Blogs

source: hope.abta.org

We'll save you a bite.

Today marks the end of our first full month here at Gut Check. (Yeah, there's an archive that goes back to last year, but most of that was written for the mothership, STLog.) If you've been with us since the beginning, you may have noticed that we've been trying to add more and more content each week. Well, you'll find even more here in the weeks to come, including blog-only -- or, to be more precise, blog-first -- reviews.

I've been having a lot of fun with Gut Check. If you've enjoyed the result, maybe pass a good word to your fellow foodie friends.

Have a great weekend. Eat something good!

-Ian Froeb

photo: Ian Froeb

Red on Washington Ave.

Following up on last week's post about the grand opening of Red, the eastern European-themed restaurant at 1130 Washington Avenue:

I finally spoke with someone at the restaurant today. Turns out there will be a soft opening next week. (Translation: Call before you visit. It may be friends and family only. If you can attend, be prepared for screw-ups.) The official grand opening will be Thursday, July 19. For more info, call 314-588-7864.

I haven't forgotten about the other proposed new restaurants on Washington Avenue. We'll take a look at these -- or the lack thereof -- in the next couple of weeks.

-Ian Froeb

source: www.robscape.com

AVOID.

The FDA has announced that it is banning farm-raised catfish, eel and shrimp (as well as a few other species) imported from China because of contamination from various substances. Read the official press release here. The New York Times provides a summary here.

The FDA has also warned consumers about Salmonella contamination in Veggie Booty snack food from Robert's American Gourmet, the same company that produces Pirate's Booty snack food.

(There's a really bad booty pun to be made here, but food poisoning is never, ever funny.)

UPDATE: As you might expect, China is protesting the FDA's decision.

-Ian Froeb

source: www.chemistryland.com

Drink up.

From our friends at the mothership, STLog:

In a town thirsty for good news, it's no surprise Mayor Francis Slay is crowing about St. Louis' latest triumph. What's the cause for celebration? The U.S. Conference of Mayors recently named St. Louis as the city with the "Best Tasting City Water in America."

Take that, Cahokia!

But before we sip from this cup of civic nectar, let's consider the source. Per the press release: The blind taste test was conducted by "hundreds" of mayors, who tested waters for their "taste, clarity and aroma."

Putting aside for the moment the fact that blinded mayors would likely make extremely poor judges of beverage clarity, consider that this panel of jurors lavished praise on the tap water that flows from faucets in Long Beach and Toledo -- not exactly Evian country.

In fact, after a five-year investigation (1998-2003), the Environmental Working Group, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit, found that Long Beach's tap water contained up to thirteen different pollutants. Among them: arsenic,(4) and thallium, a poison used to kill rodents.

Toledo fared even worse. The Environmental Working Group found that Ohio's fourth-largest city had sixteen different pollutants in its municipal water pipe. Toledo's top contaminants? Phosphorus, a chemical element used in fertilizers; bromodichloromethane and dibromochloromethane, both byproducts of chlorine.

Compared to Toledo and Long Beach, St. Louis comes out looking like a champ. The Environmental Working Group found that our city's municipal well had a mere six contaminants. Again bromodichloromethane and dibromochloromethane topped the list (in concentrations that exceeded unenforcible EPA recommendations), but St. Louis' water had one thing that our competitors didn't: vinyl chloride, an industrial chemical associated with plastic manufacturing. Not only that, our water had such a generous dose of the chemical that we ranked ninth overall in vinyl chloride concentration.

Still, the St. Louis Water Division is proud of its work. The division processes roughly 150 million gallons of water it pulls each day from the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, and it tests for 150 possible contaminants. Last year the division found a mere fourteen offending pollutants -- all at concentration levels below required limits. "In fact, we have never violated a water quality regulation in 100 years of testing," the city's 2006 Water Quality Report informs us in a bold font.

So who cares that last year one of the city's 60 water filters failed, resulting in an EPA minor monitoring violation? The country's mayors have spoken -- and how could a roomful of politicians be wrong?

-Malcolm Gay

source: www.neonsign.com

Someone please buy me this sign for Xmas.

When I reviewed Pho Long in November of last year, the tiny restaurant at 8613 Olive Boulevard offered a menu of pho and hardly anything else. (There were spring rolls and a few desserts, I think.) I stopped by for lunch recently to discover that the menu has expanded, if only slightly. Now you can order one of three entrées: a pork chop, a flank steak and salt-and-pepper shrimp.

I opted for the shrimp, which costs $10.95. They were lightly battered and just fantastic, not at all greasy. They came with green onion, jalapeño and thick slices of ginger. The sauce seemed to be salt and pepper in lime juice. It was incredibly intense, tart and very salty. There was only a few tablespoons worth of it, so I didn't mind the saltiness, but if you're sensitive to salt, watch out.

For those following Gut Check's continuing fascination with durian: Pho Long also offers durian smoothies. Um, pass.

(And, yes, I know that the proper pronunciation of pho sort of rhymes with "duh," not "no." But the visual pun is too easy to skip. For a pronunciation-correct pun, please check the tags below.)

-Ian Froeb

A slow day here at Gut Check headquarters. I had a grilled pork banh mi from Ba Le for lunch. It was much spicier than I remembered from my review of the place earlier this year. I opened it up and found a slice of jalapeno nearly as big as my thumb.

For any industry types reading this: Restaurant Depot, a wholesale restaurant-supply store, has opened at 6455 Manchester Avenue. It's not open to the public.

I believe this news predates Gut Check's launch, but my pal Annie from A to Z tipped me off that Blackberry Cafe, formerly located across from the Richmond Heights Schnucks, has reopened at 7351 Forsyth Boulevard.

Finally, a very interesting article in today's New York Times about intellectual property as it relates to recipes and restaurant concepts: A New York City chef is suing a former employee after he opened a restaurant more or less identical to hers.

-Ian Froeb

photo: Jennifer Silverberg

A grand slam of flavors

My review of the food at GCS Stadium, home of the Gateway Grizzlies, is now online. Click here to read.

Also in this week's paper: Kristie's indoor-soccer team takes on Fiji Natural Artesian Water, while Malcolm tries to keep down a Tyson Fully Cooked Fajita Chicken Breast Strip.

-Ian Froeb

source: www.localharvestgrocery.com

Now open in Tower Grove South

Local Harvest Grocery will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at 3148 Morganford (near the Tin Can Tavern). Local Harvest is notable for its support of locally produced grocries. That's not too surprising: Owner Patrick Horine also runs the Tower Grove Farmers' Market.

I'm super excited to have this place in my neighborhood. Friends and colleagues have already been raving about it. So drop by and see what all the fuss is about. You might even bump into yours truly. Call 314-865-5260 or email contact@localharvestgrocery.com for more information.

If you read my colleague Malcolm Gay's recent Keep It Down feature story, you may remember that after enjoying several adventurous courses, we were defeated by a durian sorbet. Want to know more about the unfathomably stinky fruit? The Grinder, the food-media blog at Chow.com, has a fun little entry on the topic.

-Ian Froeb

photo: Ian Froeb

With cheese sauce, of course.

What is that...thing...on the right? That, my friends, is a deep-fried White Castle Slyder, just one of the unusual food items available at GCS Stadium in Sauget, Illinois, home of the Frontier League's Gateway Grizzlies. Check back here tomorrow -- or wait till the hard copy hits the streets -- for the grand finale of my summer vacation in Illinois

-Ian Froeb

source: www.sfu.ca

You'll find banana under B, my friend.

A heads-up if you haven't wandered over to the RFT restaurant page lately: We've redesigned the whole shebang. You'll find links to my most recent reviews, Malcom's Keep It Down column and Kristie's Drink of the Week as well as the latest posts here on Gut Check.

You can search for restaurants by name, location, price range and special features (e.g., kid friendly). Best of all, now you can write reviews of your favorite -- and least favorite -- restaurants. Don't agree with my take on the new hotspot? Think a restaurant we reviewed years ago is now coasting on its reputation? Don't mutter about it under your breath. Write!

-Ian Froeb

The husband-and-wife team of Dave Owens and Margaret Kelly are leaving Terrene. Owner John McElwain confirmed the news, first reported (as far as I can tell) on Sauce Magazine's Web site, when I spoke with him on the phone Friday. A formal announcement is expected this week.

The New York Times has an excellent story today on the extreme measures being taken by sushi chefs in Japan to compensate for a tuna shortage. (Registration required.)

This is as good a place as any to repeat the recommendation I made a few months ago: Read Charles Clover's The End of the Line. It belongs with The Omnivore's Dilemma and Fast Food Nation on the shelf of food books that will change your life.

Speaking of the Times, last week I recommended an article by restaurant critic Frank Bruni on his love for fatty meats. (If you didn't read it then, tough luck: It's now available only through the paper's paid archive.) As food writer extraordinaire Michael Ruhlman notes on his blog, this prompted quite a few letters to the editor excorciating Bruni for his "unhealthy" lifestyle.

Finally, check out the new food blog Fried Brain Sandwich. Author Jason Clevenger has been one of the regular commenters in these early weeks of Gut Check.

-Ian Froeb

photo: Jennifer Silverberg

Marcia Sindel at La Dolce Via

Sunday, a shade after noon. I wake up groggily. After one too many beers the night before – I attended my colleague Randy Roberts’ going-away party, after all – my foggy brain can only focus on consuming two things: La Dolce Via’s bottomless cup of coffee and its seasonal delicacy, berries and cream.

I reach the bakery and order the above, along with a savory scone. The plump, juicy berries arrive and begin to soothe my looming hangover; the perfectly cooked egg and buttery bread of the scone further dissipates my dull headache. And after three or four cups of coffee (the glass is small, OK?), I’m starting to feel great.

I linger over my java as a sudden summer shower erupts. There’s a hand-written note on a jar atop the bakery case: “Marcia’s surgery fund.” I ask what that’s about.

According to the clerk I spoke with, La Dolce Via owner Marcia Sindel recently had surgery for herniated discs in her back -- and, dedicated owner that she is, was back at the bakery/restaurant nearly right away. (They wouldn’t let her work.) She still needs surgery for other ailments, however: benign nodes on her vocal cords, and on the muscles/tendons in her forearm, due to repetitive motion injuries.

Besides having some of the best food and atmosphere in the city, Sindel and her crew are some of the nicest, most hospitable people around. Head over to 4474 Arco Avenue and throw a few bucks into the jar for Marcia – and while you’re there, buy a brownie and some coffee. Just make sure to leave some berries for me.

-Annie Zaleski

photo: Ian Froeb

Yes, that's parsley.

Before we embark on another busy week here at Gut Check, I thought I'd show you the result of my first attempt at making ice cream.

In fact, I decided to make sorbet. Canteloupe sorbet, to be precise. Pretty simple recipe: Puree four cups of chopped canteloupe, mix with a homemade simple syrup and freeze.

Here's a tip: When your ice-cream maker's instructions tell you to freeze the freezer bowl for six to twenty-two hours before using, err on the side of twenty-two. There was no way the ice-cream maker was going to finish at a reasonable hour, so I took the slush I had and froze it overnight.

The flavor was excellent, a burst of pure, sweet ripe canteloupe, but the texture was on the icy side, even for sorbet. Lesson learned. And now a week of good eats.

(And, yes, that's a sprig of parsley in the picture. I thought a sprig of mint would be a nice touch for the photo. But I didn't have any mint. I had parsley. I'm learning, food bloggers. I'm learning.)

-Ian Froeb

source: concise.britannica.com

31 flavors is just a start

Regular readers of my restaurant reviews know that I often refer to my fiancée. Well, her bridal shower was this past weekend, and one gift she received was an ice-cream maker. Her response: "I'm going to eat the hell out of some ice cream." Which means that I have to make some damn good ice cream for her to eat.

Now, I've cooked and baked all sorts of things, but ice cream is new to me. Any tips? I figure I'll start with something straightforward (strawberry?), but I tend to become overly ambitious. What unusual flavors have you tried? (I still think about the basil ice cream I had at Erato earlier this month.)

Or maybe I'll just walk down the street from my office to Ben & Jerry's.

Whatever you do this weekend, eat something good!

-Ian Froeb

Over at A to Z, my good friend Annie notes that El Scorcho, the new barbecue and Tex-Mex restaurant in Maplewood that I mentioned earlier today, may have a special appeal to a certain musician. (Warning: For music geeks only!)

-Ian Froeb