stlbites.com – st. louis food blog of bill burge

#stl Twits

Feb 11, 2010 St. Louis, foodster, general food, groceries, missouri, restaurants

For weeks I’ve scoured many of your Twitter feeds.  Sometimes I found the St. Louis restaurants, chefs, and other food-related accounts I hoped to. But then I also found things that would make for a bizarre demographic study of St. Louis foodsters.  Like, apparently, a lot of you are LeVar Burton fans.  At first I wondered, are you Reading Rainbow fans or Trekkies? And then I looked at LeVar Burton’s Twitter feed and along with learning that he felt The Who’s halftime show sucked and if you call him during Lost he will hurt your feelings, he has 1,607,229 followers.

But why the research?  Because Twitter blessed us with lists so that we can create organized feeds of people we don’t actually want to follow personally.  And that gave me the opportunity to waste my time assembling four lists that encompass every restaurant, chef, grocer and coffee shop located in St. Louis currently on Twitter. Word Up!

Click the links above and if I missed any, let me know @stlbites.

Tags: levar burton, Twitter

This Week in stlbites.com Tweets

May 22, 2009 general food

• Visit http://www.stlmag.com/subscribe and use the promo code FBOOK9! $12 for 12 months. #
• Drinking the 2004 Ojai Syrah Roll Ranch Vineyard #
• Drinking the NV Varichon & Clerc – Privilege Blanc de Blancs #
• Wine tasting at 33 Wine Bar is done so now it’s time to find late night Monday #stl food that’s still tasty. #
• Kingshighway burger @theroyale w/ dj spinning Sonic Youth and Pixies La La Love You. Pretty fine Monday #
• With Jake, Dylan and Mike away for a bachelor party weekend, loyal 33 Wine Bar customer @Ericstl6 will be guest bartending this Fri/Sat. #
• Bacon Salt has arrived at Schnucks http://twitpic.com/5k1vb #
• RT @theroyale: …Royale all summer special: $2.50 drafts on all Missouri beers all day during the week #
• RT @gutcheckstl: News from Monarch: RT @cookingkid: @gutcheckstl doing a farmer’s dinner on June 10 featuring Claverach & root Cellar. #
• It’s Monarch v White Rabbits concert RT @gutcheckstl: Details on Monarch dinner, including menu and wine pairings: http://bit.ly/n9y5n #
• Maplewood is busy today. Couple extra new farms and only 4 more spots available before max capacity per the market master. #
• Broccoli from Ozark Mountain #
• Your restaurant can only be so swank when Bel Biv Devoe’s poison is rockin’ overhead. #
• Celebrating auction win of ‘09 Panama Esmeralda, Coffee Klatch is slashed prices on in-stock auction coffees $27.95 for the ‘08 Es http: … #
• So much cooler when I give the link… http://klatchroasting.zoovy.com/ It’s one of the best coffees I’ve ever tasted. #
• One giant ass red wattle Boston Butt is now awaiting it’s dry rub and smoking in the Burge annex–aka the pork and beer only mini-fridge. #
• Why, oh why, did I have to freeze my entire right side pork loin in two huge pieces instead of cutting chops? How can I cut frozen meat? #
• Eel at Miso last night was the most tender I’ve had in St. Louis. I can’t stop thinking about it actually. #
• Much as I hate the word foodie, my understanding of Twitter is that if people start posting #stlfoodies that it’ll be a searchable term. #
• Don’t forget: Michael Pollan is at the St. Louis County library headqurters tomorrow. #
• I’ll say it again: sure Sandrinas is not the best food in #stl but duck confit & smoked trout sliders till 2am is astonishing in this town #

Tags: Twitter

This Week in stlbites.com Tweets

May 15, 2009 general food

• Finally landed the heavier 48×30 stainless prep table for the kitchen on craigslist, and the wife is not yet sold on the idea. #
• Drinking the 2006 Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot #
• I had not realized till now that the pay-someone-to-farm-your-backyard-for-you concept had arrived in #stl http://www.backdoorharvest.com/ #
• Don’t forget tonight’s Slow Food event… SLOWednesday with Gerard Craft, Dave Hillebrand and Brett Palmier http://tinyurl.com/SLOWednesday #
• Iron Chef battling a #stl best chef is probably not the best idea I’ve ever had. Lesson learned: don’t dine w/ @twistedthreads when drunk. #
• Last Iron Chef tweet was meant to go out yesterday because now I’m actually damned excited. It will be an awesome night. #
• There are people doing interesting things to try and produce better Missouri wine, but it’s still just BETTER MISSOURI WINE. #
• This is the type of new-food idea that sparks my interest most http://tinyurl.com/pwz2pa Red wine sauce w/out stock means a purer RW flavor. #

Tags: Twitter

This Week in stlbites.com Tweets

May 8, 2009 general food

• Why did the taqueria I just eat in have Ikea silverware made in China, and the last Chinese place I ate in had silverware made in Mexico? #
• Poached eggs make just about everything better. #
• This is so awesome!!! Go MO! RT @slashfood: Riverfront Times wins for The Pope of Pork #
• So, so cool! RT @gutcheckstl: Riverfront Times’ Kristen Hinman wins James Beard Award for her article, “The Pope of Pork,” on Missouri pork. #
• Lunch@I Love Mr Sushi. 1-Didn’t love it & Mrs. Sushi was cooking 2-she wore plastic gloves 4-sashimi was presliced 5-rice was dry&bland boo! #
• Looking at http://www.grahamelliot.com/ thinking, “this looks pretty damn good”. I need another trip to Chicago. #
• “Local” doesn’t mean anything beyond just that, but is it fair to assume “local meat” at a farmers market implies it’s not from a CAFO? Y/N? #
• As new farmers’ markets crop up to meet local demand, knowing what you’re buying has become a growing concern. Ask questions. Caveat emptor. #
• Drinking the 2005 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon #
• Winslow’s Home is on the fast track to being known for their beef brisket. Sold out almost before noon and so damned good! #
• Fascinating! Especially the bit about heat… RT: @gutcheckstl: Harold McGee on whether to snap asparagus: http://bit.ly/hGvdt #
• Well it has been mostly green. RT @twistedthreads: @barbaricgulp you are so making me green with envy! #

Tags: Twitter

This Week in stlbites.com Tweets

May 1, 2009 general food

• What time is it? http://twitpic.com/3xcfz #
• I love that Niche didn’t sieve their spring garlic potato soup with potato chips. Potatoes should and do have texture. #
• Niche’s Farrar Out Farm porchetta di tessa was great. #
• It’s great to see @WinslowsHome running out of food because it’s a beautiful day and #stl knows it’s great. They’re absolutely slamming! #
• Kampai Sushi is pretty good. Better than expected anyway. Why do all these places in #stl have to rock the down tempo dance music though? #
• Oh… not a very high quality of toro though. #
• drinking 2007 Carlisle Syrah Russian River Valley — http://cor.kz/Fg6 #
• Rockin’ some 2009 #stl Earth Day Festival http://twitpic.com/41q2b #
• I ran a marathon & still gained 5lbs in Boston so, seeing all he eats as tweets, @Rick_Bayless must have the greatest metabolism ever. #
• Why can’t I buy local green peas at the market? I can’t recall ever having seen them and that’s just weak #stl … That or I’m blind. #
• “I like documentaries but I’m sure this movie will tell me that (based on the way I eat) my kids will have flippers or some shit like that” #
• Response: Your kids will be fat diabetics comprised mostly of corn and in need of medical attention, but they won’t have flippers. #
• Road rage amongst locavores: Parking at the Maplewood Market was crazy today. What will it be like in full swing? #
• I’m not going to say I love the Bell’s Oberon, and it’s a bit too hot for it now, but as a summer beer it’s really pretty damn refreshing. #
• While I do love the pie, I think another reason I like @pistl so much is because every time I eat there I feel like someone stole my iPod. #
• Timely considering the happenings on stlbites/forum RT: @MichaelNagrant: Restaurants do deserve second chances… http://tinyurl.com/d239ko #
• Just like being a nice guy, utilizing local does not give you a free pass. You can be the nicest guy in the world and still cook like shit. #
• I think it’s that mid-tier of dining where “foodies” can eat quality but not pay $100+ for a meal that is the wave of the future. See @pistl #
• I don’t have the #swineflu but I’ve got a #swinecold that is driving me crazy. #

Tags: Twitter

This Week in stlbites.com Tweets

Apr 24, 2009 general food

• Capp from 2nd place NE barista @ Taste Coffehouse in Newton, MA http://twitpic.com/3gn9l #
• Local grass fed beef hamburger at Garden at the Cellar; Cambridge, MA. http://twitpic.com/3grqp #
• Don’t forget the Claverach Dinner at Local Harvest Monday. Based upon the emails, it doesn’t seem sold out. #
• Oysters, clams, mussels at Neptune Oyster Bar #
• Drinking the 2007 Mulderbosch Vineyards Chenin Blanc Steen op Hout Stellenbosch #
• Maple soy vin at Craigie on Main. Really interesting salty sweet. #
• Craigie is blow torching the sablefish skin to make it crispie. That rocks because soggy skin SUCKS! #
• Damn you 10 courses at Craigie on Main! http://twitpic.com/3i0w6 #
• Capp #1 Diesel; Sommerville, MA. Seriously? http://twitpic.com/3jlo8 #
• Capp #2 Crema; Cambridge, MA by Harvard. George Howell house blend. http://twitpic.com/3jlth #
• Two days from now, and I will have crossed this: http://twitpic.com/3jz50 #
• Toro rest in Boston-possible most annoying rest ever. Def #1 douche patrons! F’d up busy and really not too great for all all the hype. #
• Adding the 2007 Pascal Bouchard Chablis Premier Cru Montmains blanc to my Drync cellar! #
• Drinking the 2006 Châau du Hureau Saumur-Champigny Lisagathe #
• So I’m wondering: how many food bloggers have run a 3:12:54 Boston Marathon; and is that a “wicked pissah”? http://twitpic.com/3ojpb #
• Drinking the 2007 Natura Carmenere Valle Colchagua #
• The carm is at Oleana and, incidentally, the wine markup in Boston is extraordinary. #
• Having 1 last draught Brooklyn Lager @ Local 21 Providence, RI before heading to the airport and returning to #stl. http://twitpic.com/3pzlr #
• Stuck in flight delay in Providence, RI. Do I dare eat the lobster roll at Providence Oyster Bar? #
• Still delayed. Went for the lobster roll. Weird bun like a double thick slice of white bread butterflied. And $22! http://twitpic.com/3qe9y #

Tags: Twitter

This Week in stlbites.com Tweets

Apr 17, 2009 general food

• Galliano’s red wattle coppa and Saint Andre cheese… A sweet after work snack. #
• Slow Food St. Louis is participating in a free screening of Food, Inc. Tuesday April 14 @ 7PM @ The Tivoli. More info: http://bit.ly/iFrCM #
• Where others drink water after a run, I shall finish off a bottle of Sinskey. Next: Pi? Good Pie? Local Harvest? What to eat? #
• I’ve been thinking, how will @pistl be carbon offseting PODUS’s lunch today? As a “green” restaurant that’s some serious food miles, no? #
• It’s burger time at Newstead Tower Public House. #
• See, it’s burger time… http://twitpic.com/34wh1 #
• The #stl Green Sheet lists Einstein Bagels as an “Other Fine Restaurant”. WTF? http://twitpic.com/34xpe #
• This + double espresso + iced coffee @ 222 = very caffeinated Bill!!! http://twitpic.com/35tdk #
• The phone calls are rolling in… Morel season is officially upon us. #
• Vegetarian slinger @ Local Harvest http://twitpic.com/35yil #
• Chanterelle > Morel #
• And the Monarch dueling tweets begin… Drink one: apple of my rye #
• Roasted garlic & morel flan persillade, morel caramel, crispy parsley #
• Zataar spiced, tuna stewed peppers, black garlic purée, tuna brandade gnocchi, brown butter & -8 vin #
• Nothing says Easter like hot dogs… http://twitpic.com/3863e #
• How about nachos? http://twitpic.com/38678 #
• The morel mushroom has an incredibly low cost:flavor ratio. They’re just not worth it compared to something like the chanterelle. #
• Two blogs, one day. Who knew I had it in me? Do I dare go for three? http://www.stlbites.com #
• Taqueria la Pasadita now has gorditas. Soft on the inside-perfectly crispy on the out awesome ones! This one is suadero. #
• Okay, this one is suadero… http://twitpic.com/3bikt #
• Thank you Riddle’s for actually toasting your hamburger buns. It shot you onto the stlbites top 5 #stl burgers last night. And the Hopslam! #
• Boston bound in the AM… Thur@ O YA; Fri@ Craigie on Main; Sat@ wander for dinner; Sunday rest for Marathon; Mon@ Oleana. Can’t wait. #
• People should go eat the @cookingkid special tonight. Been pounding the red wattle guanciale he cured for me. About the best I’ve had. #
• My guanciale love affair: RW guanc in Claverach eggs w/ @YellowTreeFarm foraged wild onions and Baetje Goat cheese. So good! #
• Is airport food better outside the US or, are ours the perfect example of America’s generally poor eating habits? #
• Hello New England http://twitpic.com/3etdv #
• Seven courses into O Ya. James Brown playing. Belly full of sake. Fucked up crazy good. #
• I can pick out the worst course of my 16@O Ya, but even it was better than most anything I’ve ever had. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? HELL YES!! #

Tags: Twitter

This Week in stlbites.com Tweets

Apr 10, 2009 general food

• Faced with the prospect of a work-sponsored corporate cafeteria pizza luncheon, do I eat it, or do I starve myself for later? #
• Josh Galliano joins the twitterverse @cookingkid #
• @linecook Good luck with MSF. I can’t say I didn’t look for a plane ticket and plead with my wife to let me go when you announced it. #
• @linecook I actually have a case of pumpkin beer I meant to ship to NOPA last October, but I think a replacement is in order now. in reply to linecook #
• Truffle cauliflower soup and pancetta, arugula and roasted garlic lasagna at Stellina Pasta Cafe. #
• Drinking the 2002 Fiddlehead Cellars Pinot Noir Seven Twenty Eight #
• Cinnamon roll and Capp at 222 Artisan Bakery http://twitpic.com/2th9u #
• Goshen iced coffee season is here, and I am still completely cracked out two hours later. #
• Wondering how to prove who is buying local for slowfoodstl.org? Restaurants are saying they are buying a high % when I don’t think they are. #
• Sustainability is not just a marketing buzz word. #
• Halibut cheeks at Erato, bitches! #
• @alexrbrooks Do you have supple wrists? in reply to alexrbrooks #
• St. Louis dim sum attempt two: Mandarin House. Hoping its better than LuLu. #
• Salad of Ozark Harvest* bean sprouts, arugula, and red wattle pancetta w/ a fried egg. Oh yeah!*OH is at Maplewood every Wednesday. #
• @barbaricgulp Fervre Bakery (cheese slipper), Stroud’s, Justus Drugstore, Bluestem, pie@Pryde’s then Coffee@Broadway (Roasterie not cafe) in reply to barbaricgulp #
• Reread Hinman’s Pope of Pork article about happy meat in MO: http://bit.ly/TkGC Fingers crossed 4 Gerard’s BCMW win, but she deserves 1 2. #
• Mandarin House is officially better than LuLu. However, note: Cold pigs feet are a little much. #
• Get it fresh: Intelligentsia Direct Trade Anjilanka, Bolivia @wholefoods Brentwood roasted on 3/31/09. Dates on the bottom. #
• http://thepickledtongue.com/ Another blog you SHOULD be reading. #
• Mother Nature, you cruel bitch. #
• “most U.S. residents…pay for…biodegradable ‘garbage’ to be hauled off to landfills in plastic bags, where it cannot break down properly” #
• Fooled twice, shame on me! If Kohn’s is our best corned beef, then even St. Louis Good hasn’t been obtained yet. Just terrible again. #
• I’ve been wondering, “would people join a Slow Food book club?” #
• Go check out Slow Food St. Louis’s first school garden Thursday http://www.slowfoodstl.org/2009/04/07/167/ #
• @gutcheckstl It went down a couple times yesterday. in reply to gutcheckstl #
• Ringer in hand (Vietnamese guy) off to Pho Long we went only to be met by a new sign in the door: “Closed Tuesday’s”. But have no fear… #
• Indian Food on Olive is everything @gutcheck said: http://bit.ly/m5E8E Samosas so pillowy. Curries delicate w/ finesse. Kheer so creamy. #
• Pho Long attempt 3=success. Preferential treatment was had! Apparently you want to ask for Nuoc Beo for the best pho. It’s the skimmed fat. #
• @gutcheckstl arugula was plentiful in reply to gutcheckstl #
• House cured pastrami w/ smoked tagliatelli, english peas, poached local egg & garlic cream sauce @Harvest. Honestly? Pretty fucking great! #
• Drinking the 2006 Carmel Road Pinot Noir #
• Adding the 2006 Carmel Road Pinot Noir to my Drync cellar! #
• Can you be bribed with foie gras? I think I just was. #
• I am surprised I have embraced the tweet. I am more surprised fifty of you are reading them. #
• Chefs tell me they don’t buy local like they’d like because the farms aren’t selling to them anymore. They sell to us and don’t grow more. #
• Ah. Extra hot sauce was key for raising the bar for the weekly bibimbob visit at U City Grill. #
• It’s not simple like you’d think. Many chefs will pay top $. Demand is up. Producion is the same. Farms need to grow more. #stl is behind. #
• Carondelet Kaldis is making drinks w/ comp blend Espresso 700 for a limited time. e.g. My traditional cappuccino. http://twitpic.com/324c2 #
• @gutcheckstl @barbaricgulp Plus the BBC one was not technically traditional w/ it’s heavy hand of cock sauce. Still a good sand though. in reply to gutcheckstl #
• @barbaricgulp banh mi dat biet – 3 x pork. 1 is pate. I’m told the banh mi @ Banh mi so 1 isn’t the best, but I love it and its #1 in #stl #
• @BetaVulgaris The harsh chemicals are not used. Makes me think it might not be effective as the whole concept of DC is harsh chemicals. in reply to BetaVulgaris #
• Drinking the 2005 Robert Sinskey Vineyards Pinot Noir Los Carneros #
• … And now I’m at Atlas. Apparently I’ll be gaining weight this week. #
• @cookingkid I ate noodles at all three and that’s carbo-loading my friend. in reply to cookingkid #
• Watch @pistl owner Chris Sommers tweet it up at the White House till they take his phone. #

Tags: Twitter

A Pho Long Tweet Explained in List Form

Apr 8, 2009 St. Louis, missouri, restaurants

stlbites Pho Long attempt 3=success. Preferential treatment was had! Apparently you want to ask for Nuoc Beo for the best pho. It’s the skimmed fat.

@stlbites I have no idea what any of that meant

• Pho Long is a Vietnamese restaurant.
• Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup.
• Today was the third time I’ve attempted to go with my Vietnamese coworker, and the first time we’ve pulled it off and eaten.
• We got preferential treatment because he is and speaks Vietnamese.
• Nuoc Beo is the fat that congeals on the top of the boiling broth. I found this out today. Vietnamese people want it, but in America they skim it off. It makes it tasty, or as my buddy Van says, “testy”. I thought he was talking about testes at first, and I’d never heard of testicle Pho.
• If you ask for it they will give it to you in a bowl on the side with scallions.

Side note: The Vietnamese language is apparently very up down for lack of a better descriptor.  First word up, second word down.  They actually accent mark the words this way.  So Bánh xèo is sort of slurred up for the Bánh, and down for the xèo.  Americans pretty much pronounce it all wrong, and to actually find all the special characters to write Vietnamese words correctly would be a chore.

Side note 2 (hooray for the Lou):

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Pho, Pho Long, Twitter, Vietnamese

This Week in stlbites.com Tweets

Apr 3, 2009 general food

• @linecook no, but you should realize you’re a B tier internet food celebrity now. in reply to linecook #
• 2006 Radio-Coteau Von Weidlich Zin at 33. Fucking unreal. Seriously. Wine nirvana. #
• I realized today: I didn’t like BBQ that much because I don’t like KC style. North Carolina is where it’s at! Burning hot vinegar. #
• Slow Food Trivia night was a success. I was the only one that could spot a matsutake on site, and we raised a bunch of money for farmers. #
• Tonight’s drinking: 2007 Bourbon County Stout >> Nogne Imperial Stout #
• Pappy’s brisket on 222 whole wheat and topped with a Yellowtree farm egg. #
• Needless to say, I have not fully figured out the need for twitter, so I just tweet every worthhile thing I ingest. #
• Is it weird I honestly don’t like sitting at tables in restaurants because I’m uncomfortable having people I consider peers serve me? #
• If there is a finer Belgian White than Hitachino White Ale, I do not know what it is. #
• Very annoyed this pic of the 1946 Chicago Meat Packers strike will not be mine. http://tinyurl.com/cblvsn #
• However these pics of a 1920s butcher shop are mine http://tinyurl.com/dm62jw #
• @ruhlman My wife made soda cake for her job. Thus my thought: Even if they won’t/don’t care, should you not give them better? Enlighten! in reply to ruhlman #
• Taqueria el Jalapeno for tacos al pastor and sopes de barbacoa. #
• Slow Food national conference call time. Will we hear anything good? We shall see. #
• I had never heard of Raj Patel before, but his enthusiasm for food justice is remarkably engaging. #
• @amateurgourmet Have you tried TK’s. His is great. in reply to amateurgourmet #
• If you order a dish (say the Cuban @ Growler’s) and it’s not what it classically ought to be, can it still be a great dish? This one is. #
• This company, Green Foods, makes an organic Gatorade substitute: Magma Plus – The Ultimate Super Food. Some things should not be organic. #
• If TK makes all his cooks cut tape rather than tearing it, why not just go all the way and use a label maker? #
• That a 4:1 carb:protein ration is the ultimate recovery drink, and chocolate milk just happens to hit that perfectly, makes me very happy! #
• @gutcheckstl a job that encourages you to leave and go to the market. Must be nice. in reply to gutcheckstl #
• Farrar sells all the Berkshire belly. #
• Slow Food Terra Madre talk with Biver , Prairie grass farms, and Niche is set for the second Wednesday of May. #
• Market pork news: Salume Beddu is getting Mangalitsa. Farrar Out Farm is getting red wattle breeding stock. #
• And off to the good pie. #
• Arugula pesto w/ pancetta pizza @ the good pie #
• @gutcheckstl sandwich of stlbites: herb crusted roast beef @ Smoke House Market. in reply to gutcheckstl #
• Today’s lunch: Pho Long with a ringer …an actual Vietnamese guy. Will it hold up? Fingers are crossed. #
• Overruled by co-workers, it was off to Simply Thai instead for barbecued pork skewers and sticky rice. http://tw2.us/jb #
• Every day I eat, literally, quantity:5 peanut M&Ms. I never cheat and eat more. My coworkers find this strange. Is it strange or control? #
• @MichaelNagrant Plus, how many more mediocre $20 burgers do we need floating around the US? Have you ever tasted superchef burger success? in reply to MichaelNagrant #
• At Pi next to stlhops Mike Sweeney. Downing our own creation: thin w/ roasted garlic, goat cheese, kalamatas and mushrooms. #
• I seriously cannot believe how many people are in Pi at 9:30 on Thursday night. Net-foodie loss my ass!!! #
• @gutcheckstl I’d had no idea how much I liked pizza until I lost weight. Now I can’t get enough of the stuff. in reply to gutcheckstl #
• Jonny Style returns to The Lou: RT @jonathanolson: Moving back this week. Then on to Houston 9-27th #

Tags: Twitter