Relish

Those who remember Fio's La Fourchette do so fondly; those who've never had the pleasure now do...sort of.

Next month, Fio and Lisa Antognini will return to St. Louis for a series of dinners hosted by Jonathan Parker of Parker's Table. In the 1990s, when owner Jonathan Parker worked for A. Bommarito Wines, La Fourchette was one of his accounts. The bonds he formed with Fio and Lisa last to this day.

Not long after Fio's closed in 2001, the Antognini's moved to St. George, Utah and launched Fio's Culinary Adventures (what I'll call "every chef's dream"), sponsoring catered feasts to clients from Utah (below) to Mexico to Switzerland. Fio's entire repertoire of custom events (as well as his unusual hobbies) are detailed on his website. (And worth a look. It's extremely impressive.)

The Antognini's make it back to Missouri only occasionally, so when they announced a two-night schedule of dinners (March 12 and 13), it sold out immediately, so a third night (Thursday, March 14) was added and seats are still available. Plus there's a bonus: Not only will guests get to sample Fio's exqusitely prepared cuisine, they'll get a peek at the recently completed private room in the rear of Parker's Table. (Maybe they're all my favorite things, but the menu below seems especially appealing.)

The dinner is $99 pp and will be seated "cabaret style," i.e., with other diners in groups of 4, 6, or 8, with wine available at retail cost. Parker maintains an excellent stable of wines, so our suggestion is to pay a visit beforehand to reserve something memorable...to match the rest of the evening. 

Reservations may be made by calling 314-863-6866 (La Fourchette's phone number--still active).