WEBVTT - Dining and Drink Trends to Watch in 2024 0:00:03.119 --> 0:00:06.110 Hello again and welcome to Arch Eats the show for 0:00:06.119 --> 0:00:08.988 Saint Louis Food fans. That gives you some information that 0:00:09.000 --> 0:00:12.340 maybe you didn't know about the local dining scene. This 0:00:12.350 --> 0:00:15.949 episode of Arch Eats is sponsored by the Repertory Theater 0:00:15.960 --> 0:00:16.899 of Saint Louis 0:00:17.360 --> 0:00:20.569 with me as always is my cohort in Crime, Cheryl Bear. 0:00:20.590 --> 0:00:21.399 Good morning, 0:00:21.409 --> 0:00:23.280 good morning. Good frosty morning to 0:00:23.370 --> 0:00:25.799 you. And we will cover that later. That's gonna, that's 0:00:25.809 --> 0:00:28.489 gonna come up a little bit later on teaser. Yes. 0:00:28.870 --> 0:00:31.420 Today we're gonna talk about trends we see in Saint 0:00:31.430 --> 0:00:34.909 Louis for 2024 and a few we'd prefer not to see. 0:00:35.119 --> 0:00:37.388 And then we'll end up with a rant about what 0:00:37.400 --> 0:00:41.009 irritates us about some Saint Louis restaurants in the winter. 0:00:41.020 --> 0:00:44.580 But first, it's what we can't stop thinking about this week. 0:00:46.740 --> 0:00:49.299 Ok. I'll go first for me. This is brand new 0:00:49.310 --> 0:00:53.959 News Southern closed this week. A great Nashville hot Chicken restaurant. 0:00:53.970 --> 0:00:57.040 Rick Lewis and Mike Emerson opened this place. They spent 0:00:57.049 --> 0:01:00.470 a lot of time down south down in, in, in Nashville, 0:01:00.479 --> 0:01:03.200 down in Memphis, down in the, the, the roots of, 0:01:03.209 --> 0:01:07.620 of hot chicken land, uh, learning about how to properly 0:01:07.629 --> 0:01:10.919 prepare it they were bringing the first Nashville hot chicken 0:01:10.930 --> 0:01:12.679 to Saint Louis and they wanted to do it. Right. 0:01:12.940 --> 0:01:15.910 I just remember a lot of the things that they did, 0:01:15.919 --> 0:01:19.489 they are things that I didn't know they put the 0:01:19.500 --> 0:01:22.849 spicing into the meat. They did the meat marinade. So, 0:01:22.860 --> 0:01:25.819 the spice isn't in the breading. Huh? I didn't know 0:01:25.830 --> 0:01:28.279 that the only spicy part of the breading is what 0:01:28.370 --> 0:01:31.989 they coat it in the spice mix, which it's a 0:01:32.000 --> 0:01:34.279 powdered mix that they mix with a little of the 0:01:34.290 --> 0:01:37.309 fryer oil. That's how they make the paste. And it's 0:01:37.319 --> 0:01:39.309 a very light, it's almost like a glaze. It's not 0:01:39.319 --> 0:01:42.239 like a paste. I thought that was pretty interesting and 0:01:42.250 --> 0:01:44.910 that's what made it better. And the other thing that 0:01:44.919 --> 0:01:47.750 they did is something that Mike did at Pappy's. They 0:01:47.760 --> 0:01:50.470 had a door person there to meet, greet and answer 0:01:50.480 --> 0:01:53.870 questions and basically entertain the people in line. And a 0:01:53.879 --> 0:01:55.430 lot of the time that was Rick Lewis 0:01:55.819 --> 0:01:58.839 and I just think that was something that was crucial 0:01:58.849 --> 0:02:01.599 to the success of both those places. They, you got 0:02:01.610 --> 0:02:04.330 to meet the owner and what Rick Lewis did, which 0:02:04.339 --> 0:02:06.519 was really interesting. He offered chicken at one of the 0:02:06.529 --> 0:02:09.369 lower spice levels just as a barometer. Just so you 0:02:09.380 --> 0:02:10.919 knew how to order. Once you got to 0:02:11.000 --> 0:02:13.500 the head of the line, I thought that was brilliant. 0:02:13.550 --> 0:02:17.418 Southern changed. They took uh chicken breasts off the menu 0:02:17.429 --> 0:02:21.139 which met with a lot of disagreement. Uh in favor 0:02:21.149 --> 0:02:24.389 of uh just chicken tenders. Nothing wrong with chicken tenders, 0:02:24.399 --> 0:02:26.139 but you gotta have a chicken breast on the menu. 0:02:26.770 --> 0:02:29.399 And I think what happened to them is, is I 0:02:29.410 --> 0:02:31.570 was trying to analyze it is they took a long 0:02:31.580 --> 0:02:35.279 time to open up after the pandemic. I'm not sure 0:02:35.288 --> 0:02:37.710 they ever regained that lost business. 0:02:38.059 --> 0:02:42.149 Anyway. Southern closed last week. It was unfortunate. But, you know, 0:02:42.160 --> 0:02:45.070 to me it was the first Nashville hot chicken joint 0:02:45.080 --> 0:02:47.668 in the city. And for several years anyway, it was 0:02:47.679 --> 0:02:48.160 the best. 0:02:48.169 --> 0:02:50.600 It was spicy, but it was so flavorful. You didn't, 0:02:50.610 --> 0:02:52.009 you couldn't stop. That was 0:02:52.020 --> 0:02:55.080 the problem. And there's other Nashville hot chicken places that 0:02:55.089 --> 0:02:58.149 have come up since then. Uh Chuck's a place called 0:02:58.160 --> 0:02:59.919 Heaters in Kirkwood. 0:03:00.270 --> 0:03:03.600 Uh Grace Meat and Three where Rick Lewis moved on to, 0:03:03.610 --> 0:03:06.989 he still sells, I think the original recipe and then 0:03:07.000 --> 0:03:09.948 a place that I know you love Sunday best. Yeah. 0:03:09.960 --> 0:03:10.229 Their 0:03:10.240 --> 0:03:14.089 hot chicken is wonderful. The tenders and the, uh, in 0:03:14.100 --> 0:03:18.210 the bone in version. Well, George, if you're talking about 0:03:18.220 --> 0:03:22.600 Southern and Fried chicken, of course, one place that I 0:03:22.610 --> 0:03:25.929 can't stop thinking about and I recently discovered this little 0:03:25.940 --> 0:03:28.449 trick or hack. I don't know, in the parlance 0:03:28.910 --> 0:03:31.970 of our times if that's what we want to call it. But, um, 0:03:31.979 --> 0:03:35.339 f Frank and Helen's is a university city institution. It's 0:03:35.350 --> 0:03:38.970 been there forever. I have memories of my grandma sitting 0:03:38.979 --> 0:03:42.309 there getting a reservation. Sitting down with Helen in one 0:03:42.320 --> 0:03:44.770 of the booths at this place. And, I mean, it's 0:03:44.779 --> 0:03:49.009 been there for decades but they do broasted chicken, which 0:03:49.020 --> 0:03:52.250 is a pressure cooked style of chicken that results in 0:03:52.259 --> 0:03:55.970 very juicy meat. But this very light but super crispy 0:03:55.979 --> 0:03:58.479 coating on the outside. Well, 0:03:59.050 --> 0:04:02.660 the broasted chicken, it's wonderful on its own. But they 0:04:02.669 --> 0:04:07.460 also serve a creamy garlic dressing for their salad, which 0:04:07.470 --> 0:04:09.130 I think it's the best salad dressing 0:04:09.479 --> 0:04:12.479 ever to be invented. I'm, I'm just gonna go out 0:04:12.490 --> 0:04:14.869 on a limb and say this. It is the nectar 0:04:14.880 --> 0:04:18.980 of the gods. And the owner told me that I 0:04:18.988 --> 0:04:23.230 should get an order a side dish. Oh, yes, of 0:04:23.238 --> 0:04:27.399 the creamy garlic dressing and dip the fried chicken into it. 0:04:27.410 --> 0:04:31.369 And I'm telling you it's, it's transcendent. Highly recommend. I'm 0:04:31.380 --> 0:04:34.599 shaking my head, but I respect your palate. I, I, 0:04:34.609 --> 0:04:36.958 and I love Frank and Helen. So, uh, I did 0:04:36.970 --> 0:04:37.979 not know about that. 0:04:38.329 --> 0:04:40.988 Have you had the dressing though? Yes, I think I've 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:43.630 had it on a salad. I, I never thought to 0:04:43.640 --> 0:04:44.469 put it on chicken 0:04:45.309 --> 0:04:48.190 garlic bread in there. I'm not gonna lie. It's, uh, put, 0:04:48.200 --> 0:04:50.630 put that on your special, put that on your to 0:04:50.640 --> 0:04:53.910 do list, folks Frank and Helen's chicken with the dressing 0:04:53.920 --> 0:04:54.279 10 0:04:54.290 --> 0:04:55.369 out of 10. 0:04:56.809 --> 0:05:00.209 We'll be right back in the heart of the ocean. 0:05:00.220 --> 0:05:04.920 A tale of Revenge unfolds. Moby Dick live on stage 0:05:04.928 --> 0:05:08.329 at the repertory Theater of Saint Louis from February 6th 0:05:08.339 --> 0:05:13.279 through the 25th. Don't miss the drama, the Danger, the Hunt, 0:05:13.459 --> 0:05:16.269 get tickets now at Rep stl.org 0:05:17.559 --> 0:05:19.130 and now back to the show. 0:05:20.119 --> 0:05:22.019 So that brings us to the main part of our 0:05:22.029 --> 0:05:24.229 show where we're gonna talk about some trends and we're 0:05:24.238 --> 0:05:26.609 gonna take them in and try to be organized and 0:05:26.619 --> 0:05:29.380 take them in, in categories. We're gonna talk about some 0:05:29.390 --> 0:05:33.049 food trends, some drink trends, some restaurant trends and some 0:05:33.059 --> 0:05:35.970 service trends. I think we've got something to say about 0:05:35.980 --> 0:05:38.149 all those. And then I think we're gonna do some trends. 0:05:38.160 --> 0:05:39.059 We just like to see, 0:05:39.070 --> 0:05:42.429 go away. Some of these are things that we've already seen, 0:05:42.515 --> 0:05:45.894 seen. There's been some groundwork for them, others, you know, 0:05:45.904 --> 0:05:48.005 we haven't seen here at all. We're getting our crystal 0:05:48.015 --> 0:05:51.815 balls out. I think one of those things that we 0:05:51.825 --> 0:05:55.695 really have seen a lot of groundwork laid already are 0:05:55.704 --> 0:05:59.135 plant based meats. I don't know if we call meats 0:05:59.144 --> 0:06:00.595 meat alternatives. It's 0:06:00.855 --> 0:06:03.875 hard. You have to, you know, use the quotations all 0:06:03.885 --> 0:06:04.774 the time because, 0:06:05.178 --> 0:06:07.959 uh, whenever you say, you know, it tastes just like 0:06:07.970 --> 0:06:11.880 steak or it's, it's a vegan steak, steak in quotes. 0:06:11.910 --> 0:06:12.109 But I 0:06:12.119 --> 0:06:14.559 think there is, you know, you need that reference point 0:06:14.570 --> 0:06:17.570 because that's what they're going for with these. And one 0:06:17.579 --> 0:06:20.029 of the most exciting people to watch is Chris Burke 0:06:20.579 --> 0:06:24.339 at Vegan Deli and Butcher, which opened kind of later 0:06:24.350 --> 0:06:27.559 last year in Bevo Mill. You know, he's been doing 0:06:27.570 --> 0:06:29.320 this for years. He was kind of one of the 0:06:29.329 --> 0:06:32.000 first people in town to do like the vegan versions 0:06:32.010 --> 0:06:33.070 of all your fast food 0:06:33.244 --> 0:06:36.065 bowls, like the Jack In the Box tacos and the 0:06:36.075 --> 0:06:38.024 Big Macs and all of that. He's the 0:06:38.035 --> 0:06:40.224 poster boy for chefs in this town. 0:06:40.234 --> 0:06:42.605 He really is. He's so it's 0:06:43.665 --> 0:06:45.214 g but he kind of is, he kind 0:06:45.225 --> 0:06:48.385 of is to be honest. So he's really doing at 0:06:48.584 --> 0:06:52.984 his deli and butcher shop there. He's taking some of 0:06:52.994 --> 0:06:58.854 the classic deli dishes, think smoked salmon, think corned beef pastrami. 0:06:58.924 --> 0:07:01.214 And he's doing them with plant based meats. And 0:07:01.309 --> 0:07:04.969 I find that really exciting. Um Another place and we've 0:07:04.980 --> 0:07:07.459 actually talked about them before. Um I think it talks 0:07:07.470 --> 0:07:11.309 about them in terms of biscuits and gravy is Looking Meadow, 0:07:11.320 --> 0:07:15.200 the coffee shop in Maplewood, the vegan sausage on those 0:07:15.209 --> 0:07:18.730 biscuits and gravy is fantastic. But they also do a 0:07:18.739 --> 0:07:22.899 wonderful version of a French dip with a vegan version 0:07:22.910 --> 0:07:25.940 of roast beef that a local woman named Amy Simmons 0:07:25.950 --> 0:07:28.540 makes for them. I mean, I'm telling you, I am 0:07:28.549 --> 0:07:29.170 a of 0:07:29.375 --> 0:07:33.355 avowed meat eater and this stuff's delicious. 0:07:33.885 --> 0:07:36.614 And, you know, we talked about this a little bit too. 0:07:36.625 --> 0:07:41.095 There's a local product called Harvest Shreds and it is 0:07:41.105 --> 0:07:45.234 just like I said this before. It fooled carnivore George. It's, 0:07:45.244 --> 0:07:48.734 it's locally made. It's plant based. It's a sustainable shredded 0:07:48.744 --> 0:07:52.505 meat alternative and it goes great in taco salads and 0:07:52.515 --> 0:07:55.345 tacos and it's being used in a bunch of, uh, 0:07:55.364 --> 0:07:57.315 Mexican restaurants in town 0:07:57.670 --> 0:08:00.619 and it's just an excellent product. And I think you're 0:08:00.630 --> 0:08:04.100 gonna see a lot more of this product and products 0:08:04.109 --> 0:08:08.390 like it in 2024 both at the grocery store and on, uh, 0:08:08.399 --> 0:08:11.230 restaurant menus. I know they have it at Ivy. I 0:08:11.239 --> 0:08:13.799 know they have it at Grace Meat and Three. Look 0:08:13.809 --> 0:08:17.809 for it when it's becomes available. I think, I think 0:08:17.820 --> 0:08:20.790 it's available now at Parker's table, but I'm not sure. 0:08:21.179 --> 0:08:23.679 And before we get off of Chris Burke, we were 0:08:23.690 --> 0:08:26.029 talking about some of the things he does. Yeah, he does. 0:08:26.040 --> 0:08:30.179 He's created all these meats. But he also does. You 0:08:30.190 --> 0:08:32.640 said he does a, a quote salmon. He also does 0:08:32.650 --> 0:08:37.619 a lobster roll. A vegan lobster that I haven't tasted it, 0:08:37.630 --> 0:08:39.380 but I've seen it and it looks pretty much like 0:08:39.390 --> 0:08:42.489 a lobster roll. And, um, anyway, that is another trend 0:08:42.500 --> 0:08:45.890 that's coming, is this whole faux fish trend, this vegan 0:08:45.900 --> 0:08:48.320 faux fish where they're making, 0:08:48.659 --> 0:08:52.559 uh, scallops and, and snow crab and lobster out of, uh, 0:08:52.760 --> 0:08:55.250 you know, plant-based products. And I, I read there's a 0:08:55.260 --> 0:08:57.869 crab cake out there that tastes like a crab cake 0:08:57.969 --> 0:09:00.859 that's made out of Enoki mushrooms and celery root. Oh, 0:09:00.869 --> 0:09:03.440 I don't know what kind of magic is that. I mean, 0:09:03.450 --> 0:09:06.000 I don't even see how that's possible, but I know 0:09:06.010 --> 0:09:08.059 what some of these guys can do. Anyway. It's gonna 0:09:08.070 --> 0:09:11.599 be a very significant year for plant-based meats and 0:09:11.609 --> 0:09:14.150 goodies. I agree. And I think, you know, the bottom 0:09:14.159 --> 0:09:14.679 line on 0:09:14.765 --> 0:09:17.765 that is, it's not just, um, you know, it's not 0:09:17.776 --> 0:09:20.556 a segmented thing anymore where you find it in a 0:09:20.565 --> 0:09:23.375 vegan restaurant but you won't find it anywhere else. I 0:09:23.385 --> 0:09:25.616 think that's part of the trend is a lot of 0:09:25.625 --> 0:09:31.064 like restaurants that appeal to all different diets are finding 0:09:31.075 --> 0:09:33.505 that they want options for variety 0:09:33.705 --> 0:09:35.366 because somebody in your group is going to be a 0:09:35.375 --> 0:09:38.096 vegan or a vegetarian. You better accommodate for them. The 0:09:38.106 --> 0:09:40.106 other one that I saw, I haven't seen it here yet, 0:09:40.315 --> 0:09:40.695 but they 0:09:40.872 --> 0:09:45.221 is an alternative chocolate that's made without cocoa. Oh, think 0:09:45.231 --> 0:09:49.252 about that. And apparently it has the same taste smell 0:09:49.261 --> 0:09:52.831 and melt of original chocolate and has no cocoa in it. 0:09:52.841 --> 0:09:54.252 I mean, just what I say, it's gonna be a, 0:09:54.452 --> 0:09:56.731 just a fantastic year. I can't wait to see that 0:09:56.742 --> 0:09:57.891 stuff come down. Yeah. All the 0:09:57.901 --> 0:10:01.372 food science stuff is very interesting for sure. What else 0:10:01.381 --> 0:10:02.881 do you have that you're excited about? 0:10:02.892 --> 0:10:05.432 Well, um, we've touched on some of this, this whole 0:10:05.442 --> 0:10:06.851 tinned fish trend. 0:10:07.109 --> 0:10:09.570 Uh Ben Pemba has a lot of it on the 0:10:09.580 --> 0:10:12.609 menu at bar morrow. These are these, you know, don't 0:10:12.619 --> 0:10:16.210 think uh you know, sardines and, and some of these 0:10:16.219 --> 0:10:19.939 older tuna in a can, these are higher end uh 0:10:19.950 --> 0:10:23.289 scallops and finer fish if you will. This is the 0:10:23.299 --> 0:10:26.609 fancy canned it is and some of them are $8 0:10:26.619 --> 0:10:28.549 and some of them are 30. But you're gonna see 0:10:28.559 --> 0:10:30.489 a lot more of these, they, they've been kind of 0:10:30.500 --> 0:10:31.289 in the news 0:10:31.659 --> 0:10:34.489 and so much to the point that there are now 0:10:34.500 --> 0:10:38.650 sea coterie se a coterie boards with all this stuff, 0:10:38.659 --> 0:10:42.340 all these smoked fish, all these tinned fish on them. 0:10:42.419 --> 0:10:44.159 And I thought, and we've talked about this, why not 0:10:44.169 --> 0:10:46.619 throw a few of those anti gun smoked shrimp on 0:10:46.630 --> 0:10:48.969 there when we're putting something like that together at home? 0:10:49.219 --> 0:10:51.669 I think you're gonna see sea 0:10:51.690 --> 0:10:54.280 cutie boards. I can't get over the term 0:10:54.535 --> 0:10:55.517 cutie. I mean, 0:10:55.526 --> 0:10:57.627 I thought, I, yeah, I'm always known for my, you 0:10:57.636 --> 0:11:00.146 always like, look at me, you know, cross eyed when 0:11:00.155 --> 0:11:02.186 I come up with these cutesy terms, but that's one 0:11:02.197 --> 0:11:02.596 of them 0:11:02.646 --> 0:11:05.536 Archie should do like a dictionary. Like the word of 0:11:05.546 --> 0:11:08.665 the year is C coterie. I'm officially crowning that our 0:11:08.677 --> 0:11:09.517 word of the year. 0:11:09.526 --> 0:11:13.077 That that works. How about dry aging? Now we've seen 0:11:13.086 --> 0:11:16.596 dry aged meats. They've been on local restaurants for a long, 0:11:16.606 --> 0:11:17.396 long time. But 0:11:17.484 --> 0:11:22.023 now, you know, with the advent of Sado and Indo, 0:11:22.033 --> 0:11:25.184 Nick Bognar comes along and dry ages fish, I thought 0:11:25.193 --> 0:11:28.783 was something new for Saint Louis, but apparently that's been 0:11:28.794 --> 0:11:31.773 done in different cities and Nick was the first one 0:11:31.783 --> 0:11:33.814 to bring it here. Now, I was talking to Ben 0:11:34.013 --> 0:11:35.744 Pambo about that. He goes, he goes, I've been doing 0:11:35.754 --> 0:11:37.544 that for a long time. I just haven't told people 0:11:37.554 --> 0:11:40.333 about it. So he's been dry, aging different meats, 0:11:40.431 --> 0:11:42.010 you know, I, I'm not really too sure. I know 0:11:42.020 --> 0:11:45.210 he was doing, uh, I think some duck and maybe 0:11:45.541 --> 0:11:48.810 what really interested me was he's gonna be dry aging 0:11:48.820 --> 0:11:52.140 vegetables at some of his new restaurants. I don't even 0:11:52.151 --> 0:11:54.310 know what that means. I know that dry aging takes 0:11:54.320 --> 0:11:56.791 the moisture out of it, increases the flavor makes it 0:11:56.801 --> 0:12:02.410 more tender. So, anyway, creative dry aging. That's one for 2024. 0:12:02.491 --> 0:12:04.809 That's, that sounds interesting. 0:12:05.341 --> 0:12:06.450 So there's one 0:12:07.219 --> 0:12:11.169 food item that I read about recently that does have 0:12:11.179 --> 0:12:14.010 local ties and I just like everything about it. It's 0:12:14.020 --> 0:12:18.609 called Gar Leak. Garleek. A cross between garlic and a 0:12:18.619 --> 0:12:22.219 leek like a leak. You can chop the whole thing 0:12:22.229 --> 0:12:24.609 up and use the whole thing, which always drove me crazy. 0:12:25.599 --> 0:12:28.510 But uh what's interesting about that? It's being developed by 0:12:28.520 --> 0:12:30.210 a guy Dan Barber, 0:12:30.500 --> 0:12:33.900 uh Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York. That's 0:12:33.909 --> 0:12:37.630 where the Galena worked before they came to Saint Louis. 0:12:37.909 --> 0:12:41.030 And this guy up there has developed all these seeds 0:12:41.039 --> 0:12:45.098 and all these uh unusual vegetables. And uh 0:12:45.869 --> 0:12:49.949 when he developed something called honey nut squash Visa in 0:12:49.960 --> 0:12:52.369 Saint Louis with the Galenus was the first one to 0:12:52.380 --> 0:12:55.859 use it. So my intention is when Gar Leak comes 0:12:55.869 --> 0:12:58.119 down the pike this year that we will see it 0:12:58.130 --> 0:13:01.140 and probably see it at one of the Galena restaurants 0:13:01.150 --> 0:13:04.929 because their buddies with chef Dan barber. How about that? 0:13:04.940 --> 0:13:07.559 You can use it root to tip. It's got the 0:13:07.570 --> 0:13:10.449 benefits of both garlic and leek. I mean, 0:13:10.729 --> 0:13:11.710 why didn't we have this 0:13:11.719 --> 0:13:13.890 sooner? What more do you want? Now, someone just needs 0:13:13.900 --> 0:13:17.348 to have the Shaik or something? Because shallots are the 0:13:17.359 --> 0:13:19.390 next one on that list. That are amazing. 0:13:19.710 --> 0:13:21.000 That's another word for the art. 0:13:21.919 --> 0:13:24.539 We'll put the Shaik on our sea Coie board. The 0:13:24.549 --> 0:13:24.869 other 0:13:24.880 --> 0:13:26.549 thing that I think we're going to see more of 0:13:26.559 --> 0:13:29.950 is uh is Wagyu beef. Uh It's, it's appearing on, 0:13:29.960 --> 0:13:32.450 on a lot of local menus, both Japanese, which is 0:13:32.460 --> 0:13:36.440 the highest end and Australian and American Wagyu, it's just 0:13:36.450 --> 0:13:39.179 ridiculously expensive, which I thought this is really going to 0:13:39.190 --> 0:13:40.510 have a limited appeal. 0:13:40.830 --> 0:13:45.000 And I'm wrong about this out at Napoli three in 0:13:45.010 --> 0:13:50.849 Saint Charles and Napoli C. They have a, a Wagyu 0:13:51.130 --> 0:13:55.559 steak that's 202 $125. I was just at Napoli C 0:13:55.570 --> 0:14:01.419 and they displayed it. It's this giant tenderloin just beautiful. And, 0:14:01.609 --> 0:14:03.760 but the cost is 225. And so is that 0:14:03.770 --> 0:14:06.640 a shareable thing for people? Like you get it? It is, 0:14:06.650 --> 0:14:08.449 but it's like, you know, how many of those do 0:14:08.460 --> 0:14:09.340 you sell? And 0:14:09.809 --> 0:14:14.330 surprisingly a bunch of them. And in Napoli three, they 0:14:14.340 --> 0:14:17.939 sell all kinds on the weekends. So that tells me 0:14:17.950 --> 0:14:20.200 there is a market for this even at that high 0:14:20.210 --> 0:14:22.390 price point and they make a big deal of it. 0:14:22.400 --> 0:14:25.150 They have this c this seal of, uh, or the, uh, 0:14:25.159 --> 0:14:28.690 certificate of authenticity. It takes up a whole menu page 0:14:28.700 --> 0:14:30.869 and they make a really big deal about it. But 0:14:30.880 --> 0:14:34.669 this comes from a company in Saint Louis, a locally 0:14:34.679 --> 0:14:35.309 owned company called 0:14:35.406 --> 0:14:38.666 Standard Meat Club. And we've talked about them before. You, 0:14:38.676 --> 0:14:41.765 you go to their website, they have pages upon pages 0:14:41.776 --> 0:14:45.125 of Wagyu meat. So Wagyu is, is, it's been around 0:14:45.135 --> 0:14:47.455 for a while, but it's gonna be a big deal. 0:14:47.466 --> 0:14:50.125 I think in Saint Louis in 2024 you're gonna see 0:14:50.135 --> 0:14:53.286 it on more menus and somebody's got that money to spend. It's, it's, 0:14:53.296 --> 0:14:56.325 it's not me but uh it's selling in restaurants well, 0:14:56.335 --> 0:14:56.445 and 0:14:56.455 --> 0:14:57.815 even seeing it in different, 0:14:58.442 --> 0:15:02.642 like we've discussed on here before from um the catalog 0:15:02.651 --> 0:15:06.242 you're discussing, you know, we could see it in hot dogs, 0:15:06.252 --> 0:15:09.281 we could see it in sliders. You know, it doesn't 0:15:09.291 --> 0:15:12.812 have to be the pomp and circumstance of a gigantic steak. 0:15:12.822 --> 0:15:16.062 I think we're going to see it. Exactly. I mean, 0:15:16.072 --> 0:15:17.262 why not? It's 0:15:17.271 --> 0:15:19.392 a thing. And I kind of thought just due to 0:15:19.401 --> 0:15:22.361 the cost it was a passing fad. Not true. Another 0:15:22.372 --> 0:15:24.710 one that won't be a passing fad for sure is 0:15:24.721 --> 0:15:25.942 cannabis cuisine. 0:15:26.250 --> 0:15:31.039 Yes, that is definitely something that I just see. Sky 0:15:31.049 --> 0:15:34.429 is the limit opportunities in here in town. I think 0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:38.020 we've already seen the popularity of that, you know, with 0:15:38.030 --> 0:15:43.000 um cannabis themed kind of dinner clubs, a catering company. 0:15:43.010 --> 0:15:43.510 Rooted b, 0:15:44.184 --> 0:15:45.025 you know, I mean, they, 0:15:46.085 --> 0:15:48.585 they, one of the best cannabis caterers in town. I 0:15:48.594 --> 0:15:50.484 didn't know that was a category, but it is, 0:15:50.494 --> 0:15:53.965 apparently it is now because it can be now. Right. And, um, 0:15:53.974 --> 0:15:55.594 there's that Chartreuse dinner club 0:15:56.065 --> 0:15:59.184 we've talked about them. She sells out those, I think 0:15:59.195 --> 0:16:01.114 she does three or four events a month 0:16:01.549 --> 0:16:02.510 and she sells them out 0:16:02.520 --> 0:16:04.979 instantly, I mean, instantly and the other one that I 0:16:04.989 --> 0:16:07.859 saw also sold out. So if you are interested in 0:16:07.869 --> 0:16:10.559 doing this, you have to be, you know, set alerts 0:16:10.570 --> 0:16:13.570 for it. It's probably harder than getting a reservation at 0:16:13.580 --> 0:16:19.140 rights or wherever. But um you know, uh proper cannabis 0:16:19.150 --> 0:16:22.669 has done a couple of or at least they've done 0:16:22.679 --> 0:16:26.460 one that I know of with Balkan Treat box and 0:16:26.469 --> 0:16:29.510 um you know, Spencer Beniko, who's over at 0:16:30.010 --> 0:16:34.219 proper. He is very connected to the ST Louis food scene. 0:16:34.229 --> 0:16:36.150 He's just been someone who's, you know, he had a 0:16:36.159 --> 0:16:38.830 great blog whiskey and so he's a great photographer. He's 0:16:38.840 --> 0:16:42.320 an amazing photographer, but he's over it proper. And because 0:16:42.330 --> 0:16:44.830 he has those long standing relationships with some of the 0:16:44.840 --> 0:16:46.000 best chefs in ST Louis, 0:16:46.630 --> 0:16:48.869 I think it's going to be exciting to see these 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:52.760 dinner collaborations between proper and some of the biggest name 0:16:52.770 --> 0:16:54.969 chefs here in town. I think we will see that 0:16:54.979 --> 0:16:58.309 happen throughout the year and beyond. No question, 0:16:58.320 --> 0:17:02.179 let's transition to the bar scene. What do you see 0:17:02.599 --> 0:17:05.880 happening? There's been a lot going on in 2023 in 0:17:05.890 --> 0:17:08.550 Saint Louis bars and, and the cocktail scene. Yes. 0:17:08.560 --> 0:17:11.400 Well, I think the, the trend is that there is 0:17:11.410 --> 0:17:14.728 a bar scene. I think a lot of people were, 0:17:14.739 --> 0:17:19.810 you know, lamenting the loss of bars in, during the pandemic. 0:17:19.819 --> 0:17:22.339 I think that was one of the biggest losses, you know, 0:17:22.349 --> 0:17:25.939 just that kind of communal watering hole. And, um, they, 0:17:26.036 --> 0:17:29.896 they are roaring back with a vengeance and not just, 0:17:30.016 --> 0:17:32.286 you know, kind of your local dive bar. But we 0:17:32.296 --> 0:17:37.616 are talking these really creative experimental cocktail bars, high end 0:17:37.666 --> 0:17:40.947 uh very interesting stuff. One of the places that you 0:17:40.957 --> 0:17:42.567 and I have talked about that I think is the 0:17:42.577 --> 0:17:45.616 gold standard of what's going on is none of the 0:17:45.626 --> 0:17:49.255 above Gerard Craft's Place which just opened in 0:17:49.473 --> 0:17:56.443 Foundry High end cocktails. Swanky Digs. Just a beautiful spot. 0:17:56.453 --> 0:17:59.093 I mean, that's just kind of the place that you 0:17:59.104 --> 0:18:02.332 want to go to, to have a wonderful cocktail, but 0:18:02.343 --> 0:18:06.103 they're not the only ones. Um I've had wonderful cocktails, 0:18:06.114 --> 0:18:08.504 even though it's not in as Swanky, it's almost like 0:18:08.513 --> 0:18:12.803 an intentionally nostalgic uns Swanky vibe is to 0:18:13.041 --> 0:18:15.990 Chrome bar also in Bevo Mill. We're talking about Bevo 0:18:16.000 --> 0:18:20.171 a lot today. But um that's a really fun place 0:18:20.181 --> 0:18:24.359 and they're doing fantastic cocktails there. Chelsea Fister is the 0:18:24.369 --> 0:18:28.850 bartender or bar manager, I guess of the place and 0:18:28.890 --> 0:18:32.090 that's been a lot of fun to watch New Society 0:18:32.100 --> 0:18:36.211 on South Grand in the basement of Grand Spirits. 0:18:36.880 --> 0:18:41.439 That's a partnership between Michael Fricker and MEREDITH Barry. Both 0:18:41.449 --> 0:18:44.989 of them esteemed bar minds in ST Louis the best 0:18:45.040 --> 0:18:47.500 in town. Yes. And then the one I'm really excited 0:18:47.510 --> 0:18:50.159 for is good company, which is going to open in 0:18:50.170 --> 0:18:53.260 the grove pretty soon. Those are the good ice people, 0:18:53.270 --> 0:18:56.500 the people who are doing those really high end beautiful 0:18:56.510 --> 0:19:00.449 filtered ice of all shapes and sizes, some of them 0:19:00.459 --> 0:19:02.339 embossed and engraved. Um 0:19:02.890 --> 0:19:05.630 I don't know what the term is for ice, but 0:19:05.640 --> 0:19:07.530 um they're doing those for a lot of cocktail bars 0:19:07.540 --> 0:19:11.060 around town. So I think we're seeing these very elevated bars. 0:19:11.069 --> 0:19:15.099 How about no alcohol and low alcohol cocktails? Is that, 0:19:15.270 --> 0:19:18.229 was that a fad or is that a trend that's 0:19:18.239 --> 0:19:19.930 gonna hang in there? I don't see 0:19:19.939 --> 0:19:21.910 it as a fad. I mean, I think we're seeing 0:19:21.920 --> 0:19:26.589 that there's almost a generational change in views of alcohol, 0:19:26.599 --> 0:19:27.790 you know, kind of in terms of well 0:19:28.078 --> 0:19:30.328 and things of that sort. So I think a lot 0:19:30.338 --> 0:19:33.977 of people are still wanting that, you know, kind of 0:19:34.027 --> 0:19:38.137 collegial communal feel of going to a bar. They want 0:19:38.147 --> 0:19:41.468 to feel festive and upbeat. Um But they don't want 0:19:41.478 --> 0:19:41.838 to do it with 0:19:41.848 --> 0:19:44.817 booze. They just want a well made cocktail. They don't 0:19:44.828 --> 0:19:47.008