HOT SPOT
I Love Juice Bar opens in Ladue
Over the past several years, juice bars have become popular alternatives to the traditional breakfast-and-lunch joint. At I Love Juice Bar in Ladue, which opened on March 9, customers choose from an array of juice blends, shakes, juice shots, smoothies, and sweet and savory bowls. Each weekday morning, a refrigerated case is stocked with grab-and-go items for people on the run. Franchise co-owner Mike Hafner (whose brother Jake owns The Civil Life Brewery) says ingredients are sourced from local farms, which differentiates the restaurant from other smoothie shops. His partner is J.B. Brunner, who co-founded the I Love Juice Bar in Rock Hill. The duo plans to open more locations, with Clayton possibly being next in line. 10283 Clayton, 314-755-1545
Biscuit bar and more
Kelly Spencer, owner of The Social Affair and resident chef at Anew, the rooftop event space and test kitchen in Grand Center, is bringing back Cathead Biscuit Bar for one day only, Saturday, March 17, from 9 a.m.–3 p.m. or until sold out. The menu features three biscuit options, all “as big as a cat’s head”: Heavenly Angel (light and fluffy yeast biscuits), the Queen's Biscuit (an orange and cranberry scone), and Geneva's Cathead (buttermilk drop biscuits). After making your choice, head to the "biscuit bar," which will offer house-made marmalade and jams, local honey, whipped butter, Dixie pimiento cheese, and 'Bama Apple Jelly (a staple from Spencer's home state). There will also be a Bloody Mary bar, as well as biscuit sandwiches and The Social Affair’s signature shrimp and grits. 519 N. Grand, 314-615-1047.
MICRORANT
Mediocre service
Encountering a really good restaurant server is rarer than encountering really good restaurant food—but we really appreciate when it happens. We're talking about the server who is focused enough to replace every missing utensil and errant napkin; the server who knows just when to appear and can gracefully intervene when table conversation lulls; the server who knows to place a coffee cup with the handle facing outward and is astute enough to observe that the guest is left-handed; the server who is diplomatic enough to ask, “Would you care for a glass of wine?” even if said server knows it's not your first glass of the evening.
