Network German-Style with Oktoberfest Celebration Thursday

The deadline to register is today for the fourth annual event, which is hosted by the Chesterfield Young Professionals and held at The International Tap House in Chesterfield.

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The Pepper Mill

Lester's Sports Bar And Grill: Sandwich Nirvana

On the hunt for happy hour, our food writer finds the Zen of perfect pastrami.

Lester's is an enigma. The cavernous space is tastefully decorated as opposed to beer signs covering every inch of available space. Rather than a strictly young, rowdy clientele, patrons range from young to old. And expecting merely passable bar food, I was instead served a pastrami sandwich that can compete with any pastrami sandwich anywhere. Located at 14810 Clayton Road in Chesterfield, there's a lot to like about Lester's. There's plenty of televisions—20 in the bar area alone—all part of a half-million dollar audio/visual system, and they somehow manage to be unobtrusive while being everywhere. But during the big game you won't miss a play. Service is fast and the staff is attentive, efficient and seemingly happy to be there.  The …

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The Pepper Mill

In Praise Of Krieger's, the Good Bar and Grill

Krieger's offers a well-rounded experience that's hard to beat.

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 decent selection of beer available, and happy hour should feature great deals on drinks and food. Most importantly, prices need to be fair. These …

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The Pepper Mill

On The Hunt For Happy Hour At The Fox and Hound

With a different happy hour seven days a week, there's always something special on tap.

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 beers at Fox and Hound on Chesterfield Airport Road is impressive: 36 beers on tap and 26 bottled beers. True, the International Tap House has 40 …

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