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MOFU Ramen Pop-Up @ Sump Coffee - Saturday, May 18

It finally feels like springtime, when all the foodies come out to play! There's so much edible excitement this weekend that we can barely contain ourselves. Expect a busy list of picks to choose for next few months now that we're officially out of that wintry slump. This weekend, check out Maifest at ITAP, Chinese Culture Days at MOBOT and the Taste of Edwardsville at SIUE, just to name a few. Details for all the food fun await right after the jump.

See also:
- Drink for a Good Cause at Circle of Concern Amazing Taste
- St. Jacob Strawberry Festival and Berry Bicycle Ride This Saturday
- Pigs and Pints Festival at Civil Life Brewing Company
- Eat Up at Taste of Maplewood Festival Saturday

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If ever you needed a good excuse to drink, this is probably it.

This Sunday, May 19, Circle of Concern, an organization that feeds the hungry and provides assistance to low-income families in western St. Louis County, will host an event it's calling Amazing Taste. At the event guests will be able to taste more than 600 unique wines, beers and spirits from at least 90 vendors partnered with Lukas Liquor Superstore.

Wine, beer, spirits and helping others. Call Gut Check philanthropic, 'cause we're in!

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Maplewood Chamber of Commerce

Maplewood is a hip, happenin' and, of course, delicious neighborhood full of unique restaurants and shops. The town is celebrating all things yummy this Saturday, May 18 at the 5th annual Taste of Maplewood Street Festival.

One block of Sutton Boulevard between Manchester and Hazel will cease to be a road and instead become a foodie paradise, with vendors offering samples and live music and entertainment. Gut Check spoke to Nick Bettger at the Maplewood Chamber of Commerce who gave us more details about the event.

Check out what restaurants are going to be there after the jump!

See Also:
- Riding Out the Rapture at Taste of Maplewood
- Sideshow: Taste of Maplewood 2009

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If you've ever eaten baby food, first of all, we sincerely hope you've had a baby, and second, you know it usually doesn't taste very good.

Chef Brian Miller of Onesto Pizza & Trattoria (5401 Finkman Street; 314-802-8883) wants to change that perception by teaching people how to make their own baby food. Spring brings bushels of fresh veggies to out local farmers' markets, and Onesto wants to take advantage of that fresh produce to show people that baby food doesn't have to be tasteless goop.

Four of Onesto's staff members are currently pregnant, and the general manager, Sally Sciaroni just had a baby in December, so the timing seems perfect for a baby food class. Gut Check caught up with Sciaroni to get all the details.

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Mabel Suen

You, too, could be swimming in sauce this weekend at St. Charles Community College's Rhythm & Ribs event.

We hope you're thirsty this weekend. Read on for ways to quench that drinking curiosity with a wine festival, wine walk, beer-lesque, and bloody mary bar. Besides that, plenty of other drinking and dining options await. Read on for our suggestions.

Friday (May 10):

Rhythm & Ribs @ St. Charles Community College
Nosh on ribs, gourmet nachos and veggie burgers with cold beer to the soundtrack of a jazz ensemble, Smash Band and more. General admission costs $5 per person (tasting tickets sold separately), with beverage and food ticket packages available from $25 to $50. 6 p.m.

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It's Cinco de Mayo this weekend. And you know what that means.

Cinco de Mayo, Derby Day and First Friday are only a few of the excuses to get out and get your drink on this weekend. Besides that, rejoice over the bounty of a new farmers' market season in Tower Grove Park, celebrate Big Sky Cafe's 21st anniversary or take a tour or class this weekend. Details on all of the above and more await after the jump, dear food fanatics.

Friday (May 3):

First Friday @ Contemporary Art Museum
DJs Boogieman and Invisible Cola perform a set to accompany CAM's current exhibit. A cash bar and eats by Kitchen Kulture are available to fuel walks to other Grand Center arts organizations that also open to the public. Free. 5 to 9 p.m.

See also:
- Gut Check's Guide to Cinco de Mayo in St. Louis
- Cinco de Cherokee: An Updated Guide to Restaurants on Cherokee Street
- Derby Day Best Bets

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RFT Photo

Volunteers sipping beers at 2010's St. Louis Microfest.

If you're looking for a reason to visit Forest Park this weekend, Gut Check has you covered -- there's going to be a festival, a festival of beer. The annual St. Louis Microfest hosts a massive collection of 100 craft breweries including local and national favorites beginning Friday, May 3, through Saturday, May 4. The two-day festival is broken up into three sessions, each with individual admission tickets: Friday from 7 to 10 p.m. ($30), Saturday afternoon from noon to 4 p.m. and Saturday evening from 6 to 10 p.m. ($34). Once inside, your ticket comes with a small tasting glass into which each brewery station will provide a two-ounce pour.

Always a fan of beer drinking in the park, Gut Check made some calls to learn more about this year's festival.

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Jennifer Silverberg

Vida Mexican Kitchen y Cantina's taco platter, one of many options at its Cinco de Mayo celebration this weekend.

Whether you observe Drinko de Mayo, or its less quippy counterpart Cinco de Drinko, we all unite this Sunday, May 5, to drink fishbowl margaritas in the streets of St. Louis. It might not be a real national holiday in Mexico or America, but that doesn't halt our revelry, and in the spirit of al pastor and top-shelf tequila, Gut Check has rounded up our best bets for local Cinco de Mayo festivities.

See also:
- Cinco de Cherokee: An Updated Guide to Restaurants on Cherokee Street

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For the past 139 years, on the first Saturday in May, women have donned obnoxiously large hats and sipped mint juleps, men have bet their hard earned money, and three-year-old thoroughbreds have sped down a track in Louisville, Kentucky in an attempt to claim the biggest prize in horse racing.

The Kentucky Derby is called "the most exciting two minutes in sports," and we know you don't want to experience that excitement alone. We've rounded up the best Kentucky Derby events in St. Louis, so there's no excuse not to throw on your most summery dress or seersucker suit and get in on the fun.

On your mark, get set, GO!

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Mmm...sangria.

It's been a long week. Treat yourself. Two beer fests, a centennial wine tasting and a sangria tasting provide plenty of ways to wet that whistle. Read on for some recommendations of where to eat and (most importantly) drink this weekend.

See also:
-Sniff and Sip at Centennial Wine Expo Friday
-Hop Over to Two Beer Festivals This Weekend

Friday (Apr. 26):

Sangria and Cocktail Tasting @ Vom Fass
Taste a red and white sangria from Bodega de San Antonio to prep yourself for summer, along with some special cocktails using Vom Fass liquours. Free. 5 to 7:30 p.m.

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