STL French Quarter's seafood gumbo with cornbread waffles
HOT SPOT
A spicy collaboration
On Wednesday, November 28, Chuck Hess, owner of the STL French Quarter food truck, will take over the kitchen at Bakers & Hale in Godfrey, Illinois. In addition to B&H's regular menu, Chef Hess will produce a Cajun feast as wide and deep as the Mississippi. On the menu are Grandma’s Fresh Baked Cornbread, Fried Marcoot Jersey Cheese Curds, Crispy Boudin Balls, Shrimp and Crawfish Étouffée, French Quarter Crab Cakes, Chicken Hand Potpies, Porchetta Gerber, Shrimp and Grits, Fall Potato Gnocchi, and the chef’s famous Pulled Pork and Chicken Gumbo. Hess started the food truck two years ago when he couldn’t find any gumbo to his liking in the area. Today, he’s known as The Gumbo Guy. Sho’nuff. Call for reservations. 7120 Montclaire, 618-433-9748
INSIDER TIP
Chicken of the sea?
Say hello to the sea squab, the nontoxic species of pufferfish that’s now somewhat available in St. Louis for the next few months. Caught off the coast of North Carolina, the fish is commonly known as sugar toad and honey toad (due to its tadpole-like shape), and also sea squab (due to its supposed chicken-like taste). In reality, the sweet, tender white meat most resembles a clean-tasting catfish, and since it’s a relative of the highly poisonous fugu, sharing a plate with friends or family makes for spirited dinner conversation. Because they are ugly, small, and spare, not many fishmongers carry them, but throughout the winter months, you may see them occasionally at Bob’s Seafood in University City. 8660 Olive, 314-993-4844.
MICRORANT
Screechy chairs
Since modern design seemingly mandates that restaurant floors now be made of poured concrete, you’d think that chair manufacturers would supply (or at least suggest) appropriate chair glides. Instead, diners are subjected to that high-decibel screeching noise that can only be produced by cheap, metal glides scraping across the bare floor (or no glides at all, which is even more deafening). Nylon, plastic, and vinyl glides are cheap and durable; diners’ nerves, on the other hand, tend to be quite fragile.
Follow George on Twitter @stlmag_dining or send him an email at gmahe@stlmag.com. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
