Chef Gerard Craft is a constant fixture in the local—and now, national—food scene with his frequent culinary accolades; and maybe most notably with the recent opening of his latest eatery, Pastaria, in Clayton, and the relocation of his flagship restaurant Niche right next door, which we visited recently. To say it was an over-the-top culinary experience would be a gross understatement.

Chill Cool Frozen Yogurt in Clayton will be celebrating its third anniversary on Friday, April 19. At 3:30 p.m. that day, Fredbird will make an appearance to hand out limited-edition Chill batting-helmet bowls with frozen yogurt purchases. The store also will present its third annual donation to Friends of Kids With Cancer during the celebration. By the way, Chill has some new spring flavors on the menu: Root Beer Float, Mango Sorbet and Pina Colada.

You voted, we listened! Ladue News readers know what they like; and with this year's Platinum List, you've made your voices heard. This list compiles the best of St. Louis. 

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!

Gerard Craft's restaurants have been all over the local and national press of late, what with the opening of Pastaria in Clayton, the relocation of flagship Niche, the impending departure of Ted Kilgore from Taste, and multiple appearances on all manner of 'Best Of' lists. While all of this has been going on, Brasserie by Niche has been rolling along under the radar a bit, steadily putting out its signature quality, affordable rustic French fare with very little fanfare. We made a return trip to this CWE favorite recently to refresh our memory of this gem.

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

Bogart's Smokehouse in Soulard has garnered a spot in Zagat's 2013 America's Top Restaurants guide. Zagat's also named its top 10 STL restaurants: Acero; Anthony's; Blues City Deli; Bogart's Smokehouse; Citizen Kane's; Niche; Pappy's Smokehouse; Sidney Street Cafe; The Crossing; and Tony's.

Chef Gerard Craft has made an indelible impact on the St. Louis dining scene since opening his first restaurant, Niche, in Benton Park some eight years ago.

The new location of chef GERARD CRAFT's flagship restaurant, Niche, officially opened its doors to the public earlier this month. The restaurant is in the Centene Plaza Building in Clayton, next door to Craft's newest concept, Pastaria, which opened in September. Niche's former home on Sidney Street in Benton Park will now serve as Craft's test kitchen for culinary research and development.

The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis has named MELISSA LEE as its new executive chef. Lee has been with the company since 2004. She replaces chef AZHAR MOHAMMAD, who is now at The Ritz-Carlton in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

• Chef GERARD CRAFT’s latest restaurant, Pastaria, is scheduled to open later this summer in Clayton, but it’s already creating a national buzz: Food & Wine magazine lists the eatery in the Where To Go section of its July issue.
• The owners of the late Monarch Restaurant in Maplewood have announced the space will be converted into a private event venue. The catering division of Herbie’s Vintage 72, which is owned by the same folks, will supply the bang in the kitchen. The space measures about 10,000 square feet and can be configured for a variety of group sizes.
• The North City Farmer’s Market, located across from Crown Candy Kitchen, is offering cooking demonstrations in conjunction with Operation Food Search on the second Saturday of each month through October. OFS provides recipes and mans the stoves for the demos, and we’re told that local chefs may be stopping by throughout the season to help out. The market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. until noon, and the demos take place starting at 10:30 a.m.
• EarthDance has purchased the Mueller Farm in Ferguson, the 14-acre spread the organization has been leasing since its inception in 2008. EarthDance not only grows food but educates new farmers through its nationally recognized Organic Farming Apprenticeship Program.
• We told you a while back about the expansion of Local Harvest Cafe & Catering into new spaces downtown and in Kirkwood. Well, Phase One is complete, with the downtown location in the Old Post Office building officially open. We also mentioned recently that Urban Chestnut Brewing Company was in the process of constructing an outdoor beer garden. We’re pleased to report that space debuted earlier this month.
• Anheuser-Busch is adding two new refill options and some new accessories to its Draftmark refillable home draught system. A-B fans can now get Michelob AmberBock and Shock Top Wheat IPA brews for the system, as well as a new cold gel wrap to keep the suds cold outside the fridge. A new tap stand is expected to hit stores in July.
• Sub Zero Vodka Bar not only has the largest selection of vodka in the country; it now serves lunch daily. The CWE favorite also boasts a new private event space and a remodeled sushi bar.
• The Cheese Shack is the latest food truck to hit the St. Louis scene. The bright yellow mobile eatery serves up custom grilled cheese creations. Keep track of them on Facebook to see where they’ll be offering up their cheesy wares next. Also, LuLus Local Eatery, which sports a rooftop garden on its truck, has been named one of the World’s Coolest Food Trucks Ever by The Daily Meal.

• More Kudos for chef GERARD CRAFT and crew. The Eater has listed Craft’s upcoming Pastaria restaurant as one of the 25 most anticipated restaurant openings in the country for 2012. The new eatery is slated to open late this summer in the Centenne Plaza in Clayton.
• Mathew’s Kitchen will be open for lunch starting on Monday, April 16. The lunch schedule will be Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The restaurant also is instituting a take-out box lunch program at the same time, with delivery available.
• Loop favorite Blueberry Hill has debuted the first major redesign of its menu in 23 years. Not only is it the first full-color bill of fare for the eatery, but it introduces several new dishes, including the wagyu burger, wagyu sliders, chicken sliders and the turkey burger.
• The folks who own Local Harvest Grocery, Cafe & Catering have announced some big expansion plans. They’re looking to open a new location in Kirkwood in the space that used to house McDonnell’s Market, as well as a location downtown in the Old Post Office, where Pasta House Pronto once resided. The goal is for an August opening for the Kirkwood space and July 1 for the downtown location.
• The second Tour D’Onut will be happening this Sunday, April 15. The non-competitive bicycle tour of area donut spots will begin at 8:30 a.m. at World’s Fair Donuts, 1904 S. Vandeventer Ave. Info at tourdonut.tumblr.com.
• Russell’s Cafe and Bakery in Fenton will be moving a few doors down from its current location this June. The new space at 942 Brookwood Center is about twice as big and will seat approximately 55. It’ll also house the bakery’s commissary kitchen.
• We told you a little while ago that the owners of Trattoria Marcella were going to be opening up another eatery in West County on Clayton Road. It was recently announced that the new restaurant will be called Marcela’s Mia Sorella, or ‘my sister.’
• St. Louis is one of the first markets selected to have access to a new service from Living Social called Takeout & Delivery. Customers can browse participating restaurants and place their orders online at livingsocial. com/menus, or click on the Takeout & Delivery tab on their Living Social app for a directory of restaurants.
• The latest MICHAEL DEL PIETRO restaurant, Tavolo, has officially opened in the Loop at 618 Delmar Blvd.

◆Folks in West County don’t have to travel to University City for a fix of Jilly’s any more. Jilly’s Cupcake Bar A-Go-Go opens today at 1131 Colonnade Center in Des Peres. The new 1,300-square-foot space features grab-and-go sandwiches and all of the cupcake varieties available at the original Delmar location, as well as a brisket bar with 30 different ingredients. Also, the Delmar location finally received its liquor license last week, so customers can now enjoy cocktails, beer and wine with their brunch.

> Terrene Restaurant in the CWE is no more. Terrene served its final meal Tuesday, June 28. Owners JOHN and SUNNY MCELWAIN shut the doors to spend time with their newborn daughter. We wish them much luck—they will be missed!