[chef’s table]
Truffles and Truffles Butchery in Ladue have seen their share of comings and goings; the latest addition to the team is chef Steven Caravelli, whose culinary resume includes a stint with Truffles GM Aleks Jovanovic and executive sous chef Israel Rodriguez at Hubert Keller’s shuttered steakhouse SLeeK. Caravelli will expand the Butchery’s daily roster of artisan sandwiches and plates.
[their cups runneth over]
Thirteen St. Louis eateries have earned Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence, which recognizes restaurant wine lists for selection, thematic match to menu, price and style. Honorees include Cielo, Eleven Eleven Mississippi, Fleming’s, J. Buck’s, The Melting Pot, Mike Shannon’s, Remy’s and Vin de Set. Earning the elevated Best of Award of Excellence are Annie Gunn’s, Balaban’s, 801 Chophouse and Truffles. These indicate lists typically of 350 or more selections, along with superior presentation, vintage depth, several vertical offerings of top wines and/or breadth across several wine regions. Whew! Additionally, Truffles and Balaban’s got a prestigious three-star rating from The World of Fine Wine (a British quarterly), an honor bestowed only on 300 restaurants worldwide!
[re-imagining]
After 32 years, Pat Hanon has given his eponymous Westport Plaza eatery a makeover. Patrick’s Westport Grill has a new chef and upgraded menus. Hanon’s nephew, Chris Jordon, is new managing partner, and CIA-trained chef Mike Bliel has re-imagined the menu. “It’s all about the food,” says Hanon, who reports it’s a twist on comfort foods typically not found at a grill. Look for Gulf Coast Steamer Pots and Cuban sammies made with slow-roasted mojo pork and smoked pit ham, which reportedly pairs very well with peach sangria.
[it’s a winner!]
Do it for the kids—not a bad excuse to eat cupcakes! The Cardinal Cupcake, a partnership between the Cardinals’ front office and The Cup owners Ericka Frank and Nicole Puyear, is available at all Cup locations through the regular baseball season. Proceeds will go to Cardinals Care, the team’s outreach arm, which has built 22 youth ball fields and raised $21 million since 1997! The specialty cupcake has swirled vanilla and red velvet cake, vanilla buttercream frosting, red and white sprinkles, and a Cards logo.