HOT SPOT
Chao Baan Thais One On
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No matter what region of Thai cuisine you prefer, Chao Baan in The Grove has you covered. The restaurant, known for Northeastern and Southern Thai dishes, has recently added familiar Central Thai favorites from sister restaurant King & I. Chao Baan’s new menu includes house favorites, such as meing kham (green leaf wraps served with dried shrimp, ginger, lime, onion, chili, toasted coconut, tamarind sauce), along with such King & I specialties as red curry and 4 Kings of Thailand. Co-owner Shayn Prapaisilp says the new, much broader menu “allows all customers to enjoy their favorites while also trying something unfamiliar.” Chao Baan is open every day from 4–10 p.m. for socially distanced dine-in service and carryout. 4087 Chouteau, 314-925-8250.
INSIDER TIP
Going Hog Wild for Vegan Pizza
If at first you succeed, try, try again. And so it goes for Chris Bertke, former executive chef at Utah Station and co-founder of Vegan Deli & Butcher on Main Street in St. Charles, the seemingly incongruous coffee shop, café, and, yes, vegan deli. Last we checked, the chef was busy trying to keep up with the demand for his vegan charcuterie platters. Recently, he started selling—and selling out of—frozen vegan pizzas. Bertke makes the sauce in house and mixes three cheeses (including one that he makes onsite) to create a mock Provel. He produces three 14-inch varieties—cheese, vegan pepperoni and sausage, and a specialty pie—and offers them every other week. “I sell out immediately, like 2,000 preorders in an hour, consistently,” he says. “We make as many as we can store, and we can’t make them nearly fast enough.” Since Bertke treats the phenomenon almost as separate popup events, preorder times are announced via Facebook and Instagram. Asked what’s next on his agenda, Bertke says he “just might have to open a vegan pizzeria.” 524 S. Main, St. Charles, 636-757-3349.
MICRORANT
Where’s the Menu?
One of the hallmarks of ordering online from restaurants is the convenience it affords…or should. There are times that we want to order something and times that we just want to check out the menu to see what’s available. Platforms that make you sign in—or select pickup or delivery or block the respective menu until the time when it’s available—are counterproductive. Every online order platform should have a simple “view menu” option that’s accessible anytime, from any device.
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