Courtesy Gelato di Riso
HOT SPOT
Gelato di Riso's New Patio
What’s more Italian than enjoying a scoop of creamy gelato by a beautiful ornate fountain? St. Louisans and tourists visiting the new Piazza Imo on The Hill are flocking to Gelato di Riso to do just that. The long-standing gelato shop built a new outdoor plaza to coincide with the opening of the piazza, and it’s quickly become a gathering place this fall. “Our new back patio abuts the piazza, and offers a great view of the fountain and St. Ambrose church,” says Larry Fuse, owner of Gelato di Riso and Lorenzo’s Trattoria, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this month. “We’ve been getting a lot of traffic from visitors [to Piazza Imo], and we’re doing some special things for our new guests.” Fuse says the patio will host a series of pop-up happy hours this fall with wine, beer, and food specials from Lorenzo’s. The shop will soon begin offering its popular fall gelato flavors, such as pumpkin and cinnamon. Gelato di Riso recently announced it will open a second location, at 151 W. Jefferson Avenue in Kirkwood, serving the same authentic Italian gelato flavors, coffee, and baked goods that made it a popular destination on The Hill. Fuse anticipates the Kirkwood location to open in time for the Kirkwood Halloween Walk on October 24. 5204 Wilson, 314-664-8488. —Brandi Wills
INSIDER TIP
New Apples For Fall
Wikimedia Commons
Cosmic Crisp apples
Every fall, we are amazed at the ever-increasing varieties of apples that appear on grocery store shelves. Researchers spend years experimenting with what they hope will become the next big apple (hello, Honeycrisp). Last year, it was the Crimson Crisp, EverCrisp, and Firestorm. This year, growers are talking up the SweeTango and the Zestar, but the real buzz is about the Cosmic Crisp, a crossbreed of Honeycrisp (for its texture and juiciness) and Enterprise (a late-ripening, long-storing variety), which was first developed at Washington State University in 1997. After 22 years of testing, the first harvest is slated to finally hit retail markets this fall. According to an article in the California Sunday Magazine, the rollout is ‘“unprecedented,” “on steroids,” “off the friggin’ charts,” and “the largest launch of a single produce item in American history.”’ Produce managers at Schnucks and Dierbergs say the apple shipments have been a few weeks behind this year and to date they’ve seen no mention of the Cosmic Crisp’s arrival. But that won’t stop us from looking for them every time we pay them a visit.
MICRORANT
Boxing Up Extras at Tables
fongfong2/iStock/Getty images Plus
If we’re eating at a fast-casual joint and we want to bring home a portion of our sandwich, we don’t mind self-boxing it at the table. But if we’re in a full-service restaurant and ask to have something wrapped up, that’s what we mean. It shouldn’t cue the server to grab a box, slide it across the table, and say, “Here ya go.” We already trusted the establishment to prep, cook, and serve our meal. Why would we object to a staffer taking a plate to the kitchen and returning with a nice little bag and a smile? For our money (which we’re near ready to shell out, by the way), that’s all part of full-service. Or at least offer the option of packing the leftovers in back or self-packing them at the table.
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