Courtesy Cat Neville
Built from three 18th century barns, the stone barn at Hermann Farm features a 12,000-square-foot event space and lower-level stalls for the resident Shire draft horses.
INSIDER TIP
Wine Aficionados Take Note
Courtesy Doug Frost/Cat Neville
Doug Frost, a Missouri-based master of wine and master sommelier (one of just 269 master somms worldwide and one of only four people to hold both titles) recently launched the Best USA Sommelier Association, which will host the biennial “Best Sommelier in the USA” competition, the first of which will be held at Hermann Farm in mid-January. (The winner will go on to compete for the title of “Best Sommelier in the World.”) On November 13, the farm’s curator, Cat Neville, will host an event to support the association’s work. Attendees will be the first to dine inside the farm’s newly christened 12,000-square-foot stone barn. The evening will begin with appetizers and cocktails made with distilled-on-site Black Shire spirits and wines selected by Frost. Akar chef/owner Bernie Lee will prepare a four-course dinner with wine pairings (again chosen by Frost). Guests will learn about the association and Hermann Farm, and “exceptional and singular wine lots” will be auctioned. The evening will conclude with live music and a tasting of Black Shire Bourbon. An all-women group of regional sommeliers will be on hand to staff the event. Tickets are $150 per person and all-inclusive. Bus transportation can be arranged online, and lodging can be arranged through Visit Hermann. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. 526 E. 1st, Hermann, 314-629-2282.
Courtesy Roberto's
HOTSPOT
A Shout-Out to Roberto Zanti
Courtesy Roberto's
There’s nothing more impressive than seeing a chef-owner who’s laser-focused on the quality of his business, its food, and customers’ safety. Roberto Zanti of Roberto’s Trattoria and Chophouse was one of the first to react to the pandemic by installing freestanding plexiglass dividers between tables. (He’s since added UV ionizers to purify the air.) His customers responded and “never stopped coming in,” he says, for such dishes as Shrimp Lucia (bacon-wrapped large shrimp with Dijon cream), Filet Roberto, and Rigatoni Alla Vodka (with lobster claw meat, shrimp, and mushroom in tomato/cream sauce), as well as such specials as the saucer-sized Egg Raviolo appetizer (with zucchini pesto) and poached Alaskan Halibut (in seafood broth with shrimp, littleneck clams, and lobster). Roberto’s is located in the elbow of a humble strip mall, similar to Paul Manno’s, another great, old-school Italian restaurant. 145 Concord Plaza, 314-842-9998.
MICRORANT
Charging For Chips and Salsa
J-Roman / E+ / Getty Images Plus
While we realize that it’s getting harder and harder for restaurants to make a buck these days, that doesn’t give license to buck tradition. For decades, Mexican restaurants have offered complimentary chips and salsa, with additional rounds also being gratis. Similar to tipping, we’re not here to argue the logic of the practice, but if restaurant owners feel that they must charge guests for such items, then they’d better be far superior (and they’re usually not) or maybe charge for the third (and subsequent) rounds if necessary. Otherwise, restaurants should build the freebie into the menu pricing, as 99 percent of other local joints do. Don’t subject customers to low-dollar, miscellaneous charges. It makes for a very unpleasant farewell.
Follow George on Twitter and Instagram, or email him at gmahe@stlmag.com. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
