[new plates]
Fried chicken fans are flocking to Ben Poremba’s recently opened Old Standard, located at 1621 Tower Grove Ave. in The Grove, where fried chicken is the protein-of-choice. Beyond the bird, Poremba’s menu features Southern favorites like country ham, pimento cheese, and the “named for no one in particular,” Nobody’s Boiled Peanuts. Bryan Carr has officially opened Avenue at 12 N. Meramec Ave. in Clayton, his new venture since closing Pomme and Pomme Café & Wine Bar. Describing Avenue, Carr says, “It’s one large room, a more efficient operation with simple dishes. And we’re easy to find, just a block west from where we were.”
[homecoming]
Chef Ryan McDonald returns to work with Truffles/The Butchery executive chef Brandon Benack as the new executive sous-chef. McDonald worked at Truffles before following opportunities with Hubert Keller’s Sleek restaurant and his recent stint as chef at Juniper. “We’re excited to have him back,” Benack says. “Ryan brings a lot to the table and is a perfect fit for The Butchery.”
[movin’ on up]
Tani Sushi Bistro will relocate to the Centene Building Jan. 2. “We grew out of our space and we simply need more room to accommodate our customers,” says Tani owner Eric Heckman , who views the Centene/Forsyth strip as the hottest new restaurant location in Clayton. Tenacious Eats has eclipsed its space at The Moonrise. Food Outreach’s event space is TE’s new home base, in spite of upcoming shows scheduled at the Centene Center and the Ozark Webster Groves Theatre. “We’re not hopping around, and we’re not a pop-up,” says TE chef Liz Sch uster . “We’re just getting invited to do shows at other spaces.”
[thanksgiving to go]
Cielo at the Four Seasons is doing it again: offering Thanksgiving dinner for 10 possibly cheaper (and probably better!) than you could do it yourself. For $295 you get a whole roasted free-range bird (salt- and sugar-brined in advance) with all the fixin’s: cranberries, gravy, sweet potato puree, roasted brussels sprouts, whipped potatoes, green bean casserole—and two pies of your choice. Speaking of pie … Ruth’s Chris is sending all Thanksgiving day diners home with a free pie!
[winter warm-up]
If whiskey is considered liquid sunshine, the sun will be shining brightly during St. Louis Whiskey Festival’s Whiskey in the Winter, Nov. 22 at the Hyatt Regency at the Arch: more than 250 whiskies and whisky-inspired foods for sampling, plus seminars with master distillers.