Sauce Magazine // October 2019

T W E N T I E T H A N N I V E R S A R Y

October S 2019 ERVING

saucemagazine.com SAUCE S T . L O U I S S I N C E 1 9 9 9 // S A U C E M A G A Z I N E . C O M // F R E E , O C T OI B E R MAGAZINE 2 019 I 1

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OCTOBER 2019 • VOLUME 19, ISSUE 10 What’s your favorite Sauce story that you’ve worked on?

PUBLISHER ART DIRECTOR MANAGING EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR, DIGITAL STAFF WRITERS ASSOCIATE EDITOR EDIBLE WEEKEND EDITORS SENIOR DESIGNER PROOFREADER CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

‘The Rookie’s Guide to a Side Project Beer Release’ (Guide to Beer 2018) was one of my first dives into local beer culture.

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Working on my juice bar story for the website really turned me into a regular juice drinker.

ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES EVENTS COORDINATOR LISTINGS EDITOR INTERNS

The sake recipe story (January 2012) because it was the

Allyson Mace hardest. It’s manageable to look at because it’s clear there Meera Nagarajan Heather Hughes Huff are steps, but I doubt anyone has ever used it to make sake.

Catherine Klene Adam Rothbarth, Matt Sorrell Lauren Healey Lauren Healey, Catherine Klene Michelle Volansky Megan Gilmore Julia Calleo, Lauren Healey, R.J. Hartbeck, Izaiah Johnson, David Kovaluk, Greg Rannells, Adam Rothbarth, Michelle Volansky Vidhya Nagarajan Glenn Bardgett, Matt Berkley, Ryan Griffin, Justin Harris, Lauren Healey, Heather Hughes Huff, Jamie Kilgore, Ted Kilgore, Catherine Klene, Meera Nagarajan, Justin Nunn, Michael Renner, Adam Rothbarth, Matt Sorrell, Brenna Sullivan Allyson Mace Matt Bartosz, Bea Doerr, Angie Rosenberg Amy Hyde Amy Hyde Justin Nunn, Brenna Sullivan

It’s either ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ about my pet rabbit and eating rabbits (June 2016), ‘Obsessed,’ the pizzaioli story (February 2017) or the Louie Best New Restaurant segment (December 2018).

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 ©2001-2019 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 $2.50 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 October 2019

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contents O C TO B E R 2 019

editors' picks 13 EAT THIS Bread pudding at Cyrano’s

reviews 31 NEW AND NOTABLE Bait

by michael renner

by heather hughes huff

36 LUNCH RUSH

17 HIT LIST

The Piccadilly at Manhattan

by matt berkley

5 places to try this month

by heather hughes huff, catherine klene and adam rothbarth

last bite

25 ELIXIR

62 STUFF TO DO by justin nunn and brenna sullivan

Staff stash

by catherine klene 27 A SEAT AT THE BAR Five experts tell us what to sip, stir and shake

by glenn bardgett, justin harris, ryan griffin and ted and jamie kilgore

64 WHAT I DO Bill Cardwell

by heather hughes huff 66 LANDMARK

features 45

20 YEARS OF SAUCE by sauce staff 54

SETTING THE TABLE

3 trailblazing restaurateurs who shaped the St. Louis landscape

by matt sorrell

Tune in to St. Louis Public Radio 90.7 FM Friday, Oct. 4, when Sauce joins St. Louis on the Air to share the must-try new restaurants in October, then check back later in the month when veteran restaurateurs share stories from more than 20 years in St. Louis dining scene.

The Pasta House Co.

by adam rothbarth

PHOTO BY IZAIAH JOHNSON

PHOTO BY IZAIAH JOHNSON

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Sauce Magazine started because of a conversation I had with an out-of-town businessman while I was waiting tables at Fio’s La Fourchette in Clayton back in 1998. After bragging that he’d just been to Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, he said he was “surprised that St. Louis had such good restaurants.” Ouch. I took that personally.

What was he talking about? While Fio’s was my personal favorite, of course, Jim Fiala and Cary McDowell were killing it up the street every night at The Crossing – same as Frazer Cameron at his self-named hotspot, which is still going strong in Benton Park, Zoë Robinson at her Pan-Asian Café in the Central West End, Bill Cardwell at Cardwell’s at the Plaza and Eddie Neill at Café Provencal, to name a few.

By the time I got home that night, I’d mapped out the city’s first restaurant guide, which

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T H E

P U B L I S H E R

launched online four months later. That quickly morphed into Sauce Magazine, which offered both a larger view of the St. Louis food scene and more personal encounters with chefs, restaurateurs, distilleries and farmers making that happen, first online, followed by print in October 2001.

Sauce has been here as the culinary scene has taken off around the world, and chefs have become as big as famous athletes or musicians like our own Gerard Craft, Kevin Nashan, Michael Gallina and Rob Connoley.

We celebrate them, as well as the ones who might never win a national award. We celebrate risk takers. We celebrate the community our chefs create in their dining rooms, the memories we make over their flavor profiles and the local food, beer and wine producers who make that happen quite literally from the ground level.

I believe in keeping Sauce Magazine a

free publication so everyone can have a copy in their hands, and I am committed to maintaining its independent voice. My job is to make sure no one is ever surprised that St. Louis has such good restaurants, food trucks, culinary events and superstar chefs. And my guidepost remains the same: maintaining the highest standard of personal and professional integrity in service to our motto that we may all dine, drink and live well.

I am humbled to be a part of this community. Thank you, St. Louis, for picking up Sauce Magazine, and for all the sweetness we’ve shared over these 20 years. The best is yet to come.

Cheers,

PHOTO BY R.J. HARTBECK

F R O M

ALLYSON MACE Publisher, founder

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Eat This

Everyone knows about the desserts at Cyrano’s Cafe, but its caramel brioche bread pudding is the perfect reminder not to take old standbys for granted. The rich, doughy brioche has the almostraw texture of a Cinnabon cinnamon roll center. The soulful cherry-bourbon caramel sauce is studded with plump, sweet-tart dried cherries rehydrated in whiskey. Cyrano’s veterans know you can’t order this to share.

PHOTO BY JULIA CALLEO

CYRANO’S CAFE 603 E. Lockwood Ave., Webster Groves, 314.963.3232, cyranos.com

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PHOTO BY ADAM ROTHBARTH

hit list

5 new places to try this month

DISHES FROM TACO CIRCUS ON THE HILL October 2019

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HIT LIST p. 2 of 3

MAYO KETCHUP For a restaurant whose name combines two household condiments, Mayo Ketchup (a popular sauce in Latin America) packs a lot of unexpected flavors into its Caribbeancentric menu. Twice-fried plantains are the star of most dishes, from the spicy, tangy Buffalo tostones to the jibarito sandwich, which contains hearty portions of chopped sirloin or roasted pork, cheese, lettuce and tomato in between two supersize tostone “buns.” The pernil bowl came with tasty roasted pork, Puerto Ricanstyle rice and peas and, of course, fried plantains for scooping.

2001 Park Ave., St. Louis, 314.696.2699, plantaingirl.com

clockwise from top: ropa vieja at mayo ketchup from left, charred crust coowners and chefs andrew simon and james flemming

Co-owners Andrew Simon and James Flemming don’t call Charred Crust a pizzeria. Nevertheless, the sourdough-crust ’za at this new Clayton lunch spot beckons us. We liked the sausage and garlic with charred tomato sauce and loved the pineapple, which features a delicious BellaVitano chipotle cheese. The ultra-savory three meat sandwich is served with hot coppa, smoked turkey and shaved ham, and the satisfying veggie comes with yellow squash, zucchini, oyster mushrooms, roasted red pepper, herb pesto and fresh mozzarella. Both sandwiches come on a delicious, house-made focaccia.

dishes at charred crust mayo ketchup chef-owner mandy estrella

105 S. Meramec Ave., Clayton, 314.721.0393, charredcruststl.com

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TACO CIRCUS If 2019 has taught us anything, it’s that reboots and sequels are almost never as good as the original. Taco Circus on The Hill is a glaring exception.

The new space from chef-owner Christian Ethridge has ported over all our favorite tacos, burritos, salsa and hot sauces, but has also added new delights, like a marvelous macha salsa, a delicious queso compuesto with ground beef, onion, cilantro and pico de gallo and a satisfying vegan taco with a textured vegetable protein similar to picadillo, along with cilantro and onion. Show up for those, but stay for the new bar program, which features house margaritas, pina coladas and a spicy mezcal margarita – or maybe it’s the other way around.

4940 Southwest Ave., St. Louis, 314.899.0061, tacocircus.com

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MAYO KETCHUP PHOTOS BY LAUREN HEALEY; CHARRED CRUST PHOTOS BY ADAM ROTHBARTH

CHARRED CRUST

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For the First Looks of even more new restaurants like Nudo House’s Delmar location, check out saucemagazine.com

BLUEWOOD BREWING Bluewood Brewing’s owners chose an auspicious location: the stables of the historic 19th century Lemp Brewery. Bluewood now offers more than a dozen taps that pour half local guest beers and half house brews in a variety of styles, from farmhouse ales to IPAs. Bluewood’s northeast IPA, Day 1, features a hazy body and juicy notes thanks to Amarillo and Citra hops, while its Sanguine Orange is a farmhouse-style saison brewed with coriander seeds and orange zest.

Local favorite Mac’s Local Eats has moved to the brewery, where chefowner Chris “Mac” McKenzie slings his famous smash burgers and sells locally made wares at Mac’s Local Buys, also located inside Bluewood.

C. OLIVER COFFEE + FLOWER BAR C. Oliver Coffee + Flower Bar coowners Olivia Medina and Alyssa Schuler miraculously transformed the former Orbit Pinball Lounge into a sun-drenched, marble-topped, pinkand-white coffee shop paradise. Along with assorted treats from local bakeries (don’t miss La Patisserie Chouquette macarons and Cordial Bakery’s oatmeal cream pie), the shop serves batch-brewed Sump Coffee, cold brew and a range of espresso drinks.

We particularly liked the Oliver’s Tart Tonic, an espresso and tonic made with cherry juice and local Hello Juice & Smoothie lime juice. Ample seating at emerald green velvet couches and pink midcentury-style chairs make C. Oliver an ideal work spot. And don’t miss the flower bar, where you can build your own bouquet or buy a premade one.

7401 Hazel Ave., Maplewood, 314.724.4221, Facebook: C. Oliver Coffee + Flower Bar

clockwise from top left: open-air seating area at bluewood brewing macchiato at c. oliver coffee + flower bar

1821 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314.376.4166, bluewoodbrewing.com

from left, c. oliver coffee + flower bar co-owners olivia medina and alyssa schuler

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from left, the lumberjack, pimento cheese and sleeper burgers from mac’s local eats inside bluewood brewing October 2019

PHOTOS BY LAUREN HEALEY

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vermouth and soda. “It’s basically like lightly alcoholic Coca-Cola. When we tasted it on the staff, everyone was like, ‘Oh God, we need that,’” he said. “It’s good to have around when people are having a long shift.”

While the beer pours freely at Perennial Artisan Ales, there’s one keg from which only the staff can partake. “A lot of times, it is a preview of something. Maybe we have a new hazy IPA that’s going to be released, so we’ll pull off a keg, force carb it and … drink it before it’s even packaged,” said co-owner Phil Wymore.

“Sometimes we’ll trade a keg with a fellow brewery that we’re friendly with. They don’t have distribution here, so we can’t legally tap and sell [it, so] we’ll just drink it.”

Busch cans are also on standby at the Carondelet brewery, as are a few more unsavory options behind the bar. “Sometimes, there might be a bottle of Malort when we’re feeling like being masochists,” Wymore said.

from left, side project brewing tasting room manager allison kelly, bartenders mikey juen and megan knaus and side project cellar manager shae smith

S TA F F S TA S H

By Catherine Klene

Not everything at your favorite watering holes is available for public consumption. Some bars and breweries have a staffonly stash behind the bar or tucked in the back room to help them get through a long shift.

Bubbly water reigns supreme at 2nd Shift Brewing on The Hill, where co-owner Libby Crider said they stock cases of Queen City CBD seltzer for their hardworking crew.

PHOTO BY IZAIAH JOHNSON

“We carry it because it makes the staff happy. A lot of us take CBD as it is,” she said.

“And then we keep a bottle of whiskey behind the bar for the staff too.”

October 2019

Manager Shae Smith is the self-proclaimed “seltzer queen at The Side Project Cellar.”

She also has electrolytepacked Pedialyte to assist with hydration.

“We always have La Croix and Pedialyte. We’re always stocked up on the important stuff,” she said.

Planter’s House co-owner Ted Kilgore keeps a cache of international bottles he and his globetrotting staff have brought back from their travels. “[Bartender] Hyannecke van der Pennen is from the Netherlands, so she brought back some Genever.

I’ve got stuff I’ve brought back from Mexico like mezcal that ... we drink for special

occasions,” he said. “We have some vintage spirits that are back there. For a while, I had Argentinian Fernet.”

South City staple The Royale is known for its cocktails, and owner Steven Fitzpatrick Smith keeps a few off-menu just for his staff. “The first is the Delilah. It’s not an original to The Royale. It is an uncommon variety of the Sidecar,” he said via text message. Da Grizwold is the second, made with bourbon, chartreuse, lemon, pineapple and Aztec bitters. “It is a dream developed by our bartender Matt Grant.”

Yellowbelly co-owner Tim Wiggins keeps his crew happy with Sprezza Rosso, a canned

2nd Shift Brewing 1601 Sublette Ave., St. Louis, 314.669.9013, 2ndshiftbrewing.com The Side Project Cellar 7373 Marietta Ave., Maplewood, 314.224.5211, thesideprojectcellar.com Planter’s House 1000 Mississippi Ave., St. Louis, 314.696.2603, plantershousestl.com The Royale 3132 S. Kingshighway Blvd., St. Louis, 314.772.3600, theroyale.com Yellowbelly 4659 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 314.499.1509, yellowbellystl.com Perennial Artisan Ales 8125 Michigan Ave., St. Louis, 314.631.7300, perennialbeer.com

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TED AND JAMIE KILGORE USBG, B.A.R. Ready, BarSmart and co-owners/bartenders at Planter’s House

Spettro Amaro from 1220 Spirits is our first locally made amaro. This lively liqueur has a beautiful aroma of rhubarb, sarsaparilla, mint, thyme, rosemary and vanilla. On the palate, it is more intense with clove, allspice, licorice, chicory and mint, while bitter chocolate and cinnamon linger on the tongue. Savor a neat pour after your next big meal. $40.

Intoxicology, 4321 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314.833.3088, intoxicologystl.com

A SEAT AT THE BAR RYAN GRIFFIN AND JUSTIN HARRIS Co-owners at Saint Louis Hop Shop

Five experts tell us what to sip, stir and shake

Perfect for the lingering fall heat, Swingle from Alpha Brewing Co. is light and crushable. The crisp, refreshing 5% ABV American blonde ale showcases just enough fresh-squeezed lime to induce salivation between sips. With a beautiful pale straw color and a nice white head, this wellbalanced brew’s clean mouthfeel finishes with lingering citrus notes. Four-pack: $11.

Randall’s Wine & Spirits, 1910 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314.865.0199, shoprandalls.com

ILLUSTRATIONS BY VIDHYA NAGARAJAN

fruity and complex, this chilean red is the perfect match for a warm fall night

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GLENN BARDGETT Member of the Missouri Wine and Grape Board and wine director at Annie Gunn’s

The 2017 Garage Wine Co. País 215 BC Ferment from Maule Valley in Chile has the young fruitiness of gamay, but is weightier and more complex with floral aromas, berry flavors and soft, easy tannins.

215 BC is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the arrival of país (also called Mission) in the New World 215 years before the first cabernet sauvignons. $20. Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland Ave., Richmond Heights, 314.645.2050, parkerstable.com saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 27

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reviews All Sauce reviews are conducted anonymously.

the

lobster

fries at bait

N E W A N D N OTA B LE

bait

BY MICHAEL RENNER // PHOTOS BY IZAIAH JOHNSON

At Bait, the new seafood-centric restaurant by entrepreneur and first-time restaurateur Kalen Hodgest, historical elegance blends with contemporary style. The first floor of the late 19th-century Central West End mansion – formerly home to Sol Lounge and Grind Coffeehouse – is composed of smaller dining spaces, each with different design elements.

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Hodgest owes the restaurant’s design to his fiancee, Alexis Morris. The sophisticated space refreshingly avoids a rusticated decor template – the cement floors, exposed brick, lowwattage Edison lights and reclaimed wood that dominate most new restaurants.

executive chef ceaira jackson

A wine room showcases an illuminated wall of bottles, a burnt orange banquette and artful photographs of black icons. In another room, vibrant paintings of octopus tentacles pop against light gray walls. Throughout, black marble tables, velvet chairs and splashes of gold convey subdued opulence, while glimmering candles and various chandeliers, including the main sea urchin-like fixture, cast a romantic radiance. Scoring a secluded two-top is a must for date night. Outside, the streetfacing veranda provides a party-like al fresco dining option.

It shouldn’t be noteworthy to point out that during my visits, Bait’s customers reflected a racial diversity rarely seen in St. Louis restaurants. The restaurant not only fills a seafood fine dining niche in the city, it does so without pandering to any particular audience. General manager Misha K. Sampson is a fourthgeneration Creole, which is maybe why Bait reminded me of what I love most about upscale New Orleans dining culture, without any of the old-school stuffiness.

When Hodgest conceived of the first floor of the Lindell mansion he bought in 2015 as a seafood restaurant, he recruited Sampson and executive chef Ceaira Jackson away from the catering company they ran; both were previously at Fleur de Lilies, the Creole-Asian restaurant in Soulard where Jackson cooked and Sampson co-owned.

At Bait, Jackson creates an alluring array of fish and shellfish as impressive on the plate as on the palate. Her Caribbean red snapper is a great example. The whole fish, jacketed in a craggy, barnacle-like, deep-fried crust

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flaming wicked prawns

and nestled upright between mounds of spiced, garlicky rice (think dirty rice) and pickled napa cabbage slaw, makes for a dramatic presentation by itself. Jackson dresses the fish with thick squiggles of her creamy, orange Bait Spice aioli and microgreens, then dials it up with a trio of flavorful sauces on the side: chimichurri, hot pepper and mango-chili. Presumably, these are provided to encourage sharing bites of the tender, mild fish. You won’t.

Before that, there are small plates to share: sticky, sweet-hot Thai chili wings punctuated with peanuts and lemongrass topped with fresh, crunchy vegetable slaw; a meaty crabcake the size of a hockey puck accompanied by Bait’s spiced remoulade and crowned with black bean and corn salsa and a crab claw to break through; and a trio of charbroiled oysters with various toppings.

Sampson has constructed a solid wine list, which never breaks $15 a glass.

There is no bar to speak of, so it’s worth

snagging a table to snack on a few small plates while sipping a signature cocktail like the sparkling, bourbon-driven Devereaux highball.

From the main dish menu, my deftly cooked Chilean sea bass – meaty, moist and bronzed with a crispy edge – came perched atop bechamel sauce with fingerling potatoes, baby bok choy, verdant broccolini and a scattering of clams, mussels and microgreens. It was a delicious one-plate meal, making the $36 price tag a bargain. Scottish salmon stuffed with spinach and Parmesan, also skillfully prepared, would have been as impressive as the sea bass were it not for the overly sweet, incongruent sweet potato mash underneath.

If you want something more fitting of the Gilded Age, you could get the 30-ounce tomahawk steak for two. But if it’s lavish you want, Bait’s stuffed lobster lemon-pepper linguini (market priced at $60 during my visit) makes for a visually arresting, decadent dish chock-full of shrimp,

bait Where 4239 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 314.405.2797, baitstl.com Don’t-Miss Dishes Crabcake, Thai chili wings, Caribbean red snapper Vibe Set in a stately mansion, Bait exudes historical elegance with contemporary style.

Entree Prices $16 to $75 When Wed. to Sat. – 4 to 11 p.m.

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lump crab and perfectly grilled lobster, deconstructed to show off its crusher and pincher claws and spindly legs. I liked the rich combination of white wine butter and truffle butter as the sauce, but covering it all in bechamel proved too rich and overpowered the delicacy of the crustaceans.

caribbean red snapper

devereaux cocktail

In between visits, seafood fettuccine changed to squid ink pasta because too many diners sent it back, thinking fettuccine was synonymous with creamy Alfredo sauce. Both were the same dish, comprising squid ink fettuccine noodles tossed in herb butter-olive oil sauce with lump crab, prawns, roasted tomatoes and crowned with one big scallop. It would have been a fine entree were it not so difficult to find a hint of whole shrimp. More disappointing, though, was that I had to alert my server that my squid ink noodles lacked their namesake. Only then was I informed they were out of squid ink pasta and had substituted regular fettuccine. While service overall was quite good, if a bit lagging at times, an informed server would have conveyed the fact before ordering – especially in a fine dining restaurant commanding fine dining prices.

Consulting pastry chef Tyler Davis brings the whimsy he was known for at The Chocolate Pig. A miniature baked Alaska with mintberry jam provided a not-too-sweet end to a large meal. If you want a little bit more, the chocolate layer cake with cappuccino ice cream satisfies. But the s’more showed off Davis’ creativity with a mound of marshmallow fluff, graham cracker and drizzled chocolate served under a glass swirling with wood

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the dining room at bait

smoke that, when removed, harkened childhood and campfires.

Like any good businessperson, Hodgest knew what he didn’t know and that Jackson’s culinary prowess and Sampson’s

managerial skills were just what his dream restaurant needed to distinguish it from anything else in town. Bait’s fine dining ethos doesn’t feel stodgy or contrived, and its food doesn’t feel standard or conventional.

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LUNCH RUSH

Smoked Prime Rib Sandwich This sandwich starts with whole rib-eye loin hickory-smoked in a well-worn charcoal barbecue pit proudly parked in the lot outside the kitchen. Smoked to medium-rare, the meat is finished on a flattop grill, then tucked in a buttery, toasted brioche bun along with melted SwissAmerican cheese and a dollop of house-made horseradish-dill cream sauce for some kick.

Served standard with thick-cut french fries, the sandwich is supremely satisfying.

LUNCH RUSH

the piccadilly at manhattan

BY MATT BERKLEY | PHOTOS BY DAVID KOVALUK

Owned and operated by the same family since the 1920s, The Piccadilly at Manhattan makes patrons feel more like houseguests than customers. Graced with an intimate, inviting outdoor space including a covered patio, this neighborhood mecca of casual, down-home fare is a delightful spot to drop in for lunch. The menu, available Tuesday through Saturday, teems with time-tested family recipes.

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The Patty Melt The patty melt at Piccadilly is happiness on bread – thick, toasted slices of marbled pumpernickel rye, to be exact. The 8-ounce patty consists of ground brisket, short rib and chuck, a beefy trio that results in a juicy, red-centered burger that doesn’t fall apart as you tear into it.

Gooey, melted SwissAmerican cheese and house-made Thousand Island dressing mix and mingle with a soft pile of grilled yellow onions to complement each bite. Comfort food at its finest.

Fried Chicken Plate Per the homestyle family recipe, the chicken is treated to a simple coating of salt, pepper and flour. The golden-brown crust has a light, satisfying

fried chicken plate

shrimp po’boy

smoked prime rib sandwich

chicken potpie

The Piccadilly at Manhattan 7201 Piccadilly Ave., Maplewood, 314.646.0016, thepiccadilly.com

crunch that gives way to a marvelously moist bird. An entire halfchicken serving (or your choice of white or dark meat) comes with boiled green beans and mashed potatoes topped with rich chicken gravy.

Shrimp Po’Boy Piccadilly’s is a superb take on the Southern classic. Plump shrimp dusted with house-made Cajun seasoning are seared to not-quiteblackened, then folded into a toasted hoagie roll and finished with a drizzle of remoulade that brings zest and creaminess.

Chicken Potpie Piccadilly’s owners estimate they serve up to 10,000 potpies in a year. By far the most popular item on the menu, it lives up to the hype. Thick chunks of white meat are roasted then tossed into a stew rich with lima beans, carrots, corn, onions and heavy cream. The savory mixture is ladled into a bowl, topped with puff pastry and baked to crispy perfection for a simple-yet-substantial execution of the classic comfort food dish.

The Downside One of the sadder dishes was the seared tuna steak salad. While the sushigrade fish was served with a nice medium-rare, purple-pink center, the salad needed something more than romaine and just-satisfactory sesameginger vinaigrette.

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PARTNER CONTENT

BY LAUREN HEALEY

W

hether you’re putting up relatives, embarking on your own stay-cation or just eating around town, these hotel restaurants are sure to make your holidays merry and bright.

hotel saint louis

PHOTO BY JIM CORBETT

UNION 30

October May 2019 2019

As the holidays draw near, Union 30 executive chef Matthew Birkenmeier and his new sous chef Scottie Corrigan are thrilled to debut a new menu with inventive items like smoked, baconwrapped meatloaf, Brewers Crafted Braised Pork Shank ® and the Famous Barr John White Burger. Two exclusive meals are planned for this season, with a wine dinner slated for November and a bourbon dinner in December. The restaurant is proud to be part of the 12 Bars of Charity, a holiday-themed pub crawl Dec. 21 that benefits local nonprofits. There’s also a Breakfast with Santa Dec. 14 with a Toys For Tots drive.

Facebook: Union 30, Facebook: Hotel Saint Louis, 705 Olive St., St. Louis, 314.241.4300, hotelsaintlouis.com

union 30 at hotel saint louis

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PARTNER CONTENT

form skybar at hotel saint louis

FORM SKYBAR If you want your holiday party in a casual atmosphere with views of the spectacular St. Louis skyline, Form offers the solution for your function.

Entertainment abounds on this gorgeous rooftop (with a pool!), from live music throughout the week to DJs on the weekend. And as part of the 12 Bars of Charity on Dec. 21, there’ll be no shortage of holiday spirit(s). The bar features an eclectic array of items like chicken-fried steak biscuit sliders and Cherokee Street tacos, along with local-themed cocktails like the Gravois gin martini and the Missouri Mule.

Reservations for holiday parties are booking fast, so act soon to ensure your spot.

Facebook: Form Skybar, Facebook: Hotel Saint Louis, 705 Olive St., St. Louis, 314.241.4300, hotelsaintlouis.com the last hotel

THE LAST KITCHEN Located in the Historic Garment District, this beautiful space captures the St. Louis spirit with a mélange of Mississippi regional culinary inspiration. The Last Kitchen, which showcases local, fromscratch meals that evolve seasonally, serves elevated comfort food, from pizza

and pasta to snacks and sandwiches with varying flavors that celebrate what it means to be neither East nor West.

And to evoke feelings of festivity this holiday season, the large windows on the ground floor will be decked out with holiday displays reminiscent of bygone department stores. There’s also a Polar Plunge slated to take place in the sparkling rooftop pool, which offers stunning views amid a social energy and bold spirit.

1501 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 866.752.7700, thelasthotelstl.com hilton st. louis at the ballpark

THREE SIXTY “Up On The Rooftop” – the Three Sixty rooftop, that is – enjoy a holiday experience like no other beginning in December. Get in the spirit as your favorite rooftop bar transforms into a Winter Wonderland. Featuring holidaythemed cocktails in a festive environment ideal for holiday, social and business parties, Three Sixty offers an unparalleled view 400 feet above downtown St. Louis.

Kyle Mathis (2018 mixologist of the year) and team transform the cocktail program to winter warmers, boozy holiday cocktails and more you won’t want to miss.

1 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314.241.8439, 360-stl.com

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doubletree hotel collinsville

PORTER’S STEAKHOUSE From the warm, sophisticated interior to the seasonally focused menu, Porter’s Steakhouse is anything but typical. Approachable and relaxed, this restaurant is focused on delivering an exceptional dining experience perfect for an evening out or your holiday parties, with private and semi-private rooms available for rent. Porter's has been voted consistently by Open Table as one of the best steakhouses in America, and the menu caters to everyone in your group, with everything from dry-aged steaks and fresh seafood to robust salads and flavorful soups.

1000 Eastport Plaza Drive, Collinsville, 618.345.2400, porterscollinsville.com four seasons

CINDER HOUSE From a delectable Thanksgiving Day brunch to the complimentary cocoa, coffee and s’mores station on the heated Sky Terrace (with dazzling views of downtown) every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in December, Cinder House is the perfect place to spend the holidays.

You can also decorate gingerbread or holiday cookies throughout December.

The comfortable, sophisticated

restaurant offers complimentary valet parking and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu features shareable plates, blending the tradition of woodfired meat, vegetables and fish with bold international flavors. And with James Beard Award-winner chef Gerard Craft at the helm, it’s remarkable that lunch entrees start at just $11.

999 N. Second St., St. Louis, 314.881.5759, cinderhousestl.com

hyatt regency st. louis at the arch

BREWHOUSE HISTORICAL SPORTS BAR Warm up this winter at Brewhouse with the Stews and Brews seasonal menu. The eatery has perfectly paired local beers with each of the sports bar’s signature stews: white chicken chili, gumbo and beef stew, all made with the highest quality of locally sourced proteins. And with plenty of other unique options, like blackened mahi tacos, beer-battered cod, flatbreads, salads and much more, Brewhouse is the perfect place to settle in with a beer and a bite before, during and after Cardinals and Blues games.

315 Chestnut St., St. Louis, 314.655.1234, hyattregencystlouis.com

PHOTO BY JIM CORBETT

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PARTNER CONTENT

Basso (meaning “low” or “beneath” in Italian) is a sleek basement gastropub with an Italian accent and a playful attitude. Descend the winding staircase to discover a restaurant abuzz with activity. From the open kitchen with its glowing woodburning oven to the giant polished zinc-topped island bar, there is much to be seen, smelled, heard and, of course, tasted at Basso.

Closer to the open kitchen, two wood-topped communal tables offer a great spot for any occasion (birthdays, holiday parties or friendly gatherings), or simply pull up a stool and take in the culinary action. There’s even a semi-private lounge with red velvet couches and funky lighting, perfect for a more intimate setting.

“We use Miller Poultry for our Amish chicken dish at Basso because they are one of the few natural chicken producers in the U.S.,” said executive chef Ryan Cooper. “Raised in Indiana by Amish farmers, these chickens are antibiotic- and hormone-free, which is important to us.”

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The restaurant’s creative mix of elements – vibrant fire, cool steel and rustic wood – results in an intimate dining experience that is a feast for the senses.

“We have created an atmosphere perfect for any occasion,” said general manager Joe Wilson.

“Whether you're here for a company outing or a romantic dinner, you will feel right at home while enjoying wonderful dishes and creative cocktails."

A gorgeous original stone fireplace offers a cozy place to relax with a drink. And with 32 draft brews to choose from, there are plenty of local craft beer options, as well as many from elite breweries across the country.

Follow Basso on social media to stay up-to-date on upcoming craft beer and wine dinners when chef Miller pairs some of his famous dishes with local craft brews, along with wines from around the world. For more information, visit basso-stl.com.

ABOVE PHOTO BY KEVIN ROBERTS; LEFT PHOTO BY MABEL SUEN

Offering a unique experience, the menu is designed around traditional Italian fare but with an exciting and memorable twist featuring bright, balanced flavors with global influences. Utilizing seasonally available produce and making everything from scratch is the foundation upon which Basso’s menu is built.

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T H E

B I G

A LOOK BACK AT TWENTY YEARS OF SAUCE

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Sauce launched as an online restaurant guide (saucecafe. com) in 1999, but the inaugural print issue of Sauce Magazine was published in October 2001.

early 2000s

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October 2019

Sauce publisher Allyson Mace photographed the October 2007 fish and chips cover on the floor of The Scottish Arms.

2007-2008 October 2019

When Planter’s House co-owner Ted Kilgore started getting attention for his cocktails at Monarch in 2008, we photographed him and his vintage glassware at his home in Holly Hills.

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Farmer Ron Benne was photographed by Greg Rannells for the October 2009 issue.

The story featured Benne’s commitment to running a sustainable farming operation and the challenges he faced doing so.

After the issue came out, Benne joined the Sauce team to celebrate at Anthony Devoti’s now-closed Newstead Pub.

The very first Ones to Watch feature This mural on Cherokee Street has been touched up over the years – but it’s still there! It was the only choice for the cover for our feature on all the shops and restaurants Cherokee Street had to offer in August 2008.

2008-2011

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When Half & Half opened in Clayton, we photographed the staff and a bunch of recipes at former Sauce editor Katie O’Connor’s home.

Supatana “Pat” Prapaisilapa, owner of Thai Cafe, Thai Country Cafe, Thai Gai Yang Cafe, Thai Pizza Cafe and Thai Nivas Café, was photographed on Delmar Boulevard at sunrise for the April 2011 Game Changers feature.

Macarons and third wave coffee were big trends in 2011.

October 2019

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Before Pastaria opened in Clayton and we stopped publishing a Guide to Entertaining, we featured a preview of the restaurant with recipes and photos of the Craft family in the 2012 issue.

Kevin Kious, office manager of the Brewery Collectibles Club of America, swam in a sea of beer cans for our 2013 Guide to Drinking.

The January 2012 issue included the most complicated recipe ever featured in Sauce Magazine: sake.

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2011-2015

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All three sommeliers featured in the 2014 Guide to Drinking (from left, Brandon Kerne, Patricia Wamhoff, Andrey Ivanov) have since advanced in their certification journey from the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Ivanov received his master sommelier certification in 2018.

This octopus won us a readers’ choice “most delicious cover contest” from the American Society of Magazine Editors.

October 2019

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Now closed, PĂşblico topped the list of our first Best New Restaurants feature in 2015.

2015-2019

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SETTING THE TABLE 3 trailblazing restaurateurs who shaped the st. louis landscape by matt sorrell

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October 2019

PHOTO BY GREG RANNELLS

bar italia co-owner mengesha yohannes October 2019

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Over the last decade or so, St. Louis has become recognized as a culinary destination. Regular shoutouts by national media outlets are now the norm, and St. Louis chefs’ and restaurants’ James Beard Award nominations and other accolades are a foregone conclusion. More famous chefs like David Burke are moving their brands into St. Louis, and more hometown talent like Nick Bognar (Indo) and Logan Ely (Savage) know they don’t have to live on the coasts forever to have serious culinary careers. Twenty years ago, that wasn’t necessarily the case. But before Dave Bailey opened his first restaurant and Gerard Craft moved to town, when Sauce launched in 1999, there were some restaurant professionals working hard to make St. Louis the dining scene it has evolved into today.

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Before I Fratellini, Bar Les Frères and Billie-Jean, in 1999, restaurateur Zoë Robinson was knee-deep in one of her first solo ventures, Zoë’s Pan-Asian in the Central West End, an eatery unique in St. Louis due to its eclectic and creative approach to Asian fare before “fusion” was a common thing in the Midwest.

“It was us and Balaban’s, Bill Cardwell was going strong. The Bommaritos were very much in play,” Robinson said. “I think, with Pan-Asian, we broke new ground. I hope the experience was fun and a festive atmosphere, hip and very diverse – that’s what I was going for back then.

What you could see coming was cultural change and having different cultural culinary options.”

Robinson said she drew inspiration from what chefs like Wolfgang Puck, Alice Waters, Jeremiah Tower and Jonathan Waxman were doing on the West Coast.

“We were just getting going then,” said Jim Fiala, who opened The Crossing in Clayton in 1998 and Acero in 2007.

“Bill Cardwell had really brought a new life to the market, and then Steve Gontram came and opened Harvest – he was doing cool stuff. Mike Johnson had opened Cafe Mira, and then we opened. It was a wave of people who had gone outside the city and come back with something different.”

It wasn’t always easy to recreate what the chefs had experienced elsewhere.

One issue in that era was a dearth of a large variety of quality ingredients.

Restaurants and consumers now have easy access to the best local produce, and farmers markets are a part of the landscape, but at the turn of the century, farm-to-table was still a radical goal in St. Louis.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SUZY GORMAN

“Local production and farming was always around, it just took a lot of effort to get to them,” said Bar Italia co-owner Mengesha Yohannes, who had just moved the restaurant to its current Central West End location in 1999. “It was hard to get kale regularly.

Now kale is an ‘of course’ item.”

i fratellini, bar les frères and billie-jean owner zoë robinson October 2019

“I’d worked in San Francisco, Chicago and New York,” Fiala said. “If you saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 57

lived in San Francisco, you could go to five or six farmers markets and, if you wanted chilies, you could find 47 different varieties. You could find 14 different zucchinis. It was out of control. When I came back to St. Louis, I was hoping that someday [St. Louis would] be able to really develop what we could grow in the Midwest.

At that time, most of the restaurants in St. Louis were putting all of their emphasis on the protein.”

“Bill Cardwell had really brought a new life to the market, and then Steve Gontram came and opened Harvest – he was doing cool stuff. Mike Johnson had opened Cafe Mira, and then we opened. It was a wave of people who had gone outside the city and come back with something different.”

– Zoë Robinson The more chefs there were trying to work with local producers, the easier it got. Yohannes also attributes the rise of local media outlets like Sauce for raising awareness and getting the ball rolling. Once word got out about what was happening in St. Louis restaurants, growth followed.

“The more attention [producers] got, the larger variety of things they started to grow,” Yohannes said, making it easier for restaurants to be creative on their menus. Regular coverage also made a lot of young people aware of the restaurant industry as a career and look at St. Louis as a viable place to work, and it helped bring in talent from other areas.

“Now there’s enough depth of talent – young chefs and sommeliers, for example,” Yohannes said. “Then there were always some, but they tended to leave and go somewhere else.”

Diners also became savvy about what was available in the area and about different cuisines. “There’s been a lot of changes, and a lot of it was consolidated and disseminated through the media,” he said. “I think Sauce started that way of looking

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at things, focused on the food and beverage scene.”

Take wine as an example. “People accept things now that they would have had a hard time with then,” Yohannes said. “Twenty years ago, if you would have said dolcetto or barbera to most people they would have had no idea, but now many people are aware. Years ago, our espresso menu was a brochure. We had to explain it at great length.

Now these things are common and can be described with one word.”

As menus changed, concepts became more diverse too. “At that time, everybody was opening white tablecloth restaurants – everybody was doing formal service, 160 seats.

Nobody was doing small, intimate dining experiences. No one was doing casual concepts,” Fiala said. He said the ensuing years have seen St. Louis slowly morph into more of a European model, where there’s a sustainable mix of formal, casual and grab-andgo concepts. Intimate tasting menu experiences can coexist with counter service, and the options are extensive.

“We’ve become a city where it is difficult to hit every [restaurant],” Robinson said. “We’re really growing, and it’s very exciting. I just want to keep up.” And, she insisted, as long as people dine out to support new restaurants, St. Louis will continue to evolve.

Acero // 7266 Manchester Road, Maplewood, 314.644.1790, acero-stl.com

Bar Les Frères //

7637 Wydown Blvd., Clayton, 314.725.8880, barlesfreres.net

Bar Italia //

13 Maryland Plaza, St. Louis, 314.361.7010, baritaliastl.com

Billie-Jean //

7610 Wydown Blvd., Clayton, 314.797.8484, billiejeanstl.com

The Crossing //

7823 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.721.7375, thecrossing-stl.com

I Fratellini // 7624 Wydown Blvd.,

Clayton, 314.727.7901, ifratellini.com October 2019

PHOTO BY GREG RANNELLS

the crossing and acero chef-owner jim fiala

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L A S T B I T E // S T U F F T O D O

OCTOBER

BY JUS TIN NUNN A ND BRENN A SUL L IVA N

SAUCE SPONSORED EVENTS Food Truck Friday

Pumpkin Beer and Cupcakes Pairing

Vom Fass Anniversary Festival

Oct. 9 – 6:30 to 8 p.m., Stone Summit Steak & Seafood, 17 Cliff View Drive, Wentzville, 636.856.9260, Facebook: Pumpkin Beer & Cupcakes Pairing Event Taste combos of specialty cupcakes and craft pumpkin beers at this sweet pairing event. This collaboration between O’Fallon Brewery and Piece of Cake Bakery includes combos like a hazelnut-cappuccino cupcake with s’mores pumpkin beer, a browned butter-maple cupcake with pecan-pumpkin pie beer and more. Tickets available online.

Oct. 14 to 19 – Vom Fass, 7314 Manchester Road, Maplewood, 314.932.5262, Facebook: Vom Fass St. Louis Celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Vom Fass with six days of festivities. Enjoy specials on oils, vinegars, liqueurs and gourmet food items throughout the week.

Ticketed events include a wine tasting Oct. 17 and a whiskey tasting Oct. 18. The festival concludes with a barbecue party Oct. 19.

Tickets available by phone.

Harvest Festival Oct. 13 – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tower Grove Park, 4256 Magnolia Ave., St. Louis, 314.772.8004, harvestfeststl.com Celebrate the bounty of the season at this free annual event with dozens of local restaurants, breweries, wineries, farmers and artisans, including Grace, Meat + Three, Balkan Treat Box, Symbowl, Teabiotics and more. Local musicians Wombmates, Clusterpluck, One Way Traffic and Les Gruff and the Billy Goat keep your toes tapping all day long.

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Czech Festival Oct. 19 – 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., American Czech Educational Center, 4690 Lansdowne Ave., St. Louis, 314.752.8168, Facebook: Czech Festival 2019 Enjoy Czech culture and food at this free event. Try dishes for purchase like roast duck, goulash and Czech pastries, along with imported Czech beers. There’s also a slivovitz (plum brandy) tasting and live music from The St. Louis Express.

Soulard Hayride Pub Crawl Oct. 24 – 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., Soulard, St. Louis, 314.436.3045, Facebook: Soulard Hayride Pub Crawl Get in the festive fall spirit during this Soulard tradition. Two horse-drawn and two tractor-drawn hayride trailers take you to 22 local establishments offering specials, including Nadine’s, Joanie’s Pizzeria, Molly’s in Soulard, iTap, Mission Taco Joint, Hammerstone’s and more from 6 to 10 p.m., but the crawl continues till 1 a.m. A portion of proceeds benefit the St. Louis Area Foodbank. Tickets available online.

Apple Butter Festival Oct. 26 and 27 – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 6041 Third St., Kimmswick, 636.464.7407, cityofkimmswick.org Gather friends and family to enjoy food, drinks, live music and the sweet smell of apples at this free annual celebration.

Munch on food for purchase like burgers, nachos, barbecue, kettle corn, funnel cakes and more, and sip drinks like wine, craft beer and spirits. Children’s activities include pony rides and a petting zoo.

Oct. 4 – 3 to 7 p.m., Tower Grove Park, 4256 Magnolia Ave., St. Louis, 314.772.8004, foodtruckfridaystl.com Join us at the last Food Truck Friday of the year featuring more than 20 trucks, including Frankly Sausages, Essentially Fries and Clementine’s Creamery. Sip drinks from Narwhal’s, Urban Chestnut Brewing Co., 4 Hands Brewing Co. and Noboleis Vineyards and listen to the sweet sounds of the River Kittens. Take your time and skip the line - buy Speed Passes online and pick them up at the Sauce tent!

Great Grilled Cheese Off Oct. 19 – noon to 6 p.m., Dennis and Judith Jones Visitor and Education Center, 5595 Grand Drive, St. Louis, 314.367.7275, Facebook: Great Grilled Cheese Off 2019 Taste eight gooey grilled cheese sandwiches from restaurants like Molly’s in Soulard, Charlie’s Sprouts and returning champ The Wolf Café, then vote on your favorite at this second annual event. Enjoy a free Schlafly beer or other beverage, along with a cup of tomato soup, then get moving with activities like yoga, a petting zoo and live music. Proceeds benefit nonprofits that support St. Louisans with disabilities.

Tickets available online.

denotes a sauce-sponsored event October 2019

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

B I L L C ar D W E L L “The humiliation techniques don’t work anymore. I think that’s

changed. I grew up and went to culinary school in the ’60s; in the ’70s I went to Switzerland and worked. I was treated like a dog if I didn’t do something right. And that translates to how you treat people eventually. I had to mellow. I mean, people will tell you – I was probably a real asshole to work for at one point. But you have to learn to adapt. And there’s something about getting older that always changes things.”

“I was in a restaurant

I’ve been to a number of times, Blanchards in Anguilla. They were really, really busy, and the thing that was so evident was that everybody was working together. There wasn’t an employee that walked by your table that either didn’t check if you needed something or brought you something. Over the years, I have been so upset when I would see something billcardwell.com

going on in the dining room, and I would say to a server, ‘That table needs plates cleared. That needs a – ’ ‘That’s not my table.’

That attitude doesn’t fly. It’s gotta be teamwork. That sets good places apart from average places.”

“It was horrendous.

The thing I remember the most about that opening night [at Cardwell’s]: I had a cook who put a hot saute pan full of oil for some reason on top of a cheese melter. I’m very anal, and I grabbed the pan not knowing it was full of oil, and it burnt my entire arm so bad I couldn’t do anything other than wrap it up in a towel. When I got home from work, I pulled it off and the skin just came off. I had that burn for months.”

“There was a couple, Beth and Mark, they had a farm

called Kaiser Hill Farms out in New Haven. They don’t do it anymore, but they were raising everything for me. They were raising all my herbs, harvesting all my wood for the grills; we were planning everything. They were coming in three days a week from New Haven to St. Louis bringing me [produce].

They were able to develop a lifestyle out of it, then they just got out of that when they were tired of it all – it was too much work. They never had any help; they were just doing it all themselves, a husband and wife team.” “[Closing day at Cardwell’s at the Plaza was] very sad. I’ll say this:

99% of all of my employees stayed with me to the last day.

They were reliable and honest and hardworking. There’s no success without a team of people. If you don’t have the

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right people, you just can’t do it. I was very fortunate for many, many years. I had employees with me over 20 years. They spent their whole lives, from the time they were young until – I had employees that retired from being with me. That made a big difference.”

“I miss the food and the

great customers and the great employees. I miss a little bit of the day-to-day action. I don’t miss some of the negative drama. And, if you’ve ever been in the industry, you’ll know what I’m talking about. I don’t miss someone calling me and saying, ‘Oh, I’m not coming to work today,’ or ‘I’m not doing this,’ or ‘I’m not doing that.”

“It was hard – especially in ’08 when I opened up [BC’s

Kitchen] in Lake Saint Louis. To be out there getting that thing off the ground, not only was it tough to do, but it was also horrible economically. Shit hit the fan. I mean, we opened in August, and the financial crisis was what, September? There’s always outside forces.”

“What makes a good restaurant? Oh, boy. I think

it’s a good question. It’s not only food, because there’s a lot of restaurants that people like that the food’s not very good. … Staff is so important. I had so many people tell me, ‘We come here because we’re in love with the server.’ And, you know, you probably could’ve served them a shitty meal, and they still would come back because they like the person. On the other hand, you could’ve served them a really great meal and if they didn’t like the person, they were unhappy. The whole game is making people feel special.”

October 2019

PHOTO BY IZAIAH JOHNSON

When Bill Cardwell moved to St. Louis in 1987 to open Cardwell’s in Clayton, no one thought a restaurant would survive there.

“Everybody said, ‘Nah, Clayton is dead at night; it’s not going to happen.’” But Cardwell still left his successful career opening and managing restaurants for a Kansas City firm to get back in the kitchen, where he stayed over 30 years. His legacy of working with farmers, serving what he called “honest food from local ingredients” at Cardwell’s, Cardwell’s at the Plaza and BC’s Kitchen, is a familiar story now thanks in part to pioneering chefs like him. The semiretired chef is a consultant these days, but he’s still in the kitchen catering private events as often as he can. – Heather Hughes Huff

October 2019

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

THE PASTA HOUSE CO.

BY A DA M R OTH BA R TH

The Pasta House Co. has long reigned as one of St. Louis’ most ubiquitous brands. Since its founding in 1974 by John P. Ferrara, Joseph A. Fresta and J. Kim Tucci, spaces have come and gone, but 18 locations stand strong today. Many St. Louisans’ first introduction to Italian cooking came with childhood visits to their neighborhood Pasta House, where they indulged in old-school dishes like spaghetti and meatballs, eggplant parmigiano and lasagna. And those early visits often turn to lifetime patronage – on any given night, you can find generations dining together, celebrating graduations, anniversaries and birthdays.

When Sauce Magazine published its first print issue, The Pasta House Co. was on the cover. Well, sort of – it was a photo of a paper-mache chef in front of the restaurant. The figurine was a part of the 2001 People Project sponsored by the Regional Arts Commission to showcase local artists and students.

“Kim Tucci called and congratulated me and thanked me for including the pasta man on the cover,” said Sauce founder Allyson Mace. “He said I should have credited him, though,” she added, jokingly.

sauce magazine’s first print cover, featuring the pasta man

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PHOTO BY DAVID KOVALUK

The Pasta House Co., various locations, pastahouse.com

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