What are you craving these days? Chances are, we have something that will satisfy, from St. Louis barbecue to fresh-from-the-farm salads to the new Remix sandwich from Lion’s Choice – and even a sparkly twist on cotton candy!
Expat BBQ begins a pop-up series at Urban Chestnut in Midtown beginning tomorrow.
Expat BBQ, the international barbecue concept that’s set to open soon at City Foundry STL, is hosting three preview events at Urban Chestnut’s Biergarten (3229 Washington Ave.) on select weekend days beginning April 20.
The menu will feature recipes from Expat executive chef Sam Nawrocki. Ribs will be on the menu for Saturday, April 20, featuring St. Louis-style ribs rubbed with house-made spices and smoked for five hours. The ribs will be served with Baiju Whiskey BBQ Sauce and chili crisp. On Saturday, May 4, brisket sandwiches – with chipotle in adobo and avocado salsa verde – will be offered. On Sunday, May 26, pork sandwiches are on the menu, prepared with Vietnamese “hogwash,” ginger pickles and Thai basil.
All pop-ups begin at 11 a.m., with barbecue specials available while supplies last.
Expat BBQ is the 11th concept by Niche Food Group, led by James Beard Award-winning chef Gerard Craft.
There’s a new-ish offering at Lion’s Choice: Enter The Remix, a reboot of the local favorite’s Original Roast Beef Sandwich that’s been around since 1967.
The Remix sandwich features the same 100% lean, top-round roast beef piled high with a dash of seasoning, plus two slices of Swiss cheese and garlic aioli sauce between two slices of buttered Texas toast.
The sandwich marks a few firsts for the brand, including customization by adding more beef by the ounce. The Remix is also the first time a Lion’s Choice sandwich features cheese as a standard ingredient.
The Remix ($6.49 for the sandwich, $11.59 for the meal) is available at all Lion’s Choice locations.
The new Neon Greens in The Grove wants to offer you the best salad you’ve ever had. That’s the word from native St. Louisan Josh Smith, owner and operator of the quick-service salad concept at 4176 Manchester Ave.
In true farm-to-table form, Neon Greens delivers on-site produce grown next door in hydroponic vertical farms through a conveyor belt system that transports the food into the restaurant.
Smith, who worked for 10 years as a set designer in New York City, conceived the idea of combining his love for food and storytelling by creating Neon Greens, which benefits people and the planet. During the pandemic, Smith began experimenting with growing vegetable hydroponically and soon discovered how much better tasting the produce is compared to anything store-bought.
The menu is divided into six categories: Signature Salads, Seasonal Salads, Build-Your-Own Salads, Soups, Bread and Herb-Infused Soft Serve.
Signature Salad offerings include the Umami Crunch (mizuna, kale, wild rice, garlicky cucumbers, roasted broccoli, daikon kimchi, edamame “hummus,” carrot jicama slaw, furikake, marinated tofu, gochujang vinaigrette), Strawberry Fields (sweet crisp, kale, wild rice, fresh strawberries, shaved radish, freeze-dried strawberries, smokey almonds, goat cheese, strawberry balsamic vinaigrette) and The Sicilian (sweet crisp, farro, green olives, shaved fennel, pickled celery, roasted mushrooms, currants, parmesan cheese crisp, marinated tuna salad, lemon oregano vinaigrette, lemon wedge, fresh herbs).
Seasonal soups rotate, with current options such as The Green Soup, a take on a Tom Kha Gai –tart with a touch of heat and finished with freshly picked herbs and coconut cream. Neon Greens also makes its bread in-house: Brazilian Pão de Queijo is a bite-sized cheese bread made with gluten-free tapioca flour. For dessert, fresh herbs are used to create soft-serve ice cream like Matcha-infused Soft-Serve, Thai Basil-infused Soft Serve, and a combo swirl of the two flavors, topped with miso caramel, brown rice crunchies, sesame nougatine or candied smoked almonds.
Neon Greens is open daily for lunch and dinner, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Rosie Cheeks Cotton Candy has entered the St. Louis event scene, offering an all-natural gourmet cotton candy spinner for special occasions like birthdays, weddings and baby showers.
Founded by Heather Roth, who earned her creative stripes with a background in fine arts, photography, fashion and crafting high-end window displays in New York City, Rosie Cheeks features live, hand-spun cotton candy in a dozen flavors. Fluffy, sugary mounds of Cherry, Bubble Gum, Aztec Chocolate, Chile Mango, Birthday Cake and more can be customized by adding glitter to make an extra-special treat.
Congratulations to Sugarfire Smokehouse’s Charlie Downs, who was recently honored with the 2024 Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Association.
Downs, founder and owner of Sugarfire, is among 50 recipients from every state who will be recognized during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. in late April.
Downs co-founded the award-winning barbeque franchise in 2014, along with his wife, Carolyn, and their business partner Mike Johnson.
Sugarfire has grown to 14 locations throughout St. Louis and across Missouri, as well as in Colorado. Downs and the ownership group also operate sister restaurants Boathouse at Forest Park, Sugarfire Pie, Cyrano’s and Hot Pizza Cold Beer.
