Grace Meat & Three

Anyone who had eaten Rick Lewis’ food before Southern knew he was capable of far more than just serving up fried chicken and a few sandwiches (remember when he got a James Beard nomination for Quincy Street Bistro?), so when he announced he was going off on his own to open Grace Meat & Three, the food community exploded with glee.

Ricky hasn’t let us down. Grace is destined to become a St. Louis classic, joining the pantheon of places like Pappy’s, Crown Candy, Mai Lee, and so on. The menu has something for everyone, including vegetarians, healthy eaters, and the morbidly obese—plus a full bar.

My favorites so far: the fried chicken, obviously, the sweet and smoky pulled pork Wednesday special, the caveman-sized turkey leg, and what I would say are the best pork ribs in St. Louis (fight me).

Everything has been good, though. I can honestly say in my dozen plus visits to Grace, I haven’t been disappointed, and I don’t think you will be either. Trust your gut and trust Ricky.

Fried chicken livers

mostarda, pickled onions, herbs

Deviled eggs

country ham, everything spice, herbs

Bloody mary

turkey leg

sweet tea brine, herb sauce

Pork ribs

st. louis style Duroc pork ribs, raw sugar glaze, bread & butter pickles

Pulled pork

whiskey sauce, Alabama white BBQ sauce, crispy shallots

Assorted sides

mac & cheese, sweet potatoes, braised greens

Chicken Tenders

catfish sandwich

baby greens, green tomato relish, comeback sauce

Burger

beer cheese, onions, pickles, comeback sauce

Grilled Bologna Sandwich

pimento cheese, fried egg, mustard

Whole chicken

Roast beef

mushrooms, bone marrow gravy, crispy leeks

The Best Chicken Fingers. Ever.

It's early 2014 and I've just arrived back in the U.S.  I haven't eaten fried chicken in at least 4 years. I've convinced myself that not only do I not need it, but I don't even like it that much. Then, at my mom's request, I join my family for Josh Galliano's fried chicken night at The Libertine. Like an alcoholic having his first sip of whiskey in years, I'm overtaken by the urge to keep eating. I nearly polish off my half bird, and then continue to go every month for almost a year. Some people aren't a fan of the heavier breading that Galliano used (in favor of something lighter, like what you'll find at Southern now), but I love it. The more crunch, the better. Since his chicken nights were only once a month and I was jonesing for chicken—and this was before the fried chicken boom of 2015—I had to return to an old favorite: Sportsman's Park. Their chicken "strips" are, from what I can tell, full chicken breasts, pounded out and fried. A much manlier cut than the puny tenders. I'm a man, not a toddler!

Last summer, Galliano left Libertine and so ended his fried chicken nights. Desperate, I started scrounging around the internet for his recipe. Like Robert Langdon in The Da Vinci code, I started putting together the pieces. First came a Weekend Project: Fried Chicken Dinner post from Sauce Magazine. Then came a Food & Wine recipe. Neither looked quite right, though. There were differences between them. I began prodding his former cooks and ultimately discovered Galliano's recipe is a combination of the two, which you'll find below.

Yes, this is a long process for chicken strips. But it's worth it, especially if you're a chicken finger lover like me. They taste almost exactly like Galliano's MIA chicken. Hell, you could go crazy and change it into a chicken nugget recipe. Whatever you choose to do, you'll thank me for helping to crack The Galliano Code.

Josh Galliano's Fried Chicken

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Chicken Fingers

SERVES: 4-6 SERVINGS | ACTIVE: 25 MIN | TOTAL: 6+ HOURS

INGREDIENTS

CREOLE SPICE MIX, COURTESY OF JOSH GALLIANO/FOOD & WINE

4-6 large chicken breasts, halved lengthwise
6 c water
10 bags black tea (English Breakfast)
1/4 c salt
2 T sugar
2 12-oz bottles Louisiana hot sauce (Crystal)
Tabasco
2 c buttermilk
4 sprigs thyme
2 eggs
2 c AP flour
2 c cornmeal
1/4 c cornstarch
canola oil

METHOD

Sweet Tea Brine

Add water, sugar, salt, thyme, 1 bottle of Louisiana hot sauce, a few Tabasco drops, and 2 tablespoons of creole spice mix to a pot. Stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn off stove, add tea bags and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags and let cool (unless you enjoy half poached chicken strips).

Once cool, add the chicken and put in the fridge for 2-4 hours.

Buttermilk Soak

Add the buttermilk, second bottle of Louisiana hot sauce, eggs, and 3 tablespoons of creole spice mix to a bowl. Mix together. Add chicken, then set in fridge. Allow to sit for 4 hours or overnight.

Breading

Preheat the oven to 170F. Begin heating 1.5 inches of oil in a deep pot to 350F.

Mix flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, and remaining creole spice mix (about 1/2 a cup) well in a baking pan or plate. Remove the chicken strips from the buttermilk and shake off the excess liquid, then dredge in the breading mix.

Once the oil has reached 350F, put in chicken, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. The temperature will drop—keep it close to 300F. Cook the 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook for another 3-4. Remove and place on a baking rack so they can drain. If not eating immediately, place the rack in the oven.

Burnt Scallion Chicken Enchiladas

I'm always looking for ways to combine things I love—in this case, joining my love for enchiladas with my love for Sean Brock's grilled chicken wings with a burnt scallion BBQ sauce. The wings are a summertime staple at my house, and, if you make them, they will be at yours too. The smoky charred chicken skin topped with that BBQ sauce on steroids will shiver your timbers. Seriously, once you make this sauce, you'll want it all the time. Brock's recipe calls for his homemade Husk BBQ sauce, but save time and just use whichever BBQ sauce you have on hand (I know you have one that's been sitting in your fridge for months—use that). Funny story: a few weeks back I was making a batch of these and forgot about the scallions in the oven. I turned around and saw that, somehow, one of them had lit on fire. That was a first.

But chicken wings take time and effort, and most days of the week, you're just not going to spend the time making them. Plus, you have to worry about not giving your friends and family food poisoning due to undercooked chicken. My solution to this is to simply buy your favorite rotisserie or smoked chicken from the grocery and shred the meat off that. The smoked meat is mixed with sweet caramelized onions, always incredible roasted garlic, and then the BBQ sauce and stringy Mexican cheese.

For the tortillas, I highly, highly recommend using the TortillaLand flour tortillas. They're uncooked, so you'll find them in refrigerated area near the cheeses, and just require a quick trip to a hot pan. The flavor of both the corn and flour tortillas are top notch—better than what some of the restaurants in town are using. To say I have become obsessed with them is an understatement. For St. Louis readers, they're available at Schnucks.

These have become a freezer-staple for me—I just pop it out, microwave it, then throw it in the toaster oven for a couple minutes to crisp up the edges again. Enjoy!

tortillaland tortillas

tortillaland tortilla description

Chicken Enchiladas

burnt scallion BBQ sauce

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Chicken Enchiladas with Burnt Scallion BBQ Sauce

YIELD: 8 | ACTIVE: 20 MIN | INACTIVE: 35 | TOTAL: 55 MIN

INGREDIENTS

BURNT SCALLION SAUCE

ADAPTED FROM HERITAGE BY SEAN BROCK

10 scallions, trimmed
1 T peanut oil
Kosher salt
1 bottle BBQ sauce (your choice)
1 T soy sauce
1 c cilantro leaves

FILLING

1 rotisserie chicken
Queso fresco/Chihuahua cheese
1 large onion, sliced
1 head of garlic
8 large tortillas

METHOD

BURNT SCALLION BBQ SAUCE

Turn on your broiler. Line a pan with foil, then using a brush or paper towel, coat the scallions in peanut oil. Broil until well-charred (your kitchen may get a little smoky, but it shouldn’t be too bad). Remove from oven and let cool for a couple minutes. Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender, then set aside.

FILLING

Peel the garlic cloves, then make a foil pouch. Coat cloves with olive oil, salt, and vinegar. Bake at 400F for 30-40 minutes. Once cool, mash together.

Pick the rotisserie chicken apart like a Viking warrior. 

Caramelize the sliced onion. I use Kenji’s 15-minute recipe.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix the onions, chicken, and garlic in a bowl. Spread a thin layer of the BBQ sauce on the tortilla, then a spoonful of the chicken and onion mix, then as much cheese as you desire. Roll up the enchilada and place into a 9×13 baking pan. Repeat until the pan is full. Top the enchiladas with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven and top with cilantro.

Husk

My two favorite food-related shows - behind the modern day classic Guy's Grocery Games - are Netflix's Chef's Table and PBS' The Mind of a Chef. The Mind of a Chef follows one or two chefs per season as they explore the things that interest them in the food world. David Chang, chef of Momofuku in NYC and one of the men behind Lucky Peach magazine, was the first season's star. He explored NYC and Japan, cooking with rotten bananas, and getting shitfaced at the Buffalo Trace distillery with season two's star, Sean Brock. Brock's season had a heavy focus on the South and cooking with local ingredients. I don't think he was as captivating as Chang (who is like a less wordly, more brash Anthony Bourdain), but I have longed to eat at both of their restaurants ever since.

I was in Nashville for a wedding a couple weeks back, so I finally got my chance: time to eat at Husk - Nashville. The restaurant's located a short walk from the main downtown area in a renovated old house. The lighting was romantic (dark), which made photo taking a little difficult, but I still think you'll be able to gauge the deliciousness levels.

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Things kicked off with the Cheerwine Glazed Belly Ham Soft Rolls, which were astoundingly good. Like one of the best things I can ever remember eating good.  I've only been fortunate enough to eat day-after-Christmas ham leftovers a few times, but take the deliciousness level of those leftover ham sammies and imagine replacing your Honeybaked Ham with the most delicious ham ever created, a freshly baked soft roll, pickled onions and cucumber, then a little smoked Duke's mayo. They're that good.

I want to go back to Nashville and eat these again, then find whoever produced the ham, marry his daughter, and become the heir to their porky throne.

Pork Belly Sandwiches at Husk Nashville

Chicken Skins at Husk Nashville

Next were the best Fried Chicken Skins I've had. Granted, I haven't had a lot of fried chicken skin appetizers because my body is a temple, but these things were perfect. They were not at all greasy - just chips of audibly crunchy, wonderfully seasoned chicken skins. They were drizzled with white BBQ sauce (my drug of choice), and a sprinkle of thyme. I had trouble getting a good photo of the shrimp & grits, mostly because my tablemates wanted to eat it as soon as it touched the table. For those of you who don't know, Brock is known for his shrimp and grits - and I can see why.

The grits were creamier than any I've had before, but what surprised me the most was the flavor of the dish: it tasted like my grandma's gumbo more than any shrimp and grits I've had before. Like a mix of a smokey sausage, shrimp (obviously), and hot sauce - that distinct trifecta that I've always associated with her gumbo. We devoured it. It definitely lived up to the hype.

The last of the appetizers was the Snapper Collar with cucumber, herbs, radishes, and benne seeds. Crispy, smokey, way bigger than expected.

Shrimp and Grits at Husk Nashville

Snapper Collar at Husk Nashville

We wanted to to try as much as we could, so we decided to share entrees. First up was the Husk Charcuterie plate with pickles, dijonnaise, and these monstrous cheddar biscuits. I'd kill to eat those biscuits for breakfast everyday - especially with some of that Cheerwine belly ham in there.

I foolishly forgot to write down what was on the platter, but it was all good. So good.

Charcuterie at Husk Nashville

Another shareable entree is the Plate of Southern Vegetables. On our night, the dish included:

• Geechie Boy grits, charred preserved tomato broth, pickled spring onion, 65 degree egg

• Oat croquette, pokeweed, lemon, sheepsmilk cheese, smoked mayo, malt vinegar powder

• Grilled brassicas, harissa peanuts

• Cucumber salad, grapefruit, grapefruit yogurt, tsire spice blend

• Farro, zucchini, spinach, basil pesto

All were good, minus the brassicas. Too much spice and bitterness for me.

Vegetables at Husk Nashville

Farro at Husk Nashville

Croquette at Husk Nashville

By this point, I had stretched my stomach about as far as it goes - but I still had to eat the [symple_highlight color="blue"]NC Catfish[/symple_highlight]. We'd all been drinking quite a bit by this point, but I do remember that the fish was a big hit. Green garlic dressing, smoked potatoes, nettles, and toasted buckwheat groats gave it a nice Spring taste.

Catfish at Husk Nashville

To finish the meal, we got the O&S Chocolate Pie, a dessert as delicious as everything else we'd had that night. Served with peanut butter ice cream and a brown butter caramel, it was the perfect amount of decadence to close out the meal.

Chocolate PIe at Husk Nashville

We were so full that we Ubered back to our hotel - two blocks away. Our meal at Husk was one of the best I've had since starting this blog. This is a must visit for anyone going through Nashville.

Husk

37 Rutledge St

Nashville, TN 37210

(615) 256-6565

Dinner Lab: Anthos

The last time I saw Russ Bodner was in mid 2003 when he graduated from my high school, headed off to study accounting at Indiana University. Imagine my surprise when, in early 2014, Russ and I reconnected and I found out that he was some big fancy chef down in Alabama. We started talking fairly often about all things food related, one of which was his fondness of pop-up restaurants. Eager to try his food and an avid fan of Dinner Lab, I put Russ in contact with some of the Dinner Lab crew and voila: I present Russ Bodner's  Anthos - Greek Interpretations from a Lost Restaurant. The evening's meal took place at the midtown Urban Chestnut, which is probably my favorite out of all the venue's they've used so far. The size was right, the beer barrels all around created an industrial atmosphere, and it was connected to a bar for post-dinner drinking.

Seating at Russ Bodner's Dinner Lab

Tables at Russ Bodner's Dinner Lab

Brewery at Russ Bodner's Dinner Lab

Russ' career has taken him from NYC (Anthos) to Alabama (Springhouse, Kowaliga) to Colorado (Aspen Mountain Club) and now, possibly, back to St. Louis.

How did you pick the name for your dinner?

The very first restaurant that I worked at was Anthos, and I loved the food that we were doing. Unfortunately, they've since closed.  I've taken some of my favorite items we did there and put my own spin on them for this dinner.

Did you have a favorite Mediterranean dish or restaurant in St. Louis? We don't have too many here...

I didn't have a favorite in St. Louis growing up. It was all in the kitchen at Anthos. They were doing "new-age Aegean", something that I found fascinating and unique.

How'd you pick the five dishes for this menu? I'm sure you have an arsenal of dishes at your disposal.

I knew that when I did a dinner in St. Louis, I wanted a fish-centric menu. I played around with doing a Southern progressive line up, but the Mediterranean won out this time!

On his way up to St. Louis from Alabama, Russ stopped by some of the farms he used to frequent during his Springhouse/Kowaliga days to get some fresh seasonal ingredients, including fresh lima beans, corn, baby Vidalia onions, and okra.

Menu at Russ Bodner's Dinner Lab

Prep at Russ Bodner's Dinner Lab

Chef Russ Bodner

Russ Bodner Plating

Bowls at Russ Bodner's Dinner Lab

Veggies at Russ Bodner's Dinner Lab

You come to St. Louis every few years and eat like a horse - where were you most excited about trying this trip?

I was most excited to check out Publico. It's in my old neighborhood.

What are some standout dishes you've had in town?

My absolute favorite dish I ever had in St. Louis was a carrot dish at Niche when it was on Sidney Street. I also loved the pig tails at The Libertine and the lamb heart at Publico.

I know you're looking to open a restaurant here. Do you have a concept in mind?

I have a few ideas in my head, but I will keep them close to the chest for the time being. I would love to do something that is different and not in St. Louis.

Layout at Russ Bodner's Dinner Lab

Prep List at Russ Bodner's Dinner Lab

Broth at Russ Bodner's Dinner Lab

What are your favorite and least favorite ingredients to work with?

The tomato - for both. When the heirloom tomatoes are in season, I don't think there's anything better. But during the off season, there's almost nothing worse.

What's the most memorable meal you've had as a diner?

I'm not sure if this counts, but a few years ago, I was at an event in Virginia at Border Springs Farm. Craig Diehl and Bob Cook from Charleston were in charge of doing the dinner that night. Craig boned out a whole lamb, rolled it and slowly roasted it on a spit. He also slowly smoked and then grilled a skin-on pork belly. Both of the meats were so incredible, I can't even remember what the vegetables were!

If there is one dish of yours that would define your career so far, what would it be?

As far as a dish that got the most recognition, it would certainly be the catfish tacos I made when I opened Kowaliga Restaurant in Alabama.

Each course had an Urban Chestnut beer pairing. My favorite was the pairing of their Russian Imperial Stout Thrale's with dessert. The beer has a sour cherry and coffee taste, but man, it was a heavy, heavy beer. I'm not man enough to take down an entire bottle myself. Koval provided the house cocktail, a powerful gin and maraschino mix that would have rendered me useless if I had more than one.

Urban Chestnut Barrel

Koval Cocktail at Russ Bodner's Dinner Lab

Diners at Russ Bodner's Dinner Lab

Russ Bodner Pop up

Russ Bodner and Staff

Russ' first course was a lightly seared tuna with a sweet and intense fennel pollen crust. Celery leaves, radishes, Thassos olives - an oil cured olive from Thassos with this amazing ripe olive flavor, and dehydrated feta were sprinkled around the dish, along with a bit of orange and orange vinaigrette. The flavors were distinctly Greek, but unlike anything I can remember having before.

Seared Tuna Plates at Russ Bodner's Dinner Lab

Russ is doing the same menu at Dinner Lab Houston; this dish was so good, I thought about going down to get it again. Then I weighed this dish versus having to actually be in Houston and decided it wasn't worth it.

Seared Tuna by Russ Bodner

His second course - and the most popular entree of the evening - were Sheep's Milk Ricotta Dumplings. I'm not sure anything about this dish was Mediterranean aside from the little pillowy dumplings, but it was outrageously good. Give me a Southern American + Greek restaurant! Russ cooked the crawfish in a crawfish stock with the lima beans and corn, then topped it with tobacco onions.

The result reminded me of something my grandma would have cooked when we were younger. Fresh, hearty, probably more unhealthy than it looks. I would happily, joyously pay for this at a restaurant.

Crawfish and Dumplings by Russ Bodner

Smoked Octopus by Russ Bodner

Lamb by Russ Bodner

This was the controversial dish of the evening, as octopus tends to be. Due to issues with the oven, some of the smoked octopus was undercooked, resulting in a chewy bite of seafood. I guess I was lucky, because my piece was tender. The octopus' smoked flavored was complimented by pickled shallots and mushrooms and subdued by coriander yogurt.

Lamb shoulders were donated from Border Springs Farm in Virginia, then slow roasted until it was time to serve. Like everyone worthy of your trust, I love nothing more than the taste of slow cooked, smoked meat. Seeing these lambs come out of the oven, I contemplated taking one and leaving, tearing it apart and eating it handful by handful like they serve it at Kapnos in D.C.

What you can't see in the pictures is the bulgar trahana, which tastes like grits and bulgar made a baby. The bulgar is cooked with dairy, resulting in a creamier texture and milder flavor. The red sauce you see at the bottom is a homemade harissa, also incredibly tasty. I will be going all Zero Dark Thirty on Russ to get that recipe. Grilled okra and baby vidalias rounded it off. If forced to pick 3 dishes from the meal to eat again, it'd easily be the tuna, dumplings, and the tsoureki shortcake with basil ice cream. Sweet desserts do about as much for me as monogamy does for Don Draper. They're wasted on me. This, however, was not. The tsoureki has mahlab, a spice made from cherry pits, giving it an almondy, nutty hint. On top of that was a thin layer of the piney, sappy mastic oil, then sweetened yogurt, strawberries, and finally, the basil ice cream.

The ice cream was on the same level (or maybe even higher...) than Anne Croy's basil gelato at Pastaria. You could tell looking around the room that this dessert was a home run. People stopped talking and just focused on eating as much as the could as quickly as they could, then trying to figure out who around them wasn't going to finish theirs.

Dessert by Russ Bodner

Russ Bodner and his cooks

Russ' Dinner Lab gave St. Louisans food that they can't find here otherwise. His love of Greek cooking combined with years in the South have left him with a unique voice in the culinary world. I hope he decides to make St. Louis his home once again - he'd have my business.