Table of Contents (February 2012)

  WEB EXCLUSIVES THIS MONTH

• Get a behind-the-scenes look at how chef Kevin Nashan of Sidney Street Café creates the apple wood-smoked duck, one of the savory entrées mentioned in this month's cover story, "The 50 Best Dishes in St. Louis."
• Vote for your favorites in food and night life for the A-List 2012 Readers' Choice Poll.
• Discover more on legal landmarks, including an isalnd on the Mississippi River that was at one time free of legal jurisdiction.
• Learn even more about lobster rolls from dining critic Dave Lowry.
• Read extended Q&As with Juli Niemann and Frontenac Grill chef David Timney.
• Find out more about what it's like to design for Brown Shoe.
• Peruse a gallery of Valentine's Day gift ideas.
• Submit your pet for our pet contest.

Note: For each new issue, St. Louis Magazine publishes only a select number of articles online. While all articles will eventually be published online here, your best bet for reading current content is to subscribe, buy an issue, or head to your local library.

WHAT'S ONLINE
Online on stlmag.com

BEHIND THE SCENES
The making of this issue

FROM THE EDITOR
Dishing it Out
By Jarrett Medlin

FEEDBACK

CURRENT

• First Shot: Ha's Farewell
  By Jarrett Medlin
• The Buzz: Run Like the Wind... In the Mud
  A cross-country champion's return to Forest Park
  By Byron Kerman
• The Buzz: The Diva is Back
  Jenifer Lewis comes home.
  By Jarrett Medlin
• The Buzz: Reality & TV
  Myth and reality for three hit television shows' workplaces
  By Jarrett Medlin
• The Buzz: The Walking Fed
  A South City bar capitalizes on a zombie-fueled coincidence.
  By Byron Kerman
• What it's Like to Make Sure Everybody's Shoes Fit (Web Exclusive: Find out more about what it's like to design for Brown Shoe.)
  By Byron Kerman
• Agenda
  Our five picks for the month

GLITTERATI
See these and more at our Party Pics page.

STYLE

• Things We Love: Be Mine (Web Exclusive: Peruse a gallery of Valentine's Day gift ideas.)
  Valentine's Day-inspired attire for men and women
  By Jan Leach
• Shop Talk: Bare Essentials
  Is lingerie the perfect present for your Valentine?
  By Jeanette Kozlowski
• Stylish Subtleties: A Model's Life
  Madisin Bradley talks about life on the catwalk.
  By Rosalind Early

CRIME
Escape Artists
It's hard to keep a bad man behind bars.
By Rosalind Early

THINK AGAIN
Conservatives Strike Out on Crime
All the tough talk has failed in Missouri.
By Ray Hartmann
 

COVER FEATURE

The 50 Best Dishes in St. Louis
Plates for every taste and price point
By Bill Burge, Byron Kerman, Rose Maura Lorre, Dave Lowry, George Mahe, Katie O'Connor, Joe and Ann Pollack, and Andrew Mark Veety

• Web Exclusive: Get a behind-the-scenes look at how chef Kevin Nashan of Sidney Street Café creates the apple wood-smoked duck, one of the savory entrées mentioned in this month's cover story, "The 50 Best Dishes in St. Louis."
• Web Exclusive: Tell us about your own favorite dish and/or submit photos at stlmag.com.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES
 
Albert, Uncanned
The attorney behind the South Butt and Twilight cases is famous for his spontaneous wit. But how calculating is he, really?
By Jeannette Cooperman

2012 Best Lawyers® (Web Exclusive: Discover more on legal landmarks, including an isalnd on the Mississippi River that was at one time free of legal jurisdiction.)
Though it's more than 800 miles from the nation's capital, St. Louis holds a vital place in the nation's legal realm.
Sidebars by Andrew M. Cooperman
 

Q&A: A Conversation with Juli Niemann (Web Exclusive: Read an extended Q&A with Juli Niemann)
She follows the money.
By Jeannette Cooperman

FOOD & DRINK

• First Look: Epic Pizza & Subs
  By George Mahe
• Review: Coastal Bistro & Bar (Web Exclusive: Learn even more about lobster rolls from dining critic Dave Lowry.)
  A good lobster roll in Clayton. Seriously.
  By Dave Lowry
• The Well-Seasoned Life: Vive la France
  Vin de Set's new menu is part classic, party modern, and all good.
  By Joe and Ann Pollack
• Kitchen Q&A: David Timney (Web Exclusive: Read an extended interview with chef David Timney of Frontenac Grill.)
  A renowned chef returns to Frontenac.
  By George Mahe
• Liquid Assets: Bubbles From the Bottom of the Sea
  What it's like to sip a century-old champagne
  By Chris Hoel
• Ins, Outs & Almosts
  By George Mahe
• The SLM Restaurant Guide
  Plus the following box-outs: "Micro Rant" and "V-Day Dinner"

CULTURE & EVENTS

• First Stop: Touhill Performing Arts Center
  Silver Roots: Japan Meets World
  By Stefene Russell
• Cameo: Rock Steady
  How Jeff Frelich became Professor Stank, one of reggae's true believers.
  By Thomas Crone
• Out & About: The World's a Stage
  "An Orchestrated Vision" pulls together arresting large-scale photographs that play with the idea of theatricality, from literal sets to the metaphor of the battlefield.
  By Stefene Russell
• The SLM Calendar (with Critic's Picks in Theater and Visual Art)

FLASHBACK
1946: Houses in Motion
By Stefene Russell