The words "bar and grill" are attached to establishments on every other corner, it seems. Open a joint, serve beer and a fried burger, slap a "bar and grill" sign above the door and open for business. But what makes a good bar and grill? What separates the gristle from the meat? The answers are as varied as the customers who patronize the establishments, but there are several criteria that make a bar and grill a good one. First, a customer should feel comfortable and welcomed. Service should be attentive and the food better than average with a large selection and variety. There's gotta be a …

When a heart-healthy restaurant opens, the presumption is that the food will be boring, tasteless and limited. When the owner/chef also happens to be a teaching cardiologist at St. Louis University Hospital, it makes you want to triple bypass the place. But, you might want to reconsider. The chef brings generations of experience and a lust for creating complex flavors with fresh—never canned—ingredients. She uses olive oil instead of butter, even making fresh homemade bread without butter. The menu features seafood, chicken, steaks, pork, pasta and veal. Picasso's Bistro is culinary art. …

The cult of cooking is a modern phenomenon. The Food Network—the first dedicated cooking channel—has recently added a second network, the Cooking Channel. Food shows are peppered throughout television, and movies like Julie and Julia and Big Night are as much about cooking as the plot lines. Even cartoons got into the act when Ratatouille gave kids a taste. Never mind the star was a rodent; that rat could cook. Now, kids' cooking camps are popping up across the country. The St. Louis area's first chef's school for kids is coming to Chesterfield Mall. ABC Chef's Cooking Academy opens its doors…

The seed from which Lancia's Frozen Yogurt sprouted had been planted far away in Sicily, Italy. As a student at Loyola University's Rome Center, John Lancia would often travel to Sicily, sit in the town square with his cousins and sample the gelato and espresso. His dream wasn't of living in the Italian countryside or swimming in the impossible blue of the Mediterranean, but of opening a coffee shop back in Chesterfield where he was born. Lancia didn't stick entirely to his original coffee shop dream. Although he does offer espresso, cappuccino and coffee, his focus is on fat-free, frozen …

Navigating through a maze of wine selections can be disorienting and frustrating, especially when pairing wine with food. Should I drink red or white with that? Sweet or dry? And what about the nose? Is the wine fruity or woody? What is the mouth? It can be more disorienting than drinking a bottle of Two-Buck Chuck. For Bryan Herr, owner of Naked Vine—formerly Wine Styles—it's simple: Drink what you like. In business since November 2006, Naked Vine is a boutique wine store and tasting bar with artisanal cheeses from around the world and handcrafted salumi. Salumi is not the Italian word for …

As the weather turned warm this week, my thoughts turned to ice cream and I quickly focused on the Oberweis Dairy store on Chesterfield Airport Road as the place to get my ice cream fix. But the path I took to get there wound through my childhood and memories of the milkman leaving glass bottles of milk on my parents' doorstep. Surprisingly, Oberweis Dairy still delivers milk just like the old days: in glass returnable bottles placed right on your front porch. They've been doing it since 1927. Home milk delivery is convenient, but is it better milk? Probably, for several reasons. According to…

As a food columnist, I generally stay away from chain restaurants. It's not that I don't think they have anything to offer or that the food can't be any good—after all, they became a chain for a reason. But I prefer to spotlight local establishments because if citizens don't support locally owned bars, pubs and restaurants, we will be left with nothing but the chains. It's the local joints that give a city character. But there's room for both, and it's all about variety. It was variety that took me to a chain restaurant this week as I searched for the most appealing happy hour. The variety of…

As St. Patrick's day approaches, the Irish—and those Irish-for-a-day folks—are eagerly anticipating their yearly consumption of corned beef and cabbage on March 17. Many believe the dish is the national dish of Ireland. It is, after all, eaten on the day that celebrates the patron saint of Ireland. Legend says St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of the country. While it's true that Ireland has no snakes, it's not true that the Irish eat corned beef and cabbage. That's an American Irish tradition. In Ireland, they're much more likely to eat boiled bacon and cabbage on a special occasion. What…

Several area churches are preparing for fish fries for Lent, which begins Wednesday. The fish fries will occur every Friday night, with the exception of Good Friday on April 22, until Lent ends on April 23. Though fish fries are most closely associated with the Catholic tenent of meatless Fridays during Lent, they can also be a social gathering with good food and a family atmosphere. These four churches in West County are hosting Friday fish fries. At them, you'll find cod, salmon, grouper, shrimp and a variety of side dishes and beverages, all for a reasonable price. Some even offer kids' …

Ah, the hamburger. A big patty of fresh ground beef, cooked to your exact specifications and served on a bun, perhaps with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, cheddar, Swiss, provolone, blue cheese, bacon, Canadian bacon, sautéed mushrooms, grilled onions, more bacon, another patty, the kitchen sink--throw it all on there, because this is the American hamburger. You bite into the monster, charred on the outside, pink and succulent in the center. The savory juices run down your chin as your eyelids flutter just a little—some kind of pleasant spasm as you stop all motion except the jaws, which …

I was nervous as I stood on a downtown street corner waiting for a drop. My contact was late. Something had gone wrong and I needed a fix. Hightailing it over to our secondary location, I waited forty-five minutes. Still nothing. Desperately I drove around, circling the block, until finally I saw the vehicle parked down a side street. It was the Sarah's Cake Stop truck, and I was here to pick up the cupcakes I ordered on Facebook the day before. The truck was late because it was Valentine's Day, and they had completely sold out and returned to the shop to restock the truck with raspberry …

Living in New York City for ten years is like living a lifetime somewhere else. That's why I'll always think of myself as a native New Yorker. And if there's one thing a New Yorker knows, it's New York pizza. I'm not knocking the local pizza. Sometimes nothing but a St. Louis style pie will do, cut into squares and dripping with St. Louis' own provel cheese. I wouldn't hesitate to eat Elicia's pizza on the city's south side, or Pointers in Richmond Heights or lots of other places, and I'm sure you have your favorites too. When I heard East Coast Pizza in Chesterfield claims to serve New York …

Football and snacks go together like quarterbacks and pigskin, so Patch is bringing you three appetizer recipes that are sure to please the most rabid fan. They're easy and require very few ingredients but are packed with flavor and fun. Plus you can make them in advance so you won't miss a single thrilling play. Now that's a game plan. Man Dip Ingredients: Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened Two 14.5-ounce cans chili One 16-ounce package shredded cheddar cheese Directions: Spread the softened cream cheese evenly on the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking dish, then pour the cans of your …

Most wine companies try to create wines that pair well with foods, but Chesterfield entrepreneur Ron Roy wanted to craft wines that paired with something totally different: music. Roy and his partners co-founded Wines that Rock, a wine company that dances to the beat of a different drummer. "We wanted to put a custom wine out there with our own winemaker, and we wanted to do something different,” Roy said. “Music is so prevalent in our lifestyles.” Roy knows his music. Born in New York City, he began working in the music industry in the early '90s. He was the digital producer for bands such …

Despite several inches of snow blanketing Chesterfield overnight, Executive Chef Robert Uyemura of Yia Yia's Euro Bistro arrives at 9 a.m. Thursday to begin the day's food prep. Several of his cooks are already working. Steam rises from pots and sauces bubble on the stove top while Uyemura threads his way through the galley kitchen, scarcely glancing at the food that is already cooking. He trusts his chefs and is committed to sourcing food locally. “We know most of the farmer's who raise our meats and how they're raised,” Uyemura said. “We contract with farmers to grow vegetables just for us…

I'm a confessed meat lover. Beef, pork, fowl, steaks, chops or wings, I love them all. Throw in some bison, venison or ostrich and you'll hear no complaints from me. But there is one cut of meat that stands above all the others. It's juicy, flavorful and tender as softened butter. It's prime rib. The prospect of preparing prime rib at home can be a daunting one, but the reality is that it's very easy to prepare for even the most novice home cooks. A whole prime rib will weigh 20 to 22 pounds, so you'll want to ask the butcher to cut yours according to how many people you want to feed. Plan on…

The latest addition to the Chesterfield restaurant scene, Seasons American Cuisine, fits into the modern curiosity of fine restaurants located in strip malls.  The restaurant is located in Forum Center at the northwest corner of Highway 141 and Olive Boulevard, where Four Seasons and Peppertini's used to be. Chef/owner Kevin Smith focuses on locally sourced products according to seasonal availability. He uses local farmers and sustainable seafood whenever possible. I arrived at the tail end of lunch service and was seated immediately. Decorated in a modern and casual style, the space also …

In various cultures across the globe, people have unique food traditions associated with New Year's Day. Long noodles are eaten in many Asian countries in order to bring a long life. In Italy it's the lentil, which represents prosperity because the beans resemble coins. In Turkey and the Mediterranean, people eat fish to bring in New Year because the fish "moves forward," according to Good Housekeeping. Many such New Year's food traditions exist across the melting pot that is the U.S., but one of the most prevalent is eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day to bring good luck. Just where did…

As our regular readers know, we've been bringing you a complete goose (or duck) holiday meal, complete with all the side dishes. Last week, we featured recipes for oyster stuffing and red cabbage braised in wine. This week we continue with oven-roasted asparagus Parmesan, caramelized pearl onions and bourbon cranberry sauce. As you will see, the recipes continue to be simple to prepare but offer a delightful twist on the traditional holiday fare. Finally, on Dec. 24, we'll bring you the recipes for roasted goose (or duck) stuffed with wild rice, shallots, leeks and hazelnuts. Since that will …

As the Christmas feast approaches, many a home cook is looking for a version of the same old holiday meal that offers a new dining experience but still draws heavily on tradition. We have created just such a meal featuring roasted goose, wild rice and all the side dishes. We'll publish the recipes in three installments—starting today with recipes for oyster stuffing and red cabbage braised in wine. Next week, we'll feature oven-roasted asparagus Parmesan, caramelized pearl onions and bourbon cranberry sauce. We'll also provide a complete shopping list organized by dish. Finally, in the third …