HOT SPOT
Vicia’s Holiday Market
On Saturday, December 15, from 11 a.m.– 3 p.m., Vicia is hosting a holiday marketplace featuring items and foodstuffs from local farmers and artisans. Choose from fresh produce, dairy, charcuterie, coffee and wine, as well as wood pieces, pottery, wreaths, and more. Handwritten gift cards can be purchased on-site as well. Owners Michael and Tara Gallina will be offering lunch that day from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Don’t miss a chance to support more than 15 local vendors, just like the Gallinas do every day. 4260 Forest Park, 314-553-9239.
INSIDER TIP
12 Days of Beer Box
While Craft Beer Cellar’s Advent Calendar full-case boxes are already spoken for this year, the 12 Days of Beer Box is still available. The CBC folks have once again hand-selected a 12-pack of limited-release beers (from 330 ml to 500 ml) representing a broad range of flavors. Better yet, you can now specify what styles you’d like for the beer geek in your life: Standard, All STL Mix, All IPA Mix, All Stout Mix, All German Mix, or All Belgian Mix. It’s even possible to customize beyond that. Boxes start at $36.99 and come wrapped and ready for pickup, local delivery, or shipping beyond the metro. Call 314-222-2444 to place your order.
MICRORANT
Unrendered fat
“It’s not fat. It’s flavor!” my grandmother used to say. While some folks (and relatives) like the unctuousness of animal fat in any way, shape, or form (duck, pig, beef, or lamb tallow), others are more reticent, put off by the texture, the chemical composition, the calories, or even the thought of it. Silky, rendered fat seems to be acceptable to most diners, but unrendered (as witnessed in many local duck and pork belly preparations) is a different thing, where neither taste nor texture complements the dish. All rants have an exception, and this one is lardo (seasoned, cured fatback), sliced gossamer thin, or the melty, whipped version that accompanies Dia’s Cheese Bread, a mandatory first course at Gerard Craft’s Cinder House.
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, Twitter, and Instagram.
