Hair Strokers
Restaurant staffers are trained to abstain from such activity. Unfortunately, old habits die hard. We speak, of course, of the touching, stroking, rearranging, fiddling, and twirling of one’s hair while on duty. Our mind tends to envenom such occurrences, so pardon us when we request an alternate server, as we don’t want to hang around for the picking and scratching.
Say Uncle (Leo)
Just when we think we’ve tried (or at least heard of) all the good pizza joints in town, along comes Uncle Leo’s Pizza in South County. Opened since early this year and operated by the Failoni family, Uncle Leo’s serves a thin-crust pizza whose recipe came from Alex Failoni’s uncle, the owner of Leo’s Pizza in Kansas City. Provenance notwithstanding, we’ll vouch for Leo’s homemade meatballs, the Mayfair dressing (an 80-year-old classic invented in St. Louis), and the Chicken Delight (a white pizza made with fresh-sheeted—not pre-made—dough). 9975 Lin-Ferry, 314-842-7155.
Veritas Turns 11
If our ciphering is correct, Veritas Gateway to Food and Wine executive chef Mathis Stitt has created 572 menus (one per week) over the past 11 years. For this weekend’s birthday menu, Stitt will feature his most requested special: grilled trout stuffed with lemon and herbs, topped with smoked trout crème fraiche. Then, shrimp ‘n’ grits will be showcased next Tuesday and Wednesday. The celebration will culminate October 4 with Party Under the Tent, a blowout affair that’s part seafood boil, part pig roast. Originally slated to be held just once every five years, the extravaganza was so much fun last year, it will now be an annual event, says co-owner Stephanie Stitt. October 4, 3–7 p.m. $55 per person; $20 for kids ages 6–12. 15860 Fountain Plaza, 636-227-6800.
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 and Twitter.
