Stuff to eat. Mostly around St. Louis.

Spencer 4/3/15 Spencer 4/3/15

Kim Cheese

Unlike those of you who work in Clayton or downtown, I don't have access to a lot of locally-owned lunch spots. I work in Creve Coeur, land of the chain restaurants. Even food trucks don't venture out here. One of the few bright spots we have on the culinary front is Kim Cheese - and now we have two of them! Their original location, just off 141 and Olive, is a tiny old place, but they've recently opened a second location near the AMC Creve Coeur Theater. If you're familiar with the area, it's in the spot where Oberweiss used to be. Sean Moon and the Kim Cheese family went all out on this place; it looks like a modern Korean take on Chipotle. With the opening of the new spot, they've also expanded their menu to include fish tacos, pork belly, hot wings, and even a new Kalbi burger.

This is a mix of a few recent trips. Below is the their [symple_highlight color="blue"]Bi Bim Bap Bowl[/symple_highlight] with spicy pork. Under that runny fried egg (I have never loved fried eggs more than when paired with Korean food) are cucumbers, water fern, carrots, zucchini, bean sprouts, yu choi (Chinese greens), mixed spring greens, and rice. You take all that, toss a little of the spicy gochujang on top, then mix it up real good. The result is something like a Chipotle burrito bowl, just with a lot more veggies. This has become my go-to meal there, since if I can avoid the rice (I can't), it's pretty healthy.

If I'm feeling like a slightly smaller meal - usually the result of a visit to La Patisserie Chouquette the day prior - I'll go for the tacos. You can't tell from the pictures, but I got a crispy fish taco, a bulgogi beef taco, and, of course, a spicy pork taco. Whether here or at Seoul Taco, I cannot resist the spicy pork. Koreans know pork.

I just want to reiterate how delicious the spicy pork is. I've also been told by a trusted food friend that their quesadilla with spicy pork and kimchi is a perfect hangover cure.

The newest addition to the Kim Cheese family is their Kalbi burger. Kalbi is a marinated beef short rib typically grilled and served with veggies. These geniuses have taken the marinated kalbi, minced it up with some green onions and white onions, then turned it into a hamburger. You've seen short rib, right? It's got beautiful marbling - now imagine that as a burger patty. Mmmmmm, meat.

It's thrown onto a buttery Companion bun with some lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo, and ketchup. This is all well and good, but to make it really delicious, you've got to throw some of the housemade BBQ sauce on there. It's got this spicy, smoky kick from the gochujang that sends shivers down my spine.

The burger is only available at the Creve Coeur location, currently.

I love you, Kim Cheese. Thank you for saving me from having to eat Potbelly's.

What's your go-to meal at Kim Cheese?

Kim Cheese

13435 Olive Blvd

Chesterfield, MO 63017

314-485-1408

Spencer 3/30/15 Spencer 3/30/15

Aya Sofia

I've been trying to break away from ordering my favorite menu items at restaurants I've previously visited, partially so I can make revisit posts here and partially to continue expanding my elitist foodie palate.

Aya Sofia remains my favorite Turkish restaurant in town with good reason. On my most recent visit with some Fair Isle sweater wearing friends, we got only things I'd never had before. Things kicked off with the [symple_highlight color="blue"]Borek[/symple_highlight], a spinach and feta cheese pie baked in filo dough. I was surprised when it was dropped off at the table - it didn't look like the filo dough hot pocket I've always associated with a borek. I did some quick Googling and found that what I'm familiar with are the Israeli bourekas. The Turkish variety is flavored more like a Greek spanakopita but composed like an Italian lasagna, with layers of cheese, spinach and filo.

I thought that it was a good dish, but probably wouldn't order it again in the future with some of the options available. None of the flavors are particularly assertive, plus I'm just not a huge fan of feta.

Our other starter was the - I would definitely order this again. The dip, served with a seemingly infinite amount of fresh pita bread, is a creamy yogurt blended with garlic, dill, mint and pecans. It's a simple meze with a tangy, fresh flavor that is a lot like tzatziki upgraded. The addition of the nuts is what sets it apart. If you're into dips, which you are, I recommend getting this, the Biber Ezme and their Saksuka.

I can't avoid red meat at Aya Sofia. There's something about the blend of lamb, beef and Turkish spices that sets me off into this primal, meat devouring state. My typical order is the Adana Kebab, a long spear of spicy, charred meat, but this time I decided to go with the Kofte. Heavily spiced lamb and beef meatballs, bursting with cumin, coriander, chili powder, are chargrilled and served with a cool yogurt sauce, rice, veggies, and by my request, their sumac & onion salad.

These meatballs are great. I have been debating since this meal if I actually like them more than the Adana kebab, and I think that answer is yes. Without the tastebud searing spice of the Adana, you can really appreciate the meat and the nuances of the other spices. My only complaint is that they aren't grilled on a sword.

We were all pretty damn stuffed by the time dessert came around, but we decided to persevere and try the Baklava. A lot of reviews online rave about it, but it didn't do anything for us, unfortunately. I find the Greek version with walnuts and honey to be a lot more enjoyable than the Turkish version with pistachios and sugar syrup - none of us have big sweet tooths, so the syrup was just too much sweetness.

Even with the baklava miss, I still love this place. If you're really hankering for a dessert and none of their options appeal to you, remember that it's just down the street from Ted Drewes...

Aya Sofia

6671 Chippewa St

St. Louis, MO 63109

314.645.9919

Spencer 3/25/15 Spencer 3/25/15

Olio

It's blasphemous to say, but I am a Jew who doesn't really care for Jewish delis. I'm never going to finish that 3 lb pastrami sandwich, I've never cared for latkes, and I like eating matzah ball soup about once a year. When I'm looking for some food that speaks to my Jewish soul, I go to Olio, sister restaurant to the upscale Elaia. Olio's menu has recently been revamped, but remains similar to what it's always been. Dishes are separated into Pantry, Antipasti, Eggplant, Bruschette, Sandwiches, Salads, Pizza, and Plates (available after 5pm). I think of it as tapas restaurant, ordering a number of dishes for the table to share. Olio also has a nice selection of wines, beers, and liquors. As spring and summer approach, my mood has become increasingly beach-focus, so I went with the Jungle Bird. It's a mix of dark rum, Campari, lime, and pineapple. It went down fast and easy.

Picking from the 36 menu items proved to be more difficult than expected. How many dips do we get? How many salads? Do you want a pizza? Should we just go upstairs and get the full tasting menu at Elaia? As we debated, we decided that the "Deluxe" Hummus was a good first choice. Their creamy hummus is mixed with pine nuts, almonds, smoked paprika - then topped with braised lamb neck.

I wish I had the vision to put braised meat into my hummus in college. Things would have been so different.

My favorite thing at Olio has always been their Baba Ghanoush. Charred eggplant is mashed and mixed with Lebanese tahini, wheatberries, kefir, and chives. There are so many layers of subtle flavors with this thing, I don't even know where to begin. It's somewhere between nutty and smokey, but the word I'd use to describe it and so many other of Olio's dishes is just "fresh".

I would never have thought to order their "Famous" Egg Salad myself, as egg salad has always been one of those dishes that's borderline disgusting to me, but sometime last year Ben insisted that I try it. The old Jewish man in my soul fell in love. There's something about the combination of the egg, chives, lemon zest (key ingredient) and anchovies that just leave me wanting more. Next time I visit, I may order it to go just so I can have it for breakfast.

Speaking of old man food, the Smoked Whitefish Salad probably also falls into that category. There's a smoked whitefish trifecta of dishes in town now - this salad, Old Standard's fried coquettes, and Publico's tacos - and I love them all. This particular plate is sort of like your deli's smoked salmon/lox/sable plate with toast, onions, capers, and chives, just better.

The Zucchini Carpaccio is what I feel like very healthy Californians eat for breakfast everyday. Thin strips of zucchini are topped with preserved lemons, parmigiano, and every herb that exists. It's light, it's healthy, and it shows that you can create a delicious dish using simple ingredients (well, you probably can't, but a chef can).

By the time the Roasted Beet Salad and Cornish Hen arrived at the table, we were stuffed. We persevered with a few bites of each, but the rest was taken home and eaten for the following day's lunch. The beet salad reminded me a lot of the one from Taste, but the addition of buckwheat and dill gave it a more earthy, nutty flavor.

The cornish hen was probably the most disappointing dish of the evening for me. Its flavors were much more subdued than the rest that we'd had- it didn't taste much different than your typical roasted chicken with roasted vegetables home-cooked meal. Next time I go, I'll skip that and go for a pizza or sandwich instead.

Olio

1634 Tower Grove Avenue

St. Louis, MO 63110

314.932.1088

Spencer 3/18/15 Spencer 3/18/15

Brasserie by Niche

Maybe I'm lying to myself when I say I don't like French food. Every time I eat at Brasserie by Niche, I end up with enough food to choke a horse. As usual, it was packed on the Friday I went.

I was feeling particularly indecisive that night, so rather than make any tough decisions, I just got it all. First up were the classic Burgundy Escargot, swimming in little pools of herbs, garlic, and butter. Thinking with my tongue and not with my brain, I dove straight into these bad boys. There go the taste buds - these things were still hot as hell! Not one to be defeated by stupid little snails, our table still managed to decimate these.

Hidden away to the right are the gougeres, little poofs of cheese bread. I stand by my previous statement that Gerard Craft is the master of cheese breads.

Organ meats - liver in particular - are typically not my favorite due to their minerally flavor. However, if you think wayyyy back to my first Niche post, you'll see that I raved about a play on Peanut Butter & Jelly using chicken terrine. The Brasserie Chicken Liver Terrine is that terrine! I didn't even know! That ramekin left the table clean as a whistle.

Now onto our fourth appetizer (stop judging!), the Steak Tartare. We finished this baby off, too. The meat had a good amount of capers mixed in, giving it a nice salty punch.

Full yet? We weren't. It's entree time!

To share, we got the Moules a la Normande, mussels cooked in a broth with country ham, cider, leeks, garlic, and creme fraiche. I wasn't keen on ordering these (mussels are mussels are mussels, right?), but lo and behold, these are now my favorite mussels in town. They're smokey from the ham and sweet from the cider, giving them a different flavor profile than most places. I drank that broth like it was soup.

My main was...vegetarian? Yep, I went meatless. I picked the MASSIVE Roasted Vegetable Tart. Lentils, cauliflower puree, caramelized onions, and all sorts of other veggies were piled high and cooked spectacularly. This was my dish of the night. The different vegetables and cooking styles gave it all sorts of textures and a deep, complex flavor.

Roasted Vegetable Tart at Brasserie Niche

This is not a great shot, but it's just there to reiterate that Brasserie's roasted chicken is great.

The final entree was the Trout with fingerling potatoes, lemon, brown butter, capers, and parsley. It's a solid, healthy dish.

At this point in the evening, it felt like death was near. Clothing was tighter. Breathing was labored. I was sweating butter. I thought the evening's eating marathon was over, but Brasserie's great manager, Jen, and chef Nick Blue disagreed. Out came a chocolate mousse and the floating island. A few bites in and I passed out on the table.

Another successful meal at Brasserie completed.

Brasserie by Niche

4580 Laclede Avenue

St. Louis, MO 63108

314.454.0600

Spencer 3/4/15 Spencer 3/4/15

Gobble Stop Smokehouse

I've written about Gobble Stop Smokehouse before, a family-owner BBQ restaurant in Creve Coeur specializing in poultry, but I wasn't happy with my photo of their turkey ribs. At least that's the excuse I'll use. I don't have much to add to my last post - this place has the best smoked poultry in town. My go-to are always the turkey ribs; they're smokey, they're juicy, they're meaty. Look at them compared to the corn on the cob below. Big.

If I'm not getting the turkey ribs, I'm probably getting the turkey tenderloin sandwich. Sliced smoked turkey tenderloin is piled high on a warm pretzel roll with portobello mushrooms, onions, and some provolone cheese. You must get this with their signature mustard BBQ sauce. Same goes for the turkey ribs. It has a unique and exceptional flavor. I've taken home extra before and used it on meatloaf and as a glaze on salmon.

A new addition to the menu is sliced turkey breast, something that has become a staple fridge item at home. The only competitor I've found that can rival its flavor and juiciness is the turkey from Truffles Butchery.

My only complaint about Gobble Stop's menu are the sides. If they can take those to the next level like they've done with poultry, they're golden.

Gobble Stop Smokehouse

1227 Castillon Arcade Plaza

Creve Coeur, MO 63141

314.878.5586

Spencer 2/26/15 Spencer 2/26/15

Dinner Lab: Nini Nguyen

This is a big post, and I mean that both figuratively and literally. If you stick with it until the end, I've got my first video and my first promotion.

Since my girlfriend was not in town this past Valentine's Day, I decided to spend the evening at Dinner Lab's How to Nguyen at Lovewith chef Nini Nguyen. Nguyen's pedigree includes working at Sucre and Coquette in New Orleans, followed by Three Michelin Star (!) Eleven Madison Park in NYC. She's a pastry chef by trade, but as you'll see, she's an all around badass in the kitchen.

The meal took place at NHB Knife Works, a factory just behind Civil Life Brewery churning out handmade artisan knives with stunningly beautiful handles, as you can see below.

In typical Dinner Lab fashion, Nini and her team cooked out in the open so the diners could watch.

Plating at Nini Nguyen's St. Louis Dinner

The meal, in her own words, was supposed to feel classy and heartfelt, a series of romantic dishes meant to be enjoyed with your loved one. Or, in my case, your camera. Her first course was [symple_highlight color="blue"]The Egg[/symple_highlight], highlighting the 5-minute soft boiled egg. A half moon of whipped homemade creme fraiche served as a creamy base, countered by "grainola", a crunchy mixed of puffed rice, quinoa, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, shallots and garlic. A sexy, savory take on granola that left us all wondering where this subtle garlic taste was coming from. Pickled onions and toasted brioche were added and, finally, a dollop of caviar.

Egg Dish at Nini Nguyen's St. Louis Dinner

Cracked Egg at Nini Nguyen's St. Louis Dinner

Egg Prep at Nini Nguyen's St. Louis Dinner

Nini's second course may have been the healthiest I've ever had at a Dinner Lab. It looked like it was just a mound of vegetables, but the taste was anything but plain. In her take on a Coquette dish, Nini makes a raw cashew puree and dots it with her nicoise olive brittle - something I know I've never had before. She dehydrates, candies, then crumbles olives, turning them into what I would call an olive candy. Incredibly creative and equally delicious. The mixed vegetables are blanched in salt water then dressed with a very tart meyer lemon vinaigrette. Wonderfully balanced dish.

Veggie Prep at Nini Nguyen's St. Louis Dinner

Veggie Salad at Nini Nguyen's St. Louis Dinner

The main course for the evening was [symple_highlight color="blue"]"Honey and Spice"[/symple_highlight], an ode to Nini's love of pork and the mix of sweet and savory. Perfectly cooked honey glazed pork loin was topped with a somewhat bitter coffee crumble (another favorite of mine from the evening) that made the main really pop. It was accompanied by a creamy squash "ravioli", but who cares when you've got a giant piece of pork?!

Pork Prep at Nini Nguyen's St. Louis Dinner

Me and this next course? Love at first sight. I knew I would like it before I even tasted it. Nini's [symple_highlight color="blue"]Hot Triple Cream[/symple_highlight] started with her making sheets of puff pastry and baking them in cupcake tins, something I've never thought about doing. She followed that up with whipping the brie and piping it into the pastry, then reheating the cheese grenade, making this a handheld and absolutely amazing version of brie en croute. I'd put it up there with Gerard Craft's gougères and Dia's cheese bread as far as baked cheesy puffs go.

While I would have happily eaten that by itself, she wasn't done. Honey was drizzled over the puff pastries when ready to serve and served with toasted baguette, candied black walnuts, and a caramelized onion mostarda.

Cheese Course at Nini Nguyen's St. Louis Dinner

Cheese and Toast at Nini Nguyen's St. Louis Dinner

The evening's grand finale was Nini's vision to create a dish with the beauty of white chocolate and strawberries without actually using white chocolate. I imagine that if this dish was plated on a stark white or black plate, it would look stunning. She made (white) meringue tubes that were filled with a sumptuous dark chocolate cremeaux, which I thought was brilliant.

Accompanying the chocolate tube were freshly chopped strawberries and an ice cream made from steeping cocoa nibs in milk and cream, allowing it to keep its white color.

Dessert Prep at Nini Nguyen's St. Louis Dinner

Dessert at Nini Nguyen's St. Louis Dinner

Dinner Lab has been 3/3 with out of town chefs so far, in my mind. We've had modern Asian food from Chris Bailey, upscale Mexican from Danny Espinoza, and now this sexy/romantic meal from Nini Nguyen.

I've had a lot of questions asked about what Dinner Lab is like, is it worth the subscription, etc. Because of all the questions, Dinner Lab has been kind enough to offer a promotion available exclusively through Whiskey and Soba. If you use this link, you can buy tickets to their upcoming "CLASH OF THE CRAWFISH", Saturday, March 14th at 2pm, without being a member. It's $35 per person and is a great opportunity to meet the Dinner Lab crew and see how fun their events are. Check it out! You won't regret it.

Spencer 2/23/15 Spencer 2/23/15

Katie's Pizza & Pasta

As 2014 came to a close, I took some time and reflected on old posts I'd written and the photos that accompanied them. One that stood out as deserving of a revisit was Katie's Pizza & Pasta (KPP) in Rock Hill. I still remember that day vividly: it was my first time at the new Katie's and mere minutes after making my first major camera purchase (a Nikon 7100). I've been back numerous times since last February, but I'd yet to write another post, so this one actually consists of two different meals there within a span of a week.

KPP has gained a lot of popularity for their weekend brunch options, and from I've heard, that is well justified. When we ate there for our Saturday lunch, they served their warm bread with a housemade strawberry balsamic jelly. Really good stuff.

Their charcuterie board is a fun mix of local, imported and homemade ingredients. Both times I've had it, all the meats had come from Salume Beddu. Brilliant choice.

I like that they took a St. Louis staple and made it into something that fits their style with the Artichoke Toasted Ravioli. The ravioli have a nice creamy artichoke filling, but that pine nut pesto is what really sets the dish off. I straight up spooned that into my mouth after we finished with the ravioli.

Artichoke Ravioli at Katie's Pizza and Pasta

Tart and bitter are two flavors I am not wild about, so the Radicchio Agrodolce Crostini wasn't really my thing. Other people I ate with enjoyed it, but the bitter flavor of raddichio and tartness of the agrodolce didn't do it for me.

The fried artichoke salad has become a staple for me since that first visit and my thoughts on it haven't changed: The mix of pistachio, goat cheese, spring greens and balsamic vinaigrette worked together brilliantly, but the best part of it were the little fried artichoke bombs. It's still true. Those artichokes are perfect.

*Your eyes are not deceiving you: there are anchovies (by request) on the salad below.

Artichoke Salad at Katie's Pizza and Pasta

Before I talk about the pizza, I have to go back to my first post on KPP. I praised their dough, but as I ate there more, I realized I wasn't a huge fan. It was too bready for me. Fast forward a few months and their dough has become totally different. It's more Pastaria than A Pizza Story, which is absolutely a good thing. Look at the difference between this pizza and the two below.

After seeing KPP's Corn Pizza mentioned a number of times online, I decided I had to weigh in. I was worried about the amount of toppings listed, as well as the topping choices themselves. See for yourself: roasted corn, zucchini carpaccio, goat cheese, pecorino, honey, mint, balsamic, and serrano peppers. The mint and honey threw me off, but they were barely noticeable in the finished pizza.

I can see why people like it. It's very summery and, even with the cheese, has a light taste. And you're getting all your veggies in for the day! I would recommend asking for more serranos - the heat really helps it.

At the chef's recommendation, we also tried the wood roasted chicken pizza. They took all the best parts of a roast chicken dinner - sweet roasted garlic, caramelized shallots, flavorful roasted chicken - and toss it on a pizza with some goat cheese, gorgonzola and balsamic reduction. Pretty killer non-traditional pizza right here, folks.

Corn Squash Pizza at Katie's Pizza and Pasta

Roasted Chicken at Katie's Pizza and Pasta

It's called Katie's Pizza & Pasta, so I had to try that too. All pasta is handmade by the KPP team, which seems pretty impressive considering all of the different types available. I am admittedly not a big pasta eater, but the black spaghetti stood out immediately. Squid ink spaghetti - which has a slightly fishy, slightly salty taste - is tossed with butter and garlic, then topped with prawns, scallops, clams, ikura (salmon roe) and chili flakes.

The prawns and scallops could stand on their own as delicious entrees, something many restaurants don't care about. To make sure every aspect of the dish can stand on its own is a testament to the dedication the KPP team has to turning out high quality osteria cuisine.

Black Spaghetti at Katie's Pizza and Pasta

Seafood Spaghetti at Katie's Pizza and Pasta

Katie's Pizza & Pasta is a good example of a modern-day neighborhood restaurant. I don't get the feeling it's trying to be something it's not. The restaurant's fun decor and constantly changing artwork (made by Katie's husband, Ted Collier) give it a personality that make it memorable. Every time I've gone, regardless of the food's quality, the staff has been helpful and, beyond that, unwaveringly outgoing and friendly (especially Grace!). It's the kind of place that would feel comfortable for a romantic date, a friend's night out or just a place to grab a bite when you don't feel like cooking.

Katie's Pizza & Pasta

9568 Manchester Road

Rock Hill, MO 63119

314.942.6555

Spencer 2/19/15 Spencer 2/19/15

Mai Lee

Here we are with another edition of Whiskey & Soba goes to Mai Lee, St. Louis' best Vietnamese restaurant, and tries stuff he's never had before.

Things kicked off with a top secret off the menu item: salt and pepper frog legs. Owner Qui Tran knows my affinity for all things with their salt and pepper dipping sauce - you must try the S&P calamari, soft shell crab, and/or shrimp - so when he asked if we'd be down for S&P frog legs, the answer was a resounding yes. Don't fear the frog legs. They taste just like chicken. If I blindfolded you like we were in 50 Shades of Grey and fed you bites of chicken and frog, you'd never know the difference.

Forget about the French-influenced Vietnamese dishes - give me more of these Jewish-Vietnamese dishes! This is a Southeast Asian latke. The #50 Banh Tom Chien is made of shredded sweet potato is wrapped around shrimp then deep fried. Like most Southeast Asian fried dishes, it comes with lettuce to wrap around it. That way you can pretend it's not bad for you!

I always poll Twitter before I head to Mai Lee since everyone has different favorites. One of the more intriguing recommendations was for #145 Dau Hu Sot Ca, a vegetable and tofu stir fry served in a tomato sauce. Tomato sauce? Vietnamese restaurant? I was hesitant about ordering this, but Qui assured me it was good and, as usual, he was right. This is killer. I've never had another Asian dish with a similar sauce.

You've seen this off the menu special in previous Mai Lee posts: it's the seafood charred rice. Get it.

#121 Tom Rang Muoi is a dish that would be perfect after a long night of drinking. Shrimp are stir fried with butter, garlic, onions, and scrambled eggs. It may sound strange and may not be the prettiest dish, but it is addictive.

A friend and Mai Lee expert insisted (in the same way Tony Soprano "insisted") that I try the often overlooked Chinese menu, so I picked General Tso's Chicken. This was the last plate to arrive at the table but that didn't stop it from being swallowed up instantly. The quality is much higher than your typical American Chinese restaurant, which is to be expected, and it has these monster slices of ginger in it. I come from a long line of ginger fiends, so that definitely gave this dish some bonus points.

Mai Lee. It's the best.

Mai Lee

8396 Musick Memorial Dr

St. Louis, MO 63144

314.645.2835

Spencer 2/16/15 Spencer 2/16/15

Sidney Street Cafe

Kevin Nashan and his team are killing it right now. Peacemaker is the hottest new restaurant in town (for good reason) and this past trip over to Sidney Street Cafe was a standout. I've written about meals there previously, but this one takes the cake for best overall, I think.

Our visit to Sidney Street came during a particularly heavy eating streak, so we went sans appetizers for the evening.

Those at the table who opted for a salad instead of the evening's soup special suffered from a severe case of order envy. While it may look like your run of the mill butternut squash soup, it certainly was not. It had been Nashanized, its flavors so intense and rich I nearly picked it up and gulped it straight out of the bowl like a ruffian. A few crunchy pepitas countered the creaminess, and an intense, slow burning spice gave it a delightful aftertaste. Almost every bowl was left bone dry.

This thing of beauty you see below is the lamb wellington, a beautiful take on what most American's think of as "that dish Gordon Ramsay makes". Lamb loin is topped with herbs before being wrapped with puff pastry and baked. The result is perfectly cooked lamb swaddled in a flaky dough, each slice resting on creamed kale and crispy lamb sweetbreads.

The dish is really more of a duo of lamb than just a wellington. The merguez meatball ragout behind was absurdly good - like I have been thinking about it for weeks good. There's something about North African spices make the lamb flavor pop. If those meatballs showed up as a Peacemaker poorboy special, I would not be disappointed. Fingers crossed.

Before I talk about this dish, I have to say that I love Sidney Street's plating. I'm not sure anyone in St. Louis is putting out prettier plates of food right now - follow them on Instagram for sneak peeks at upcoming dishes. This is the first time I can remember having a pheasant entree, but it will not be the last. Juniper cured pheasant breast can be seen on the far ends, along with braised Belgian endives, thin slices of citrus and quince celery. The stand out was easily that thing that looks like a prop from a Tim Burton movie with a bone sticking out: the crispy ballotine made of pheasant leg confit, pheasant tenderloin, citrus, and herbs.

This is the best gourmet smoked brisket in town. I wrote about it in great detail already here. Must read, must eat.

We felt too guilty and fat to get appetizers, but apparently not too guilty to go for dessert.

Our first choice was a classic: the [symple_highlight color="blue"]dark chocolate turtle brownie[/symple_highlight] served with pecan brittle, vanilla ice cream and, by special request, some chocolate sauce. Intensely chocolatey in the best way.

I pushed for the seasonal [symple_highlight color="blue"]Blood Orange[/symple_highlight] dessert and won, of course. Like a blood orange, the dish hovered between sweet and tart. Down the center of the plate you can see a twisting block of very sweet white chocolate ganache, flanked by pistachio crumble, cranberry sorbet, and all things citrus. It came with a Gran Marnier creme brûlée, served separately, which happened to be my favorite component of the dessert. A normal creme brûlée does nothing for me, but add a flavored liquor and I'm all in.

As I said at the start, this was a memorable meal at Sidney Street from a taste perspective - everything was delicious. The kitchen was firing on all cylinders. I got the brisket myself, but I would have been happy getting any of the other entrees we ordered. I tend to go through obsessive phases with my eating; for weeks at a time I'll go to the same place over and over until I'm ready to move on. Earlier this year, that place was Niche. After this meal? It's Sidney Street. I'm watching the menu like a hawk, just waiting to see something so tantalizing I can no longer resist the temptation.

My return is imminent.

Sidney Street Cafe

2000 Sidney St

St. Louis, MO 63104

314.771.5777

Spencer 2/9/15 Spencer 2/9/15

The Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co

You would think that Kevin Nashan was giving away lobsters for free at The Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co. judging by the amount of people waiting. Even the NoWait app seems to be perpetually stuck at 60+ minutes.

Nashan's flagship restaurant, Sidney Street Cafe, has long been one of St. Louis' culinary jewels. It, along with Gerard Craft's Niche, is probably St. Louis' best shot at a coveted James Beard Award. When it was announced that he was opening a casual eatery specializing in coastal - both Gulf and East - cuisine, the hype train shot off at full speed. I ate there one of the first nights it was open and while I put up a post on it, I didn't write much. Like any new restaurant, kinks were still being worked out, so I vowed to come back some months later and do a proper write up.

I didn't take many interior shots this time, so I recommend you check out the previous post if you're interested. Peacemaker's interior is maybe my favorite in town. It's bright and beachy with pops of color, my favorite of which come from the photographs of the fisherman.

The menu and utensils come in a bucket; drinks come in colorful mason jars. The whole restaurant has a playful vibe.

I tried their namesake cocktail, which was basically a margarita with beer in it too. Nothin' wrong with that.

I'd heard repeatedly that their nightly crudo specials were worth ordering, and after having a pretty stunning fluke crudo at Sidney Street a few weeks before, I didn't doubt that. The evening's special was an albacore tuna with jalapeños and a sauce that I've since forgotten. It was very good. Top notch fish with a little heat always works for me.

I'm still recovering mentally from an oyster-related food poisoning in 2011. I've had them a couple times since, but I always get Larry David neurotic when I eat them, just sitting up in bed...waiting. My unwavering trust in Nashan for all things food pushed me to give their oysters a go. The waitress recommended their Freeland Creek oysters and, after tossing it back, knew she was so right. The oysters were the best I've had since that fateful 2011 day. Bright and briny. Game on, oysters. I'm back.

I had steamers on my first trip ever to Boston and have been obsessed since. They're simply steamed littleneck clams served in broth with some bread. They've been quickly consumed during both Peacemaker trips.

The other plate you'll see below are the fried green tomatoes, crunchy and deliciously tart. Dipped into the tangy remoulade, they can compete with any french fry or chip. It was one of those dishes that is good enough that I contemplated shoving all three into my mouth at once to avoid having to share.

Fried Green Tomatoes at Peacemaker Lobster and Crab

We didn't get the lobster roll this trip, but I can assure you it is the buttery sandwich you desire. Instead, we opted for the Lobster Frito Pie, which sounds like a high-dea (as in an idea you get when you're high). You may be surprised to learn there are no Fritos in here; no, my friend, it's much better than that. They take the Fritos, smash them to bits, then roll crispy chicharrones in the Frito powder. Those Frito-chicharrones are then topped with a tomato-based bean chili filled with big hunks of lobster, then smashed back into the empty Frito bag. The chili itself was more tomatoey than I normally go for, but it's a really fun dish.

If you happen to be a corndog aficionado, you'll surely want a taste of this housemade beef & pork dog dipped in a fluffy corndog batter.

So far, this is my favorite item at Peacemaker: the [symple_highlight color="blue"]smoked brisket poorboy[/symple_highlight]. It's really similar to the smoked brisket entree they have a Sidney Street right now, but the meat's rub is different. It doesn't seem to have that same level of seasoning as Sidney Street's, but since it's in a sandwich rather than standing alone, it makes sense. You get a peppery taste from the meat combined with this fantastic horseradish aioli on it - my god, I'm getting so hungry right now. You have to get this next time you're there if you're a meat eater.

I think it's safe to say that Nashan has created another Benton Park staple with The Peacemaker. Top notch food, attentive service, and a fun atmosphere. I can't wait to get back over.

The Peacemaker Lobster and Crab Co.

1831 Sidney Street

St. Louis, MO

314.772.8858

Spencer 2/5/15 Spencer 2/5/15

The Shaved Duck

In 2008, two very different men opened two very different BBQ restaurants in St. Louis, and both have been wildly successful. Smoked meat guru Mike Emerson opened the doors to Pappy's, a national treasure, and inspired many to open their own small, casual BBQ restaurants around town.

Not long after, Ally Nisbet, owner of The Scottish Arms, opened the doors to The Shaved Duck, an upscale-casual restaurant and bar off Pestalozzi Street. Both have made their way on to TV, with Pappy's hosting Adam Richman of Man Vs. Food and The Shaved Duck getting a visit from human hedgehog, Guy Fieri. The combination of good food and small screen fame means these restaurants have another thing in common: a wait.

We arrived at about 6:15 on a Friday. After our 30ish minute sojourn at the bar, we were seated and promptly delivered bacon fat popcorn with pulled pork house rub and white cheddar. This > boring dinner rolls.

This was my first trip to The Shaved Duck (recommended, once again, by Chouquette's Patrick Devine) so I decided to go fully fatty. Our first starter was something I rarely eat anymore: fries. I was waffling back and forth about getting these, so our waitress gave us a "small" sampler. But these aren't ordinary fries...

These are SMOTHERED fries. They make a gooey cheese sauce, one of mankind's greatest inventions, toss in pulled pork, then smother those fries with it. Summary: cheese sauce, fries, pulled pork. That literally can't be bad.

Their smoked chicken wings came highly recommended, so we had to get some of those. Not wanting to over do it, we went with a half pound. They were fairly large as far as wings go with a nice smoky taste and good seasoning. I do think Gobblestop's are better, but these were solid. I also enjoyed their mango-habenero BBQ sauce, whose flavor profile I haven't had before in a sauce, I don't think.

These are burnt ends, which are just like little bombs of brisket. It's hard for me to critique BBQ. In my head, it usually falls into one of three categories - bad, good, great - with the good section having the widest range. Most burnt ends taste similar, as they're just the tough odds and ends of brisket cooked for a lonnnnnng time. These fall under the "good" category for me.

If a menu offers buttermilk cornbread as a side, I will get it 9 times out of 10. This one had a much more prominent corn taste than my mom's recipe, which I enjoyed. It was served in an extremely hot skillet with a side of honey butter, which makes it just that much more difficult to resist. I definitely recommend this. If I was forced to pick 3 of the starters we got, I'd replace either the burnt ends or wings with this.

No, we did not eat an entire whole chicken. We knocked out probably a quarter of their whole smoked & roasted chicken then took the rest home for some weekday lunches. The flavors were similar to the wings. What I was hoping for was a smoky taste with juicy meat and that's exactly what we got.

I'm not a big meatloaf fan (even the name turns me off, like sour cream), but the smoked meatloaf was probably my favorite dish of the evening. It was moist, smoky and meaty, plus it came with a root beer glaze. There's not much more you can ask for in a dish called 'smoked meatloaf'. I traded half of my entree (below) to get half of this one.

Considering the restaurant is called The Shaved Duck, I had to give their slow smoked duck a go. As with the meatloaf and chicken, the meat was juicy. The taste of overcooked, dry duck makes my toes curl and I become irrationally angry. The thin layer of skin was deliciously crisp, but I think it was the cherry-juniper jam that made the dish a stand-out. What I liked about both of these last two entrees is that they weren't typical BBQ fare, but they still had that smoky BBQ flair.

As if all this meat and BBQ sauce wasn't enough, we also were persuaded to try the gooey butter brownie. Put a good gooey butter cake and a good brownie together and what do you get? Diabetes! And a good dessert.

It's worth your time and the calories to take a trip to The Shaved Duck. Aim for a weekday evening or early on the weekend to avoid the wait.

The Shaved Duck

2900 Virginia Avenue

St.Louis, MO 63118

314.776.1407

Spencer 1/29/15 Spencer 1/29/15

Singapore Botanic Gardens

There are two easy places I like to go to try out new lenses: the zoo and the botanical gardens. Singapore's Botanic Gardens provided a totally different experience than any I'd been to in the U.S., making it a perfect place to practice shooting. The gardens, founded over 150 years ago, take up nearly 180 acres in the center of Singapore, making it a great location to break away from the skyscrapers and congestion. Then again, it's like 95 degrees with 150% humidity there everyday, so it can be pretty brutal walking around. I had my share of trying experiences there. The first time I ever went there, I was walking along one of the outer paths in the jungle portion of the park. As I aimlessly sauntered about, I froze when I saw there was an enormous black tropical spider in an enormous web only inches in front of my face. After running away and crying behind a fern, I regained my composure and stumbled my way back to the front of the park. Another time I brought all my gear but forgot my memory card. On my last visit, my girlfriend and I lasted about 30 minutes before we were both drenched in sweat and delirious, seeking the salvation of a taxi and some A/C.

I have no idea what most of these crazy plants are. A good deal of them come from their world class orchid collection. Enjoy!

Spencer 1/26/15 Spencer 1/26/15

Pizzeoli Neapolitan Pizza

I told you in my A Pizza Story post that I'd be getting to Pizzeoli next and here we are. Housed in a small Soulard space, Pizzeoli has 6 or 7 tables and a small bar, but turnover is quick thanks to the lightning speed at which pizzas cook.

Pizzeoli offers a simple menu: pizza. Yes, there's a simple side salad and gelato, but the rest of the menu is just the world's greatest food, pizza. Their oven is a Marra Forni beast that sits right in the dining room, letting you watch the whole pizza making process. The set up reminded me of The Good Pie's original space, just condensed.

This picture was taken from our table, so you can see just how close to the action you can get. Hypothetically, the pizza could have been taken out of the oven on that peel and throw directly into my mouth.

Scott Sandler at Pizzeoli in St. Louis, MO

Owner Scott Sandler manned the oven while we ate, continuously turning and moving the pizzas around for the 60 seconds or so they were in there. In retrospect, I wish I had taken a video of the whole process. For an impatient millennial like me, it's a dream come true to order something and have it come to the table 5 minutes later.

Perhaps the most important difference between Pizzeoli and St. Louis' other Neapolitan pizza shop, The Good Pie, is that Pizzeoli is vegetarian. That's right, there is no meat here. There are even a few Vegan options, which I can't remember seeing at another pizza shop in town.

We started with the Funghi, topped with crimini, shiitake, and yellow trumpet mushrooms, plus fresh mozzarella, thyme, grated parmesan and...vegan sausage. I didn't love the vegan sausage, which tasted vaguely mushroomy itself, but I didn't hate it either.

They don't skimp on the mushrooms, so if you're into them, this is a solid choice. I would get it again (without the sausage).

Yeah, this next one tasted as good as it looks. I'm getting hungry just looking at it again. Their classic Margherita gets no complaints from me. The simple combination of fresh tomato sauce, fresh basil and fresh mozzarella is unbeatable.

Margherita pizza at Pizzeoli in St. Louis, MO

Bianca Pizza at Pizzeoli in St. Louis, MO

This pizza let me get a good look at the crust and I must say, I was quite pleased. It's strong enough that you can hold it up, which may not be traditional for Neapolitan pizza (no goopy center), but that doesn't stop it from tasting good, which is what I really care about.

Our waitress emphatically recommended the Bianca, so we got that. I didn't like it.

I loved it (you got Gordon Ramsay'd!). The base is a light béchamel sauce topped with fresh mozzarella, garlic, and rosemary. When I was a youngster, I loved the more out there and creative pizzas. The kinds you see at California Pizza Kitchen. Now, as I've gotten older and wiser, I really prefer simple pizzas executed perfectly. This is one of those. I don't even normally go for white pizzas! I don't think I can resist getting this again when I go back.

Pizzeoli did not disappoint. Our waitress was super friendly and gave good recommendations, and the owner is clearly passionate about his pizza making. With a great crust and simple but high quality toppings, you're going to be getting a tasty pizza. I would add this to the upper echelon of pizza spots in this pizza-heavy town.

Pizzeoli

1928 South 12th Street

St. Louis, MO 63104

314.449.1111

Spencer 1/21/15 Spencer 1/21/15

Salume Beddu

Salume Beddu closed their shop, but their sandwiches can still be found at Parker’s Table.

If there's ever a Saturday where you can't decide what to eat for lunch, you need to just head over to Salume Beddu. Their specials, no matter how simple they may sound, are out of this world. The highlights from my latest trip over:

The bruschetta of the day was topped with olive oil poached green chickpeas, pecorino cheese and Calabrian preserved Hen of the Woods mushrooms. Spicy. Cheesy. Healthy because it's green.

We tried a sample of their pancetta arrotolata, a nutty and buttery slice of heaven.

The sandwich of the day was a fennel-braised (!) pulled pork shoulder with brussel sprout slaw, preserved lemons and Turkish oil-cured black olives. Considering all the pork and bread, it still felt like a light sandwich. Absurdly good.

Replacing the long-time favorite "G.L.T." is this new masterpiece: roasted guanciale, radicchio, harissa and roasted winter squash puree. I am so thankful that Salume Beddu is far from my office because I would probably eat this every single day. Guanciale is cured pork jowl, but don't let that turn you off. On this sandwich, it's just like bacon. You've got the fatty crunch of the guanciale, a little bitterness from radicchio, then the combination of spicy harissa and a creamy squash puree. This is the kind of sandwich that keeps me worshiping at the altar of Marco Sanfilippo.

Salume Beddu

3467 Hampton Avenue

St. Louis, MO 63139

Spencer 1/7/15 Spencer 1/7/15

Seoul Taco

I know, I know. It's ridiculous that I hadn't written about Seoul Taco until now. Even worse is the fact that I hadn't actually eaten Seoul Taco since moving back to St. Louis. I thought about not even admitting to that, but I couldn't lie to you. You mean too much to me.

I headed over to Seoul Taco's new spot on a cold, rainy day, looking for the fire of gochujang to warm me up. Their new location in the Loop, next to The Good Pie and soon-to-open Publico, is badass. You step inside and the restaurant is split in half: the left side, dark and upscale, is for the upcoming Korean BBQ restaurant Seoul Q, while the right side is for Seoul Taco. The design is funky. Eclectic. Designed in a way that not many places in St. Louis are. There are Japanese cherry blossoms mixed with graffiti, luchador-masked judo masters, vibrantly painted stereos and a food truck cut out. I'm totally into it.

For those of you familiar with a normal Korean BBQ experience, you know that you often times leave smelling like grilled meat. Personally, I enjoy that. The ladies do not. Seoul Q's got the top of the line Korean BBQ vents, which do a damn fine job of letting you leave smelling the same way you did when you entered.

I'm probably not telling you anything you don't already know, but Seoul Taco's menu is limited to four main dishes: tacos, quesadillas, burritos, and Gogi bowls, which are somewhere between a rice bowl and a salad.

I decided to get a little of everything. My main dish was the [symple_highlight color="blue"]spicy pork Gogi bowl[/symple_highlight], which I devoured. The pork was gooooood. Nice heat, lots of crispy bits, not fatty. The dish is tossed with a good amount of sesame oil--aka the king of flavored oils. Sesame oil is adds this toasty flavor that is irresistible to most humans. Toss all that with some fresh greens (not iceberg lettuce!), rice, spicy gochujang and you're golden. Oh, and there's a fried egg on top. Bonus points. I used to get an extra egg on my bibimbap sometimes because the mix of creamy egg + toasty sesame oil + spicy gochujang cannot be beat.

My sister went with the [symple_highlight color="blue"]bulgogi quesadilla[/symple_highlight], which I forced her to share with me. The bulgogi - beef marinated in all sorts of delicious stuff - gets an A+ in my book. The Choi family recipe should be kept in a locked vault somewhere. You know that if the beef is great, the quesadilla is going to be great. Anything sandwiched between two tortillas and some cheese is going to be good. The 'dilla is topped with a mix of their "Seoul Sauces" - a housemade taco sauce and and a wasabi sauce.

I want to eat this again right now.

I wanted to try the chicken, so we got one taco with it. I think my comments from a previous Kim Cheese write up hold true here: the restaurant offers a really plain chicken option to deal with people who don't want the delicious spicy pork or bulgogi. It's for that friend that hates anything different from their normal day to day eats. There's really no comparison between this and the other two meats. Just to be clear: the chicken is not bad, it just lacks the top-notch flavor that the pork & beef have.

I agree with the masses: Seoul Taco is not to be missed. I dream of a future St. Louis with Seoul Taco's dotting the streets in place of [insert crappy national chain here]. I can't wait to get back here again to devour a football sized burrito. Definitely give it a try if you've never been before.

Seoul Taco

6665 Delmar Avenue

University City, MO 63130

314.863.1148

Spencer 11/18/14 Spencer 11/18/14

Pastaria

I will use any excuse I can think of to get over to Pastaria. Birthday? Check. Promotion at work? Yep. Splurging on a very expensive new camera and wondering if I've made a huge mistake? You bet.

With my new Nikon D750 in hand, I made my way over and hopped up to the pizza bar for dinner. It's like sitting in the front row of a hockey game: all the action is happening just few feet from you. It's brutal sitting up there having pizza after pizza put down in front of you to rest. You know those videos all over Youtube of dogs balancing treats on their noses but not eating them? That was me at the counter.

Our pizza choices for the evening were the fennel salami and the day's special: béchamel, pear, gorgonzola, pancetta cotto, sage. Both were good, but the Nduja is still #1 in my heart and stomach.

Spencer 11/4/14 Spencer 11/4/14

Dinner Lab: Anomar

With Dinner Lab meals, you never know what your night is going to entail. Perhaps you'll be eating on Cherokee Street with a concert going on below you, or maybe you'll be at SKIF International, a clothing manufacturer & store on the Hill. I never would have thought a clothing store would make a good dinner venue, but it turned out to be a great one. Christmas lights hung from the ceiling and there were all sort of free knick knacks around for the taking (just kidding--I did not steal from the venue). Aside from wine and beer, they had a fruity white sangria that I was pounding down like there was no tomorrow.

Chef Danny Espinoza, the most huggable Mexican in Chicago, was set to churn out a cuisine St. Louis is sorely lacking: upscale Mexican. Yes, we have Milagro, but that doesn't fit the bill. I read the menu and knew immediately what I was looking forward to most -- the duck with blackberry mole (pronounced mo-lay). I judge Mexican restaurants on their moles. You can't tell by looking at them, but most moles have over 15 ingredients and take all day to cook. I once spent the better part of a day making a Oaxacan mole and it sucked.

"Anomar", the name of this dinner, was inspired by Danny's grandmother, Ramona. Get it? Anomar is Ramona backwards. It sounds like some kind of romantic Spanish word, though. While I'm sure Danny would have liked to have his grandmother there to help him, he instead had a familiar face: Chris Bailey, chef of St. Louis' first Dinner Lab.

The first course was a [symple_highlight color="blue"]Tiradito de Cobia[/symple_highlight], which is like Latin American sashimi dish. Even though it had Cobia, a fish I could do without, I still scarfed this thing down. While the rest of the meal reminded me of fall, this was like a goodbye warm weather. Delicate fish topped with a crisp salsa cruda and spiced chicharrons already sounds mouthwateringly delicious, but the addition of the outstanding vanilla pickled grapes and spicy salsa verde emulsion took it to the next level. Those little yellow dots are a savory black pepper lemon curd. Mmm. I could and would have eaten 2-3 of these.

The evening's second course was a [symple_highlight color="blue"]Sopa de Coliflor[/symple_highlight], a cauliflower soup. The soup bowls are artistically decorated, since the cooks have to heat the soup in other containers. A date puree dotted the bowl, while chorizo and garlic chips lined the side. Forget cocaine -- give me lines of chorizo!

Servers poured the soup from pitchers. After tasting it, I wish they had just poured it directly in my mouth. It tasted a lot like a potato soup (specifically the one from Annie Gunn's, if you're a local), but the combination of earthy cauliflower, sweet dates, spicy chorizo and crunchy garlic gave it a Mexican flair.

The third course, [symple_highlight color="blue"]Ensalada de Cesar[/symple_highlight], suffered a bit from the cooking conditions, I think. Danny's interpretation of the classic Caesar salad was composed of grilled romaine lettuce with shaved croutons, a spicy Parmesan vinaigrette and crunchy corn. While the dressing was delicious, the lettuce itself was kind of stringy and generally not well received at my table. My guess is that getting out 70 plates of freshly grilled lettuce before it starts cooling off was just a little too tough with a new crew. Even so, most people around me cleared their plates--it just didn't stand up to the quality of all the other dishes. The little pink things on top were buttermilk-braised radishes, another delicious small touch.

These next two courses were like when we had Pujols and Holliday batting back to back: they crushed it.

Our main course for the evening was [symple_highlight color="blue"]Mole de Zarzamora[/symple_highlight], which is a much cooler way of saying "blackberry sauce". I can't believe there aren't any celebrities who have named their kid zarzamora yet.

On one side of the plate we had red quinoa topped with roasted beet and an almond espuma (foam -- Danny is fancy), and on the other was a tender duck breast topped with a blackberry mole. I don't know how they were able to create such a deeply flavorful and incredibly delicious mole in so little time with so little space, but they blew me away. I would love to learn to make that.

I'm not a big dessert eater, but I inhaled this [symple_highlight color="blue"]Not-a-Pumpkin Spice Latte[/symple_highlight]. A sweet potato puree was topped with a coffee ganache, then a rosemary meringue, then some pretty little wildflowers. After the team assembled the desserts, Danny went medieval on them with a blowtorch.

This dish may have been the highlight of the night. Every aspect of it went together perfectly. It was my ideal dessert.

So far, Dinner Lab is 2/2 in my book. Even though the majority of the STL Dinner Lab diners seem to be old enough to remember the Vietnam war vividly, the atmosphere has been incredibly fun and the food has impressed. I don't want to say which dinner I thought was better, in fear of a battle between chefs Chris & Danny (see below image: a tense stare down? Chris giving the disapproving Dad stare?), but it would be a close call anyway.

I won't be able to make the November dinner, but I'm hearing pretty exciting things about December's...

Looking for more great places to eat? You need Olio City. Download the app to find the best restaurants, bars and events in St. Louis. You don't need to ask me anymore!

Spencer 10/7/14 Spencer 10/7/14

Recipe: Chili

I feel like I failed you last week with my cornbread recipe. You undoubtedly ran to your kitchen upon reading it, made yourself a loaf, then realized you had nothing to eat it with. Perhaps you tried pairing it with some roasted chicken or a hamburger, but it just didn't feel right. I have the solution for you, friends. This may appear to be your run of the mill chili, but it's not. It's the best basic chili recipe I've come across. It's not too spicy, not too tomatoey, just the right amount of meat and beans. People like chili for the same reason they like yoga instructors: they're both hot and flexible. You can modify chili based on what you've got in your fridge or pantry at any given time, which I did. For the recipe below, I swapped out one can of red kidney beans for white beans. Because I am a wild man, I used 1 pound of ground beef, 1/2 pound of ground chorizo chicken and 1/2 pound of ground lamb. The lamb's flavor was a bit stronger than I'd prefer in a chili, but it was still better than whatever chili you're making now.

Just a few weeks ago, I judged a chili competition at work, which allowed me to try 17 different chili variations. The differences were astounding. No two chilies tasted alike. Some were good, some were great, some made me wonder if I was being Punk'd with dog food. Some key issues I noticed:

People tend to make their chili far too watery for my liking.
People don't include beans, or if they do, it's a small amount. Poor form.
People do not brown their meat. No Maillard reaction, no smiles.
People put ketchup in their chili. A lot of ketchup. Gross.

This recipe solves these issues. My recommendation is that you try the recipe below as-is your first. After that, go wild and swap all sorts of stuff in and out. I just don't want you to come here like a www.foodnetwork.com commenter and leave angry notes about how the recipe sucks when it was you who decided to swap out the cumin for Nesquik and the diced tomatoes for V8 juice.

On to the recipe!

Chili

YIELD: 4-6 | PREP: 20 MINUTES | ACTIVE: 2 HOURS 20 MIN | TOTAL: 2 HOURS AND 40 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

2 T vegetable oil
2 medium onions, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced/pressed/microplaned
1/4 C chili powder
1 T ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 lbs lean ground beef
2 (15-ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 (28 ounces) can tomato puree
salt
2 limes, wedges

METHOD

Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed nonreactive Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, oregano, and cayenne; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. I like to cook them until they’ve got a nice dark color on them for a more intense flavor.

Increase heat to medium-high and add half the beef; cook, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink and just beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add remaining beef and cook, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, tomato puree, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

Remove cover and continue to simmer 1 hour longer, stirring occasionally (if chili begins to stick to bottom of pot, stir in 1/2 cup water and continue to simmer), until beef is tender and chili is dark, rich, and slightly thickened. Adjust seasoning with additional salt. Serve with lime wedges and condiments if desired.

Slow Cooker Option: At the end of step 1, transfer the cooked beef mixture to a slow cooker; add the rest of the ingredients as directed in step 2. Cook the chili on the high setting for four hours.

Spencer 10/6/14 Spencer 10/6/14

Dinner Lab: Signal Fire

Dinner Lab is a national members-only supper club, which means that even if the food is terrible, you will always feel cool saying "yeah, I'm a member there". After you join, you have access to a calendar of upcoming events in your city, which you can then buy tickets to. Each dinner takes place in a unique and unexpected setting, like a parking garage, art gallery or cemetery. Okay, not at cemeteries (I don't think). The dinners are captained by either one of Dinner Lab's traveling chefs or a local "unsung hero" chef. To join in St. Louis costs $129 annually, then each dinner is around $55 per person.The price seemed steep, but I decided it was worth it for a year. And I really wanted to be able to talk about it then say, "Oh, but you're not a member, are you?"

For the inaugural St. Louis Dinner Lab, we had chef Chris Bailey of Portland, Oregon in town to make our wildest dreams come true. His dinner was to be an Asian-inspired meal called "Signal Fire". The surprise location was at 2720 Cherokee Street, an artsy/grungy event hall with a concert venue and bar on the first floor. Not only was this going to be my first Dinner Lab, but it was also my first time on Cherokee! #suburbanite

Doors opened at 7:00pm for drinks and schmoozing, and dinner started at 7:30. There's open seating, so we scoped out the best seat for photo taking and leaned the chair against the table to reserve our spots. I felt like I was back in grade school.

At each spot was a menu, some background on the chef and a Guest Chef Feedback form where you can review each course, write what you'd expect to pay and a few other things. I am pretty sure I saw my sister rating Chris himself as "super hot".

After a good thirty minutes of drinking, the dinner commenced. To start off, we were given [symple_highlight color="blue"]Fried Rice Crackers[/symple_highlight] with a salted prune powder on top. They were like an Asian potato chip, so they were a great bar snack/amuse bouche. Crunchy and salty. Perfect with booze.

The first course was a [symple_highlight color="blue"]broccoli beef[/symple_highlight], sort of. Chris took all the flavors of the typical broccoli beef and turned it into a light starter. A beef tartare sat over a hoisin-based sauce and was topped with crispy grains and fermented broccoli stems, which added a nice crunch. This marks the first time I've had an Asian-style beef tartare that I actually enjoyed.

I played paparazzi as the team of chefs worked to prepare our next course, a [symple_highlight color="blue"]Golden Coconut Curry[/symple_highlight]. Look at that teamwork! They're delicately putting young root vegetables, brown butter solids and whipped coconut milk on those plates.

When the servers put down the plates, I thought this was the whole dish. A curry without any curry to be seen. How modern! Perhaps when I bite into a potato, curry will come oozing out? No, it turns out I'm just not a very good listener. Another round of servers walked out with small jars of one of the most aromatic curries I've had the pleasure of smelling. Tumeric, ginger, Thai red chiles fluttered about my nostrils. Galangal, the sexy, exotic cousin of ginger called my name.

This was one of those dishes that hushed our table for a few minutes. The tender vegetables were very good, but I just couldn't get enough of that curry. Just look at it! It doesn't get much more golden than that. The galangal's potency really turned it up a notch, I think. Gotta love that galangal.

Here's Chef Bailey throwing down garnish like a boss as he and the team work on the [symple_highlight color="blue"]Carrot Sweet 'n' Sour[/symple_highlight]. Talking with Chris throughout, he explained that he's very much into letting vegetables shine on their own, not unlike the chefs at Niche here in St. Louis. The dish's name made me think it was going to be a play on Chinese food, but it was more Korean than anything. The carrots were sous vide in carrot juice then finished on site with a reduction of carrot juice, orange juice, soy sauce and gochujang (Korean chile paste, yo).

They were served with a quick carrot kimchi and a carrot top raita, which is an Indian yogurt sauce. The gochujang and Thai chiles made this a fairly spicy dish, so that raita came in handy. Making a carrot dish that can stand on its own like this is no easy feat; kudos, chef.

Seeing as Chris' aunt had a Thai restaurant when he was growing up, it's no surprise to see [symple_highlight color="blue"]Pla Yang[/symple_highlight] show up on his menu. The trout was stuffed with Issan Thai sausage, roasted whole, then served with a charred lime. I was surprised that each person got their own trout, but I was more surprised that it had crispy skin and was still tender and juicy, seeing as there wasn't really a kitchen there. Chris told me that they seared these in cast iron pans at their off-site kitchen, then moved them to a smoker box to finish them on-site. Aside from the sausage, the fish was not heavily seasoned, which allowed us to taste the natural flavor of the trout. I squirted some of the charred lime on about halfway through and I am definitely adding charred citrus to my fish cooking.

I stepped away from the table for a few minutes and when I returned, I saw bubble tea! Glorious. I'm a bubble tea fiend. I'd get it every few days at this place right under my apartment in Singapore. When I left, they went out of business. Not saying I kept them afloat...but I might have. Utilizing the oversized straw, I took a huge gulp and quickly realized that while this looked like a normal bubble tea, it was just a glass of bourbon mixed with milk punch. What a pleasant surprise. I've now started requesting tapioca pearls in my cocktails whenever I go out.

The meal culminated with a [symple_highlight color="blue"]Thai style ice cream sandwich[/symple_highlight], which needs some explaining. In most of Southeast Asia, the ice cream vendors that are on the streets serve the ice cream not in cones or cups, but between pieces of bread. The have loaves of bread and big blocks of ice cream and just cut off a 'slice' of whatever flavor you want. It looks like this.

For this dish, the slice of bread was replaced by the most buttery piece of brioche I've ever had in my life, toasted until just the right mix of crunchy and soft. It may have actually just been two slices of frozen butter. Between those two buttery layers of deliciousness laid a block of black sesame ice cream. If you're into black sesame, which I am because I'm cultured and shit, this would have blown you away. As if that wasn't enough, it was topped with candied cilantro (genius) and held in place by an equally unhealthy coconut jam. This was a top notch dessert.

If all the Dinner Lab meals are like this, I'm ecstatic to be a member. The whole event reminded me of being back at the cafeteria in high school, except with a lot more alcohol and fine food. If you're into drinking as much as you want, eating creative and delicious foods created by local and traveling chefs, and/or meeting new people, I highly suggest you join Dinner Lab. Sign up here! The next event is a modern Mexican meal called Anomar by chef Danny Espinoza. I'll be the guy with a camera there; say hi!

Looking for more great places to eat? You need Olio City. Download the app to find the best restaurants, bars and events in St. Louis. You don't need to ask me anymore!

Spencer 10/2/14 Spencer 10/2/14

The Italian Store

Arlington, VA

When my friend recommended that we eat lunch at a local sandwich shop called "The Italian Store", I was agreeable. I'm always game for a good sandwich. What I wasn't expecting was that this place would be so popular that we'd have a 20+ minute wait. This is what we saw when we walked in:

So many people! Rather than being aggravated or deterred, this only made me want the food more. If some little Italian grocery in Arlington is going to have over 30 people waiting for sandwiches and pizza at any given time, I want to know why.

We grabbed numbers for sandwich/pasta ordering, then squeezed down to the other end of the store to get some of their homemade pizza. The smell of freshly baked pizza is what I imagine heaven smells like. I ordered a slice of the supreme looking one below, but all my friends got the cheese. I should have copied them. They knew what they were doing. My slice was good, but their slice was very good. Obviously this isn't any fancy pizza; this is a New York style slice. To put it in Missouri terms, it's like Sbarro but with flavor. It was gooey and cheesy, which only a fool wouldn't like, but also a little on the oily side. It would be very good football watching pizza.

I went halfsies with my brother for the sandwich portion of the lunch. We picked out [symple_highlight color="blue"]The Milano[/symple_highlight] and [symple_highlight color="blue"]The Napoli[/symple_highlight], which were $7.99 & $7.69, respectively. Each of these was the "small" option, which means the large sandwiches were probably the size of a baseball bat.

The Milano, below, is their most popular sub. It's packed with two types of Italian ham, Genoa salami, provolone cheese and all your typical sandwich toppers. You have the option of a soft or hard roll, and we picked soft for both of ours. We also got both sweet and hot peppers on both sandwiches.

The Napoli was my favorite of the two. Lean capacola ham, mozzarella cheese and some delicious, spicy pepperoni put this sandwich's flavor profile closer to pizza territory than submarine sandwich, so it should be no surprised I liked it.

I didn't love the Milano, but I'd get the Napoli again. I would also get them without the veggies and dressing, because with them on, the sandwich just got too messy and unwieldy. If I ever went back to The Italian Store, I'd probably just stick with the pizza and perhaps some of their prepared pasta dishes. A big Italian sandwich like this just doesn't do much for me. I'd much rather eat the equal amount of calories in Mexican food, pizza or perhaps a really huge Bahn Mi.

The Italian Store

3123 Lee Hwy

Arlington, VA 22201

(703) 528-6266

Stuff to eat. Mostly around St. Louis.

Kim Cheese

Aya Sofia

Olio

Brasserie by Niche

Gobble Stop Smokehouse

Gobble Stop Smokehouse

1227 Castillon Arcade Plaza

Creve Coeur, MO 63141

314.878.5586

Dinner Lab: Nini Nguyen

Katie's Pizza & Pasta

Mai Lee

Sidney Street Cafe

The Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co

The Shaved Duck

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Pizzeoli Neapolitan Pizza

Salume Beddu

Salume Beddu closed their shop, but their sandwiches can still be found at Parker’s Table.

Braised pork shoulder

BLT

Seoul Taco

Pastaria

Dinner Lab: Anomar

Recipe: Chili

Chili

Chili

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

Dinner Lab: Signal Fire

The Italian Store