Food & Dining

• Chef JIM FIALA recently got back from an excursion through Italy, and he’s announced that in the near future, there will be special menus available at his restaurants Acero and The Crossing that will reflect some of his favorite finds from his trip. We’ll keep you appraised of the final menus when they’re announced.
• Root in Richmond Heights has closed. The rustic American eatery was shuttered last week, after being open for only three weeks. Ownership cited financial reasons for the closure.
• Small Plates, a new culinary events and networking group, will be holding its first event, EMPANADAS! EMPANADAS!, on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 6:30 pm at Urban Eats Cafe, 3301 Meramec St., with WIL PELLY of Diablitos as the first guest chef. Pelly will be doing a cooking demo covering Latin American food. For tickets, visit smallplates314.com. Small Plates donates 10 percent of all proceeds to a different local charity each month.
• Congrats to DORA BACHESTA, the winner of this year’s annual Pasta Bowl at LoRusso’s Cucina. This was the 15th year for the event, and instead of the usual open competition, three previous Pasta Bowl Winners came back to compete in a sort of grand championship round. Bachesta won with her Fettuccine & Polo Asiago, which took the top prize in 2005. The dish will be on the LoRusso’s menu for the next year, and every time it’s ordered, $2 goes to Operation Food Search.
• 4 Hands Brewing Company will host The Lupulin Carnival, its first beer festival, on Saturday, March 3, from 2 to 6 p.m. There will be eats, courtesy of area food trucks, beer from various local craft breweries, live art and music. The folks at 4 Hands also will be using the event to launch their latest brew, War Hammer Imperial IPA. Tickets can be purchased at the brewery, 1220 S. Eighth St.
• It’s been announced that staff and students at L’Ecole Culinaire will soon be rolling out their own food truck, which we understand will focus on venues in the county. Not a lot of details yet, but we’ll keep you posted.
• It’s also been reported around town and even nationally that Pujols 5 Westport Grill has been renamed St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Bar and Grill. Guess it had to happen.

• Chef VITO RACANELLI has announced that he’s no longer affiliated with Onesto Pizzeria & Trattoria. He made the break in order to fully concentrate his efforts on his latest project, Mad Tomato, which just unveiled its new winter menu. The Clayton eatery also has announced a new charitable giving initiative, with a goal of raising $10,000 this year for area charities through special events.
• Medianoche, the latest project from MIKE RANDOLPH of The Good Pie, opened recently in Clayton. The restaurant is open in the evenings, and shares space with Randolph’s breakfast and brunch spot, Half & Half, which is open during the day. Medianoche features Mexican cuisine, and a bar program that specializes in South American spirits and creative cocktails.
• Urban Chestnut Brewing Company just celebrated its first anniversary and got a pretty nice gift: Ratebeer.com just declared the brewery to be one of the top five new breweries in the world. It also rates the brewpub as one of the world’s best! Congrats!
• Congratulations also are due to local favorite Amighetti’s, which made Parade magazine’s list on Top 10 Super Bowl eats for its famous sandwiches.
• Veteran St. Louis broadcaster DAVID CRAIG is hosting a new weekly show, Food Talk STL, on 590-The Fan, KFNS, on Saturdays from 11 a.m. until noon. The program will feature conversations with area restaurants staffers, wine and beer experts and members of local and national food media. More info, which debuted Feb. 4, is available at foodtalkstl.com.
• A new culinary collaboration between local chef ERIC BRENNER and entrepreneur AARON GREENWALD called BOLD Organics is bringing gourmet gluten-, dairyand GMO-free frozen pizzas to area stores, as well as locations nationwide. The pies are available locally at area Dierberg’s stores, and on the Washington University Danforth campus, and will be on the shelves at area Straub’s stores in mid- February, and at Schnucks, Shop ‘N Save and Whole Foods stores soon. The pizzas come in four varieties, including vegan cheese, veggie lovers, and two meat pizzas that are nitrate-free, as well.
• Chef ERIC KELLY at Scape American Bistro in the CWE is hosting an in-house Iron Chef competition at the restaurant. Each week, he’ll challenge his staff to create a five-course tasting menu using a secret ingredient, which must be used in every course. The menu will then be offered in either three-, four- or five-course versions in the dining room on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The weekly challenge goes through March 24. Get the details at scapestl.com.

Chef, Valentine’s Day is coming up, and I am looking for a fun dessert to make for my guy. Do you have any ideas for a great dessert that will satisfy his sweet tooth?

• This month, St. Louis Bread Co. is launching a new program called Warm-Up Wednesday, giving away free soup to customers who donate to benefit area charities. St. Louisans can nominate deserving nonprofits to the company via Twitter and Facebook, and Bread Co. will select winners from the recommendations. On the final Wednesday of the month, Feb. 29, customers can bring in three non-perishable food items and receive a free bowl of soup. The donated items will go to Operation Food Search.
• STEVE and JAMIE KOMOREK, who own South City favorite Trattoria Marcella, have announced plans for a second restaurant. The name of the new eatery hasn’t been revealed, but it will be another homage to their mother, Marcella. The restaurant will be located on Clayton Road, just west of 141, and construction has already begun. Look for an opening sometime this summer. We’re told the bar area will be a central focus of the restaurant and will feature small-production wines from high-quality vineyards.
• The latest food truck to hit the scene in St. Louis is Hot Aztec. The truck features gourmet Mexican street cuisine, and fans can follow it on Facebook and on Twitter @hotaztec. In other food truck news, the owners of popular mobile cake shop Sweet Divine have announced they’re looking for a permanent storefront to augment their rolling operation.
• Gourmet to Go recently opened its second location in Clayton at 7710 Carondelet Ave. The new cafe features breakfast, lunch and coffee and is open from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, and seats approximately 20.
• The St. Louis Chapter of the Missouri Restaurant Association has named PAUL and WENDY HAMILTON, co-owners of Eleven Eleven Mississippi, Vin de Set, PW Pizza and Moulin, as its Restaurateurs of the Year. Paul Hamilton also is president of the Saint Louis Originals, a consortium of more than 30 or the area’s finest locally owned and operated restaurants.
• For those looking for a day-time option to celebrate Valentine’s Day, The Presentation Room at L’ Ecole Culinaire is offering a Lunch of Love, beginning at noon on the 14th and featuring a choice of one appetizer, two entrees, one shared dessert and two non-alcoholic beverages. Cost is $30 per couple and reservations are required. Call 587-2433 to secure a spot. For more of a hands-on V-Day experience, Kitchen Conservatory in Clayton is offering a series of culinary classes for couples in the weeks leading up to the big day. More info at kitchenconservatory.com.