St. Louis News Blog

Remain non-broke all the way through Monday with the following suggestions for having fun on a budget this weekend.

Looking for live music? We have that for you too, with our weekend concert calendar. It's also one of the best weekends all year long to see a movie in St. Louis.

​Everything is Terrible!: The Movie at Antarctica (Friday)
A group of students at Ohio University compiled the worst video footage they could find, found footage "ranging from the hilariously arcane to the blissfully obscure," so says promotional bulletins about the film. Unreal interviewed Commander Gilgamesh, one of the group's founding members, to find out more about this movie. Those interested in seeing hilariously bad, the worst of the worst, can do so on Friday night. It costs $8 for the public, $6 for students, and begins at 9 p.m. at Antarctica, a new venue/space on the South Side (5226 Gravois.)

So Many Dynamos at Off Broadway (Friday)
We locals can be forgiven for feeling mighty proud of So Many Dynamos right about now. After all, we've seen the post-everything quartet grow from a spazzy-behind-the-ears band into a formidable live act that's opened for Ra Ra Riot and Death Cab for Cutie. The Dynamos, with new guitarist Nathan Bernaix, play Friday night at Off Broadway. The show starts at 8 p.m. and admission is just $8. Annie Zaleski has more details about the show here.

You could go out this weekend and spend a wad of cash drinking like a sailor. Or, you might find yourself online or at the mall, and end up charging a ridiculous-looking thermal coat to your Visa.

But why put yourself in the poorhouse (or the poky) when all the following events are just $10 or less?

P.S. We've got plenty of music choices this weekend, too.

Image Via

See Bob Run premieres Friday.

​See Bob Run at the ArtSpace at Crestwood Court (Opens Friday)
See Bob Run, a one-woman show by Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor, is a darkly weird combination of unreliable narrator and undeniable horror. Soundstage Productions presents this psychological drama at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday (November 6 through 8) at the Marble Stage Theater in the ArtSpace at Crestwood Court (Watson and Sappington roads, Crestwood.) Tickets are $10. Paul Friswold has more details about See Bob Run here.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Reichl

​Last month, Ruth Reichl, food writer and editor of Gourmet, was scheduled to visit St. Louis at the behest of Left Bank Books and give a talk at COCA to promote the new cookbook Gourmet Today. That was the week her magazine shut down.

Last night, Reichl (whose last name is, for the record, pronounced RYE-shul) finally made it here. She pimped out the new cookbook admirably and praised St. Louis' chefs. But the overall mood was subdued, more like a funeral than a book party. (The night before, Reichl wrote in her personal blog, the magazine's staff had had its goodbye party.) Now that the magazine was gone, Reichl said more than once, Gourmet Today, which is a report, in recipes, from the food revolution over the past five years, would be the last cookbook of its kind.

(In lieu of black armbands, the books had stickers on their jackets promising each buyer a free year-long subscription to Gourmet.)

Here's your guide to having fun this weekend on a budget. Looking for live music? Check out our weekend concert calendar.

Where the Wild Things Are opens Friday. Read J. Hoberman's review.

​Where the Wild Things Are at various theaters (Friday)
While J. Hoberman questioned some of director Spike Jonze's methods in this adaptation of the 400-word children's classic, the buzz about this film is inarguable. It opens Friday at various theaters here and across the country. Read Hoberman's full review before you go see Wild Things.

Paint by Numbers at Mad Art Gallery (Friday)
The Saint Louis City Open Studio & Gallery (314-865-0060 or www.scosag.org) hosts a fundraising event where everyone who wants to be an artist is an artist if only just for the night. Paint by Numbers is held at the Mad Art Gallery (2727 South 12th Street) -- it sounds artsy already! -- and throughout the evening attendees get to take up brushes and contribute colors to the largest paint-by-numbers mural in the state. $3-$5. Alison Sieloff has more details here.

Some weekends there are more options than others when it comes to finding something fun to do on a budget. This is one of 'em.

Soulard Oktoberfest (Friday-Sunday)

Look at the size of those mugs! Soulard Oktoberfest runs through Sunday and costs $5 admission.

​Despite controversy over the amount of littering, noise, and public urination -- one festival will remain in Soulard for at least another year. (No, we're not talking about Mardi Gras.) Soulard Oktoberfest gets going this this weekend in Soulard's Farmers' Market. This year they're charging a cover for the party ($5), but it's still a hell'uva a lot of fun for little cost. Alison Sieloff has all the details here. Check out photos from last year.

Good Monday to you, St. Louis. Here's a recap of our weekend coverage:

Big Muddy Records Roof Top Party

Photo: Sarah Paradoski

See more photos from Friday night's party.

​On Friday night, local label Big Muddy Records hosted a party on the roof of the Jefferson Underground gallery. The music went on late -- past 2 a.m. -- and featured a slew of local blues and folk acts. See photos here.

You could say it was the Best week of 2009, and there's plenty to do this weekend for less than $10. Here it is, your affordable weekend preview. Looking for concerts this weekend? There's plenty of them posted in our weekend concert calendar.

​Muny Show 4.0 at Star Clipper (Friday)
If you're itching to release your inner kindergartener's creative spirit, might I suggest the Munny doll -- the mini vinyl doll from kidrobot is a blank slate that can be drawn on, painted, molded and sculpted. For some major inspiration on how to get started, head to Star Clipper for the St. Louis Munny Show 4.0. Munny Show 4.0 opens with a free public reception at 7 p.m. at Star Clipper (6392 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-725-9110 or www.starclipper.com.) More details here! - Courtney Schilling

​

stlouiscore.com

Lewis Reed may look a bit skinnier by next week.

​Thanks to KMOX for explaining the curious tweet Lewis Reed, president of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, sent out this afternoon. 

Good morning St. Louis. Who else wore a jacket to work today?

Here's what you might have missed over the weekend.

IScream Cake Tasting at Iron Age

Photo: Stew Smith

The banana-and-peanut butter head of Elvis. See more photos here.

​On Friday night, creator of bizarre cake designs and former Roller Derby player, Kerry Soraci, showed off some of her designs at Iron Age Tattoo on Delmar. The photos are posted in Gut Check.

What a weekend. If you stayed inside constantly checking istwitterdown.com, here's what you missed.

The What Cheer? Brigade on the City Museum roof
On Friday night, the What Cheer? Brigade, a traveling 19-piece, punk brass band, took to the roof of the City Museum for a show, before heading to Chicago for Lollapalooza on Sunday. See more photos of the scene here. (Photo by Steve Truesdell.)

An armadillo in its natural state.

​Perhaps it's just a slow news day in the southwestern Illinois town of Shiloh.

Or perhaps what  occurred there this morning will be remembered centuries later as the tipping point of man's impact on planet Earth.

If it's the latter, it will be well documented. That's because Shiloh Mayor Jim Vernier reported today to the local paper of record -- The Belleville News-Democrat -- that an armadillo was struck and killed on Main Street.

Many people believe global warming is responsible for the recent migration of armadillo northward from states such as Texas. And while today's killing is not the first armadillo sighting in Illinois, it still qualifies as news -- at least to the mayor.

Vernier tells the News-Democrat that the animal's carcass was taken to the town's Public Works Department, where it was photographed and placed in a freezer.

You know, for safekeeping.

fancyfeast.com/appetizers

Fancy Feast's "Seabass & Shrimp Appetizers in a Delicate Broth"

One of our favorite Post-Dispatch scribes, Todd Frankel, has a most delicious story out today documenting a secret operation at Nestle Purina. The project, 3.5 years in the making, is hailed as a plan to shake up the pet food industry and (it would seem) finally ensure that our furry friends are as fat as we are.

Introducing hors d'oerves for cats. Yes, last month Purina began shipping to supermarkets and pet stores its Fancy Feast Appetizers for cats -- gourmet snacks that include such haute cuisine selections as "tender Tongol tuna," "steamed Tilapia," and "seabass and shrimp."

So far, cats and their owners are gobbling it up.

"It means my cats eat better than most people in the United States and in developing countries," Laurie Ruettimann of North Carolina tells Frankel. "But I have no problem spoiling my cats."

Wow. And here I thought my fellow RFT staff writer Aimee Levitt was nuts for admitting and (worse) blogging about the gourmet meals she cooks for her cat. But apparently Aimee's fancy feasts are quite normal when it comes to kooky cat lovers.

Earlier this morning, eight campers, age nine to twelve, and their two counselors, Washington University students, crouched around a potato bed in the university's student garden, the Burning Kumquat.

"OK, who here can tell us how long it takes for a potato to grow?" asks counselor Katie Anderson, whose garden name is Chestnut. (More on that in a minute.)

"A hundred days!" shouts the camper who researched the subject yesterday.

Chestnut's co-counselor, Dragonfly, known in the outside world as Jen Swanson, beats a drum as the campers pretend to be potatoes. First they grow, slowly, over 100 days. Then they get picked. Then they get transported from Idaho to Atlanta (running around the potato bed), where they are chopped, frozen and then deep-fried, chewed and swallowed, amid much yelping.

Because this is so much fun, they will do the same for lettuce (ending up in a Big Mac) and carrots (a Wendy's salad).

Camp Kumquat simulates the terrible experience of being a chopped carrot.

Welcome to Camp Kumquat. This is the first part of today's lesson: fast food. After lunch, Molly Rockamann, a founder of EarthDance, a local community farm, will talk to the campers about slow food.

A billboard hoisted Wednesday on I-70, one mile west of Lindbergh Boulevard, warns travelers that hot dogs can kill you.

Don't drive off the road when you see this billboard on I-70.

"It's to get the attention of people traveling to St. Louis to attend the All-Star Game on the fourteenth," explains Krista Haynes, staff dietitian for The Cancer Project, the Washington, D.C.-based organization that's footing the bill for the board. "We want to alert fans that processed meats have been linked to increased risks of certain cancers, specifically colorectal cancer."

Haynes says The Cancer Project also sent a letter Wednesday to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, asking him to post warning signs next to all the hot-dog stands at Busch Stadium during the All-Star Game.

"We're hoping he'll be cooperative," says Haynes. "We hope he wants the best for his fans."

My feature story "Where's the Beef?", just out today, tells the story of St. Louis' very own Allison Burgess, a vegetarian who was tired of the limited meatless options in restaurants and decided to create her own meat substitute. The result, Match, mimics the flavor and texture of meat and allows chefs to add their own seasonings.

The idea of faux meat was not a popular one here at RFT world headquarters and led to a round of philosophical debates about the nature of meat itself, and also of vegetarianism, and speculation about who the hell would want to eat this stuff. These debates are recreated in the article, but by experts on nutrition and food history.

The key question about Match, however, is much simpler: How does it taste?

flickr.com/photos/jonbauer

Schlosser

Food, Inc., the new exposé -documentary about the food industry, doesn't open at the Tivoli until June 26, but it's already generated a fair amount of controversy in St. Louis.

Co-produced by Eric Schlosser of Fast Food Nation fame and starring Schlosser and Michael Pollan of The Omnivore's Dilemma super-fame, Food, Inc. demonizes the "highly mechanized underbelly" of commercially-produced food. Monsanto, the west county-based agricultural company, emerges as one of its chief villains.

In response, Monsanto has added a new page to its website defending itself and denouncing the film for its various inaccuracies.

flickr.com/photos/prettywarstl

"Busch" Stadium -- or so they say.

So, I finally made it to my first ball game of the season this week. The event was not a pleasant experience despite a Cardinals victory and lovely spring weather.

Why?

Because the stadium's concessionaire, Sportservice, has nearly done away entirely with the sale of my favorite Anheuser-Busch product -- Busch beer.

You know, the beer whose name happens to sit atop the ballpark named (ironically enough these days) Busch Stadium!!!

flickr.com/photos/freewine

Gone shroomin'

Morel mushrooms don't make you think your carpet is pulsating. They're just deliciously tasty -- and now in demand in the St. Louis area, since their short season has come into full swing.

There appears to be a quiet subculture of St. Louisans who are really into hunting for these things. Check out the Missouri message board at Morels.com.

John Davis, a.k.a., The Mushroom Man, told Daily RFT that he's been buying from private citizen pickers at about $15 a pound. "All the top restaurants are trying to carry Morels right now," he says.

Because when you fall into the polar bear exhibit (as a woman did today in Berlin, Germany) a polar bear won't take a tremendous bite out of your ass.



Then again, I suppose that's the risk you run when your backside resembles a sea lion's.

Forecast calls for pie!

This just in from the Branson Convention and Visitor's Bureau...

America's favorite weatherman Al Roker is headed to the Ozarks this month to serve as the celebrity taste-tester for Branson's Great American Pie Show.

That's right! On April 25 Roker will help determine the winning pie among a dozen finalists, including Judy Castranova of North Carolina and her "Marshmallow Creme Almond-Topped Key Lime Pie." (Castranova, according to a Branson CVB press release, is pre-diabetic. Hmm, wonder why?)

The most excited contestant, though, may be Barbara Estabrook of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, who considers herself a huge Al Roker fan. "I watch him every morning," says Estabrook. "And I thought, 'Wouldn't it be neat to have him judge my pie?'"

Whoa! And here we thought Branson was family friendly!

Photo: Jennifer Silverberg

Barham at the Columbia Farmers' Market one Saturday morning in 2006

Reading earlier today about how Anheuser-Busch InBev has lost another round in European courts over the use of the name "Budweiser" in Europe reminded me of the very swell time I had reporting the story, "Bounty By The County," back in the spring/summer of 2006. I know Beth Barham, whom the piece profiles, definitely smiled at the headlines this morning.

Barham is a huge champion of the claim that A-B InBev's opponent, Budvar, has made in the long-running trademark battle: That is, you can't appropriate the name of something *made in a particular place* and tack it onto *any-old product made somewhere else.* (In French, which Barham speaks, there's one word that roughly sums up this concept: terroir.)

Think: Champagne. Prosciutto. Feta.

I was also reminded that I've been wanting to blog for forever now about how far along Barham's Missouri Regional Cuisines Project has come since I first wrote about it in 2006....

www.billcardwell.com

More depressing news for puffers.

Beginning next month, Cardwell's at the Plaza will join the ranks of several other area restaurants in prohibiting smoking indoors.

In a statement, owner/chef Bill Cardwell said he hopes the move makes all his clients have a better dining experience.

"This was a very difficult decision, as we have very loyal guests who enjoy sitting at the bar with a drink and a cigarette," said Cardwell. "These are some of my best and most valued guests, and I trust they will understand that I've made this change after long consideration, for the health and well being of both my diners and my employees." 

Smoking will still be permitted on the outdoor patio at the restaurant. Last summer Cardwell and business partner John Vincent Kennealy opened BC's Kitchen in Lake Saint Louis. That restaurant is also smoke free indoors.

bobcasemusican.com

Bob Case and others will do the "Mardi Gras" tonight in Carondelet.

As I mentioned last week, the unofficial non-Mardi Grad Inc. version of "Fat Tuesday" takes place tonight in the south city hamlet of Carondelet.

The festivities begin around 7 p.m. in and around Iron Barley and The Wedge restaurants. Click here for a map of the location.

Events tonight include music by Mardi Gras rocker Bob Case and a parade -- of sorts. (I'm told that you might want to wear running shoes if you plan to march in the parade 'cause it ain't exactly sanctioned by the city.) I've also heard that members of the Banana Bike Brigade may also participate in the activities.

Should be fun. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Lot's of good stuff can be found on RFT blogs not named Stlog. (BTW: That's pronounced "sta-log." Who knew?) Anyway, here are a few of the highlights:

From A to Z:

• Concert promoter John Mancuso's letter stirred up a hornet's nest of replies from St. Louis musicians fed-up with pay-to-play gigs in St. Louis.
• Target Market, Say Panther and Jovian Chorus ignited Ciceros.
  
• Contributor Jaime Lees has a confession to make: Sex Robots saved her life.

From Gut Check:

• Ian consumes the worst food in America (at least according to Men's Health magazine).
• Sounds like a sitcom; tastes divine: Five Guys Burgers and Fries.
• Drinks to celebrate the end of the Bush administration.

From Rundown:

• A rough month for Mark McGwire with him getting the hall-of-fame snub again and his younger brother trying to sell a tell-all book about his alleged use of steroids.
• Cardinals GM John Mozeliak has a nasty -- and hilarious -- online chat with fans.
• SLU gets an "old-fashioned butt-kicking."
  

Sgt. Jen Dipley, of Festus and of the Missouri Army National Guard, shipped out to Jalalabad, Afghanistan, five weeks ago, not to hunt for terrorists or WMD but to help the Afghans develop their own sustainable agriculture system.

That means stuff they can eat, not stuff we can smoke.

In case you actually worked this week (and didn't surf the Web all day), here are just a few of the gems from our other RFT blogs.

From Gut Check:

• St. Louisans love caffeine, especially the carbonated kind. Can too much of a good thing cause you to see things? 
• A local billboard offers a disturbing food-related riddle.
• A Krispy Kreme Inauguration Day offer prompts a strange reaction from a pro-life group.

From A to Z:

• The Bluebird night club closes tonight. It will reopen in a few weeks as a meaner, nastier bird. 
• Australian rockers AC/DC rocked the Scottrade Center. 
• Hear here some old school ozark punk rock. Seriously. 
  

From The Rundown:

• Darius Miles+Portland Trailblazers=NBA Comedy Gold.
• Aaron Schafer runs down the Best and Worst of Stadium Rock. 
• SLU gets a big win, and Keegan gets a great view of it all.
  

After a hectic day of food, football, travel, family, and family-related headaches, it's easy to overlook the real reason that we celebrate Thanksgiving. It's not because of some silly myth about pilgrims and it's not just another excuse for one more gorging holiday meal. It is, quite literally, about the people and things that help you make it through the year.

On Wednesday, I joined the leaders of the St. Louis health and social services group Acción Social Communitaria, as they dined with about a dozen Hispanic families at Taqueria El Torito on Cherokee Street.

Lame-duck governor Matt Blunt will pardon another turkey for Thanksgiving this year.

While at least one other person at the RFT today expressed mild surprise that Blunt would pardon anything on death row, it's actually the second year that the gov will give the still-unnamed bird a pass.

There's a mock-election going on over at the state's Department of Agriculture Web site, where presumably people can vote to name the turkey that will be pardoned. To go along with the election, Blunt's office issued probably the most groan-inducing press release of his tenure as the state's chief executive.

To vote for the to-be-pardoned turkey's name (no, Kenny or Jay are not options, nor is "pesky reporter" or "deleted e-mail records"), check out the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

Although Blunt many are pleased to see Blunt go, I for one will miss the Web sites devoted to him.

-Nick Lucchesi

Officials in Lincoln County are blaming the breach in the Mississippi River levee at Winfield on...

...muskrats.

Here's the gist from a CNN.com story headlined "Muskrats blamed for levee breach on Mississippi":

Muskrat holes weakened a Mississippi River levee on Friday, allowing floodwaters to pour into Lincoln County, Missouri, just north of St. Louis, officials said.

Sheriff's deputies alerted residents to evacuate, yelling "get out, the levee broke" as they went door-to-door in the affected areas, according to an Associated Press report....

Though overnight rains were reported in the area, officials speaking at a Friday morning press conference said muskrats looking for food or making dens had dug into the earthen levee, weakening it enough that nature took care of the rest....

Unreal's heart goes out to the residents of Lincoln County.

As for the muskrats, well, perhaps a bit of population control is in order. And although the little critters are kinda homely, some say they make for good eatin'.