Blogs

So here I was, all ready to follow your votes and pit the burgers from O'Connell's Pub and Seamus McDaniel's against each other in a no-holds-barred, steel-cage battle to the death. Except...

O'Connell's Pub has been closed all week. Won't reopen till next week.

When I'm on vacation.

So. Um. Yes.

The inaugural Fight Club Sandwich battle is postponed until the week of July 13.

Gut Check International Headquarters will be shuttered for the Fourth of July holiday tomorrow. Next week, I'm on vacation, but the blog never sleeps, so check back for highlights of the past few years as well as new posts on Match meat and more.

Have a great weekend. And next week. And next weekend. Eat something good.

From a source I can refer to only as Deep Sandwich, a photo of a prototype menu for Niche Taste Bar, opening later this month at the Sidney Street location of Niche.

Do you know a St. Louis food blog we should read? Do you write one yourself? Drop us a line.

RFT staff writer Aimee Levitt and her cat, Bess, continue their culinary adventure.

One of the hazards of my job is forced immersion -- some might say obsession -- in a particular subject for months at time. Pick-up artists, education, death, comic books, vampires...the books and articles pile up. (Sometimes I wonder if Homeland Security has a file based on my borrowings from the University City Public Library and, if so, what conclusions they have drawn about me.)

Bess is usually the primary beneficiary of my newfound knowledge. She listens patiently as I ramble on, sometimes reads over my shoulder, sometimes naps, on one occasion tried to eat the results of my labors (the discards, actually, of the balloon animal phase), but never have I forced her to participate in my temporary idiocy.

Until now.

Despite the presence of two giant Harleys, I took my husband to Frank's. Mainly because it was the third bar we'd tried. The other two were too nice. This happens every time I bring my husband to work. He turns dumps into respectable joints. When I'm alone, I'm guaranteed to fall into a room filled with drunks, elderly karaoke singers, cats, dogs and guys who are really interested in my tattoos.

flickr.com/photos/creativille

In this week's feature article, I report on Match, a meat substitute created by Allison Burgess, a lifelong St. Louisan. If you'd like to try some, I'll be posting recipes here on Gut Check all week long.

Just in time for the Fourth, here's Clint Whittemore's Match burger. Whittemore is the executive chef at The Market at Busch's Grove.

Ingredients:
1 pound Match Beef
1/2 of one poblano pepper, diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
juice and zest of 1 lime
1/8 pound (4 tablespoons) butter (or olive oil for vegan)

Preparation:
Mix all ingredients together and form into patties. Grill, broil, fry or however else you like to prepare your burger. Top with melted cheese.

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In this week's edition: learn about National Ice Cream Month; get the details on cooking classes taught by chef Jack MacMurray III of Sage; and read up on the new Mosiac Lounge next to the popular Washington Avenue restaurant.

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The E. coli outbreak linked to Colorado's JBS Swift Beef Co. has hospitalized a dozen. (AP)

McDonald's enters the "upscale" fast-food burger battle. (CNN Money)

France resorts to a tax cut to get derrieres back in restaurant seats. (AP)

Crowds, kegs out back, live music and coffee -- lots of coffee. While it might sound like that college party you don't remember very well (the one that ended up at Uncle Bill's at 4:00 am), it was, in fact, Kaldi's Summer Barista Jam.

Last Friday, Kaldi's Coffee Roasting Company hosted its third barista jam, a barista-education and coffee-industry pow wow for St. Louis and the Midwest region. The theme for this season's jam was "back to the basics," an intense focus on espresso roasting, presentation (latte art, etc.) and other techniques.

When I walked in the side door to the office lobby (I use this term loosely for those that are familiar with the space), caffeine-crashed baristas and enthusiasts were lounging on sofas and chairs. By the time I arrived around 6 p.m., the event had already been going on for ten hours. About half the participants at the jam were Kaldi's baristas, with local and regional industry types making up the rest.

Photo courtesy Josh Ferguson

Kaldi's Frank McGinty leads the "Taste Evaluation Station"

A long espresso machine stacked with dozens of mismatched, brightly colored demitasse cups took center stage. Opposite the espresso machine was another table covered with five cardboard boxes filled with different espresso roasts with labels on the side. Baristas and civilians were dipping white paper cups into the boxes, pulling up the exact proportions of their signature blends. The "Happy Hour Barista Challenge" was on its way.

Roasters Andrew Timko and Joe Marrocco presided over the judging, following the same criteria used at the Specialty Coffee Association of America's Midwest Regional Barista Challenge last fall. Espressos were judged on the color, consistency and persistence of the crema, taste balance and tactile balance (full-bodied, smooth, and so on).

photo: Jennifer Silverberg

In this week's feature article, I report on Match, a meat substitute created by Allison Burgess, a lifelong St. Louisan. If you'd like to try some, I'll be posting recipes here on Gut Check all week long. We begin with crab cakes devised by Match's executive chef and general manager, Freddie Holland:

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegan mayo
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup celery, fine dice
1/4 cup onions, fine dice
2 tablespoons sugar or honey (for non-vegan)
1 pound Match Crab
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 cup panko breadcrumbs for breading

Preparation:

Combine first 13 ingredients and then add Match crab and mix well. Add 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs to tighten mixture.

Place breadcrumbs for breading in bowl.

Divide mixture into 12 equal portions and form into balls.

Roll balls in breading and form cakes by hand.

Saute cakes in canola or vegetable oil over medium heat until golden brown.

Finish in oven when ready to serve at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for five to eight minutes.

For more of Holland's Match recipes, check out the Match website.