open & shut
Blue Box Pizza is now operating in the former Doughocracy space in The Loop. In addition to pizza, the new restaurant at 6394 Delmar Blvd. has sandwiches, wraps, salads and a variety of appetizers. Pinky’s Ice Cream & Snow Cone Parlor has opened at 364 N. Boyle Ave. in the Central West End. Randy Terrell and Ebony Armstead named the shop after their 8-year-old daughter’s nickname. St. Louis Kolache, purveyor of tasty Czech pastries, has opened a third location at 21 Bemiston Ave. in Clayton.
If the idea of barbecue-flavored ice cream with chunks of meat doesn’t sound overly appetizing, you’re not alone. St. Louis-based Clementine’s Naughty and Nice Creamery recently showcased such a treat (along with two other unique flavors) on national TV. Good Morning America visited the local microcreamery for a segment called ‘America’s Wackiest Ice Cream.’ Co-host Michael Strahan called the Sweet & Smoky BBQ flavor delicious, but not necessarily something he’d try again. The meat chunks used in the ice cream were from another local hot spot, Capitalist Pig.
no more ramen
Vista Ramen is slimming down. The Cherokee Street eatery will drop ‘Ramen’—in name and deed—and add more American dishes to the menu. The change comes after the recent closure of Mothership, which Vista Ramen operated inside Earthbound Beer, and a desire by the owners to reach a wider audience. New dishes will include a smoked brisket Bolognese and pomegranate-glazed beef ribs. Favorite Korean dishes like the fried chicken sliders and pork ribs will remain.
change of pace
Cassy Vires is now helming the kitchen at Claverach Farm after a stint managing the teaching kitchen at Companion. The chef’s menus are based on what the farm has available each week, much like Home Wine Kitchen in Maplewood, where Vires worked in the past.
peas in a pod
Jake Sciales is now running the kitchen at Spencer’s Grill in Kirkwood after leaving his longtime job as head chef at Farmhaus. Sciales’ childhood friend, Alex Campbell, recently bought Spencer’s from his parents and is handling the transactional end of the business. Sciales plans to keep the beloved breakfast menu the same, although make it fresher and more homemade, but hopes to spice up the lunch offerings.