WEB EXCLUSIVES THIS MONTH
- Web Gallery: Xing Xue
- Global Philanthropy Map
- Extended Q&As with authors John Lutz and Eric Jay Dolin
- The symphonic sounds of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
- An extended Kitchen Q&A with Chez Leon's Marcel Keraval
- An extra peek at "What It's Like to Be a Barista"
- A priest, a rabbi, and an activist on panhandling
- More from dining critic Dave Lowry's review of Copia
- Video of wolves at the Endangered Wolf Center
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. Thanks. —Jarrett Medlin, Editor-in-Chief
WHAT'S ONLINE
Online on stlmag.com
BEHIND THE SCENES
The making of this issue
FROM THE EDITOR
A Bread Winner?
By Jarrett Medlin
FEEDBACK
CURRENT
- First Shot: Fight Club
By Jarrett Medlin - The Buzz: Fur and Fortune (Web exclusive: Extended Q&A)
Author Eric Jay Dolin reveals how we built this city on fur.
By Robert Meyerowitz - The Buzz: In a Rut
A strange new world from Scott Phillips
By Byron Kerman - The Buzz: The Fate of Festivus
A small group carries on a strange wintertime tradition.
By Byron Kerman - As the Wheel Turns
How biking continues to evolve in St. Louis
By Nancy McMullen - What It's Like to be a Barista (Web exclusive: Extended version)
By Byron Kerman - Agenda
Our five picks for the month
GLITTERATI
See these and more at our Party Pics page.
STYLE
- Things We Love: 'Tis the Season
Gift ideas for less than $35—and one to break the bank. (We can dream, can’t we?)
By Nicole Benoist Edgerton - Stylish Subtleties: Anthony P. Bartlett
Executive producer of 3 Nights, the forthcoming movie based on Buzz Bissinger’s baseball book about the Cards
By Nicole Benoist Edgerton - Shop Talk: Turning a Corner
A husband-and-wife duo put a new spin on the traditional corner store.
By Jeanette Kozlowski
WORLD CULTURE
Eating Bitter
St. Louis now has a martial-arts master who trained at Shaolin Temple—the 1,500-year-old birthplace of kung fu and Zen Buddhism. It is not an easy place to be a student.
By Jeannette Cooperman
- Web Exclusive: View a gallery of Xing Xue in action, including shots of some of his most advanced moves
CONSERVATION
How Will the Wolf Survive?
Eureka’s canid center stares down challenges on the verge of its 40th year.
By Robert Meyerowitz
- Web Exclusive: Watch videos of the endangered wolves at the center
HISTORY
Dividing the Spoils
Relics of St. Louis’ past are scattered all across the region. You just have to know where to look.
By Jeannette Cooperman
THINK AGAIN
Community Lost
Overseas call centers are a sad sign of the times.
By Ray Hartmann
COVER FEATURE
Steaking a Claim
St. Louis' Grade-A Steakhouses
By Dave Lowry, George Mahe, and Joe and Ann Pollack
Photographs by Kevin Roberts
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Sweet Charity
Philanthropy from every angle
By Jeannette Cooperman, Christy Marshall, Nancy McMullen, Jarrett Medlin, Robert Meyerowitz, and Erika Miller
Photographs by Whitney Curtis and Kevin A. Roberts
Illustrations by Jesse Kuhn
- Praying for Rain
A lot of seeds were planted a quarter-century ago at Habitat for Humanity's first St. Louis house.
By Jeannette Cooperman - What's My Name?
The pros and cons of anonymous giving.
By Robert Meyerowitz - Surviving the Recession
How St. Louis nonprofits have weathered the downturn
By Jarrett Medlin - Give a Little. Get a Lot.
Few activities do more to boost the heart and soul than helping others.
By Christy Marshall and Erika Miller - The Art of Giving
Just determining where to start is a daunting task.
By Christy Marshall - Starting Anew
How to launch your own nonprofit
By Nancy McMullen - Giving to Panhandlers (Web Exclusive: A priest, a rabbi, and an activist on panhandling)
- Kindness or curse?
By Jeannette Cooperman - Around the World in 14 Ways (Web Exclusive: Check out a Google Map pinpointing where St. Louisans are making a difference around the world)
How St. Louisans are making a difference across the globe.
By Jeannette Cooperman
If I Had A Jackhammer
Father Carl Kabat has spent nearly 17 years in jail for civil disobedience. His most common accessory with handcuffs? A clown suit and a rubber nose.
By Stefene Russell
HEALTHY LIVING
Painted from Memory
How stress burns images into our brain—and age dissolves them
By Jeannette Cooperman
Pride Goeth After the Fall
How to stay in shape during the bitter winter months
By Rick Skwiot
A CONVERSATION WITH LEA DELARIA
Ethel Merman meets Sammy Davis Jr.
By Jeannette Cooperman
FOOD & DRINK
- First Look: Via Vino Enoteca
By George Mahe - Review: Copia (Web Exclusive: Extended version)
Copia catches fire again—no, wait, let’s rephrase that.
By Dave Lowry - The Well-Seasoned Life: Persian Palace
A restaurant’s namesake adds to an empire on South Grand.
By Joe and Ann Pollack
- Kitchen Q&A with Marcel Keraval (Web Exclusive: Extended version)
“Viva Marcel!” is apropos as the renowned chef returns to Clayton.
By George Mahe
- Liquid Assets: Be Remembered
Give a gift that's not wine.
By Chris Hoel - Ins, Outs, and Almosts
By George Mahe - Plus the following box-outs: "Gift Idea," "Champagne Steal," "Hostess Gift," and "Overheard."
CULTURE & EVENTS
- First Stop: 560 Music Center (Web Exclusive: Listen to audio clips from the L.A. Guitar Quartet)
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
By Stefene Russell - Out & About: Slow Type
Kay Michael Kramer would rather spend all night aligning tiny scrolls and hand-placing 10-point type than sacrifice what fine printing used to be.
By Jeannette Cooperman - Cameo: En Avant
Ten years on, Gen Horiuchi’s patient, perfectionist approach pays off for the Saint Louis Ballet.
By Hesse Caplinger - The SLM Calendar (with Critic's Picks in Theater, Music, Visual Art, Film, and Kids & Family)
FLASHBACK
1905: Rare Earth
By Stefene Russell