The Lemp neighborhood in south St. Louis has experienced a revival in the last several years. Formerly decrepit brick buildings have been restored and now house antique shops, coffee joints and vintage clothing stores. Cherokee Street, which continues for nearly 10 blocks, forms the unofficial center of the new commercial area.
At the very end of Cherokee sits the massive towers of the historic Lemp Brewery and its surrounding buildings. One such building, which formerly held the Lemp's draft horses, now houses one of St. Louis's many up-and-coming breweries and distilleries, along with a respected restaurant.
American Craft Brewing and Distilling, formerly known as the Stable, has also become known one of the best brewpubs in the city. Between the closing of the horse stable and the opening of the restaurant, the building largely was vacant until 2007, acting instead as a warehouse for antiques, many of which now grace the restaurant's walls.
With dark, glossy wood floors, incredibly high ceilings and walls covered in quirky antiques, beer paraphernalia and oversized light fixtures, the atmosphere of American Craft Brewing and Distilling is unlike any other. The huge bar — framed by an ornate mantle piece covered in glasses, bottles, and, oddly enough, a large toy triceratops — sits below one of the restaurant's two enormous chandeliers.
Local customer Maegann Rathman said she has visited the restaurant on numerous occasions and loves the feel of the old building.
Located in the heart of West St. Louis County resides ringmaster and dreamer Harry Freund, at least, according to his personal business card, that is.
Freund, who gladly plays the role of Mr. Harry, said he dreamed about owning a carnival-themed restaurant for years. However, it wasn’t until May 2010 that he was able to establish the family-owned, albeit unusual, Mr. Harry’s Carnival Foods.
“I had a vision of this place that the Lord sent me, and I’ve been pretty focused on it for years,” Freund said. “I just felt that this was my purpose in life that I was supposed to be here.”
Located in Ballwin, Mo., the restaurant offers the best of two relatively distinct worlds, combining Freund’s desire of a carnivalesque atmosphere with Jim and Mary Randalls’ championship barbeque.
The partnership between the two businesses wasn’t a part of Freund’s original plan, he said. When Harry’s first opened, Freund said he created the restaurant to be strictly carnival-themed, with food ranging from treats like nachos and chili cheese dogs to ice cream and shaved ice for dessert.
It’s a hot July day in Brookside, Mo., as people walk the historic downtown streets lined with old brick buildings. While Foo’s Fabulous Frozen Custard looks much like the other buildings with its red and blue canopy, the welcoming ambience and intimate setup distinguish it from the rest.
A tinkle of bells greets customers as they walk into the small shop, containing only a few metal tables and chairs. Whirs from the custard machine can be heard constantly as customers glance at the bright blue and yellow counter and colorful chalkboard menu. Within minutes of arriving, customers seem at ease in this eclectic, friendly environment.
Foo’s began its business in June of 1988 when Joe “Foo” Bremser and his wife, RoseAnn, were in-between jobs. RoseAnn, who is from St. Louis, knew frozen custard was something popular there during her childhood. Since there were only a few frozen custard stores in the Kansas City area at the time, Joe and RoseAnn decided to open a shop.
The inspiration for the name Foo’s came from a 1940s cartoon strip called “Smokey Stover” in the Chicago Tribune. He was a fireman, and after he spoke, he would always say, “Foo.” Betty Bremser, current owner of Foo’s and Joe’s sister, said the name eventually stuck.
The smell of homemade doughnuts, icing and freshly baked bread wafts through the air as customers select cinnamon rolls and cookies from glass cases. Several tables full of people can be heard talking and laughing. It’s 9 a.m., and Hoeckele’s Bakery and Deli has already been open for six hours.
Employees at Hoeckele’s Bakery in Perryville, Mo., have been waking up before the sun for almost 75 years. Founded in 1937 by brothers Paul and Joe Hoeckele, it has remained a family business through the Great Depression, the Atkins Diet craze and commodity price increases. Today, the third generation of Hoeckeles — Paul Hoeckele III, Joe Hoeckele and their wives, Angie and Yvette — own the bakery, and their children are employed there, too.
The bakery, locally referred to as “Hoeckele’s,” is known for its wide selection of melt-in-your-mouth doughnuts, breads, birthday and wedding cakes, and coffee cakes.
At first glance, it looks like a contemporary ice cream shop. Customers step up to the counter, choose their ingredients and wait for their desserts. Rather than scooping ice cream into a cone, however, the worker puts the customer’s order into a computer. Suddenly, liquid nitrogen is injected into the mixers, and cold steam rises from behind the counter. iCream, located in Chicago, Ill., is a revolutionized way of selling ice cream.
At iCream, what normally might be called the kitchen is referred to as the iLab. Workers use beakers and rely on chemical ingredients more than appliances for their product’s temperature. It takes between 25 and 45 seconds for the nitrogen to freeze the ice cream, depending on the size and base ingredients. Because it freezes so quickly, the crystals in the ice cream are smaller, making the texture denser than traditional ice cream. The result is a fresh, silky dessert. Amazed customers walk away with their personalized creations, such as purple, lemon-flavored ice cream.
The idea behind iCream initially was not meant to be founder Cora Shaw’s career. Shaw, who earned her master’s in business in 2007, was taking a class that required her and a partner to create a business.
When Shaw first learned about people making the dessert with liquid nitrogen, she thought it would be a great idea for the project.
In the corner of SweetArt bakeshop sits a vintage green and white stove — a symbol of Reine Bayoc’s past. Bayoc, owner of SweetArt saved it for years dreaming that one day she would be able to place it in her own bakeshop.
“I knew I was going to do it no matter what,” she said. “There is a stove out in there which holds the coffee. I bought that stove years before we opened, and I put it in my dining room saying that when I have my own bakeshop one day I am going to put it there.”
SweetArt, an art gallery and bakeshop in the Shaw neighborhood of St. Louis is the product of Reine’s passion for all things sweet and savory. She shares the space with her husband, Cbabi Bayoc, an artist who covers the walls with his original works of art.
Columbia pizzeria serves up a college atmosphere for all ages
It is not a heart-wrenching tragedy or an age old comedy, but the four walls of Shakespeare’s Pizza in Columbia, Mo., have a story all their own that makes them nearly as distinguished as the playwright himself. Not to mention Shakespeare’s has, well, pizza.
Classic rock plays throughout the dining room as customers laugh and chat with one another while patiently waiting to hear their original pizza creations called over the loudspeaker. Pizza dough flies, spinning through the air, while children press their faces against the glass windows of the kitchen for a better view. The soda fountain in the dining room hisses, constantly filling and refilling plastic Shakespeare’s cups.
Allison Perry and Arthur Basnett, lifelong Columbia residents and frequent Shakespeare’s customers, sat eating their meat-lovers-plus-mushroom pizza. Two pieces remained on the large, silver pan sitting between them.
“It’s good,” Basnett said. “It’s gotta’ be good. It’s the only place you’ll wait an hour for a pizza.”
When the owners of Fong’s Pizza took over the location of Des Moines’ oldest Chinese restaurant, they incorporated the Asian history of the building to their menu. The result: Crab Ragoon pizza, Iowan Pizza and Chinese Cheesesticks. The décor is as diverse as the food, with Chinese, Polynesian and Italian influences and a ’40s and ’50s style tikki bar.
Korma Sutra
7212 W. 110th St Overland Park, KS 66213
Boasting fresh chicken and ingredients, Korma Sutra calls itself Kansas City area’s best Indian dining and catering experience. A relaxed atmosphere accompanies the authentic Indian food. The restaurant serves a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals paired with genuine Indian beverages.
Charlie Gitto’s
15525 Olive Blvd. Chesterfield, MO 63017
Family owned and operated for three decades, Charlie Gitto’s provides authentic Italian food to St. Louis patrons. The original location in downtown St. Louis has attracted sports celebrities, but Charlie Gitto’s ‘on the hill’ sits in the middle of St. Louis’ Italian neighborhood. The restaurant is known for its toasted ravioli, a St. Louis favorite.
Harry Caray’s Tavern
700 E. Grand Ave. Chicago, IL 60611
Located in Wrigleyville and now also on Navy Pier, Harry Caray’s Tavern is a classic sports bar and grill, loaded with Chicago sports history. Dozens of flat screen high definition TVs are scattered throughout the spacious dining area. The bar is the same length as the distance from the pitcher’s mound to home plate — 60-feet, 6-inches — so there’s plenty of room for sports fanatics to take in the spirit of Chicago.
Bluecat Brewpub
1113 Eighteenth St. Rock Island, IL 61201
The Bluecat Brewpub is a relaxing local pub located in the heart of downtown Rock Island, one of the Quad Cities. This independent microbrewery serves up some interesting flavors of beer, including Off the Rail Pale Ale. It’s a local watering hole with a low-key atmosphere, great for groups and families.
Customers walk up to the counter at Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque in Kansas City, Missouri, expecting of a pile of smoked meat and a mound of fries.
The cook tosses two slices of white bread on the counter, grabs a bulging handful of meat, piles it five inches high on top of the bread and slathers the meat with the customer’s sauce of choice. To top it off, the cook adds a hunk of fries and throws them on a plate for eat-in orders or rolls everything up like a burrito for to-go orders.
“There’s a few things [that differentiate us] — the smoke, the service and the ‘Original Sauce’ is totally unlike anything you’ll taste,” Manager Willis Simpson said. “Most barbecue sauce in Kansas City is sweet, but the original is tart and tangy.”
For customers who aren’t fans of “Original Sauce,” Arthur Bryant’s also offers “Sweet Heat” and “Rich and Spicy” barbecue sauces.
Simpson said they prepare the meat by putting rub on the fat side of the brisket and smoking it in the pit at 225 degrees for approximately 10 hours. The slower the meat is cooked, the better, he said.
Arthur Bryant’s has had a reputation for great barbecue ever since author Calvin Trillin said, “The single best restaurant in the world is Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque at 18th and Brooklyn in Kansas City” in an article for Playboy magazine. Since Arthur Bryant’s death in 1982, the restaurant has aimed to maintain his standards.
The history of Arthur Bryant’s dates back to the 1920s when brothers Charlie and Arthur Bryant worked for Henry Perry, the “father of Kansas City barbecue.” When Perry died in 1940, Charlie Bryant took over the business, Simpson said.
One of Monet’s water lilies landscapes hangs on the wall, bathed in a soft light. At first glance, it could be the original. Even a closer inspection reveals convincing, emotive brush strokes. Then someone asked, “What’s the coating on that?”
“The glaze is a candy shellac,” replied Lee Althans, executive assistant of Long Grove Confectionery Co. of Long Grove, Ill.
This is no art museum.
Althans spends plenty of time in this long earth-toned hallway leading visitors through the factory’s tour. This behind-the-scenes look unveils the evolution from basic ingredients to sophisticated candies. The floor-to-ceiling windows that border each production room invite visitors to savor some true eye candy.
Althans points out the milk chocolate-framed Monets, which serve as a delicious division between rooms. Jan Wakulinski, the company’s artist-in-residence, created the paintings from a palette of dyed chocolates.
Storms threaten the Missouri river valley. Still, for Beverly and
Larry Lamb, it is a perfect time to find a little relaxation with a glass of
wine. It is Larry’s birthday, and the couple is enjoying one of the best views
of the landscape in central Missouri.
Although weekends find a crowd of people at Les Bourgeois wine garden, they’ve
got the place almost to themselves.
Les Bourgeois’ wine garden consists of an old-fashioned A-frame building with
the roof stretching nearly to the ground and picnic tables on a scenic bluff
overlooking the Missouri River and the Katy Trail. However, it is not the only
reason to come to the countryside between Columbia, Mo., and tiny Rocheport,
Mo. Les Bourgeois is more than the wine garden and the restaurant. It is also
a winery, which is open for tours and wine tastings. It is the third-largest
of the 56 wineries in the state, producing 90,000 gallons of wine each year.
As visitors walk through the winery door, the intoxicating aromas of wine fill
the air, sweet and fruity. A cat that lives in the winery slinks between the
tanks and laps up water from a puddle, a result of the heavy rains of the day.
The sounds of the machines pumping and clicking are a slow background rhythm
– but soon, harvest will be in full swing.
It’s a hot July day in Brookside, Mo., as people walk the historic downtown streets lined with old brick buildings. While Foo’s Fabulous Frozen Custard looks much like the other buildings with its red and blue canopy, the welcoming ambience and intimate setup distinguish it from the rest.
The smell of homemade doughnuts, icing and freshly baked bread wafts through the air as customers select cinnamon rolls and cookies from glass cases. Several tables full of people can be heard talking and laughing. It’s 9 a.m., and Hoeckele’s Bakery and Deli has already been open for six hours.
At first glance, it looks like a contemporary ice cream shop. Customers step up to the counter, choose their ingredients and wait for their desserts. Rather than scooping ice cream into a cone, however, the worker puts the customer’s order into a computer. Suddenly, liquid nitrogen is injected into the mixers, and cold steam rises from behind the counter. iCream, located in Chicago, Ill., is a revolutionized way of selling ice cream.
Baker overcomes obstacles, follows dream
Columbia pizzeria serves up a college atmosphere for all ages 
Fong’s Pizza
Korma Sutra 
Harry Caray’s Tavern
Bluecat Brewpub 
Customers walk up to the counter at Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque in Kansas City, Missouri, expecting of a pile of smoked meat and a mound of fries.
