocery stores. House-made meat products range from numerous styles of sausage to rendered animal fats. A focal point is the aging room made of Himalayan salt bricks that purify the air and facilitate the curing process. The meat market doubles as a food emporium; shelves are stocked with artisan condiments and wines selected from Truffles’ award-winning wine list. A sandwich menu and prepared items (pasta, potatoes, coleslaw, chowchow, polenta cakes) serve the shopper on the
the butchery
Ricotta-mushroom ravioli at Grapeseed
With an extensive wine selection grapeseed and a menu emphasizing snacks and small plates (don’t miss the smoked trout cake), Grapeseed appears to be a wine bar. But this South City eatery, nestled on the corner of Nottingham and Macklind avenues, offers a full dining experience. The sandwiches and entrees are familiar and unfussy, and their flavors speak for themselves, as with the Missouri pork chop, accompanied by mashed potatoes, braised red cabbage and an apple compote. The kitchen sources ingredients from numerous local purveyors and, in some instances, makes its own product, like mozzarella for an eggplant caponata panini or pita for scooping up olive hummus. (Look
for house charcuterie down the road.) There are 70 wines (and counting) to choose from, 16 by the glass, as well as six local craft beers on tap and another 16, primarily domestic, in bottles. The cocktail menu merits attention, especially the spritz-like Sheriff of Nottingham and the seasonal sangria (currently, it’s butternut squash). Sit in the 50-seat dining room at one of the wooden Mwanzi tables and banquettes fashioned from the property’s former staircase or head to the back patio, brightened with white string lights. A glass in hand, food on your fork … autumn date night is calling.
5400 Nottingham Ave., St. Louis, 314.925.8525, grapeseedstl.com
The former owners of Momoyama are Sushi House back with Japanese fare – and karaoke – in Chesterfield Valley. The color-changing bartop and pillars that light up an otherwise slick, modern interior hint at the private karaoke rooms in the back, complete with professional karaoke systems and rainbow lighting. Dine in privacy while you rock out, or grab a seat in the more sedate dining room. Sushi House, which receives fresh fish shipments every other day, offers a full roster of traditional nigiri and sushi, along with elaborate house creations like the colorful Sea of Love Roll, in which shrimp tempura, eel, avocado and seared tuna hide inside a roll covered with spicy mayo, house-made eel sauce and four kinds of roe. Still hungry? Tap the call button on your table to summon your server and order a bento box; the pork katsu version comes with two pounded and breaded pork cutlets atop a bed of grilled mixed vegetables. Other compartments hold tempura vegetables and shrimp, seasoned rice, a salad of field greens and a few pieces of a California roll. Sushi House sports a wide selection of wines, spirits, local beer (and Hitachino!) on draft, and seven sake varieties.
17265 Chesterfield Airport Road, Chesterfield, 636.778.3232, sushihousestl.com
Whole-animal butcher shops are on the rise. On this month’s Sound Bites, Andrew Jennrich of newly opened The Butchery and Chris Bolyard of soon-to-open Bolyard’s Meat & Provisions join Sauce executive editor Ligaya Figueras to explain why they left restaurant life to become butchers and why their shops look nothing like a supermarket meat counter. Tune in to St. Louis Public Radio 90.7 KWMU’s Cityscape Friday, Oct. 10 at noon and 10 p.m.
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insid e t h e s e r v e r ' s
stomach
Ever wonder what servers order for themselves at their places of employment? While customers tend to make selections with the aid of menu descriptions, restaurant reviews and friend recommendations, the server is equipped with first-hand tastes from the kitchen and insider intel on the chef’s specialties. Here, some of St. Louis restaurants’ biggest fans – the servers – divulge their favorite dishes. – Sara Graham
“The Old Standard fried chicken dinner is amazing. It tastes like home.”
– Devin Hilton, server and barista, United Provisions
“Without a doubt the pastrami ‘gone-a-rye.’ They take briskets brine them for 10 days, and smoke them for 14 hours. Then they slice it and top it with Gruyere, bread-and-butter cabbage and house-made Thousand Island dressing on toasted rye. It is so yummy.”
– Elisa Lewis, bartender, Quincy Street Bistro
“Slow-cooked corned beef and cabbage with roasted red potatoes. The sauce the beef is cooked in is delicious!”
– James Stephens, server, Mission Taco Joint
“The mini Monte Cristo sandwich. The red currant and jalapeno jam makes it super addictive. tastes like breakfast, but for dinner.” – Crystal Schilling, server, Three Flags Tavern
– Hillary Reed, manager and bartender, The Dubliner
“Our grilled cheese is the love of my life. Get it ‘chef style;’ it will change your life.” – Chris Anne Hoertel, server, Home Wine Kitchen
“The lamb rack – (It) comes in a black peppercorn reduction sauce that is phenomenal; I could drink that stuff.”
“The shrimp and grits. It’s got so much flavor – it’s rich; it’s spicy; it’s savory. And at the end of the day, it’s fire!”
– Mike Frank, manager, Café Provencal
– Wayne Cretter, server and bartender, Herbie’s Vintage 72
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“The ChoriHuevo torta is a hidden gem of Mission Taco Joint’s menu. Its main ingredient is house-made chorizo that packs a spicy BITE.”
“Our Rain Crow Ranch burger is the unsung hero of the menu. I like it rare with bacon, a fat slice of a Winslow’s Farm tomato and our hand-cut fries.” – Justin Mitchusson, shift manager, Winslow’s Home
“The Pogue Mahone is everything you could want in a burger.” – Jay Grant, server, Three Kings Public House
“The mussels and fries. A classic dish with a local twist: sliced smoked bratwurst. I love to soak up the white wine sauce with a piece of our epi bread.” – Jeff Henry, server, SqWires Restaurant
“The organic free-range chicken and dumplings … with our fresh and fluffy house-made potato gnocchi (and) a trifecta of farm-fresh vegetables. The gravy that marries all the ingredients together – it is here that this dish really excels.” – William “Fat Will” Simon, server and bartender, Wild Flower Restaurant & Catering October 2014
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reviews All Sauce reviews are conducted anonymously.
The TSP Burger at The Salted Pig
new and notable
The salted pig by Michael Renner | Photos by jonathan gayman
D
id someone say there wasn’t enough barbecue in St. Louis? Must’ve been a Texan, because nowadays we are inundated with ’cue, from old neighborhood joints with their battered exteriors to new restaurants sporting gleaming stainless-steel smoker ovens the size of pickups.
new and notable the salted pig p. 19 / power lunch death in the afternoon p. 22 / nightlife southtown pub p. 25 October 2014
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brisket because cooking it is a spiritual path, a quest that, as a wise man once said, begins with a single log.” A bit reverential, yes, but the point that smoking brisket is as much an art form as a cooking skill can’t be overlooked, which, judging by my plate of The Salted Pig’s sliced brisket, it was. The meat possessed a decent smoke ring, that pinkish layer directly under the meat’s surface, but I have no explanation for the brisket’s utter lack of smoky flavor. Smoke or no smoke, the beef was too salty, too dry, too chewy and (a nono for brisket aficionados) drizzled with sauce, which at least added some needed moisture. Rounding out the order were ramekins of thick and spicy beans and a vinegary slaw, fragrant with celery seed.
reviews new and notable p. 2 of 2
The baby back ribs fared better, but barely. Thankfully served sans sauce, the bones had a satisfying chewy resistance when gnawed upon but, like the brisket, were dry and devoid of even the slightest hint of smoke. However, an order of delicious roasted Brussels sprouts glistened in a cast-iron skillet, sweet with caramelized onions and enriched by house-made bacon.
Need proof that barbecue has nearly reached cult status? Around a dozen of the nearly 60 barbecue-centric eateries in the St. Louis area have opened in the past two years, including Michael Del Pietro’s 7-month-old The Salted Pig. Del Pietro’s newest venture departs from his proven portfolio of casual Italian restaurants
AT A GLANCE The Salted Pig
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(Tavolo V, Sugo’s, Babbo’s and Via Vino Enoteca) by juggling Southern-inflected cookery and, of course, barbecue. But the kitchen’s gambit feels more like a gamble, with long odds at that. Take the brisket. Texas Monthly food critic Patricia Sharpe once wrote, “We love
Where The Salted Pig, 731 S. Lindbergh, Frontenac, 314.738.9373, thesaltedpigstl.com
Don’t Miss Dishes Short rib burger, Brussels spouts
The Salted Pig’s sweet sauce (smoky and Tennessee Red sauces are also available) is slightly floral, sticky with honey and, from what I could discern, flavored with orange peel, warm spices and black pepper. A Kansas City boy, I don’t mind sweet, but I found this sauce too cloying and, again, wanting for smokiness. Worse, it tends to overpower other flavors, as when slathered on an otherwise excellent pork steak. Cut thick, smoked and finished with beautiful grill marks, this was the first cut of meat that arrived juicy and permeated with an oaky smoke flavor. The accompanying mashed potatoes would’ve been good, were they not served tepid, and a side order of grilled asparagus was just plain undercooked. You’ll like the TSP Burger, made with short rib meat ground in house, seasoned just right and topped with
Vibe The Southern/ barbecue theme draws diners, but lacks soul
a slice of aged white cheddar, housemade bacon and caramelized onions. The ensemble is stacked on a bakery bun and served on a smooth wooden cutting board. This meaty main went well with the tomato salad of the day, mingling thick-sliced, ripe local tomatoes, pickled onions and chunks of watermelon drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette and topped with a bit of microgreens and shaved white cheddar. Though the flavor is absent from the food, wood is in abundance here, from the substantial butcher-block hostess stand and wall of cross-cut logs to the reclaimed wood tables; from the plank floor to the sprawling, heavy shelving unit along the back wall that throws off a subtle, musty scent. It’s a big interior to fill – this is the former home of Coco’s and Frontenac Grill – and not one that takes easily to rustication. Perhaps it’s due to the overabundance of barbecue and Southern cuisine that The Salted Pig, with its vague roadhouse affectations – the logo’s predictable silhouette of a pig and the fauxrustic clapboard exterior – feels like one more latecomer to the party, a stick-figure sketch of a Southern-barbecue restaurant. These symptoms afflict the menu, too, as evidenced by the fried chicken. Serving it in a cast-iron skillet made me think the bird was fried in a pan. But the half chicken, brined in sweet tea and dusted with cornmeal and flour, was deep-fried. It wasn’t bad – peppery and served with mashed potatoes and verdant green beans – but the dish only furthered the fabricated motif of The Salted Pig. If the intent was to conjure up some hazy memory of a rural chicken shack or grandma’s recipe from back on the farm, I felt cheated. There were a few desserts, including a mixed berry cobbler, a deconstructed miscellany of berries with a sprinkled crumb topping. But as with the rest of The Salted Pig, I sensed more pedantry than passion.
Entree Prices $12 to $22
When Sun. – noon to 8 p.m., Mon. to Thu. – 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fri. – 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sat. – noon to 10 p.m.
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reviews power lunch
Power Lunch
death in the afternoon by Byron Kerman | photos by Elizabeth jochum
Death in the Afternoon’s name, which alludes to both a Hemingway title and a cocktail, is surely one of the oddest to be found in restaurant-dom. But this lunchtime paradise, which opened in June in a corner of downtown’s Citygarden, earns high marks for its elegant glass walls and delightful bill of fare.
[2]
with a peanut butter cream icing. The dense, fudgy walnut brownie was fine, but perhaps too pat for a menu this wonderfully eclectic.
Swanky, yet casual
Death in the Afternoon, 808 Chestnut St., St. Louis, 314.621.3236, deathintheafternoonstl.com
Death in the Afternoon’s glass walls – recalling Philip Johnson’s famous Glass House – bring the outside in. Citygarden’s sculptures and greenery essentially become the walls of the restaurant. The people-watching opportunities are top-notch. It would be tempting for this refined spot, which could be attached to New York’s Museum of Modern Art, to adopt a snobbish vibe, but the price point and décor ensure that diners are welcomed by an egalitarian, relaxed ambience.
Service was generous, knowledgeable and on point. The wait staff is happy to explain everything on the wide-ranging menu and is prompt and cheerful. The restaurant’s doggie-bag work is notable: Leftovers are laid in a paperlined box, which is then sealed, stickered, labeled and beribboned. the takeaway
Pastrami Prowess I’ll just come out and say it: The Hot Pastrami [1] sandwich at Death in the Afternoon is quite possibly the best you will ever put in your mouth. It’s crazy good, largely because the drippings from the thinly sliced pastrami are collected and mixed into a house-made mustardmayonnaise sauce, which is slathered on a chewy pretzel bun with sauerkraut. I know what you’re thinking: Mayo and mustard shouldn’t mix. A pretzel bun isn’t rye. I didn’t care, and you won’t either. Dive In Anywhere The rest of the menu is similarly grand, from the piquant Asian eggplant dip to the Japanese steamed buns [2]. Those buns, by the way, come with a variety of fillings. Consider the succulent pork belly with crimson Chinese char siu barbecue sauce, served with spicy kimchee, fish-sauce pickles
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The Full Monty
On a recent visit, the stereo at Death in the Afternoon was playing a mix of New Wave: The Smiths, The Cure, Talking Heads and Depeche Mode by turns. Similarly, the cuisine here has a whiff of nostalgia and a touch of the modern. And like the classy, glassy enclosure of the restaurant itself, the food is simply divine.
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and shredded daikon radish and carrots. The cheeseburger [3] is an homage to the Juicy Lucy, that Minnesotan delicacy; the stuffing of molten American cheese pours out when you bite in. The burger’s toppings – Calabrian chili aioli, lettuce, tomato, onion – made this petite patty a more filling affair. Twice-fried french fries were pleasantly crispy, but it was the house-made ketchup, punched up with extra brown sugar and vinegar, that truly hit the spot. Another dipping sauce, Fancy Sauce, is made with the house ketchup, Sriracha and Kewpie ginger mayo. The Spicy Vietnamese Grilled Beef Salad
might be gilding the lily. Its ambitious mix of fried ginger, bitter greens, mint, peanuts, Korean pepper flakes and fish sauce-lime dressing made for a tasty mix with liptingling heat, but with such bold ingredients, the salad more resembled a collection of lead guitarists than a functional band. Dessert in the Afternoon The dessert menu includes a yummy improvement on the factory-baked Nutter Butter cookie. The Death in the Afternoon version stars soft, chewy peanut butter cookies
[3] October 2014
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nightlife
reviews
Southtown Pub
nightlife
by Matt berkley | Photos by JONATHAN GAYMAN
liquor bottles – mainly whiskey and various flavored vodkas – as well as a stand-alone tap station with more than 30 draft selections, including a handful of local labels (Urban Chestnut, Six Row, Southtown Pub Schlafly) for drinkers 3707 S. Kingshighway tired of, say, canned Blvd., St. Louis, PBR. There’s also a 314.832.9009, collection of smallsouthtownpub.net batch bourbon, including Four Roses, Basil Hayden’s and Bulleit. However, unless it’s an incredibly slow night, it can be tough to catch hold of one. The chink in Southtown’s armor is definitely the service, which can be excruciatingly slow, both at the bar and service tables. Your best bet for quick service is out back. The high school keg party atmosphere spills over to the patio, complete with a fully stocked bar shack and a handful of covered, private cabanas with cushy lounges, individual TVs and table and bottle service.
S
moke is the secret ingredient at Southtown Pub. Except it’s not really a secret at all. Stepping inside, the pungent wood fire smell from a smoker out back is about as subtle as a freight train. It clings to your clothes and hair like campfire cologne. And it’s magnificent. Hidden in plain sight on an unassuming strip of Kingshighway Boulevard, Southtown Pub is easy to miss. The low-key front patio is normally filled with locals milling around, nursing beers and smoking cigarettes under the neon Budweiser sign that throws light on the sidewalk. From the outside it’s as bland and forgettable as any corner bar. The inside, however, is a sharplooking, well-oiled machine of a bar with two floors and a cabana-lined back patio, regularly packed with sports fans, South City locals, barbecue lovers, bikers, burnedout insurance salesmen, college kids and everybody in between. October 2014
In other words, Southtown is a little piece of South City hoosier heaven. Sports bar meets smokehouse, and the two share shots of bourbon. Expect the unexpected at this place, but do yourself a favor and leave the necktie at home. Sleeveless T-shirts, ball caps and jerseys, flip-flops and jeans (with a Skoal can ring on the back pocket) are the standard uniform in this joint. There’s a Duck Dynasty Big Buck Hunter arcade game inside and a permanent, gravel-lined washer pitching court on the back patio. Various ballgames emanate from strategically placed flat-screen TVs inside the bar and out; these barely compete with the earsplitting din of the crowd, loudest on weekends or during gametime. On Fridays and Saturdays, the less smoky upstairs bar plays host to popular and rambunctious late-night karaoke sessions (along with $1 shots). Between their best attempts at belting out Bruce Springsteen or Toto, the partiers upstairs maneuver their way through the crowd to the wraparound bar outfitted with the standard
Down-home cuisine has been appropriated even by the flashiest St. Louis restaurateurs, but the folks in the kitchen at Southtown aren’t interested in mind-blowingly elaborate barbecue. The straightforward, two-and-a-half page menu emphasizes pure, simple comfort food, where seemingly everything is smoked: brisket, turkey, pulled pork, ribs, sausage, even the corned beef and portabella mushrooms. The best of these offerings is the signature smoked chicken wings. At 90 cents apiece, the rich, smoky meat pairs well with a variety of sauces Southside offers from a self-service station. Worthy of a return trip, the wings are a meal in themselves. Another attention-grabber is the Hoosier Nachos, a smoky treat featuring pulled pork heaped on top of crisp house-made potato chips, dressed with baked beans, sour cream, pepper jack cheese and banana peppers. This dish fires on all cylinders – sweet, salty, hot, smoky and creamy all at once. Still one of those truly local haunts that has yet to make the pages of any guidebooks, there is more substance than smoke at Southtown Pub. The menu is the biggest surprise, holding its own in a competitive and quickly growing St. Louis barbecue scene. It’s easy to see this blue-collar paradise continuing as a crowd favorite for years to come.
order it: The Hive
A plate of Hoosier Nachos and a true St. Louis brew like Urban Chestnut’s Zwickel are Midwestern musts.
Don’t miss Southtown’s signature smoked chicken wings. Dress them your way at the sauce station.
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dine
& drink
Read how the Kilgores are using Angostura
A Seat at the Bar
ILLUSTRATIONS BY VIDHYA NAGARAJAN; PHOTO BY CARMEN TROESSER
Four experts tell us what to sip, stir and shake
With 2012 cabs arriving, it’s thrilling to taste an older one like 2009 Star Lane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. This grape requires heat, and Star Lane’s estate is the perfect glenn bardgett growing spot, since the Member of the Missouri Wine vineyard is located in and Grape Board and wine Happy Canyon on the director at Annie Gunn’s eastern end of pinot noirdominated Santa Barbara, away from the cool ocean air. In today’s market, a wine aged for five years is considered mature; stuffed with black fruits, this blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet Franc and petit verdot certainly sips well now. But be sure to tuck away a few bottles. This $40 red ages most gracefully. October 2014
Angostura aromatic bitters were created in 1824 for medicinal use, but a dash here or there has since flavored many a cocktail. Angostura is a must in a Manhattan, but have you tried it in a Tom Collins or a daiquiri? You can even use Angostura bitters ted and jamie as the base spirit rather than as kilgore an accent. Its cinnamon and clove USBG, B.A.R. Ready, BarSmart notes shine in the Angostura and co-owners/bartenders at Collins, a cocktail created by our Planter’s House friend Jamie Boudreau of Canon in Seattle. Shake 1 ounce fresh lemon juice and 1 ounce double simple syrup (2 parts sugar to 1 part water) with ice. Strain into a Collins glass filled with fresh ice. Add 1 ounce Angostura bitters, top with club soda and garnish with a lemon peel. Who needs an apple a day when there’s Angostura?
A properly carbonated beer is a thing of beauty. Carbonation helps cleanse the palate of the residual sugars in beer, adds a touch of “bite” from the carbonic acid and helps open up the aromatics. Every beer cory king style has a carbonation level Certified Cicerone, head at which the character of the brewer at Perennial Artisan beer is best expressed. Thick, Ales and founder of Side foamy stouts, for example, Project Brewing are barely carbonated, while German wheat beers are high on the carbonation chart. Order The Civil Life English Pale Ale and notice the soft carbonation. Compare the prickly bubbles of a Blaugies Saison d’Epeautre to the long-lasting, Champagne-like carbonation of a Girardin Gueuze 1882 (black label). Pop. Tingle. Fizz. Beer just wouldn’t be beer without the bubbles. saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 27
cocktails
Bartenders get bookish By Garrett Faulkner photos by elizabeth maxson
elixir
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, whether one sidled up to the bar in San Francisco, Chicago, New York or anywhere else in the U.S., the cocktail was king. Today, in our age of backward-glancing and Americana-mania, the latest cohort of St. Louis mixing whizzes has combed the bookshelves and brought us four classic recipes, revisited and revised.
From left, Juniper bartenders Drew Lucido and Joe Duepner enjoy a bottled, carbonated Old Pal.
The bartender Steve Boulch, bar manager, Hendricks BBQ
The bartender Nate Weber, general manager, The Libertine
The drink Stan’s Last Swing
The drink Elvis Costello Lost in Missouri
The inspiration The Manhattan Cocktail No. 1 from How to Mix Drinks, or The Bon Vivant’s Companion, 1862 The headline ingredients JJ Neukomm Missouri malt whiskey, Cocchi Americano Bianco, Cocchi Americano Rosa The theory “By using a locally distilled product as the base, I’ve brought the St. Louis aspect to the Manhattan. The JJ Neukomm is a single malt whiskey, aged with a cherry-based malt. It brings out the (cherry flavor) in a subtle fashion.”
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The inspiration Pimm’s No. 1 Cup from The PDT Cocktail Book, 2011 The headline ingredients Pimm’s No. 1, Pinckney Bend gin, house-made citrus soda and mint tincture The theory “A Pimm’s Cup was a no-brainer to complement chef (Josh) Galliano’s Southern-inspired cuisine. A bit of gin brings up the proof just slightly, and cucumber ice melts as you sip on the drink to add more and more cucumber flavor.”
The bartenders Joe Duepner, bar manager, and Drew Lucido, bartender, Juniper
The bartender Joel Clark, bar manager, The Purple Martin
The drink Old Pal
The inspiration Jack Rose Cocktail from The Cocktail Book, 1926 Reprint
The inspiration Old Pal from The Art of Mixing Drinks, Helpful Hints for the Hostess, 1935/36 The headline ingredients Buffalo Trace bourbon, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, Campari The theory “I’ve made the (original) version. It tastes terrible,” Duepner said. “(Our version) is bottled and carbonated, which elongates the finish as well as dries it out, while at the same time feeling crisp and clean.”
The drink Jack Rose
The headline ingredients Broker’s gin, Domaine Dupont Calvados Fine Reserve apple brandy, house-made grenadine The theory “What jumped out at me here is you can go to any cocktail bar in the country (for a Jack Rose), but it won’t have gin in it. It ends up being this really sweet, cloying flavor. What I’m trying to dry out here is the grenadine.”
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1. Joel Clark brings the Jack Rose into the 21st century at The Purple Martin. 2. The Libertine’s Nate Weber sips on his iteration of a Pimm’s Cup, inspired by a recipe in The PDT Cocktail Book. 3. Vintage cocktail Old Pal is new again at Juniper, where it gets bottled and carbonated. 4. From left, Juniper bartenders Joe Duepner and Drew Lucido collaborated to give the Old Pal a new look – and taste. 5. Steve Boulch of Hendricks BBQ stirs a Manhattan that holds the flavors of local whiskey. 6. Stan’s Last Swing, a cocktail at Hendricks BBQ, is ripe with cherry flavor.
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vegetize it
Vegan potpie BY kellie hynes Photos by carmen troesser
M
y friend Lesley enjoys healthful eating and doesn’t chase her lentil salads with a pound of Toblerone, unlike a certain vegetarian food writer I know. Recently, Lesley gave me a recipe that called for vegan phyllo dough. I love traditional phyllo dough because it’s rich and buttery, which is how zero people have ever described a vegan ingredient. But Lesley promised me this culinary unicorn exists and is readily available in the Whole Foods freezer case. Just like that, a whole new world of vegan cooking opened up to me.
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Flaky appetizers, sweet pastries, savory tarts … I really could make them all, because a single box of The Fillo Factory dough contains 20 sheets – enough to wallpaper a powder room or make canapes for an army. That is, unless you ruin the dough immediately, which is what I did when I ignored the first rule of phyllo. Even if you’re chomping at the bit to make your own buttery bits of heaven, you must let the dough thaw for at least seven hours (overnight is best) in the refrigerator. And then you have to wait an additional 30 minutes while the dough comes to room temperature. No, you can’t just zap the frozen package in the microwave when no one is looking. If you do, the dough becomes soggy, and the sheets stick together like a papier-mâchéd brick. Exercise enough patience to thaw your phyllo properly, and you will be rewarded with tissue-paper thin dough that is surprisingly easy to work with. Just pull out the number of sheets you need, stack them flat on a clean workspace and cover them with a dishtowel or wax paper so they don’t become brittle. (Keep the towel and your hands dry, otherwise the dough will become soggy, and you’ll have to start all over again. I made that mistake, too.) Then brush the individual sheets with melted margarine or olive oil, stack them on top of each other, and bake for a crust that is fabulously flaky. Unlike most other frozen foods, it’s perfectly safe to refreeze the defrosted phyllo sheets you don’t use. Even better, thawed phyllo will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks, which allows you to make a vegan potpie whenever the mood strikes, like I did with my third, perfectly thawed
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batch of phyllo. Why potpie? It’s autumnal comfort food at its finest. I’m done with delicate summer salads and brothy soups. Give me a real, unapologetic meal, one I can dive into with a spoon and an appetite. Fall is sauce-soaked carb season, and you don’t need chicken to embrace it. You do, however, need to make that saucy filling as rich and velvety as it is in a traditional potpie. First, I roasted the onions, celery and carrots. Roasting takes a bit longer than sauteing, but it coaxes out the vegetables’ natural sweetness and yields such robust flavors. Then I thickened my vegetable broth with a roux made from Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks and flour, which tasted as creamy as the traditional butterdrenched sauce without the saturated fat. And after my vegan potpie baked, I finished it with a drizzle of truffle oil. Its heady, earthy scent soaking into hot phyllo pastry was overpowering in an I-can’t-believe-it’s-vegan kind of way. In fact, the pies were so satisfying, I didn’t even crave chocolate for dessert. Now, I’m the first to admit that planning a meal is not as easy as ordering pizza at 5:20 p.m. But if you can manage to toss a box of dough in the fridge, you’ll be amazed at how richly your efforts (and patience) are rewarded.
Vegan PotPie 4 servings 1 medium yellow onion, diced 3 celery stalks, chopped 2 medium carrots, diced 2 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ tsp. kosher salt ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper 8 Tbsp. Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks or other soy margarine, divided 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, chopped 2 tsp. minced garlic ¼ cup flour 3 cups vegetable broth 2 Tbsp. sherry 1 cup fresh or frozen peas ¹∕³ cup fresh parsley, chopped 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme 2 tsp. Dijon mustard Cooking spray 10 sheets vegan fillo dough, such as The Fillo Factory or Athens brand, thawed* 1 tsp. white truffle oil, divided • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. • In a large bowl, combine the onion, celery and carrots. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper, stirring until the vegetables are evenly coated. Place the vegetables in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven until they soften and begin to brown, about 15 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time. Remove the vegetables from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees. • Melt 4 tablespoons soy margarine in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until their moisture releases and evaporates, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and garlic, and stir frequently, until the flour begins
to brown. Add the broth and sherry, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Add the roasted vegetables, peas, parsley, thyme and mustard. Simmer until the broth thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove the vegetable mixture from the heat and let cool to room temperature. • Coat the inside of four 8-ounce ramekins with cooking spray and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Divide the vegetable mixture evenly between the ramekins. • Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons soy margarine on the stovetop or in the microwave. Place thawed, room-temperature phyllo dough sheets in a stack on a clean work surface. Working quickly, cut the dough into squares that are slightly larger than the diameter of the ramekins. Brush each phyllo square lightly with melted soy margarine and drape it over a ramekin. Repeat until each ramekin is topped with 10 squares of dough. Score the dough to vent steam. Place the baking sheet with the ramekins in the oven. Bake until the phyllo is golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the potpies from the oven and allow to rest 5 minutes. Drizzle each pot pie with ¼ tsp. of truffle oil. Serve hot. *The Fillo Factory fillo dough is available at area Whole Foods Market locations, wholefoodsmarket.com. Athens fillo dough is available at all Straub’s locations, straubs.com.
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MAKE THIS Root Veggie Fritters active time: 15 minutes
Slightly sweet with a hint of heat, these root veggie fritters are make this perfectly crisp and utterly satisfying. Ladies and gents, start your graters. Peel 4 carrots and 1 parsnip, then grate by hand or use the grating attachment on a food processor. Transfer the grated vegetables to a large bowl. Add 3 beaten eggs, 1∕4 cup flour, 1∕4 cup chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon minced shallot, and kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix well. In a skillet over medium-high heat, warm 2 to 3 tablespoons canola oil. Working in batches, ladle ¹∕³ cup of batter onto the skillet. When the fritter rises to ½-inch thickness, press down with a spatula. Cook until the bottom edges are golden, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until the other side is browned. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining batter, adding oil as needed. In a small bowl, combine ½ cup sour cream and 1 tablespoon Sriracha. Serve each fritter with a dollop of sauce. – Dee Ryan
photo by greg rannells
Yellow and purple are the new orange. Rainbow carrots will add festive color to your fritters. Look for them this month in the produce aisle at all Dierbergs locations, dierbergs.com.
If you enjoy Dee Ryan’s quick and easy recipes in Make This, don’t miss her online column, Just Five. Go to samg.bz/saucejust5 to find recipes you can whip up in a jiffy and that require just five key ingredients. October 2014
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It’s the great pumpkin beer, St. Louis Compiled by Garrett Faulkner and Kristin Schultz | photo by jonathan gayman It’s the season for bonfires, cable-knit sweaters and the fruits of the harvest. And if you like your pumpkin in liquid form, you’re in luck. What was once an autumn curiosity has exploded around town – which means you get your pick of the pumpkin patch.
From left, Brian Owens, Cat Golden and Jason Small, brewers at O'Fallon Brewing, celebrate pumpkin beer season. The brewery has been making pumpkin beer since 2004.
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All beers available on draft at brewery unless indicated otherwise.
Alpha Brewing Cucurbita “It means pumpkin in Latin. It’s a sour pumpkin stout. We’re releasing it on Halloween. We brewed it last Halloween, and it’s been aging for a year.” – Derrick Langeneckert, head brewer Alpha Brewing Co., 1409 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 314.621.2337, alphabrewingcompany. com; available in 22-ounce bottles at Craft Beer Cellar, 8113 Maryland Ave., Clayton, 314.222.2444, craftbeercellar.com
beer made with real pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices.” –Britton Exit 6 Wicked Imperial Pumpkin Porter “With a porter you get a roasty chocolate and coffee flavor to go along with the pumpkin and spice.” – Britton Exit 6 Brewery, 5055 State Highway N, Cottleville, 636.244.4343, exit6brewery.com
Ferguson Brewing Pumpkin Ale “It’s brewed with pumpkin and typical fall pumpkin spices that are added postfermentation. It’s a little bit more of a dessert beer.” – Ryan Landolt, brewmaster
Augusta Brewing Pumpkin Ale “It tastes like pumpkin pie in a glass. It’s sweet, not bitter, with pumpkin flavor.” – Shawn Herrin, head brewer
Ferguson Brewing Co., 418 S. Florissant Road, Ferguson, 314.521.2220, fergusonbrewing.com
Augusta Brew Haus & Bier Garden, 5521 Water St., Augusta, 636.482.2337 and John G’s Bier Deck and John G’s Tap Room, 107-109 W. Main St., Augusta, 636.239.5010, augustabrewing.com
Kirkwood Station Pumpkin Ale “It’s really balanced, has a nice sweet malt and the spices aren’t over the top.” – Dave Johnson, brewmaster
Charleville Witch’s Brew’mmm “We use a Belgian ale yeast. It gives it more fruit tones that lend (themselves) well to the character of the spices and pumpkin.” – Tony Saballa, brewmaster/winemaker Charleville Vineyard Winery & Microbrewery, 16937 Boyd Road, Ste. Genevieve, 573.756.4537, charlevillevineyard.com; available in 12-ounce bottles at most well-stocked area liquor stores and supermarkets
Kirkwood Station Brewing Co., 105 E. Jefferson Ave., Kirkwood, 314.966.2739, kirkwoodstationbrewing.com; available in 16-ounce cans at most well-stocked area liquor stores
Morgan Street Pumpkin Ale “It is a subtly spiced pumpkin ale that will leave your taste buds feeling like you just took a bite of pumpkin pie with whipped cream on top.” – Dustin Chalfant, head brewer Morgan Street Brewery, 721 N. Second St., St. Louis, 314.231.9970, morganstreetbrewery.com
Crown Valley Imperial Pumpkin Smash “This is the second year for it. Last year’s version received a bronze medal at the World Beer Cup for field and pumpkin beers. The vanilla and the pumpkin spice comes to the front and gives you a great mouth feel.” – Jeremy Gilbert, brewmaster Crown Valley Brewing, 13326 State Route F, Ste. Genevieve, 573.756.9700; available in 12-ounce bottles at most well-stocked area liquor stores and supermarkets
Exit 6 Autumn Ale “The Autumn Ale is a cream ale made with real pumpkin, honey, molasses, brown sugar and bourbon soaked in oak.” – Jeff Britton, owner Exit 6 Oh My Gourd, Becky “This pumpkin ale is an amber-based October 2014
O’Fallon Brewing Imperial Pumpkin Ale “This year we have a special limited-edition Imperial Pumpkin. It has 10.5 percent ABV, and we added vanilla. We will only make 4,200 bottles and distribution is limited to the St. Louis area.” – Jim Gorczyca, owner
Available in 12-ounce bottles at most wellstocked area liquor stores and supermarkets
Schlafly Pumpkin Ale “It is 8 percent ABV and has a sweet and malty flavor with a lot of pumpkin pie spice. We use real pumpkin and real spices.” – James “Otto” Ottolini, brewmaster The Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, and Schlafly Bottleworks, 7260 Southwest Ave., Maplewood, 314.241.2337, schlafly.com; available in 12-ounce bottles at most well-stocked area liquor stores and supermarkets
Six Row Punktoberfest “We are known for making hybrid beer styles. Punktoberfest is a hybrid between a spiced pumpkin beer and an Oktoberfest.” – Evan Hiatt, president and brewmaster Six Row Brewing Co., 3690 Forest Park Ave., St. Louis, 314.531.5600, sixrowbrewco.com
Square One Spiced Pumpkin Ale “The aroma is of the spices, but the flavor finishes with the sweetness of the malt.” – John Witte, director of brewing and distilling Square One Brewery & Distillery, 1727 Park Ave., St. Louis, 314.231.2357, squareonebrewery.com
Trailhead Brewing Spiced Pumpkin Ale “Fresh pumpkin, along with cinnamon and nutmeg, provide this seasonal brew its distinct color and flavor.” – Jake Harrell, head brewer Trailhead Brewing Co., 921 S. Riverside Drive, St. Charles, 636.946.2739, trailheadbrewing.com
Available in 750-milliliter bottles at Fields Foods, 1500 Lafayette Ave., St. Louis, 314.241.3276, fieldsfoods.com and Randall’s Wine & Spirits, 1910 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314.865.0199, shoprandalls.com
Urban Chestnut Count Orlok Black Pumpkin Wheat Ale “Like Count Orlok, our beer has noble, German beginnings, but then things go black. We use a traditional Bavarian Weissbier yeast strain and then convolute the whole thing with chocolate malts, Golden Delicious pumpkin and a blend of spices.” – Florian Kuplent, co-founder and brewmaster
O’Fallon Brewing Pumpkin Beer “We use real pumpkin in production of the beer, not pumpkin flavoring. Additionally, we use cinnamon, nutmeg and clove from Old Town Spice Shoppe in downtown St. Charles.” – Gorczyca
Urban Chestnut Brewing Co., 3229 Washington Ave., St. Louis and 4465 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314.222.0143, urbanchestnut.com; available in 500-milliliter bottles at most well-stocked area liquor stores and supermarkets
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October 2014
Owensville
getaway The bucket list you never knew you had
If you need to unplug yourself, breathe fresh air and gaze at stars with a view unimpeded by tall buildings and city lights, consider booking a room at Martha & Tom’s Farm in Owensville. It’s closer to home and a lot cheaper than a yoga retreat in Fiji. But that’s not why you go. You go to Martha & Tom’s Farm – a dairy farm, cheesemaking operation and bed-and-breakfast all in one – because it’s the quirkiest country destination you will ever visit.
By ligaya figueras | Photos by greg rannells
The Blatchford family runs a dairy farm, cheesemaking operation and B&B at their October 2014 property in Owensville.
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First impressions Take Interstate 44 west, then go west on Highway 50 near Union. Drive a spell, passing through small towns like Gerald and Rosebud, until you reach Highway 28, then Highway 19. Watch for a sign marked Michel Road. The sign is a bit busted and bent, so keep your eyes peeled. Take this gravel road until you cross the creek. Make a right. Another right. As you turn a corner, an 1860s stone house that stands atop a hill will come into view, and you’ll spy two old barns, dwarfed by a new, 7,000-square-foot barn. Hammered onto a nearby tree is a hand-painted sign that reads “CHEESE FOR SALE.” You’ve arrived. Park anywhere. Your cell phone reception will be near nil; might as well just turn it off. Oh, and don’t be surprised if a rooster steps forward to greet you.
The family In 2010, Tom Blatchford and his wife Martha purchased what had been neglected farm property in the heart of central Missouri wine country, with aspirations to raise dairy cows, make cheese and operate a B&B. This, after Tom spent more than 25 years as a nurse, then as a corporate manager in the health care industry. “In three short years, we’ve started a dairy, built the barn, started a B&B and refurbished the house,” Tom said. On the farm, he makes the cheese and cooks breakfast for B&B guests. That is, when he’s not working part time as a nurse at a nearby prison. Likewise, when Martha’s not putting
in her hours as a nurse anesthetist at Washington Hospital, she manages the B&B and its nominal retail section, stocked with honey and other locally made products, including her soaps. “The idea was to be something fun,” Tom said. “I’m having fun. We’re all having fun.” That includes their 23-year-old son, Ben, who splits his time tending the herd of Jersey cows and working for a cabinetmaker.
How it all began When you bring your luggage to your guest room on the second floor of the new barn, pause at the cow portrait hanging on the wall of the communal living area. That’s Tom’s first cow, Morning Glory. Martha purchased the Jersey cow for Tom “thinking it would get it out of his system,” she said. That was more than 25 years ago, in 1987, when they lived in De Soto, Kansas. Later, when they moved to Memphis, the Blatchfords bought more cows. He’s even purchased one via the Internet. “Our cow Annie, I bought her online accidentally,” he said. “I knew this guy that was a farmer. I liked his cow, but he wasn’t getting any bids. So I thought, oh, I’ll just do an entry bid to get him started. The entry bid won, and I had to call my wife and I’m like, ‘I accidentally bought a cow today!’” Now, they’ve amassed a herd of 35 Jersey cows. Cattle trade publications sit on the nightstands in all four guest rooms. Think Tom’s trying to convert you? You’re right.
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The place is a zoo “I have 18 chickens, six setting hens, four roosters, a pet pig, cows, a rabbit (named) Sally, three of our own dogs and a neighbor dog we feed, and three kittens: Tubby, Itty Bit and Bailey,” Tom said.
The dogs Every farm has dogs. In this case, there’s Robin the Collie, who belongs to Ben and is supposed to be the work dog, but who still needs some training when it comes to herding cows. Molly is Tom’s mastiff. Little Gracie is Martha’s. You’ll also find the neighbor dog, named Dog, lying at the bottom of the B&B stairs every morning. Don’t mind him. Dog just wants to be part of the group.
Penelope the Pig Weighing somewhere around 850 pounds, the massive Hampshire White lives off scraps of cheese, among other things. This is the farm’s seventh Penelope, and there’s no promise that she’ll still be there when you visit. (“We trade big for little,” said Tom. Cue Elton John’s “Circle of Life.”) If not, rest assured a new Penelope will be there for you to gawk at.
Top row from left: Penelope the pig, chickens running amok, the Jersey cow suite, a view of Martha & Tom’s Farm. Middle row from left: Tom Blatchford with his Jersey calves, a Cool Cow Cheese platter, Blatchford’s mastiff Molly, the Blatchford family. Bottom row from left: an alcove in the Belgian horse suite, baked eggs from the Farmer’s Breakfast, photos of Blatchford’s cows.
Bottle-fed babies Get ready for the petting zoo portion of your farm visit. Lace up your boots and head down to the lower barn where the calves are kept. If you visit in late winter or mid-summer, you might even meet doe-eyed calves that are but days old. Still, hold on tight to the half-gallon plastic bottle capped with a massive nipple; the animals are only babies, but they can down 64 ounces of milk in no time. October 2014
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Take a shower What? You didn’t realize the calves would slobber all over you? Wash it off upstairs. The bathroom in your guest room is, well, different. On the website, it’s described as a “European-inspired bath.” Some, however, might liken it to showering at a beach – or a zoo – because when you open the bathroom’s barn-style sliding door, you’ll find a wonderfully wide shower head, but no tub or curtain; nothing but a few feet of space separate the shower from the toilet and vanity. The floor is poured concrete, which feels great on roughheeled feet. Above the sink there’s a bronze-colored hand fashioned into a soap holder, graciously offering Martha’s artisan herbal soap. Scrub thyself.
Above: the cheese cave; below: a doe-eyed calf.
Maasdam. Developed around 1990 in The Netherlands, the cheese is a mix of Gouda and Swiss. Any kind of Swiss will do, but Tom uses baby Swiss. The most curious part about this sweet, creamy, nutty cheese is the visual cue it gives when it’s ripe. After aging for three months it expands, thanks to the gas that develops inside. The Maasdam, which sells for $24 a pound, is a hot commodity for Blatchford. This summer, Fields Foods purchased every ounce of it. Don’t worry, more Maasdam is on the way.
Good cheese is like wine, good cheesemakers are like bakers
Cool Cow Cheese Tom’s brand of cheese, Cool Cow Cheese, is sold locally at the Missouri Rhine Valley booth at the Kirkwood, Schlafly and New Haven farmers markets. It’s also available at Local Harvest Grocery and Fields Foods. But at Tom’s farm, you can get a taste of nearly all 14 varieties of his Jersey cheese. There’s buttery, nutty aged Edam, Spanish Queso Blanco (which tastes fabulous on a grilled cheese sandwich), Jersey jack and creamy havarti studded with blueberries. “Missouri is a special place to be a cheesemaker. It’s like a burgeoning Vermont,” said Tom. That’s because cheesemakers in Missouri are
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not bound by legal definitions, specifications or strictures as they are in some states, including Wisconsin. “We can experiment and be real artisans.”
The Gouda “I will make a base Gouda and expand it into an aged, a young, a smoked, a red pepper. I always say, if you want to know what the cheesemaker likes, see how many varieties of a cheese he makes. The Gouda is one of my favorites.”
Maasdam , the inflating cheese In addition to ancient cheeses, Tom makes a modern one called
Since the cows graze on native grass, their milk changes with the seasons. Sometimes, it will be fattier and sweeter. Other times, it may taste grassy and herbaceous. Rather than adjusting the milk itself, Tom decides which cheese to make based on its flavor. “The milk has to talk to you. You have to listen to what the milk says,” is his philosophy. Spring milk, for example, is great for making Queso Blanco. Tom likens his cheesemaking operation to that of an estate winery – where the grapes are owned and controlled by the winery and the wine is made entirely on-site. Tom learned the trade at the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese at the University of Vermont in 2009. He studied with the highly respected French fromager Marc Druart
and a cheesemaking expert from Spain, Monserrat Almena-Aliste. To learn how to make Edam cheese (Cool Cow Cheese’s best-seller), he headed south to Sweet Home Farm in Alabama, seeking the wisdom of Alyce Birchenough. “I go to the American Cheese Society and ask them who the best artisan cheesemaker is,” he recalled. “They (mention) this little lady in Mobile. We paid her money to chat about her business and discover what it’s all about. We returned several times. My make (cheesemaking) room and her make room: dimensions are the same. She showed me her vat. I went and found her vat. Bought her vat. She had that much influence.” Why trek to such far off places? Because, Tom explained, you can’t just ask a cheesemaker for a recipe and expect things to work out right. A cheesemaker might tell you the ingredients without divulging everything – like the order of ingredients or the technique. “Cheesemakers are like good bakers,” he said. “You have to work with them to get that (information) out of them.”
The cheese cave Welcome to dairy heaven. Wheel after wheel of aging cheese – 62,000 pounds in all, the oldest a 2-and-ahalf-year-old Edam – sits on 10 rows of wooden shelves. On your way out, notice the big bucket on the floor filled with end cuts of cheese. Those are for Penelope. You’ll never be more jealous of a pig.
Mozzarella time The absolute necessity of sanitation prohibits you from entering the cheesemaking room. That’s Tom’s sanctum, where he pumps 1,000 pounds of milk at a time into the cheese vat and works his magic. However, you can stand over the kitchen stove in the B&B and make mozzarella with him. You may think you’ve tasted good mozzarella, but it pales in comparison to the fresh stuff you’ll make after just one hour of work. If you’re an enthusiastic student, he might even give you the citric acid, lipase powder and rennet tablet you need to make mozzarella at home. October 2014
'What’s wrong with life-long learning?' Tom works part-time as a nurse at the Jefferson City Correctional Center’s solitary confinement unit. “The job at the prison is because I want to,” he said. “Why not try something totally different? Everybody there asks me, ‘Why are you here if you are doing all this cheese?’ I’m like, ‘I’m learning something new. What’s wrong with lifelong learning?’”
A herd of 35 Jersey cows roams freely on 60 acres of pasture at Martha & Tom’s Farm. Since the cows graze on native grass, the flavor and fat content of the milk changes with the seasons. This dictates which cheese Tom Blatchford will make. “The milk has to talk to you. You have to listen to what the milk says,” is his philosophy. October 2014
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Round up the cows – at midnight Since the Blatchfords all have their part-time jobs, farm chores sometimes get done when they get to them. Like milking cows late. As in midnight. Put on your boots again. It’s time to fetch the cows and herd them to the milking parlor. Don’t know how? Just follow Robin the Collie. You’ll spot the girls easily on the 60 acres of pasture, but chances are they’ll be clustered way down the hill at the furthest point from the milking parlor. Oh, and watch your step – cow pie!
Cows are like school kids Cows waiting to be milked line up just like you did in grade school. In the same way that the teacher’s pet always slipped to the front or others butted in line to be closer to their best buddies, cows keep a social order too. On this farm, Claire is always first in line. In cow-speak, that makes her the bell cow. Dinosaur, the oldest in the herd at 9 years, brings up the rear. Mother and daughter Belle and Barbara always stand together, as do sisters Dottie and Mandy. Observe all this jockeying, mooing and reshuffling for position as they wait outside for their turn to get milked. Observe, too, the state of your boots. Remove them. You stink, by the way. Go take another shower.
Good night, John-Boy. Good night, Mary Ellen. After a day of cows and cheese, you’ll have no problem falling asleep, especially since you’ll be snoring in a king-size bed in one of the four spacious guest rooms on the farm. Two of them are suites that can hold an extra body or two on a sleeper sofa. Before you nod off, admire the 18-foot vaulted ceilings and the beautiful joists that support this post-and-beam barn. Tom and Ben built it. What have you done lately, slacker?
Now that’s a farmer’s breakfast Sample menu: cinnamon rolls, eggs en cocotte with melted Edam and broccoli (“I’m of Swedish descent,” Tom said. “You have to have some type of egg”), bread-and-butter pickles served with baguette slices topped with pats of butter so thick you can see your teeth marks, blueberry bratwurst from nearby Swiss Meat & Sausage Co., a sampler of Cool Cow Cheese, homemade English muffins with fruit jam made that morning and granola with all the fixings. So stuffed you want to go back to bed? There are chores to be done, man! Make a coffee with the fancy Keurig and shake off that food coma.
Rockin' Out with the neighbors The Blatchfords consider anyone within a 15-mile radius of the farm to be a neighbor. That includes Barb, Paul and Brian Willsey, proprietors of Rockin’ W Alpaca Ranch. The Willseys have a herd of 83 alpacas whose fleece is turned into socks, rugs and other fiber products. You’ll make fast friends with Ruby, a 9-year-old alpaca that’s as social as they come. She’ll let you pat her soft black coat and will walk alongside you for the duration of your tour, while you learn how Suri and Huacaya breeds got from the Andes mountains to Owensville and why two llamas guard them. (Yes, guard llamas are a thing. They bond with and protect alpacas, sheep and other stock.)
Belgian horses and a Cadillac among covered wagons Guests at Martha & Tom’s Farm have the opportunity to drive a team of Belgian horses. This could be the coolest hands-on farm experience ever, but you decide. It’s still an elusive bucket list item. That’s because one of the horses, Zeus, died last year. Blatchford is on the lookout for another one to team up with the other horse, Hera, but it’s not as easy as you might think. Zeus’ replacement has to lean to the left since Hera leans to the right. Oh, and the horse has to be experienced. And sociable. When the horse situation is all figured out, you will be able to clamber aboard a covered wagon outfitted with cupholders, hydraulic brakes and rubber tires (“It’s the Cadillac version of wagons,” said Tom, who paid a guy in Cape Girardeau $20,000 to build the wagon) and drive the team of horses on a 2-mile ride on the gravel road while you pretend to be related to Laura Ingalls Wilder. At Martha & Tom’s Farm, many things are improvised or performed by happenstance. Obstacles are overcome daily. At a certain point on your wagon drive, you’ll find yourself at the bottom of a steep hill. The gravel is loose and sometimes treacherous. But it’s the only way up. “Courage or no courage,” said Tom, “You’re going up the hill.”
Poker with a pro Among the items on the bucket list getaway that the Blatchfords offer, the most outlandish is the poker weekend. Poker? “I have a buddy who’s a professional. He needs people to help warm him up before a tournament,” Tom said. So that’s why the dining table at the B&B is circular. If you want to play cards for upwards of 36 hours with this fellow, all you need to do is make a reservation. Kindly give a few weeks’ notice – in case he’s expected in Vegas.
Martha & Tom’s Farm, 1613 Tschappler Road, Owensville, 573.437.2699, coolcowcheese.com 44 I SAUCE MAGAZINE I saucemagazine.com
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grains
that
pop chefs add crunch to our favorite dishes By Dee Ryan | photos by carmen troesser Crispy grain and seed salad at Elaia and Olio, recipe on p. 49 46 I SAUCE MAGAZINE I saucemagazine.com
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O
nce upon a time, there were many kinds of grains from faraway lands, with different names and sizes and shapes and flavors. One by one they all disappeared, and the people of the land ate mostly rice and pasta. But now, my dears, the fairy tale is renewed: You can’t wander down the aisles of a grocery store or flip through your favorite food magazine without seeing the words “ancient grains.” Quinoa, of course, has exploded in popularity among culinary enthusiasts, and is now joined by amaranth, bulgur, kamut, freekeh, sorghum and other old-time grains on grocery shelves and restaurant menus. “You know, for a long time these grains were only eaten by hippies and vegetarians,” said Rex Hale, executive chef of The Restaurant at The Cheshire, who recalled crisping quinoa for a squash curry he prepared when he worked at Jumby Bay Island Resort in Antigua in 1993. “But finally everyone is realizing how great they are.” Although these grains are easily prepared as a side dish or filling hot breakfast cereal, area chefs are jumping on the trend of crisping them for a little extra crunch.
“There’s so much you can do with these grains,” said Josh Charles, chef de
cuisine at Elaia and Olio. “They can be ground and incorporated into cakes, popped and eaten as a snack food. They are really great to work with, and easier to find than ever.” Though the kitchen brigade at Elaia and Olio has used various grains in assorted presentations since the restaurants opened two years ago, for the fall menu Charles will feature multiple crisped grains in one texture-iffic dish: a grain and seed salad, featuring a trio of crisped sorghum, kamut and freekeh held together with Greek yogurt seasoned with the North African spice mixture ras al-hanout. Basso’s Patrick Connolly is partial to using crisped grains as an attention grabber. “As it becomes more (popular) for diners to share dishes, chefs are given two to three forkfuls of any particular dish to make an impression, and adding that little crunch or chew to something can really catch someone’s attention,” he said. Connolly has played with crispy farro, rice, corn, lentils and quinoa in his dishes. Look for his crispy quinoa and shaved raw beet salad with dill and sheep’s milk bleu cheese on the Basso menu this fall. One isn’t limited to savory applications, either. Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier’s Dave Owens purchases puffed quinoa, glazes it with agave and incorporates it into Bissinger’s 75-percent cocoa Quinoa Agave Crunch bar. “Combining crispy grains and chocolate is very European,” he said. “It breaks up the texture of the chocolate and is so enjoyable to eat.”
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squash curry with crispy quinoa recipe on p. 49
Nor are ancient grains outside the boundaries for those restricted to a gluten-free diet. Executive chef Joseph
Hemp of Robust Wine Bar uses crisped grains for his vegan and gluten-free dishes. “Crispy brown rice or quinoa adds a great gluten-free crunch element to any saucy dish instead of bread crumbs,” he said.
The various applications practically trip over one another: Pop them as a snack or add them to salads
or soups for some crunch. Stir them into yogurt, sprinkle them on top of a smoothie or mix them with beans and veggies for a simple, healthy meal. Just don’t call it a comeback. Ancient grains have been here for years. Now that they’ve had a makeover, you’ve got one more way to enjoy them – happily ever after. continued on p. 48 saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 47
Brown and wild rice used to be exotic, while ancient grains like quinoa and amaranth were all but unknown. Now they practically rain from the sky – and crisping them is easy. In general, grains should be cooked per package instructions, dried on baking sheets for a minimum of 20 minutes, then sauteed in a neutral oil or roasted in the oven until crisp. – D.R.
Amaranth is tiny, slightly peppery and retains a nice crunch when crisped, which makes it a wonderful addition to soups and stews. Try it on clam chowder or with sauteed shrimp. It can also be popped in small batches to make “popcorn.” If you pop it, do not cook it first.
Kamut is a wheat grain similar to brown rice that is best cooked after an overnight soak. When roasted or fried, kamut develops a texture somewhere between crunchy and chewy, and makes an excellent addition to salads.
Freekeh is wheat that’s harvested while still green, then roasted. Its smoky quality complements beans and corn for a great vegetarian side dish. Combine crispy freekeh with finely chopped walnuts to coat fish or chicken. For a snack or salad topping, try sauteing cooked and dried freekeh with olive oil until crisp, then seasoning with salt, cumin and cayenne.
Bulgur wheat is cracked whole wheat berries, nutty in flavor, most often found in tabbouleh. The grain retains lots of moisture when cooked, so be sure to give it ample time to dry out before crisping – at least eight hours on a baking sheet in the refrigerator. Try tossing crispy bulgur with roasted Brussels sprouts and bacon.
Quinoa The seeds of this superfood have a very bitter outer coating and must be rinsed well before cooking (even if the packaging says “pre-rinsed”). Crisped quinoa has a grassy flavor that is wonderful with curries or on top of fresh fruit and yogurt for a breakfast that will stay with you until lunch.
Sorghum is similar to Israeli couscous in size and texture with a mild flavor. Like amaranth, sorghum can be popped in small quantities, and even when cooked and crisped its flavor is reminiscent of popcorn. Sprinkle it with a little salt and serve on top of ice cream topped with hot fudge or caramel sauce.
Purchase these grains in bulk or prepackaged at Golden Grocer Natural Foods, 335 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 314.367.0405, goldengrocer.com 48 I SAUCE MAGAZINE I saucemagazine.com or Jay International Foods Co., 3172 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314.772.2552, Facebook: Jay International Foods.
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recipes Elaia and Olio’s Crispy Grain and Seed Salad with Spiced Yogurt Courtesy of Elaia and Olio’s Josh Charles 5 servings 1 cup sorghum 1 cup kamut 1 cup freekeh Grapeseed oil, for cooking ½ cup sunflower seeds ½ cup pepitas ¼ cup white sesame seeds ¼ cup dark chia seeds 2 Tbsp. chopped preserved lemons* ¼ cup chopped chives 4 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 2 cups Greek yogurt 1 Tbsp. lemon zest 1 Tbsp. ras al-hanout* Kosher salt to taste 1 cup mixed fresh herbs, such as cilantro, mint, basil, tarragon or dill, for garnish Pumpkin seed oil, for garnish Using a fine-mesh strainer, rinse the sorghum, kamut and freekeh until the water runs clear. Soak the grains in water 1 hour. In a saucepan, cook the grains, covered, 45 minutes using a 1½-to1 ratio of water to grains. Spread cooked grains in a thin layer across a shallow pan and allow them to dry. In a large skillet over high heat, spread out and toast the grains in ½ inch of grapeseed oil, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the toasted grains to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. In the same skillet over medium heat, toast the sunflower seeds, pepitas and sesame seeds separately until fragrant. October 2014
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sorghum, kamut, freekeh, sunflower seeds, pepitas, sesame seeds and chia seeds. Add the preserved lemons, chives, apple cider vinegar and olive oil, and toss to combine. Add salt to taste and set aside. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon zest and the ras al-hanout and salt to taste. Divide the yogurt among 5 bowls. Top each with 1 cup of the grain salad and garnish with 3 to 4 leaves of each herb and a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil. If left undressed, salad will keep, refrigerated, up to 4 days. * Preserved lemon and ras al-hanout are available at United Provisions, 6241 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314.833.5699, unitedprovisions.com.
Squash Curry with Crispy Quinoa Courtesy of The Restaurant at The Cheshire’s Rex Hale 4 to 6 servings 5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided 1 large onion, chopped 2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 Scotch bonnet chile, chopped (use gloves when handling) 1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger 3 Tbsp. yellow curry paste* 1 Tbsp. tomato paste 1 tsp. dried oregano 3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme 2 bay leaves Pinch ground cloves ½ tsp. ground cumin ½ tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. nutmeg 2½ lbs. pumpkin or butternut squash,
peeled, deseeded and cut into 1-inch cubes 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped 1 large tomato, chopped 1 tsp. fresh lime zest 2 cups vegetable stock Half a 14-oz. can coconut milk, plus more to taste Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled Lime juice to taste Handful fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish Lime wedges, for garnish In a large saucepan with high sides, warm 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onion 2 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, chile and ginger and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the curry paste, tomato paste, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, cloves, cumin, cinnamon and nutmeg, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the squash, red pepper, tomato, lime zest, vegetable stock and coconut milk. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash is soft. Season generously with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Saute the cooked quinoa for 3 to 4 minutes until it is dry and crispy, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool. Season the curry with the lime juice and cilantro to taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and coconut milk. If the sauce is too thick, thin with more vegetable stock. Discard the bay leaves and thyme springs. To serve, top the curry with the crisped quinoa and garnish with
fresh cilantro and lime wedges. Serve with roti*. Curry will keep, refrigerated, up to 7 days. *Find Hale’s recipes for yellow curry paste and roti online at saucemagazine.com.
Crispy Brown Rice Courtesy of Robust Wine Bar’s Joseph Hemp 6 to 8 servings 1 cup uncooked brown rice 2 cups water 1 tsp. kosher salt ¼ cup neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Add the rice, water and salt to a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, 10 minutes. Transfer the cooked rice to a paper towel-lined plate and, using paper towels, blot excess moisture from grains. Spread the grains into a single layer onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, until dry. In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Working in batches, add ½ cup cooked rice to the skillet and saute 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the rice pops and floats on the oil. Using a spider, transfer crisped rice to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining rice, adding oil as needed. Season as desired. Use as a garnish to add crunch to salad or other dishes. Crispy rice will keep in an airtight container up to 1 week. saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 49
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stuff to do:
this month by Byron Kerman
Pumpkin Jamboree Weekends through Oct. 26 – times vary, Eckert’s farms in Belleville, Grafton and Millstadt, Illinois, 618.233.0513, eckerts.com Give those pumpkin-smashing teens something to work with from Eckert’s farms just across the river, where the pumpkins range from several pounds to a whopping 150. Every Saturday and Sunday in October, Pumpkin Jamborees at all three locations feature wagon rides, music, festival foods, a petting farm and of course, the pumpkin patch.
Grove Fest Oct. 4 – 2 to 10 p.m., Manchester Avenue between Tower Grove Boulevard and Sarah Street, 314.535.5311, grovefeststl.com Grove restaurants, represent! Food vendors at this year’s Grove Fest include Atomic Cowboy, The Sandwich Shop at The Gramophone, HandleBar, Just John, O’Shay’s Pub, Rehab, Rise Coffee House (dubting its new coffee truck), Sameem Afghan Restaurant, Siam and Taha’a Twisted Tiki. People are also licking their lips in anticipation of a one-day-only Urban Chestnut beer: Honey Grove, a Vienna honey lager.
Augusta Bottoms Beer Fest Oct. 11 – 1 to 5 p.m., Augusta Brewing Co., 5221 Water St., Augusta, 636.482.2337, Facebook: Augusta Bottoms Beer Fest This 12th annual microbrew celebration in picturesque Augusta offers samples from some three dozen Missouri outfits, including Buckner Brewing, The Civil Life, Heavy Riff, Prison Brews, 2nd Shift, Schlafly and Six Row. Guests enjoy the live music and take home a commemorative glass. Tickets available online or at the door.
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Taste of Trucktober Oct. 18 – 3 to 8 p.m., Chesterfield Amphitheater, 631 Veterans Place Drive, Chesterfield, 636.812.9500, trucktoberstl.com The organizers of Taste of Trucktober are hoping to stage a massive 40-truck gathering of mobile eateries. Even if they don’t meet that ambitious goal, there will surely be plenty of trucks in attendance, including Harvest Xpress, The Cheese Shack, Sarah’s Cake Stop and La Tejana Taqueria. Beer and wine sales are also available. Buy a book of food tickets at the event.
Brew in the Lou Oct. 18 – 1 to 5 p.m., Koburg Hall at Concordia Seminary, 801 Seminary Place, Clayton, 314.268.1525, lesastl.org Beer, spirits, wine, coffee and food will be sampled liberally at the Brew in the Lou benefit. Vendors will offer treats by Blue Moon, BBQ ASAP, Charleville Brewing, Excel Brewing, Gobble Stop Smokehouse, Kaldi’s Coffee, Menrath Wines, Morgan Street Brewery, Pinckney Bend Distillery, Stringbean Coffee, Swiss Meat & Sausage Co., Wood Hat Distillery and many more. Proceeds raised at this event for the Lutheran Elementary School Association will be matched 4-to-1 by grants. Tickets available online.
Kirkwood Halloween Walk Oct. 30 – 5 to 7 p.m., downtown Kirkwood, 314.822.0084, downtownkirkwood.com If your kids can’t get enough candy this Halloween, consider the Halloween Walk through downtown Kirkwood. Businesses including Amigo’s Cantina, Billy G’s, 5 Star Burgers, McArthur’s Bakery, Mike Duffy’s Pub & Grill and Spencer’s Grill will hand out candy Oct. 30, so kids can go trick-ortreating two days in a row.
Denotes a Sauce sponsored event. October 2014
sponsored events
Sauce Magazine’s Food Truck Friday Oct. 3 – 3:30 to 7 p.m., Tower Grove Park, St. Louis, 314.772.8004, saucefoodtruckfriday.com It’s your last chance this year to get your Food Truck Friday fix. Find sangria, live music from Miss Jubilee, beer and more. If you’re hungry and in a hurry, stop by the Sauce tent for a Speed Pass, which enables holders to use expedited lines for ordering.
Saint Louis Fashion Week Oct. 9 to 18, times and locations vary, saintlouisfashionweek.com Dozens of designers will showcase their latest collections at Saint Louis Fashion Week, and a daylong conference includes a panel discussion led by New York Fashion Week founder Fern Mallis. It all starts with a kickoff party Sept. 26. A full schedule and tickets are available online.
Harvest Festival Oct. 19 – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Laumeier Sculpture Park, 12580 Rott Road, Sunset Hills, 314.772.8004, harvestfeststl.com Join Sauce Magazine at the annual Harvest Festival at Laumeier Sculpture Park. Sample food and drink from dozens of local restaurants, wineries and breweries and browse offerings from local vendors at the farmers market and craft fair. Tickets available online.
Schlafly Farmers Market Wednesdays through October – 4 to 7 p.m., Schlafly Bottleworks, 7260 Southwest Ave., Maplewood, 314.241.2337 ext. 2, schlaflyfarmersmarket.com Wednesday evenings, part of the Schlafly Bottleworks parking lot transforms into a farmers market brimming with meat, eggs, produce, herbs, baked goods and more.
Midtown Farmers Market Saturdays through Nov. 1 – 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 6655 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314.913.6632, Facebook: Midtown Farmers Market Grab your tote bag each Saturday morning and stuff it with produce, meat, eggs, baked goods, pantry perks and more from local farmers and artisans.
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What I Do John Rempe
At local spirits producer Luxco, someone has to formulate the flavors for Pearl vodka and the other 100-plus alcoholic beverages in its portfolio. For the last 16 years, concocting flavors has been the job of John Rempe, Luxco’s director of corporate research and development, otherwise known as “the mad scientist.”
How popular is flavored alcohol? Ten years ago, you didn’t see anything on the shelf in terms of all the different flavors. Now’s it’s just exploded. The main one I’m focused on now is Pearl. We’ve got 19 different flavors. Other than that, it’s flavored whiskies. There’s cherry, honey. Cocktails are starting to come back, ready to drink – just open and pour.
What are typical ingredients that go into flavored vodka? Your alcohol base, which is your vodka; a sweetener – in Pearl, it’s sucrose, it’s real sugar; natural flavoring extracts – for the most part, we try to use allnatural flavors; and water.
Why did you create vodkas flavored like wedding cake and whipped cream? Wedding cake and whipped cream were a response to what was happening in the market. Everything was shifting to ultra sweet, confectionary-type flavors.
How long does it take to move a flavored product from R&D into production? It can take me a few days or weeks to develop a product that I think is good, but once I do that, every ingredient that I use in terms of flavoring has to be approved by the federal government. I use those approvals and submit my formula to the government. Once that’s approved, we have to get labels approved. What used to take only a few months now takes a year.
So the vodka drinker isn’t into savory flavors? That’s what we’re looking at going forward – basil, cilantro, those herbaceous infusions. Traditionally, the flavored vodka market focused on fruit, then it got to the ultra sweet. Now, it’s turning less sweet, into a more adult-type palate. What flavor surprised you by how it was received – good or bad? Pearl Cucumber. I developed it three years before we launched it. When I developed it, it wasn’t received (well) at all. Wait three years, all of a sudden, people are demanding cucumber. Now it’s huge. That’s one of our great flavors in Pearl right now.
room, people are tasting it. When I first started doing it, people would spit it out. You can’t let it get to you. “OK, I’ll go and redo it.” What Pearl flavor are you most proud of? The cucumber and the plum. When you open the bottle, it smells exactly like the fruit. That’s what I’ve always tried to accomplish: (Be) true to the fruit, not candy-ish. Pomegranate was the first Pearl flavor I developed – that’s my baby. It’s by far and away the most successful flavor. How satisfying is your job? It’s a huge amount of satisfaction. Every time I go to the store, even with my kids, I’m like, “We gotta walk down through this aisle.” My kids are like, “Why are we walking down the alcohol aisle again, Dad?” I’m like, “Because I gotta see my stuff.” - Ligaya Figueras
How do you feel when a flavor doesn’t go over well? You have to develop pretty thick skin to do what I’m doing. I’m the one creating it and I think it’s great. I’m pitching it to sales and marketing. I’m sitting in a
Photo by ashley gieseking
How many flavors are in your lab? Several hundred. I’m constantly updating my library of flavors and extracts.
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