HOT SPOT
Vicia at Lunch or Dinner
After a handful of glowing reviews—and just this week being hailed as one of the “The 12 Best New Restaurants in America” by food publication Eater—we thought snagging a dinner reservation at Vicia would be like asking The French Laundry if it takes walk-ins. We were pleasantly surprised. “Unless you’re looking for 7 or 7:30 on a weekend night, we can usually accommodate a few days in advance,” says co-owner Tara Gallina. A great introduction to Vicia is the lunch service, a fast-casual interpretation of chef Michael Gallina’s cuisine and the couple’s convictions. One of the best lunch experiences in town also happens to be a great deal: Pick two items for $11 or three for $14. Vicia serves lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Arrive before noon or after 1 p.m. to avoid the noontime rush. 4260 Forest Park, 314-553-9239.
INSIDER TIP
Boxed Wines for Summer
A few years ago, we noticed that more wines were being introduced in 1-liter bottles. Now we’re seeing more wine in compact 3-liter boxes, including a dozen selections at The Wine and Cheese Place in Clayton (priced in the $18–$20 range) and three at The Wine Merchant (including one of the top-selling varietals, Picpoul de Pinet, priced at $29.99). Picpoul has long been one of our summer staples, and its appearance in a box is proof that better wines are making their ways into the low-cost, convenient medium. Same goes for the Chateau Montaud Rosé, Cotes de Provençe ($32.99), another hot weather fave.
MICRORANT
Auto Salting and/or Peppering
Every chef—and dare we say every serious home cook—does their damnedest to balance the seasoning before serving a dish: heat, sweet, acid, aromatics, salt, pepper… A dish is considered a failure if the consumer must reach for a salt or pepper shaker to make up for a lapse in the kitchen. But salting and/or peppering before even tasting the dish is an even bigger affront. When we recently witnessed a patron liberally shaking salt on what we already knew was a salt bomb of a dish, we could only shake our heads.
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.
