Now that spring is finally here, it's time to get out and nosh on what's new for the season. Here's a short list of seasonal dishes currently being offered by some of the area's best eateries, along with recommendations for the best wines to accompany them.

The Crystal Cajun Cook-Off, one of the premier events leading up to the city's Mardi Gras celebration, was held Jan. 26, in the City Hall rotunda downtown. The contest featured 10 amateur and 10 professional chefs slugging it out in the kitchen for the title of best Cajun/Creole Dish. When the dust settled, Lumiere Place/River City executive chef and LN Cooks columnist JOHN JOHNSON top honors in the pro category, while chef GEORGE MACDONALD came out on top in the amateur division. Congrats to both chefs!

The past year has been a busy one for the St. Louis culinary scene. Here are a few of the highlights from 2012:

As two rival outlet mall developers square off in the Chesterfield Valley, the stakes have rarely been higher. Both the Simon Property Group and Taubman Centers, Inc. are moving forward with plans to build upscale outlet malls in the valley.

Billed as the ‘little brother’ to Franco in Soulard, Nico recently opened up in the U. City Loop in the space that most recently housed Brandt’s. We stopped by to see if the new kid lives up to his esteemed family tradition.

• It’s been announced that chef CHRIS WILLIAMS, who has been serving as executive chef at both Franco in Soulard and the newly opened Nico in the U. City Loop, has stepped down. No word yet on where he’s headed.
• The Massa’s location in Kirkwood has closed its doors, but another restaurant is in the works in St. Charles at 3761 New Town Blvd. The new restaurant will join the other Massa’s locations in Bridgeton, Ellisville and O’Fallon.
• Area distillers continue to get attention on the national stage. Four local establishments won big at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition last month. Pinckney Bend Distillery in New Haven, Mo., won a gold medal for its American gin, and Mastermind Vodka out of Madison County, Ill., did the same with its spirit. Crown Valley Brewing & Distilling Co. from Ste. Genevieve, Mo., won a bronze medal for its vodka, as did St. Louis’ The Big O Ginger Liqueur. Congrats to all!
• Hollyberry Catering is teaming up with SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center and Dierbergs to create Home Run Bars. Net proceeds of these homemade snack bars will benefit Homers For Health, a program that lets fans pledge money for every home run hit this season. The bars, made from oats, cranberries and dark chocolate, are all-natural, preservative-free and available at all Dierbergs locations.
• Members-only culinary club Blood & Sand has reached its capacity for full memberships. Currently, weekday-only memberships are the only way to get in, and those memberships will serve as a waiting list for full memberships as they become available.
• Hard to believe, but the Maplewood Foodie Guide is in its third edition, less than a year since it was introduced. That’s more than 5,000 copies! The new edition, which lists almost 60 food-related establishments, can be ordered at cityofmaplewood.com/foodie.
• Culinary bargain hunters, mark your calendars. Les Dames d’Escoffier of St. Louis will be holding The Cook’s Bazaar, a marketplace for resale of gently used culinary cookware, electrics, tools, serving ware and linens from some of the region’s best chefs and restaurants. The bazaar will be held at Ces & Judy Catering Company, 10405 Clayton Road in Frontenac on Saturday, May 5, from 7:30 am until 2 pm. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the scholarship fund for local women pursuing culinary careers.
• Jim Edmonds Steakhouse is the latest member of the St. Louis Originals rewards program, which has more than 30,000 rewards card members.

Once again, St. Louis has been recognized nationally for its culinary prowess. Chefs KEVIN NASHAN of Sidney Street Cafe; GERARD CRAFT of Niche; KEVIN WILLMANN of Farmhaus and JOSH GALLIANO of Monarch all have been named semi-finalists in the Best Chef: Midwest category of the 2012 James Beard Awards. And chef WES JOHNSON’s Salt in the CWE, which opened just last spring, is a semi-finalist for Best New Restaurant. Good luck to all!

◆Mosaic Market Bistro in Clayton is now Coastal Bistro & Bar. The revamped restaurant is still owned by the Schmitz family but now features a raw bar with oysters, crab legs, seafood towers and shrimp cocktails, among other items. The eatery also offers some local country menu items and has both large- and small-plate options. Co-owner FRANK SCHMITZ tells us the changes were made to differentiate the restaurant from the other Mosaics, including the upcoming Des Peres location.

For decades people have flocked to Las Vegas in search of the ultimate jackpot, or at the very least, some top-notch entertainment while trying their luck. From the birth of what is now the world-famous Strip during the Bugsy Siegel and Rat Pack eras to the decadent ‘80s and its attempt at ‘family-friendly’ tourism in the late ‘90s, the City of Sin has constantly morphed into the next big thing. In its latest incarnation, Las Vegas has gone noticeably upscale, judging from the abundance of ultra-luxe resorts, gourmet eateries, and world-class shopping and entertainment venues at every turn. So for this trip, we gave ourselves a challenge: Eat, drink and be merry, without the casinos.

• The debut party for SLeeK Steakhouse & Ultralounge last week was packed. Uber chef Hubert Keller was reunited with Bryan Carr, chef/owner of Pomme, who had worked for Keller at his San Francisco four-star restaurant, Fleur de Lys. Keller explained how the crew for his TV show, Secrets of a Chef, will commandeer SLeeK’s kitchen for a week after dinner service to film all night! All around, staff prepared hors d’oeuvres, house-smoked Scottish salmon with horseradish sorbet, ‘cappuccino shooters’ of lobster bisque, and placed mini desserts on signature matte black plates. When I got my first peek at the tall, narrow menu, I checked to make sure the mashed potatoes with lobster and the Perigord truffles Keller told us about in January were there, and they were ($8 each). In addition to Burgundy snails, Japanese waygu beef and osetra caviar and a dozen prime meats from the grill, there is also a five-course tasting menu for $78 and a four-course vegetarian tasting for $58. Gerardo Say, the executive chef, will be expediting to Keller’s standards.