frankly simple
The humble frank has found a home in U. City with the opening of Mike’s Hot Dogs Soups & Sandwiches on Olive Boulevard—and at affordable prices. The menu by chef-owner Michael Eagan has 11 types of dogs between $6 and $7, including a vegan version. Eagan has had stints at Cardwell’s in Clayton, Park West Grille and Kirkwood Brewhouse.

cheesy chic
Earthbound Beer, the Cherokee Street brewery that closed its Mothership barbecue concept in June, has replaced it with a new menu inspired by 1970s-era tiki lounge food. The main item is the Musubi Sandwich, a Hawaiian dish that includes Spam, sushi rice, furikake and nori. It also comes vegan with grilled, marinated tofu.

change of hands
The popular Cherokee Street restaurant scene has lost an establishment, but it’s quickly gaining another. Vista’s last day in business was Aug. 18, but the space is being taken over by chef-owner Ari Jo Ellis of The Cut, a nearby sausage eatery. Ellis plans to open Morning Glory in the former ramen hot spot, offering affordable, greasy spoon dishes in the morning and afternoon to start.

an asparagus a day
We recently reported that Clementine’s Naughty & Nice Creamery landed a spot on national TV because of its barbecue-flavored ice cream—complete with chunks of meat— but now the St. Louis-based business has come up with something even stranger. On a dare from Angie Eckert, Clementine’s owner Tamara Keefe used a surplus of asparagus from Eckert’s Family Farms to create a new flavor called Asparagus Agave Quinoa. Talk about eating your veggies!

new venues
A couple of local chefs have started new gigs. Liz Schuster of Tenacious Eats fame is now executive chef at West End Grill & Pub. She just debuted a revamped menu that includes items like falafel waffles and horseradish deviled eggs. Meanwhile, Bernard Pilon, longtime executive chef at Norwood Hills Country Club, is now leading the kitchen at Schlafly Bottleworks. His original menu is set to debut this month.