Local berries don’t get any sweeter than the ones that you pick yourself in the wild or at area farms. (Strawberry season is officially open at Eckert’s Farm in Belleville.) And pastries don’t get any sweeter than the one that knows no season: St. Louis’ own gooey butter cake. The recipe has morphed and mutated over its nine-decade life, as we found earlier this week when we brought different iterations to FOX 2’s lifestyle show, Studio STL. The Cup (best known for its cupcakes) makes an excellent version. The double chocolate indulgence at Twisted Tree Steakhouse is gilded with caramel or chocolate sauce. At The Daily Bread Bakery & Café, customers can buy a round cake or a square version that’s precut into bars. A corner piece from Kaldi’s Coffee is spot on. We showcased a fresh strawberry gooey butter pie from Sugarfire Pie and delectable gooey butter cookies from Dierbergs, as well as Clementine’s gooey butter cake ice cream, its best-selling flavor. (The ice cream shop also sells gooey butter–flavored lip balm.) We could have brought along Yolklore’s rendition and two from Companion, one with a shortbread crust and the other with an almost deep dish–style crust. We paid homage to the grocery store cakes and those from Park Avenue Coffee and Russell’s, and we were introduced to chewy, caramelly crusted mini-cakes from newcomer The Chocolate Rooster. Excel Bottling makes a gooey butter–flavored soda, which we hear will be reintroduced next month. The gooey butter TV segment was five minutes long, though it could have easily taken up the entire hour.
Know someone who would like this newsletter? Share this link with them to direct them to our newsletter subscription page.
Bite-Size Bits
HOT SPOT
Cut to The Chase
This summer, the The Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta Hotel (formerly the Park Plaza Hotel), is celebrating 100 years of glitz, glamour, and grace with a culinary odyssey through the decades. To commemorate the event, a series of 100thAnniversary Cabaret Dinners will be held June 10, July 15, and October 21. The three-course dinners, held in the Starlight and Zodiac Rooftop Ballrooms, will feature menu items inspired by some of The Chase’s storied restaurants over the years (such as Saga of the Sea Lounge Dover Sole and Starlight Roof Steer Filet Steak), accompanied by drinks, dancing, and live cabaret music from The Cabaret Project of St. Louis. Tickets are $196 per person (includes dinner, drinks, and parking) and space is limited. Reservations can be made online. 212 N. Kingshighway, 314-633-3000.
INSIDER TIP
Support These Brentwood Restaurants
When I-64/US40 closed for construction in 2009, a handful of restaurants became isolated from their customer bases and ultimately went out of business. This spring, Manchester Road west of Hanley is closed for bridge replacement until August, isolating a few of our favorite locally owned establishments, which now need customer support more than ever. Stop by Fort Taco for a signature puffer taco and a tamale. And just to the east is Joy Luck Chinese Buffet, offering a wide variety of items prepared in small batches, notably traditional Szechuan cuisine, such as Chongqing Style Chicken, Mapu Tofu, dried sautéed green beans, and spicy-hot dandan noodles.
MICRORANT
Unannounced Stock-outs
Anyone who’s gone shopping recently—for food, clothing, furniture, etc.—has realized that product shortages are real and has learned to deal with the inconvenience. And most patrons realize that supply-chain issues seem to have hit restaurants especially hard, which is why we get annoyed when we’re not told about item stock-outs. Clue us in at the outset, or wrap the stock-out into the specials spiel. Don’t let us get all worked up about the crab-topped halibut after the last order was sold (most POS software counts down items to prevent this from happening) or after the fish was never delivered in the first place. We’re happy to make an alternate selection when we know the score ahead of time.
Billy G's Finer Diner to open in former Balaban's space in Chesterfield
A new concept from Billy Gianino, Jr. will serve classic diner fare and more at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Build the future you want with an online undergraduate or graduate degree from SLU Online. SLU Online programs are designed to help working adults achieve their academic and career goals through flexible online courses at a lower cost than traditional programs.
Buying or selling a home is one of the most exciting—and stressful—times in one’s life. Use our directory to learn about local agents and teams who can help guide you through the process and make it a rewarding experience.
STAGES is giving three lucky readers tickets to The Karate Kid: The Musical, In the Heights, and A Chorus Line. Plus, everyone who enters the giveaway will receive a code for $10 off tickets. Enter now!
Share your thoughts, and let us know about a dining topic you'd like us to cover by replying to this email or using the button below. (Please use “Dining Newsletter” in the subject line.) We look forward to hearing from you!
ENJOYING THIS NEWSLETTER? SHARE IT WITH SOMEONE YOU KNOW:
CLICK TO INSTANTLY SUBSCRIBE TO OUR OTHER NEWSLETTERS:
_1600.jpeg?upscale=true&width=1120&upscale=true&name=unnamed%20(50)_1600.jpeg)
