September 2015

pasta FROM THE PROS

canestri cacio e pepe from pastaria p. 37

G U ID E TO D RI N KI N G (FLIP THE MAGAZINE OVER.) ST. LOUIS’ INDEPENDENT CULINARY AUTHORITY

September 2015

WHITE PORT

HOME-BAKED CAKE

THE THRILLA FROM MANILA

P. 31

P. 42

P. 27

3 MINUTE S TO

SAUCEMAGAZINE.COM

AND TONIC FREE, SEPTEMBER 2015

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contents SEPTEMBER 2015

editors' picks

27

WINE The lighter side of fortifed

9

by ben wood

EAT THIS Jalapeno Sausage Pizza at Peel Wood Fired Pizza and Brewery

28

VEGETIZE IT Poutine

11

by kellie hynes

HIT LIST 3 new restaurants to try this month

31

MAKE THIS

reviews 15

3-minute honey-almond mug cake

by dee ryan

NEW AND NOTABLE

last course

Private Kitchen

by michael renner

46

18

STUFF TO DO

POWER LUNCH

by kristin schultz

Taco Circus

48

by tim woodcook 21

NIGHTLIFE Stella Blues

Spicy shrimp at Private Kitchen p. 15

WHAT I DO Justin Saffell and Matt Walters of Foeder Crafters of America

by ligaya figueras

by matt berkley

dine & drink 25

A SEAT AT THE BAR Four experts tell us what to sip, stir and shake

by glenn bardgett, cory king, and ted and jamie kilgore

Features 34

BETTER THAN NONNA'S Chef secrets to the perfect plate of pasta

by suzanne morlock

42

PINOY BRUNCH Filipino classics at your fingertips

PHOTO BY JONATHAN GAYMAN

by michael renner

(Flip the magazine over to see the Guide to Drinking.)

Shots aren’t just for spring break anymore. Read “Shots! Shots! Shots! Shots!” (p. 17) for some high-class sips based on classic cocktails, then say g’day to Australian and New Zealand wines, make a run for craft rum, find the 10 best beers in St. Louis right now and much more.

Photo by Carmen Troesser

September 2015

COVER DETAILS Pasta from the Pros The canestri cacio e pepe from Pastaria is better than Nonna’s. Find out chef secrets for making the perfect pasta on p. 34.

PHOTO BY GREG RANNELLS

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S E P T E M B E R 2 015 • VO LUM E 15, ISSU E 9 What's your favorite pasta shape?

PUBLISHER EXECUTIVE EDITOR ART DIRECTOR MANAGING EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR, DIGITAL SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR EDIBLE WEEKEND EDITOR STAFF WRITER FACT CHECKERS PROOFREADER PRODUCTION DESIGNER CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Canestri. The curved tubes are perfect for trapping sauce.

EVENTS COORDINATOR LISTINGS MANAGER ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES ADVERTISING ACCOUNTS COORDINATOR Ziti because it's short like me.

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 ©2001-2015 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

Allyson Mace Ligaya Figueras Pappardelle. It's the Meera Nagarajan Snuggie of pasta Heather Hughes shapes – comforting Catherine Klene and tender-hearted.

Ligaya Figueras Catherine Klene Kristin Schultz Rebecca Koenig, Kristin Schultz Emily Lowery Michelle Volansky Jonathan Gayman, Ashley Gieseking, Elizabeth Maxson, Emily Suzanne McDonald, Greg Rannells, Carmen Troesser, Michelle Volansky Vidhya Nagarajan Glenn Bardgett, Matt Berkley, Ligaya Figueras, Eric Hildebrandt, Heather Hughes, Kellie Hynes, Andrey Ivanov, Jamie Kilgore, Ted Kilgore, Cory King, Catherine Klene, Suzanne Morlock, Meera Nagarajan, Michael Renner, Dee Ryan, Kristin Schultz, Ben Wood, Tim Woodcock Rebecca Ryan Rebecca Ryan Allyson Mace Jill George, Angie Rosenberg Jill George Rebecca Biundo, Jacqueline Brogdon, Grace Bueckendorf, Morgan Rinder, Lauren Schumacker

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 September 2015

letter from the editor DEAR READER, I haven’t used that salutation before, but the term of affection is in order. After more than seven years writing for this magazine – 93 consecutive issues and too many bylines to count – it’s time for me to say farewell. This is my final issue with Sauce; next month will find me in Georgia as the food and dining editor for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

This month’s column is about bittersweet endings, but it’s also about sweet beginnings, so let’s savor them. It was former Sauce editor Katie O’Connor who tapped me to write for the magazine in fall 2007. I knew zero about the dining scene; I truly only knew how to navigate my own kitchen. But Katie and another Sauce editor, Sara White, held my hand and led me into the restaurant universe that I have since come to love beyond words.

For my first assignment, I, a home cook who couldn’t sear a steak properly, was told to write a story on wild game. “Just let the chefs guide you,” Sara said. Luckily, I was working with Josh Galliano, a newly transplanted chef from New Orleans and then a budding talent at Larry Forgione’s now-defunct An American Place. I didn’t even know Forgione (the godfather of American cuisine!) was such a big deal. Josh set me at ease, giving me tastes of wild boar prosciutto (that took him two months to cure), pheasant soup with pheasant confit, venison parmentier, and ravioli with hare. Those meaty flavors awakened taste buds I never knew existed, and his dishes will be etched in my memory forever. The article, “Wild game is occasion for adventurous cooking,” was published in January 2008. When that story landed on the magazine’s cover, I was so giddy that I mailed Josh a handwritten thank you. He did more than guide me through my first assignment; it was because of Josh that I realized food – and cooking – could have a soul.

Josh went on to add his touch to menus at Monarch, MX Movies and The Libertine. Recently, he decided it was time to hone his breadmaking skills at Companion. I could say “all good things must come to an end,” but I don’t buy into that. While I miss Josh’s style of cooking from previous jobs, I’m a firm believer that the best is always yet to come. What’s exciting for food writers like me is to watch chefs like Josh (and bartenders and GMs and servers and restaurateurs) evolve as they navigate a career path, seeking personal satisfaction while also providing for their families and feeding hungry diners.

PHOTO BY GREG RANNELLS

Josh is emblematic of the many talented culinary professionals in St. Louis who yearn to share their passion for the plate or the glass with you. Are you game? I hope so. It just might lead to a “Galliano moment” that will change your life and take you to places you never thought you’d go.

Cheers,

Chef Josh Galliano and I toast to the future.

September 2015

Ligaya Figueras Executive editor saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 7

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editors' picks

EAT THIS

We love a classic Margherita as much as the next pizza aficionado, but sometimes we need a pie unabashedly piled high with toppings. The JALAPENO SAUSAGE PIZZA at PEEL WOOD FIRED PIZZA AND BREWERY sees a hand-tossed crust smeared with Parmesan cream sauce followed by cheddar-jalapeno sausage, bacon and dollops of smoked mozzarella crowned with PHOTO BY CARMEN TROESSER

the sweet heat of bread-and-butter jalapenos. It’s a multicultural, all-American slice of gooey, fiery, meaty bliss.

104 S. CHERRY ST., O’FALLON, ILLINOIS, 618.726.2244, PEELPIZZA.COM

September 2015

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hit list

3 new restaurants to try this month

4

Mi Caribe has brought a taste of the islands to Midtown.

Co-owner Johnny Martinez and his Dominican family are preparing classic Caribbean comfort food like arroz con pollo (shredded chicken and rice flavored with the ubiquitous Dominican-style mirepoix sofrito) and Cuban ropa vieja in the brightly colored 100-seat eatery on the lower level of the Coronado Building.

Grab a seat on the expansive patio and start with mofongo, a thick mixture of mashed green plantains, pork rinds and beef. Follow it with a bowl of sancocho, a rich soup filled with plantains, tubers and chunks of tender bone-in chicken and beef. Don’t skip dessert; sopapilla, cinnamon-scented pastry filled with warm, sweetened cream cheese, is the perfect treat for two.

MI CARIBE

1 Mike Randolph is on the move again. The latest concept from the chef-owner of Público and Half & Half is Randolfi’s, which replaces his Neopolitan pizzeria, The Good Pie, that shuttered in June. The roaring woodfired pizza oven and imposing marble bar from Good Pie days are now joined by red-checkered tablecloths and family photos hanging on the walls for a more relaxed dining experience. A focused menu showcases southern Italianinspired antipasti, house-made pastas, wood-fired meat and fish dishes and, of course, pizza. Order the slurpable, al dente bucatini with oven-roasted, shelled mussels or the tender hanger steak that rests on toothsome nubbins of couscous-like fregola dressed with sweet corn purée. Share the Atina pizza topped with flavorful porcini mushrooms, buffalo mozzarella, Grana Padano and ribbons of house-made prosciutto. Finish with playful chocolate salami, two rich rings of dark chocolate ganache studded with hazelnut cookie dough sliced to look like charcuterie.

PHOTOS BY MICHELLE VOLANSKY

RANDOLFI'S

6665 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314.889.9221, Facebook: Randolfi’s St. Louis September 2015

3701 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 314.696.8719, micaribestl.com

2 Ranch dressingbased eatery Twisted Ranch may have a twisted concept, but it lives up to its name. The kitchen serves a smattering of starters, salads, sandwiches and wraps, all treated with one of 10 housemade renditions of a beloved American condiment. Celebrate local flavor with the Ranched St. Louis Gerber, an openfaced hot sandwich of smoked ham and cheesy Provel with roasted garlic ranch sauce on Italian bread, or bite into a half-pound garlic ranch burger topped with the usual fixins’. Fries come on the side and forget the ketchup – we’re dipping ours into the pesto ranch, buttermilk basil ranch or more of that addictive roasted garlic rendition.

TWISTED RANCH

3 1 Bucatini with mussels at Randolfi's 2 Dressing options at Twisted Ranch 3 Desserts at Mi Caribe

4 Mi Caribe's patio 5 Mofongo at Mi Caribe 6 Garlic ranch burger at Twisted Ranch

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reviews All Sauce reviews are conducted anonymously.

Lobster with ginger sauce at Private Kitchen

new and notable

Private Kitchen

BY MICHAEL RENNER | PHOTOS BY JONATHAN GAYMAN

L

ast-minute diners take note: There is no room for spontaneity at Private Kitchen. Walk into the small, tidy Chinese restaurant on Olive Boulevard in University City without a reservation, and Emily Chen will politely explain that they are a must because she and her husband, chef Lawrence Chen, shop for ingredients each day based on advance orders.

n e w a n d n o t a b l e P R I VAT E K I T C H E N p . 1 5 / p o w e r l u n c h TA C O C I R C U S p . 1 8 / n i g h t l i f e S T E L L A B L U E S p . 2 1 September 2015

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welcomed as if I were in the Chen’s dining room. There was no expectation of formality.

Chen’s specialty is the subtle and sophisticated cuisine of Shanghai, which literally shines. A plate of House Special Beef – crispy collops of tender meat – glistened in a sticky sauce of black pepper, sugar and soy that was more savory than sweet; Baby Pork Rib consisted of bite-sized, bony nubs of braised spare rib shimmering with a caramelized sour plum sauce glaze and dusted with powdered sugar, suggesting a whimsical, snowy landscape. Both dishes exemplified two distinctive characteristics

reviews NEW AND NOTABLE p. 2 of 2

Private Kitchen chef-owner Lawrence Chen (below) puts his inventive spin on smoked salmon (above).

of Shanghainese cuisine: subtle, sweet-tangy flavors and exquisite presentation. Serving platters made from slabs of marble and slate were decorated with imitation bonsai trees and miniature pagodas.

Somehow, Chen made Three Ingredient Vegetables in Spicy Sauce as savory as any meat dish. Eggplant, potatoes and green pepper gleamed like gems in umami-rich sauce. The eggplant took on a smooth almost buttery quality while still maintaining its texture, as did the chestnuts served with braised chicken. Cooked to a creamy, chewy consistency, they added a mellow, nutty edge to the fragrant, ginger-rich Chinese five-spice brown sauce tying everything together.

Watching diners dig into Peking duck or nibble the tops off soup dumplings as you exit may feel deflating, but they earned it.

Not only did they make reservations, but they also had to view photos of the menu on Facebook, choose what they wanted to eat and e-mail, call in or text their orders using the WeChat app., which is popular in China. Only then do the Chens go shopping.

AT A GLANCE Private Kitchen

If all this sounds like the basis for a new reality show (call it Extreme Reservations), at least diners are ensured a beautiful, bespoke meal. Private Kitchen’s business model isn’t an elitist gimmick; it allows the Chens to control inventory, cost and customer flow. Despite the name, there is nothing pretentious about Private Kitchen. Even with the crisp, white tablecloths and fabriccovered chairs, I felt as comfortable and

Where Private Kitchen, 8106 Olive Blvd., University City, 314.989.0283, Facebook: Private Kitchen

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The addictively delicious xiao long bao (“little dumplings in a basket”) are a must; perfectly symmetrical, bottom-heavy pouches are filled with a small pork meatball and swim in a light, rich stock. Resist the urge to instantly pop the dumplings in your mouth when they arrive in piping hot bamboo steamers. The preferred (and safe) method is to nibble off a bit of dough and either drain the broth onto a spoon or suck it out in one quick slurp before eating the rest.

Don’t Miss Dishes Xiao long bao, House Spicy Beef, Three Ingredient Vegetables in Spicy Sauce

Vibe A quiet, intimate space that looks formal without the expectation of formality

Not all of these dishes, which are the Shanghainese version of Spanish tapas, hit such high notes. Hen Broth with Yam was essentially a bland (but comforting) soup of chicken – skin-on, bones-in and hacked into small pieces – boiled in broth with some chunks of white yam and a few marble-sized prunes. Salt & Pepper Shrimp, head-and-shell-on, arrived crackly and salty enough but lacked the advertised peppery kick.

The dramatic centerpieces that draw table-wide oohs and ahhs are the steamed whole fish, Peking duck and whole crab. The duck (two days’ advance notice required) had the defining dark red lacquered, crackly skin and enough fat to keep the meat lush and moist. However, I would have preferred wrapping the duck in a more traditional, thinner pancake than the doughy discs of Chinese bread provided; there would be more rolling and less folding, making it easier to incorporate the customary matchsticks of scallion and cucumber.

Chen buys live crab at an Asian supermarket down the street, fries it and serves it with a ginger scallion sauce. Thankfully, he breaks down the whole crustacean so diners can pull apart the exoskeleton with their hands, digging out shreds and chunks of crab meat and savor the comingled, slightly sweet juices of crab and sauce.

Private Kitchen recently obtained a liquor license, but I got the feeling it was more in response to customer request than a desire to build a drink program. You want beer?

Choose from Corona, Sapporo or Heineken.

Unless you request a specific bottle with your order, wine is limited to whatever happens to be in the fridge. For a $10 corkage fee, you can bring your own bottle.

Once you’ve made the effort to get into Private Kitchen, it’s best to channel your inner Buddha and go with the flow; finding a rhythm to a meal is difficult when dishes arrive at different times.

But that’s because it’s just Chen cooking, which is what makes his little restaurant more charming than private.

Entree Prices $10 to $36

When Mon., Wed. and Thu. – 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fri. to Sun. – 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

September 2015

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reviews POWER LUNCH

Power Lunch

TACO CIRCUS

BY TIM WOODCOCK | PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH MAXSON

In their quest to bring Tex-Mex to St. Louis, owners Mikey Carrasco and Christian Ethridge have a larger ambition: to prove that fast food and quality ingredients can happily coexist.

3 corn syrup, Jarritos comes in various flavors, including slightly exotic pineapple and mango. Mexican Coke is also available.

1

THE FINAL ACT

THE CIRCUS IS IN TOWN

Tres leches cake is the only dessert offered.

It wowed me on the first visit, but two weeks later tasted wildly different.

The inferior Taco Circus version had 4258 Schiller Place, far less lemon St. Louis, 314.808.2050, zest and, more tacocircus.com crucially, less leche. Stinginess with the cream robbed the cake of the moisture and richness that had made it so appealing.

Vintage circus posters and produce crate labels give Taco Circus a quirky, casual ambience. Unfortunately, other details convey slapdash, like the boxes of drinks shoved under the counter or the menu tacked up askew with masking tape. The L-shaped restaurant only seats 14 inside (with a couple picnic tables on the sidewalk) and can feel cramped before it’s at capacity. But the counter service is exemplary: quick, upbeat, gracious and accommodating toward indecisive diners. Breakfast tacos are served until 11 a.m., when Taco Circus shifts into lunch mode.

THE TAKEAWAY

BEST CIRCUS PERFORMER The Tour de Taco [2], a sampler of four of the six offered tacos, is a great choice for a first visit. Tacos come with the option of lettuce and tomato or cilantro and onion (or all four for an extra charge). Go for the fresh, bright flavor of cilantro, which brings out the best of the other ingredients without overpowering them. The veggie taco options – rice and avocado or pinto beans and shredded cheddar cheese – evidence the Taco Circus claim that fresh ingredients simply prepared win the day. For my carnivorous companions and myself, the standouts were the succulent beef fajita taco (over the ground beef option) and chicken taco, which is seasoned to perfection and slightly blackened. The beef is ethically farmed from Rain Crow Ranch. The chicken is hormone-free, though Taco Circus is still looking for a local source reasonably priced for its business model. The pork steak (sourced from Root & Holler) was impressive, but a little too subtle against the bland backdrop of lettuce and tomato.

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Of the three tortilla styles available, the soft flour complements Taco Circus’ fresh flavors better than the soft corn or crispy corn tortillas. Some will gripe about the tacos’ small size (4 inches), but this is street food and the price is nothing to quibble over.

Taco Circus’ build-your-own burritos [1] are also excellent: generously portioned and impossible to eat elegantly, just as they should be. Since burritos involve a bigger commitment, but essentially use the same fillings, order a variety of tacos on your first visit and create your dream burrito on the next.

I thought they weren’t quite salty enough to be addictive, but to my chip-ordering companions, they hit the spot. The salsa and guacamole, both made inhouse, were also perfectly decent, but neither was distinctive enough to be the signature flourish I look for at Tex-Mex places. Among the homemade red and green hot sauces, marked from mild to “stupid hot,” look for the popular oilbased jalapeno coulis. Avoid the chili.

Basically ground beef swimming in a metallic-tasting tomato base, it was the lowlight of the whole menu.

Although Taco Circus has room for improvement, it successfully blends some of the thoughtfulness and ethical concerns of the Slow Food movement with the instant gratification of the fast-food experience.

And that is something muy especial.

SOUTH-OF-THE-BORDER SODA POP SIDE SHOWS Taco Circus’ chips were freshly cooked and not too oily with a satisfying crunch.

For those with a sweet tooth, it’s worth trying the Mexican soda Jarritos [3]. Made with real cane sugar instead of high fructose September 2015

September 2015

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nightlife

reviews

Stella Blues

NIGHTLIFE

BY MATT BERKLEY | PHOTOS BY JONATHAN GAYMAN

signs and posters that didn’t fit in the main bar.

STICK WITH STANDARD Stella Blues COCKTAILS, which 3269 Morgan Ford Road, are perfectly St. Louis, 314.762.0144 potent and served up swiftly.

Unfortunately, sugar water with a splash of liquor seems to be the theme of Stella’s drink menu, which features Hurricanes, Mudslides, strawberry margaritas and other blended concoctions.

You know you’re in trouble when a bartender asks if you’d like your order topped with whipped cream. Boat drinks aren’t inherently bad, but watered-down fruit smoothies like the Stella Blues Crush or the Berry Blast are a waste of ice that don’t do the place or the well-meaning bar staff justice. The beer menu is more impressive, featuring popular Korean lagers like Hite Beer, along with standard domestics and local favorites like Civil Life, Schlafly and Urban Chestnut.

In addition to rotating taps, Stella offers an excellent bottle selection.

D

uring its former life as a packedto-the-gills, party-till-wee-hours jazz hole, Stella Blues was never a standout bar for quality drinks. People would flock there for the live music and any booze that made its way to the table was a bonus. The drinks still aren’t great, but since new owners shifted Stella’s focus from music to food three years ago, lines form in the small dive on Morgan Ford Road for some solid saloon eats.

The dark tin ceiling of this blue-collar haven hovers over a massive wood bar.

Booze posters, sports memorabilia, neon September 2015

signs and knickknacks cover the walls.

A cramped open kitchen with counter service can be found deep in the cavern of beer signage and high-top tables, easy to spot by the sizable line of patrons ordering from menus on display. Lines can also form at the ATM, since both the bar and kitchen are cash-only. A rear door opens onto a good-sized patio, where statues of the ubiquitous Blues Brothers, Jake and Elwood, watch over smokers who decamp to iron patio tables. Every now and then, laughter and the click of pool balls erupt from a hidden pool room that exhibits even more glowing liquor

ORDER IT: Heavy Riff Brewing Co.

Addictively spicy and priced at $1, the pork kochi kebab is an affordable habit.

THE REAL FUEL TO STELLA’S FIRE IS ITS SCRAPPY LITTLE KITCHEN. Cooks plate up tasty fare in the form of wings, seared kebabs, fresh Gulf shrimp, grilled burgers and brats, house-made eggrolls and kimchibacon pizza. For $1, the pork kochi kebab is a savory little treat packed with enough spice to necessitate two Korean lagers at a time to wash it down. Similarly intense, but certainly not burn-ward level, were the substantial Hot Spicy Asian Chicken Wings, covered with just the right amount of sweet Asian sauce. And the food isn’t just good; it’s cheap – nearly all items on the menu ring in under the $3 mark.

To older patrons’ deep disappointment, live music at Stella has been put on a permanent hiatus. This hasn’t phased a new generation of super-casual 20- to 30-something Tower Grove bar-hoppers who line up at the ATM to get cash for a bucket of longnecks and a plate of chicken wings with a pile of napkins. Judging by the young crowd keeping the bartenders and chefs at this hidden, unpretentious culinary saloon busy, it won’t need to change its tune anytime soon.

Order a refreshing Hite Korean beer to wash down Stella’s satisfying Asian bar food.

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dine

& drink

Check out the Kilgores' pick for cognac.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY VIDHYA NAGARAJAN; PHOTO BY CARMEN TROESSER

A SEAT AT THE BAR / Four experts tell us what to sip, stir and shake Considered the oldest among fermented beverages, mead, aka honey wine, is made from a fermented mix of honey and water. The Martin family makes several styles of internationally awarded mead GLENN BARDGETT at its Hermann winery, but my Member of the Missouri Wine favorite to pair with food is and Grape Board and wine Martin Brothers Traditional director at Annie Gunn’s Dry Mead. This light, flavorful and bone-dry white owes a debt to the bee world for its citrus flavors from the wildflower honey and a nutty vanilla character from oak aging. This $20 bottle is ready to be savored with grilled chicken or fish, stir-fried veggies and mild cheeses.

September 2015

Cognac is a distilled spirit made from grapes grown in one of six regions in France and aged in French oak barrels.

Although most cognac comes from mainland France, Camus produces three varieties on Ile de Ré, an island off the country’s TED AND JAMIE western coast. Most unique is KILGORE its Ile de Ré Cliffside Cellars.

USBG, B.A.R. Ready, BarSmart Aged in the cellar of a fort built and co-owners/bartenders at Planter’s House in 1626, this spirit exhibits a maritime saltiness that enhances the fruit, vanilla and spice notes inherent in Camus cognacs. Drink it chilled and enjoy how the flavors change from bright, citrusy and salty to a more aromatic earthy caramel as it warms.

It seems I’m always asked, “Cory, what’s your favorite beer?” My all-time favorites are classic, delicious and so unique that, despite the increase in American brewers, none have ever been CORY KING surpassed. Belgian ale Duvel Certified Cicerone, head offers an incredibly pale color, brewer at Perennial Artisan effervescent texture and notes Ales and founder of Side of pears and red apples. Orval Project Brewing has enough malt to keep Brett’s dry, fizzy character in check and an uncanny ability to age gracefully. Cloudy yellow Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier forms a snow cone of foam that lasts forever, and its creamy, wheat-y, spicy flavors are as close to beer perfection as I’ve tasted. saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 25

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WINE

THE LIGHTER SIDE

OF FORTIFIED

PHOTO BY CARMEN TROESSER CASTELLANO

BY B E N W O O D

If the port in your glass has always been red, it’s time to lighten up with a white version of this fortified wine. Though less common than its famed red cousin, authentic white port also hails from Portugal’s Duoro region and is made in a similar manner: fortified with brandy to halt fermentation when the ideal sugar level is reached. Of the 50 or so permitted grapes in a white port blend, rabigato, malvasia fino and viosinho are the most common. While these grape varietals are all white, red grapes can be used, too; the skins are removed so color does not bleed into the wine. White port is aged no more than 18 months and is usually stored in stainless steel or cement tanks. This makes it generally less complex than red port, and with a touch less alcohol, usually between 18 to 20 percent.

white port can also be used for mixing. In fact, the Portuguese drink port and tonics at nightclubs, the beach and anywhere else fun is to be had. That’s reason enough to join the party.

Port is typically considered a digestif, but like sherry, it makes for a fabulous aperitif, especially barrel-aged secco often labeled “light dry.” This style is not too sweet and offers an engaging nuttiness and complexity. Pair it with fruit, olives or nuts before settling in for a big meal. Like any other wine,

RAMOS PINTO LÁGRIMA WHITE PORT Cheer up with this sweet port’s sunny notes of white flowers, honeysuckle and fresh pear. $22. Starrs, 1135 S. Big Bend Blvd., Richmond Heights, 314.781.2345, starrs1.com

September 2015

WHITE PORT AND TONIC 1 SERVING

BUY IT PRESIDENTIAL WHITE PORT It’s full-bodied yet not crazy-sweet, holding tastes of vanilla, plums and a hint of almond. $15. The Wine and Cheese Place, various locations, wineandcheeseplace.com

3 or 4 fresh mint leaves 3 oz. white port 3 oz. tonic water or more to taste Lemon wheel for garnish Place the mint leaves in a Collins glass and muddle.

Fill the glass with ice. Add the port, top with the tonic water and garnish with the lemon wheel. saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 27

VEGETIZE IT

Poutine

BY KELLIE HYNES | PHOTOS BY CARMEN TROESSER

T

his summer, Carnivore Bob and I shipped our kids off to camp, which meant we paid someone a fortune to simulate unsupervised play in someone else’s backyard. It also meant we could party like rock stars, constrained only by work schedules and a desire to watch the evening news in our pajamas. Our quest for hedonism led us to Small Batch in Midtown, where we tossed back flights of whiskey and gorged on vegetarian poutine. Traditional poutine is a Canadian comfort food, made by smothering French fries with fresh cheese

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Hungry for more vegetarian dishes? Go to samg. bz/saucemeatless every Monday to check out our Meatless Monday column, where you’ll find recipes to prepare tasty vegetarian fare at home.

September 2015

curds, a peppery veal or poultry gravy and, in some fine establishments, a pile of meat. Describing poutine as cheese fries is a serious understatement, like calling Wayne Gretzky an ice skater or TMZ the evening news. Poutine is an over-the-top carb and dairy snugglefest that tastes so rich and cheesy I needed to add it to my home-cooking repertoire.

I started by asking another Great One, Baileys’ Restaurants executive chef Stephen Trouvere, how Small Batch – one in the handful of Baileys’ eateries – makes its poutine. Although he was too discrete to say it outright, the gist of his answer was fat. Small Batch’s russet potatoes are twicefried, which makes them firm on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I don’t have a fryer, so I tried baking my own hand-cut potatoes. First, I sliced the spuds into thin sticks. (I cut mine to ¼-inch thickness, which is a lot thinner than you think; measure before you cut.) I then soaked them in cold water to remove some starch; low-starch potatoes make for fries with a crunchy crust. I blanched the fries to soften them and baked

them to brown the edges. After all of that work, my results were a disappointing, mushy, burned mess.

To make perfect potatoes, I was going to have to fry without a fryer. I added a few inches of high-smoke-point peanut oil to my large Dutch oven. With the aid of a deep-fry thermometer, I softened the tubers at 300 degrees, then cranked the heat to 400 degrees to crisp them. After the second frying, I had my own haystack of golden, not-gritty, fries. The potatoes browned surprisingly quickly, so if you’ve never fried before, cook a few fries at a time until you get the hang of it.

Trouvere described the Small Batch poutine sauce as a classic country gravy with lots of freshly cracked black pepper. I started with a butter roux and added savory mushroom broth for umami. If you’ve got homemade mushroom broth hanging around your kitchen, fantastic. If not, I’m partial to the flavorful and ridiculously convenient Better Than Bouillon line of bases, available in the soup aisle of most grocery stores. I finished my gravy with ground pepper and a few tablespoons of half-and-half, which was just enough to make it creamy and luminous.

Nestled between the hot fries and gravy of traditional poutine is a layer of fresh cheese curds. I used plain curds from local treasure Marcoot Jersey Creamery; you could add a flavor boost with Marcoot’s garlic and herb curds.

Cheese curds have a polarizing squishy texture. If you’re not a fan, take a page

September 2015

from the Small Batch recipe book and use shredded fontina for all of the melt with none of the squeak. Regardless of the cheese you use, Trouvere suggested bringing it to room temperature before adding it to the poutine so that the heat from the fries and gravy soften it into ooey gooey goodness.

Unlike my usual Vegetize It projects, this is not a healthier version of a traditional dish. This recipe celebrates poutine in its full caloric glory. On nights when the back-to-school grind is too much, I will toss our usual nutritionally balanced dinner to the wind and indulge in this rich reminder of a carefree summer – while wearing pajamas, of course.

LIVING-THE-DREAM VEGETARIAN POUTINE 2 SERVINGS 2 lbs. russet potatoes, cut into ¼-inch sticks 6 cups peanut oil, for frying 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter 3 Tbsp. flour 2 cups mushroom broth 2 Tbsp. half-and-half 1 tsp. kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper to taste 3 oz. fresh cheese curds (or shredded fontina) at room temperature* 2 Tbsp. chopped chives

300 degrees. Using long-handled tongs and working in batches, carefully add the potatoes to the hot oil and fry until the potatoes are soft but still white, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the fries from the oil and drain on the baking sheet.

• Increase the oil temperature to 400 degrees and repeat the frying process, this time cooking the fries until they are golden brown and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Line the baking sheet with clean paper towels. Remove the fries from the oil and drain on the baking sheet. Set the fries aside and keep warm.

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour.

Cook and stir the mixture until the flour browns lightly, about 2 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium-high and gradually whisk in the mushroom broth. Bring the gravy to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the gravy is thick and no lumps remain, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in the half-and-half. Add the salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.

• To serve: Place the fries in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the cheese curds, top with the hot gravy and garnish with chives. * Marcoot Jersey Creamery cheese curds are available at Dierbergs, various locations, dierbergs.com.

• Place the potatoes in a large, nonreactive bowl and cover with cold water. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

• Drain the potatoes and blot with paper towels until completely dry.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.

• Add the peanut oil to a Dutch oven.

Over medium heat, warm the oil to

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September 2015

MAKE THIS

MAKE THIS

Sometimes, it’s all you can do to throw stuff in a cup and nuke it.

Make someone’s day a touch sweeter in minutes with this mug cake.

Whisk together 4 tablespoons flour, 2 teaspoons sugar, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 teaspoons vegetable oil and ½ teaspoon almond extract in a coffee mug. Gently fold in 1 tablespoon sliced almonds and 1 additional teaspoon honey. Microwave 1 minute. If still wet, microwave 15 more seconds. Serve warm. – Dee Ryan

3-MINUTE HONEY-ALMOND MUG CAKE ACTIVE TIME: 2 MINUTES

PHOTO BY GREG RANNELLS

Be sure to measure ingredients when making this recipe. We’re getting the job done with Sur La Table’s classic stainless-steel measuring spoons. $15. Sur La Table, Plaza Frontenac, 1701 S. Lindbergh Blvd., Frontenac, 314.993.0566, surlatable.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 that you can whip up in a jiffy and require just five key ingredients.

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BETTER THAN NONNA'S

A beautiful plate of pasta is nothing short of enchanting – rich aromas, nuanced flavors and the painstaking presentation of the professional chef. It’s easy to boil a pot of noodles, but turning strands of wet spaghetti into a Michelin-starred dish can be a tall order for the home cook. Here, area chefs share their better-than-Nonna’s recipes and secrets for everything you need (Pro tip No. 1: Start with fresh pasta.) to take your pasta from basic to bellissima.

Chef secrets for the perfect plate of pasta

by suzanne morlock | photos by greg rannells

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September 2015

CHEF’S TIP “Always reserve the pasta water and use it to thicken or thin your sauce as needed.

Pasta water retains the starch from the pasta and helps the sauce cling to the pasta better.”

– Rex Hale, Basso

Spaghetti with heirloom cherry tomato, shrimp and arugula, recipe on p. 40

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WILD MUSHROOM FETTUCCINE CHEF’S TIP “Mushrooms should be trimmed and cut differently based on size and density. Ensure that mushrooms are bite-sized but not so small that they lose their shape and texture. Put the denser mushrooms in the pan before those that cook more quickly.” – Mathis Stitt, Veritas

recipe on p. 40

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CANESTRI CACIO E PEPE Courtesy of Pastaria’s Gerard Craft 2 SERVINGS Do as the Romans do and indulge in that ancient city’s signature dish. Cheese.

Pepper. Pasta. Bene!

1½ cups water, plus more for boiling 3 oz. butter 1 lb. fresh canestri* 3 oz. grated pecorino cheese 2 oz. Grana Padano cheese 1 to 1½ Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper

CHEF’S TIP Always serve pasta in warmed bowls or plates. For best results, warm oven-safe servingware 5 minutes in an oven set at the lowest temperature (150 degrees is ideal) and no higher than 175 degrees.

Remove carefully with a pot holder.

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

• Meanwhile, begin to make a sauce by combining the water and butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. When the butter melts, reduce the heat to low.

• Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 45 seconds to 1 minute, then drain, reserving ¼ cup pasta water.

• Add the pecorino and Grana Padano cheeses to the water-butter mixture, then add the drained pasta. Increase the heat and bring the sauce to a simmer.

Stir the pasta with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the black pepper. Reduce the sauce until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. If the sauce gets too thick, add reserved pasta water, 1 spoonful at a time, until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Divide the pasta evenly between two warm bowls. Serve with additional pecorino on the side. *Available at Pastaria, 7734 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.862.6603, pastariastl.com September 2015

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CHEF’S TIP

“I often just season my pasta water to taste, but all of our tastes are different. If you go with about 3 teaspoons per gallon, you should be close and then you can add from there. The most important thing is that it gets salt!” – Gerard Craft, Pastaria

Fresh pasta from canestri to linguine made by Katie's Pizza & Pasta, Midwest Pasta Co., Pastaria and Stellina Pasta Cafe.

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September 2015

BLACK PEPPER PAPPARDELLE WITH MARSALA CREAM SAUCE recipe on p. 40

CHEF’S TIP “Never save the tasting until the end. When trying to build flavors, it is imperative that you constantly taste and check seasoning levels.”

– Rex Hale, Basso

CHEF’S TIP “If you are short on time, both the cream sauce and the roasted leeks can be made ahead. Just refrigerate, and when you are ready, reheat the sauce on the stovetop.” – Trevor Ploeger, Eleven Eleven Mississippi September 2015

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RECIPES WILD MUSHROOM FETTUCCINE Courtesy of Veritas Gateway to Food & Wine’s Mathis Stitt 2 SERVINGS Capture autumn in a bowl with the rich flavors of wild mushrooms.

11 Tbsp. room temperature butter, divided 1 Tbsp. minced garlic ½ cup finely diced onion 1 sprig fresh rosemary Chile flakes to taste ½ lb. wild mushrooms such as morel, chanterelle, porcini, black trumpet, hen of the woods, oyster or shiitake, cleaned, trimmed and coarsely chopped 1½ cups chicken or vegetable stock 2 eggs ½ to ¾ lb. fresh fettuccine* ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese Kosher salt to taste Chopped parsley or chives • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

• In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add the garlic. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the onion, rosemary and chile flakes. Stir until the onions become translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, stirring until they begin to soften and brown, about 2 minutes.

• Add enough stock to cover the mushrooms by half and bring to a simmer. Add more stock as needed, but without submerging the mushrooms completely. When the stock begins to simmer, add 7 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition.

Reduce until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes, then decrease the heat to low and remove the rosemary.

• Meanwhile, in a separate saute pan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Crack the eggs and fry in the pan until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny, about 1 minute. Set aside.

• Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 30 seconds to 1 minute, then drain.

• Add the pasta to the sauce and stir. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir again to combine. Salt to taste.

• Divide the pasta evenly between two warm bowls. Top each with an egg and chopped parsley or chives. *Available at Midwest Pasta Co., 2023 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314.772.7560, midwestpastaco.com

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BLACK PEPPER PAPPARDELLE WITH MARSALA CREAM SAUCE Courtesy of Eleven Eleven Mississippi’s Trevor Ploeger 2 SERVINGS Savory late-summer leeks, heady Marsala wine, salty goat cheese and black-pepper flecked pasta ribbons unite in this creamy dish.

1 small leek, trimmed and halved lengthwise Olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 6 cups heavy cream 1 cup Marsala wine 1 lb. black pepper pappardelle* 1½ tsp. minced garlic 2 Tbsp. mascarpone cheese ¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

• Brush the leek halves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. In a dry cast-iron skillet over medium heat, char the leeks, about 1 minute per side. (Alternatively, roast the leeks 5 to 10 minutes in a 350-degree oven.) Let cool, then julienne and set aside.

• In a medium pot over medium-low heat, combine the heavy cream and wine. Stir occasionally to make sure the mixture does not scorch. Reduce by half, then remove from heat and set aside.

• Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 30 seconds to 1 minute, then drain.

• Coat a large pan with oil and warm over medium heat. Add the garlic. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the reduced heavy cream-wine mixture and the drained pasta to the pan, stirring to combine. Add the leeks and mascarpone cheese.

Stir again. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

• Divide the pasta evenly between two warm bowls.

Garnish with the goat cheese and toasted pine nuts. *Available at Midwest Pasta Co., 2023 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314.772.7560, midwestpastaco.com

SPAGHETTI WITH HEIRLOOM CHERRY TOMATO, SHRIMP AND ARUGULA Courtesy of Basso’s Rex Hale 2 SERVINGS Ripe heirloom cherry tomatoes turn this light, fresh seafood pasta dish into one last hurrah for summer. ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided 3 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 tsp. crushed red chile flakes 1½ cups dry white wine 1 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 10 oz. fresh spaghetti* 2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley ½ cup baby arugula Juice of 1 lemon • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

• In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, warm ¼ cup olive oil. Add the tomatoes, garlic and chile flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to burst, about 6 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, about 6 minutes. Add the shrimp. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook until just pink, turning once, about 2 minutes per side.

• Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water. Cook until al dente, 30 seconds to 1 minute, then drain, reserving ¼ cup pasta water.

• Add the pasta to the saute pan along with the reserved pasta water, the remaining ¼ cup oil, parsley, arugula and lemon juice. Stir to combine, then cook until the sauce reduces and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Season to taste.

• Divide the pasta evenly between two warm bowls. *Available at Midwest Pasta Co., 2023 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314.772.7560, midwestpastaco.com

CHEF’S TIP “If pine nuts are too rich for your blood, walnuts can be a great substitution. For a sharper flavor, substitute the goat cheese for some Gorgonzola.” – Trevor Ploeger, Eleven Eleven Mississippi

September 2015

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PINOY The Philippines, an archipelago of 7,000 islands, sits in the triangle of China, Japan and Indonesia. Once a stopover on trade routes between Arab and Asian countries, it spent three centuries under Spanish occupation and 50 years as a U.S. colony. With so many culinary influences along the way, Filipino food can seem like a crazy quilt of multiculturalism, and the Sunday Filipino brunch inside Mandarin House is no exception.

The fact that the brunch is kamayan, the traditional Filipino way of eating with your hands, makes it a complete cultural experience.

BY MICHAEL RENNER | PHOTOS BY JONATHAN GAYMAN

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BRUNCH Bangus, or milkfish, is the mild Filipino national fish that tastes delicious when fried.

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here’s nothing subtle about Filipino food. It has enough crunch, salt, fat, sweet, spice and tang to satisfy the most adventurous eater, usually hitting all at once. A polyglot cuisine, Filipino fare mixes Indonesian ginger and coconut with Chinese noodles, rice, egg rolls and soy sauce; it makes use of Spanish flavors and cooking methods, as well as African and Middle Eastern dishes like satays and kebabs. Even American hamburgers and macaroni and potato salads make an appearance.

This is high-fat, high-protein, highstarch fare, so bring an appetite.

And don’t forget to say salamat, the Tagalog word for thank you.

Kamayan Brunch, 8008 Olive Blvd., University City, 636.299.0241, Facebook: Kamayan Brunch. Sun. – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. $25, adults; $12.50, 12 and younger.

F O U R

Lechon Baboy This oven-roasted pig with crispy skin is perfect for eating with your fingers. Dip it in the thick “allpurpose sauce” (made with pork liver, vinegar, brown sugar, onion and garlic) or the thinner pickled vinegar sauce.

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D O N ' T - M I S S

Adobo The most famous Spanish import and unofficial national dish of the Philippines: pulled pork or chicken simmered in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaf.

D I S H E S

Halo-halo Snow cone marries sundae in this fruit shake made with shaved ice and taro root ice cream. Mix-in options include tapioca, red beans, jackfruit, coconut meat and purple yam.

Puto The fluffy but substantial steamed rolls are made with rice flour and coconut milk, offering a hint of sweetness.

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1. Take a seat at the warehouse-like banquet hall where Filipino families fill whole tables and Filipino pop music fills the air. 2. The soulful, sour, tamarindbased soup sinigang consists of pork belly, watercress and mild peppers. 3.

Kare-kare is a Filipino stew consisting of oxtail, peanut butter, curry, eggplant and vegetables. 4. Tocino is Filipino-style bacon whereby bright red, sweetened pork is marinated, cured and fried. 5. Balut is a cured, hard-boiled egg. Though traditionally made with a fertilized duck egg, Kamayan Brunch uses unfertilized chicken eggs. 6. Halabos sees whole shrimp pan-fried in garlic, butter and salt.

7. Stick a fork into dinugaun, pork simmered in a pork blood gravy with garlic, chiles and vinegar. 8. Filipino longanisa, fat, stubby bombs of house-made, paprika-rich sausage, are similar to chorizo, but sweeter. 9. Among condiments, pair shredded, pickled green papaya (achara) with fried meat or fish. A salted shrimp paste is perfect with kare-kare. 10. For dessert, try kutsinta, chewy, jelly-like rice cakes topped with grated coconut.

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STUFF TO DO:

THIS MONTH

BY KRISTIN SCHULTZ

Japanese Festival Sept. 5 and 6 – 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sept. 7 – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, 314.577.5100, mobot.org Experience the culture, history and food of Japan on Labor Day weekend at the annual Japanese Festival. United Provisions sushi chef Naomi Hamamura will demonstrate traditional Japanese cooking on Monday, but get your fill of Japanese fare all weekend at the food court. Ten vendors including United Provisions, Drunken Fish, Sushi Kitchen and Kampai Sushi Bar will dish up tasty treats. Don’t forget to cool off with a green tea-flavored snow cone.

Movie Night in the Vineyard Sept. 12 – 6:30 p.m., St. James Winery Vineyard Cottage, 19506 CR 1000, St. James, 573.265.7912, stjameswinery.com Take a trip to Neverland by way of St. James Winery during Movie Night in the Vineyard. This month’s film: Hook. Bring a blanket and pack a picnic or get a hot dog and chips from O’Doggy’s food cart, then wait for the sun to set. Sip St. James wines including its Governor’s Cup-winning vignoles or its Pioneer Red. Public House Brewing Co.

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will be on hand with four beers including its award-winning Rod’s Cream Ale and Elusive IPA.

St. Louis Craft Sprits and Cocktail Celebration Sept. 12 to 27, times and locations vary, Facebook: St. Louis Craft Cocktail Week Hit the hard stuff in September during St. Louis Craft Spirits and Cocktail Celebration.

Kick things off with the Classic Cocktail Party, where 15 local distillers, including Spirits of St. Louis, Pinckney Bend, Wood Hat Distillers and The Big O, will showcase their latest spirits. Sample original cocktails with your Drink Like a Local passport, and wrap up the festivities Sept. 27 with Punch in the Park, an evening of boozy crafted punches, barbecue and live music in Lafayette Park. Tickets available online.

Food and Wine Pairing Class: Pastaria Sept. 15 – 6 p.m., The Wine Merchant, 7817 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.863.6282, winemerchantltd.com Italian cuisine and a glass of vino?

Bellissimo! The Wine Merchant and neighbor September 2015

Pastaria will team up for a six-course tasting menu featuring highlights from Pastaria’s menu paired with fine Italian and American vintages. Previous tasting dinners have paired Pastaria’s spicy ’nduja pizza with a 2010 Barolo wine from Vajra vineyard, and red wine-braised beef with a 2010 Casanova Di Neri Brunello di Montalcino. Tickets available by phone.

Hop in the City Sept. 19 – noon to 5 p.m., Schlafly Tap Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314.241.2337 x1, schlafly.com Hop from tent to tent and sample more than 40 styles of beer at this year’s annual Hop in the City. Schlafly’s flagship suds like Kölsch, pale ale and IPA will be on tap, as well as this year’s festival beer, a Gose. This 16th-century tart, salty brew owes its unique flavor to a secret fermentation culture, pink Himalayan sea salt and coriander. Bite into a brat and other off-menu items in the festival’s food tent or grab a seat inside and order from the menu.

Oktoberfest St. Louis Sept. 25 – 6 to 11 p.m., Sept. 26 – 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sept. 27 – noon to 7 p.m., Urban Chestnut Midtown Brewery & Biergarten, 3229 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 314.222.0143, urbanchestnut.com Enjoy Oktoberfest like a true German during Urban Chestnut’s fifth annual festivities. The three-day party features four traditional German beers: Oachkatzlschwoaf (annual Oktoberfestbier), Zwickel (Bavarian lager), Schnickelfritz (Weissbier) and Dorfbier (dunkel). Fuel up on traditional Bavarian fare, then challenge your drinking companions to Masskrugstemmen (stein-holding competition) and Fingerhakeln (finger wrestling). Fellow brewers Schlafly, 4 Hands and Civil Life will also be on hand with festival brews.

September 2015

sponsored events

the season. Grab local brews from Urban Chestnut and 4 Hands and stop by the Sauce tent to purchase Speed Passes, which enable holders to use expedited lines for ordering. Come early and bring lawn chairs, blankets, kids and dogs and enjoy the sounds of Tommy Halloran’s Guerrilla Swing in September and Auset Music Project in October.

you’re the judge. Sample taco creations and margaritas from Gringo, Seoul Taco, Mission Taco Joint, Atomic Cowboy, Amigos Cantina and Taco Circus, then vote for your favorite and find out who wins bragging rights in a city teeming with tacos. Tickets available online.

Q in the Lou

Midtown Farmers Market

The Taste in Ferguson

Saturdays – 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 6655 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314.913.6632, Facebook: Midtown Farmers Market Midtown Farmers Market gets nutty this month with freshly cracked Missouri black walnuts from First Fruits and pecans from Voss Pecans.

Grab the last of summer’s bounty, then pick up raw chocolate treats laced with chia, kale and more from Super Sweets by Mary Jane.

Sept. 13 – 3 to 6 p.m., Savoy Banquet Center, 119 S. Florissant Road, Ferguson, 314.973.2594, thetasteinferguson.com More than 20 Ferguson-area vendors will come together to celebrate the city’s culinary offerings at The Taste in Ferguson. Sample food from Cathy’s Kitchen, Cose Dolci Bakery, Earthdance Farms and El Palenque, enjoy beer and wine tastings and check out chef demos from TLC’s Next Great Baker winner Lia Weber and Sugarfire Smoke House chef Mike Johnson. Tickets available online.

Sept. 25 – 4 to 9 p.m., Sept. 26 – 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sept. 27 – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Soldiers’ Memorial, 1315 Chestnut St., St. Louis, qinthelou.com Celebrate one of St. Louis’ favorite cuisines with hometown masters like Pappy’s Smokehouse, Sugarfire Smoke House and Salt & Smoke, as well as nine nationally recognized pitmasters like John Stage of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in New York. Test out your skills at barbecue masterclasses with the pros and learn how to smoke everything from turkey to ribs. Register for classes online.

The Wine Opener

Carts & Cocktails

Sept. 18 – 7:30 to 10 p.m., The Foundry Art Centre, 520 N. Main Center, St. Charles, 314.733.1241, gateway.cff.org/wineopener Indulge in a tasting of more than 40 domestic and international wines at The Wine Opener to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Enjoy light appetizers from Quintessential, live and silent auctions and raffles. Tickets available online or at the door.

Sept. 26 – 6 to 10 p.m., Laumeier Sculpture Park, 12580 Rott Road, Sunset Hills, 314.615.5278, laumeier.org/carts-cocktails Fire up the golf carts: Carts & Cocktails is a progressive cocktail party during which attendees zip around Laumeier Park’s outdoor collection in a golf cart while drinking cocktails and enjoying treats from Butler’s Pantry. Tickets available online.

Tower Grove Farmers Market Saturdays – 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Tower Grove Park, 4256 Magnolia Ave., St. Louis, tgmarket.org Take your pick of the summer bounty and snag the first fall produce this month at Tower Grove Farmers Market. Arrive early to join in a free yoga session, and bring the little ones to Family Day Sept. 5, when they get a $2 farmers market token and a pot with seeds to start their own little farm.

Cheers to 35 Years Through January 2016, participating locations, 314.726.5355 x24, operationfoodsearch.org Raise a glass to Operation Food Search, which is celebrating 35 years of feeding hungry St. Louisans. Now through January 2016, purchase a glass of “OFS Wine” at a participating restaurant. Take a selfie enjoying your selection, then post it to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with @ OpFoodSearch or @SauceMag and #Cheersto35. A portion of the wine sale benefits OFS, and you’re entered in a drawing for a case of wine. A full list of participating restaurants is available online.

Zwanze Day Spillover Celebration Sept. 19 – noon to 5 p.m., Sutton Loop Park, 2815 Sutton Blvd., Maplewood, 314.645.3600, www.cityofmaplewood.com/zwanze Celebrate Zwanze Day with a sip from a rare keg of Belgium-based Cantillon Zwanze with thousands of fans around the world.

Side Project Cellar is one of only 26 U.S. locations with a coveted keg, so raise a glass and then join the city of Maplewood for a Spillover Party filled with food for purchase from local eateries like Living Room, Great Harvest and Pie Oh My!, as well as wine from Vom Fass and local beer.

Food Truck Friday

Taco-Rita Showdown

Sept. 11 – 4 to 8 p.m.; Oct. 2 – 3:30 to 7 p.m.; Tower Grove Park, 4256 Magnolia Ave., St. Louis, 314.772.8004, saucefoodtruckfriday.com More than 20 food trucks plan to park it at the final two Food Truck Fridays of

Sept. 24 – 6 p.m., UMSL at Grand Center, 3651 Olive St., St. Louis, stlpublicradio.org/kitchensink Six area eateries go head-to-head in a taco and tequlia-fueled culinary battle, and

Celebrity Chef Series: Author Ruth Reichl Oct. 2 – 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Herbie’s Vintage ’72, 405 Euclid Ave., St. Louis; 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Kingside Diner, 4651 Maryland Ave. St. Louis; 314.367.6731, left-bank.com Meet acclaimed food writer and editor Ruth Reichl and discuss her latest cookbook, My Kitchen Year, at two events.

Enjoy a three-course lunch inspired by recipes from the book at Herbie’s Vintage ’72, or share small plates, wine and a conversation between Reichl and the Sauce editors at Kingside Diner. Both events include a copy of My Kitchen Year and a cash bar. Tickets available online.

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WHAT I DO

Justin Saffell and Matt Walters

Two years ago, while building the wooden bar at Heavy Riff Brewing Co., Justin Saffell and Matt Walters hatched a plan to become the first U.S. manufacturers of foeders (pronounced FOOD-ers), large oak tanks used for aging wine and beer. Since opening their Foeder Crafters of America workshop in O’Fallon, Missouri in January, 60 breweries scattered across 25 states have tapped the two-person team for custom-made foeders.

Breweries comprise your core clientele, but aren’t foeders traditionally used by wineries?

Walters: Breweries in Belgium have been using foeders for hundreds of years.

Saffell: And breweries have been on the back end of the line for foeders since the beginning of time, so we try to give them priority.

Why are foeders gaining popularity among breweries?

Walters: Because sour beer is getting really popular.

Saffell: A lot of the emerging breweries have a foeder or two.

People opening new breweries are looking to existing ones to emulate a little something that they have and produce the style of beer that they’re producing.

Prior to Foeder Crafters, you were among the ownership of Heavy Riff.

Why pursue this venture instead?

Saffell: Being in the brewing industry for a bit, talking to other breweries and reading trade magazines, it was pretty clear that there was a need for foeders. Breweries that were able to attain them were secretive about where they got them. It’s really against their nature to be so secretive, but when you have a hookup on something that’s kind of rare, that was kind of a light bulb moment. I started

talking about it with Matt.

Walters: It took him six weeks to convince me it was a good idea.

Why? Saffell: It’s one of the most difficult pieces of woodwork to make, to be able to have something that, for decades, is going to have liquid inside it and 20- to 30-percent humidity on the outside – the wood does some crazy things. The physics behind it are extreme.

How did you learn to make foeders?

Saffell: Trial and error. We studied every foeder we could, which was very few, and there’s no information on the Internet on how to build them.

Walters: Which was a good thing because we changed how you build foeders. We basically re-engineered and “Americanized” the foeder to make it cheaper, faster to produce, easier to use and stable.

What is the advantage of a foeder compared to a barrel?

Walters: The surface area to volume is different, so you have a lot less oxygen getting into that beer. And it’s a bigger vessel, so that allows the beer to mature and age without oxidizing as

quickly. Also, the ratio of oak surface area to beer is a lot less so you won’t get as much oak taste. And ease of use – it beats the hell out of racking hundreds of barrels.

What size foeders do you make?

Walters: We’ve made maybe 20 different sizes. A barrel is 31 gallons.

We do a 7-barrel, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 75, 100.

Saffell: And a 250.

Walters: We haven’t built that one yet.

Saffell: We just have the order. We’re terrified.

Walters: We know we can do it.

Where do you source your wood?

Saffell: That’s kind of a secret. It’s Missouri oak.

Walters: The French buy almost all the Missouri white oak they can get their hands on.

How’s business these days?

Saffell: We have a backup of 20 that we have to build. It’s hard to keep up.

Walters: Usually we’ll ship to a client once a week. Sometimes there’s two or three foeders in a week. One brewer said, “Foeders are like tattoos. Once you get one, it’s just a matter of time before the next one.” Crafters Foeder – Ligaya Figueras of America foedercrafters.com From left, Justin Saffell and Matt Walters of Foeder Crafters of America, foedercrafters.com

PHOTO BY ASHLEY GIESEKING

On this month’s Sound Bites, O’Fallon, Missouri-based Foeder Crafters of America co-owners Matt Walters and Justin Saffell join Sauce managing editor Catherine Klene to discuss how their custom wooden tanks are shaping the national craft beer landscape.

Tune in to St. Louis Public Radio 90.7 KWMU’s Cityscape Friday, Sept. 11 at noon and 10 p.m.

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guide to

DRINKING

last shot and other mini cocktails to down in one, p. 17

LOUIS’2015 INDEPENDENT CULINARY AUTHORITY GuideST. to Drinking

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GUIDE TO DRINKING EDITION

BY LIGAYA FIGUERAS, CATHERINE KLENE AND KRISTIN SCHULTZ

Mad science Bartenders are taking an increasingly scientific approach to crafting the perfect cocktail. For a next-gen cocktail course, ask the BC’s Kitchen bar team about the sonicator they use to speedinfuse their liquid stash. Watch Matt Osmoe of Blood & Sand use artichoke-laden liqueur Cynar in his Until the Morning cocktail to balance its bitter qualities. (An acid in artichoke causes the brain to perceive sweetness.) Head to Frazer’s to see Terry Oliver, inspired by avante-garde culinary science guy Dave Arnold, forgo traditional muddling for nitro-muddling. Liquid nitrogen gets splashed directly over herbs in a cocktail shaker and, with one whack of a muddler, Oliver shatters them. The tiny shards retain freshness better than hand-muddled herbs.

Whiskey like the sweet days of old Prior to the dark years of Prohibition, distillers often added sherry to their whiskey. History is repeating itself. Kansas City distillery J. Rieger & Co. has revived the ages-old practice by adding 15-year oloroso sherry to a blend of malt, corn and straight rye whiskeys. The result, Rieger’s Kansas City Whiskey, offers a sweet nuttiness perfect on the rocks or in an Old-Fashioned.

Northern neighbor Alberta Distillers adds a splash of sherry to its Alberta Rye Whisky Dark Batch, whose smooth notes of honey and oak and long, spicy finish we’ve enjoyed since it launched in the U.S. this spring. Also hailing from Canada is new-ish arrival Tap 8 Rye, an 8-year-old rye whisky blended with Spanish amontillado sherry for a velvety, nutty pour.

CHERRY PHOTO BY CARMEN TROESSER

You say Loire Valley.

We say 2014.

Last year marked the best vintage for France’s Loire Valley wines since 2010. “We are definitely on board with this vintage,” said Jason Main, co-owner of The Wine Merchant. Stock up now at his newly relocated shop in Clayton on solid 2014 Loire lip-smackers – Saumur red and white from Domaine des Hauts de Sanziers, any sauvignon blanc bearing the Pouilly-Fumé appelation and rosé from Domaine Pascal et Nicolas Reverdy in Sancerre. Then return in the spring when the serious stuff worth cellaring arrives from famed appellations Chinon and Bourgueil.

Guide to Drinking 2015

Straight up sherry

St. Louisans are still flirting with Spain’s famed fortified wine, testing it in cocktails rather than sipping it straight like they do at sherry bars in London and at NYC’s Dovetail and Pata Negra. And while oeno hangouts here such as Olio and 33 Wine Bar have everything from nutty amontillado to sweet oloroso to briny fino, the trendiest sherry of all – raw – is stashed among the amazing collection at Starrs.

Called sherry en rama in Spanish, it’s bottled straight from the cask and doesn’t undergo heavy filtering or clarifying. It’s as pure a form as you can get. Grab a bottle of 2006 Alvear Fino en Rama and taste a treat once only available to bodega tourists.

Far out wines

Trendsetting somms have opened our eyes to great wines from unexpected locales. Around town, you can find Lebanese reds from Chateau Ksara and Turkish wines by Kavaklıdere. Eye-opening Ethiopian wines and those made by Serragghia on Pantelleria (a tiny island off the coast of Sicily) have yet to trek to St. Louis, but the wild juice of Jura, France’s small wine département located in the mountains between Burgundy and Switzerland, are here for the taking.

The Wine & Cheese Place in Clayton is your local Jurassic park, keeping a range of whites, sparklings and classic vin jaune (yellow). Among producers, snatch sought-after labels of Jacques Puffeney and Domaine de Montbourgeau.

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L ady gin t akes a long soak Gin distillers have joined the barrel-aging bonanza with local and national distilleries getting in on the action. Letting gin recline in oak barrels for anywhere from a few months to more than a year, it often turns golden and complex while staying true to its lively, juniper-happy self.

Check out vanilla-nuanced Citadelle Reserve, caramel-kissed Bluecoat Barrel Finished Gin, toasty Knickerbocker Barrel Gin and, for a local option, the subtly sweet and spicy Pinckney Bend Cask Finished Gin, released this past June.

Pints on the house

Grapefruit brewgeist This could be the year of the grapefruit. Early warnings surfaced in 2014 with the popular rise of Steigl’s grapefruit-inflected Radler. Not far behind, Leinenkugel and Illusive Traveler debuted sweet-tart grapefruit shandies as an alternative to the traditional lemon. Ballast Point added grapefruit peel to its IPA recipe, creating the Grapefruit Sculpin, and Magic Hat threw parties across the country this summer to celebrate its grapefruit Electric Peel IPA. Pink purée recently found its way into Schlafly’s fermentation tanks, where it was dry-hopped with Citra to create the Dry-Hopped Grapefruit IPA. This powerful fruit even brought together Side Project Brewing’s Cory King with Vermont-based Hill Farmstead Brewery and other breweries to collaborate on an Austrian-inspired citrus beer.

Missouri wineries press on Since 2005, the number of wineries in the Show Me State climbed to nearly 130, an increase of almost 150 percent, and the rate at which new Missouri wineries are pressing grapes continues to impress.

This year has seen tasting rooms debut in every corner of the state.

There’s LaChance Vineyards in DeSoto, Tipple Hill Winery & Vineyard in Easton, Lambs and Vines Winery in Seymour, Mallinson Vineyard and Hall in Independence, Grindstone Valley Winery in Osborn, Red Moose Vineyard in Salem, Florida Resort and Winery in Florida, Vox Vineyards in Kansas City and coming soon, Wild Sun Winery in Hillsboro. Headed to KC this fall? Look for KC Wineworks to unlock doors in the Crossroads district.

Guide to Drinking 2015

Local breweries have long partnered with area restaurants to create custom beers. Now some entrepreneurial restaurants are taking house beers in-house. Last December, Peel Wood Fired Pizza opened its second location in O’Fallon, Illinois with a brewery and a tight portfolio of house brews. Death in the Afternoon will soon pull pints from Upper 90 Brewing, located in DITA’s basement, which is brewing exclusively for the Citygarden eatery. Meanwhile, former brewmaster of Six Rox Brewing Co., Evan Hiatt, will take up the mantle of house brewmaster when Pappo’s Pizzeria opens its third location in the former Six Row home this October.

Barrels of Fun

You can find just about anything aged in a bourbon barrel these days. But finding the actual bourbon barrels? That’s trickier. Local breweries are now experimenting with different spirit barrels to coax new flavors from their brews. 2nd Shift’s Steve Crider just bottled his second batch of Hibiscus Wit, aged in neighbor Pinckney Bend’s gin barrels, and has plans to pop some Gose into a tequila barrel soon. Halloween comes early at Excel Brewing, with Bruja, a seasonal Imperial pumpkin ale aged in tequila barrels for up to a year. Side Project Brewing has an Imperial milk stout napping in a barrel that housed rum, and the crew at 4 Hands plans to celebrate the brewery’s fourth anniversary in January 2016 with a wheat wine that’s been aged five months in Caribbean rum barrels.

For more on barrels and brews, turn to p. 48 in the main issue. saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 9

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down under

wonders

BY ANDREY IVANOV | ILLUSTR ATION BY VIDHYA NAGAR A JAN

Guide to Drinking 2015

Australian wine doesn’t elicit the best associations. For most, it brings to mind cheap wine with marsupials on the label. And New Zealand? Sauvignon blanc you can smell from a mile away. Vino from these two countries, once wine rack darlings for their approachability and quality, are now relegated to a bottom shelf. With similar winemaking traditions and practices to the U.S., wine producers in New Zealand and Australia should be more popular. Fortunately, both countries are in the midst of change. Most winemakers are pushing away from blatant fruit-bomb wines of the 1990s and 2000s and coming back to the purity of fruit that is their hallmark. It’s time to get reacquainted with wines from Down Under.

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Wine facts from A to (N) Z

buy it

RANGE LIKE HUGH JACKMAN

SPARKLING:

Australia is the same size as the continental U.S. Every grape and style of wine you could think of has a potential home here. Aside from a huge variety of traditional still wines, Aussies also make white, pink and red sparkling wines at every sweetness level. They are no slouches when it comes to fortified and dessert wines, either – these are what Australia was famous for until the 1980s.

OLDEST VINES EVER As vines get older, they produce less fruit. The resulting juice is more concentrated and richer in flavor. Australia is home to some of the oldest continuously producing cabernet sauvignon, syrah and grenache vines in the world. It is typical for wine to be made from vines planted in the 1800s.

OLD WORLD DOWN UNDER The same practices used in Old World winemaking are being used in Australia, producing earthier wines. If you are a fan of stem inclusion for tannins, using old barrels for less wood notes or smaller production wines from dedicated parcels, Australia does that, too.

LAND IS CHEAP Land in rural Australia is remarkably inexpensive. It’s the reason Yellow Tail can travel halfway around the world and still be sold for $8. The same holds true of higher quality, boutique wines.

You can get phenomenal cabernet from Coonawarra or grenache from McLaren Vale at a fraction of the cost of a wine produced in California. In the U.S., you

often pay more for the cost of the land and tasting room than the quality of the juice.

2013 d’Arenberg Peppermint Paddock A sparkling, dry red chambourcin made in the same way as Champagne, the surprising Peppermint Paddock is perfect for a cookout and is a great pairing to beet salad. $30. Reeds American Table, 7322 Manchester Road, Maplewood, 314.899.9822, reedsamericantable.com

SUSTAINABLE & ORGANIC New Zealand wineries are almost all sustainably farmed. In 2007, New Zealand Winegrowers agreed to this common practice and now 94 percent of all New Zealand vineyards are certified sustainable by rigorous independent environmental audits.

Kim Crawford Fizz Methode Traditionnelle A blend of chardonnay and pinot noir, this high-quality New Zealand sparkler is reminiscent of Champagne. $30. The Wine Merchant, 7817 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.863.6282, winemerchantltd.com

VINES & CLIMES New Zealand’s abundance of sunlight and cool temperatures produce wines with a purity of fruit that cannot be replicated in warmer climates. The Kiwis excel at making wines perfect for warmer weather.

Crisp, refreshing sauvignon blanc, dry riesling, pinot gris and pinot noir are their strong suit.

VINTAGES TO REMEMBER Both countries are coming off two of the best vintages in their history – 2013 in New Zealand is simply the best in its 40 years of winemaking, while 2012 in Australia is the best vintage since 2000.

BOUTIQUE PRODUCERS There is a clear focus on less is more. The most exciting wines coming from both countries are being made in a boutique style that focuses on single vineyards and small production.

SHOW-ME CHAMBOURCIN Chambourcin has as strong a foothold Down Under as it does in Missouri. D’Arenberg makes a great one that is sparkling, red and dry.

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WHITE:

ZALTO GLASSWARE Wine glasses were the first thing I saw when I walked into Charlie Bird, a little Italian-inspired New York restaurant. On display everywhere like mini sculptures was Zalto glassware – elegant, mouth-blown glass from Austria. When I took my first sip of wine, I was surprised at how light and balanced the glass was. The stem, slight but strong, became an extension of my hand. It was so beautiful I didn’t want to put it down.

–Meera Nagarajan

$60 per glass. Zalto Denk’Art Universal Glass, winemonger.com

2013 Brokenwood Sémillon Crisp, rocky and super dry, it even has a hint of bubbles. Sémillon is one of the most popular wines in Australia today. If you like Spanish Txakoli, you’ve got to try this. $17. The Wine Merchant, 7817 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.863.6282, winemerchantltd.com 2013 Kilikanoon Killerman’s Run Aussies love dry wines, and this riesling fits the bill. Remember, riesling is a grape, not a style, and it’s actually a very tart grape by nature. Smelling like rocks and lime juice, it’s the perfect pairing for ceviche. $18. Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland Ave., St. Louis, 314.645.2050, parkerstable.com

RED: 2012 Terra Sancta Mysterious Diggings Somewhere between Oregon and Burgundy, this New Zealand steal of a pinot noir balances minerality with bright cherry fruit. $26. Vom Fass, 7314 Manchester Road, Maplewood, 314.932.5262, vomfassusa.com 2012 Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard The Sexton Vineyard is a rich Australian pinot noir with great balance, vibrant fruit and a kiss of oak. $45. Reeds American Table, 7322 Manchester Road, Maplewood, 314.899.9822, reedsamericantable.com

2012 Penley Estate Gryphon Rich, juicy and velvety, the Gryphon merlot is an absolute crowd-pleaser.

Not Grandma’s “Murr-Low,” either – just a great raspberry, plum and rosemary flavor profile. $17. The Wine Merchant, 7817 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.863.6282, winemerchantltd.com 2013 Yangarra Old Vine Grenache By “Old Vine,” this Australian winery means nearly 70 years. This is a dense yet warm red raspberry- and herbdriven grenache that’s perfect with lamb chops. $24. The Wine & Cheese Place, 7435 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.727.8788, wineandcheeseplace.com 2012 Torbreck Cuvée Juveniles Rich and dense, the Australian Cuvée Juveniles is a blend of grenache, syrah and mataro reminiscent of Chateauneuf-du-Pape in France for about half the price. $24. Bottle Cellars, 6039 Telegraph Road, St. Louis, 314.846.5100, bottlecellars.com 2012 John Duval Entity From the man who has made some of Australia’s most expensive wine, this lush, rich, jammy, spicy, hedonistic wine is the pinnacle of shiraz for less than $50. $36.

Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland Ave., St. Louis, 314.645.2050, parkerstable.com 2003 Charles Cimicky Trumps Older is better. Reminiscent of a warmer rustic northern Rhone syrah, Trumps is an Australian shiraz with meaty, smoky notes floating around a blackberry and black pepper core. $25. Reeds American Table, 7322 Manchester Road, Maplewood, 314.899.9822, reedsamericantable.com 2010 Penley Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon If you want to impress your Napa collector friends without breaking the bank, the Australian Penley Estate’s Reserve cabernet sauvignon will do it.

Bold and spicy – a mouthful of intensity – it’s a great example of paying less for high quality from Down Under. $50.

Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland Ave., St. Louis, 314.645.2050, parkerstable.com Guide to Drinking 2015

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shots! shots! shots! shots!

BY JAMIE AND TED KILGORE | PHOTOS BY CARMEN TROESSER

last shot, recipe on p. 21

Drinking will always be about ritual. Some traditions are timeless – like toasting with friends and downing a shot. While the sentiment endures, spirits and recipes have evolved with the times. Now, whether enjoyed by customers or staff at the end of a hard night’s work, classic cocktails are getting turned into fun and whimsical shots. Grab some friends and make merry with these cocktail shots at home, no bar shift necessary.

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stock up COCKTAIL BOOKS Every year brings a slew of new cocktail books. These are the ones that deserve a place on your bar shelf. – Ligaya Figueras

Death & Co. by David Kaplan, Nick Fauchald and Alex Day

Liquid Intelligence by Dave Arnold

old-fashioned shot, recipe on p. 21

The 12 Bottle Bar by David Solmonson and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson

The Bar Book by Jeffrey Morgenthaler Guide to Drinking 2015

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drinking manhattan

hemingway “snack” quiri

OLD-FASHIONED SHOT

LAST SHOT

HEMINGWAY “SNACK”QUIRI

DRINKING MANHATTAN

4 SERVINGS

4 SERVINGS

4 oz. rum 2 oz. grapefruit juice 2 oz. simple syrup 1 oz. lime juice 4 Luxardo maraschino cherries

4 oz. bourbon or rye whiskey 2 oz. sweet vermouth 4 dashes Angostura bitters 4 lemon twist

4 SERVINGS 4 SERVINGS 6 oz. bourbon or rye 1 orange, quartered Sugar Angostura bitters Pour 1½ ounces whiskey into 4 shot glasses. Coat the orange quarters with sugar, then shake a dash of bitters on each quarter. Bite the orange; down the shot.

Guide to Drinking 2015

1 oz. gin 1 oz. Green Chartreuse 1 oz. lime juice 1 oz. maraschino liqueur Combine all the ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously.

Strain into 4 rocks glasses without ice.

Utter a few last words; down the shot.

Combine all the liquid ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously.

Strain into 4 shot glasses. Down the shot; eat the cherry.

Pour 1 ounce whiskey, ½ ounce vermouth and 1 dash bitters into each of 4 shot glasses. Twist 1 lemon peel, express the oils into a shot and discard the twist. Repeat to make 3 more shots.

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10 R I G H T

STL BREWS TO DRINK

NOW

by eric hildebrandt

Aged in oak barrels, this Brett beer has light funkiness and dry, wine-like notes with a spritzy effervescence. Very refreshing, Katy appeals to all palates.

Draft: iTap, internationaltaphouse.com Bottled: Fields Foods, fieldsfood.com

4 Hands Resurrected Hopheads rejoiced when this bold IPA recently went from a seasonal to yearround offering. Pop the top on a can, and the aroma of pineapple and passion fruit will pull you in. Bitter yet balanced, this is one of the best IPAs out there.

Draft: 4 Hands, 4handsbrewery.com Canned: The Wine and Cheese Place, thewineandcheeseplace.com

Civil Life The Angel and The Sword This malt-driven take on an ESB pulls from the best qualities of rich English pales with bread and toffee notes. A hint of hops provides balance.

Draft: Amsterdam Tavern, amsterdamtavern.com

Excel Plague Bringer This in-your-face Imperial IPA is one of Excel’s newest offerings. Firing on all cylinders, Plague Bringer brings big pineapple resin-y goodness. There’s a huge hop presence, but notes of caramel and honey keep a bitter bite at bay. It’s currently only available on tap, but bottles are coming soon.

Draft: Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, beerknurd.com

Heavy Riff Velvet Underbrown It’s easy to see why this brown ale is the Dogtown brewery’s flagship beer.

Lactose and oats create a rich, velvety creaminess, and subtle notes of chocolate

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and blackstrap molasses make this a standout.

Draft: Heavy Riff, heavyriffbrewing.com

Old Bakery Beer Porter Cocoa, roasted coffee and cream dominate the nose of Old Bakery’s take on a classic English style. The first sip brings a nutty touch of dark caramel. A subtle hop character rounds out this Alton gem.

Draft: Old Bakery Beer, oldbakerybeer.com

Perennial Peach Berliner Weisse Perennial’s version of a German Berliner Weisse is as refreshing as they come. The addition of Missouri peaches feels like a walk through an orchard. Light and even fluffy, this beer is gently tart without overwhelming the senses. A crisp, dry finish makes it a hit among beer and wine drinkers alike.

Draft: Perennial, perennialbeer.com Bottled: Craft Beer Cellar, craftbeercellar.com

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale As pumpkin beers have grown in popularity, Schlafly’s has remained a benchmark. Brewed with real pumpkin, squash and a blend of baking spices, this beer is pumpkin pie in a glass. Schlafly has increased supply of the popular seasonal, so you can find it at most grocery stores and bars around the metro.

Draft: Schlafly, schlafly.com Bottled: Most bottle shops and grocery stores the palate, while notes of yogurt and lactic oak are not far behind.

Side Project Foedre Beer Named after the large wooden vessel it’s aged in, this sour blonde ale is the base to some of Side Project’s hits like Fuzzy and Fencerow. Replicating traditional lambics in Belgium, the beer is served flat using a device that adds a touch of carbonation as it’s pulled. Missouri yeast makes this brew tart and funky. Peach and lemon dominate

Draft: The Side Project Cellar, sideprojectbrewing.com

Urban Chestnut Schnickelfritz No one does German beers truer to style than Urban Chestnut. This Bavarian

Weissbier is a beautiful pour with a big, eggshell-colored head and unfiltered golden body. Bold banana, bubble gum and clove notes come alive as you sip with a hint of vanilla in the finish. Many American breweries attempt this style, but few do it this well.

Draft: Urban Chestnut, urbanchestnut.com Bottled: Most bottle shops and grocery stores Guide to Drinking 2015

BEER PHOTO BY EMILY SUZANNE MCDONALD

2nd Shift Katy

FRENCH FRIES PHOTO BY ELIZABETH MAXSON

beer ’n fries forever Our perfect bar snack has three key requirements: salt, crunch and no utensil necessary. Enter the Pomme Frites at Urban Chestnut Grove Brewery & Bierhall, where chef Andy Fair double fries house-cut Kennebec potatoes in sunflower oil to yield a golden, crispy crust encasing a downy interior. Order a full pound with two house-made dipping sauces (garlic mayo and curried mayo, FTW) to share – or hoard – as you see fit. Now repeat after us: Dip, bite, sip. Dip, bite, sip … – Catherine Klene Guide to Drinking 2015

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PHOTO BY JONATHAN GAYMAN

read about the corpse flower at eclipse and other great rum cocktails to try on p. 32.

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Rum Run O Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is done ... Oh, mateys. Let us not lament the fall of the Captain – Morgan, that is. The spiced rum of our underage drinking days is still around, but we’ve grown up. We’ve visited the Caribbean – and Central and South America, too – and found fancier ships running sugarcane-derived spirits.

by ligaya figueras, ted kilgore and kristin schultz

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ll rum is distilled from sugarcane or its byproducts (fermented molasses or cane juice), but artisanal rums are wholly different from the run-of-the-sugar-mill stuff. It’s a claim that becomes clear with one sip of an elegant Plantation rum made in Barbados, aged in bourbon casks in the humid Caribbean then shipped to France to rest a second time in oak casks under the care of famed cognac house Maisson Ferrand.

While the past five years saw stagnant waters for mainstream rums like Captain Morgan and Bacardi, artisanal rum found a tailwind.

Area distributor Lohr Fine Wine & Spirits saw sales up 68 percent through the first half of the year compared to all of 2014. Lohr vice president of sales Scott Smithson said its portfolio of craft rums has doubled since 2010, now numbering nearly 20.

A

big reason for the interest in craft rum is the renewed thirst for bourbon – and brown spirits in general, which surpassed domestic sales of vodka in 2014. “Since you have to age whiskey, the demand is going to outstrip the supply. Because of that shortage, we’ve seen a lot of people experiment with aged rums. They are stylistically very similar,” Smithson said.

“We see rum as still value-driven and affordable, and you can get older expressions for very good prices,” said Kyle Mathis, bar

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manager at Taste. Bartenders at Taste, Planter’s House, Blood & Sand and other bars known for a curated spirits selection are snatching bottles from Nicaragua, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Antigua and other island nations because of the many nuances between highly crafted, limited-production rums. There’s dark Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva, aged up to 12 years and laden with baking spices; dry, oaky Brugal 1888 finished in sherry casks that previously held Macallan 12-year single-malt Scotch; and even exceptional flavored rums like Rhum Clément’s Mahina Coco, a coconut rum from Martinique that Planter’s House coowner Ted Charak deemed “one of the best new flavored products on the market.”

Initiates still slam Captain and coke, but the cocktails most often associated with rum are tiki drinks like mai tais and zombies that feature a combination of rum, fruit juices and syrups. Tropical heat waves inevitably lead us to throw on Hawaiian shirts and sip booze from a coconut. This summer, Taste offered a monthly tiki takeover that featured a special menu of nearly a dozen time-tested tiki cocktails. Since April, Mission Taco Joint has helped customers explore the wide world of rum through rotating monthly frozen drinks like a piña colada, a Miami Vice and, this month, a lava flow.

Frou-frou is fun, but rum is mixable in more than a volcano bowl made by modern Don

the Beachcomber bartenders. Let a rumbased Manhattan at Taste win you over, then visit Blood & Sand to open your mind – and mouth – to what multiple rums in a cocktail can do. The Bye-bye Li’l Sebastian features two rums and Swedish Punsch, a sugarcane spirits-based liqueur. “Rums can differ quite a bit,” said Matt Osmoe, bar manager at Blood & Sand. “There’s so much variation in rum that some are going to provide vanilla, some might have funk or be bright and straightforward.

You can blend them in a way that gives a really cool stack of flavors.”

T

rends come and go. Barry O’Neil, Major Brands’ president of sales, said for rum to have staying power, a premium sipping brand must come to the forefront, like Tanqueray did for gin and Patron for tequila. “People have to be willing to drink the product straight. Right now, it has the image of being sweet and super syrupy,” O’Neil said.

When you sidle up to the bar at Planter’s House and start sipping from its collection of 40-plus rums, aged as many as 21 years (El Dorado), the words “sweet” and “super syrupy” are not likely to slip from your lips.

“Higher-end rums are being introduced and well received,” said Charak. “I’ve been in this business over 25 years. This is as close to a rum revolution as I’ve seen.”

– Ligaya Figueras

Guide to Drinking 2015

the essential rum cocktail

MARY PICKFORD 1 SERVING 1½ oz. white rum 1 oz. pineapple juice ¼ oz. grenadine ¼ oz. maraschino liqueur

PHOTO BY CARMEN TROESSER

Add all the ingredients to a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

R H U M

Vs.

R U M Guide to Drinking 2015

Rhum agricole represents a small percentage of the world’s rums and rhums. The primary difference is this: Rum is distilled from molasses (the byproduct of sugar production), while rhum is distilled from pressed whole sugarcane juice. The distinctive productions and flavors of these spirits are historically rooted. As Europeans settled in the Caribbean islands and further west, they brought their distillation techniques with them. The French-settled and -influenced regions are where the rhum agricole style was born.

Some of the best rhum agricoles come from Martinique, a republic of France. The French AOC (a label of origin) enforces strict guidelines in rhum production there, including three designated growing regions and specific cane varietals. Martinique rhums do an excellent job of showcasing the terroir where the sugarcane is grown. While there are flavor differences between rhums, most tend to be grassy and floral. Rhum agricole is an excellent choice for those who like full-bodied complexity in the glass. – Ted Kilgore saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 31

the rum oldfashioned at público

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Rum is making its way into seemingly every cocktail around town, from sophisticated twists on age-old classics to over-the-top, flaming tiki drinks. Summon your inner Jack Sparrow and enjoy one last sweet sip of summer.

– Kristin Schultz

Guide to Drinking 2015

PHOTOS BY JONATHAN GAYMAN

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1. Rum Old-Fashioned Whiskey bows out of this classic cocktail twist. Scarlet Ibis brings a familiar sweetness, and the El Dorado 12-year lends its richly spiced notes to a stirred up mix of simple syrup, lemon and orange oils, and Angostura bitters. The bright citrus aroma and rich layers of sugar and spice make for a satisfying, sophisticated sip. Público, 6679 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314.833.5780, publicostl.com

2. Elephant Gun Fresh, cool house-made banana purée melds with Plantation dark rum, fruity Scarlet Ibis rum from Trinidad, Jamaican bitters, lime juice and pineapple juice in this over-the-top tiki dream. Banana flavor dominates the first sip followed by cinnamon, sweet molasses and pineapple. Served over crushed ice in a coconut shell and garnished with edible flowers, pineapple wedges and leaves, it’s miles from serious – exactly where you want to be. Blood & Sand, 1500 St. Charles St., St. Louis, 314.241.7263, bloodandsandstl.com

3. Murder on the Dance Floor Roasted strawberries infuse Cruzan aged white rum, creating a REDRUM for this sparkly, notGuide to Drinking 2015

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too-sweet cocktail. Demerara sugar deepens the rum’s fruity flavor and is balanced by a hit of lemon juice, then topped with dry prosecco and strawberry slices for a pleasantly pink, bubbly refresher. Cielo, 999 N. Second St., St. Louis, 314.881.5800, cielostlouis.com

4. Down with the Ship Heads turn when this flaming concoction arrives. Funky Smith & Cross navy-strength rum balances the spicy, vanilla notes of Diplomático rum. Dry curaçao, orgeat, pineapple, lime juice and simple syrup round out the ingredients, which are poured over ice before a hollowed lime half is filled with Bacardi 151 and set ablaze on the cocktail. Take the accompanying metal spoon-straw, sink that flaming ship and sip away.

Cleveland-Heath, 106 N. Main St., Edwardsville, 618.307.4830, clevelandheath.com

5. Corpse Flower Fresh and fruity with a hint of baking spice, Flor de Caña 4-year aged white rum is the base spirit for this macabre treat. When shaken with apricot liqueurs, Sorel, pineapple gomme syrup and lemon juice, the result is a cocktail that starts citrusy and finishes with smooth apricot notes that pull together the drier notes of the

rum and spiced Sorel. Eclipse, 6177 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314.726.2222, eclipsestlouis.com

6. Brújula Why limit barrel aging to just rum? A batch of local Still 630’s Soulard Island rum, Big O ginger liqueur and Swedish Punsch gets locked up tight for five weeks in a barrel that previously held the Russian grappa Samogon.

It’s liberated, shaken with grapefruit and lime juices, tarragon simple syrup and bitters, and served in a pisco-rinsed glass. This bright concoction is proof that flavors from around the world can live in harmony. Mission Taco Joint, 6235 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314.932.5430; and 908 Lafayette Ave., St. Louis, 314.858.8226, missiontacostl.com

8. Black Strap Me Down, Mai Tai Me Up Cruzan Black Strap rum and absinthe go together like pirates and booty. The deep molasses flavor of Black Strap rum balances the citrus and vanilla notes of El Dorado 3-year cask-aged rum and is complemented by nutty Trader Vic’s macadamia nut liqueur. Pineapple and lime juices lend acid, sweetness and froth. St. George absinthe brings a soft licorice flavor before the cocktail turns sweet-tart then finishes luxuriously buttery. Taha’a Twisted Tiki, 4199 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314.202.8300, Facebook: Taha’a Tiki

9. Zombie This classic cocktail draws sweetness from Myers’s dark rum and orange juice House-distilled Island Time rum is infused with underlying spice courtesy of Caruso with dried pineapple, mango, papaya and spiced rum and Velvet Falernum. Lime ginger then shaken with lime juice and juice adds a tart, citrus layer reinforced simple syrup. Topped with soda water and by an orange peel garnish. Feeling garnished with a mint leaf, this simple sparkly generous? Order a punch bowl to share drink showcases the classic pairing of rum with five of your friends and drink in and tropical fruit. Square One Brewery the waning summer days. Water Street, and Distillery, 1727 Park Ave., St. Louis, 7268 Manchester Road, Maplewood, 314.231.2537, squareonebrewery.com 314.646.8355, waterstreetstl.com saucemagazine.com I SAUCE MAGAZINE I 33

7. Tropikos

BOTTLES to buy

Plantation 3 Stars Rum Sourced from Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and blended by Cognac Ferrand in France, this white rum is full of tropical fruit, buttery caramel and light baking spice. $25. Randall’s Wine and Spirits, 1910 S. Jefferson Ave., St.Louis, 314.865.0199, shoprandalls.com

Caña Brava Rum This Cuban-style, dry white rum is sourced from Panama.

Aged for three years in uncharred oak barrels, it’s loaded with floral, honey, cinnamon and citrus notes. $33. Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland Ave., Richmond Heights, 314.645.2050, parkerstable.com

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Rum’s increasing popularity is due in part to its extreme diversity of styles and each brand’s production methods and preferred flavor profile.

Here, five bottles of rum to buy. – Ted Kilgore

Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Black Rum This robust rum amps up the typical Jamaican funkiness. It has vegetal and ripe banana notes and is colored with double-strength black-sugar caramel. $22. The Wine & Cheese Place, 7435 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.727.8788, wineandcheeseplace.com

El Dorado 5-year Rum El Dorado blends this rum from Guyana using multiple stills. It imparts complex caramel, butterscotch, vanilla and dried fruit flavor. $17. The Wine & Cheese Place, 7435 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.727.8788, wineandcheeseplace.com

Rhum J.M. V.S.O.P. Showcasing estate-grown sugarcane from Martinique, this rhum’s complex flavor comes from aging four-plus years in re-charred bourbon barrels and new, lightly charred oak barrels. Banana, floral, honey, nougat, spice, citrus and toffee notes abound. $37.

Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland Ave., Richmond Heights, 314.645.2050, parkerstable.com Guide to Drinking 2015

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