Niche Tasting Menu
Feb 22, 2008 chefs, offal watch, restaurants, reviews
 Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.
Of course in the case of Ellie and I we’ll call it sleet; and in place of couriers we’ll call ourselves diners; and instead of appointed rounds there was the fact that after we both got sent home from work early because the weather was bad, I realized we could walk into any restaurant we wanted in St. Louis and have our pick of seats. And so we went to Niche to have the new tasting menu because hey–Mathew put the kulfi on the menu, and in the back of my mind I believe he did it for me (even if he didn’t really). |
Tags: bonito flakes, Cauliflower, celeriac, Gerard Craft, Kulfi, lardo, lobster, Mathew Rice, Niche, Pigs Head, tapioca, Veruca, wine
Local Chefs Make the 2008 James Beard Awards Long List
Feb 18, 2008 chefs, restaurants
Joshua Galliano and I had hoped previously we might get some locals nominated for this years James Beard Awards, so it was exicting news when Stephanie (bakemeacake over on the forum) pointed us to yumsugar’s post regarding this years long list of James Beard Award nominees.
Up for Best Chef Midwest are:
Michael Roberts / Jean Donnelly, Atlas, St. Louis, MO
Lou Rook III, Annie Gunn’s, Chesterfield, MO
The award is for “Chefs who have set new or consistent standards of excellen in their respective regions. Candidates may be from any kind of dining establishment and most have been working as a chef for at least five years with three most recent years in the region. (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)”
And up for Rising Star Chef of the Year is
Gerard Craft, Niche, St. Louis, MO
This award is for “A chef age 30 or younger who displays an impressive talent and who is likely to make a significant impact on the industry in years to come.”
Congratulations to all four, and here’s to hoping they make it to the short list.
Here is the complete long list of names for the 2008 Beard Awards if you’re curious. It contains some pretty fierce competition for our locals, and especially Gerard with people like Sean Brock (McCrady’s, Charleston, SC) and Wesley Genovart (Degustation, NYC) being on the Rising Chef list.
Tags: Annie Gunn's, Atlas, Gerard Craft, Jean Donnelly, Joshua Galliano, Lou Rook III, Michael Roberts, Niche
James Beard Open Nominations
Nov 15, 2007 chefs, restaurants
Joshua Galliano, Executive Chef at An American Place restaurant, posted a call to the St. Louis dining public over on Eat@Joe’s that we all go out and register for the James Beard Awards nominations so we can “stuff the open nominations with St. Louis restaurants as a way to push St. Louis into the national spotlight and entice judges/critics to visit our city.”
I agree it’s a good idea, and while I’m not a huge fan of everything they do, The James Beard Foundation has a certain cache with the dining public that is never a bad thing, and they do award the deserving.
So do like he (and I) did and go nominate Gerard Craft or anything else you might find worthy in our city. It definitely can’t hurt.
Joshua’s post in full:
Open nominations have begun for the 2008 James Beard Awards. The open nomination process allows restaurateurs, chefs, the food loving public, and anyone else to nominate their favorite restaurant/chef. When open nominations close, a long list of nominees is formulated in order for James Beard judges to vote for their favorites. From there, a short list of the nominated chefs/restaurants is created, which ends with the awards ceremony in May.
The open nominations are a great way to promote St. Louis restaurants because in the past, the city and the area has been overshadowed by Chicago. The competition for all divisions is stiff, but there is one category where a critical mass of nominations could help to promote St. Louis. Please take a moment and register to vote on the James Beard Organization website at the following url:
http://www.jamesbeard.org/awards/forms/index.shtml
When voting for your favorite restaurant, there is also the chance to nominate a second restaurant. I recommend that we stuff the open nominations with St. Louis restaurants as a way to push St. Louis into the national spotlight and entice judges/critics to visit our city. More judges, more chances for local restaurants to win a nomination or award.
The division where a St. Louis restaurant stands the best chance is for Rising Chef. In order to qualify for the Rising Chef award, the chef must be under 30 and must have worked as an executive chef for at least 2 years. Gerard Craft at Niche not only fits those requirements, but the soul and love that he puts into his food more than qualifies him to be recognized nationally. Please take a moment, register, and vote for some St. Louis restaurants.
Tags: An American Place, Gerard Craft, James-Beard-Awards, Joshua Galliano, Niche
