Tomorrow is the first day for both the Tower Grove Farmers' Market and the Land of Goshen Community Market in Edwardsville, Illinois. The Tower Grove market opens at 8:30 a.m., the Goshen Market at 8 a.m.
Remember: The earlier you go, the more likely you are to get the good stuff!
Myanmar's government seizes food aid from the United Nations. (CNN)
The costs of commodity foods may have reached a plateau, but cheap food isn't returning any time soon. (New York Times)
Because Gut Check really doesn't mention Gordon Ramsay enough: Ramsay thinks chefs who use out-of-season produce should be fined. (Evening Standard)
The psychology of enjoying wine: Is Two Buck Chuck really better than a $50 cabernet? (New York Times)
Big changes in store for your restaurant options at Lambert thanks to a $16-million contract extension between the airport and its contractor HMSHost. From the press release:
The new agreement lays out an ambitious plan to build or renovate about two dozen food and beverage locations at Lambert with the majority of work complete by 2011. HMSHost will introduce eight new food concepts with an emphasis on adding popular St. Louis food brands including Mosaic, Fitz’s and Imo’s Pizza. It also includes a new concept called, Missouri Vineyards, which will emphasize local wines and food. The plan will also bring Lambert popular brands now at other airports including Brioche Doree, a French bakery and café, Freshens, Baja Fresh and an enhanced Budweiser themed restaurant/bar.
What? That one Chili's express isn't enough?
The full press release after the jump.
Illustration courtesy Lambert-St. Louis International Airport
Friday is the last day you can get pizza by the slice in the Loop. That's when Racanelli's location in the Market Building (6655 Delmar Boulevard) closes down for good. The other stores in the Market Building have all since closed, and Racanelli's is the last holdover.
Don't bother ordering any garlic bread, they're out.
The building will be transformed into a big Racanelli's pizza joint in the coming months with far more seating than the cafeteria-style tables that have been a presence in the main hallway for the past few months currently offer.
Hopefully, they will still yell out your order when it's finished, several times in some cases, in the time it takes you to walk to the counter.
Survivors of Myanmar's devastating cyclone face severe food shortages. (CNN)
Restaurants are feeling the pinch of the higher cost of rice. (AsianWeek)
Irvine Robbins, co-founder of Baskin-Robbins ice cream, has died. (New York Times)
Häagen-Dazs is trying to educate the public about collapsing honeybee populations. (Guardian)
The Maplewood Farmers' Market opens for the season at 4 p.m. today. The market is open every Wednesday from 4-7 p.m. at the Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Avenue).
Another article on how restaurants are dealing with rising food costs. (AP)
New York City begins enforcing its new law requiring chain restaurants to post calorie counts. (International Herald Tribune)
Actual medical studies of competitive eaters: nature, nurture or nausea? (Los Angeles Times)
Robert Parker doesn't much like the 2007 Bordeaux vintage. (AFP)
The aforementioned June 2008 issue of Food & Wine, featuring a recipe from Mathew Rice of Niche and Veruca.
The devastating cyclone that hit Myanmar (Burma) -- current death toll: 22,000 and rising -- will likely worsen the food crisis in nearby countries. (AFP)
Is sustainable seafood catching on in America? A new study suggests so, but me thinks this is the key note from the article: "...there seems to be no widely-accepted definition of what 'sustainable' means..." (GreenBiz.com)
The controversy over poison-free fugu in Japan. (New York Times)
This is why you hire a sommelier. (AP)
An update on last week's post on Fu Manchu, Mike Johnson's new pan-Asian joint in Maplewood: A commenter reports that the restaurant is, in fact, open. Still haven't found a Web site.
Update: Thanks to commenter Jimmy Z., who read the Google search results more closely than I did, here is the bare-bones Web site.
In keeping with the Cinco de Mayo theme: Now open at 1130 Washington Avenue (the former location of Red) is Beso Mexican Grill & Cantina. Open daily for lunch and dinner. No Web site yet -- at least, not that I've found. Call 314-588-7864 for more information.
After the jump, another photo and more news from the neighborhood...
The June issue of Food & Wine magazine hasn't arrived in my mailbox yet, but it's now online, and that's big news for Mathew Rice, pastry chef at Niche and its bakeshop, Veruca: His recipe for semifreddo s'mores is featured in the issue.
As if Somalia didn't have enough problems: Now there are food riots. (AFP)
Meanwhile, confusion in Congress over how to pass emergency food aid. (Chicago Tribune)
Another meat recall: 286,000 pounds from a company called Gourmet Boutique. (AP)
This guy has designed his coffin to look like a Pabst Blue Ribbon can. (USA Today)
News on ~scape, the Central West End's betilda-ed bistro: Both Sauce and St. Louis Magazine report that Levy Restaurants and the Koplars have parted ways, with the Koplars retaining control of both ~scape and Crêpes: Etc. The head chef is now Eric Kelly. St. Louis Magazine has an interview with him, and ~scape's site has his new dinner menu (PDF).
Those who remember my review of ~scape will be glad to know the infamous "Manwich nipples" are gone.
The Shaved Duck (2900 Virginia Avenue) opened for business last night. Mike from STL Hops was there and took pictures of the menu. Go see what's cooking!
