Jennifer Silverberg

​- I happened to drive by Fozzie's Sandwich Emporium (1170 South Big Bend Boulevard; 314-932-5414) today at the height of what should have been its rush only to see the restaurant dark, with a sign on the door.

Reason for concern?

Thankfully, no (unless some Fozzie's sandwiches were part of your planned Super Bowl spread). The sign states that Fozzie's is closed through Monday, February 7, for a "family celebration" and will reopen for its regular hours on Tuesday, February 8.

- Meanwhile, I checked back in this afternoon with Luciano's Trattoria (172 Carondelet Plaza, Clayton; 314-863-9969), which has been closed since a pipe burst two weeks ago. Office manager Tiffany Willis told me that the water damage was a bit worse than originally believed.

"We are starting construction next week," she says, adding that the restaurant hopes to reopen in about two weeks.

Kholood Eid

Foxy's Red Hots no longer foxy or red hot?

​Just yesterday Gut Check included Foxy's Red Hots (11658 Dorsett Road, Maryland Heights; 314-770-2440) in our "Seven Best Hot Dog Stands in St. Louis" list. A commenter let us know that Foxy's had closed and that people were "emptying out" the restaurant.

Indeed, Foxy's phone number has been disconnected. The restaurant's Facebook page remains active, though the two most recent wall posts are from customers sad that it has apparently closed. Based on previous wall posts, it was open and serving customers as late as last month, though there are several comments from the end of last year suggesting that the restaurant had been keeping irregular hours.

(c) 2012 Topps

And take your restaurant with you, mang!

​Pujols 5 Westport Grill (342 Westport Plaza, Maryland Heights; 314-439-0595) is no more. With Albert Anaheim-bound, the owners of the restaurant bearing his name and number announced today that, effective immediately, it will be known as the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Bar & Grill, which is, we're sorry, just a terrible, terrible name.

Never fear: Gut Check and some of our Twitter friends, have come up with some much better names.

If the owners are intent on the Hall of Fame angle, we have two suggestions.

- Combine the Hall of Fame and bar & grill concepts more efficiently: The St. Louis Sports Hall of Flame.

- Or, as nod to both Albert's new team and geographical correctness, former Gut Check contributor Dave Nelson suggests calling it The St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame of Maryland Heights.

Of course, Albert isn't the only beloved Cardinal. Why not embrace one of them? You could name the restaurant...

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Ian Froeb

The guest of honor at Pappy's birthday party

​Gut Check's having one of those middle-aged moments where time starts to pass in a blink because, damn it, it seems like just yesterday that Mike Emerson opened Pappy's Smokehouse (3106 Olive Street; 314-535-4340) in the unlikeliest of locations for a smash hit, the back half of a one-story retail space in restaurant-challenged Midtown.

Fast forward four years (four years!): Midtown is thriving, the lines are longer than ever and -- crucially -- the 'que is just as awesome as when the Pappy's crew first fired up the smokers.

This Saturday, February 4, to celebrate its fourth birthday, Pappy's is cooking a whole hog. Expect even longer lines and much wailing and rending of garments from those who don't score cheek meat.

Proceeds from the birthday party and any additional donations will benefit St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

Jennifer Silverberg

Brothers Jason (left) and Adam Tilford of Milagro Modern Mexican

​- Last week, the RFT honored Milagro Modern Mexican (20 Allen Avenue, Webster Groves; 314-962-4300) for the "Best Use of Twitter to Promote a Business" at our 2012 Web Awards. Tomorrow, Thursday, February 2, Milagro is celebrating all of the Web Awards -- and helping those in need -- with a happy hour. From 4-7 p.m., you'll receive a free fish or "street" taco for each canned good you bring to donate to the Webster Feeds canned food drive. (Limit three tacos per customer.)

- As we learned last week, the Taste-D-Burger food truck rolled onto the streets today. According to its Facebook page, it will be in Earth City tomorrow and Friday.

- Finally, a very happy 15th birthday to our Delmar Loop neighbors Al-Tarboush Deli (602 Westgate Avenue, University City; 314-725-1944). In celebration, Al-Tarboush is offering 15% off your purchase today.

​The new year began right where the old one ended, with plenty of openings and not many closures.

Notable openings included two of Gut Check's most anticipated restaurants of 2012 (that we know of): Root, Brian Hardesty's look at historical American cuisine, and Medianoche, the contemporary Mexican restaurant that takes over the Half & Half space at dinner.

As always, please let us know in the comments about any openings and closings from the month of January that we might have missed.

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Jennifer Silverberg

Steak and spinach salad at Mathew's Kitchen

​From the sign out front to the menu quirks, Mathew's Kitchen (5625 Hampton Avenue; 314-351-1700) establishes its own distinct  identity. My review of Mathew's Kitchen is now available online, as is Jennifer Silverberg's slideshow of the restaurant.

Jennifer Silverberg

Vito Racanelli in the kitchen of Mad Tomato

​Four years after opening Onesto Pizza and Trattoria (5401 Finkman Avenue; 314-802-8883) in the city's Princeton Heights neighborhood, chef Vito Racanelli Jr. announced this morning that he has split from business partner Craig Stenson and is no longer involved with the restaurant, effective immediately.

In a statement, Racanelli says, "I want to concentrate fully on the development of Mad Tomato. All of my energy goes towards maximizing the Mad Tomato culinary brand and moving into other supporting business ventures."

Gut Check tried to speak with Racanelli afternoon, but a request through Mad Tomato (8000 Carondelet Avenue; 314-932-5733) was directed to a PR firm representing the restaurant. We'll let you know what we hear.

Ian Froeb

New sign, new restaurant: Mathew's Kitchen

​This week, I visit Mathew's Kitchen (5625 Hampton Avenue; 314-351-1700), which opened last fall in the former home of Del Pietro's. Follow me after the jump for a sneak preview of my review.

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Ian Froeb

The lights are out at Yagu.

​Well, here we are at the end of January, and Gut Check still hasn't closed the books on 2011.

At any rate, I totally missed this closing until I saw it reported by George Mahe of St. Louis Magazine in the most recent edition of his "Ins, Outs and Almosts" column:

Yagu Asian Fusion Cuisine (17265 Chesterfield Airport Road, Chesterfield; 636-536-3739) has closed. The restaurant's website and Facebook page are still up, but the phone has been disconnected.

Yagu opened at the end of 2009. My visits to the restaurant were most memorable for the flashing multicolored light cube served with an order of sushi.