Stop by The Sweet Divine's new Soulard location this evening for some 1920s-style glitz, glamour and, of course, cupcakes!

The Sweet Divine (1801 South 9th Street; 636-942-2900) is hosting a Gatsby Happy Hour today from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in honor of the May 10 release of the new Baz Luhrmann film, The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Owner Jenna Siebert let us know that there will be two flavors of Gatsby-inspired cupcakes at the event, as well as lots of free movie merchandise to celebrate.

See also:
- Film Review: Gatsby's sometimes great, but not always good

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Chefs Casey Shiller and Dana Holland hard at work on Cupcake Wars | Food Network

Congrats to Jilly's Cupcake Bar & Cafe (8509 Delmar Boulevard, Ladue; 314-993-5455), two time winner of Food Network's Cupcake Wars! Back in February, Jilly's cupcake chef, Casey Shiller, and its executive chef, Dana Holland, duked it out against other past competitors for a chance at redemption. The theme was the South Beach Food and Wine Festival in Miami, and Jilly's represented the Midwest in what became a battle of the regions.

Shiller couldn't tell us much about the episode when we spoke in April, but the episode aired on Sunday evening, so now the secret's out. Jilly's cupcakes took home the grand prize of $10,000 and the opportunity to have its own display at the South Beach Food and Wine Festival.

See Also:
- Jilly's Cupcake Bar Seeks Redemption at Cupcake Wars
- Chef's Choice: Casey Shiller of Jilly's Cupcake Bar & Cafe

Screen caps from the episode as well as details about the winning flavors after the jump.

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Eckert's Country Store does pie right.

This month has nothing to do with pies. There is no holiday in April (or May, even) when one is expected to eat pie. It's not National Pie Week or Celebrate Pie Day. It's not March 14 (National Pi Day) or January 23 (National Pie Day). So why are we writing about pie now?

A reader bugged us about it. And here at Gut Check, we like to keep our readers happy. We like pie as much as the next person, but we really weren't intending to write about it until we received repeated requests from a certain fan of RFT.

Don't say we never did anything for you.

See Also:
- The 6 Best St. Louis Sports Bars for Food
- Best Toasted Ravioli in St. Louis in Honor of National Ravioli Day
- Best Bloody Marys in St. Louis: A Roundup

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The first time they were on Cupcake Wars, they took home the grand prize and all the glory. When they returned for the "Battle of the Champions," they got cut back down to size. On May 5, Jilly's Cupcake Bar (8509 Delmar Boulevard; 314-993-5455) is back in the competition, duking it out against bakers from across the country at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival.

The local cupcakery known for its jumbo stuffed cupcakes filmed the episode back in February. Though they can't tell us too much about the outcome, the Director of Baking and Pastry, Casey Shiller, did sit down with us to talk about the experience of being back on Cupcake Wars for a third time.

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Yesterday we told you about Spirited Chocolate, the upcoming chocolate and vodka pairing meal at Bissinger's (32 Maryland Plaza; 314-367-7750) on May 1.

Today, we'd like to offer you tickets to this delicious and intoxicating event. We've got two tickets -- each a $25 value -- that are yours for the winning! All you need to do is impress us with your chocolate and alcohol pairing skills.

More details after the jump...

UPDATE: Congrats, @lvehlewald! We love your suggestion of whiskey with bacon dark chocolate s'mores. We'll contact you with info about your tickets and the event.

Thanks to everyone else who left suggestions. You know what we'll be taste testing this weekend...

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Chocolate and vodka may not be an obvious pairing, but here at Gut Check International Headquarters, we partake of both liberally.

So naturally, when Bissinger's (32 Maryland Plaza; 314-367-7750) announced a Pearl vodka and chocolate confection pairing, we said, HELL YES BRING IT ON. Actually, it's a classy event, so we said, "Yes, please, it would be our pleasure to attend."

Bissinger's is calling the event Spritied Chocolate, and it will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, at the Maryland Plaza location.

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RFT Photo

Kaldi's on DeMun, one of two locations giving out free coffee and breakfast to bikers tomorrow.

The weather today in St. Louis isn't great -- and it is definitely not the most bike-friendly. Tomorrow's forecast, however, is much brighter, with a predicted high of 55 degrees and no showers.

Take advantage of that cool spring weather with the first Bike to Work Breakfast of the year hosted by Trailnet.

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Gail Dixon

A line forming for free cones last year at the Ben & Jerry's in the Delmar Loop.

With temperatures predicted to crest 80 degrees today in St. Louis, Gut Check could use some ice cream -- but then, couldn't we always?

Today is Ben & Jerry's annual Free Cone Day, with area locations slinging free scoops of ice cream from Noon to 8 p.m. Find out where to get your free sugar fix after the jump.

See also:
-Slideshow: Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's in the Delmar Loop 2012
-It's Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's [2012]!
-8 Flavors Ben & Jerry's Should Consider For Its New 30 Rock Ice Cream

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This just in from the folks at Just Born Inc. (or, more precisely, their PR flacks):

It's True -- the celebrity Candy Duo Mike and Ike return. To honor that reunion -- MIKE AND IKE introduce new flavors, amplified flavors, new boxes, a movie trailer -- The Return of Mike and Ike -- and movie mania promotions and more. As a fan and supporter of Mike and Ike, we invite you to cover this great news. As always, we are happy to provide you with samples for review and giveaway. Thanks so much for your consideration and please let us know what we can provide to you in the way of samples, photos and interviews. For more information on the reunion and to follow Mike and Ike's individual exploits, log onto www.facebook.com/mikeandike.

Coincidence? Gut Check thinks not.

When you think about it, guys, it's pretty cool news: Obviously this historic reunion (wait? were they ever gone?) is due to the American public's ever-increasing acceptance of gay marriage!

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Kaitlin Steinberg

The Sweet Divine closed its doors this past Saturday to prepare for its move to a new location in Soulard. But fret not, cupcake addicts! You can now scoop up its treats at all four Straub's locations.

Gut Check caught up with Straub's bakery manager Brandy Michel at the Kingshighway location to chat about the addition to the bakery department.

See Also:
- The Sweet Divine to Move to Soulard in March
- First Look: The Sweet Divine

Gut Check is always hungry for more restaurant news. Feed us your tips.

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