Insider Tips
Meat us at Butchery
Besides being a full-service butcher shop (with its own Himalayan pink salt dry aging room), Butchery (owned by and located next to Truffles restaurant) offers freshly prepared salads, soups, artisan salumi, cheese, wine, fresh pasta, grab-and-go items, as well as wines from the restaurant’s multi award-winning wine list. The list of sandwiches (like the “Castro,” with mojo-braised pork, Butchery smoked ham, swiss cheese, pickles, and yellow mustard) is reason enough to go. And mark your calendars for Butchery’s Grand Opening on October 16th from 5-7 p.m. There’ll be a little band playing, a little champagne passed, some samples, store tours…oh, and a ribbon chopping. Butchery is open daily. 9201 Clayton, 314-567-9100, todayattruffles.com
Hot Spots
A Box Brunch?
Whitebox Eatery has only been open six weeks but the offerings are impressive and word is traveling fast. Keep in mind the chef-driven breakfast and lunch spot also serves additional items for brunch on the weekend, tasties like Fig and Pistachio Oatmeal, Breakfast Salad, and a Southwest Strata (we confessed we could have eaten two of them). Another thing we like about Whitebox: order food for pick-up, then find it bagged, labeled, and ready to go in little white-framed cubes just inside the front door. Open daily. 176 Carondelet Plz, 314-862-2802, whiteboxeatery.com
MicroRant
Four Plates on a Two-Plate Table
As restaurant tables become smaller (and many have), timing of courses becomes more critical. In the past, if the kitchen was especially speedy, there was room on the table for subsequent plates to pile up (not that they ever should). Nowadays, however, servers are cramming plates onto diners’ tables like they’re working a jigsaw puzzle. This ain’t no game, folks. We’re trying to relax and eat here…and don’t want to worry that an errant gesture might cause a saucy side dish to end up on the floor—or our lap.
