Short Orders

[DRINK NEWS]

Written by CHERYL BAEHR

One of St. Louis’ most respected bartenders is getting a national platform to show off her skills. Meredith Barry, co-owner of Platypus (4501 Manchester Avenue, 314-448-1622), is competing on the new Netflix show Drink Masters, which premiered Friday, October 28.

Produced by the Canadian company behind the network’s hit series Blown Away, Drink Masters follows 12 mixologists from across North America as they compete for a $100,000 prize and the title of “Ultimate Drink Master.” Similar to such cooking competition shows as Top Chef or Chopped, contestants on Drink Masters demonstrate their cocktail prowess through timed challenges, with one person being eliminated each episode.

“The level of stress is super heightened, so it’s a matter not just of your skills but of how you can take the stress test and if you have the endurance,” Barry says. “Cameras are in your face. You have no idea what you are doing, but I get it; it’s a lot on the line, and it’s high stakes — $100,000 is not going to come easy. You might be surrounded by some of the best talent, but you cannot control the elements. As good as you are, anything can happen.”

For Barry, a veteran bartender who has worked in the industry for roughly 20 years, the idea of being chosen as part of such an elite group is humbling. As she explains, she wasn’t even going to audition, thinking there was no way she’d make it through, and only submitted an initial application at a friend’s urging. The reason for her hesitancy, she says, comes down to feelings of doubt, a fear of talking in front of people and general imposter syndrome issues that seem shocking to outside observers who see her as a master of her craft. However, the fears she had about doing the show were ultimately what propelled her to go for it.

“I’ve gone so far, but I still have this underlying self doubt that is ingrained in me,” Barry admits. “I’m continually working on it because it’s real, and I still feel that way, even after 20 years in the industry. But my biggest lesson learned from this show is that fear and anxiety can take away your joy, and remembering your joy is the most important thing for anyone. If you love what you do, even if you are doing the scariest thing, remember your joy. If you forget that, it will be your biggest downfall.”

Overcoming her fears was only one hurdle Barry had to face to get on the show. She describes a rigorous process that began with an application and cocktail challenge submission, complete with pictures and recipes. Once she made it through that round, there were additional challenges, each coming faster and more difficult than the last, followed by auditions and background checks. By the time she got the news that she was in, she’d been through nearly a six-month process.

Still, it was nothing compared to being on the show.

“You walk in, and immediately they tell us we are going to do our first challenge,” Barry says. “It’s that fast-paced. They want incredible technique done in a short amount of time, so you have to be more than just an expert.”

Despite the high-pressure conditions, Barry says that viewers should expect to be dazzled by the creations — not a surprise considering the level of talent on display in the competition. She describes being surrounded by people who are not only incredible bartenders; they have set the standard for the industry and are responsible for the way we drink today. This extends to the judges, including one of Barry’s professional heroines, Julie Reiner, an acclaimed mixologist and bar owner who is one of the industry’s most influential players.

Barry’s supporters can watch her put up her wares in front of Reiner on Netflix or show their support in person at Platypus, the Grove neighborhood bar she owns with fellow bartender Tony Saputo. However people choose to cheer her on, though, Barry is just excited to be standing alongside a group of bartenders who have an undeniable passion for what they do.

“You’re going to see stunning displays of cocktails and just pure artistry,” Barry promises. “It’s going to be absolutely beautiful, but you are also going to see the hospitality of all of us and the connection we made. The lesson I took away — besides not losing your joy — is how caring we all are of each other in this industry, how much hospitality means to us, and how personal these cocktails are to us. What we do is culinary, and this is the first competition of its kind for bartenders. You usually see chefs and pastry chefs. We are chefs, too.” n

[FOOD NEWS]

Written by CHERYL BAEHR

When Nate and Christine Hereford were sketching out their ideas for what would become Chicken Scratch (3700 Forest Park Avenue, chxscratchstl.com), they envisioned a small, standalone restaurant, ideally with a drive-thru, where guests could grab a rotisserie bird and some sides to take home for dinner. Now, after a successful, yearlong run inside the Food Hall at City Foundry, those plans are coming to fruition with the announcement of their second location at 9900 Manchester Road in Glendale. The new restaurant is slated to open this month and, according to Nate Hereford, will build upon their brand with new specials, menu items and a more robust catering program.

“Our original vision was actually to have something like what we are going into in Glendale,” Hereford explains. “We were always looking for somewhere like this, but then COVID happened, and it caused everyone to reassess life. The opportunity with City Foundry happened, and it was too good to turn down. We basically did a reverse process and started with a satellite location inside a food hall, but once we got in there, it became a testing ground and a catalyst for us to see how we could grow more.”

The forthcoming Chicken Scratch will be located near the intersection of Manchester and North Berry roads in the storefront that formerly housed the first iteration of Pi Pizzeria + Rico Mexican (Pi Rico opened its original location in the space in October of 2020, then moved to a now-shuttered spot in Kirkwood 10 months later). Comprised of an order counter, small seating area and drive-thru, the new digs will allow the Herefords

Written by CHERYL BAEHR

Recently recovered security camera footage has revealed astonishing insight into the cause of the fire that destroyed Vin De Set on September 19.

According to owner Paul Hamilton, video footage from the restaurant’s DVR shows three patrons disposing of cigarettes into a hanging flower basket, starting the fire at approximately 2:30 p.m. on September 18. The basket soon began to smolder, eventually escalating into an all-out blaze that engulfed the restaurant in the early morning hours of the following day, roughly 13 hours later.

The longstanding French restaurant — a brunch favorite for its sizable, secondstory rooftop patio and views of the city — has been closed ever since.

Hamilton says he was finally able to put the pieces together in the last few days after a monthslong recovery effort by the video recorder’s manufacturer.

“The video recorder was damaged in the fire because of the water, so we sent if off to the manufacturer to retrieve it, but they were really slow-going,” Hamilton explains. “They could only give it to

to realize their vision for offering a highquality, fast-casual option to those on the go — something he sees as being in high demand in the current dining landscape.

“We are in an age where people order food online,” Nate says. “I’ve been talking to other restaurant owners and operators, and they all say that most of their business is through order ahead and pick up. This allows people to pick up their food and go on with their days, but it still gives them an option that isn’t just going to the grocery store because that’s easy. There is a time and a place for everything, and everyone is so busy that you go toward what is fast and easy and accessible, but people are willing to pay more for good food that has a little more effort in it.”

Nate is excited for the opportunities to expand on his success at the new space. Though the rotisserie chicken, chicken sandwich and Scratch sides that have become synonymous with the brand will all carry over to the Glendale location, he and his team will be able to offer additional sandwiches, specials and even snacks us a couple of hours at a time. At first, they gave us from where the fire burned the camera to roughly 3 or 2:30 a.m. when it totally engulfs the whole place. Obviously, there was something going on before that.”

After viewing that initial video, Hamilton tells the Riverfront Times that he went back to the DVR manufacturer to see if they could access earlier information. Through a series of footage, recovered in roughly two-hour increments and working backward from the time water destroyed the camera to the initial spark, the picture of what happened began to reveal itself: • At 3 a.m., fire breaks through the back deck, engulfing the area in flames. • Between 12:30 and 3 a.m., a glow can be observed underneath the deck. • Between 5 p.m. and midnight, smoke can be seen wafting from underneath the deck. Once the sun goes down, footage shows a growing glow underneath the deck. • Between roughly 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m., smoke can be seen wafting from hanging flower baskets on the deck. • At 2:30 p.m., three brunch patrons are seen smoking on the back patio — and disposing of their cigarettes in the hanging flower baskets.

“You can see them walking out on the deck after brunch,” Hamilton says. “They light up and are all standing around this hanging flower pot over by the railing on the side that faces the parking lot. They get done, put them out in that basket and, about 20 minutes later, the basket starts smoking.”

Hamilton admits he was surprised to see how slowly the fire smoldered before

exploding into the catastrophic blaze. As he explains, prior to viewing the video, he assumed that the fire was caused by either an electrical issue or someone shooting a firework into the building; it just seemed odd to him that there could be any other explanation because of how the fire started underneath the deck.

However, upon detailed examination of the video, you can see that the coconut-fiber-lined flower pots appear to be the source; the theory is that smoldering debris (likely the coconut fibers) melted the rubber roof, then got underneath

and appetizers. He and Christine are also working on getting their liquor license and are grateful for the Pi Rico folks for laying the foundation for to-go cocktails at the storefront. They also see the new location as allowing them to expand their catering and larger format “party pack” offerings and are looking forward to welcoming people into the space for a more cozy dinnertime experience.

“This just allows us to open up the concept a little bit more than what happens at City Foundry,” Nate says. “The sky is the limit.” n the deck’s parapet, or low protective wall, into a six-inch space that eventually caught fire.

“Literally, from the time we have video until when the actual flames broke through was 12 hours,” Hamilton says.

Though Hamilton, his wife, Wendy, and his team have gone through a wide gamut of emotions since the fire destroyed such an important part of their lives, he says that the first emotion he had when seeing the video was relief.

“I was relieved it wasn’t purposeful,” Hamilton says. “At first, I’d thought that maybe someone had done something malicious. The fact that it was basically someone’s stupidity doesn’t make it any better or change what we had to deal with, but at least it wasn’t malicious. It’s not like they said, ‘Let’s put our cigarettes out in this flower pot and burn the place down.’ Still, it’s unbelievable that such a small thing — the action of a couple of people — could do this.”

While he is relieved that he has answers, Hamilton is not dwelling on the actions of the people in the footage and is instead focused on rebuilding. He is thankful that he has insurance and is pleased with how the company has handled everything so far.

Because of this, he and Wendy are committed to rebuilding, even if it is an enormous project that will have to happen in stages. Right now, they are in the demolition phase of the process; as he explains, the fire may have been terrible, but the water it took to put out the flames did the most extensive damage. As a result, every bit of drywall and flooring has to be removed before they can even think of restoring the building.

“It took us a year to build two floors and 16 years to build the other two,” Hamilton says. “It’s going to be a long process.” n