Ann Lemons Pollack
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Sunset 44 Breakfast Buffet
"It’s not a brunch. It’s a breakfast buffet." That’s Bob Menendez, veteran St. Louis restaurateur and long-time owner of Sunset 44, but whose roots go back to the Circus Tent (Hampton Avenue? Fried chicken? Old-timers know.), talking about Sunday mornings at his place. And sure enough, there’s mostly morning food in the chafing dishes set
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San Francisco (and a little Napa)
A recent fast run to northern California left us with more than a touch of tan and pleasant memories of sun and sand, food and wine. As always, there were discoveries to share with friends. Some of our old long-time favorites have thrived, one seems to be sagging, and there are, of course, always new
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Swiss Meats
We’ve talked before about how much we like the products from Swiss Meat and Sausage Co. Located on Highway 19 in Swiss, MO, about 12 miles south of Hermann, the family operation has begun attracting well-deserved attention, thanks to things like the Deen Brothers featuring them on television and in their book. Things are
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SqWires Brunch
This isn’t really a complete review of the brunch at SqWires, but we recently had a chance to try a few things at a breakfast meeting. Happily, we could order from the usual menu, which isn’t always the case at some restaurants which restrict the options for larger groups. Frequent restaurant-goers know good coffee isn’t
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This Week’s Wine May 8, 2008
The last Saturday of April is unlike any other day, and little preps us more for the arrival of spring than the drive along Highway 100 on a sunny afternoon, the dogwood and redbud flashing their red, white and pink rays through the foliage flanking the highway from the I-44 junction to Hermann, where the
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St. Louis Farmers Markets 2008
After the months of wretched weather the area has endured, what a pleasure it is to think about the coming of farmers’ markets. Here’s the 2008 warm weather schedule for St. Louis and St. Louis County. WEDNESDAY Maplewood Farmers Market, 7260 Southwest Ave., in the parking lot of Schlafly Bottleworks, Maplewood. 4-7 p.m., May 7-October
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Pi
The number of die-hard Pogo fans is shrinking, just like The Greatest Generation. Pogo was a comic strip from the gifted Walt Kelly, light-hearted and cynical, simple and sophisticated, and now nearly forgotten except by aging true believers. So we need to explain that our opening salvo on this review comes from the collected
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Arroz con Pollo
Rice pretty much didn’t exist in the household where I grew up. When I asked for it, it was cooked in milk an hour or so, and sweetened, the only way my mother had ever had it. The idea of it coming with a main course, or, God forbid, being a main course, was unheard
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Bartolino’s Osteria
At the corner of Hampton Avenue and I-44, an old St. Louis restaurant family graces a new Drury Inn. Technically on Sulphur Avenue, Bartolino’s Osteria sports its own entrance, a covered terrace, and several dining rooms. And at the moment, it’s hot, with a busy bar business and lots of casually dressed patrons of all
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This Week’s Wine April 20, 2008
Kerry Norton was in town recently, showing off wines made by his predecessor and admitting he had taken on a difficult task. Norton became director of winemaking at Columbia Winery a year ago, succeeding David Lake, who had joined the winery in 1979, during its adolescence, and led it into award-winning maturity before he retired