By Candice Coleman
Ever daydreamed about strolling through an Italian courtyard under a star-filled sky while sipping on limoncello?
That’s the idea behind the first-ever Night Market at Edera Italian Eatery in the Central West End! Inspired by European tradition, the event is designed for leisurely strolling, shopping and sampling food with more than 25 local food trucks and small-business vendors on site.
Edera, the recently opened eatery on Maryland Plaza, is hosting the fall bazaar on Saturday, Oct. 9, from 6 to 9 p.m, in and around its sidewalk and courtyard. The event is free to attend and open to the public; with food, beverage and other items from vendors available for purchase. Edera will also have its full menu available inside the restaurant, plus its popular Neapolitan pizzas can be purchased to enjoy outside. And you can’t miss Edera’s soon-to-be-iconic Limoncello Martini, which will conveniently be packaged in grab-and-go pouches – perfect for a night of strolling al fresco!
Some of the food trucks and vendors appearing at the Night Market include: Amy Joy Pottery, Arch Apparel, Bark n Sniff, Butter Love, Clay by Tay, Izumi St. Louis, King Cookie, Long Story Coffee and Top Bun. For more information, visit Edera’s website.
Do you get a high out of low-country cooking? Then you’ll be jumping for joy that Juniper’s back in business!
The Central West End eatery has now reopened at 4101 Laclede Ave. for seated dinner and Sunday brunch. Executive chef Matt Daughaday is thrilled to be bringing back some tried-and-true staples, with some exciting changes in the works, including oysters! Plus, you’ll need to check out the newly designed “grown up space.”
When it comes to food, expect the famous fried chicken, which has been on the blackboard from the very beginning, as well as more grilled entrée options. The eatery’s well-curated bar program features beverages like the Presbyterian – a riff on an obscure classic – and the Ramos Gin Fizz, a vegan nitro draft dispensed from one of Juniper’s antique fridges.
A local chef found a really big slice of heaven when he recently competed on Gordon Ramsay’s reality cooking competition, “Hell’s Kitchen: Young Gun.”
Not only did St. Louis’ own Trenton Garvey and his team – which consisted of four former contestants – win, he also proposed to his girlfriend, Macee, live on the show!
Garvey, who is from Union, Missouri, is the former executive chef at The Blue Duck in Maplewood. He is now head chef at Gordon Ramsay Steak at the Paris hotel in Las Vegas!
Garvey’s winning dinner service included compressed watermelon salad with pistachio crumb, English pea risotto, poached lobster on a fried green tomato, pan-seared trout and chili-rubbed flat-iron steak.
Félicitations, Trenton!
Orange you glad it’s finally fall?
We are, and that’s why we’re thrilled to announce Eckert’s Family Farms, with Southern Illinois locations in Belleville, Grafton and Millstadt, is opening its spook-tacular pumpkin patches on Saturday, Sept. 25
Guests can visit Eckert’s farms to pick their perfect Halloween pumpkins with field access passes ranging from $2.20 to $5.50 at the Belleville and Grafton farms, and admission tickets to Eckert’s Millstadt Farm ($2.20 to $16.50 per person).
Eckert’s Millstadt location will also fire up its bonfire site rentals and haunted wagon rides on Friday, Sept. 24, with reservations available each Friday and Saturday through Oct. 30. Haunted wagon rides are first-come, first-serve with one free ride included with admission. Bonfire site reservations are $75 for up to 25 people. Pumpkin patch field access, admission tickets and bonfire site reservations for all of Eckert’s farms can be made online.
How “can” you help fight food insecurity in the Metro East? By attending Soulcial Kitchen’s big Soft-Opening Food Drive Fiesta on Oct. 1, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
One canned food donation is your entry into the daylong party at Soulcial’s 2-plus acre food truck park (127 N. Belt East, Swansea, Illinois), where you’ll enjoy championship-caliber barbecue from the award-winning A Fine Swine BBQ food truck, as well as next-level tacos from the El Guaqo Taco food truck. Plus, take in some live music, games galore and even bring your pet to play in the Soulcial Bark dog park.
And that’s not all. New dining options and food trucks are coming to the Soulcial Kitchen commercial kitchen in time for its official Grand Opening Celebration in late October. Guests will be able to order from several virtual restaurants at one time, and select pick up or delivery. And for those who prefer to dine on the beautiful acreage, look for the Soulcial Kitchen Restaurant & Bar to bow soon.
Two scoops are better than one: Serendipity Homemade Ice Cream, a Webster Groves destination since 2003, is adding a second location in The Grove. Look for a bigger, better ice creamery, with an expanded menu, footprint and even “after-dark” hours, coming in early 2022.
And that’s not all. Serendipity owner Beckie Jacobs is cycling in September and October to raise funds for Pedal The Cause and Gateway to Hope – and she found a sweet way in which customers can help her help these amazing cancer research and -support organizations, too.
For every sundae sold this month, Jacobs will donate $1 to Pedal The Cause; for every specialty shake sold in October, Jacobs will donate $1 to Gateway To Hope.
Get ready to roar more if you’re a Lion’s Choice fan!
St. Louis-based Lion’s Choice has just announced the return of the Butcher Block Sandwich (Single $5.69, Meal $8.99), as well as two new fall menu items: the Harvest Apple Pecan Chicken Salad ($8.19) and the Apple Cookie Crumble Concrete ($3.29). All are available for a limited time. In addition, Lion’s Choice has debuted a Chili Meal Deal with a bowl of chili, fries and a drink ($6.99), which will be available year-round.
Rootberry is thriving quite nicely, thanks to one local grocery store.
The new local plant-based meal delivery service has begun selling its freshly prepared meals, salads, shareables and desserts in 24 Dierbergs Markets across the greater St. Louis metro area.
The local grocer is the first exclusive retail partner for Rootberry, which launched in July as an online home and office delivery service. Rootberry will continue to offer its 100% plant-based dishes for online ordering and local delivery.
And finally, are you excited to ‘gogh’ see the Beyond van Gogh immersive experience, coming to the Starry Night Pavilion at the Saint Louis Galleria, beginning Friday, Oct. 1? You might want to paint the town red, first.
Café La Vie inside Clayton’s Le Meridien Hotel will be offering a prix-fixe three-course dinner plus themed cocktails based on Vincent van Gogh’s life and artwork. The Van Gogh Dinner ($45 per person) is a three-course meal that includes an aperitif, entrée and dessert.
For the starter, guests can enjoy, The Potato Eaters, a “Loaded” Potato Agnolotti with bacon lardon, white cheddar fondue, crispy potato skins and scallions; the entrée features The Lying Cow, a beef short rib lying in Tuscan kale risotto; and the aptly named signature dessert of Starry Night, a mirror glazed chocolate torte. There will also be a specialized cocktail menu featuring four cocktails: The Early Works, featuring blackberries, London Dry Gin, Poire William, Créme de Mure, apple juice and tonic; The Still Lives, made with lemon poppy syrup, poppy seeds, lemon juice, lemon, vanilla extract and pearl liqueur; In Provence, featuring bourbon, lavender syrup and lavender bites; and Auvers-sur-Oise and the End, made with vodka, yellow chartreuse, lemon juice, absinth and a lemon swath garnish. Reservations for the Van Gogh dinner can be made on OpenTable.
Plus, Schlafly Beer has released limited-edition label art for its Swirling Sky IPA, inspired by van Gogh’s iconic “The Starry Night.” The beer is available at all three of Schlafly’s local brew pubs.
Zoofari Revelers Don Stripes, Spots and Other Celebratory Attire
