April 2016 Feast Magazine

6 classic pastries & desserts

hand-pulled how-to

7 must-try recipes

CHINESE SWEETS

USE YOUR NOODLE

WOK THIS WAY

Inspired Local Food Culture | Midwest

feastmagazine.com | APRIL 2016

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Inspired Local Food Culture | Midwest

APRIL 2016 FroM the staFF | 10 |

FEATURES | 37 |

In Kansas City, a new shop has raw treats and cold-pressed juices, while St. Louis prepares for the growing season with a rebranded home and garden store. We also catch up with the St. Louis-based owners of an organic olive grove in Greece and learn about three generations of rice-growers in Bernie, Missouri.

from the PUBLISher

Eats from the East.

| 12 |

dIgItaL content

What’s online this month.

| 14 |

feaSt tv

The new season begins this month.

| 17 |

shoP

72

dIne We visit three restaurants, including Columbia, Missouri’s newest pizza joint, a meatballcentric spot in Kansas City and a Downtown favorite with a new menu in St. Louis. In our monthly travel piece, Road Trip, writer Pete Dulin visits Oklahoma City and shares where to dine, drink and stay this month during the annual Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon.

| 45 |

Cook | 46 | heaLthy aPPetIte Writer Sherrie Castellano says 2016 is the year of the pulse – a subgroup of legumes – which she explores in a vegetarian falafel recipe.

drInk

We are checking out a swanky new bar at the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis, a soccer fan’s dream in Kansas City and an artisan coffee shop in Sikeston, Missouri. In his monthly column, The Mix, Matt Seiter explores the use of an ingredient common in Chinese cocktails: fresh lychee juice.

82

Learn to skillfully wield a wok and make five Chinese-inspired recipes, plus stock and sauce.

stay hungry

Julia Li is growing her family’s restaurant, LuLu Seafood & Dim Sum, while honoring the traditional Chinese fare that’s made it a beloved spot in the St. Louis area.

use your noodLe

Chef Peter Wang of Iron Horse Chinese Restaurant in Olathe, Kansas, has mastered the art of hand-pulling noodles.

| 48 | myStery ShoPPer Buy it and try it: enoki mushrooms.

| 52 | menU oPtIonS Lighten up with the fresh, Thai-inspired yum yai salad.

| 29 |

60

wok thIs way

| 54 | Sweet IdeaS Pastry chef Christy augustin gives rice pudding a Mexican twist.

COvER PHOTO Of HanD-PuLLED nOODLES (P. 82) By LanDOn vOnDERSCHMIDT TaBLE Of COnTEnTS PHOTO Of SESaME BaLLS WITH RED-BEan fILLInG (P. 90)

By SHERRIE CaSTELLanO

90

treats FroM the east

Six subtly sweet pastries and desserts highlight the traditional flavors of Chinese sweets.

Magazine Volume 7

| Issue 4 | April 2016

Vice President of Niche Publishing, Publisher of Feast Magazine Catherine Neville, publisher@feastmagazine.com

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Contributing Writers Christy Augustin, Sherrie Castellano, Gabrielle DeMichele, Pete Dulin, April Fleming, Hilary Hedges, Valeria Turturro Klamm, Brandon and Ryan Nickelson, Lauren Rutherford, Matt Seiter, Matt Sorrell, Shannon Weber ART Art Director Alexandrea Doyle, adoyle@feastmagazine.com Production Designer Jacklyn Meyer, jmeyer@feastmagazine.com Contributing Photographers Sherrie Castellano, Judd Demaline, Travis Duncan, Jonathan Gayman, Jason Gray, Brooke Hamilton, William Hess, Jacklyn Meyer, Anna Petrow, Jennifer Silverberg, Mabel Suen, Landon Vonderschmidt, Cheryl Waller FEAST TV

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CONTACT US Feast Media, 8811 Ladue Road, Suite D, Ladue, MO 63124 314.475.1244, feastmagazine.com

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publisher’s letter

i can remember the first time i had dim sum.

Steaming carts lumbered through the large restaurant, and metal steamer trays held treasures that I had never seen or tasted before. Each plate brought something new and different and wonderful, and each item was made very clearly with care and precision.

Every time I bit into one of the steamed dumplings, I was excited to find out what was inside. This style of dining allows diners to explore and This month we debut the new season of Feast TV. I’ve been working try unusual things; if you’ve with Tybee Studios on the 13-episode season for three months, and I’m never had dim sum, I highly thrilled to share it with you. Turn to p. 15 to find out when the show airs on your local PBS station or visit feastmagazine.com to watch our first encourage you to dive in. Just episode, “A Taste of Asia.” A huge thank you to our sponsors: Missouri beware that you’ll want to try Wines, L’École Culinaire, Whole Foods Market in Brentwood and Town as much as possible, so go with and Country, New Seasons Salon and Spa and The Raphael Hotel. a group of friends who are just as hungry as you are. Turn to p. 72 for managing editor Nancy Stiles’ piece on St. Louis’ LuLu Seafood & Dim Sum for a taste of what awaits.

Chinese pastries are another personal favorite, and our St. Louis contributing editor Mabel Suen got into the kitchen and experimented with a number of different subtly sweet pastry recipes for this issue (p. 90). I can’t wait to try my hand at the sesame balls stuffed with sweetened red-bean paste. It’s one of my favorites whenever I do go out for dim sum, and being able to recreate that experience at home would be a wonderful culinary accomplishment.

Rounding out the issue is a Chinese cooking feature by recipe-developer extraordinaire Shannon Weber (p. 60) and an intimate portrait of a chef who has mastered the art of hand-pulling noodles near Kansas City (p. 82).

FeAst eVeNts stl

Thu., March 31 through Mon., April 4; various restaurants; $20; opera-stl.org/operatastings

Join us for one of six 90-minute concert events, presented in partnership with six restaurants, chefs and sommeliers. Discover the fun and the unexpected flavors of opera as small plates and drink tastings are paired with music from across the history of opera. stl

Maplewood Coffee Crawl Sat., April 2, 8am to 1pm; Historic Downtown Maplewood; $10; cityofmaplewood.com

Take a self-guided tour that includes samplings and demonstrations by your favorite local coffee roasters at 14 host locations. As a bonus, Maplewood’s merchants will be offering specials during the tour including sidewalk sales and activities.

stl

Feast of Fountains: A Food truck Fest Kick-Off event Tue., April 12, 11am to 1pm; Location TBA; feastmagazine.com

Join us for a food truck event each month from May to September in one of Kansas City’s beautiful parks.

We’ll highlight prominent fountains throughout the city, while guests enjoy food from some of Kansas City’s most popular food trucks.

KC

Midwest Flavors Cooking series: KC’s Culinary Artisanal treasures Wed., April 13, 6:30pm; The Culinary Center of Kansas City; $60; cookingschoolsofamerica.com/kcculinary

Join us for a cooking class focused on the bounty of artisanal products found in the Heartland, including Kansas City Canning Co., Wood + Salt, Vain Foods, Shatto Milk Co. and more. Enjoy great information, recipes, fantastic tastings, wine and gifts. stl

restaurant Week on the hill Mon., April 25 through Sun., May 1; The Hill; restaurantweekonthehill.com

stl

stl

Dine out on The Hill as restaurants offer hand-selected, one-of-a-kind dishes with an authentic atmosphere in the heart of St. Louis.

Several of The Hill’s top rated restaurants are participating this year and are providing a three-course meal for only $25.

schnucks Cooks: Yum Yai salad Wed., April 27, 6 to 9pm; Schnucks Cooks Cooking School; $40; schnuckscooks.com or 314.909.1704

Join us in the kitchen and learn to make Yum Yai salad, a Thai-inspired dish made with raw, steamed and fried vegetables, as well as chile jam. You’ll round out the meal by stir-frying pad thai and preparing your own fortune cookies.

This is a beautiful edition of the magazine, and I hope that you enjoy it as much as the staff at Feast has enjoyed putting it together. stl

Until next time,

Opera theatre of st. louis tastings

Feast Magazine’s taste & toast Fri., May 6, 7pm; Majorette; feastmagazine.com/events

Sample award-winning wines from across the region and dishes from area restaurants at Feast’s Midwest wine social. stl

Cat’s picks Wednesdays, 8:35am; The BIG 550 KTRS

Tune in as Feast publisher Catherine Neville chats with host McGraw Milhaven and gives her weekly picks for the best places to eat and drink in the St. Louis area.

Catherine Neville

publisher@feastmagazine.com

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feastmagazine.com

A P R I L 2016

@cat_neville

@cat_neville

ContrIbutors

04.16 landon vonderschmidt Kansas City, Photographer Landon Vonderschmidt, a Kansas City-based photographer, has a creative eye paired with hands-on experience.

Specializing in the food industry, he’s had the pleasure of working with local restaurants and publications. He’s been the contributing photographer for the advertising campaign for Kansas City Restaurant Week for the past four years; a creative committee member for The Bloom Party, benefiting the Kansas City CARE Clinic; and a lead photographer for the West 18th Street Fashion Show. In his spare time, Landon likes a chilled white wine spritzer, vacationing with friends, hitting up New York City and posting photos on Instagram.

jennifer silverberg St. Louis, Photographer

Making photographs is something Jennifer has been doing since she was a young girl. Her passion for art, food, sustainability and responsible land use came much later.

About five years ago she figured out how to bring those interests together in the world of food photography.

Whether she’s in the finest restaurants, the corner butcher shop or the vast fields of the farm, Jennifer finds beautiful connections to food, the people who bring it to us and the animals that nourish us. Her food, portrait and lifestyle work can be seen in publications and advertisements around the world. You can follow her adventures and enjoy some general silliness on Instagram at @jennsilverberg.

shannon weber St. Louis, Writer Shannon Weber is the creator, author and photographer behind the award-winning blog, A Periodic Table (aperiodictableblog.com), and her work has been featured on websites such as Bon Appétit, Serious Eats and America’s Test Kitchen. She is a self-taught baker and cook who believes that the words “I can’t” should never apply to food preparation and that curiosity can lead to wonderful things in both the kitchen and in life. With a lifelong love of food and a bachelor’s degree in English literature, it was only a matter of time before she ventured into recipe development and writing. She has been known to read through cookbooks like memoirs, plan trips around restaurants and spend far too much time thinking about food. Outside of the kitchen, you can find her wandering through the local library, taking in an independent film (solo, no talking) or hanging out at the playground with her daughter.

It’s time to Play

favorites!

Vote now for your favorite chefs, restaurants, bars, brewers, winemakers, farmers and food-and-drink producers across the region in our annual Feast 50 awards poll.

We’ll be accepting votes on feastmagazine.com through Fri., April 29, and the results will be published in the August 2016 issue of Feast.

laura laiben Kansas City, Writer Growing up in a small German community in eastern Missouri, Laura’s passion for the culinary arts began early, making pastry dough with her grandmother while sitting on her kitchen counter. She practiced law for 18 years before jumping career tracks to open The Culinary Center of Kansas City. She believes in the magic that happens around the table and providing exceptional customer experiences. Laura’s extensive teaching, team building, facilitating and special event-planning experience have been featured in local and national media. She appeared on the cover of Family Money magazine and often speaks on topics such as small-business management, social entrepreneurship and the practice of following your heart when it comes to your career. Laura is the author of The Best Recipes of The Culinary Center.

Inspired Local Food Culture

april 2016

11

DIGITAL CONTENT

hungry for more?

feastmagazine.com

connect with us daily:

fACEbook. get a taste of local food-and-drink events (like our monthly Schnucks Cooking School classes) at facebook.com/feastmag.

PHoTograPHy By MaBeL Suen

thE fEEd: StL A few seasoned local barbecue fanatics are cooking up ‘cue the old-school way at the newly opened Ol’ School Smokehouse in Mehlville, Missouri. Look for pulled pork, whiskey chicken and baby-back ribs, among other classic offerings.

tWIttEr. Follow @feastmag to see where we’re

dining across the region (like brunch at retreat gastropub in St. Louis).

PHoTograPHy By JenniFer SiLverBerg

PIntErESt. Find spring-inspired pasta recipes (like this tagliatelle with roasted vegetables) on our Pastas board at pinterest.com/feastmag.

PHoTograPHy CourTeSy WHiSKey anD SoBa

PHoTograPHy By aPriL FLeMing

thE fEEd: kC Kansas City’s first dedicated banh mi shop opened its doors last month. In the Northland, Bun Mee Phan offers several creative takes on the traditional sandwich, as well as banh mi-inspired spring rolls and tacos. morE on thE fEEd: Keep up with what’s happening in the region’s food-and-drink scene by visiting our daily updated news blog, The Feed, at feastmagazine.com/the-feed. We recently named the five best taquerias in Kansas City and shared 4 Hands Brewing Co.’s plans for a major tasting room expansion in St. Louis.

SPECIAL GIVEAWAY: Win a pair of tickets to Taste & Toast on Fri., May 6 in St. Louis. Just head to the Promotions section

at feastmagazine.com for all the details.

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A P R I L 2016

InStAGrAm. Hashtag your local food-and-drink photos with #feastgram for a chance to see them in Feast! Details on p. 98. Follow us @feastmag.

Watch our videos and Feast TV.

youtube.com/FeastMagazine

Inspired Local Food Culture

APRIL 2016

13

FEAST TV

feast on dim sum at lulu seafood & dim sum and learn why black vinegar is the condiment of choice to enhance the delicate flavors of chinese dumplings.

get in the kitchen at cafe korea and get to know its chef-owner, who is bringing her culinary tradition to small-town missouri.

hope you’re hungry because in this episode, we’re feasting on fiery, complex korean dishes, tasting a modern-midwest take on ramen and following steaming carts of authentic dim-sum treats. plus, host cat neville gets into the kitchen and makes fresh, thai-style curries.

TV

watch as each beautiful and delicious version of columbus park ramen shop’s eponymous soup is made in its tiny, efficient kitchen.

special thanks to tybee studios and lp creative studio

feast tv is brought to you by the generous support of our sponsors: Missouri Wines

WhoLe Foods Market

L’ écoLe cuLinaire

Missouri Wines supports the more than 125 wineries operating in the state and is focused on promoting the industry’s growth and vitality.

Feast TV is proud to feature Whole Foods Market’s 365 Everyday Value line of products. Pick up ingredients at the Brentwood and Town and Country locations in the St. Louis area.

In St. Louis and Kansas City, L’école Culinaire offers high-quality culinary education from basic culinary skills to careers in management.

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the raphaeL hoteL

neW seasons spa and saLon

The Raphael Hotel is Feast’s official hotel, offering luxury accommodations and dining near Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza.

New Seasons Spa and Salon in south St. Louis County offers a full range of spa services and is the official salon of Feast TV.

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WATCH FEAST ON THESE NETWORKS

In St. Louis, tune into the Nine Network (Channel 9) to watch Feast TV on Sat., April 9 and Sun., April 10 at 6:30pm; Sat., April 16 and Sun., April 17 at 6:30pm; Sat., April 23 and Sun., April 24 at 1:30 and 6:30pm; and Sat., April 30 at 6:30pm.

In Kansas City, watch Feast TV on KCPT (Channel 19) at 5:30pm on Sun., April 10; Sun., April 17; and Sun., April 24.

You can watch Feast TV throughout mid-Missouri on KMOS (Channel 6) on Thu., April 28 at 7:30pm and Sat., April 30 at 4pm.

Prom 2016

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featured on Feast TV will air in the southern Illinois region on WSIU (Channel 8) every Monday at 12:30pm.

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Inspired Local Food Culture

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where we’re dining

keep your eyes on the pies on p. 20 photography by travis duncan

trending now: Steamed BunS

on trend

Written by bethany Christo PhotograPhy by Judd demaline

Bao and their sliced counterparts, gua bao (which translates to “cut bread”), are a Chinese and Taiwanese street-food staple.

Lately, chefs are taking a special interest in these pillowy steamed buns, stuffed with savory fillings both classic and creative. stl

asian tacos

family recipe

kc

latin inspired

CoLumBia, mo. House of Chow has been serving Chinese fare in Columbia, missouri, for 35 years, but it wasn’t until chef-owner James lowe took it over from his aunt two years ago that steamed-bun sliders appeared on the menu. lowe, who was born in hong Kong but grew up in the u.s., vividly remembers the gua bao his brother-in-law’s taiwanese mother would make for special family gatherings. lowe sweetened up her recipe for house of Chow’s buns to balance the soy in the meat braise and says the addition of milk is his family’s contribution. all buns are made in-house, which is a time-intensive process of repeated kneading, rising and steaming. the buns are served with braised pork belly, which gets a soy-ginger brine, as well as chopped peanuts, stir-fried mustard greens and cilantro. “most families have their own bao bun interpretation, like how every chef has his or her own interpretation of French onion soup,” lowe says. house of Chow also has a vegetarian version that swaps in fried and brined tofu, and lowe is thinking of offering a gua bao filled with his top-selling crunchy springfield-style cashew chicken this summer.

KanSaS CitY. When Extra Virgin opened in Kansas City

might look like a taco and even come served in taco holders – but it’s definitely not a taco. Chef-owner Jason Jan noticed growing up in malaysia that many of the best ramen shops also served gua bao. When he opened his ramen shop in Clayton, missouri, four months ago, he knew he’d include fluffy steamed buns on the menu, filling them with braised pork belly, braised pulled pork, tempura shrimp and shredded curry chicken. the shrimp are fried-to-order and drizzled with spicy mayo – a combination of regular and Japanese mayo that’s mixed with togarashi powder and a hint of lemon juice – plus chilled cucumbers and shredded green onions. Jan’s favorite is the chicken curry, made with chicken breast simmered for two to three hours in housemade curry sauce and cooked with shallots, lemongrass and herbs. of course, customers come for nami ramen’s namesake Japanese noodle dish, but they can’t seem to resist the buns, even asking Jan to introduce chicken katsu, oyster or veggie options in the future. “the gua bao are very light; i could eat three and still have room for a bowl of ramen,” Jan says.

Nami Ramen, 46 N. Central Ave., Clayton, Missouri, 314.833.6264, namiramen.com

House of Chow, 2101 W. Broadway, Columbia, Missouri, 573.445.8800, houseofchow-como.com

Extra Virgin, 1900 Main St., Crossroads Arts District, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.842.2205, extravirginkc.com

CLaYton, mo. the bao appetizer at Nami Ramen

%PG

como

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A P R I L 2016

in 2008, it was focused on serving spanish-style tapas, but chef-owner michael smith soon expanded the menu to include more globally inspired fare. “i’m always inspired by asian cuisine because it incorporates so well all those [flavors] we need and love,” smith says.

“Crunchy, sweet and sour, sticky barbecued meats, chiles – everything that americans love about food, asian cuisine does so well.” about two-and-a-half years ago, smith added pork belly steamed buns to the menu, with a latin-inspired filling of braised, sliced and caramelized pork belly, roasted piquillo peppers, serrano peppers, a healthy dose of cilantro and a seasonal kimchi salad of anything from pickled ramps and ramp bulbs to mushrooms. the most important element is the squeeze of sauce at the end, made from a reduction of the tamarind broth used to poach the pork belly. the steamed-bun appetizer is so popular that the extra Virgin chefs couldn’t continue making the time-consuming buns in house; smith now sources buns from a local asian market. “the buns don’t have any flavor, so they are just a beautiful, steamy, pillow of a vehicle,” he says.

one on one

mo

brian fischer

media and marketing manager, missouri select family farms Written By Valeria turturro Klamm

GLASGOW, MO. in July 2015, Missouri

photography by travis duncan

Select Family Farms launched in Glasgow, missouri, as a way for family farms in central missouri to provide locally grown food to consumers and restaurants in the area. Since then, nearly 200 customers have registered on the organization’s website to receive either one-time or regular deliveries of local fruit and vegetables, antibioticand hormone-free meat and milk, and non-Gmo eggs from free-range hens. in February, missouri Select celebrated the grand opening of a storefront at its Glasgow warehouse, a space offering pantry staples such as flour and sugar alongside in-house baked goods including artisan bread and cookies, plus shelf-stable bulk items, locally roasted coffee and more. “[We exist] to help our local farmers, but this is going to help [all of Howard] County,” says Brian Fischer, media and marketing manager for missouri Select, who works full-time as a dentist. “not only are we putting money into the pocket of the farmer, but at the same time, we’re operating a business – buying and selling and earning some amount of profit.”

Where did the idea for Missouri Select come from? the Howard County commissioner, who was my milkman at the time, came to us with an idea: What if we started a company to help our local farmers? What if we came up with some way to move their product? What we came up with at first was everything you can find at a farmers’ market, combined with the old-time milkman delivery routes and the convenience of shopping online – those three concepts together. most of our member investors are all producers.

Why did you decide on this area in Missouri? at first, we wanted to make sure what we were getting local was 100 miles away at most. that proved to be too far – it seemed like a drastic amount of the state. We really want to keep it focused; if it’s local, it’s 15 to 40 minutes away from the warehouse.

We started to create a triangle to serve, from Glasgow through Fayette, to Columbia, to Boonville and back to Glasgow, and pretty much everywhere in between. How does your wholesale operation work? the rolling Pin Bakery and Beckett’s in Glasgow, the Club at old Hawthorne in Columbia and Dos Primos in Fayette have been supportive and purchased a good amount of product from us as our restaurant partners. We’re fortunate that there are other members of the community and county who support local food.

We have also been able to move local produce to Hy-Vee and C&r grocery stores. if a farmer has a large amount of something, we’ll take some for our customers or restaurants – but if we know ahead of time, we can contact the grocery stores before the farmers even [harvest] because our farmers are neighbors. What’s in store for 2016? We may be able to get our own industrial-sized vegetable washer so we can bring product straight from the field to the warehouse, wash it and properly store it. We’d really like to be able to get some more greenhouses put up in the county so we can start things earlier and carry things later in the season. if we get the demand, we have producers for lamb, turkey and goat lined up. We’re hoping to expand and add more stops to our delivery route, and we’re rolling out a CSa program this season, too.

Missouri Select Family Farms, 102 Second St., Glasgow, Missouri, 660.338.4040, missouriselect.com

Inspired Local Food Culture

april 2016

19

where we’re dining From new restaurants to renewed menus, our staff and contributors share their picks for where we’re dining this month.

lucas park grille WrittEn By nanCy StilES

|

stl

PhotograPhy By JaSon gray

ST. LOUIS. in St. louis, Washington avenue is well-known for its

nightlife; Downtown offices also encourage a bustling lunch scene. But dinner is often overlooked at the 12-year-old Lucas Park Grille, which is worth revisiting thanks to new executive chef Kevin Sthair. an alum of Eleven Eleven Mississippi, the old Cafe Balaban in the Central West End and the restaurant at the Cheshire (since renamed Boundary), among others, Sthair joined lucas Park about a year ago and has been quietly reinventing the menu ever since. the new american dishes on his menu are familiar and approachable without being boring or predictable, and decadent twists like duck confit flatbread, a wagyu hot dog reuben and short rib-smothered fries are sprinkled throughout the various new menus (lunch, dinner, brunch and bar). Sthair says he hopes to draw in new customers as well as fans of the popular bar. lucas Park grille has a sommelier on staff, too – go ahead and skip the vodka tonic and ask for the perfect wine pairings to complement Sthair’s dishes.

Lucas Park Grille, 1234 Washington Ave., Downtown, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.241.7770, lucasparkgrille.com

como

west main pizza² written by Lauren rutherford

COLUMBIA, MO. it’s “dough time” for Jefferson City,

Missouri-based pizza joint west Main Pizza. the second mom-and-pop pizzeria opened in Columbia, Missouri, in March as West Main Pizza² in the space that formerly housed Gunther’s Games. west Main Pizza² offers “exponentially” faster service along with a pizza and salad menu similar to the offerings at its flagship location.

PhotoGraPhy by travis dunCan

Co-owner Jessica Christiansen says she hopes customers can order and be out the door with a hot, fresh pizza in fewer than five minutes, but there are 30 or seats for those who want to eat at the pizzeria. the hand-tossed, oven-baked pizza is available in a variety of signature options, including best-sellers like the Man for meat-lovers or all-veggie tree hugger. Plus, you can craft your own pie at the counter and choose from a variety of Columbia-exclusive sauces, including roasted red pepper pesto, chipotle pesto and garlic purée, as well as a whole-wheat dough option. the fast-casual space also has cheesy garlic breadsticks and build-your-own salads perfect for a quick lunch or midafternoon fuel-up.

20

feastmagazine.com

Christiansen says the change in concept is geared toward downtown foot traffic and the college population – west Main Pizza² plans to stay open late to accommodate the hungry bar-hoppers after last call.

West Main Pizza², 923 E. Broadway, Columbia, Missouri, 573.777.7711, westmainpizza2.com A P R I L 2016

PhotograPhy by anna Petrow

KC

written by Jenny Vergara

KANSAS CITY. Meatball District Kitchen + Bar is the first restaurant for owner Kal tandel, who moved from California with his family after growing up in the restaurant industry and then enjoying a successful career managing bars and nightclubs. housed in the former Saigon 39, tandel has transformed the spot into a shiny new hangout. with exposed brick walls, white-washed shutters and a smattering of comfy tables and chairs, the space is cozy and inviting – take a date or the entire family, as all are welcome when meatballs are on the menu.

the menu features four meatballs (chicken, beef, pork, and vegan-friendly made with chickpeas, gluten-free bread crumbs, onion and basil) and five sauces (classic tomato, spicy tomato, sweet barbecue, Parmesan and lemon-pesto). order any combination of meatballs and sauces by themselves, on individual slider buns or get four meatballs, plus sauce, on a soft Farm to Market bread Co. baguette.

Choose from bases including seasonal zucchini or spaghetti-squash noodles, risotto, egg noodles and more. two hearty salads, fried meatball samosa, pizza fries and fried mac ‘n’ cheese balls round out the menu. the bar features a small cocktail list, including the Moscow Mule, a house favorite, and a large wine and beer list that features local brews and a handful of reasonably priced and delicious wines.

Meatball District Kitchen + Bar, 1806 W. 39th St., Volker, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.226.7888, meatballdistrict.com Inspired Local Food Culture

april 2016

21

destination: oklahoma City, oklahoma

road trip

WRITTEN By PETE DULIN

Oklahoma City will be filled with fans and runners alike this month at the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon on April 24. The annual event, also known as the “Run to Remember,” is a Boston Marathon-qualifying race that honors the memories of those killed in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Take time to explore the city’s recent history as well as its legacy as a Western territorial outpost at several museums, historic hotels, a whiskey lounge and more.

sleep

Rusty Gables Guest Lodge & Gallery Relax in one of two rooms at Rusty Gables, a ranch and bed-and-breakfast minutes from the Bricktown entertainment district, city zoo, state park and museums. Enjoy a country breakfast and take in artwork from several dozen artists in the Great Room Art Gallery located on site.

3800 NE 50th St., Forest Park, 405.424.1015, rustygables.com

eat

Belle Isle Restaurant & Brewery This brewpub offers hearty food and beer brewed on site, plus live music on weekends. Kick off a meal with appetizers with local flair such as boneless bison “wings” or fried Swiss cheese. Try the range-fed Oklahoma longhorn beef burger for more flavor and less fat than a traditional patty. Be sure to also try Belle Isle’s brews, including Wild Mary’s Hefeweizen, Frozen Finger IPA and the light-bodied Belle’s Blonde.

1900 NW Expressway, Suggs Park, 405.840.1911, belleislerestaurant.com

Vast Housed in the Devon Energy Center tower, Vast’s restaurant and lounge provides a dramatic view of the city. Chef Patrick Williams – a veteran of Kansas City restaurants The American Restaurant, Pierpont’s at Union Station and others – prepares a daily prix-fixe lunch with dishes such as soy-glazed chicken, striped bass and lemon-sole picatta. Dinner selections vary with the season. Past dishes of quail stuffed with pickled shiitake, oxtail soup, pan-fried Atlantic skate wing and select cuts of dry-aged steak hint at the possibilities.

Empire Slice House’s slogan says it all: “It’s like Frank Sinatra and David Bowie had a pizza baby.” Timeless cool unites with tasty slices in this pop culture-friendly pizza parlor. A 1-pound Andre the Giant Meatball is a must-try. Favorite pizzas include the hot pepper-laden Evil Empire; the Foghorn Leghorn with Asiago, chicken, bacon, jalapeño, marinara and Sriracha; and the Figgy Stardust, made with basil pesto, fresh mozzarella, figs, chicken and prosciutto. Empire also boasts an impressive menu of cocktails, craft beer and wine.

PHOTO COurTESy viSiTOkC.COm

Aloft Oklahoma City Downtown-Bricktown Convenience and comfort are the hallmarks of this boutique hotel. Its nearby entertainment district is home to dining, nightlife and shopping. Amenities include an outdoor pool, a gym and pet-friendly rooms.

209 N. Walnut Ave., Bricktown, 405.605.2100, aloftoklahomacitybricktown.com PHOTO COurTESy viSiTOkC.COm

feastmagazine.com

A P R I L 2016

This vibrant two-block area with Spanish-revival architecture is home to more than 20 galleries featuring 80-plus artists. First Friday art walks and local food trucks are ready to feed imaginations and bellies. Brayer & Brush, The Craft Room and the Paseo School of Art offer art classes for those creatively inclined.

Along Paseo between NW 28th and 30th streets, Paseo, 405.525.2688, thepaseo.com

1734 NW 16th St., Plaza District, 405.557.1760, empireslicehouse.com PHOTO COurTESy EmPirE SliCE HOuSE

Wsky Lounge

The Bleu Garten

Craft cocktails, 250-plus whiskeys, nearly 400 spirits, small plates and cigars add up to one memorable evening in the heart of OKC’s jazz district. Nibble on a selection of loaded wagyu sliders and fries, fried mac ‘n’ cheese balls or a hand-rolled pretzel. Cigar aficionados will savor the selection of light- to full-bodied cigars, like a Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Torpedo. The air-filtration system ensures comfort for all guests, smoking or not.

Nearly three dozen local food trucks make scheduled appearances at this innovative food-truck park. The truck roster includes varied selections like Masa, Mob Grill, Phill Me Up Cheesesteaks, Mim’s Bakery & Nosh, The Healthy Hippo, Snow S’more and Back Door Barbecue, and the Bar Pod is a full-service bar with craft beer, liquor and wine on tap. Look for local Black Mesa Brewing Co. and its Endless Skyway Bitter, Kölsch and spring seasonal Doppelbock.

228 NE Second St., Deep Deuce District, 405.606.7171, wskylounge.com

22

The Paseo Arts District Empire Slice House

15 N. robinson Ave., Downtown, 405.601.4300, colcordhotel.com

Exhibits at this decidedly Oklahoman museum include The Cowboy Returns: Photographs by Bank and John Langmore, which documents two generations of cowboys. Remember to tip your hat to the bronze statue of Buffalo Bill.

PHOTO COurTESy NATiONAl COWBOy & WESTErN HEriTAgE muSEum

PHOTO COurTESy viSiTOkC.COm

Built in 1910, this luxury hotel’s elegant touches include original marble columns and marble lobby walls that evoke a sense of refinement.

Be sure to dine at Flint, its restaurant that serves upscale comfort food.

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

1700 NE 63rd St., Persimmon Hill, 405.478.2250, nationalcowboymuseum.org

333 W. Sheridan Ave., Downtown, 405.702.7262, vastokc.com

Colcord Hotel

local gems

301 NW 10th St., midtown, bleugarten.com

Myriad Botanical Gardens and Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory The 13,000-square-foot conservatory contains 750 varieties of plants, cascading waterfalls, and wet and dry tropical climate zones. A $30-million makeover of family-friendly Myriad Botanical Gardens updated the facility to include an ice-skating rink, amphitheater, children’s play area and dog park.

301 W. reno Ave., Downtown, 405.445.7080, oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com PHOTO COurTESy myriAD BOTANiCAl gArDENS

one on one

stl co-owner, corner 17 and joy luck chinese express

Written by Mabel Suen

UNIVERSITY CITY, MO.

ivan Wei comes from a culinary family rooted in Chinese tradition. His father and mother, yi and Xiu Wei, are the chefs behind the coveted “secret�

Sichuan menu at their brentwood, Missouri, restaurant, Joy luck buffet. at Corner 17, the couple combined their kitchen expertise with ivan’s background in business management to spice up the 2-year-old student favorite in the Delmar loop. On Jan. 14, Wei debuted another aspect of his business plan for those on the go: Joy Luck Chinese Express, located next door to Corner 17. “at Corner 17, people sit down and enjoy dinner – really authentic Chinese,� Wei says. “Joy luck is a place for people to grab a quick lunch without long lines. We offer fast, affordable food for people working around here and students.�

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Joy luck Chinese express features Chinese-american cuisine served cafeteria-style, not unlike popular chain Panda express. the difference, however, comes from the kitchen – both Joy luck and Corner 17 share an ever-productive prep space that churns out fresh, rotating dishes regularly. at Corner 17, more than 100 menu items are available, including savory hand-pulled noodles and sweet bubble teas, and the list keeps expanding to meet increasing demand. Heeding the requests of hungry patrons from abroad, Wei travels to China regularly to conduct research on the best possible ingredients and techniques for the restaurant’s menu items.

photography by jonathan gayman

just ask the ciaos

Tell us about your most recent trip to China. i went to Shanghai, Zhangzhou and Fujian, which is close to taiwan, where bubble tea originated. there are hundreds of brands of bubble tea in China. the most important thing is to make it all fresh. a lot of bubble teas in China still use instant powder, but you have to use premium creamer, real milk and correctly brewed tea to make it the best. if you use artificial or instant powders, it’s going to taste very heavy – it’s tasty, but not as refreshing as using new, fresh, raw ingredients. What are some current dining trends in China? China is very Westernized. People are more interested in Western brands like KFC and McDonald’s. this is the trend in China, but there are so many delicious traditional foods. So i thought, why don’t we just make a very modern-looking restaurant with traditional dishes? that’s my concept [at Corner 17]. Tell us about Corner 17’s menu. a customer favorite is a marinated pork belly with Chinese pickles. it’s very tender, not fatty and just melts in your mouth. My favorite is the handmade pan-fried noodles. We also have a housemade sweet-and-sour pork and tofu lion’s head [a Huaiyang dish traditionally made of pork meatballs and stewed vegetables] boiled in house sauce with carrots and bok choy to boost the flavor. Where should people who are trying traditional Chinese food for the first time begin? there are a lot of ingredients used in Chinese cooking like pork intestines – asians love it, but i wouldn’t recommend it to my american customers first. Pan-fried noodles are a popular go-to with beef or pork. We also have some dishes that are in between american and Chinese tastes, like kung pao chicken cooked in a very traditional way – lightly fried and stir-fried with Sichuan peppercorns and sweet-spicy sauce. try that first if you’re freaked out by the chicken feet.

Corner 17 and Joy Luck Chinese Express, 6623 Delmar Blvd., Delmar Loop, University City, Missouri, 314.727.2402

Inspired Local Food Culture

april 2016

23

AprIL ANd MAY: rAdISheS

IN SEASON

WRITTEn By nAnCy STILES

Radishes go hand-in-hand with spring. Their vibrant color, satisfying crunch and hint of spice make them an ideal choice for chefs looking to add freshness to spring menus after a season of robust winter dishes. stl

spanish

ST. LOUIS. Radishes add a hint of pepper to executive chef Carlos Hernandez’s dishes at

Modesto Tapas Bar & Restaurant in St. Louis. “It’s a good vegetable to use in the spring,” he says. “It’s light and [has] got a good flavor to it, a little spice. It can go with anything.”

Hernandez has used shaved red radishes on a tuna carpaccio and to balance out a roast-suckling pig with shaved fennel and cilantro. “The crisp [texture] and spiciness of the radish brings out all the flavor from the richness of the pork,” he says. This spring, look for radishes to show up in a few different dishes on his menu, as well as at sister restaurant Whitebox Eatery, where it garnishes an Asian-ginger-pear salad and appears in a slaw on a sandwich. “When I have something I like, I like to put it in a couple dishes in different ways,” he says, mentioning the addition of citrus-marinated octopus with red radish, fennel, celery and chimichurri on Modesto’s spring menu.

Modesto Tapas Bar & Restaurant, 5257 Shaw Ave., The Hill, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.772.8272, modestotapas.com

Kc

korean

KANSAS CITY. Radishes are a common topping for tacos, so it makes sense that Kansas City

chef-owner Carlos Mortera uses them on several sandwiches at his Mexican-Korean spot, The Bite. Most notable is the Señor Chang, the sandwich that started it all. Korean short ribs are marinated in gochujang, soy sauce, garlic, salt, sugar and ginger and topped with queso fresco, radishes, cilantro, jalapeños and pickled onions on a bolillo baguette from local Bloom Baking Co. “It’s one of my favorite sandwiches,” Mortera says. “I still don’t get tired of eating it. When we first opened, I was probably eating it almost once a day.” The Bite celebrated its two-year anniversary in March; Mortera works with his younger brother to make the restaurant’s fusion sandwiches and sides. He calls the combination of radishes, pickled onions and cilantro the “The Bite trinity” and uses it as often as possible. “It’s just another layer of flavor,” Mortera says. “I use radishes in everything for the texture, for the freshness or just for the little hint of spiciness that they bring to the dish.” For an extra helping of radishes, ask for The Bite’s “secret” taco menu or try the vegetarian chorizo sandwich.

The Bite, 23 E. Third St., River Market, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.503.6059, facebook.com/thebitekc

como

light and bright

Bleu Restaurant & Catering, 811 E. Walnut St., Downtown, Columbia, Missouri, 573.442.5123, bleucolumbia.com

pHoTogRApHy By ALICjAnE/ISToCK

COLUMBIA, MO. At Bleu Restaurant & Catering in Downtown Columbia, Missouri, dining is meant to be an experience; you don’t drop by to be in and out in 30 minutes, according to chef de cuisine Charles Williams. Bleu is currently undergoing a few minor cosmetic changes, and a menu overhaul is coming soon. Until then, Williams uses spring radishes for their vibrant color. “With springtime, fresh is what everybody looks for,” he says. “In winter, you’re eating that hearty, bone-sticking food – now, you want to lighten, brighten things up, so that’s what I like to do.” Radishes top the ponzu-glazed salmon entrée, which plates seared salmon with a citrus-soy glaze, broccolini, wild rice, quick-pickled cucumber and julienned carrots. Williams picks up radishes from farmers’ markets when possible, and his favorite variety is the watermelon radish. “Have you ever seen a watermelon radish?” he says. “Especially here in mid-Missouri, people will go crazy [for them].”

one on one

KC

kelli kolich co-owner, 1889 pizza napoletana

Jour de la Terre E A R T H D AY C E L E B R AT I O N APRIL 16 & APRIL 17, 2016 TICKETS: www.RDVWineTrail.com

Written By Daniel Puma

KANSAS CITY, KS. Kelli

photography by william hess

Kolich opened 1889 Pizza Napoletana this month with her husband, Jason, near the Westwood and rosedale neighborhoods of Kansas City, Kansas.

Both fell in love with italian culture and, most importantly, pizza while studying abroad in college. they received varying levels of training from famed San Francisco pizza chef and World Pizza Championship-winner tony Gemignani. Focused on authentic, neapolitan-style pizza, 1889 Pizza is using old-world techniques and an oven straight from naples, italy, to produce traditional, high-quality pies.

Where did the idea for 1889 Pizza come from? We had always talked about owning a restaurant. We talked about what we love from restaurants, and pizza came up – [we thought,] what is an interesting and unique perspective on pizza that everybody might not be exposed to? We remembered how amazing neapolitan pizza was when we were in italy. the snowball started there; we were looking for the opportunity to bring neapolitan pizza to Kansas City.

Jason wanted to make sure this concept was something we were comfortable with and passionate about. What was the pizzaiolo certification process like? Jason went and trained [in San Francisco] and became a certified pizzaiolo. it was a week course, and then we went back [in] February 2015 for Jason to get a refresher course from tony, and i gained insight into the tools of the trade. Tell us about your culinary backgrounds. Both Jason and i have worked at restaurants, and he has gotten some more pizza-specific experience over the past two years. it’s taken us just over two years to open it because we want to make sure we’re doing it right since it’s our first time [owning a restaurant]. that helps with the nerves by making us more confident in our decision to bring this to Kansas City. What is your goal for 1889 Pizza? What we are really going to be striving to do is bring this old-world italian tradition to life in Kansas City. the really exciting thing about Kansas City right now is that the food culture has grown dramatically in the past couple of years. it’s much more of a food scene. the palates and appetites for different and unique cuisine are growing constantly. We’re just excited to share the love for this italian staple with everybody in the city and do it in a very authentic way.

We are going to apply for VPn [Vera Pizza napoletana, the governing body of neapolitan pizza-making certification], which means we follow very specific and rigorous guidelines. We’ll have to have someone come in and make sure our pizza is true to the regulations. What’s the menu like? We offer a variety of made-to-order pizzas and specialty pies that our customers can choose from. it’s an opportunity for them to let their imaginations run and create whatever is good for them that day. my favorite is the Green eggs & Ham, with a basil-pesto base, fresh mozzarella and a cracked egg that we fire with the pizza, dressed with arugula and prosciutto. We also offer salads in a similar fashion, plus a handful of appetizers that go into our wood-burning oven. We also offer gelato, one of my favorite italian treats. One of the things we’re also excited about is offering not only beer on tap but also wine on tap. Tell us about your pizza oven. it’s an acunto mario Classico, from naples, italy. the gentleman [who made it] and his family have been making pizza ovens for decades. they are these massive, 6,000-pound ovens, 6 feet in diameter. We are able to fire five to seven pizzas at one time in them. they are really these handcrafted works of art. We had quite the adventure fitting the 3-ton pizza oven into the restaurant.

Celebrate Earth Day this Spring on Ste. Genevieve’s Route du Vin Wine Trail. Each of the six wineries offers seasonal cuisine prepared with fresh spring herbs, paired with our signature wines.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT 2012  CITY’S BEST AWARD WINNER 2013   KC’S BEST PATIOS 2014   KC’S BEST RESTAURANTS 2014  OPEN TABLE DINERS CHOICE AWARD 2015

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THE CROSSROADS ARTS DISTRICT | 2050 CENTRAL | 816.423.2888

www.THEJACOBSONKC.com

MAKING DISHES LOOK ALMOST TOO GOOD TO EAT. ALMOST. April is a great time to get out and about in the city and enjoy the Spring weather. Whether you are in town for a business meeting, Cardinals baseball or for leisure; 400 Olive Restaurant and Bar is the perfect stop. Centrally located in downtown, our restaurant and lounge menus offer a wide variety of selections.

For information, please visit stlouisdowntown.hilton.com or 314-554-7098.

1889 Pizza Napoletana, 2876 W. 47th Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, 1889pizza.com

400 Olive St. | Saint Louis | MO 63102 | USA ©2014 Hilton Worldwide

Inspired Local Food Culture

april 2016

25

An Oil & Vinegar Emporium Di Olivas brings you about 2 dozen of the world' s freshest olive oils and about 2 dozen varieties of balsamic vinegar.

We are St. Louis' and St. Charles' only Olive Oil stores recommended by the author of today' s most recognized book about Olive Oil ª Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oilº Tom Mueller.

Shop with us for your gourmet salt, pasta, sugar, and seasoning needs as well as olive oil based skin care items Bring in this ad for a FREE 100ml bottle of Olive Oil with an in-store purchase of $75.00 or more! (FM0416) Not to be combined with any other offer.

West County Center • 314.909.1171 • 617 South Main Street • St. Charles • 636.724.8282 • diolivas.com

Hap py hou r all day, eve ryday! $3 select boulevard pints $4 house wine

for the month of april

$5 smirnoff martinis small appetizer plates starting at $3 Enjoy Happy Hour in the bar or restaurant Daily Happy Hour 3pm - 6pm Monday - Friday Reverse Happy Hour 10pm - Midnight Friday & Saturday

5401 Johnson Drive, Mission, KS 66205 913-403-8571, www.luckybrewgrille.com

Regional RestauRant guide 4 Hands Brewing Co. 1220 S. Eighth St. St. Louis, MO 314.436.1559 4handsbrewery.com

400 Olive

400 Olive St. St. Louis, MO 314.436.0002 400olive.com

Andria’s Restaurant

6805 Old Collinsville Road O’Fallon, IL 618.632.4866 andrias.com

Charlie Hooper’s

12 W. 63rd St. Kansas City, MO 816.361.8841 charliehoopers.com

Chaz on the Plaza at the Raphael Hotel

325 Ward Parkway Kansas City, MO 816.802.2152 raphaelkc.com

Citizen Kane’s Steak House

133 W. Clinton Place Kirkwood, MO 314.965.9005 citizenkanes.com

Klondike Café at Montelle Vineyard

201 Montelle Dr. at MO Hwy 94 Augusta, MO 636.228.4464 montelle.com

La Cosecha Coffee Roasters

7360 Manchester Road Maplewood, MO 314.440.0337 lacosechacoffee.com

Lews Grill and Bar

7539 Wornall Road Kansas City, MO 816.444.8080 lewsgrillandbar.com

Aya Sofia

Cleveland-Heath

Lucky Brewgrille

Balducci Vineyards

Corner Restaurant

Mai Lee

6671 Chippewa St. St. Louis, MO 314.645.9919 ayasofiacuisine.com

6601 Hwy 94 S Augusta, MO 636.482.8466 balducciswineryandrestaurant.com

106 N. Main St. Edwardsville, IL 618.307.4830 clevelandheath.com

4059 Broadway Kansas City, MO 816.931.4401 thecornerkc.com

Bella Vino Wine Bar & Tapas

Diablito’s

Best Regards Bakery & Café

Fratelli’s Ristorante

325 S. Main St. St. Charles, MO 636.724.3434 bellavinowinebarstl.com

6759 W. 119th St. Overland Park, KS 913.912.7238 makethemsmile.com

Bishop’s Post

16125 Chesterfield Parkway W Chesterfield, MO 636.536.9404 bishopspost.com

Bissell Mansion Restaurant & Dinner Theatre

4426 Randall Place St. Louis, MO 314.533.9830 bissellmansiontheatre.com

Café Sebastienne at Kemper Museum 4420 Warwick Blvd.

Kansas City, MO 816.561.7740 kemperart.org

Café Ventana

3919 W. Pine Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 314.531.7500 cafeventana.com

Castelli’s Restaurant at 255

3400 Fosterburg Road Alton, IL 618.462.4620 castellis255.com

3761 Laclede Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.644.4430 diablitoscantina.com

5401 Johnson Drive Mission, KS 913.403.8571 luckybrewgrille.com

8396 Musick Memorial Drive Brentwood, MO 314.645.2835 maileestl.com

Milagro Modern Mexican

20 Allen Ave. #130 St. Louis, MO 314.962.4300 milagromodernmexican.com

Mission Taco Joint

Sanctuaria

4198 Manchester Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.535.9700 sanctuariastl.com

Schlafly Tap Room and Schlafly Bottleworks multiple locations schlafly.com

Seoul Taco

6665 Delmar Blvd. | St. Louis, MO 1020 E. Broadway | Columbia, MO 314.863.1148 | 573.441.8226 seoultaco.com

Shrine Restaurant

442 S. Demazenod Drive Belleville, IL 618.394.6237 snows.org

Spin Pizza

multiple locations spinpizza.com

The Jacobson

2050 Central St. Kansas City, MO 816.423.2888 thejacobsonkc.com

The Well

2061 Zumbehl Road St. Charles, MO 636.949.9005 fratellisristorante.com

6235 Delmar Blvd.

908 Lafayette Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.932.5430 | 314.858.8226 missiontacojoint.com

Gallagher’s Restaurant

Olympia Kebob House and Taverna

Tortillaria

Pappy’s Smokehouse

Trattoria Giuseppe

114 W. Mill St. Waterloo, IL 618.939.9933 gallagherswaterloo.com

Hendricks BBQ

1200 S. Main St. St. Charles, MO 636.724.8600 hendricksbbq.com

Julep

4141 Pennsylvania Ave. #104 Kansas City, MO 816.216.7000 julepkc.com

1543 McCausland Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.781.1299 olympiakebobandtaverna.com

3106 Olive St. St. Louis, MO 314.535.4340 pappyssmokehouse.com

5442 Old State Route 21 Imperial, MO 636.942.2405 trattoria-giuseppe.com

Truffles and Butchery

Ravanelli’s Restaurant

Vintage Restaurant at Stone Hill Winery

1000 W. 39th St. Kansas City, MO 816.255.3753 q39kc.com

multiple locations kaldiscoffee.com

King & I

Röbller Vineyard & Winery

3157 S. Grand Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 314.771.1777 kingandistl.com

8 S. Euclid Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.361.4443 tortillaria.net

Q39

3 American Village 26 Collinsport Drive Granite City, IL | Collinsville, IL 618.877.8000 | 618.343.9000 ravanellis.com

Kaldi’s Coffee

7421 Broadway St. Kansas City, MO 816.361.1700 waldowell.com

275 Robller Vineyard Road New Haven, MO 573.237.3986 robllerwines.com

9202 Clayton Road St. Louis, MO 314.567.9100 todayattruffles.com

1110 Stone Hill Highway Hermann, MO 573.486.3479 stonehillwinery.com

Weber Grill

1147 St. Louis Galleria St. Louis, MO 314.930.3838 webergrillrestaurant.com

Inspired Local Food Culture

april 2016

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28

feastmagazine.com

APRIL 2016

on trend

sip special-tea cocktails on p. 30 PHOTOGRAPHy cOuRTesy BRisTOl seAfOOd GRill

TRENdINg NOw: TEA cOckTAILs

on trend

Written by bethany christo PhotograPhy by anna PetroW

The delicate, earthy and floral flavors of tea are beginning to get their turn in the mixing tin as bartenders experiment with tea cocktails. citrus-Pear Porthole cocktail reciPe courtesy bristoL seafood griLL

Serves | 2 | 8 8 6 6 12 4 3

oz (2 tea bags) Tea Forté ginger-pear tea oz hot water oz freshly squeezed lemon juice oz simple syrup oz Grey Goose vodka oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur lemons, cut into wheels and halved ice cubes wheel lemon (for garnish)

| Preparation | brew tea bags in hot water. Let cool. in a container with a lid, combine all ingredients and mix using a wire whisk or spoon. refrigerate until ready to serve. in a porthole infuser, pitcher or carafe, add lemon wheels. add batched cocktail until container is full or to desired portion. nine ounces will provide 2 full servings. Place ice in individual rocks glass. Pour individual servings. garnish with lemon wheel and serve.

como

soothing warmup

cOLUMBIA, MO. sometimes the best cocktails are the simplest, as illustrated

by Cafe Berlin’s hot toddy – a shining star on its bar menu, says general manager Patrick connor. the columbia, Missouri, restaurant is a breakfastand-lunch favorite that also hosts shows on its stage at night. cafe berlin added the hot toddy about five years ago, and connor says it’s been a consistent sellout since. “at night, it’s one of those cocktails where one person will order it, and everyone else with them will be like, ‘What are you drinking?’ and then we’ll get 10 more orders of it,” he says. a traditional hot toddy comprises whiskey, water, honey and spices; cafe berlin uses bulleit bourbon and swaps out the spices for an organic chamomile tea garnished with a lemon wedge. “it’s rosy; it’s minty; it’s warmed up and easy to drink; it’s soothing on your throat and goes down easy,” connor says.

Cafe Berlin, 220 N. 10th St., Downtown, Columbia, Missouri, 573.441.0400, cafeberlincomo.com

stl

tea cubes

sT. LOUIs. one day during the summer of 2014, bartender ryan gore was

playing around with a black pepper-infused gin at Cielo Restaurant & Bar’s bloody Mary bar. he ended up creating the earl grey chaos, a complex drink named after his Xbox Live gamertag. gore infuses muddled black pepper into a bottle of gin for a few hours and then steeps three earl grey tea bags in it for an additional 30 minutes. three ounces of that is combined with limoncello, lemon juice and simple syrup. the kicker: gore serves the cocktail over earl grey tea ice cubes for added dimension. “[a drink] should have a beginning, middle and end,” he says. “the earl grey chaos hits all three: When you first drink it, you can tell it’s a great cocktail with its forward black-pepper notes, but then as you sip it, it grows on you more with the lemon and the changing flavor with the melting tea cubes. the floral tea flavors are stronger at the end, but it’s boozy enough that it’s not a bad drink even if it gets diluted.” gore compares it to a spicy, boozy arnold Palmer.

Cielo Restaurant & Bar, 999 N. Second St., Downtown, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.881.2105, cielostlouis.com

kc

citrus-pear infused

kANsAs cITY. The best part of the porthole cocktails at Bristol seafood grill in Downtown Kansas City is that each order essentially gives you two different drinks. For example, its popular Citrus-Pear porthole base is made with Grey Goose vodka, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, housemade ginger-root simple syrup, freshly squeezed lemon juice and two bags of Tea Forté ginger-pear tea. The mixture is poured into a porthole infuser – a large, round vessel made of tempered glass and stainless steel – filled with lemon wheels to infuse it with citrus flavor, and cocktails are poured tableside. “As you drink, the flavor profile evolves,” says Brian Barnes, managing partner at the Downtown location. Bristol also has locations in Creve Coeur, Missouri; O’Fallon, Missouri; and Leawood, Kansas, as well as sister restaurants Devon Seafood Grill and Chequers Seafood & Steak, which are located in cities across the country. However, only the Kansas City and Chicago restaurants serve porthole cocktails. Tea cocktails were introduced at Bristol last summer, and the popularity of Citrus-Pear kept it on the menu despite other seasonal changes. “The St-Germain adds a beautiful floral note,” he says, “and the Grey Goose is great because the vodka is able to evolve throughout the process of drinking the cocktail.”

ONLINE EXTRA

Visit feastmagazine.com for Cafe Berlin’s Hot Toddy recipe.

Bristol seafood grill, 51 E. 14th st., downtown, kansas city, Missouri, 816.448.6007, bristolseafoodgrill.com

one on one

mo

joleen durham co-owner, piney river brewing co.

Written by bethany Christo

photography by brooke hamilton

BUCYRUS, MO. in the heart of the ozarks, Joleen and brian Durham’s microbrewery, Piney River Brewing Co., celebrates rural Missouri with its line of flagship and seasonal brews, including the Missouri Mule iPa and Float trip ale. Piney river cans its beer on-site and was the first microbrewery in the state to do so. the brewery celebrated five years last month with the release of Mule team imperial iPa. the Durhams, who started as homebrewers, have seen their 80-acre beef cattle farm change a lot in those five years. their bright-red barn, built in the 1930s with hand-hewn white and red Missouri oak harvested on the property, known as the barn, features a 4,000-square-foot taproom and deck in its loft. in mid-February, staff and friends from across the state celebrated the grand opening of its new production facility, which includes a 10,000-barrel brewhouse, new fermentation tanks, a new canning line and more.

What led to the recent expansion? We reached the point where we couldn’t do any more increased production in our original barn facility because we didn’t have a place to put more equipment. Ultimately we decided to stay here because we feel like the farm is part of the Piney river experience. brian and i felt strongly that the ozarks are a great place to “capture,” and craft beer is so much about place. We were at maximum production capacity of 1,800 barrels before, which we did for two years, and we estimate maximum capacity now is 10,000 barrels. our goal for this year is 4,000 barrels. What does the expansion mean for the brewery? With homebrewing, the creativity factor is huge. after that first year, brian and i were in full-fledged packaging and production mode, and we didn’t have the tank space to play around and try new things out in the market. now, in the old brewery, we’re retaining some of the cold side of things [fermentation vessels and a brite tank], and playing around with some of our beers in wine barrels that will become sour beers, as well as wild-ale fermentation. We have some whiskey barrels for barrel aging our regular beers and some new creations, as well. What’s the BARn like?

We didn’t think people would drive to the middle of nowhere, 2 miles down a gravel road, if we didn’t give them a place to drink beer. We had no idea, however, that it would turn into such a destination. We have a lot of “locals” – those who come from a 60-mile radius – but we also get a huge number of people from st. Louis, Kansas City and springfield, Missouri, to come spend the day with us. We realized the things we enjoy about living here – being out in the middle of nowhere, drinking a beer, watching the cows graze in pasture, watching deer in the field – are the same reasons people enjoy coming out here, too. How has distribution increased? We were already in southern and mid-Missouri in Cape Girardeau, rolla, springfield, Joplin, Jefferson City, Columbia and throughout. We just got our beer into the st.

Louis market in november; we’ll be expanding north of st. Louis and interstate 70 soon. We’re not yet in Kansas City, so we plan to get there later this year. We firmly believe the best craft beer is local craft beer because it’s fresher – we don’t have any burning desires to send our beers to new york or California. Did you ever imagine Piney River would grow this much? if you would have said five years ago that we’d have a 12,000-square-foot building and brewhouse and 64-barrel fermentation tanks, i would have said you’ve been drinking too many of our beers. the past five years have been the fastest and most fun that i could have ever possibly imagined. We’re truly living the american dream of having an idea and growing that idea into something successful.

Piney River Brewing Co., 15194 Walnut Grove Drive, Bucyrus, Missouri, 417.967.4001, pineyriverbrewing.com

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31

where we’re drinking Check out what we’re sipping at bars, restaurants, breweries, wineries and coffee shops.

parengo coffee

no other pub

mo

written by Jenny Vergara photography by landon Vonderschmidt

written by Daniel Puma PhotograPhy courtesy Parengo coffee

KANSAS CITY. sporting Kansas city, the professional soccer club, has a new clubhouse for hardcore and newbie soccer fans called no other Pub, which opened in the power & light district in February.

SIKESTON, MO. Parengo Coffee has brought

third-wave coffee to sikeston, missouri, just south of cape girardeau. colby williams and his family opened Parengo in 2013 to share a different kind of coffee experience – and it quickly caught on. since opening, sikeston has embraced Parengo; a second location with a drive-thru and additional bakery and lunch offerings opened in late 2014. Parengo only uses house-roasted beans in its cold brews, pour overs, lattes and frappes. many of the coffees are single-origin and light to medium roasted; Parengo also provides custom blends to restaurants in the region and wholesale coffee to several food giant locations in the area. last year, williams, a self-taught roaster, brought home a bronze medal for the emersion filter category from the golden bean north america competition in Portland, oregon. try a pour over of the shop’s single-origin mexican coffee from the el triunfo biosphere reserve for a cup with balanced acidity and citrus notes as well as caramel sweetness, or the single-origin brazilian espresso, which is highly acidic and bright. with an impressive passion for his product, williams has had a lasting impact in sikeston. “a lot of people in the coffee industry talk about the first time they had that life-changing cup of coffee,” he says. “we get to be a part of that for almost every person who walks in our door because they’ve never done this before.”

Parengo Coffee, 109 W. Malone Ave., Sikeston, Missouri, 573.475.8023, parengocoffee.com

located on the second level of the Kansas city live block, the huge 21,000-square-foot space is an extension of the sporting Kansas city brand. it takes full advantage of the large footprint left behind by lucky strike to offer entertainment areas with top-notch gaming parlors featuring bowling, golf simulators, table tennis, shuffleboard, video games, foosball and darts. the biggest area of no other pub is a giant social lounge with an expansive bar that includes a 10-by-15-foot video wall and several other big-screen televisions so you won’t miss one second of the action. the sports bar features a comprehensive selection of local craft beers and spirits, with a great weeknight happy hour for watching games post-work from 4 to 7pm.

stl

the preston story and photography by mabel suen

ST. lOuIS. new american fare and handcrafted cocktails define the dining experience at the Preston, located inside the chase park plaza in st. louis’ central west end neighborhood. the posh spot takes up residence in the historic hotel, pairing progressive small plates with a lively beverage program. at the marble-topped bar, bartenders sasha alms and Joshua “doc” Johnson tweak classic recipes and ratios, using an arsenal of high-quality spirits as the foundation for their own play on sophisticated-yet-fun flavors.

trouble in little china, for instance, combines the big t cruzan black strap rum with a refreshing blend of chinese five spice, lime and ginger beer. additional signature drinks include the cocchi cola, a take on Jack and coke made with Jack daniel’s whiskey, cocchi americano bianco apertivo, amaro nonino Quintessentia and tiki bitters. sip each cocktail slowly while admiring the preston’s contemporary-meets-vintage glam vibe, highlighted by distressed-wood details, antique floors and a wall packed with framed mixed-era art. the Preston, inside the chase Park Plaza, 212 n.

Kingshighway blvd., central west end, st. louis, missouri, 314.633.7800, theprestonstl.com

no other pub offers a full food menu of snacks and plates to share, as well as flatbreads and sandwiches, and a separate taco stand services both the game-watching and late-night crowds with tacos ($1 each during happy hours), nachos and quesadillas. no other Pub, 1370 grand blvd., Kansas city Power & light District, Kansas city, missouri, 816.541.2300, nootherpubkc.com

KC

one on one

stl

evan hiatt

brewmaster, pappo’s pizzeria & brew co.

Written by Daniel Puma

ST. LOUIS. Springfield,

photography by jason gray

missouri-based PaPPo’s Pizzeria & Brew Co. recently expanded to St. louis, moving into the former Six row brewing Co. space in midtown.

PaPPo’s didn’t previously brew beer at its two existing locations (in addition to Springfield, the restaurant has a location in Osage beach, missouri), but with Six row’s former brewmaster, evan Hiatt, on board, that’s all changed. Hiatt joined the PaPPo’s team late last year and now brews beer for all three locations.

How did you get into brewing? my background was originally in the wine industry – i wanted to own a winery someday. i got my undergraduate degree in business management knowing i would need business experience on top of knowing fermentation science. i was on that path when i came along Six row. after Six row [closed, PaPPo’s owner] Chris Galloway came along, bringing this existing experience in the restaurant industry but not so much in the beer industry. What was your transition like from Six Row to PaPPo’s? it’s been a smooth transition. What really sold me was the experience Chris brought, the existing brand and the quality of the product they have. Just trying the pizza sold me immediately. everybody loves pizza, but i really like pizza a lot, and beer and pizza especially – that’s just a good marriage. as the beer guy, i try to bring the best possible quality product i can.

We started from scratch – all new recipes, all new beers. the beauty is that we have a little bit more freedom than a larger brewery producing for wholesale; we only have to answer to ourselves and our customers. if we want to produce a new beer, we can do that right away. that, to me, is awesome. What’s got you really excited about your product?

What i like now is we really have a wide portfolio. We’re just scratching the surface of what we can do here and produce, style-wise. the recipe development, the brewing of all these new beers – it’s a fun experience. Is there a unifying theme to your beer menu? no, i like a wide range of things. i like some classic styles, and i also like to do some hybridized styles. there is always going to be some house character to any brewery. Tell us about some of PaPPo’s beers. One of the more recent [beers] we finished has a real cheeky name – no pun intended – called Fat ash Stout. it’s a milk stout brewed with cinnamon. We have that on both regular and nitro taps. the other beer i’m really proud of is a belgian-style tripel called tripel City. i was really pleased with the outcome of it. We’ve got one called märriage lager, which is a märzen-style lager, and Fun in the Sun, a witbier. instead of brewing with orange peel and coriander, i did it with lemon peel. We also have four new styles coming out later this month. If you were to order a PaPPo’s pizza and beer at lunch today, what would you get? if you go to any brewpub, usually your standard of checking its chops is to have its pale ale. So in this case, with pizza, it’s usually its cheese pizza. So if i had lunch today, i would have the goat cheese and cranberry salad, the five-cheese pizza and our tripel.

PaPPo’s Pizzeria & Brew Co., 3690 Forest Park Ave., Midtown, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.833.3171, papposbrewco.com

Don’t drink coffee, enjoy it!

visit our

coffee Bar and roastery oastery

7360 Manchester Rd. Maplewood, MO

Buy Online at LaCosechaCoffee.com

ating r b e Cel

Over 75 Years

ss in Busine

Over 300 Craft Beers  Large Wine Shop Huge Whiskey, Bourbon & Scotch Selection

Dean’s Liquor 210 West Main St. | Collinsville, IL 618-344-4930 | deansliquor.com

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636-284-8282 | a2zselfiecompany.com .com a2zselfiecompany@gmail.com

book your selfie station in St. Louis ● Kansas City Springfield ● Branson ● Columbia

325 S Main St, Saint CharleS, MO 63301 www.bellavinOwinebarStl.COM (636) 724-3434 Inspired Local Food Culture

april 2016

33

the mix

Lychee cocktaiLs With spring comes fresh basil and strawberries, lavender and roses, and cravings for lighter, more refreshing cocktails. although these familiar flavors are popular this season, i urge you to look to a chinese cocktail staple for inspiration instead.

Lychee is an underutilized cocktail ingredient in the U.S., and i encourage you to explore it in your glass.

Story and recipeS by Matt Seiter photography by Jonathan gayMan

Martinis and sangria to gimlets. there are a few lychee liqueurs on the market, but i can’t recommend any of them. they are overly cloying, and the fruit’s fabulous aroma is lost during production. you can also find prepackaged lychee juices, which are a better option than the liqueurs, but fresh fruit is best.

it’s fairly easy to make your own lychee juice at home, and it retains the distinct floral aroma missing from canned fruit or a chinese evergreen fruit, lychee’s origins date back at least 4,000 years. currently, it’s grown all over asia, primarily in china, juices. With a paring knife, cut the fruit in half like you would an avocado. remove the dark seed and scoop the flesh from the Southeast asia and india. the fruit’s red shell is peeled back blood-red skin. place the flesh in a food processor or blender to expose a milky-white flesh that has a pungent floral aroma and a slightly sweet flavor. Lychee juice is a common ingredient and purée. From there, you can use the juice as is, or for thinner liquid to mix cocktails, simply run the purée through a fine-mesh in chinese cocktails, and it’s starting to make headway in the strainer. you can also add water, milk or lemon juice to the purée Midwest, too. historically, you can find it in some classic tiki before straining to thin it a bit more. cocktails, but today, bartenders are using it in everything from Matt Seiter is co-founder of the United States Bartenders’ Guild’s St. Louis chapter, a member of the national board for the USBG’s MA program, author of the dive bar of cocktail bars, bartender at BC’s Kitchen, and a bar and restaurant consultant.

Mystic Lamp Recipe from Chicago’s Kon-Tiki Ports restaurant, circa 1962 serves | 1 |

1½ 1½ 1 ½ 3

oz Don Q Gold rum oz fresh lychee juice oz orange juice oz lime juice drops almond extract ice 8 to10 orchid petals ½ cup crushed ice, plus more

| Preparation | combine rum, juices, almond extract and ice in a cocktail shaker; shake very hard. remove top from shaker and add orchid petals. Stir to incorporate and pour contents into a collins glass with crushed ice. add more ice if needed. Serve.

Lychee-Lemongrass Fizz serves | 1 |

1 ¼ ¼ 1 1½

tsp chopped fresh lemongrass oz fresh lime juice oz simple syrup oz fresh lychee juice oz Tito’s Handmade Vodka ice 1½ oz dry sparkling wine stalk fresh lemongrass (for garnish) lime wedge (for garnish)

| Preparation | Muddle lemongrass with lime juice and syrup in a cocktail shaker. add lychee juice, vodka and ice and shake, 15 seconds. remove top from shaker and add sparkling wine. Stir briefly to incorporate and fine-strain into an ice-filled collins glass. garnish with lemongrass stalk and lime wedge. Serve.

on the shelf : april picks

WINE

White taiL ruN WiNery’S BLuShiNg Buck written by Hilary HedgeS

provenance: edgerton, Kansas pairings: Smoked meats and barbecue • Pizza • Flourless chocolate torte

White Tail Run Winery’s blushing buck is a full-bodied, sweet wine made from 100 percent free-run Chambourcin juice from grapes that weren’t pressed during the winemaking process. the wine gets limited contact with the grape skins, giving it a very soft finish with little tannin. it’s bursting with jammy flavors of blueberry, black cherry and plum that linger on the palate. this versatile wine could be paired with savory dishes or enjoyed with dessert. blushing buck is available at the tasting room in edgerton, Kansas, and select retailers.

White Tail Run Winery, 913.893.6860, whitetailrunwinery.com Hilary Hedges is a former newsie whose passion for wine led her out of the newsroom and into the cellar. She is currently the director of sales and marketing and assistant winemaker at Amigoni Urban Winery in Kansas City’s West Bottoms.

Over the course of 2016, we will be traveling around the world, visiting farms, selecting top lots, and learning more from our producer partners. By strengthening our relationships with our producers and communities, we can ensure the quality of your coffee for years to come.

BEER

Six miLe Bridge’S BavariaN hefeWeizeN written by brandon niCKelSon

style: Bavarian Hefeweizen (5.2% ABV) pairings: lighter salads and roast chicken

True Bavarian-style hefeweizens are great no matter the time of year, but they’re especially refreshing in spring and summer.

This month, try the new hefewezien from Six Mile Bridge in St. Louis. The style shows us the wonder of yeast; an amazing bouquet of bananalike esters and clovelike aromatics are a common find in a well-crafted Bavarian hefeweizen, unlike its american cousin, the wheat beer. Six Mile bridge has managed to break the tradition of less-than-enjoyable wheat beers with this truly pleasurable brew.

Six Mile Bridge, 314.942.2211, sixmilebridgebeer.com Brothers Brandon and Ryan Nickelson are available to help with beer picks and pairing recommendations at their store, Craft Beer Cellar, the only all-craft beer shop in the St. Louis area. Craft Beer Cellar is located at 8113 Maryland Ave. in Clayton, Missouri. To learn more, call 314.222.2444 or visit craftbeercellar.com/clayton.

SPIRIT

SpiritS of St. LouiS’ J.J. Neukomm miSSouri maLt WhiSkey

EL SALVADOR january MYANMAR february HONDURAS march BRAZIL july COLOMBIA august HAWAII september ETHIOPIA november RWANDA november

written by Matt Sorrell

provenance: St. louis (45% abV) try it: this fruit-forward spirit makes for a good Manhattan.

in 2008, Spirits of St. Louis was the first distillery to open in Missouri since Prohibition and was instrumental in kick-starting the local distilling boom that’s happened in recent years. J.J. neukomm Missouri Malt whiskey, named after an ancestor of owner Steve neukomm, was one of the first products the company introduced to market. Since then, the whiskey has won its fair share of awards and accolades, including a gold medal from the beverage testing institute in 2013. it has a big flavor, due in large part to the use of 25 percent cherry wood-smoked malt. the resulting spirit is then aged in Missouri oak barrels, which also contributes to its full-bodied appeal.

Spirits of St. Louis, 314.231.2537, squareonebrewery.com When he’s not writing, Matt Sorrell can be found slinging drinks at Planter’s House in St. Louis’ Lafayette Square or bartending at events around town with his wife, Beth, for their company, Cocktails Are Go.

FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY: @KALDIS_COFFEE #FOLLOWTHEGOAT Inspired Local Food Culture

april 2016

35

City Wide American Pale Ale, is our opportunity to make our mark on the St. Louis community by donating a percentage of proceeds to local non-profit organizations. The scope of our mission has always included more than just brewing beer.

We strive to be a positive force in the St. Louis community. For every 16 ounce 4 pack sold we will donate $.50 to our partner organizations. The 2016 organizations are each quarterly recipients of the money raised during that time period. Our goal is to empower our consumers, while giving back. 2016 Recipients will be Cherokee Street/Love Park, Grace Hill, Great Rivers Greenway & International Institute.

36

feastmagazine.com

APRIL 2016

shop here

find a cheesy gift on p. 42 PhotograPhy courtesy IntaglIa home & garden

shop here

KC

unbakery and juicery Written by Jenny Vergara

kansas city. eating cleaner in Kansas City just got a lot easier: unbakery and Juicery opened in the east brookside neighborhood in January, offering gluten-free and raw treats, protein balls, raw to-go lunches like pad thai made with zucchini noodles, cold-pressed juices, four different infused alkaline waters, high-quality coffee and more, all available from the convenience of a drive-thru window.

Husband-and-wife team robin and Danny Krause opened Unbakery and Juicery to provide raw and unprocessed foods and juices in a quick, convenient format.

inside the distinctive a-frame storefront are two-dozen seats for guests to use during the day and for healthy-eating workshops on weekends. the first workshop focused on fermentation; students learned to make a delicious, take-home kimchi from scratch. the interior has a zenlike spa quality to it, with tons of natural light and warm, natural wood set off by clean white walls.

PHotograPHy by anna PetroW

the shelves at Unbakery are stocked with juices and tonics, including three root juices; no. 1 is a favorite, made with carrot, ginger, lemon, turmeric and cayenne. raw granola bars and other snacks are also available, as well as Messenger Coffee Co. coffee beans, raw local honey, logoed tees and coffee mugs with cheeky sayings. the Krauses eventually plan to expand the shop’s selection of all-natural beauty products, too. unbakery and Juicery, 634 e. 63rd St., brookside, Kansas City, missouri, 816.237.1128, facebook.com/unbakeryandjuicery

artisan product

bru tea

stl

written by Daniel Puma

Bru Tea, 3310 Meramec St., Dutchtown, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.875.0644, brutea.com

PHotograPHy by berglinDJaCK/istoCK

st. louis. From relaxation to rejuvenation, detoxification to alleviation, Bru Tea has a blend to brew for just about any need. navigate through the mix of green, herbal, fruit, white, black and rooibos teas by chatting with certified herbalist Christina Owens or her co-owner and chief executive officer, Kathryn bradley. teas like bush Punch, with green rooibos, sunflower petals, freeze-dried blueberries and cornflower petals, are as pretty as they are delicious. Find it at bru tea’s Dutchtown storefront, the Soulard Farmers market, Fresh Gatherings Cafe at Saint louis university, Grove east Provisions or online at brutea.com.

get this gadget

true fabrications bamboo appetizer picks GadGet selection by laura laiben, “the Main dish,” the culinary center of Kansas city, Kcculinary.coM written by nancy stiles

Good Food Can Be Even Better

bamboo appetizer picks put regular old toothpicks to shame: Jazz up your hors d’oeuvres with these sustainable, natural bamboo alternatives. they’re sturdy enough for the olives in your Martini glass and have knotted ends for grabbing with ease.

For more information or to purchase the appetizer picks, visit truefabrications.com.

PhotoGraPhy courtesy true fabrications

WFM.COM

Galleria 1601 South Brentwood Boulevard get this gadget

rsvp international mexican authentic molcajete

Town and Country 1160 Town and Country Crossing Drive

GadGet selection by laura laiben, “the Main dish,” the culinary center of Kansas city, Kcculinary.coM written by nancy stiles

a molcajete is a traditional Mexican mortar and pestle, and this one will help you make the perfect tableside guacamole. rsVP international’s molcajete is made of natural volcanic stone ideal for grinding; use it to crush whole spices to ensure the freshest and most intense flavors.

For more information on the molcajete, visit rsvp-intl.com.

PhotoGraPhy courtesy rsVP intl

IN THE HEART OF KCMO.

waldomo.com

Inspired Local Food Culture

april 2016

39

shOP hErE

stl

MAPLEWOOD, MO. A former gas station-turned-auto

body shop might not seem like the most natural place to pick up a cheesemaking kit or a rosemary topiary, but that’s exactly what you’ll find at Intaglia Home & Garden in Maplewood, Missouri.

Formerly known as City Farm and Feed, the shop, which opened last June, combines the passions of owners Tim Intagliata, who previously owned Intaglia Home Collection, and Annie Seal, an avid gardener and backyard-chicken enthusiast. Intaglia picks up where the furniture store left off by incorporating plants, DIY gifts and vintage elements to a lineup of sofas, tables, chairs and accent pieces. Intaglia focuses on bringing plants and the garden into the home and also, conversely, bringing the home into the garden.

PHOTOgrAPHY COurTeSY InTAglIA HOMe & gArDen

intaglia home & garden

WrITTen bY HeATHer rISke

This carries over to the shop’s design, as natural light streams in through a few open garage doors, terra-cotta planters line several shelves, and vivid succulents and house plants dot the space. Intaglia also offers a design service to help customers furnish their new home or freshen up an old look.

alongside candles, pottery, kitchenware such as slate serving boards and olive serving dishes, handmade gifts, natural dog toys and DIY kits to make your own soap and cheeses, including mozzarella and ricotta and goat.

Intagliata says the selection of plants focuses on the decorative side of gardening, including herb-growing kits and succulents.

“Our specialty is mixing the old with the new, and of course, we like to throw in at least one – or more – plants for good measure,” Intagliata says. “We want to encourage people to have more of a connection between indoor and outdoor living and the home and garden by growing more plants indoors.”

“Our concept for the shop is to help people create a beautiful, more natural home environment,” Intagliata says, “and to offer affordable furniture and home products people can feel good about buying from a locally owned small business.”

To that end, you’ll find rustic wooden tables, industrial metal chairs and rugs made with recycled materials

Intaglia Home & Garden, 7195 Manchester Road, Maplewood, Missouri, 314.925.8800, intagliahg.com

ArtIsAN PrODuct

mo

martin rice co. wRItten by DanIel PuMa

BErNIE, MO. located in southeast Missouri, Martin Rice Co. has been growing rice for more than 55 years.

three hree generations have expanded the company across the Missouri bootheel from an initial 160 acres farmed by mules to more than 7,000. the he Martins built a rice-processing facility on the land in 2000 and grow and mill long-grain, medium-grain and jasmine rice. In fact, Martin Rice Co. is one of only a very few u.S. companies to grow jasmine rice, which is normally imported from thailand. hailand. Sold coast to coast, only a small portion of its business is retail, but its rice can be found in 2-pound cloth bags in select Straub’s stores in St. louis ouis and Hy-Vee locations across the state – including the one in Columbia, Missouri, where Martin Rice Co.’s jasmine rice is also served at Sabai, within the university niversity of Missouri’s Campus Dining Services.

Most of its rice is packaged in 50-pound bags destined for restaurants and food-service industries across the state of Missouri, milled to order to maintain its freshness.

Martin Rice Co., 573.293.4884, martinrice.com

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PHOTOgrAPHY COurTeSY MArTIn rICe CO. A P R I L 2016

come observe over 100 artists paint

14th Annual Augusta Plein Air Art Festival

Made-from-scratch menu of gourmet pastries, sandwiches, wraps, soups, salads and more.

Enjoy a fresh variety of nearly 50 loose leaf teas. www.teaspoonscafe.com 2125 State 157, Edwardsville 618.655.9595

Vietnamese & Chinese Restaurant A "FEAST" Favorite!

Thank You all Local Area Chefs for Making Us #1 Located in the Meridian Shopping Center at Hanley & Eager Roads behind the Best Buy.

FREE PARKING IN THE METRO LINK GARAGE Tu-Th: 11am-9pm • Fr-Su 11am-10pm 8396 Musick Memorial Dr. • 314.645.2835 www.MaiLeeSTL.com

Â? Â? Â? Â Â? Â

Original art for sale from the easel at daily events www.augustapleinair.com • (636) 228-4005 *Free Admission to All Events

APRIL 21 - MAY 1

restaurant week on

on the hill MAMA CAMPisi’s Mama Campisi’s is a longtime Staple “On the Hill” and continues to provide her delicious authentic Italian specialties. Your taste buds will be tantalized by her house made Balsamic vinegarette dressing, Chicken Spedini, Seafood Linguine as well as her signature Toasted Ravioli! It doesn’t stop there, her Pastry Chef is from Sorrentto, Italy which means you know whatever you order is fresh and is prepared in our restaurant.

Mangia bene from Mama and her Family!

2132 Edwards St | St. Louis, MO 63110 | 314.776.3100 | mamasonthehill.com

guiDo’s Located in the heart of “The Hill”, Guido’s Pizzeria and Tapas offers the best of Mediterranean Cuisine. With a menu full of Classic Italian Fare and Traditional Authentic Spanish Entrées and Tapas, delivering a “Taste of Spain in the Middle of Italy”. With made-to-order dishes, like Guido’s Homemade Lasagna, Tapas Calientes and rich Caramelized Flan. Enjoy your meal with A glass of Homemade Sangria or one of our signature cocktails such as the Pompeii Margarita or Guido’s Manhattan. Come in and join the Guido’s Family.

april 25th - may 1st

www.restaurantweekonthehill.com

FAVAzzA’s The first Favazza’s restaurant was downtown, way back in the 1950s.

The Favazza’s whose garlic bread is so famous that one kitchen employee slathers loaf after loaf all day long? The one with not one but five housemade red sauces? That’s Favazza’s On the Hill, a St. Louis institution for nearly four decades and the source of traditional gourmet Italian food, specializing in pasta and traditional dishes plus fresh seafood, steak and in-house desserts like homemade gelato and tiramisu.

Family owned and operated.

5201 Southwest Ave St. Louis, MO 63139 314.772.4454 | www.favazzas.com

5046 Shaw Blvd | St. Louis, MO 63110 | 314.771.4900 | www.guidosstl.com

CHArLie gitto’s Opened by Charlie Gitto Jr. at 5226 Shaw Ave. in 1981, the restaurant still operates today at its original location on The Hill. While Italian/Sicilian preparations have made Charlie Gitto’s a name known coast-to-coast, our menu also presents an array of signature steaks, veal, seafood, pizzas, salads, appetizers and desserts, such as homemade gelato and Italian cookies. We invite you to experience the rich tradition of Charlie Gitto’s!

5226 Shaw Blvd | St. Louis, MO 63110 | 314.772.8898 | www.charliegittos.com

giAn tony’s Please come join us at Gian-Tony’s Restaurant and participate in our restaurant week which features three courses for 25.00 dollars. Here in this picture is one of the items we are featuring Bistecca Alla Rosario, a delicious item that you will not be disappointed in.

5356 Daggett Ave | St. Louis, MO 63110 | 314.772.4893 | www.gian-tonys.com

Here’s How it works: Visit several of the Hill’s top rated restaurants during restaurant week on the Hill April 25th - May 1st. Participating restaurants will provide a three course meal for only $25. Foodies will be able to eat their hearts out with the favorite hand selected items by the restaurants, and dine inside or at some locations on the beautiful patios!

All restaurants will also be giving customers the option to donate $5 to st. Jude’s Children research Hospital.

PArtiCiPAting restAurAnts: -gian tony’s -guidos

Lorenzo’s

-Charlie gitto’s

As the only Northern Italian restaurant on The Hill, we take our job as ambassador seriously. With dishes highlighting everything from the robust tomato flavors to the delicacy of fish, our menu keeps customers coming back. Join us with friends and family to see what we have prepared with love for this year’s Restaurant Week!

1933 Edwards St | St. Louis, MO 63110 | 314.773.2223 | lorenzostrattoria.com

-Mama Campisi’s -Lorenzo’s -Favazza’s -Five Bistro -Dominic’s -Modesto

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APRIL 2016

mystery shopper

reach for enoki mushrooms on p. 48 photography by delmonte1977/istock

healthy appetite

Green LentiL FaLaFeL with Sriracha-tahini Sauce The United Nations has declared 2016 as the International Year of Pulses. Now you’re probably asking yourself, what the heck are pulses? A subgroup of legumes, pulses are the dried edible seeds of legumes, including beans, peas, chickpeas and lentils. These crops are most popular in developing countries, where pulses make up 75 percent of the average diet – compared to 25 percent in industrialized countries – but they’re becoming increasingly recognized as part of a healthy diet all over the world.

I love pulses for three main reasons. The first is their sustainability. Pulse crops are one of the most sustainable crops on Earth, with extremely low carbon and water footprints – especially in comparison to popular animal proteins like beef, which has a 43- to 260-times-higher water footprint than pulses, depending on the crop. Pulses are shelf-stable, inexpensive and are often sold in bulk to cut back on packaging.

The second reason is their powerhouse nutritional value.

Pulses are the best source of plant-powered protein, period.

They’re loaded with fiber and are rich in B vitamins, minerals and amino acids, plus they have zero cholesterol and a low fat content. Pulses are part of a healthy, balanced diet and have been shown to play an important role in preventing illnesses such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

The third reason I love pulses is for their versatility in plant-based cooking. They can be used in both savory and sweet applications, appearing in everything from cakes and cookies to pastas, breads and burgers. This recipe is a take on traditional falafel but made with lentils instead of chickpeas as the star of the dish, which brings a subtle earthiness. Dip them in a simple three-ingredient Sriracha-tahini sauce for an extra pop of flavor. They’re the perfect appetizer, pita-stuffer or salad-topper and take less than 30 minutes to prepare.

Sherrie Castellano is a certified health coach, food writer and photographer based in St. Louis. She writes and photographs the seasonally inspired vegetarian and gluten-free food blog, With Food + Love. Sherrie’s work has been featured on the pages of Driftless Magazine, Vegetarian Times, Food52 and Urban Outfitters, among others. You can find her hanging with her aviation enthusiast husband sipping Earl Grey tea, green juice, and/or bourbon.

SToRY, REcIPE AND PhoTogRAPhY

BY ShERRIE cASTELLANo

Green Lentil Falafel with Sriracha-Tahini Sauce Serves | 4 | Green LentiL FaLaFeL

1 1 1 1 1 ¼ ¼ ¼ ¼ 1

cup cooked green lentils tbsp olive oil, plus more for baking medium onion, small dice clove garlic, minced cup chopped kale cup fresh parsley tsp sea salt tsp freshly ground black pepper cup bread crumbs extra-large egg

Sriracha-tahini Sauce

3 tbsp milk 2 tbsp Sriracha 2 tbsp tahini

| Preparation – Green Lentil Falafel | Preheat oven to 400°F. In the bowl of a food processor, combine cooked lentils, olive oil, onion, garlic, kale, parsley, salt and pepper and pulse, about 3 seconds.

Add bread crumbs and egg and pulse until combined, 5 seconds. Be careful not to overpulse – mixture should be well-combined but not too mushy.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll mixture into 12 evenly sized balls, slightly larger than golf balls, and place on prepared sheet. Drizzle each ball with a little olive oil and bake until crispy on outside and brown on bottom, 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

| Preparation – Sriracha-Tahini Sauce | In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Serve alongside warm green lentil falafel.

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FRESHEST SEAFOOD IN ST. LOUIS SINCE 1978! bobsseafoodstl.com

Feast Magazine is hosting a food truck event of each month in one of Kansas City’s beautiful parks. We’ll highlight prominent fountains throughout the city, while guests enjoy food from some of the city’s most popular food trucks.

a.m. - 1 p.m.

1 1 2 1 Il r p a y, a D S KICKOFF TUe of the kickoff event .com for the location azine

Check out feastmag

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l a x Beautiful Views, Spacious Grounds c h a r g e Live Music, Bocce Ball f u e l Handcrafted Wines, Select Beer, Great Food s e r v e Weddings, Rehearsals, Private Events

celebrating 15 years!

6601 highway 94 south • augusta, missouri 63332 636.482.8466 • www.balduccivineyards.com

Feast oF Fountains schedule - 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. thursday, May 12: thursday, June 9: thursday, July 14: thursday, august 11: thursday, septeMber 8:

Volker Fountain/Theis Park Liberty Memorial/North Hill Northland Fountain Spirit of Freedom Fountain The Concourse Fountain

UN

F • C I S U M • FOOD

mystery shopper

Enoki Mushrooms Golden needle, snow puff, enokitake, velvet stem – pretty big names for a tiny little mushroom.

story and recipe by Shannon Weber Photography by jennifer silverberg

and make their homes on the stumps of persimmon and mulberry trees.

What Is It?

What Do I Do With It?

Enoki mushrooms, as they are most commonly known in the United States, are the tiny, spaghetti-stemmed mushrooms found in many Asian soups and salads and native to Japan.

Their beauty takes work: The kind we’re most familiar with are cultivated in pitch-black, carbon dioxide-heavy environments to achieve their unique shape and intense whiteness. Wild varieties blend in more with their fungi relatives, with thicker stems and a peachy-brown color,

Although they look rare and precious, enokis are easy to find and can be thrown into all sorts of things. Use the delicate, slightly fruity enoki in soups, salads and stir-frys. Roasting one of these slender creatures brings out an unexpected meatiness; use them atop burgers, sandwiches or add them to egg dishes. Enokis, like all mushrooms, shrink dramatically when cooked – which you’ll witness in the following recipe – so plan accordingly.

Shannon Weber is the creator, author and photographer behind the award-winning blog aperiodictableblog.com, and her work has appeared on websites such as Bon Appétit, Serious Eats and America’s Test Kitchen. She is a self-taught baker and cook who believes the words “I can’t” should never apply to food preparation and that curiosity can lead to wonderful things, in both the kitchen and in life.

Ginger-Soy Marinated Tofu and Bok Choy with Enoki Mushroom Straws Serves | 4 | Marinated Tofu

½ cup light soy sauce 1⁄3 cup rice wine vinegar juice of 3 limes 2 Tbsp brown sugar 2 Tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp garlic-chile sauce 1 block extra-firm tofu, drained, excess liquid pressed out Mushroom Straws

2 2

1

Tbsp plus 3 tsp vegetable oil, divided 7-oz packages enoki mushrooms, cleaned, thick bottom stems removed tsp sesame oil

Bok Choy

2 lbs baby bok choy (about 16), trimmed, leaves separated 2 Tbsp vegetable oil ½ cup ginger-soy marinade, divided

kosher salt, to taste cooked brown rice (to serve)

| Preparation - Marinated Tofu | In a medium bowl, whisk together first 7 ingredients. Slice prepared tofu into ¼-inch-thick rectangles and lay in a single layer in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Pour marinade over top, turn each piece over to coat and cover tightly. Refrigerate 4 to 8 hours.

| Preparation – Mushroom Straws | Heat oven to 325°F and brush a lipped sheet pan with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Separate mushrooms into individual pieces. Toss with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and sesame oil, and spread out on pan in a single layer. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes, tossing halfway through and every 10 minutes thereafter, until mushrooms are a deep golden brown, dried and crispy. Remove and let cool.

Increase heat to 450°F. Line 2 lipped sheet pans with foil and brush with remaining vegetable oil. Lay marinated tofu slices evenly on 1 sheet pan; brush tops with marinade, reserving remaining marinade, and bake, 15 minutes. Remove, flip tofu over, marinate and bake 10 minutes.

| Preparation – Bok Choy | Toss bok choy in oil, lay on second prepared sheet pan and pour reserved marinade on top. Bake 7 to 8 minutes. Remove bok choy and tofu. Season with salt.

| To Serve | Divide rice evenly onto four plates. Top with bok choy, tofu, marinade and enoki mushroom straws. Serve.

Restaurant

DECLARING

THE EARLY GRILLING SEASON one of a kind

fresh soups & sandwiches,

food and wine boutique

artisan salumi & cheese

full butcher service

homemade breads & pastries

fresh seafood

ice creams & sorbets

Himalayan pink sea salt case

unique accoutrements,

butcher classes

daily prepared meals

gift baskets

and much more...

AT YOUR ONE-STOP-BUTCHER-SHOP

1 MILE WEST OF GALLERIA 9202 clayton rd. saint louis, mo 63124 MON SAT 10AM-7PM / SUN 11AM-4PM TUE -- SAT

314.567.7258

@butcheryStL

www.todayattruffles.com Inspired Local Food Culture

APRIL 2016

49

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APRIL 2016

Lou Fusz Subaru

is the key to exceptional service.

• Exceptional Customer Service • Huge Selection and Savings • Proud Supporter of the Humane Society of Missouri

Lou Fusz Subaru St. Peters

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10329 Old Olive Street St. Louis, MO 63141 Subaru.Fusz.com 314-994-1500

Visit our new & expanded location to best serve our customers!

Inspired Local Food Culture

APRIL 2016

51

menu options

Yum Yai Salad Yum Yai salad is a flavorful mélange of vegetables, herbs and proteins featuring a distinct combination of fresh, steamed and fried ingredients. Together, the dish captures the five taste senses, or flavors, elemental to Thai food: bitter, sweet, sour, salty and spicy. Although there are many components to the dish, it comes together as an entire meal.

story and recipe by Gabrielle DeMichele Photography by Jennifer Silverberg

This dish is inspired by a recipe by Mark Bittman, who adapted it for The New York Times from a dish served at Kin Khao, a Thai restaurant in San Francisco owned by restaurateur Pim Techamuanvivit. Here, we’ve taken the salad a step further, adding shrimp, hard-boiled eggs, and more vegetables and herbs for a fresh and hearty meal.

chef’s tips SEND IN THE SUBS. If you can’t find bird’s-eye chiles, substitute them for fried or dried cayenne peppers or serrano chiles. For palm sugar, substitute 1 cup dark brown sugar plus 2 teaspoons maple syrup.

For a recipe to make your own chile jam, or nam prik pao, head to feastmagazine.com.

the menu • Yum Yai Salad • Pad Thai • Fortune Cookies

Learn More. Learn to make Yum Yai salad, a Thai dish made with raw, steamed and fried vegetables, as well as chile jam.

You’ll round out the meal with pad thai and fortune cookies.

get hands-on: Join Feast Magazine and Schnucks Cooks Cooking School on Wed., April 27, at 6pm at the Des Peres, Missouri, location, to make the dishes in this month’s menu. Tickets are just $40 for a night of cooking, dining and wine. RSVP at schnuckscooks.com or call 314.909.1704.

Yum Yai Salad Serves | 4 | Chile Jam Dressing

¼ cup chile jam 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice 2 Tbsp fish sauce 2 tsp chopped palm sugar Yum Yai Salad

2 oz mung bean (glass) noodles cold water pinch chopped bird’s-eye chile 1 English cucumber, peeled 1 large carrot, peeled 2 cups vegetable oil ¾ cup ice-cold water ¾ cup all-purpose flour 1 large egg yolk 1½ cups baby kale or arugula 6 oz green beans, blanched 3 radishes, very thinly sliced 2 cups torn lettuce leaves ¼ cup chopped cilantro ¼ cup chopped mint 1 cup cooked shrimp ¼ cup chopped scallions ¼ cup toasted cashews 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

| Preparation – Chile Jam Dressing | In a medium bowl, whisk all ingredients until well combined. Set aside. | Preparation – Yum Yai Salad | Cook noodles according to package directions. Dunk in cold water to cool, drain and toss in a drizzle of dressing and bird’s-eye chile. Set aside.

Use a vegetable peeler to cut cucumber and carrot into long ribbons; set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add vegetable oil. While it heats, in a medium bowl, lightly whisk together cold water, flour and egg yolk; batter should be lumpy and quite thin. When the oil is ready for frying, start dipping baby kale leaves (1 at a time) into batter to coat and carefully add them to oil, making sure not to crowd pan (fingers or chopsticks are the best tools for the job). Fry in batches, turning once, until golden brown and crisp – just a few minutes.

With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain; repeat process until all kale is fried. Set aside.

To assemble, layer ingredients in a large shallow bowl by weight: noodles on bottom, followed by green beans and radishes, with lettuce, herbs and vegetable ribbons mixed in between.

Drizzle each layer with dressing as you go. Add fried kale on top, then shrimp, scallions, cashews and egg.

Drizzle with dressing and serve.

TV

WATCH IT ON THESE NETWORKS

In St. Louis, tune into the Nine Network (Channel 9) to watch Feast TV on Sat., April 9 and Sun., April 10 at 6:30pm; Sat., April 16 and Sun., April 17 at 6:30pm; Sat., April 24 and Sun., April 24 at 6:30pm; Sun., April 24 at 1:30pm and Sat., April 30 at 6:30pm.

Digital Gift Cards are perfect for anyone

In Kansas City, watch Feast TV on KCPT (Channel 19) at 5:30pm on Sun., April 10; Sun., April 17 and Sun., April 24.

You can watch Feast TV throughout mid-Missouri on KMOS (Channel 6) on April 28 at 7:30pm and April 30 at 4pm.

Feast TV will air in the southern Illinois region on WSIU (Channel 8) every Monday at 12:30pm.

Hope you’re hungry, because in this episode, we’re feasting on fiery, complex Korean dishes, getting a taste of one spot’s modernMidwest take on ramen and following steaming carts of authentic dim sum treats.

Host Cat Neville gets into the kitchen and makes fresh Thai-style curries.

Save veggies, eat cake!

Feast TV is presented by Missouri Wines with additional support from Whole Foods Market.

Order today at schnucks.com ©2016 Schnucks

sweet ideas

Rice Pudding-caRamel Flan Although it’s often thought of as American comfort food, rice pudding has a rich history in a variety of cultures. In many European countries, it’s baked and served sliced, or set with gelatin and layered in a pretty glass dish with fresh preserves.

Known as gâteau de riz or riz au lait in France, Reisauflauf in Austria or torta di riso and budino di riso in Italy, baked rice puddings go by many names, and they’re all delicious.

I’ve elevated this version by incorporating my favorite Spanish custard, flan (which, incidentally, is called crème caramel in France). Here, you’ll make a clear caramel to coat the pan before adding the rice pudding custard to bake. The caramel thins as the custard bakes, creating a sauce for each slice once unmolded and served. Full-fat coconut milk can be substituted for the half-and-half in this recipe.

STory And rEcIpE by cHrISTy AuguSTIn pHoTogrApHy by cHEryl WAllEr

Rice Pudding-Caramel Flan Serves | 10 to 12 | Rice Pudding custaRd

2⁄3 3 2 ½

Christy Augustin has had a lifelong love affair with all things sweet. After working as a pastry chef in New Orleans and St. Louis, she opened Pint Size Bakery & Coffee in St. Louis’ Lindenwood Park in 2012. She calls herself the baker of all things good and evil. Learn more at pintsizebakery.com.

cup Arborio rice cups whole milk cups half-and-half cup plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean (or 1 Tbsp vanilla extract) pinch kosher salt

Flan caRamel

1 ¼ 2 2 2 to 3

cup granulated sugar cup plus 2 Tbsp water, divided eggs egg yolks Tbsp spiced rum zest of 1 orange or lemon ¼ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground cardamom ¼ cup rum-soaked currants or cherries warm water

| Preparation – Rice Pudding Custard | In a medium pot over low heat, combine and slowly cook all ingredients. Simmer on low, uncovered and stirring frequently, until rice is very tender and dairy is thick and creamy, 30 to 40 minutes.

| Preparation – Flan Caramel | While rice and dairy are simmering, preheat oven to 350ºF. In a small, heavy-bottomed pot, combine sugar and ¼ cup water. cook on medium-high heat until a dark amber color, about 5 to 6 minutes. be careful not to stir while cooking or you can crystallize caramel. Stop cooking by adding remaining 2 tablespoons water; swirl to combine. pour caramel into an 8- to 9-inch cake pan and tilt pan as needed to evenly coat bottom.

Set aside to cool.

| Assembly | When rice reaches desired tenderness (it will not continue to cook in oven), remove from heat. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, yolks and rum until well combined. pour 1 cup of rice mixture into egg mixture and whisk well to temper. Add remaining rice mixture, zest, spices and fruit; stir well and pour into pan with caramel. place rice pudding pan into a larger baking dish, fill halfway with warm water, cover larger dish with foil and vent each corner with a small slash. bake for 45 minutes, remove foil and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Flan is done when set with a small jiggle, but not a wave, in the center. remove from oven, cool for 20 minutes in water bath, then refrigerate overnight before unmolding. Serve cold with fresh berries, orange marmalade or compote; refrigerate leftovers.

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jazz at the bistro

Apr 6 & 7 Kenny Barron Trio Apr 8 & 9 Anat Cohen, Matt Wilson, Marquis Hill, & Linda Oh Apr 13-16 David Sanborn

concerts

food & drink Guide 2016 Contact Angie Henshaw for more information.

314-475-1298 ahenshaw@feastmagazine.com

Apr 23 Dave Liebman

Mon-Sat 5p-10p | O’Fallon, IL 618.632.4866 | Andrias.com

drinks Mother’s Day Buffet Sunday, May 8, 2016 10am - 3pm $32 per person, children under 12- $12

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May 4 & 5 Montez Coleman Trio featuring Anita Jackson

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May 6 & 7 Brian Owens CD Release

jazzstl.org jazzstl.org | 314.571.6000 314.571.6000

the harold & dorothy steward center for jazz 3536 washington ave. st.louis, mo 63103

FOR RESERVATIONS

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Rediscover the

Apr 27-30 Melissa Aldana

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come visit the neu kid on the block Dau Neu has changed locations. The Dau Neu brand is now represented at the original Dau Furniture store at 15424 Manchester

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Road in Ellisville, Missouri. What hasn’t changed is our dedication to bringing you the freshest selection of contemporary home furnishings inspired by the latest design trends. As always, Dau Neu designers are here to help you pull together the perfect room.

Visit us today and see what’s Neu!

DauNeu at DauFurniture 15424 Manchester Rd, Ellisville

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Fox Theatre • April 5-17 314-534-1111 or MetroTix.com

| 60 |

wok this way

| 72 |

stay hungry

| 82 |

use your noodle

| 90 |

treats from the east

Learn to wield a wok and make five Chinese-inspired dishes, plus key recipes for stock and sauce.

Julia Li is growing her family’s restaurant, LuLu Seafood & Dim Sum, while honoring the traditional Chinese fare that’s made it a beloved St. Louis spot.

Chef Peter Wang of Iron Horse Chinese Restaurant in Olathe, Kansas, has mastered the art of hand-pulling noodles.

Six subtly sweet pastries and desserts highlight the traditional flavors of Chinese treats.

PHOtOgRaPHy Of HanD-PuLLeD nOODLeS (P. 82) by LanDOn vOnDeRSCHmIDt

a wok is all drama: the swirl and sizzle of screaming-hot oil, the scorch of the fire beneath, and the crash of vegetables and proteins as they tumble rapidly between capable hands wielding enormous utensils. it’s a sensory experience, delivered with such rapidity that you’re unsure exactly how all these things came to be set before you, fully cooked, ready to savor. it’s no wonder that most people find wok cooking intimidating; i do, and not for lack of exposure. i spent more time around a wok than one might expect from a white kid growing up in the Midwestern suburbs, thanks to a best friend whose parents were second-generation Chinese-americans who loved to cook. elementary-school sleepovers included stir-frys and pot stickers, not pizza; on a few occasions, we dressed up and made our way into the dining room to eat peking duck by candlelight. i was fascinated, and although i didn’t know it at the time, i was in love.

Unfortunately, that love doesn’t necessarily result in skill or confidence. for years, i’ve viewed wok cooking as something beyond the reach of my own ability, a task better left to professionals. at best, i would be a failure; at worst, a walking fire hazard – until i allowed myself to ignore my fear long enough to learn. on a quiet January morning at the Culinary institute of St. louis at hickey College, i watched, listened, touched and tasted with a professional chef. first up, a sheet pan of bowls, large and small, carrying aromatics, chopped vegetables, raw meat and rice. next, a furiously hot fire that flung itself underneath the matte blackness of an impeccably seasoned wok. finally, the crackle and snap of oil as it hit searing carbon steel, and in what seemed like moments, we had a finished dish that fell from the wok into our bowls. we ate, i asked questions and at the end of my time there, i felt my fears (most of them, anyway) fall away, too. after that, i practiced. it was rocky at first, but my lack of knowledge was no longer part of the equation, and i eventually got the feel for it. you can, too – all it takes is common sense and practice. i can’t give you hands-on experience, but i can offer up what i learned, plus tips and tricks to get you started and build your confidence. it’s amazing how much less intimidating a wok becomes in your home kitchen if you’re armed with the right equipment.

the wok

learn how to skillfully wield a wok and make five chinese-inspired dishes, plus get key recipes for stock and sauce.

Choose your wok carefully; if it’s cumbersome or you don’t like the feel of it, you won’t use it. Carbon steel works best for home cooks – it’s relatively light, inexpensive, and heats quickly and evenly. pick one with heatproof handles, which won’t leave you scrambling for pot holders, and choose either the long- or short-handled style, according to personal preference. in terms of shape, flat-bottomed is best because it captures the most heat on electric or induction cooktops, is easy to maneuver and provides essential stability for things like deep- and shallow-frying or liquid-based dishes like soups or stews.

Caring properly for your wok is essential. prep a new one by scrubbing with hot, soapy water to wash away the protective factory coating. after that, treat it much like you would a cast-iron skillet: to season it, heat a small amount of vegetable or peanut oil and a little salt in your wok over medium heat, carefully rubbing the oil into the wok surface as it heats up. Do this in 10-minute intervals, turning and tipping the wok as you go. bring the wok back to room temperature between rounds until you’ve created your own “nonstick” surface inside. Don’t ever let soap touch it after the initial cleaning; scrub only with hot water – even burned bits should come off with ease – towel dry and season again over medium heat before putting away. what you use in and around your wok are as critical to success as the wok itself. invest in a chuan, or wok spatula (or two) and a hoak, or wok ladle, which are specifically designed to help you scoop and scrape your way to greatness with their sturdy builds and lengthy handles. being able to move food quickly is vital, and proper spatulas will have you doing so with ease. if you don’t have one already, buy a Chinese spider strainer, a champion of lifting blanched vegetables and fried foods out with finesse. it’s especially useful in stir-frys for lifting cooked meat out before other ingredients take the dive. the number of things you can use a wok for is vast, especially to those who assume it’s limited to the flash-bang of stir-frying. it’s surprisingly versatile; a multitasker ready to conquer deep-frying, soup-making, sauce-thickening, vegetable-steaming and much more.

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written by Shannon weber photography by Jennifer Silverberg

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PreP: three critical words: mise en place, a french term for having ingredients prepared before making a dish – in other words, get your stuff together. have every ingredient chopped, diced, sliced and marinated before you even think about heating the wok. everything should be measured out into prep bowls, easily accessible – including all utensils – and ready to throw in at a moment’s notice because that’s exactly how long you’ll have once things begin.

Plan: read through the recipe and distill it down to bullet points in your mind: what’s first, how long will each step take, what’s next and so on. Make your own list and keep it in front of you if you need to, or organize your ingredients based on the order they’ll be needed.

Heat and Move: a screaming-hot wok is a must, but you don’t want it to burn things on contact. Control the heat by lifting and tilting the wok as you need to, and use your spatulas to keep whatever you have in the wok moving around.

spice and sauce pantry essentials Before you tackle the following recipes, make sure your kitchen pantry is stocked with these shelf-stable staples. Most items require only a quick trip to a well-stocked grocery; other items, like Chinkiang vinegar or shaoxing rice wine, can easily be found at international or Asian markets.

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Light soy sauce: This is regular soy sauce, not to be confused with the low-sodium variety you may refer to as “light.”

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Dark (mushroom) soy sauce: Soy sauce’s deeply earthy side, almost black in color.

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Shaoxing rice wine: Mildly sweet cooking wine, similar to cooking sherry.

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Rice wine vinegar

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Chinkiang black vinegar: A full-flavored, luxurious vinegar similar to balsamic.

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Potato or tapioca starch (flour)

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Cornstarch

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Sesame oil: For flavoring dishes, a little goes a long way, and it’s got a much lower smoke point than other oils.

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Peanut or vegetable oil: For cooking, frying and the like – both have a neutral flavor and a high smoke point that make them ideal for high temperatures.

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Dried Chinese chiles: Those wee leathery crimson peppers you see scattered through your Kung Pao chicken are most likely japones, also called Oriental or Chinese-style chiles, and are easy to find in most well-stocked grocery stores.

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Dried Chinese mushrooms: You can easily find fresh Chinese shiitake mushrooms at Asian markets, but the fresh shiitakes you see at mainstream grocery stores are a far less funky American version. A quick glance over to the dried mushrooms will get you the Chinese variety, along with others, like wood ear. Simply rehydrate them in hot water before using.

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Sichuan peppercorns

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Star anise pods

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Fennel seeds

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Red chile flake

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Chinese cassia cinnamon: Sweet and slightly spicy, cassia is hotter than standard Ceylon but sweeter than Vietnamese, making it perfect for sweet and savory dishes. Find it at spice shops.

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White peppercorns: A fruity, hot pepper integral to Chinese cuisine, used not for aesthetics (as it is sometimes used in the West) but for the flavor it imparts.

It can be bought ground or in whole form.

Opt for high-quality – it matters.

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Sesame seeds

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Hoisin sauce

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Oyster sauce

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Garlic-chile sauce

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Black bean sauce

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Chile oil

These recipes cover the basics to get you comfortable with using your wok, and they work up and out to help build your skill gradually. Each one introduces a slightly different way to use the wok by incorporating different techniques and ingredients. Cook at your own pace, and with a little practice, you’ll be a natural.

chinese chicken stock This is an easy stock recipe that’s full of flavor but not overpowering. Use it for everything: soup bases, stews, sauces or to infuse flavor into steamed vegetables or rice.

Yields | 7 to 8 cups | 2 5 4 1 2 2 1 3 1 ½ 1

Tbsp vegetable oil cloves garlic, smashed and chopped oz peeled and thinly sliced fresh ginger bunch scallions, whites and greens only, chopped into 1-inch pieces cups roughly chopped celery tops and leaves carrots, chopped into 1-inch pieces bunch fresh cilantro, thicker stems removed quarts water tsp kosher salt tsp freshly ground white pepper whole chicken (3½ to 4 lbs), fat and skin trimmed, quartered

| Preparation | In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat vegetable oil. Add garlic, ginger and scallions, stirring until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add celery, carrots and cilantro and cook, 2 minutes. Pour in water, add salt and white pepper and stir; submerge chicken pieces in liquid and increase heat to high until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to lowest simmer and cook, uncovered, for 3 hours; skim fat as needed throughout. Remove from heat and strain out solids; skim fat from surface. Allow to cool to room temperature; cover and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

basic stir-fry sauce Just because you can buy it in a bottle doesn’t mean you should; make your own all-purpose sauce using a few simple ingredients you should have in your pantry – if you like making your own better-than-takeout stir-fry, that is.

Yields | 1¼ cups | 1½ tsp cornstarch 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp Chinese Chicken Stock (recipe above), divided 1⁄3 cup hoisin sauce ¼ cup shaoxing rice wine 2 Tbsp black vinegar 2 Tbsp light soy sauce 1 Tbsp granulated sugar 1 Tbsp sesame oil ½ tsp freshly ground white pepper 3 Tbsp vegetable oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1½ Tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger

| Preparation | In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and 1 tablespoon Chinese Chicken Stock until dissolved; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine remaining broth, hoisin sauce, rice wine, black vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and white pepper. Whisk to incorporate and set aside.

Heat wok over high heat; add oil and swirl around bottom and sides. Add garlic and ginger, stirring constantly, and heat until fragrant, 20 seconds. Add sauce mixture and stir, scraping aromatics from bottom of wok. Bring to a boil. Stir cornstarch slurry to reincorporate and stream into wok, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool; refrigerate in airtight glass jar until ready to use, up to 1 week.

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ginger beef and vegetable noodles This dish has volume, courtesy of a big pile of Chinese egg noodles. Come prepared to party with two spatulas, which makes the lift-and-separate action you’ll need to perform a breeze.

Serves | 4 to 6 |

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Tbsp shaoxing rice wine Tbsp garlic-chile sauce Tbsp light soy sauce tsp tapioca starch tsp sea salt tsp freshly ground white pepper oz flank steak, cut into thin slices oz Chinese egg noodles Tbsp vegetable or peanut oil, divided cloves garlic, minced Tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger scallions, white and light green parts in thin rings, greens in long thin ribbons cups very thin ribbons Chinese (napa) cabbage carrots (1 cup), sliced into matchsticks Fresno chile, seeds removed, in paper-thin strips cup room temperature Basic Stir-Fry Sauce (recipe on p. 62) bunch fresh cilantro leaves (to serve)

| Preparation | In a medium bowl, whisk rice wine, garlic-chile sauce, light soy

sauce, tapioca starch, salt and pepper together. Place steak in a shallow baking dish and pour marinade over top, cover tightly and marinate 30 to 45 minutes.

Cook egg noodles according to package directions; rinse in cold water, pat dry and set aside.

Heat wok over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and swirl around bottom and sides. Add steak slices and cook, working in batches as needed, stirring constantly until beef is cooked through. Remove with a spider strainer to a plate and set aside. Add remaining oil to wok and swirl around to coat; add garlic, ginger and scallions and heat until fragrant, stirring constantly, 20 seconds.

Add cabbage, carrots, chile and prepared noodles, stirring constantly. Lift and separate mixture rapidly as you work so vegetables and noodles are evenly distributed; cook for 1 minute. Add steak and juices back into pan, then add Basic Stir-Fry Sauce and cook until heated through.

| To Serve | Divide onto plates and top with cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.

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moo-shu pork If you’ve never had this dish, it’s like Asian soft tacos, and everyone will love it. Moo-shu pork is full of flavor but without a lot of heat; kick it up with a little chile oil at the end if you like. Regular shiitakes or Chinese shiitakes both work equally well.

Serves | 4 to 6 | M arinade

1 Tbsp dark mushroom soy sauce

2 Tbsp light soy sauce

2 Tbsp shaoxing rice wine

1½ tsp sesame oil

1 lb ground pork Stir-Fry Sauce

1 ⁄3 3 2 1 1

cup hoisin sauce Tbsp light soy sauce Tbsp rice wine vinegar tsp granulated sugar tsp cornstarch

Moo-Shu Pork

4 Tbsp vegetable or peanut oil, divided

2 large eggs, beaten

2 Tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic

2 bunches scallions, white and light green parts in ½-inch pieces, greens reserved to serve

4 cups julienned Chinese (napa) cabbage

1 English cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, ½-inch dice

½ oz dried wood ear mushrooms, rehydrated in boiling water and chopped into bite-sized pieces

5 oz Chinese shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed, chopped into ½-inch slices To Serve

12 to 16 Chinese pancakes or flour tortillas

¾ cup hoisin sauce

¼ cup chile oil (optional)

| Preparation – Marinade | In a medium bowl, whisk together everything but pork. Add pork and incorporate marinade into meat using hands. Cover and set aside, 30 to 45 minutes.

| Preparation – Stir-Fry Sauce | In a medium bowl, add all ingredients and whisk until combined; set aside.

| Preparation – Moo-Shu Pork | Prepare a paper towel-lined plate. Heat wok over high heat; add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl over bottom and sides. Add pork, stirring constantly and breaking up until nicely browned, 5 minutes. Remove using a spider strainer to prepared plate to drain; drain excess fat from wok.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to hot wok; add eggs, stirring constantly until fluffy and cooked through. Transfer to plate. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to hot wok; swirl over bottom and sides to coat. Add ginger, garlic and chopped scallions, stirring constantly until fragrant, 20 seconds, being careful not to burn. Add cabbage, cucumber and both mushrooms and cook for 1 minute; add drained pork, eggs and stir-fry sauce and cook until heated through.

| To Serve | Wrap Chinese pancakes or tortillas in aluminum foil and warm in the oven on low heat.

Spread hoisin sauce in the middle of each warm pancake or tortilla and fill with moo-shu pork; roll or fold over like a taco. Top with reserved scallions, cut into very thin ribbons, and a little chile oil for heat if desired, and serve.

sichuan pepper and fennel calamari Twice-fried, doubly delicious: These calamari are an upgrade from the overbattered sort found in most restaurants. A fast turn in the wok is all you need here – squid can go rubbery when overcooked, so watch your time.

Serves | 4 to 6 as an appetizer |

1 lb squid tubes and tentacles, cleaned, tubes sliced into thin rings

2 Tbsp shaoxing rice wine

1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns ¾ tsp whole fennel seeds

1 tsp kosher salt ½ tsp freshly ground white pepper 2⁄3 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups plus 2 Tbsp vegetable or peanut oil, divided

2 scallions, white and light green parts in thin rings, greens trimmed and sliced lengthwise into very thin ribbons, divided

1 Fresno chile, seeds removed, sliced into paper-thin rounds ¼ cup light soy sauce (to serve) ¼ cup garlic-chile sauce (to serve) 2 to 3 Tbsp chile oil (to serve)

| Preparation | In a medium bowl, toss squid tubes and tentacles with rice wine; set aside for 30 minutes. In a small skillet, toast peppercorns and fennel seeds, flipping frequently, until fragrant; in a mortar and pestle, grind spices into a powder. In a large bowl, add ground spices, salt and pepper to flour and stir to incorporate.

Drain squid as much as possible, then toss with starch mixture. Prepare a paper towel-lined plate. Heat 4 cups oil in wok to 350°F; use a thermometer to carefully monitor temperature throughout work time. Working in batches, add squid pieces to oil and fry until lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes; set aside on prepared plate to drain.

When finished, carefully drain oil from wok into heatproof vessel and set aside to cool. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to wok and swirl to coat bottom and sides. Add scallion rings and chile, stirring constantly until fragrant. Add calamari and toss until golden and crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add half of scallion greens and toss for 10 seconds, then remove to a platter, scattering scallions and chile rounds from wok over top.

| To Serve | Place light soy sauce, garlic-chile sauce and chile oil into individual dipping bowls and serve alongside calamari. Garnish with reserved ½ of scallions and serve.

pork and bok choy soup Transform your vibrant chicken stock into a deeply satisfying, hearty bowl of broth using dark mushroom soy sauce; it’s easy to find, and the flavor it imparts is unmatched.

Serves | 6 to 8 | 2 2 2 10 to 12 6 1 3 1 2 1 1

Tbsp shaoxing rice wine Tbsp dark mushroom soy sauce tsp tapioca starch oz pork tenderloin, sliced into thin strips cups Chinese Chicken Stock (recipe on p. 62) star anise Tbsp vegetable or peanut oil Tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger cloves garlic, minced scallion, white and green parts only, sliced into thin rings head bok choy, thicker stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped freshly ground white pepper and sea salt, to taste

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| Preparation | In a bowl, combine rice wine, dark mushroom soy sauce and tapioca starch. Set pork strips in a shallow baking dish, pour mixture over top, cover tightly and set aside to marinate, 30 to 45 minutes. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat Chinese Chicken Stock and star anise until pork is done marinating.

Heat wok over high heat; add oil and swirl around bottom and sides. Add ginger, garlic and scallions, stirring constantly until fragrant, 20 seconds. Add bok choy, stirring to coat and cooking until leaves are slightly wilted. Add hot stock and bring to a boil; add pork strips a few at a time and boil for 2 to 3 minutes until pork is cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

| To Serve | Fish out and discard star anise.

Ladle soup into bowls and serve.

spicy chicken with peanuts This is a multitextured dish for spice-lovers: It packs as much heat as you want it to, courtesy of dried Chinese red chiles.

Serves | 4 to 6 |

2 Tbsp light soy sauce

1 Tbsp garlic-chile sauce

1 tsp shaoxing rice wine

2 tsp tapioca starch 12 to 14 oz skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch cubes

4 oz Chinese shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, cleaned and cut into ½-inch dice

3 stalks celery, ends trimmed, sliced in ½-inch dice

6 Tbsp vegetable or peanut oil, divided

8 dried Chinese chiles, cut in half, seeds scooped out

2 Tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts only, in ½-inch lengths

2⁄3 cup room temperature Basic Stir-Fry Sauce

¾ cup dry-roasted peanuts cooked white or brown rice (to serve)

| Preparation | In a medium bowl, whisk together light soy sauce, garlic-chile sauce, rice wine and tapioca starch until combined. Toss with chicken pieces, cover and set aside to marinate, 30 to 45 minutes. Prepare an ice bath and fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil over high heat; add mushrooms and celery and blanch for 1 minute. Transfer to ice bath to stop cooking, drain and pat dry. Set aside.

Heat wok over high heat; add 3 tablespoons oil and swirl around bottom and sides. Add chicken pieces, working in batches to keep wok temperature steady, stirring constantly until cooked through. Remove with spider strainer to a bowl and set aside. Swirl remaining 2 to 3 tablespoons oil in wok; add chiles and toast until they begin to darken, being careful to avoid burning. Add ginger, garlic and scallions, stirring constantly until fragrant, 20 seconds.

Add blanched celery and mushrooms and stir constantly, 1 minute. Stir in chicken and its juices and add Basic Stir-Fry Sauce; toss to coat. Add peanuts and continue to toss until everything is heated through.

| To Serve | Divide rice onto plates and top with spicy chicken with peanuts; serve immediately.

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stay hungry

for a first-timer, ordering at lulu seafood & dim sum

WriTTEN bY NANCY STiLES PHOTOgrAPHY bY CHErYL WALLEr

julia li is growing her family’s restaurant, lulu seafood & dim sum, with a fast-casual concept, a food truck and local collaborations while honoring the traditional chinese fare that’s made it a beloved st. louis spot.

involves a lot of pointing. There are more than 100 dishes to choose from, hot and cold, vegetarian and meat-filled, from steamed barbecue pork buns and chilled jellyfish to garlic-topped seaweed and soup-filled dumplings. On the weekends, diners point and pick from metal carts pushed around by waitstaff.

Julia Li knows the menu inside and out, but she still points as she orders in a mixture of Chinese and English. “You don’t even need to know what you’re ordering,” she jokes. Her family opened its first restaurant in the St. Louis area when she was just 6, and over the years she’s lived in Shanghai, St. Louis, Los Angeles and New York. A steamer basket of Shanghai soup dumplings has arrived at the table, and after snapping a picture for social

media, Julia deftly picks up a dumpling with maroon chopsticks.

“Uh oh – i pierced it a little bit!” says Julia, blowing on the dumpling to cool it off. “There is soup in there – it’s called a soup dumpling because there is literally a little pocket of soup. Just don’t burn your mouth. The proper way to eat this is to put some ginger on it, put some vinegar on it and then blow on it a little bit because you don’t want to burn your face! This is from Shanghai, where i’m from. i could eat this all day. Literally, it’s like, people eat this all day. Eat 20, 30 – it’s hangover food. Dumplings are amazing for that.”

The dumplings are part of a multicourse meal that makes up traditional dim sum, Chinese dining from the Canton province

(now known as guangdong) that Julia likens to Spanish tapas. The food is meant for sharing, and you order a substantial amount.

The dim-sum carts feature ready-to-eat items for diners to pick from: Cold dishes and dumplings typically come first, followed by heartier plates like spare ribs, steamed meat and vegetables, sticky rice, fish and lots, lots more, usually with tea. Julia grabs a different dumpling with her chopsticks and a glass bottle filled with dark brown liquid.

“This is spinach and shrimp with gluten-free rice skin, and on top is a little bit of fish eggs,” she explains. “What you do is you eat it with black vinegar. On the table there are vinegar and soy sauce – most people reach for the soy sauce, but you actually eat dumplings with black vinegar.”

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The table is covered in plates and baskets, but this is nothing, Julia says. If she were eating with a table full of people, she would have ordered a lot more, and she would eat and eat until she couldn’t eat any more. The best part? Everything on the dim-sum carts is steamed and MSG-free, and a lot of it is gluten-free and low sodium.

“Part of the reason we’re pushing along with this is to reeducate what Chinese food actually is,” Julia says. “Like hey, it’s good for you to eat this type of food. It’s a balanced meal – half of it is vegetables, plus a fistful of rice and a protein.”

Julia’s parents, Jerry Li and Jenny Lu, and Julia’s uncle, LiMing Lu, opened LuLu Seafood & Dim Sum in University City, Missouri, in 2000. It was their third restaurant in the St. Louis area; the siblings are the eponymous Lu and Lu. They first opened Hunan Manor, a Chinese buffet, in Downtown St. Louis in 1993. They eventually sold it, moved west and bought Great Chef Garden at Manchester Road and Highway 141 when Julia was in elementary school. When plans were announced for a new 141 bridge over Manchester, Jenny knew it was time to get out; nobody would be able to see the restaurant due to the development. Jerry, Jenny and LiMing soon bought a space on Olive Boulevard and opened LuLu in a former barbecue restaurant.

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“The first one was very difficult to handle because I needed to learn how to hire the good chef and test the food and the service, and that’s a lot of work,” Jenny says. “At that time, I had my husband, Mr. Li, help; he was working at SBC [Communications, now AT&T,] Downtown, and he would come in at lunchtime and help. Julia was only 6 years old. We learned a little bit, and [eventually] one of our friends, who is a dim-sum chef from Hong Kong, said on the weekends we should try [doing] a dim-sum restaurant. I say, ‘Eh, why not?’”

The restaurant was a third the size then as it is now; the other two thirds were office and retail spaces, but the family jumped at the chance to expand when the office’s lease was up six years later. LiMing designed the renovation – they spent about a year gutting the place – and it features a red and gold color palette, with a sleek bar, high and low tables, booths, a private banquet room and a karaoke room and bar downstairs called the Dragon Room. The trio’s early restaurants were buffet-style, but when they opened LuLu, they wanted to do something no one else in St. Louis was doing: authentic dim sum. Of course, American standbys – orange chicken, General Tso’s, cashew chicken – are all on the menu, and they’re best-sellers. Maybe the first time guests come in, they’ll order crab rangoon and sweet-and-sour chicken, but next time, they’ll try steamed pork siu mai dumplings.

Jerry, Jenny and Julia got to St. Louis from Shanghai by accident. When universities opened back up in China for the first time in 1976, 10 years after the Cultural Revolution began, Jerry was among the first class to graduate, in 1982, from Tongji University. He wasn’t just competing against students his age, though – he was competing against a decade’s worth of high-achieving college hopefuls. After Jerry earned his degree in civil engineering, he and Jenny got married. Not long after, Jerry was contracted by the Chinese government to work Inspired Local Food Culture

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on Nigeria’s bridges and infrastructure amid the region’s war over ivory. A convent of nuns from St. Louis operated a nearby clinic, and Jerry was the main person they communicated with for transportation and provisions. After the head doctor was shot by gangs involved in illicit activity, Jerry was one of the only people working closely with the clinic who spoke English, so he helped the remaining nuns return to St. Louis. The grateful convent asked Jerry, still stationed in Nigeria, how they could help him and his family. Jerry replied that he wanted to go to school in St. Louis.

The convent sponsored his student visa and helped him move to St. Louis, where he earned a master’s degree in civil engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. Jenny soon joined him from Shanghai, and they sent for Julia a few years later. It’s fairly rare that people emigrate from China straight to St. Louis – families make their way to the Midwest from New York, San Francisco or Canada – and Julia believes they’re one of the only families to have done so.

Jenny and LiMing started a restaurant because it’s all they knew how to do, and despite Jerry’s advanced degree, the family “had about five pennies.” Julia grew up around the three restaurants, but she wasn’t planning a culinary career. She worked in event production for Nickelodeon and then Disney in Los Angeles, but lost interest when she was promoted to digital activation at its sister network ABC. She then lived in Manhattan working for Jam Master Jay’s company, Scratch Music Group, and its Scratch DJ Academy, which trains youth, especially underprivileged kids, to be DJs and hooks them up with corporate gigs, like working on Disney Cruise Line.

Shanghai, the Sichuan province, Beijing, the Hunan province and Hong Kong. Many employees have been with LuLu for more than a decade, and some also worked at the family’s two previous restaurants. Jenny and LiMing even help professional Chinese chefs get work visas to come to St. Louis.

Julia grew tired of working 80 hours a week, much of it spent traveling, and after a health scare, she made the decision to return to St. Louis. “I had a moment where I was like, ‘What’s most important in my life?’ – and it’s my family,” she says. She moved home about a year-and-a-half ago to help manage LuLu’s expansion – the business was getting too big for her parents and uncle to handle alone.

Most of the recipes are classic, but Jenny and her chefs switch out menu items every few months; they keep tabs on food trends in China on social media and Baidu, China’s answer to Google.

“My parents are amazing,” Julia says. “They do speak fluent English – ish – but it’s difficult to not have them be digitally able.

They just got an email account, and it was funny – they have a stack of awards from different publications that they never went to go get because people would call, and my mom would be like, ‘Who’s this?’”

In addition to Jenny, there are five chefs at LuLu, each from a different area of China:

“We don’t really consider chefs unless they have at least 10 years [experience] or more in China,” Julia says. “Culinary training in China is very intense. I’m not saying people aren’t capable here – I think they are – but I think the right thing to do is bring in chefs. My parents can cook; I can cook, but we’re not gonna do it ourselves. Leave it to the professionals.”

“It’s really my mom’s passion,” Julia says.

“People talk about people being foodies, and I’m like, you don’t even know. My mom is the ultimate foodie. She examines every piece of food – it’s incredible.”

About three-and-half years ago, Dierbergs Markets approached the family about opening a fast-casual concept inside its grocery stores, and they’ve since opened LuLu Chinese Express counters at the Brentwood and Creve Coeur locations. The experiment has paved the way for Julia’s biggest project yet: standalone fast-casual restaurants called LuLu Fresh Express.

PICTURED: LuLu serves more than 100 rotating dishes in styles representing five Chinese provinces, including Beijing duck (bottom left); Hunan griddle tofu with vegetables (top right); Shanghai soup dumplings, Shanghai meatballs, Sichuan barbecue beef, Hong Kong salt-and-pepper whole flounder and sautéed snow pea tips with garlic (bottom right).

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RIGHT: Dan Dan Noodle available for purchase at United Provisions.

BOTTOM LEFT: Julia Li and Jenny Lu. BOTTOM RIGHT: LuLu Chinese & Dim Sum food truck debuting this month.

g

“When I first got back, I was really pushing this concept called LuLu Fresh Express, which is the steamed, healthy food [to go], but as we did market research through Dierbergs, we realized people aren’t ready for it,” she says.

“So we’re going to do LuLu’s Fresh Express as fast-casual locations and serve the staples as well as introduce to this audience what healthy Chinese food means. You can’t do it all at once – it’s too intimidating. We’re still gonna sell the staples like orange chicken because honestly, those are our best-sellers, but we’ll integrate our dim sum and our healthy [to-go] meals.”

The plan is to open two or three LuLu’s Fresh Express eateries at a time; they’ve already secured a location down the street from LuLu in Olivette, Missouri, and are considering nearby spots for another. Julia plans to add locations in Columbia, Missouri, and maybe Kansas City, two or three in Chicago and then head for the West Coast. A dim-sum food truck is set to debut this month, and LuLu is also partnering with United Provisions to serve dim sum tastings on weekends and offer grab-and-go dim sum at the international grocery store.

It might seem like a lot to juggle, but Julia’s no stranger to entrepreneurship. She runs Create Space, a creative entrepreneurship

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business incubator in the Delmar Loop, and was recently elected vice president of the Asian-American Chamber of Commerce of St. Louis. For the second year in a row, she spearheaded University City’s Lunar New Year celebrations. LuLu collaborated on a ginger-infused Moon Monkey ale with Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. as part of the two-day event, which also included a parade, beer tastings, live music and 10-course banquets at LuLu, Mandarin House, Wonton King and Wei Hong Bakery & Restaurant.

business for 20 years. We just test – me, my husband, the chefs – and if we think it’s good, we put it on the menu.”

“I’m passionate about connecting Asian businesses,” Julia says. “Historically, the Chinese community is close-knit by ourselves, but because of the language barrier, people don’t even realize we have a Chinatown. We do – it’s here. I want to help all the businesses become one unit and market ourselves as a Chinatown and that we work with one another. At LuLu, we don’t believe in competitors. We’re all family.”

Jenny stops midsentence to wave to a customer who’s just walked in. “Everybody knows me!” she laughs. The dining room is buzzing now, with a lunch crowd of everyone from coverall-wearing construction workers to Julia’s grandparents. The dim sum on the table has been devoured, but Jenny and Julia are already thinking about the future.

Jenny isn’t worried about the rapid expansion, either. “We can handle it, no problem,” she says, multitasking as someone brings her business papers to sign as she sips oolong tea at the restaurant. “I’ve been doing

Mother and daughter agree that the secret to LuLu’s decades-long success is its ability to appeal to both Chinese and American customers. Especially in the beginning, the restaurant didn’t do any media or promotion, but word still got around about how good the food was. Jenny says today, customers are a lot more educated about dim sum.

“Next time we’ll try the steamed spare rib,” Jenny says. “And the beef tripe… and the custard buns…”

LuLu Seafood & Dim Sum, 8224 Olive Blvd., University City, Missouri, 314.997.3108, luluseafoodrestaurant.com

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how to properly cook stir-fries in a wok

Written by Daniel Puma

Stir-fries are typically comprised of vegetables and proteins cooked in a blazingly hot wok that produces caramelization, texture and wok hei, or “wok breath” – the smoky taste and aroma achieved using a traditional carbon-steel or cast-iron wok with a roaring fire underneath.

proper cooking. If you don’t have a wok with a strong flame, use a large-surface cast-iron or electric skillet to cook each of your vegetables and proteins individually.

By doing so, you utilize the Maillard reaction – a chemical reaction that results in the browning or caramelizing of your ingredients.

Overcrowding the pan and cooking different styles of proteins and vegetables at one time can result in steaming or stewing your stir-fry. ziran yangrou. Found in the northwest and northern provinces of China, this cumin-spiced lamb dish is heavily influenced by the Uyghur ethnic group. The cumin breaks many preconceived notions of what Chinese food should taste and smell like. Sliced lamb is marinated briefly in shaoxing rice wine before being fried in oil in a hot wok. Vegetables are then seared with fresh and dried chile peppers, cumin seeds, ground cumin, Szechuan peppercorns, light and dark soy sauce, and a cilantro garnish. kung pao. Despite its ubiquitous menu presence on nearly every westernized Chinese restaurant, this dish is rooted in classic Szechuan cuisine. It’s made with marinated and wok-seared protein (chicken, shrimp, tofu, pork) and vegetables, dried chile peppers, Szechuan peppercorns, peanuts and sauce, which is a blend of garlic, ginger, chile paste, dark soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar and cornstarch. mapo tofu. Another staple of Szechuan cooking, mapo tofu is a tongue scorcher.

It’s all about the sauce, as the tofu will take on any flavor to which it’s exposed. The sauce is constructed in steps to build layers of flavor and spice. It begins with frying Szechuan peppercorns until fragrant, followed by ginger, garlic, ground pork, spicy bean sauce, water or chicken broth, chile oil and cornstarch. The tofu is stewed in the sauce for a few minutes before everything gets finished off with a sprinkling of scallions.

twice-cooked pork. The original pork belly trendsetter, twice-cooked pork is filled with succulent flavors with a spicy and sweet dichotomy. Pork belly is simmered in water and ginger until fully cooked and tender.

After cooling, the pork is sliced and seared in a hot wok before being mixed with a sauté of spicy chile-bean paste, garlic, chile peppers and leeks with shaoxing rice wine, soy sauce and a little sugar.

9811 S. 40 Drive, St. Louis, MO 63124 310 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64112 St. Louis: 314-587-2433 KC: 816-627-0100 Check out our upcoming public cooking classes at lecole.edu

chef peter wang of iron horse chinese restaurant has mastered the art of hand-pulling noodles.

Written by April Fleming photogrAphy by lAndon Vonderschmidt

iron horse chinese restaurant is modest,

much like its owner, Peter Wang. The little space is tucked away in a strip mall in the suburbs of Kansas City, and its exterior is nothing special, save for the wildly colorful handmade signs that Wang’s stepdaughter, Michelle, created and hung in the windows. That’s the first hint of the passion and personality at work behind the front door.

On a typical Saturday night, the small dining room at Iron Horse is buzzing with activity: Customers picking up carry-out orders stand patiently in the front while Wang’s wife, Helen, flits from table to table with a pot of tea. The aroma of savory stocks and sauces that have been cooking all day waft out from the kitchen, where Wang is hard at work.

The Wangs seem to know everyone who comes in, and they greet each customer warmly.

Servers bring out plates of fried tofu (Wang’s favorite dish at the restaurant), beef or pork with black bean sauce and piping-hot soups filled with the house specialty, handpulled noodles. Wang learned how to make Beijing-style hand-pulled noodles in his native Qingdao, China, and at Iron Horse, he makes them fresh every two or three days.

He prides himself on being able to make the three varieties of hand-pulled noodles – flat, thick and fine – from the same dough. (Beijing-style noodles are the thicker style and are about the circumference of a pencil once cooked, somewhat akin to udon noodles.) The process took him about three years to master. Wang is too modest to say how long he has been cooking, but it’s safe to say that he has been pulling noodles for almost 50 years.

The flavor of the noodles is similar to egg noodles or egg-based pastas, but the texture is truly what sets them apart. Silky and smooth, the noodles have a slightly chewy texture from the gluten in the flour – Wang uses all-purpose flour, and they require a couple of bites to eat. The noodles are available in place of rice with almost any dish on Iron Horse’s menu, as well as in house soups.

Although Wang’s hand-pulled noodles are beloved by his loyal customers at Iron Horse, cooking isn’t what initially brought him to Missouri.

“I like to watch baseball,” Wang says, smiling. “The Royals are here, you know.”

He’s a little bit shy, but once you begin to ask him to share stories about his background, his family and how he learned to cook, he does so with passion. Wang is incredibly humble – he’ll punctuate a story about his experiences running kitchens in cities across the world by emphasizing that he’s “a cook, not a chef.”

PICTURED: Wang prepares dough using flour, ice water, a whole egg, salt and white vinegar. He kneads the dough by hand, and once it has rested, he folds and twirls it, alternately stretching and banging it against a long wooden board. He can get hundreds of noodles out of one batch, stretching the dough up to 126 times.

Wang has been cooking for his entire life. His family was originally based in Tsingtao, now called Qingdao, in the Shandong province, on the eastern coast between Beijing and Shanghai. His family moved to Seoul, South Korea, in 1949 after the Communist Party took power in China, and they lived there until he was about 16, when his grandfather passed away. Wang decided to return to Qingdao to work for his uncle, a chef named Gee Wei Lee, where he developed his lifelong love of cooking. Wang remembers Lee fondly, although he says he was a difficult teacher to impress.

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“My uncle was tough; if you do something not right – after he hit you, he’d tell you why,” Wang says, as he imitates Lee pointing to a clock.

“Time too short! Marinated not long enough! And some cooks use a timer, right? My uncle used incense. It smelled very good.” Wang explains that Lee would break a stick of incense to burn for just the right amount of cooking time.

“He was a very good chef; he was intelligent,” Wang says. “He taught me to make noodles, dumplings, Beggar’s Chicken, roast duck. His specialty was old-style.”

After a few years working in Qingdao, the two moved back to Seoul, where Lee became the head chef in the Chinese department at the newly constructed Hyatt Regency hotel, then a symbol of modernization in South Korea. Wang became the sous chef, and when his uncle retired a few years later, Wang was promoted to head chef.

Then the whirlwind began: As the Hyatt luxury-hotel chain expanded across Asia and into Central America, Wang followed, developing menus and opening Chinese-food departments in hotels in Osaka, Japan; Taipei, Taiwan; and San Salvador, El Salvador. In the early 1980s, while working for Hyatt, a customer liked his food so much, he suggested Wang open his own restaurant in Los Angeles. He took the advice.

“It was pretty close to Beverly Hills – a Chinese restaurant named the King Palace,” Wang says. “I served Johnny Carson, Kenny Rogers and Sammy Davis Jr.” He also cooked for then-Vice President George H.W. Bush. For his celebrity guests, Wang served multiple-course meals that included Peking duck, lobster and roasted chicken.

Wang, ever eager to see more of the country, soon landed a job working as a chef at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and later opened a restaurant in Omaha, Nebraska, before finally settling in the Kansas City area, opening Royal China in Overland Park, Kansas, named for the baseball team he loves. After selling Royal China and opening and selling another restaurant named China East, he opened Iron Horse in Olathe, Kansas, in 2009, and seems to have put down his roots. Wang’s success around the world, he says, is due to always putting the customer first.

“The food is old-style because I learned old-style,” he says. “Every taste is a little bit different. Korean is a little bit more spicy; Chinese is a little more mild.

Japanese like it a little bit sweet. Central Americans like spice. Cooking in America, I find that Americans have a lot of range. Some like it very spicy; some can’t take it. You need to always listen to how people want their food.”

Iron Horse’s menu does accommodate American tastes (like General Tso’s chicken, for example) but also features traditional and authentic specialties such as salt-and-pepper-encrusted flounder and Beggar’s Chicken, a whole chicken stuffed with fresh vegetables, wrapped in lotus leaves and baked in a clay shell.

Wang’s signature is his hand-pulled noodles; he still uses the same process he learned from his uncle from beginning to end, including Lee’s technique for selecting the proper flour.

“I can see the flour and tell whether the noodles will be too firm or too soft,” Wang says. “I also use my hand – my uncle’s style.” He holds his hand out, palm down, and grasps a fistful of flour, clutching it tightly.

“Hold it like this for five seconds,” he says, slowly turning his hand over and opening his fingers. “See the flour – some sticks all together, and you can’t use it.

Some all drops. Some almost drops, almost sticks – you can use that.”

To make his noodles, Wang prepares dough using flour, ice water, a whole egg, salt and white vinegar. He then kneads the dough by hand. Once the dough has rested, he folds and twirls it, alternately stretching and banging it against a long wooden board. At this stage the dough is dense and heavy, resulting in loud thuds and whacks as it hits the table. It’s as loud as if he were slapping the table full-force with his open palms. As he’s repeatedly banging the dough, it flexes back and forth into something like a bell curve, undulating as he moves his arms up and down.

Hand-pulling and stretching is physically demanding and involves the whole upper half of his body. Wang leans into it with the natural rhythm of a dancer who’s performed the same steps thousands of times.

Throughout the process a look of concentration washes over his face; his eyes squint and his mouth is tightly closed. His hands grasp the ends of the dough, and his knuckles bear most of the force of the dough moving back and forth, around and around. He can get hundreds of noodles out of one batch, stretching the dough up to 126 times.

There is nothing quite like watching the noodles being made. The process is delicate and deliberate and fluid, mimicking an intricate and mesmerizing dance – one that in the Kansas City area, only Peter Wang has mastered.

Iron Horse Chinese Restaurant, 918 E. Old 56 Highway, Olathe, Kansas, 913.829.9898, ironhorsechinese.com

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Turn to p. for a recipe for ginger beef and vegetable noodles.

beijing-style hand-pulled noodles

Peter Wang suggests serving hand-pulled noodles hot in soups, with vegetables and meat, or served cold with cucumbers, chicken and a light sweet-and-spicy sauce.

Recipe by peteR Wang

2 cups all-purpose flour 1⁄3 to ½ cup ice water, depending on season (more water needed in cold weather) 1 large egg 1 tsp salt 1 tsp white vinegar

| Preparation | in a large bowl, combine all ingredients by hand; knead well for at least 15 minutes. Let dough rest at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, depending on season (1 hour in warmer weather, 2 hours in cold weather). to see if dough is ready, make a small indentation with finger. after about 10 seconds, if dough rebounds, it’s ready to shape.

Mold dough into fat tube shapes, each approximately the size of a paper towel tube. if dough doesn’t break as it’s molded and shaped, it’s ready. take first “noodle” and place onto a long, well-floured cutting board or table. grasping dough cylinder on both ends, lift dough up and knock it against board or table repeatedly, slowly stretching dough as you beat it until it’s a little longer than shoulder-width apart, 4 to 5 minutes. continue to knock and stretch. after a few knocks, bring ends of dough together quickly so that dough coils around itself. grab looped end of coil with right hand, keeping 2 loose ends in your left hand.

Repeat knocking and stretching until dough has stretched back out to about shoulder-width apart. continue to create loops in dough for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Dough should become very pliable, and by now you should have created a few dozen loops.

Lay worked section of dough onto cutting board or table. cut off 6- to 8-inch-long sections and flour sections well. take 1 small section in hands and stretch dough wide, almost as far as your arms will stretch. as before, fold dough so that 2 loose ends are in your left hand and the looped side is in your right, but do not twist it into a coil. Stretch dough wide again, almost as far as your arms will stretch. Fold dough in half again and repeat stretching.

Once you’ve stretched as many times as you can – Wang stretches up to 126 times, but three or four times will do – cut looped ends to form individual noodles.

Refrigerate uncooked noodles in a floured storage container or, if serving immediately, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook noodles, 1 to 2 minutes, and drain.

Wang says once the dough is looped, he can fold and stretch it up to 126 times.

Cooking up public relations, social media and creative campaigns for restaurants, retail, food and beverage brands within the hospitality industry.

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This classic palaTe-cleanser of a desserT is referred To by many names including almond Tofu, almond pudding and almond cusTard – all indicaTions of iTs cool, creamy TexTure. The formula for supple, milk-based jelly comes sTraighT from a greaT source ThaT jusT so happens To be named afTer The meal iT’s mosT commonly served during: dim sum: The arT of chinese Tea lunch.

Try iT Topped wiTh evaporaTed milk To round ouT The refreshing flavors.

Almond Jelly with Fruit Serves | 8 | 2 2 ½ 1½ 2 2

cups cold water Tbsp unflavored gelatin powder cup sugar cups milk tsp almond extract evaporated milk (to serve) cups fresh or macerated fruit (to serve)

| Preparation | In a medium saucepan, add cold water. To bloom gelatin, sprinkle it in water and let stand until it softens, 1 minute.

Add sugar. Over low heat, stir mixture until completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in milk and almond extract. Pour into a 9-by-9-inch pan (or individual serving cups if desired). Allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate until set, 3 hours.

| To Serve | Cut jelly into 1-inch cubes and place in individual bowls. Top each with a splash of evaporated milk to taste along with fresh or macerated fruit of your choice.

Serve chilled.

Recipe adapted from Dim Sum: The Art of Chinese Tea Lunch by Ellen Leong Blonder

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A delicAte pielike crust gives wAy to decAdent-yet-silky egg custArd in this chinese bAkery stAple. Although egg custArd tArts Are commonly served At room temperAture, try one fresh out of the oven for A trAnscendent experience. the custArds used in trAditionAl recipes contAin A vArying rAtio of components, but i prefer the egg-heAvy formulA from mArtin yAn’s feAst: the best of yAn cAn cook for its signAture glossy yellow color.

Egg Custard tarts Serves | 6 to 8 | Pastry Dough

1½ 1 1⁄8 12 2

cups all-purpose flour Tbsp sugar tsp salt Tbsp chilled butter Tbsp ice water

Egg CustarD

2⁄3 1⁄3 4 1⁄3 ½

cup water cup sugar eggs cup evaporated milk tsp vanilla extract vegetable oil spray (for assembly)

| Preparation – Pastry Dough | In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and combine with your fingers until pea-sized crumbs form. Add ice water and combine ingredients gently by hand until a dough forms.

Pat dough into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 20 minutes. | Preparation – Egg Custard | In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine water and sugar and stir until sugar dissolves. Set aside until cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla extract and cooled sugar syrup.

Strain using a fine-mesh strainer and set aside. | Assembly | Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare individual 2-inch tart pans by spacing evenly on half-sheet pans and spraying lightly with oil. With a rolling pin, roll out pastry dough until ¼-inch thick. Cut circles larger than pans and lightly press dough into bottom and sides, trimming edges and rerolling scraps as needed.

Using a fork, lightly dock bottoms and sides of tart shells. Pour custard filling into each shell, leaving a ¼-inch gap at top. Bake until custard is set and springy to the touch, 20 to 30 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Martin Yan’s Feast: The Best of Yan Can Cook by Martin Yan Inspired Local Food Culture

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In these remarkable fried pastries – which are vegan and gluten-free by default – a crunchy crust coated in nutty sesame seeds gives way to a delightfully chewy, semihollow core filled with smooth, rich red-bean paste. The formula and technique for the delicate dough comes from The Chinese People’s Cookbook, with a simple substitution of brown sugar in place of white to lend caramel-like qualities to the finished product. Look for adzuki beans and rice flour at your local international market – canned red-bean paste can also be found there if you prefer to skip making the filling from scratch.

Serves | 4 to 6 | Sweet Red-Bean Paste

½ cup adzuki beans 1 cup plus 1½ cups water, divided 2 Tbsp peanut oil ¼ cup brown sugar, plus more as desired 1⁄8 tsp salt Dough

2 cups glutinous rice flour, divided, plus more for flouring surface 6 Tbsp plus ½ cup water, divided ½ cup brown sugar Assembly

½ cup white sesame seeds 4 cups peanut oil

| Preparation – Sweet Red-Bean Paste | Rinse beans thoroughly and soak overnight in a bowl filled with 1 cup water. Drain beans and place in a saucepan with 1½ cups water. Bring water to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cover beans and cook until tender, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Beans are done when a cooled bean is easily mashed between index finger and thumb.

In the bowl of a food processor, purée beans and cooking liquid until smooth. Return mixture to saucepan; stir in oil, brown sugar and salt. If desired, add more brown sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, to taste. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until remaining moisture reduces and mixture is very thick, at least 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Store in a covered container in refrigerator.

| Preparation – Dough | In a medium mixing bowl, mix ½ cup rice flour with 6 tablespoons cold water until mixture resembles a thin batter. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar and remaining ½ cup water. Bring mixture to a boil and stir until brown sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low, add batter and whisk quickly to remove lumps. Remove from heat. Using a rubber spatula, add remaining rice flour to mixture and stir until a cohesive dough forms.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until it feels soft and elastic, but not overly tacky. Add small amounts of flour or water as needed to adjust consistency. Roll dough into a log and divide into 12 pieces. Roll each portion into a golf ball-sized sphere. Cover dough with a damp towel to prevent drying out.

| Assembly | Using thumb, make an impression in center of 1 dough ball and work sides to create a cup for filling. Insert 1 heaping tablespoon red-bean paste and pinch edges of dough together to seal in filling. Work dough gently between palms to form neat rounds. Repeat with remaining dough balls.

Wet hands slightly and evenly distribute moisture across dough balls. While still damp, drop them into a bowl of sesame seeds, gently pressing seeds against all sides. Cover finished sesame balls with a damp towel.

Prepare a paper towel-lined plate. In a wok or pot, heat oil until a candy thermometer reads 340°F. Maintain this temperature as closely as possible by raising and lowering intensity of heat as needed. Using a slotted spoon, lower a few sesame balls into oil. Move sesame balls around to ensure each cooks evenly.

Press down on each ball with spoon momentarily, applying pressure between bottom and sides of pot to help it contract and expand. Sesame balls are done when they have turned golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes.

Drain and remove to prepared plate. Allow to cool slightly before serving warm.

Recipe adapted from The Chinese People’s Cookbook by Mai Leung

Contrary to its name, this baked treat doesn’t Contain a single ounCe of pineapple. instead, it gets its name from the golden, CrosshatChed pattern on top of the bun. the reCipe for the bun itself Comes from a Creamy milk bread on the Cooking blog the Woks of life, With the addition of a baked Custard on the inside. begin With your ingredients at room temperature for this riCh yeast-risen dough.

Yields | 16 buns | Bread dough

2⁄3 1 1 1⁄3 ½ 3½ 1 1½

cup heavy cream cup plus 1 Tbsp milk egg cup sugar cup cake flour cups bread flour, plus more for flouring surface Tbsp active dry yeast tsp salt

Custard Filling

4 ½ 5 2 ½ 1¾ 4 1

egg yolks cup sugar Tbsp all-purpose flour Tbsp cornstarch tsp salt cups milk, divided Tbsp cubed unsalted butter tsp vanilla extract

topping dough

¼ 1¼ ½ ¼ 2⁄3 2 1 1⁄8 4 2

cup dry milk powder cups all-purpose flour tsp baking soda tsp baking powder cup superfine sugar (or sugar pulsed in a food processor for 30 seconds) Tbsp milk egg yolk tsp vanilla extract Tbsp softened butter egg yolks, whisked into egg wash (for assembly)

| Preparation – Bread Dough | In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with dough-hook attachment, combine all ingredients and mix on low, stopping to scrape blade as needed.

Knead until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes. Dough is ready if a piece can stretch out very thinly, creating a nearly transparent film. Cover bowl with a damp towel and allow dough to expand to nearly twice its original size, about 1 hour.

Lightly dust work surface with bread flour; punch bread dough several times to remove air bubbles. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut dough into 16 pieces. Pull and then stretch back each piece until it forms a round ball. Place balls on a baking sheet and cover with a dry kitchen towel. Allow to rise, 1 hour.

| Preparation – Custard Filling | In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, flour, cornstarch, salt and ¼ cup milk to form a thick paste.

In a small saucepan, heat remaining milk to a near boil. Remove from heat and slowly stream hot milk into egg mixture, whisking vigorously to remove lumps.

Return tempered mixture to saucepan on low heat; whisk constantly until it thickens.

Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract. Transfer mixture to a clean container; wrap with plastic wrap touching top of custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cold and thick, 30 minutes.

| Preparation – Topping Dough | In a mixing bowl, whisk together milk powder, flour, baking soda and powder, and superfine sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg yolk and vanilla extract.

Add butter to dry mixture and combine with fingers until pea-sized crumbs form. Make a well in the middle and add egg mixture, using a rubber spatula to stir. Add milk by

the teaspoon if needed, until a somewhat crumbly-yet-cohesive dough forms. Shape dough into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 20 minutes.

Break topping dough up into 16 equal pieces, rolling each into a ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a disc, about ¼-inch thick. Using a pastry wheel or knife, score a crosshatch pattern into top of each disc.

Place discs onto a flat baking sheet and transfer to freezer.

| Assembly | Preheat oven to 350°F. Bread dough is ready if an impression made with a floured finger will remain indented.

Roll out each dough ball into a disc with a rolling pin. Scoop 1 heaping tablespoon custard into center and gather up edges of dough around it. Pinch edges together and form a bun, leaving seams on bottom.

Repeat with remaining dough balls.

Brush top of each bun with whisked egg yolk. (I use straight egg yolk rather than adding water to make a wash to give it a bright yellow color.) Place a piece of cold topping dough atop each bun and brush topping with yolk. Place buns on 2 silicone or parchment-lined half-sheet pans – 8 on each, spaced evenly apart. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until buns are golden brown, rotating pans halfway. Serve warm.

Recipe adapted from thewoksoflife.com Inspired Local Food Culture

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The Chinese Take on The ClassiC swiss roll feaTures a lighT-as-air, eggy spongeCake adapTed from one feaTured in on Baking By sarah r. laBensky. alThough iT’s ofTen found in Bakeshops wiTh a salT-Tinged, shorTening-Based filling, This Cake feaTures a simple fresh whipped Cream wiThin iTs Core. for exTra oomph, Try layering The iCing wiTh fresh fruiT Before rolling or simply dusT iT wiTh some powdered sugar.

SwiSS Roll Serves | 4 to 6 | Spongecake

½ 2 ¼ 5 1⁄8 3 2½ 2 ½ 3

cup cake flour tsp cornstarch tsp baking powder Tbsp sugar, divided tsp salt egg yolks Tbsp vegetable oil Tbsp milk tsp vanilla extract egg whites

Whipped cream

½

cup heavy cream powdered sugar, to taste fruit (to serve)

| Preparation – Spongecake | Preheat oven to 325°F. In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder, 2½ tablespoons sugar and salt. Repeat sifting ingredients.

In a separate bowl, mix egg yolks, oil, milk and vanilla. Add wet mixture to dry, stirring gently with a rubber spatula to remove lumps. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually beat remaining sugar into whites. Continue beating until whites are stiff but not dry. Stir ¹⁄3 egg mixture into batter to lighten it; fold in remaining mixture.

Pour batter into a 9-by-13-inch pan lined with parchment paper. Using a spatula, smooth out batter as evenly as possible. Drop pan onto kitchen counter a couple times to remove air bubbles. Bake until cake is light golden brown, about 15 minutes.

| Preparation – Whipped Cream | In the bowl of a stand mixer on high, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar to taste and continue to whip to stiff peaks. Chill until ready to use. | Assembly | Remove cake from oven. Invert pan onto a piece of clean parchment paper.

Trim edges for a straight shape. Spread even layer of whipped cream onto cake and layer with fruit. Roll cake carefully from 1 end to other. Chill before serving.

Recipe adapted from On Baking by Sarah R. Labensky

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NICE BUNS. This month’s issue is all about spotlighting authentic Chinese food, so we invited our Instagram followers to share photos of dim sum – including soup dumplings, pork buns and sesame balls – by using the hashtag #feastgram. For a taste of the traditional Chinese fare at LuLu Seafood & Dim Sum in St. Louis, turn to p.

72. Next, to master the art of hand-pulled noodles with chef Peter Wang of Iron Horse Chinese Restaurant in Olathe, Kansas, turn to p. 82. Then, flip to p. 90 to learn how to make six subtly sweet pastries and desserts that highlight the traditional flavors of Chinese treats.

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| 1 | yhu5 @yhu5 Homemade pan-fried pork bun | 2 | Caitlin CorCoran @caitcork Chine$e Fea$t #finally #ThirdTimesACharm #SundayFunday (at ABC Cafe) | 3 | Josh harris @joshridinghorses Roasted duck (at LuLu Seafood & Dim Sum)

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| 4 | mauxditty @mauxditty I’ve been waiting all week to properly celebrate Chinese New Year. Finally made it for those dim-sum carts just in time! #YearOfTheMonkey (at Bo Lings) | 5 | a_Glom @a_glom #Homemade spicy orange chicken is currently testing my chopstick skills. I think I’m at “might not embarrass myself in public in Asia” level.

Emphasis on the might. | 6 | spenCer pernikoff @whiskeyandsoba Porchetta bao w/ kimchi at @FarmhausSTL last night. It’s like eating at a nonkosher Asian deli. I approve.

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| 7 | feedme_withamanda @feedme_withamanda #Foodstagram #StLouisgram #DimSum (at LuLu Seafood & Dim Sum)

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| 8 | tianJiao huanG @tj_huang When you found out you lost 10 pounds. (at Mandarin House) | 9 | april fleminG @dolores2175 Every time we visit, we wonder why we don’t visit more. #DimSum (at ABC Cafe) | 10 | Jeni eats @jenieats My favorite. Peking duck. #LunarNewYearSTL #STLEats #STLFood #PekingDuck #LunarNewYear (at Mandarin House)

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Want to see your photos in the May issue of Feast?

In honor of our annual wine issue, our focus next month turns to regional wineries. We want to see the glasses of wine you’re sipping, the bottles you’re sharing with friends and the scenic views you’re taking in at local wineries. To submit your photos for consideration, simply include the hashtag #feastgram and tag @feastmag on your Instagram photos beginning Fri., April 1.

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PHOTOgRAPHY COuRTESY INSTAgRAM uSERS

#feastgram

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FLAVOR!

SCHNUCKS STOREMADE SAUSAGE

FRESH MEAT GROUND IN-STORE HAND MIXED WITH SPICES MADE WITH SIGNATURE RECIPES NO PRESERVATIVES OR MSG

©2016 Schnucks

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