August 2005

August 31, 2005

Last Days of August

Truly, as we hear Restaurant August in Clayton is getting ready to close. Chef August Mrozowski, who's had a long run at his joint in Springfield, Illinois, apparently was not successful in transferring a winning formula to the former 12 North (and before that, Café Mira) space. Surely something should thrive in that spot?

UPDATE: Thanks to eagle-eyed reader (and August investor? :) Scott's notes in the comments below, we can tell you that August is alive and serving in Clayton.

UPDATE #2: Per info in Deb Peterson's column today (March 1, 2006), August has finally succumbed and will be taken over again by restaurateur Mike Johnson, of Boogaloo and Barcelona fame.

August 29, 2005

Coffee with a Sense of Humor

To keep you smiling on your morning commute: the go-cups from the coffee bar at Wild Oats remind you along the bottom edge, "Caution: Very Hot. Like the Sun. But Liquid. And Tastier."

August 28, 2005

Saucy Talk

With St. Louis becoming ever more recognized as a serious dining town, you might be interested in hearing what Catherine Neville and Allyson Mace, the gurus behind Sauce Magazine, had to say in an appearance last week on KDHX. (You can listen to it streaming or via podcast...ain't technology cool?) Apparently one of the show's hosts had a quibble with this month's cover, the loaded hot dog.

August 25, 2005

Vintage Puck

Perhaps patrons at Puck's, in the Saint Louis Art Museum, should be on the lookout for changes soon to the wine offerings? Over lunch yesterday, Puck brother Klaus was spotted cloistered away in the back corner of the dining room, doing what looked to be a professional-level wine tasting, complete with spit bucket. (He's a close look-alike for more media-exposed brother Wolfgang, by the way...) Lots of nervous staff folks hung around the margins, hoping to make his first visit here in at least a year a successful one.

August 08, 2005

All Hail the Queen

Baby bumps are the new Birkin bag: so freakin' chic that all the glam girls covet one! No surprise, then, at the arrival of Clayton's Queen Bee maternity boutique, chock full of the fancy, frilly stuff that a certain kind of mama wants -- super-soft Michael Stars maternity tees, the multi-piece Belly Basics kit (remember Multiples? like that, but for the pg), saucy tees from 2 Chix and the fanciest bags ever to be graced by poopy diapers. A grand opening charity event is expected (ha! we crack ourselves up) soon.

August 03, 2005

Dirt Cheap Downtown Dining

This is excellent news for foodies: from Aug. 22-27, St. Louis hosts "Downtown Restaurant Week," during which time diners can choose from 20 different downtown restaurants and enjoy a 3-course prix fixe dinner for $25 per person. Peruse the tasty options (most restaurants have their menu choices posted) and make a reservation now for old favorites like Mike Shannon's and Charlie Gitto's, or perhaps try somewhere relatively new? If you haven't made it to 400 Olive or Red Moon yet, now might be the time. Mmmm, Tuscan White Bean Soup....

See you downtown! (Now, how will I fit 20 restaurants into 6 nights?)