Courtesy Urban Chestnut Brewing Company
HOT SPOTS
Starkbier Fest at Urban Chestnut
As famous beerfests go, Maifest, Oktoberfest, and possibly the Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular come to mind. But how about Starkbier Fest (a.k.a. “Oktoberfest’s little brother”), Munich’s first beer festival of the year? The tradition began 500 years ago, when Bavarian monks brewed a strong beer, Starkbier, with enough nutrients to sustain them during their 40-day Lenten fast. Today, the seasonal Bock beer is the headliner for the annual Starkbier Fest. On March 24, as part of its 10th anniversary dinner series, Urban Chestnut Brewing Company will hold its own Starkbier Fest at the Grove Bierhall. That evening, a new Starkbier will be released, Chestnut Doppelbock, served in commemorative, ceramic, half-liter steins, accompanied with an order of pork schnitzel and pomme frites. Reservations are being taken by party size (starting with parties of two) for seatings at 6 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person and available online. 4465 Manchester, 314-222-0143.
INSIDER TIP
GiftAMeal at Lion’s Choice
Courtesy GiftAMeal
Founded by St. Louisan Andrew Glantz, GiftAMeal is a mobile app that helps provide meals to neighbors in need. Each time a user takes a photo of their order from a partner restaurant, GiftAMeal makes a donation to a local food bank (such as Operation Food Search), which, in turn, supplies metro area food pantries. More than 240 local establishments currently participate, including all 32 locations of Lion’s Choice, which signed on earlier this month. For each photo taken of a Lion’s Choice order on the GiftAMeal app, a meal will be provided to a person in need. If a guest then shares their GiftAMeal on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, then a second, third, or fourth meal is provided—one for each social share. Since its inception, in 2015, the GiftAMeal program has helped provide more than 596,000 meals to people in need. And now, thanks to the five Lion’s Choice locations in the Kansas City area, GiftAMeal has a presence there as well.
MICRORANT
Overly Thickened French Onion Soup
Photo by George Mahe
The way it oughta be: French onion soup at avenue restaurant in Clayton
Lovers of Famous-Barr’s famous French onion soup (served in those classic brown earthenware crocks) might take issue with this viewpoint, but we much prefer that ours be thickened only with long-simmered, caramelized onions instead of a flour-based roux. In so doing, the beef-enhanced broth remains a clear, deep brown, rather than a cloudy, muddy mess. The texture remains thin (like a bouillon), not heavy and starchy. We contend that the true flavors in this classic dish present themselves better without cloying binders. A couple of big, fat, Gruyère cheese–covered croutons are all the enhancement necessary.
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