You have our attention, Cheese-ology, with your weekend Tweets about adding bacon to Rice Krispie treats. We thought it was a one-off -- and probably pretty tasty -- incident, until we saw The Burping Camel tweeting a similar tune:

Not that this is the first sign of the cereal treat take-over. Park Avenue Coffee's been doing Wacky Wednesday, where they offer treats made with cereals of their customers' choosing. Like this June 29 offering:

Are fancy-pants Rice Krispie Treats the trend predecessor to cupcakes?

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We asked you which food trends should leave ASAP, and you told us. The vote was close, but in the end, sorry, cupcakes, you're all sweet and adorable, but you're also played.

meatlessmonday.com

Firing up the grill for Meatless Monday? Not so fast.

​Since the beginning of year, the Meatless Monday movement has gained momentum, thanks to publicity from vegetarian Paul McCartney and carnivore Mario Batali. The Oprah Effect kicked in, with the former talk show queen offering meatless meals to her staffers on Mondays and encouraging the movement with viewers. Even Carol Blonder at our sister paper, Phoenix New Times, has taken the Meatless Monday pledge and posts what she's learned.

Browsing through the recipes at the New Times and Meatless Monday's website, the focus is rarely on soy-based protein replacements in recipes. Instead they're mainly using beans, protein-rich grains, eggs, and dairy - foods that are already familiar to meat-eaters.

Local soy product giant Solae, which makes soy protein isolates, concentrates and structured proteins that are used in many meat replacers, is looking to change that by encouraging the Meatless Monday crowd to grill their products this summer. In a press release Solae's research chef, Simon Lusky, gives tips on grilling their products.

But is it necessary? We talked to some local Meatless Monday participants about what they're eating.

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Today's post about a shop with a sign forbidding frozen yogurt was yet another reminder of how many frozen-yogurt joints have cropped up in St. Louis over the past few years. Yet as I thought about it, I couldn't conclude that frozen yogurt is the local food trend that is closest to reaching the saturation point -- not when there are several other possibilities.

Which of the following five local food trends do you think needs to stop immediately? You can enter your own choice if you don't agree with one of the five below.



The poll closes at the end of Tuesday.

Ian Froeb

The cover of the media kit The Tilted Kit once sent me.

​Last week, I looked at an Eater article about "dead" dining trends in New York City and whether those trends have yet to arrive, let alone die, here in St. Louis.

This week, I can report that St. Louis is well ahead of the curve of one trend that, based on press coverage this week, has blossomed to the point where the public is starting to take notice.

Breastaurants.

I'll say it again: Breastaurants.

Yes, this is the clever portmanteau that someone created for Hooters and its ilk. Entrepreneur reports on the boom:

Franchises inspired by the Hooters model -- such as Celtic-themed sports bar chain Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery and faux mountain sports lodge chain Twin Peaks -- have expanded rapidly over the last half decade, while corporate-owned chains like Brick House Tavern + Tap and Bone Daddy's House of Smoke are picking up steam regionally. In fact, for the next couple of years, this segment (often referred to as "breastaurants") is poised to be one of the fastest-growing restaurant categories.

Heck, St. Louis might be ahead of the curve. We are already home not only to (multiple) Hooters, but also to Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery and Brick House Tavern + Tap, not to mention Show Me's and other local places that I'm probably forgetting because, honey, I never frequent these joints.

Of course, New York City has found a way to outdo us. The newest trend there? Bikini brunch, at a restaurant and club called Lavo. The twist here, according to Grub Street (via Gawker) is that not only will there be "dancers" wearing bikinis, but female diners will be encouraged to don their skimpiest swimwear.
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Mangia Mobile

Arancini - rice balls, stuffed with meat, fried.

​
St. Louis' fleet of food trucks continues to grow with Mangia Mobile (not affiliated with Mangia Italiano) joining the pack last month. The Daake siblings - Catherine, Thomas and Alex - pull from their grandmother's Sicilian heritage and their St. Louis upbringing to create a menu of handmade classics that bridge the gap between Italy and Missouri with items like tennis ball-sized arancini, homemade toasted ravioli, "Macaw's" fried chicken cutlet sandwiches, bite-sized pigs in a blanket, fresh-cut fries, and thick, tangy handmade marinara sauce.

Gut Check visited with Catherine on a recent 10-degree lunch break by the U.S. Bank building in downtown St. Louis. Her dad, Tom, worked behind the scenes while her mom, Adele, kept handing us treats through the window, instructing us to eat, eat!

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Image via

Can there ever be too much cheese?

​We asked what you do and don't want to see on the St. Louis food scene next year. Reader Mantelli is cheesed about...well...cheese:

A forlorn hope...how about the end of cheese in every dish on every menu? Some restaurant menus (I'm looking at you, Bob Evans) are so cheesy that they stick to your hands.

This raises an interesting question: Is there truly such a thing as too much cheese?

You can leave your own wish as a comment here or on the original post.

Jennifer Silverberg

The beef brisket at PM BBQ. Jimmy Z wants more brisket in 2011.

​We asked what you do and don't want to see on the St. Louis food scene next year. Longtime reader and commenter Jimmy Z. has several wishes:

1. Anything, as long as it's well-executed and affordable.

2. Less Provel. ;)

3. More Colorado-style green chili.

4. More Texas-style brisket.

5. Continued success of new, local brewpubs.

6. And while it sounds heretical, some more chains, specifically Bonefish, Fatburger, Rock Bottom Brewery, Gordon Biersch and Pappadeaux.

Try the brisket at PM BBQ in Chesterfield, if you haven't yet, Jimmy Z. It's top-notch. As for chains, leaving aside the whole chain vs. independent argument for another time, what other chains would you welcome into the St. Louis market?

You can leave your own wish as a comment here or on the original post.

Image via

Breakfast deserves more attention than this.

​We asked what you do and don't want to see on the St. Louis food scene next year. Ben is hungry for breakfast and better cocktails:

It would be nice to get a few more restaurants giving breakfast the attention it deserves (Rooster, Benton Park Cafe and Winslow's Home aren't enough!), and St. Louis could afford to have a new fresh seafood restaurant. We could also use some more restaurants that do bartending and cocktails the right way (I hate the term "mixologist," but...) -- in-house infused alcohols, old school mixing techniques, hand-cut ice. But my biggest wish for the new year -- I would love to see restaurants FINALLY stop overusing the term "tapas"!

Agreed 100% on tapas, Ben. As far as house-infused alcohols, I know Farmhaus and Milagro Modern Mexican have been playing around with various concoctions.

You can leave your own wish as a comment here or on the original post.

Ian Froeb

The chicharron de pollo at Fritanga, an example of non-Mexican Latin American cuisine in St. Louis.

​We asked what you do and don't want to see on the St. Louis food scene next year. Jim is the first to chime in:

I think BBQ places and taquerias have taken steps forward this year in terms of becoming highly relevant cuisines in St. Louis. I would love to see a dumpling place like they have sprinkled all over NYC. I would also like to see more Central American places that aren't Mexican (i.e. [the Nicaraguan restaurant] Fritanga). Places like Cuba, Puerto Rico, Honduras and Costa Rica have some very good food, and there's little representation here.

The picture above is of the chicharron de pollo at Fritanga, the Nicaraguan restaurant Jim mentioned in his comment. Actually, this dish does represent a little additional diversity: it's a Dominican, not a Nicaraguan, recipe.

You can leave your own wish as a comment here or on the original post.