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Stuff to do: November 2008
• by Byron Kerman
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CLASSES
Turkey Frying Workshop
Nov. 1, 15, 16, 22 and 23 – various times, Bass Pro Shop 636.688.2500 · www.basspro.com
There’s nothing that ruins Thanksgiving faster than a frying turkey that catches fire and burns up the whole trailer/meth lab. That’s why the safety-conscious Alton Brown devised the awesome Turkey Derrick, a ladder with a pulley mounted underneath, to raise and lower the bird from the fry pot. Things won’t get quite so MacGyver at the free Bass Pro Shop Turkey Frying Workshops this month, but there will be a demonstration on coating and injection-marinating a turkey, and then frying it up to yield a juicy and flavorful bird. Doubters are welcome to flock to St. Charles to witness the transformation of the pale carcass to a buttery brown carnivore’s fantasy and sample it, too.
Cabernet Class
Nov. 3 – 6 to 7:30 p.m., Wine and Cheese Place – Clayton 314.727.8788 · www.wineandcheeseplace.com
It’s getting colder and your palate demands a robust wine. (It also demands chili five-ways followed by Double Stuf Oreos, but that’s not important right now). The Wine and Cheese Place tasting room throws open its doors for a Cabernet class, just in time. Sources confirm that the class will feature eight intriguing vintages from around the globe, including Justin Cabernet Sauvignon and Sbragia Andolsen Cabernet Sauvignon (California), Coussergues Cabernet Franc (France), Thorn Clarke Shotfire Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon (Australia), and Cueva de las Manos Cabernet (Argentina), among others. Wine expert Aaron Zwicker will discuss Cabernets, the aspects of each wine tasted, and so on. Twenty-six people who’ve made reservations will sample the hardy, fruity, oaky, velvety Cabs, along with some cheese and crackers, and the shop will discount all the sampling wines for the students who want to take home bottles. Other Wine and Cheese Place classes just around the corner include South American wines (Nov. 10), Champagnes and Sparklers (Nov. 17), and Bordeaux (Dec. 1).
DINNERS AND TASTINGS
Science Uncorked
Nov. 1 – 7 to 10 p.m., Saint Louis Science Center 314.289.4424 · www.slsc.org
What’s better than wandering through the hallways of the space station mock-up at the Saint Louis Science Center? Wandering through them with four glasses of wine under your belt, and annoying your friends by saying “Whitney Houston, we have a problem” again and again. The Center’s regular Science Uncorked event is a showcase for newly debuted vintages of a variety of wines, and also a catering showdown. With wine and food pairings provided by Patty Long Catering, Ces & Judy’s Catering, Catering St. Louis, Classic Fare Catering and Park Avenue Coffee, the event is about wine pairings and maybe pairing you with your next caterer, too. The shadowed, moody environs of the James S. McDonnell Planetarium play host to the fun, which also includes contests, live jazz and the opportunity to order cases of any of the wines you’ve just enjoyed.
Mangia Italiano Beer Dinner
Nov. 20 – 7 p.m., Mangia Italiano · 314.664.8585
www.dineatmangia.com
Mangia Italiano proprietor David Burmeister has announced the menu for the November beer dinner. To wit, he promised smoked trout with corn pancake, butternut squash soup with langoustine, duck confit with dried cherries, elk medallion with wild rice, apple tart, and the intriguing “something chocolate” (he’s still doing some planning). He added that Mangia will offer an alternate vegetarian menu, too. As for the beer, Burmeister plans to offer Schlafly products including hefeweizen, pilsner, bière de garde, No. 15 and barrel-aged imperial stout.
Samuel Smith Beer Dinner
Nov. 12 – 7 p.m., Newstead Tower Pub · 314.535.7771 www.newsteadtowerpub.com
The beer dinners at Newstead Tower Pub are designed to bedazzle. As you walk back to your car after the feast, you may suddenly realize that you do not know where your car is. You do not know who this strange person standing next to you is, even though they insist they are your loving spouse, and tonight is something called your “anniversary.” That’s how deep the rich food-and-fine beer coma has taken you. This month’s beer dinner is aided by premium-beer importer Merchant Du Vin (which actually specializes in beer, not wine). The beer and food menu is still up in the air, but despair not – past dinners have featured four to five elite beers paired with a mouthwatering menu of seasonal goodies; this time, the beers of the night are of the well-respected Samuel Smith family from England. Hello, heaven.
Gourmet Turkey-Free Thanksgiving
Nov. 22 – 5:30 to 7 p.m., First Congregational Church (6501 Wydown Blvd.) · www.vegstl.org
For many of us, the highlight of Thanksgiving isn’t the turkey. That’s because the green bean casserole, yams ’n’ marshmallows, chestnut stuffing and gelatinous cranberry log are so much fun, too. Over at the St. Louis Vegetarian Society, the fun is delicious, gourmet and meatless by design. The 11th annual Turkey-Free Thanksgiving is catered by the St. Louis Community College School of Culinary Arts, and we already know what’s on the menu: watercress salad with spiced mango-ginger dressing, “turkey” amaretto, sage dressing, grilled sweet potatoes, “vegetable medley with a kick,” cranberry and tangerine salsa, and baked apples. There’ll be live music, too.
FUNDRAISERS
Gobblers for Gilda
Through Nov. 30, McLozzi’s Deli & Marketplace 314.773.2621 · www.myspace.com/mclozzi,
www.gildasclubstl.org
The folks over at McLozzi’s Deli in Benton Park believe “Thanksgiving is every day.” That’s because they serve a formidable sandwich called The Gobbler that squeezes an entire Thanksgiving supper between two slices of grilled multigrain bread. Oven-roasted turkey, homemade stuffing, cranberry sauce, rich cream cheese and fresh chives fight for your attention on this one. It’s McLozzi’s signature sandwich, it’s served hot, it’s a mouthful, and it hurts so good this month, when 50 percent of the proceeds from every Gobbler sold go to Gilda’s Club St. Louis. Gilda’s Club, created in memory of hilarious comedienne Gilda Radner, who died from ovarian cancer in 1989, “provides a meeting place where men, women and children living with cancer, along with their families and friends, join with others to build emotional and social support as a supplement to medical care.” Sounds good to us.
In the Vineyard
Nov. 15 – 7 p.m., Plaza Frontenac · www.inthevineyard.net
It’s not a competition, m’kay? Just because the chefs from Annie Gunn’s, Anthony’s Bar, Bissinger’s, Cardwell’s at the Plaza, The Crossing, Fleming’s, Harvest, Monarch, Portabella and Villa Farotto are trotting out their most devilishly tasty treats for the diners at the In the Vineyard benefit doesn’t mean each restaurant is trying to somehow outdo its peers. But, in the event that the Edgewood Children’s Center benefit does devolve into a cutthroat culinary throwdown, the philanthropists on hand can hardly argue. With more than 80 wines from around the globe to wash down the exotic grub and a backdrop of the fanciest mall shoppin’ capitalism has to offer, let the saturnalia commence. And, oh yes, silent and live auctions? Check and check.
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