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On separate occasions during the past year or so, I've been told that all of the participating restaurants have "the best fried chicken in town," so calling this "St. Louis' Definitive Fried Chicken Tour" is pretty darn accurate.
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Participating restaurants, offerings at each, and prizes awarded, should you complete the "Tour."
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Kevin A. Roberts
The chicken and waffles at Juniper.
Ask George: What’s your favorite culinary event this August? Jane D. St. Louis
There are several, but the winner by a nose--make that a beak—is the Tour de Poulet, a month long event hosted by seven restaurants noted for their chicken—specifically fried chicken. It's the first event of its kind, and it's billing itself as "St. Louis' definitive fried chicken tour." When you consider the participants, you won't disagree.
John Perkins, chef/owner of Juniper, said he came up with the idea when trying to figure out how to drive business in the traditionally slow month of August. He thought it novel if a group of people were to visit several restaurants during the month of August, and sample the chicken at each one (three restaurants will offer fried bird at lunch, three at dinner, and one as an app). Those who successfully complete the chicken crawl receive a complimentary goodie from each restaurant (see list above).
The participating restaurants are: Cleveland-Heath, Element, Farmhaus, Home Wine Kitchen, Juniper, Quincy Street Bistro, Three Flags Tavern.
Followers of the local restaurant scene have heard many tales of the camaraderie among restaurant chefs. Tour de Poulet is a perfect example of that. Think about it: These seven restaurants are encouraging their customers to patronize other restaurants, but by doing so, they gain exposure to the followers of the six other restaurants. It’s a brilliant idea, actually.
“There’s no voting and no ranking,” said Perkins, "we didn't want this to be a "best of" contest...we all see enough of those. It's just an opportunity to 'rally around fried chicken.”' In a city that’s becoming known for same.
Perkins encourages using the hashtag #eatsomebird when documenting the tour.
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Other notable August events are:
Monday, August 4: The latest in a series of Celebrity Chef Dinners at The Restaurant at the Cheshire features Dean Fearing, one of Texas’ most acclaimed chefs. The evening includes a five course dinner with paired wines, plus a copy of Fearing's most recent book, The Texas Food Bible. Complete details are here.
Monday, August 11: One of the half-dozen, beer-themed events presented by SLM in 2014. this particular Table Talk is hosted by The Libertine and Chef Josh Galliano. The $65 ticket price includes hors d'oeuvres, a four-course tasting menu, Q&A with the chef, and beer pairings with each course. Tax and gratuity are included. Complete details are here.
Saturday, August 16: For the second annual Baconfest, executive chefs from two casinos (Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles and River City Casino & Hotel) will create a 100-foot-long, 1,000-pound ‘Hog Log’ (500 pounds of woven bacon wrapping 500 pounds of ground Italian sausage) and cook it on a custom-built 102-foot-long grill. Sample slices will be available during the festival with proceeds benefiting the USO. Also returning is the second annual Bacon Battle competition and the second annual ‘Pardoning of the Pig’ by St. Louis County Executive Charley A. Dooley. The festival runs from 11 a.m.—9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16.
