INSIDER TIP
Nathaniel Reid Bakery Wins “Best Croissant” Award
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The editors of Eat This, Not That! recently compiled a list of “The Best Croissant in Every State,” and Nathaniel Reid Bakery was the choice for the Show-Me State. (This is the second Eat This, Not That! award for the bakery; last year, the bakery’s pound cake was named “Best Cake in Missouri.”) The standard croissant is indistinguishable from its flaky Parisian counterparts, but consider iterations studded with chocolate chunks, a craveable chocolate-almond combination, a stuffed savory croissant, or one of several ready-to-eat croissant sandwiches. New in the pastry case: a Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Danish (pictured at right), a croissant cousin that checks all the right boxes. 11243 Manchester, 314-858-1019.
HOTSPOT
Cajun-Themed Pre-Mardi Gras Party at Narwhal’s
This weekend’s Mardi Gras festivities kick off Friday, February 25, with the annual Al Rubin Memorial Crawfish & Shrimp Boil at the flagship Narwhal’s, courtesy of Cajun Boil Company. (Rubin, the co-owner’s father-in-law who initiated the tradition, died from prostate cancer the following year.) This year’s boil includes a plate piled with your choice of crawfish or shrimp, plus French bread, potatoes, corn, sausage, and other fixin’s. Five dollars from each $25 plate will be donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. In addition, six new Mardi Gras–themed frozen cocktails (including a King Cake cocktail) have been created for this year’s event. Hours are 4–8 p.m. (or until sold out). On parade day, February 26, doors will open at 7 a.m., and two shuttles ($10 in advance or $15 at the door) will run into the heart of Soulard from 8 a.m.–3 p.m. 3906 Laclede, 314-696-8388.
MICRORANT
Crumby Parents
Sorry, Mom and Dad, after you and Junior have vacated the premises, a restaurant staffer shouldn’t have to hand-vac bits of crackers, fries, or a bowl’s worth of half-crushed Cheerios from under the table. This lowdown kind of cleanup is your job. You’re not feeding ducks in the park here. The staffers shouldn’t have to suffer the indignity of that annoying crunch-crunch under foot. And alas, if you do have to rush out the door without tidying up (possibly because of the aforementioned kiddo’s patience wearing thin), at least be mindful of the situation and tip like you’re made of money.
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