HOT SPOT
Ahoy, Santa
Alas, there won’t be any sledding action on Art Hill this Christmas Eve, but there are other things to do in Forest Park. Holiday revelers looking for something different can head to the Boathouse at Forest Park from 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Executive chef Jack MacMurray has created a one-day-only menu of soups, salads, sandwiches, and entrées, including blue crab and shrimp ravioli with lobster sherry cream sauce and fried spinach. Sugarfire Pie will supply the desserts. Guests can dine fireside or on the heated patio overlooking Post-Dispatch Lake. For reservations, call the Boathouse at 314-366-1555.
INSIDER TIP
A pickle for all seasons
Eight years ago while tending bar at the original Taste by Niche on Sidney Street, mixologist Ted Kilgore created a summertime cocktail that he called In a Pickle, made with Hendrick’s Gin, Velvet Falernum, Elderflower, lime and cucumber juice, and dill. The concoction was an immediate hit, became popular in all seasons, and has appeared on every Kilgore menu since. Now made in batches (20 gallons were sold last month), In a Pickle is available at Planter’s House (1000 Mississippi) and at Small Change (2800 Indiana) for $11 each or $42 for a four-serving pitcher. At happy hour, the price drops to $8 per glass, $32 per pitcher, an especially good dill.
MICRORANT
Meat temperature miscues
Nothing aggravates a chef or manager more than when a burger or steak gets sent back, but when it gets sent back in error, they go ballistic, because it’s the restaurant that pays—twice—due to customer dissatisfaction and the cost to replace the “miscooked” item. There are meat temperature standards (as illustrated in this SLM article), but interpretation is still subjective, which is why many menus have verbiage describing the differences. If there’s doubt or trepidation on either side, a simple discussion of the diners’ wishes and expectations can go a long way.
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.
