In this final episode of The Sauce, Meera Nagarajan, executive editor, discusses leaving Sauce Magazine after 16 years. She shares a few memories from her time working at the magazine and the St. Louis meals that changed her life. You can continue to find copies of the monthly print magazine the first Wednesday of the month and daily updates on the website at SauceMagazine.com. To all listeners of The Sauce, we thank you for tuning in each week. It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve...

This week Meera and Michelle discuss a visit to CITYPARK, where the vegan kebab at Balkan Treat Box and the bacos at Saucy Porka stood out. Also in the conversation was a visit to Blues City Deli where their take on the tuna melt, the fiesty tuna sandwich, was a knockout. A recent trip to Tucker's Place solidifies that this steak house is serving up one of the most affordable steaks in town. CITYPARK 2100 Market St., St. Louis Balkan Treat Box Saucy Porka Blues City Deli 2438...

This week Michelle and Meera chat about a recent visit to Old Bakery Beer where they got to try new dishes from their menu including a pulled pork sandwich and a tofu parmesan sandwich. Also in the conversation is Daile’s Smokehouse where the barbecue is delicious but the sides here are equally as good. Also in the talk is a recent visit to Niche Food Group’s resurrected Porano, which was in the form of a pop-up at Wild Carrot as they gear up for their summer opening in Des Peres. Finally,...

This week Meera and Michelle discuss revisiting some personal favorite spots like Picadilly at Manhattan where the NOLA BBQ shrimp in spiced butter and their famous chicken pot pie both fall under the "must order" category. Also in the chat is a pop-in to Mai Lee where their St. Paul sandwich ranks among the best of the best in St. Louis as well as Thai Nivas Cafe, where their pad eggplant with tofu is a light yet satisfying dish. They also talk about new spots mentioned on saucemagazine.com...

This week Michelle and Meera talk about a few spots where you can dine outside, cicada free. Also in the chat this week is a first look at Florentin, the new breakfast and lunch spot from Ben Poremba in the Delmar Maker District. Adrianna's on The Hill 5101 Shaw Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3833 Le Meridien St. Louis Clayton 7730 Bonhomme Ave., Clayton, 888.861.1483 Art Bar 3550 Samuel Shepard Drive, St. Louis, 314.561.0033 Moonrise 6177 Delmar Blvd. St. Louis,...

This week Meera and Michelle discuss a recent trip to Madrina in Webster Groves followed by a quick jaunt to Olive + Oak for a post-dinner drink. Also in the conversation is the interesting burger menu from The Crow's Nest in Maplewood especially their green chile burger. They talk about a few new spots from the website at SauceMagazine.com including the newly opened Black Lab Coffee, Ramsay's Kitchen as well as five local dessert shops to check out right now. Madrina 101 W. Lockwood...

This week Meera and Michelle discuss a recent trip to Dressel's where the pretzel is still playing a starring role on the menu. From SauceMagazine.com, new spots including Well Met Cafe in Shaw; No Ordinary Rabbit in Botanical Heights and Fattened Caf off Cherokee Street have announced their concepts that have either just opened or are coming soon. Finally, the Sauce Team has put together a guide: Sauce 75: Your guide to the essential St. Louis restaurants right now, and they discuss a few...

After years of working for other restaurateurs Loryn Nalic, together with her husband Edo Nalic, opened Balkan Treat Box in 2016 as a food truck. The inspiration for the concept came from falling in love with her husband and falling in love with his native Bosnian cuisine; but the development of the menu came from a deeply personal visit she took to Bosnia, which brought the entire Balkan Treat Box menu into focus starting with her favorite -- the cevapi. In this episode Loryn discusses with...

This week Michelle and Meera discuss the newly opened Good Company in The Grove, where they are making delicious cocktails with their premium ice. They also discuss the star of the menu: The Good Burger, which is made from ground brisket and chuck, topped with gooey American cheese and thick-cut bacon. Also in the conversation was a recent visit to Revel Kitchen, where the salad actually keeps you full; a jaunt to Wright’s Tavern in Clayton where the crab cake, wine and sundae make for a...

This week Meera and Michelle discuss dining at Casa Don Alfonso inside The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis where they tried a pasta tossed with deep-fried zucchini and for dessert their dazzling pistachio profiteroles with pistachio cream. Also in the conversation was an epic office lunch with spring salads from Knead Bakehouse + Provisions and several pizzas from Fordo's Killer Pizza including their ramp spring special, wild mushroom and four cheese with honey drizzle. From saucemagazine.com they...

Rick Lewis of Grace Meat + Three cooks from the heart. This week, Meera and Michelle are joined by Rick to discuss his journey from fine-dining chef to chef and owner of his own restaurant in The Grove. His restaurant, which he co-owns with his wife Elisa Lewis, is centered around community and cultivating relationships through food. He shares his stories of launching his restaurant and in the spirit of community, also discusses some of his favorite restaurants in St. Louis. Grace Meat +...

This week Michelle and Meera discuss the brand new Umami Seasons Hot Pot in the Delmar Loop that serves Taiwanese hot pot, which is an interactive style of Asian dining where food is cooked at the table in different types of broth. They also discuss the emerging hot pot trend in general at the recently opened Urban Kitchen in Chesterfield Valley and at Tai Ke Shabu Shabu in Olivette. Another trend in the conversation: fusion. From Indian-fusion restaurants like Taco Twist in the Central West...

This week Michelle and Meera discuss the local food options in and around Busch Stadium including Kohn's Kosher Deli, Mission Taco Joint and Farmtruk. Also in the conversation is the best things to eat at City SC's Citypark Stadium this year. Several concepts are returning from the inaugural season like Balkan Treatbox, Medina Mediterranean Grill and Bold Spoon Creamery but also newcomers like Olio and Olive + Oak are making their debut this season as they join some of the best local...

This week Meera and Michelle talk about a recent take-out experiences at Chiang Mai in Webster Groves as well as BLK MKT Eats at their new location in Maplewood. Also in the conversation is the debut of Esca and all the dishes that were standouts from a recent night out including the limoncello tiramisu, the green salad, the roasted vegetable lasagna and the clay pot Negroni. In new restaurant news, former pop-up turned brick and mortar Taqueria Morita is set to debut and Michelle and Meera...

This week Michelle and Meera discuss some of their favorites at Grace Meat + Three including their specials, their kitchen sink salad and catfish nuggets. They also talk about a recent visit to Coffeestamp in South City and their lineup of empanadas stuffed with elotes or egg and prosciutto and even a caprese version with tomato and mozzarella. They also talk about two upcoming events: Food Truck Friday and Saucy Soirée. Food Truck Friday returns for its 2024 season on April 26 in Tower Grove...

Michelle and Meera discuss the rise and diversity of Filipino restaurants emerging in St. Louis, this week they highlight Manileño, which recently opened in the South Grand business district. They also discuss the debut of a food menu at Side Project Brewery in Maplewood where Adam Altnether has launched an approachable bar menu with fine touches, including an unbelievably delicious cheeseburger with caramelized onions and an apple cider-Dijon aioli. Michelle talks about her recent visit to...

This week Meera and Michelle discuss recent visits to new bars they’ve been loving. Michelle’s mission to try the entire menu at Stews Food & Liquor in Soulard continues and her love of the baby beer shots (and their evolution) at Kenny’s Upstairs on South Grand is holding strong. Meera talks about a visit to the new, beautiful Three Sixty at Westport Plaza in Maryland Heights as well as a dinner at Brasserie by Niche in the Central West End. From the March issue, which is focused on the...

This week, Meera and Michelle discuss a visit to Fourth City Barbecue, which is located inside Fortune Teller Bar on Cherokee Street. The brisket is wonderful, likely due to the 24-hour process it takes to execute but it's not all serious business; specials like their take on a McRib offers a break in the usual barbecue suspects. They also talk about a recent trip to check out the Fattened Caf inside Earthbound Beer across the street where the chicken tocino ube sliders were extraordinary...

This week Meera and Michelle discuss the menu revamp at Benevolent King in Maplewood, which will now have more of a focus on seafood. Michelle also talks about a recent visit to the newly-opened Motor Town Pizza in Richmond Heights, which is the new concept from co-owners Simon and Angelica Lusky who also run Revel Kitchen. Also in the conversation is a list of Black-owned restaurants to check out suggested by Simone Faure, chef and co-owner of La Patisserie Chouquette in St. Louis, which was...

This week Michelle and Meera discuss a classic egg salad sandwich at Union Loafers in Botanical Heights and also talk about drinking out of a disco-ball-shaped-punch bowl at Hidden Gem, a new bar in Midtown St. Louis. They also talk about a recent visit to Millpond brewing in Millstadt, Illinois, where their hazy IPAs stood out amongst their delicious lineup of beers. New spots are opening and familiar favorites are expanding and reopening and they chat about the latest wave of news from...

This week Meera and Michelle discuss a recent visit to High Low, a sunny coffee shop operated by Blueprint Coffee, where the cortados and biscuits are on point. Also in the conversation is Michelle's visit to Mississippi Bistro -- the temporary restaurant that's taken over since Cinder House closed in January -- there she tried several dishes from the menu including a fried chicken sandwich and a mesmerizing espresso panna cotta with almond macaron from assistant executive pastry chef Tiffany...

This week Meera and Michelle discuss a visit to Corner 17 and dishes that really stood out, like the hot and sour potatoes. Also in the conversation are a few spots on The Hill, Adriana's where the Sunny's vegetarian sandwich is a salad in sandwich form and also John Viviano & Sons Grocers where there is a wide selection of Italian staples to stock your pantry. Also in the talk is Stews Food & Liquor in Soulard, a new spot where the Asian-inspired dishes, like their pork belly skewer,...

This week Michelle and Meera discuss a multi-course dinner they experienced at The Preston, which is inside the Chase Park Plaza hotel in the Central West End. They also talk about recent a staff lunch to explore the new food menu that debuted at Rockwell Beer Co. near The Grove after Brasswell ceased operations. They also chat about the new Hot Pizza Cold Beer concept in the MX Building in downtown St. Louis that is set to open Feb. 2. Finally, they talk about each of the 2024 Restaurant and...

This week Meera and Michelle discuss a recent dinner at Indo in Botanical Heights, the first solo venture from chef and restaurateur Nick Bognar. They also talk about a take-out lunch experience from Vegan Deli and Butcher in Bevo, where chef Chris Bertke's menu is filled with deli classics like a Reuben, a French dip and the hot salami sandwich which came with a house made and aged vegan salami served on a toasted, buttered bun. From the website they discuss two new spots in St. Louis: Blue...