Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter E-edition PLUS unlimited articles & videos Personalized news alerts with our mobile app *Refers to the latest 2 years of stltoday.com stories Please subscribe to continue reading… Louis County died a fast death six years ago A new effort to reboot those discussions has had an unpromising start During a hearing last week at the Capitol, Rep. Ian Mackey told the House Emerging Issues Committee he had filed the failed 2019 Better Together plan because St the city and county together boasted nearly 1.5 million people That number has fallen to about 1.3 million now But during a hearing that stretched more than hour various stakeholders blasted the Clayton Democrat’s approach “I don’t think we have that conversation by throwing a grenade into it with something like this Better Together proposal and then saying ‘Oh executive director of the Municipal League of Metro St called Mackey’s effort “a little agitating.” St. Louis split from the rest of St. Louis County nearly 150 years ago in what’s known as the “Great Divorce.” Efforts to reverse that decision have repeatedly fallen short county and all 88 municipalities (now 87 after Glen Echo Park was voted off the map in 2023) into one metropolitan city There would be one metro mayor and one police department but school districts would have been left untouched because it proposed making the county executive the first mayor of the newly merged metropolitan government he pleaded guilty to charges related to a pay-to-play corruption scheme The merger plan was unceremoniously shelved Mackey concedes his proposal shares something in common with the 2019 effort it’s got at least 1,000 opponents,” he said “That’s the number of elected officials in St Among those opponents were the mayors of Brentwood who trekked to the capital city to speak against the plan Many of the arguments against merger voiced at the hearing echoed those made in 2019: Why should county residents be saddled with the city’s issues “They can’t even pick up their trash,” commented Byron Keelin Louis County resident and president of the conservative group Freedom Principle MO a former city police officer and current Republican committeeman for the Chesterfield township in the county blasted “that city attitude of ‘Defund the Police’ that has been there for the last four years.” Louis County Republican who sponsored the recent state takeover of the city police department said “many people” know the city has problems “I don’t want to be a part of those problems,” he said Louis had a history of high debt and infrastructure deficiencies who represents the Tower Grove South-based 80th House District Louis County had “quite a deficit” and that she wanted to “defend the city of St Louis against all these attacks that I keep hearing.” Fuchs said the next governor could make the city-county merger a priority I imagine that we would have to work really hard to make it the best that it could be for the citizens who currently live in the city of St said he didn’t intend to advance Mackey’s merger plan but said he was interested in conversations on government efficiency in line with federal “DOGE” efforts “There are some things that we need help with,” said Christ who sponsored the state takeover of the city police and efforts to weaken the earnings tax Mackey’s plan would phase out the earnings tax Christ questioned what would happen with regard to policing following the state takeover of the St “I don’t know now with the state takeover if that would be a conflict that we would have to resolve,” Mackey said Mackey’s initial plan would take the merger to a statewide vote an aspect of Better Together that was heavily criticized in 2019 called the plan “typical noblesse oblige.” “They are trying to force this on us and people do not want this,” Weigert said “People want to be able to determine their own fate.” reminded the committee that the Missouri Constitution includes a Board of Freeholders process that allows nine city appointees and one gubernatorial appointee to convene for wide-ranging discussions on changing the local governance structure He said whatever the board decided would need to be approved by voters in the city and county Brentwood Mayor David Dimmitt called the loss of the city’s police department a “non-starter,” saying his city takes great pride in its department He said the city of about 8,000 is in a mutual aid pact with nearby municipalities for police and fire services “Because of that we don’t need to have a lot of police officers,” Dimmitt said “We don’t need somebody to come in and tell us here’s how you’ve got to do it.” The legislation is House Joint Resolution 27. Michael O’Keefe, COO of Technical Productions, Inc., explains the new lighting on the Gateway Arch on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in downtown St. Louis. Video by Christine Tannous, ctannous@post-dispatch.com Email notifications are only sent once a day Following less than two hours of testimony Wednesday the Senate Children and Families Committee voted to pass the proposed constitutional ame… Business groups challenged the new minimum wage law but the Supreme Court rebuffed the plaintiffs days before a key provision takes effect A $3.2 million plan to help farmers produce fresh food in north St Louis County drew questions about connections Two consultancies are already building a pool of candidates for top St Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Scott dazzle on defense as Cards sweep 2nd doubleheader in 5 daysMay 5th ST. LOUIS -- Even after making one of those hustling, hurtling, classic plays -- one where he wound up in the laps of a slightly startled family somewhat tangled in the netting and with Juan Soto’s foul pop securely in his glove -- the superstar third baseman had a somewhat stunning declaration to make "That was one of the best plays I’ve ever seen,” said Arenado the owner of 10 Gold Gloves and six Platinum Gloves Humble as ever, Arenado, of course, wasn’t talking about the headlong play he made in the eighth inning of the Cardinals' 5-4 defeat of the Mets -- a win that guaranteed them their second doubleheader sweep in a five-day stretch Instead, Arenado was referring to 5-foot-11 center fielder leaping as high as he could and reaching up over the wall to rob Soto of a home run in the fourth inning of a game that was highlighted by the Cards' stellar defense "It was awesome, and I told [Scott] that was one of the best plays I’ve ever seen,” Arenado raved. “I played with Adam Jones in the WBC, and he made a play like that Those are the two best plays I’ve ever seen made in center field.” The Cardinals came into Sunday easily the MLB leader in outs above average with 21, well ahead of the Astros (14) They strengthened their standing with the gems provided by Scott who made a sliding catch in the gap to end a fourth-inning threat Scott didn’t hesitate when asked where the home run robbery of Soto ranked on his list of stellar plays “There’s no other feeling [to compare] than to that The defense, combined with Alec Burleson’s two-run home run and Michael McGreevy’s 5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, allowed the Cardinals to cap Sunday with two wins over the surging Mets. They stopped a nine-game skid to New York with a gritty 6-5 win in Game 1 and then came from behind to take the nightcap In the storied history of the rivalry between the Cardinals and Mets And the last time the Cardinals swept the Mets in St Louis had been slightly more than 50 years ago (July 5 "I don’t care who the team is because it’s really hard to sweep doubleheaders,” said Burleson whose two-run blast in the second inning was his long-awaited first homer of the season especially with a team like that over there We played a really good defense today and that was a part of it We pitched really well with McGreevy coming in and we swung the bats enough to win two games.” Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Added Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol, whose club also swept a doubleheader from the Reds on Wednesday: “Doubleheaders are tough, and it’s a grind on the guys you are playing in both and the bullpen as well. But I love the fact that these guys are up for the task, and they want to be in every game.” McGreevy, who was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Saturday, came on in relief of Andre Pallante, his former teammate at San Clemente High School in Southern California. McGreevy allowed one hit and struck out five to improve to 4-0 in his MLB career, including his 3-0 run in 2024. Afterward, McGreevy talked about how he and Pallante used to look at Arenado’s retired number at El Toro High School in Lake Forest, Calif., and contemplate the greatness of the third baseman. On Sunday, McGreevy looked on in awe as Arenado made a hard-charging play where he barehanded a ball for an out and later when he careened into the crowd for another catch. "His high school is 20 minutes from me and Pallante’s [school] and you see Arenado’s number retired and you think about how cool it is that a guy like that grew up close to me,” McGreevy raved. “All of a sudden, I’m sharing a locker room, sharing a field and cracking jokes with him.” The father of a 3-year-old daughter, Arenado was horrified when he scared a small girl with his diving catch tumbling into the stands. "I was worried about hitting her, but I didn’t feel contact, but I probably frightened her with that whole situation,” he said. “I’m glad they’re OK, I heard they’re fine. Thank God for that and I was able to make the play.” The Cardinals did pretty much did nothing to bolster the roster The club was in trade rumors all offseason This is obvious and has been said countless times The buzz started to die down a little bit at the very beginning of the 2025 season Louis swept the Minnesota Twins to kick off the 2025 MLB season and seemed to be flying Things haven’t really gone their way since the Cardinals have a 14-19 record and are in fourth place in the National League Central but has given the team a chance to win each other game he has been in After his blow-up against the Boston Red Sox There were people who just wanted the Cardinals to cut ties with him for nothing It was heavy, but now the perception is starting to shift FanSided's Zachary Rotman suggested he could be a "deadline asset." "Miles Mikolas is turning himself into Cardinals trade candidate in a way nobody expected," Rotman said "From taking a quick glance at his season ERA Cardinals fans might think this has been the same old Mikolas He entered Wednesday's action with a 5.70 ERA in five starts and this outing brought that down to a still underwhelming 4.66 but it's so high in large part due to one rough outing in particular.. there likely will be a market for the veteran right-hander The Cardinals will likely have to eat some of the $17.6 million he's owed There is always demand for starting pitching it'll be better than anyone could've expected entering the year — which is a huge plus for the retooling Redbirds." He's in the last year of a three-year, $55.7 million deal but has a no-trade clause Could he bring back an asset or two for St More MLB: Cardinals All-Star Has Taken 'Substantial Hit,' Per MLB Writer The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Perfetti redirected a desperation Kyle Connor one-timer past St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington off a cross-ice pass from Ehlers so I thought I'm not going to let that happen again If we could get the goalie moving just a little bit we might be able to create something," Ehlers said of his pass if you look at the home teams in this series the puck luck was incredible," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said The Blues scored in the first period of every game of the series Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck allowed a questionable goal 6:16 later, as Mathieu Joseph wristed one past him from the top of the circle for a 2-0 lead Hellebuyck finished the series with an .830 save percentage and a 3.85 goals-against average Winnipeg was 2-25 all time in the playoffs when trailing by multiple goals at any point in the game This is the same scenario the Stars faced in winning Game 7 of their series against the Colorado Avalanche, playing without defenseman Miro Heiskanen and winger Jason Robertson Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said he cited Dallas's late-game comeback against Colorado on Saturday night to give the Jets hope for a rally The Jets chipped away at the lead in the second period on Perfetti's power-play goal, but St. Louis' fourth line -- one of its best in this series -- got it back with Radek Faksa's goal with 35 seconds left in the period "We obviously didn't get the start that we wanted today," Ehlers said "They got another one at the end of the second period We looked at each other and said we're not done playing hockey yet teams with a multigoal lead in the third period of a Game 7 were 119-4 Things were looking good for the Blues -- until they weren't Winnipeg pulled Hellebuyck with 3:14 left, leading to Vlad Namestnikov scoring with 1:56 left in regulation Perfetti then scored with three seconds left The teams were scoreless in the first overtime, with Binnington (11 saves) busier than Hellebuyck (4 saves) in the opening extra session. Then, Lowry ended the series with his deflection of Neal Pionk's shot at 16:10 of the second overtime played five seasons with the Blues during his 19-year NHL career He is considered the best goaltender in the world expected to collect his third Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top netminder this season But Hellebuyck had been a playoff disappointment in the Jets' first-round losses in 2023 and 2024 Hellebuyck was pulled in three straight road games with a .758 save percentage and a 7.24 GAA The last time he was across the ice from Binnington in overtime was the championship game of the 4 Nations Face-Off in February when Binnington was brilliant in leading Canada to victory over Hellebuyck and the U.S Hellebuyck was saving the day until his team could win the game in double overtime He made 13 saves in the final three periods who won his first playoff series as an NHL coach Louis Blues have an opportunity to upset the Presidents' Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets on Sunday evening in Game 7 at Canada Life Centre (6 p.m The Blues will be playing their first Game 7 since the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 (a 4-1 win at TD Garden) They have won each of their last four Game 7s "We have faced a lot of adversity," Blues Head Coach Jim Montgomery said about his team dealing with the pressure There are so many simliarites that we've been through these things together that gives us confidence." Montgomery did not commit to any lineup changes for Game 7 He was also asked whether Mathieu Joseph or Alexandre Texier would play The projected lineup below is based on Saturday's team practice at Centene Community Ice Center and is subject to change If any updates are available during pregame warm-ups The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services issued a memo Sunday night warning of potential spread of the highly contagious virus following a confirmed case in the city last week a person from out of state with measles reportedly visited the St The person dined at a restaurant that same day but no further details about the timing or location of that restaurant have been provided The state health authority says people who may have been exposed and who are immunocompromised or have not had the MMR vaccine should contact their health provider right away to ensure quick access to treatment to prevent the infection and its complications Anyone else who may have been exposed should watch for symptoms for 21 days from the date of exposure The CDC has tracked more than 900 cases in 12 outbreaks this year followed by white spots inside the mouth a week to two weeks after exposure A red rash begins three to five days later around the hairline an infected person will pass measles on to about 9 out of 10 of those they come in contact with who are unvaccinated or have low immunity This is the second report of measles in Missouri; the first confirmed case was in Taney County last month. Illinois also reported its first measles case last month. Game-changing highlights from the Stanley Cup Playoff matchup between the St. Louis Blues and the Winnipeg Jets FLA@TOR, Gm 1: Knies fires it up and over Bobrovsky to extend the Maple Leafs lead in the 3rd FLA@TOR, Gm 1: Balinskis rips home a wrister to cut the lead down to 1 in the 3rd FLA@TOR, Gm1: Nylander wrists it into the cage to put the Maple Leafs up by 2 FLA@TOR, Gm1: Jones drills in a PPG to put the Panthers on the board Watch every overtime goal from the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs FLA@TOR, Gm1: Rielly blasts it into the cage to put the Maple Leafs back up by 2 FLA@TOR, Gm1: Nylander goes five-hole to put Maple Leafs on the board Mic Drop: The best mic'd up moments from the first round Take a look at the first ever live draft lottery Senators and Maple Leafs clash in First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs Mic Drop: Avalanche, Stars conclude back-and-forth series in do-or-die Game 7 STL@WPG, Gm7: Lowry lifts the Jets to victory in double overtime Top 10 Goals from Week 2 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Wild and Golden Knights battle in First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs STL@WPG, Gm7: Perfetti ties it in waning seconds with his second goal STL@WPG, Gm7: Jets and Blues exchange handshakes at center ice STL@WPG, Gm7: Binnington makes a game-saving stop in overtime STL@WPG, Gm7: Namestnikov blasts home a wrister STL@WPG, Gm7: Faksa restores two-goal lead late in the 2nd STL@WPG, Gm7: Kyrou nets one-handed shot for opening goal COL@DAL, Gm 7: Johnston reacts to scoring the game-winner in Game 7 COL@DAL, Gm7: Stars and Avalanche shake hands at center ice following Stars' victory COL@DAL, Gm7: Rantanen notches first postseason career hat trick for 4-point game COL@DAL, Gm7: Johnston rips it home from a tough angle to the put the Stars on top on the power play COL@DAL, Gm7: MacKinnon doubles the lead early in the 3rd COL@DAL, Gm7: Manson rings one off the post and in for a short-handed goal to open scoring COL@DAL, Gm7: Blackwood flashes the leather on Rantanen in the 1st he could be looking at his second stint on the injured list in as little as one month Masyn Winn took a few games off early in 2024 to stave off some back pains he was feeling. This year, the hope was that the St. Louis Cardinals' 23-year-old shortstop of the present and future could play as many games as possible #STLCards SS Masyn Winn left the game in the fifth inning with a left ankle sprain. Winn twisted his ankle in the third inning when he tripped over third base while deftly avoiding a collision with #Mets third baseman Mark Vientos Masyn Winn left Sunday night's game against the New York Mets early after injuring his left ankle Winn tripped while rounding third base in the third inning While he did stay in the game and score on a Willson Contreras single and subsequently play defense in the top of the fourth inning Should Masyn Winn go on the IL, this would be the second time he's missed significant time in 2025. Winn went on the IL on April 12th due to nagging back pain. It was a shame that he went on the IL at that point, as he was starting to turn the corner offensively at that point. Nolan Gorman was activated following Winn's placement on the IL Winn attributed his back pain to the cold weather early in the year because it just sucks hitting when it’s cold Winn was reactivated exactly 10 days later and outfielder Michael Siani was demoted to Triple-A Memphis Winn has slashed .333/.390/.611 with two home runs He's been the Cardinals' best hitter over the last two weeks The Cardinals recently recalled shortstop/center fielder Jose Barrero and Barrero will likely get the bulk of playing time at shortstop for the time being if the Cardinals recall infielder Thomas Saggese who has already played some time in the majors this year Saggese could get the nod at short while Winn is out Saggese slashed .341/.364/.512 in only 14 games in the majors this year While his defense was a bit stodgy at times he began settling in right before he was sent back down to Memphis Winn's injury will definitely set both the shortstop and the team back slightly and his bat was starting to come around after a cold start to the year © 2025 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Minute Media or its affiliates and related brands #STLCards SS Masyn Winn left the game in the fifth inning with a left ankle sprain. Winn twisted his ankle in the third inning when he tripped over third base while deftly avoiding a collision with #Mets third baseman Mark Vientos Should Masyn Winn go on the IL, this would be the second time he's missed significant time in 2025. Winn went on the IL on April 12th due to nagging back pain. It was a shame that he went on the IL at that point, as he was starting to turn the corner offensively at that point. Nolan Gorman was activated following Winn's placement on the IL Winn attributed his back pain to the cold weather early in the year The Cardinals recently recalled shortstop/center fielder Jose Barrero, and Barrero will likely get the bulk of playing time at shortstop for the time being. However, if the Cardinals recall infielder Thomas Saggese, who has already played some time in the majors this year, Saggese could get the nod at short while Winn is out. Saggese slashed .341/.364/.512 in only 14 games in the majors this year. While his defense was a bit stodgy at times, he began settling in right before he was sent back down to Memphis. Winn's injury will definitely set both the shortstop and the team back slightly. His defense has been superb all year, and his bat was starting to come around after a cold start to the year. Masyn Winn left Sunday night's game early after injuring his ankle. News City Foundry is plunking down more chips on the experience economy with a new arm dedicated to public and private events at its 15-acre site in Midtown.  the father and son duo helming New + Found the operation will encompass large events open to the general public; ambient programming (from buskers to bingo) during the week; a “Live Art Market” on Wednesdays in May and June with local performers and creators; and an expanded opportunity for private packages that allow for the use of common spaces and more than one venue in a single event succinct guide to local news from award-winning journalists Sarah Fenske and Ryan Krull The Smiths say that events bring not only foot traffic to their existing tenants—City Foundry is 94 percent leased—but also some cultural electricity “We’ve had so many artists reaching out and asking how they can perform here,” says Will Smith “There’s absolutely an economic rationale [for events] but also a commitment to the community and bringing them together.” City Foundry also announced a half-dozen new tenants Five others are scheduled to open in the coming months: Sylvie Dee’s (coffee and ice cream) Urban Fort Play Café (an indoor playspace and children’s store); The Great Big Game Show (a game show experience); The Escape Game (a multi-space escape-room concept); and The Injection Bar (a wellness lounge).    The Smiths attribute the burst of leasing interest at least in part to a solidifying proof of concept: Taxable sales in the City Foundry Community Improvement District have more than doubled from $23.3 million in 2022 (the first full year) to $56.2 million in 2024 Steve Smith says that nearly all of the combined $58 million in state and federal historic tax credits for the $344 million development have been monetized and that he expects to arrange for permanent financing on the first phase (which cost $240 million) sometime this year.  City Foundry tenants have been hosting these for a while but customers have lately expressed interest in using more than one venue for a single event—say an event that encompasses both Alamo Draft House and 18 Rails—as well as spaces in City Foundry’s common areas Now customers will be able to arrange through a City Foundry events coordinator to combine those elements in package deals But the more frequent type of programming will be public events featuring local artists Steve Smith says one inspiration for that initiative was a string of visits to Covent Garden in London That’s what we’re trying to do—to create that energy.”  Why It Matters: City Foundry has quickly become one of the most visited places in St compared to Gateway Arch National Park’s 2.6 million Making first-timers into repeat visitors—and keeping the space activated outside peak hours—is critical to keeping tenants happy and business booming.  What’s Next: Those who want to organize public-facing events at City Foundry will be able to apply by responding to a request for proposals, which can be obtained by emailing [email protected]. The Live Art Market artist/sponsor lineup will be announced on May 7.  Listen Here Listen Here Listen Here Listen Here DAILY NEWSLETTER Subscribe to the St. Louis Daily newsletter for a smart, succinct guide to local news from award-winning journalists Sarah Fenske and Ryan Krull. Start your mornings with a fresh take on the day’s top local news from Sarah Fenske and Ryan Krull. No spam, you can unsubscribe anytime you want. Our award-winning content brings readers revealing profiles Start your mornings with a fresh take on the day’s top local news ST. LOUIS (AP) Victor Scott II robbed Juan Soto of a three-run homer and later hit a tiebreaking double, leading the St. Louis Cardinals to 5-4 victory over the New York Mets for a doubleheader sweep on Sunday night The nightcap was tied at 4-all in the fourth inning when Soto drove a fastball to straightaway center and his glove was over the fence when he snatched the ball Scott's two-out double off Max Kranick (2-1) scored Yohel Pozo from first base the NL East-leading Mets have dropped consecutive series for the first time this year Alec Burleson hit a two-run homer and rookie Michael McGreevy pitched 5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief for the Cardinals McGreevy (1-0) was recalled Saturday from Triple-A Memphis He struck out five and gave up one hit and one walk in first appearance in the majors this season McGreevy went 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA in four appearances Mets starter Tylor Megill allowed four runs in five innings Burleson’s first homer this season came with one out in the second He belted a 0-1 fastball into the right-field bullpen for a 2-0 lead Starling Marte had two hits and two RBIs for the Mets The Mets sent nine to the plate in the third against Andre Pallante McGreevy inherited the bases loaded and retired two batters Louis tied it in the bottom half on singles by Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras Burleson has hit safely in nine of his last 10 starts against the Mets He is hitting .333 (12 for 36) with three homers and eight RBIs Mets: Begin a series at Arizona with Griffin Canning (4-1 Cardinals: At Pittsburgh on Monday with Miles Mikolas (1-2 4.66) facing the Pirates' Carmen Mlodzinski (1-3 WINNIPEG — Only one outcome could have made the St They could have lost Game 7 to the Winnipeg Jets by five goals The immediate reaction to the end of the 2024-25 season would’ve been disappointing The Jets were the NHL’s best team in the regular season hosting the winner-take-all game in a series in which the home team had won all six games Jim Montgomery’s club could take the experience gained from its Western Conference first-round series back to St Louis and know that the retool had been expedited exponentially That may well still be the case in the end long after the NHL careers of rookies Jimmy Snuggerud and Zack Bolduc are over fans will still remember the year the Blues led Game 7 against the Jets by two goals with less than two minutes to play in regulation and And that it happened because of an area of their game that was an Achilles’ heel all season — six-on-five — won’t be forgotten anytime soon With Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck pulled for an extra attacker and the Blues clinging to a 3-1 lead the Jets’ Vladislav Namestnikov scored with 1:56 remaining in regulation and Cole Perfetti capped off a sequence of perfection to tie the score with 2.2 seconds left If Blues fans were pessimistic about the team’s chances of recovering from that as Jets captain Adam Lowry deflected in the series-clinching goal with 3:50 left in double OT Lowry’s goal will go down as the official game winner but Perfetti’s goal will be remembered right up there with Steve Yzerman’s double-OT goal to lift the Detroit Red Wings to a 1-0 win over the Blues in Game 7 the 1996 conference semifinals Perhaps not quite to that level because of the Blues’ Stanley Cup aspirations that season with Brett Hull and Wayne Gretzky on the roster “A second and a half away from closing out the series … it’s brutal,” Blues captain Brayden Schenn said Instead of packing up and preparing to play the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference semifinals the Blues will be thinking “what if?” for a long time to come “I’ve had a few painful ones,” Montgomery said But not as painful as giving up the latest game-tying goal in a Game 7 in NHL history eclipsing the previous record of six seconds set by the Vancouver Canucks’ Matt Cooke in 2004 The Blues had a league-leading 13 goals against with the opponent’s goalie pulled for an extra attacker in the regular season they can add two more to that total after Sunday After defenseman Colton Parayko flipped the puck into the offensive zone for an icing with 3:14 left Winnipeg called a timeout and pulled Hellebuyck Blues forward Robert Thomas had an empty net attempt with 2:55 left There was another icing by Blues defenseman Justin Faulk with 2:28 left bringing a faceoff back into the Blues’ zone After Lowry beat Oskar Sundqvist on the draw the Jets kept the puck in the zone for the next 35 seconds and Namestnikov scored on a shot that deflected in off Schenn’s stick with 1:55 to play 📺: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/Z2zZ7C4kho — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 5, 2025 The Jets came close to tying the score with 1:06 left but Blues goalie Jordan Binnington kept out a puck that was centimeters from crossing the goal line It was ruled no goal on the ice and held up after a review There was a faceoff in the Blues’ defensive zone and Thomas iced the puck again with 53 seconds left There was another faceoff and Pavel Buchnevich shot at the empty net resulting in another icing with 46 seconds left but the Jets brought the puck back into the offensive zone with 23 seconds left and after clearing attempts by Faulk and Parayko the puck wound up in the corner with 12 seconds to play It came out to the point to Nikolaj Ehlers instead of taking another desperation shot Ehlers made a cross-ice pass to Kyle Connor who fed the puck in front to Perfetti for a deflection past Binnington COLE PERFETTI‼️ pic.twitter.com/kgZU95vurH — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 5, 2025 It was certainly a heads-up play by Ehlers Montgomery noted that when Connor got the puck from Ehlers “It went right to a guy (Perfetti) in the slot,” Montgomery said it was yet another six-on-five goal against who was on the ice for both six-on-five goals Sunday “I’m not talking about six-on-five right now,” he said It doesn’t matter now because the season is over but the Blues have to figure out a better way of defending against the pulled-goalie situation “It’s an area of our team that has not been good all year and it’s an area I have to get better at so that our team is better next year at pulled goalie situations,” he said “I don’t want to continue to talk about six-on-five (anymore) We can analyze this at the end of the year.” After taking a 3-1 lead with 35 seconds left in the second period on a goal by Radek Faksa they were outshot 34-18 from the start of the third period until the end of the game And that was against a defense that was down to just five blueliners after Josh Morrissey left in the first period with an injury “I thought we had opportunities to make plays and we didn’t,” Montgomery said “We forced a little too much offense and didn’t spend enough O-zone time in the first overtime The Blues either led or were tied entering the third period in three of the four games in Winnipeg and lost each of them They had their chances both earlier in the series and on Sunday It’ll be a difficult loss and series to get past “No one gave us a chance right from the very beginning guys competed hard for one another,” Schenn said “Just a relentless group that was just willing to buy in for each other,” Parayko said Montgomery said he walked into the Blues’ locker room afterward and said a few words especially when you have the lead going at the end But I wanted to thank them for their effort their execution and their part in helping change things It took everybody on deck to be able to do what we did.” And Montgomery believes what transpired after the 4 Nations Face-Off will bode well for the Blues’ future “What we did here in the last three months is we changed the culture back to where it needs to be to be able to grow and get better,” he said “Now we need to continue to have a great summer and grow as an organization on and off the ice That’s what we’ve done and we’ve got to continue to do it for our great fans.” “It’s just a tough way to lose when you’re that close to advancing.” (Photo: James Carey Lauder / Imagn Images) Spirit of St Louis wins the Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs seizing the early season lead in the male turf division That uncharacteristic outcome—Spirit of St Louis had finished first or second in 13 of his previous 14 starts before that race—on paper made the Turf Classic appear open for the taking but that would change in the 1:48.20 it took Spirit of St Louis to complete Saturday's 1 1/8-mile test for older horses on good turf In a crowded Churchill winner's circle the fourth-place finish at Fair Grounds had faded like a New Orleans hangover "Spirit of St Louis actually ran a fast number (speed figure) at New Orleans; he just had a wide trip the whole way It's tough to win out there," said co-owner Sol Kumin "But (jockey Manny Franco) did a good job today from a tough post; saving just a little ground early Then he showed that great turn of foot." then went to the lead through a half-mile in :47.99 and six furlongs in 1:12.13 while Mercante shadowed Sign up for BloodHorse Daily Spirit of St Louis had made up ground four wide in the far turn then fanned eight wide to find a clear path as he took command near the sixteenth pole on his way to a three-quarter-length win In a blanket finish from second to fifth place, Mercante courageously held second in his grade 1 debut while Highway Robber  Spirit of St Louis' trainer Chad Brown credited Franco for adjusting after the slow start "The horse actually didn't break well I didn't quite get the whole story from Manny but he wasn't as close as I thought he would be early," Brown said "But Manny did a great job of just going to Plan B—save some ground on that first turn I was confident he'd handle this off turf." who secured six stakes wins before this season with five coming against other New York-breds he has responded with a pair of grade 1 scores in his first three starts at age 6 this year who secured his record-extending fifth Turf Classic said improving speed figures encouraged him to try to New York-bred at the highest levels of the sport "His numbers were getting pretty fast and they fit with my other open-company horses," Brown said, noting he had a bad trip in his grade 1 debut when fifth in last year's Turf Mile Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland "The one thing he surprised me with is how far he's running they might lose a little bit of their speed Photo: Mathea KelleyJockey Manny Franco celebrates aboard Spirit of St Louis after winning the Turf Classic Stakes Dubb went to $280,000 at the 2023 Keeneland April Horses of Racing Age Sale to purchase Spirit of St Louis out of the ELiTE consignment.  Tired of seeing annoying ads (like this one!) on Uni Watch There’s a simple solution: Join Uni Watch Plus plus exclusive access to our UW+ discussion forums push notifications whenever a new blog post has been published a special UW+ badge accompanying all your comments on the blog and a 20% discount on our Teespring merchandise Already a member? Sign in here After MLB’s absolute debacle of 2024, in which Nike’s new uniform template caused several aesthetic issues — all of its own making — with the most egregious visual misstep being the reduction in size of NOB across all MLB teams it seemed as though the 2025 uniforms at the very least had returned player NOB to their normal (larger) sizes here’s look at NOB height (and uniform design) for the St Louis Cardinals from 2023 through this season: While the 2025 uniforms are still far from perfect which also happens to be the designated evening for the Cards to wear their City Connect uniforms I hadn’t seen the Cardinals play in their CC’s for 2025 so I had naturally assumed their CCs would feature larger NOBs as has been the case with virtually every other MLB club but you can clearly see the Cardinals 2025 City Connect uniforms have the exact same NOB as in 2024 I immediately shot a note by UW pal/contributor and St. Louis Cardinals’ uniform database creator Oliver Kodner to ask him about the smaller (than expected) NOB Turns out he’s been on top of this development since the Cards 2025 CC debut In a post dated April 12th and with the hed “City Connect Still Using Smaller Names on Back,” Oliver investigated In last night’s game I noticed that the players’ names on the backs of their City Connect uniforms are still using the tiny letters from last season One of the big gripes from fans and players last season was the names on the back of the jerseys had changed to noticeably smaller letters in a more radical arch shape. Luckily the Nike+Fanatics heard the outcry and announced they would be going back to the larger lettering This change was noticed and implemented on the Cardinals home But last night the Cardinals debuted their City Connect for the 2025 season with the tiny letters and I found myself throughout the game saying out loud “Why didn’t they fix the letters on the City Connects?” Perhaps Nike+Fanatics just got lazy and forgot to fix the names on the Cardinals City Connects Maybe they’ll make up a lie and tell us it’s an intentional design choice that matches the concept of the uniform With these observations of the front number and the name on back, it means there was no change made to the City Connect uniforms this season. Within minutes of my contacting Oliver, I also got an e-mail from Scott M.X. Turner, with the subject line, “’24 rears its ugly head” and with a short note: …one too-small back-of-jersey name at a time. Hope you’re doing well and can’t believe it’s nearly a year since you too over! Watching the Mets-Cards game and the Cards’ “The Lou” tops have last year’s small lettering on the back. Maybe I’m the last member of the Uni community to notice. But gawd it’s annoying and looks terrible. I guess it’s a design choice. Have you heard why? OK, it wasn’t just me who hadn’t noticed. I’m not sure anyone other than perhaps Nike or the St. Louis Cardinals’ brass can give a 100% truthful response to the question of “why” the NOB wasn’t made larger. Oliver’s two possible explanations — that Nike got too lazy to “fix” the NOB heights or to say something along the lines of “oh, these NOB were always designed to be this size, nothing to see here” — were actually the same two rationales as proffered by Oliver. But was it only the Cardinals whose CC NOB remained the same? What about the other teams who received new CC’s in 2024? How do their 2025 NOBs compare to their 2024 debuts? It’s hard to tell, but it appears that all teams who received new CC’s in 2024 are sporting the same size NOB in 2025. I took a look at the Mets, Phillies, Twins and Blue Jays, and each one has a NOB that looks identical in size and arching. In all cases below, the 2024 jersey is on the left and the 2025 is on the right. So…based on that, it seems that ALL teams who received CCs in 2024 have definitely kept their 2025 jerseys the same. But…some of those 2024 CC NOB look larger than the standardized smaller letters all teams used last season. The whole time we were busy critiquing the overall look of the CCs, we apparently overlooked a few teams who were using larger letters last year! I also wanted to check to see if any teams who received CC’s before the 2024 NOB shrinkage, to see what changes, if any, were made between the pre-2024 and 2024 uniforms, and then compare to this year. I only checked the Pirates, but their CC NOB height did not change last year. Here is a look at the 2023, 2024 and 2025 Pirates CC NOB: I’d need to do more research, of course, but based on what I have found — while a team’s “Core Four” uniforms — primary home and road, plus any alternate jerseys, all suffered from the smaller NOB last season (and all teams’ NOB heights have returned to pre-2024 levels this season), the CC’s were actually NOT affected. The Cardinals just seems more noticeable since their CC’s contained some of the smallest NOB lettering available. But they aren’t the “only” team whose CC NOB hasn’t changed. It looks like ALL CC NOB were unchanged from 2023 to 2024, and all nine teams to get new CCs last season have kept whatever NOB were introduced last year. I wonder why this is the case? Why did Nike force all 30 teams (well, except the Yanks, who are NNOB) to wear the smaller NOB on every jersey but the City Connect last year? Why were they so special (or “exempted” as the case may be)? And how didn’t we notice this before??? Pretty sure we knew at the start of the season that the legacy city connects jerseys would not be changing from the 2024 template until next year. I think Nike’s plan was always to turn over a team’s CC uniform every four-ish years? If so, it’s prolly more cost-effective to simply let the smaller NOB models naturally phase out. Oh well, better scrap ALL of the CC program. It didnt work out. If you recall when the Cardinals first put their player names on the jerseys (Rawlings, IIRC, in the mid-60s), the font size was … rather similar to this. With that in mind, the font size isn’t as jarring, aesthetically speaking, as the MLB-wide font was last year. It makes me wonder if the Cards don’t get a redo sooner than later. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); along with whatever momentum either team might have through the first six games Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets had to lay it on the line in a winner take all Game 7 Take all your regular season records and toss them out the window Jordan Kyrou made it 1-0 just 70 seconds into the game with a backhanded tap in Colton Parayko passed up a great look himself so it was great that Kyrou finished it off or the Blues would have been in trouble Louis kept up the pressure and pretty much dominated the entire first period It got deafly quiet at 7:16 when the Blues went up by two The normally rock-solid Kyle Connor fanned on a stickhandle in the neutral zone and turned it over to Mathieu Joseph The former Penguin came into the zone and snapped a wrister from the top of the left circle and it snuck in under the blocker of Connor Hellebuyck The Blues held the two-goal lead into the intermission but it looked much less confident of a lead in the first half of the second period after having just three shots in the first had six shots in the first nine minutes of the second and several were dangerous Nikolaj Ehlers had a great chance that just glanced off the elbow of Jordan Binnington The Jets just missed the net on a couple odd-man chances too The referees handed the Jets a goal about 12 minutes in After letting both teams get away with some questionable hits they called a weak slash on Oskar Sundqvist Winnipeg then got an amazing deflection from Kyle Perfetti to make it 2-1 The Blues settled down and forced several icings from the Jets They nearly made it 3-1 when Cam Fowler drove to the goal line and had an open spot for a backhander the puck just slipped off the toe of the stick Just when the nerves started really building Another puzzling Jets turnover in the neutral zone led to a three-on-two The Blues found Radek Faksa on the left wing and he sent a bullet wrister over the glove shoulder to make it 3-1 going into the intermission Louis couldn't take advantage of a late second period penalty on the Jets only mustering two shots with fresh ice in the third it was a controlled start to the third period Jordan Binnington made a quality stop while off balance stopping Gabriel Vilardi from the left circle as the period was close to three minutes in Winnipeg kept pushing and nearly had a goal six and a half in who swatted the puck back out front and the Jets shot got knocked down by Jake Neighbours the Jets continued to just send pucks at the net and crash into Binnington especially when the fourth line was out there but they were doing a good amount of puck chasing too He made a shoulder save with about six minutes left and then a glove save on a left to right shot with about five minutes left The Jets pulled their goalie with 3:14 left and the time to sweat had begun with the Blues regular season struggles in these scenarios The nerves got even higher with 1:55 to go as the Jets banked one in off a Blues player to make it 3-2 Binnington made a huge save with 1:06 left the Jets cycled it around and Kyle Connor deflected one in from the slot and tied it with 1.6 seconds to go including a delay of game call on Brayden Schenn but the game continued thanks to some shot blocks and saves by Binnington Robert Thomas had an open shot from the slot and tried a tough pass to the right wing instead and no shot was gained Binnington bailed everyone out by stopping Ehlers on a partial breakaway with a big glove save Then the Blues transitioned and Philip Broberg had an open look and the blasted stick broke The Blues just couldn't get enough offense going They were simply worn out by the end of the game and a sustained Jets offensive shift led to an Adam Lowry goal just under four minutes from a third OT The Jets won 4-3 in both the game and the series We can argue back and forth about what happened with the team in front throughout the nearly 100 minutes but the one thing that cannot be argued is that Jordan Binnington continued to show he's a playoff star 43 saves in one game is a ton of work for the Blues netminder These weren't just random shots toward the net either the Jets chances got more and more dangerous For all the positives this team has given us in 2024-25 the one thing that has been the most frustrating is their failures when the opposite team pulls the goalie It's astounding how poorly they play when there's a net empty on the other end I honestly don't have a count at how many last minute goals the Blues gave up during the season but we knew it could be costly in the playoffs It proved to be just that against the Jets You've rattled the Vezina winner and then allow two goals when there's a 4x6 gaping hole at the other end of the ice they also had a penchant for buckling under the pressure I don't know if they attempted to hold the lead too much or what but they allowed too much pressure and then struggled to turn it back on themselves They only had four shots in the third and another four in overtime while they allowed 15 and 11 respectively the Jets had nearly twice as many hits and the Blues had almost 30 giveaways When you don't have the puck as much as your opponent those should have been hard numbers to come by Louis just didn't look the same in the third and first OT Winnipeg just made more plays than the Blues I truly do not believe they were the better team but they had more in the tank when it mattered most We can sit back once everything has cooled off and realize that St Louis wasn't even supposed to get this far They weren't supposed to be a playoff team and they weren't supposed to even be a challenge for the best regular season team that doesn't sit well enough right now It was right there on a silver platter for the Blues to take and they didn't have enough down the stretch The Blues had his number and just couldn't get it done on the road What really stings is that the Blues could have The Jets simply wore them down in each and every game in Canada and you could literally see the energy being drained out it honestly boils down to that icing against Pavel Buchnevich If he finds Thomas breaking up the ice or simply lofts it to center the Jets come back down and score because the Blues lose their cool when most teams score empty net goals this will pass and we will all be able to put it in proper perspective In time we can say that an inexperienced team that had struggles all year found a way to take the Presidents Trophy winner to the brink and should have found a way to go to the second round You had a two-goal lead and just needed to keep your cool and you'd have pulled off the win We all love this franchise and like the players It's a learning experience and hopefully they're better for it the next couple years ","https://fansided.com/",{"alt":"7w","src":"7x","url":"7y"},{"type":"7v","value":"7z"},"link","Minute Media","https://www.minutemedia.com/",{"text":"82","url":"83"},{"type":"81","value":"84"},"All Rights Reserved Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Minute Media or its affiliates and related brands Newly retired from the corporate world and I now get to do something fun and immerse myself in my favorite team The St Check out my stuff on YouTube on View from the Midwest The St. Louis Cardinals take on the New York Mets this evening at 5:15 pm CT The game will be available on FanDuel Sports Midwest and on the radio on KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM and WIJR AM 880 (En Espanol) A fight between neighbors over a basketball hoop reflects society’s failure to support children having fun When I first stumbled onto a story about a St. Louis Park dispute between neighbors over a basketball hoop, I thought it was a joke. Then I read the GoFundMe post by Lilly Moeding, who says her family allegedly has been harassed and even sued by a neighbor who wants to stop her kids … from playing basketball. “My name is Lilly Moeding, and I’m a mom to two boys, ages 9 and 12. Our boys love basketball — cheering for the Timberwolves, playing for the Minneapolis Lakers, and especially enjoying time together shooting hoops in our driveway,” the post says. “As soon as we were made aware, we worked with the city’s zoning board to relocate the hoop to an approved location. The neighbors appealed the zoning board’s decision, and later the city council’s decision as well. Both appeals were denied. Despite these clear decisions in our favor, the dispute has continued.” According to the post, the neighbors are lawyers who’ve forced the family into an expensive legal dispute. They’ve even filed a restraining order against the family because Moeding’s husband had to retrieve a basketball on their property. They’ve also filed a temporary injunction to prevent her kids from using the hoop over the summer. And they’ve initiated a lawsuit against the family and the city. While this is an extreme case of a specific neighbor allegedly launching an expensive legal battle over a basketball hoop, it also speaks to a larger community issue: Too many of us have become the adults we resented when we were kids. People over 35 — especially in the Midwest — love to tell war stories about their childhoods. We had a freedom our children no longer enjoy. Growing up in Milwaukee, I lived through hot summer days with a basketball, football or baseball in my hands. My neighbors didn’t have their yards fenced so we used their grass as our own football and baseball fields. To be honest, I hit more foul balls than home runs. I could never figure out the timing in baseball the way I did in other sports. One afternoon, I sliced a fastball and hit the side of my neighbor’s house. It wasn’t an unusual event. We hit a lot of baseballs into the side of his house. On that day, however, he stormed through the back door. He was furious. “Listen, kids!” he said. “You all are going to pound out every single dent you put in the side of this house this summer.” But he also never followed through. We kept playing back there and, from time to time, he’d give us sodas and snacks. Although he had a real gripe with us, he also understood we meant no harm. We just wanted to have fun and get out of the house. And that’s what those boys in St. Louis Park want, too. You think a kid knows anything about zoning laws or property disputes? Nah, they just want to play ball. It appears that some disgruntled neighbors aim to prevent that from happening, not just because of legal concerns but perhaps because they’ve forgotten about the joy they once had when they were that same age. I do not know how our children can trust us while they can also see our collective hypocrisy. We blame them for staying inside too often and living their lives through a phone, a tablet or a computer. They play video games for hours and seem less interested in exploring the neighborhood compared to my generation. They also post constantly on social media and live off YouTube videos and an occasional snack. Yet, a multitude of rec centers have closed. There are no arcades. There are only a handful of roller-skating rinks left, too. Couple of bowling alleys still remain, but they’re usually not within walking distance. And when our kids hit the mall, they’re met by security personnel and gates that restrict where they can go. And there are parks that have removed hoops to prevent them from gathering together and having all of that fun we once had, too. So what the hell do we expect them to do all summer? Sure, this is a lawsuit about a specific disagreement between a pair of neighbors in St. Louis Park. But it’s more than that. It’s an extension of our collective choice to prevent our kids from living free from the burdens of adulthood. I don’t know how it all happened, but over time, a bunch of us decided to act like the same folks who made us feel like we couldn’t do the things we wanted to do as kids. For all of us, it’s an ongoing fight to provide structure, discipline and stability for this generation while also encouraging and supporting their adventures. But there is another issue at play, both in the St. Louis Park dispute and in others like it: Too many of us have become boring adults. Let’s hope our children don’t follow our lead. Myron Medcalf is a local columnist for the Minnesota Star Tribune and recipient of the 2022 Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award for general column writing. Stage & Arts Sally Wingert is by turns gentle and caustic in a show that shows God is the ultimate entertainer Gioachino Rossini’s comic opera plays at the Ordway Music Theater in St Benson Boone’s American Heart Tour will open at Xcel Energy Center on Aug just two years after he played in town at the Fine Line Louis Blues star forward Brayden Schenn knows what it's like to reach the top in the NHL He won a Stanley Cup with the team in 2019.  He will have to wait for at least another season to try winning the Cup again after the Blues suffered a stunning 4-3 Game 7 loss at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday night at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg Schenn and the Blues were smelling the scent of victory when they started the third period with a two-goal cushion over the Jets who won the Presidents' Trophy for racking up the most points in the NHL during the regular season Louis was literally just over a second away from advancing to the next round and eliminating Winnipeg before a Cole Perfetti goal with 1.6 seconds left in the third period tied the score at 3-3 Louis Blues left wing Pavel Buchnevich (89) and Winnipeg Jets defenseman Luke Schenn (5) shake hands Luke Schenn is Brayden Schenn's brother. "We thought we played a solid 58 minutes tonight, and unfortunately the last two, we gave them life," Schenn said after the game (h/t Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic) I think it went off a body and far side and in The game ended in dramatic fashion when Neal Pionk's shot deflected off Adam Lowry and got past Blues goalie Jordan Binnington 16:10 into the second overtime Louis was dominated in the possession battle in Game 7 as the Jets had 47 shots on goal to just 29 by St Binnington had an overall solid performance in front of the net for St but let in the biggest goals of the night that led to the Blues' early demise in the playoffs Winnipeg advances to meet the Dallas Stars in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs health officials push to get artificial colors out of the nation’s food supply has seen a surge in businesses rushing to convert their products and Dwight Brown use a large sifter to mix a shade of yellow coloring at Sensient Technologies Corp. Senior Application Scientist Nicole Carey works in a lab to match food coloring at Sensient Technologies Corp. Beet juice is seen on a mixing tank used in the making of coloring at Sensient Technologies Corp. Abby Tampow works in a Sensient Colors laboratory in St Liquid color samples are stored in bottles in a room at Sensient Technologies Corp. Applications Scientist Anuj Bag watches candy spin inside a drum while being coated with yellow coloring as he demonstrates the process of developing new food colors at Sensient Technologies Corp. Caleb Whorl pours a container of caramel coloring into a vat to be mixed before packaging at Sensient Technologies Corp. Natural food coloring is held in a jar in a lab at Sensient Technologies Corp. The results of various synthetic and natural food coloring are displayed inside a lab at Sensient Technologies Corp. Candy using food coloring are displayed in a lab at Sensient Technologies Corp. Technician Heather Browning pours a liquid color sample into a smaller container to be shipped to a customer at Sensient Technologies Corp. Technician Heather Browning packages a color sample made of beet powder for a customer at Sensient Technologies Corp. Sensient Technologies CEO Paul Manning speaks during an interview at a production facility for the color additive manufacturing company Bottles containing a variety of colored liquids sit on a shelf in a lab at Sensient Technologies Corp. Containers of material wait in a warehouse for certification by the Food and Drug Administration at Sensient Technologies Corp. the scientist hovered over tiny dishes of red dye To match the synthetic shade used for years in a commercial bottled raspberry vinaigrette — but by using only natural ingredients it needs a little more orange,” Tampow said mixing a slurry of purplish black carrot juice with a bit of beta-carotene Tampow is part of the team at Sensient Technologies Corp. that is rushing to help the salad dressing manufacturer — along with thousands of other American businesses — meet demands to overhaul colors used to brighten products from cereals to sports drinks “Most of our customers have decided that this is finally the time when they’re going to make that switch to a natural color,” said Dave Gebhardt He joined a recent tour of the Sensient Colors factory in a north St called them “poisonous compounds” that endanger children’s health and development citing limited evidence of potential health risks The Food and Drug Administration allows about three dozen color additives But making the change from the petroleum-based dyes to colors derived from vegetables an Ohio State University food color expert “Study after study has shown that if all companies were to remove synthetic colors from their formulations the supply of the natural alternatives would not be enough,” Giusti said It can take six months to a year to convert a single product from a synthetic dye to a natural one And it could require three to four years to build up the supply of botanical products necessary for an industrywide shift “It’s not like there’s 150 million pounds of beet juice sitting around waiting on the off chance the whole market may convert,” said Paul Manning “Tens of millions of pounds of these products need to be grown Sensient works with farmers and producers around the world to harvest the raw materials which typically arrive at the plant as bulk concentrates They’re processed and blended into liquids granules or powders and then sent to food companies to be added to final products Natural dyes are harder to make and use than artificial colors less stable and subject to changes related to acidity There aren’t many natural sources of the color and those that exist can be hard to maintain during processing a natural color costs about 10 times more to make than the synthetic version that same level of safety in that product as you would in a synthetic product?” he said “There’s a lot of complexity associated with that.” Companies have long used the Red 3 synthetic dye to create what Sensient officials describe as “the Barbie pink.” To create that color with a natural source might require the use of cochineal The female insects release a vibrant red pigment The bugs live only on prickly pear cactuses in Peru and elsewhere About 70,000 cochineal insects are needed to produce 1 kilogram “It’s interesting how the most exotic colors are found in the most exotic places,” said Norb Nobrega who travels the world scouting new hues for Sensient FDA requires a sample of each batch of synthetic colors to be submitted for testing and certification The FDA says that the approved dyes are safe when used according to regulations and that “most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives.” “I am all for getting artificial food dyes out of the food supply,” said Marion Nestle are markers of ultraprocessed foods and may be harmful to some children.” resulting in more muted hues — and a consumer backlash Trix fans said they missed the bright colors and familiar taste of the cereal then it may not really be the same experience,” Giusti said “Announcing a regulatory change is one step but then the implementation is another thing.” officials have an “understanding” with food companies to phase out artificial colors Industry officials told The Associated Press that there is no formal agreement several companies have said they plan to accelerate a shift to natural colors in some of their products Representatives for General Mills said they’re “committed to continuing the conversation” with the administration WK Kellogg officials said they are reformulating cereals used in the nation’s school lunch programs to eliminate the artificial dyes and will halt any new products containing them starting next January Sensient officials wouldn’t confirm which companies are seeking help making the switch Dee-Ann Durbin contributed reporting from Detroit The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The AP is solely responsible for all content This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Nobrega Jack McGlynn We’ll explore that, a bunch of teams that are missing final-third continuity, and the Revs staring at a brutal remaining schedule (yeah we’re already looking at “remaining schedule” for a few teams down near the bottom of the Eastern Conference) We’ll start, though, with a St. Louis side that’s lost their attacking identity under their new head coach There were two main selling points for new St Louis head coach Olof Mellberg when he was presented by sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel back in the winter as the permanent replacement for Bradley Carnell: On point No. 1, the defense has certainly been better. Following Saturday night’s 2-0 loss at Sporting Kansas City – the new coach bounce is real – CITY SC have conceded just four times all year and that’s on only 7.0 xGA (a very respectable fourth in the Western Conference) while they’re overperforming their numbers they’d still be a very good defensive team if they weren’t All of that has come at the expense of consistent danger going forward there’s a caveat here: Mellberg’s team has been hamstrung by injuries and other absences He’s rarely had what should be his first-choice XI in the 3-4-2-1 he’s implemented Why sign them to first-team contracts if you’re not going to use them at a time like this Why stick with the 3-4-2-1 if you’re not going to use the guys who are actually wingbacks has been carrying a knock for most of this season) running off a center forward and got a baseline level of solidity behind all of them They’re getting almost none of that this year they’re just trotting out as many d-mids and center backs as possible that doesn’t always make you a better defensive team: Brilliant stuff from Sporting KC, who were able to exploit some St. Louis confusion re: where and when to get pressure to the ball. pic.twitter.com/ihV0n7ACjt knowing exactly how the chess pieces would move once Sporting’s No Joveljić would add his second a few minutes later when St And so Mellberg’s really getting into the testing period now He got the defense to play better over the first six weeks of the season by getting numbers behind the ball and mostly keeping them there but we’ve reached the point in the year where that’s not enough and part of being good defensively is using your defensive shape to scare the bejesus out of the opponents by giving you the chance to transition into an attacking phase of play With low and slow wingbacks and mismatched attacking pieces, I’m not sure how St. Louis accomplish that. And against one of the best attacking teams in the league next week, when Columbus come to town for Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire For Sporting, I wrote at length last week what departed manager Peter Vermes meant to that club and the league as a whole that new coach bounce was real and spectacular and I kind of wonder if moving Vermes’ larger-than-life presence out of the locker room made room for other guys (staff but especially players) to find their voices and become leaders in a way that this current group just haven’t “The spirit of the guys… they were not going to give in,” interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin said to the press “First time in a while that I heard at halftime ‘We are not losing tonight.’ With that mentality This was the best game in Sporting colors for both Joveljić and García, the new DPs brought in this summer, while the academy duo of Jake Davis and Jacob Bartlett were very good in central midfield Time will tell if this was a sign of what’s to come or something of a dead cat bounce But I don’t think it’s wrong for Sporting fans to feel good for a week Nashville SC were balling so hard that I felt confident enough to make this video about their dominance while the game was happening one of the most beautiful teams in the league to watch: Nashville(!!!) have become a dominant possession team under BJ Callaghan, and it's produced some glorious soccer. pic.twitter.com/0OKaPIhDhh I got out over my skis a bit, though, didn’t I? Things fell apart for the ‘Yotes in the second half as Charlotte pulled themselves into the game and, eventually, won it 2-1 Credit to Charlotte head coach Dean Smith, who made a good, aggressive sub – he brought in winger Kerwin Vargas for central midfielder Djibril Diani, moved Pep Biel inside as a 10 and switched from a 4-3-3 to a double pivot This is the type of thing (not just subbing but doing so early both in build-out and attack) I want to see more of from managers who are watching their side underperform We worked [out] that we'd build with a [back] two and four [across midfield],” is how Smith explained it in the postgame presser “And we just didn't move the ball quick enough to get it to our fullbacks “So we decided to go back to our three and two And that allowed us to create a box in midfield with Kerwin coming inside.” in that it stopped the flood of Nashville chances Charlotte looked more comfortable once they changed their shape and then with Pep Biel hitting what has officially become The Pep Biel Pass: This is officially The Pep Biel Pass.Shouts to @benwright for spotting it again (and again and again). pic.twitter.com/Ay09SvOPgD That is a sick touch from Idan Toklomati for his first MLS goal Biel has been promoted into the central role – both literally and metaphorically – for the Crown this year He leads the league in assists and is among the league leaders in most relevant chance-creation stats including expected assists and pass-before-the-pass stuff I think a big part of Charlotte’s issues to start this one was that Smith had shunted him to the wing “I just felt that the way we wanted to play with Pep coming on the side,” Smith said “we wanted to press from out to in with Pep and Wilf but we never got close enough to their sixes at times.” The other part was getting Biel into spots to immediately open the game with that pass which means moving him deeper and more towards the middle even if Charlotte haven’t quite figured out their defensive balance with him in that spot Nothing about this year has been easy so far for Cincy Nothing about this year has been easy so far for the Revs They’re on four points through six games and I feel like they’ve got the toughest remaining schedule in the league I will say their attack has looked a little more lively over the past two games. With Tomás Chancalay and Leo Campana both expected back in the next few weeks 12. Jacen Russell-Rowe had himself a goal and assist as Columbus stayed unbeaten with a 2-1 home win over CF Montréal Head coach Wilfried Nancy was both pleased – he praised the hell out of his team’s defense and the way they defended from the front – and not and this is the worst result to deal with during the game,” Nancy said about taking a 2-0 lead but failing to put the game away before halftime we had the possibility because we broke the opposition at certain moments but we didn't have the good pass to finish That's why we struggled a bit in the second half.” But I’ll write the same thing I write every week: Columbus sold an MVP-caliber player and they need to replace one (really both) of those guys if they’re going to stay in the top tier this season They could certainly use the extra punch ahead of next week’s trip to St but I haven’t heard a peep about potential signings before the Primary Transfer Window closes on April 23 Montréal played pretty well in the game’s final hour and mostly stay there for the next three months 11. It was finally back to the 4-2-2-2 for the Red Bulls, who came from 1-0 down to notch a 2-1 home win over Chicago on Saturday night You can see the formation change in the network passing graphic: To be honest, it wasn’t a super-convincing win – they were excellent for the final 10 minutes of the first half and that’s about it. But Serge Ngoma (No. 81 above) was clever about his attacking movement (especially on the goal, but there was some other nice stuff as well), Carlos Coronel played himself a blinder Chicago manager Gregg Berhalter had to channel his inner Zen (his words maybe the final pass could have been a little bit more accurate,” Berhalter said and normally when you get that many good attacks “Sometimes ball go in” is not a satisfying narrative it’s what about 80% of these games come down to 10. Or, in the case of Philly’s scoreless home draw with Orlando The Union did everything you’d expect of them: they won second balls This was a much better performance from Orlando than the 4-2 home beating they took from this same Union side on opening weekend and they had their chances to smash and grab a win in the final 15 minutes “A good result for us,” head coach Oscar Pareja said in the postgame “I think we take this point from a difficult place in Philadelphia with a lot of intensity we knew that our options would be behind their backs and we had two or three options that could have gotten us the three points 9. It was also very level in Austin, where the Timbers spun up a point of their own via a scoreless draw This one was different, though, as in the other three, Portland were facing teams that generally wanted to get on the ball and dictate play. Austin are absolutely running away from that this year “We thought that their strengths were obviously on set plays and in transition if they would have been scouting us,” is how head coach Phil Neville put it Though their lack of reps in building chances via possession did show so I thought it was probably the poorest part of our game but the decisions that we made and the choices that we made to cross,” he explained maybe we could have committed somebody one-on-one Nico Estévez’s presser was basically the same in reverse Both teams are establishing a nice baseline competence but need to layer on some facility with chance creation out of midfield to become high-level threats There is a good case to give this both Pass of the Week and Face of the Week PASS OF THE WEEK AND FACE OF THE WEEK IN THE SAME CLIP???THIS IS IT!! THIS IS MY THESIS!!! pic.twitter.com/X7hGVnRywE Diego Luna would just do it himself a few minutes later, getting both goals in the 2-0 final for RSL He looks a natural now that he’s playing full-time in the No The Galaxy offered little resistance over the first half-hour – Zanka struggled again in central defense – and little threat despite chasing for the rest of the game "We had a lot of attacks that looked like they could be promising," is what head coach Greg Vanney said about the execution of his team’s midfield and attackers Head coach Ronny Deila chalked it up to a lack of final-third execution and chemistry – really is a running theme this week “We had so many chances where the second pass was right at the goalkeeper and these are the areas that we have to be sharper,” Deila said afterward but this is very frustrating not to win this match.” Another note I want to make: right back Brooks Lennon is leading this team in touches week after week Lennon’s a useful player in many ways – he plays with energy and can even do a little something in the half-spaces – but man I don’t think he’s the guy you want keying your build-out patterns but if there’s going to be a back-to-front holistic fix of a team that perpetually plays like they’ve just met each other starting with an assessment of how they actually want to progress the ball upfield seems like it’d be fruitful Good point from Dallas, who’ve quietly gone three unbeaten. A lot of that is their big DP attackers, Musa and Lucho Acosta rescuing points while Eric Quill tries to figure out the rest of it But that’s what you go out and get big DP attackers for 6. Our actual Pass of the Week goes to Griffin Dorsey for this clever backheel to unleash Jack McGlynn for the game’s only goal in a 1-0 Dynamo win over LAFC: Jack McGlynn from distance and Houston have the lead! pic.twitter.com/sPDHhy0G9i McGlynn’s usually been used as a deep-lying playmaker in a double-pivot this year and this game was really the first time Ben Olsen’s gone away from that it was the usual hybrid 4-2-3-1 that morphed into a 3-4-2-1 but with McGlynn in the right attacking half-space – basically do I want to see him get a run of games in that role because it emphasizes his strengths (he really is a weapon in the final third; dude’s among the league leaders in xA) while hiding his weaknesses (he’s not a great defensive presence deeper in midfield) LAFC have lost four of five in league play and are struggling badly. At the start of the year, I tweeted: “It’s rare to see a team’s philosophy and personnel aligned so perfect They’ve spent the past three years slowly getting rid of all their creative midfielders and now they play like a team that doesn’t have any creative midfielders.” They’ve been denuded of their creative types and as a result are struggling to get out into the open field like they used to while still being uncomfortable carrying the ball and using possession to break teams down Related: Denis Bouanga is on zero goals for the season They do it with a lot of diagonals – they’re third in the league in successful switches of play – which are basically the only long-balls they hit (they’re 27th in MLS in long-ball frequency) And they are Crew-like in their willingness to ride out pressure and wait until the right moment unfolds “I think we were up against a team that press up high and played out of that pressure well,” Vancouver head coach Jesper Sørensen said “And maybe it was a little bit more of a counterattacking play but we also showed that we could manage that type of game And I was quite happy with the performance overall I think we created a lot of opportunities and chances.” The Rapids have been wildly up and down. The only good news from this one was left back Sam Vines returned from injury getting on the field for 35 minutes in the second half 4. Whew. San Diego beat the absolute brakes off of Seattle late Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium, getting an early goal off a set piece and then strangling the life out of the visitors over the final five minutes of the first half for the 3-0 final They scored on a set piece within 90 seconds then utterly destroyed the Sounders off of turnovers as the clock ticked towards halftime: San Diego deserve a ton of credit for doing to Seattle what Austin did to them a couple weeks back.But man, this is so so so self-inflicted by the Sounders. pic.twitter.com/wDRkL4J6li The tweet says the thing: San Diego are a good and adaptable team (especially now with Chucky Lozano back healthy; that’s him scoring the second goal in that tweet), while the Sounders are a sleepy, sloppy and bad team at the moment. Jesús Ferreira is very much a man without a home in this lineup and nobody on the backline has even been decent I didn’t expect them to repeat last year’s brutal start 3. I’ve spent a lot of time over the past two years explaining the correlation between possession and points per game is back, and Minnesota United are just RUINING IT for me and I HATE THEM! They need to stop winning games or start having the ball which is their possession mark on the season That would be – by miles – the lowest mark in MLS history Ok, phew. That's out of my system following their 2-1 win in the Battle of the Birds in the Bronx The Loons are a brilliant counterattacking team and are really pragmatic about using long throws to generate what are essentially more set pieces If you do that and you have a good goalkeeper (who becomes a God goalkeeper when facing PKs) And if the recent version of Joaquín Pereyra is the real version they might win their first trophy as an MLS team: Joaquin Pereyra becoming *that* guy over the past couple of weeks is pretty, pretty significant! pic.twitter.com/zQnzGlCHeB The Pigeons dug themselves that 2-0 hole and full credit to head coach Pascal Jansen: he made two subs in the 40th minute and his side controlled the rest of the game. They had more than enough chances to dig themselves all the way out, but were ultimately killed by Alonso Martínez’s penalty miss just before the break I think he probably learned something about which guys he trusts 2. San Jose beat the hell out of D.C. United for a half hour, then took a half-hour nap, then woke up to apply another beating or three over the game’s final half-hour in a 6-1 laugher that was absolutely nothing like the inaugural MLS game 29 years ago I really like a lot about the Quakes, and specifically when they play a 3-5-2, and especially with another playmaker – 19-year-old homegrown No. 10 Niko Tsakiris – in the XI. They spent the entire game basically one touch from cracking D.C. wide open think this result (and basically everything else about the game) says more about D.C.’s current situation than it does about the Quakes The Black-and-Red have shipped 87 goals since the start of last season and are worse basically across the board That pillowy soft schedule to start the year was pretty misleading and now that they’ve driven into the teeth of the thing Very little reason to think things are going to change Here’s what I wrote in my preview of Toronto’s trip to Fort Lauderdale for this week’s installment of Sunday Night Soccer this feels like as big a mismatch as we’ll see all year I picked Miami to win the Shield and Toronto to win the Wooden Spoon Neither have given me much reason to think I’ll be wrong This league hits somebody in the face with the chaos hammer every single weekend No reason it can’t be Toronto’s turn to swing it I’m just gonna list off some thoughts I had while watching this absolutely insane 1-1 draw: I kind of suspect the Herons will regret pouring so much into this one when it comes time for the Concacaf Champions Cup second leg vs. LAFC. As for the Reds if Insigne and Bernardeschi keep showing up like this But that’s been a mountain of an “if” for the past two years With our weekly newsletter packed with the latest in everything food Post-Dispatch restaurant critic Ian Froeb reflects on 10 years of doing the STL Top 100 and lists the top 5 restaurants on his 2025 list a hare-brained restaurant critic proposed a wild idea to his editors at the Post-Dispatch: an annual list of the best Not only would I visit all 100 restaurants (and more) to make this list but I would return to each of them the next year and the year after that… we proudly present the 10th anniversary edition of the list thrown into crisis by the pandemic’s arrival in 2020 and still dealing with how the pandemic has changed dining habits Of the 100 restaurants on that inaugural STL 100 in 2015 only 14 have remained on the list through all 10 editions (Completists will note this is technically issue No was a collection of stories instead of a list.) following the unexpected closure of last year’s top spot I first reviewed a restaurant from the chef of this new No Here’s toasting 10 years of the STL 100 and the 100 restaurants we are celebrating this year To see an index by cuisine, use this list or click on the cuisine category under each restaurant name Pastries from Nathaniel Reid Bakery are seen Tuesday Nick Bognar talks to diners while torching sardines at his sushi restaurant Pavilion on the Hill young chef Nick Bognar opened Ramen Tei adjacent to his mother Ann Bognar’s Japanese restaurant Nippon Tei My review of the ramen restaurant wasn’t a pan I certainly wouldn’t have guessed Bognar’s trajectory he returned to take over the sushi program at Nippon Tei Pavilion chef-owner Nick Bognar displays the wagyu beef and three cuts of tuna before slicing them for service at his Hill restaurant This was merely a prologue for Bognar’s debut restaurant which opened in 2019 in Botanical Heights (see No The menu featured an even more ambitious presentation of nigiri sushi as well as dishes that drew inspiration from his Thai heritage Indo drew national acclaim and was poised to become the next great St though Bognar’s multi-course omakase (chef-directed) dinners at its sushi bars didn’t return which brought together his sushi program from Indo and customer favorites from Nippon Tei (now closed) Sado would have returned to this year’s Top 10 based solely on its perfect single bites of nigiri sushi and such composed sashimi dishes as the signature Isaan hamachi with a coconut naam pla or the kanpachi cured in black tea a separate enclosed space at Sado where he hosts omakase dinners for small groups of diners a few times each week mature talent is on display with exquisite bites of expertly dry-aged fish A piece of nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch) cured for six days is as rich as bluefin tuna Bognar also serves the expected luxuries at Pavilion: tuna He knows when to apply a light touch (i.e. in three different cuts) and when to return to his roots seasoning A5 Japanese wagyu in tribute to his grandmother’s nam tok beef I know I’m up to something good,” he said during my 18-course dinner at Pavilion smoked potato cappelletti and the BBQ pork collar Eight years after Tara and Michael Gallina opened Vicia the Central West End restaurant continues to compel national accolades Vicia chef de cuisine Jane Sacro Chatham is a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist for “Emerging Chef,” a nationwide category Leading Vicia’s kitchen for the Gallinas and their business partner and culinary director Aaron Martinez Chatham upholds Vicia’s agenda-setting standard: sometimes hearth-fired A late-winter dish of miso-cured ocean trout transcended modern trends into timeless elegance The supple trout practically melted into its pool of shiro-dashi butter which gave the fish a subtle swagger without obscuring its delicate oceanic sweetness Vicia can still wow with a plate of vegetables like a salad of carrots in a carrot vinaigrette with a citrusy bite of coriander This is the flavor Bugs Bunny chases in his dreams Vicia has switched to a traditional a-la-carte menu though the menu retains a family-style “Let us cook for you” option like its retired Farmer’s Feast tasting menu it continues to be one of the essential St Consider the arc of Mowgli and Craig Rivard’s Little Fox certain to be one of that year’s most buzzed about debuts let alone those with only a few months in the books you can see the pandemic’s scars across the industry the Fox Park restaurant opened for dinner on Monday making it one of the few top-tier restaurants open on that typically quiet evening That speaks to the demand for the food from Craig Rivard and his kitchen team I’ve previously described his cooking as a Californian-Italian hybrid but I think bountiful might be the best description the season’s best ingredients and generous flavors that work together seamlessly You can see it in the perfect texture of the bomba rice inside the ‘nduja croquetas the jolt pickled peppers give to the mussels’ garlic-shallot broth and in the smoky tangy accents a giardiniera of grilled hakurei turnips added to the ‘nduja-marinated bone-in pork chop with polenta a signature dish I didn’t think could be improved further gin-dara and nuta at Nobu's in University City might look up from center stage of his extraordinary Delmar Loop sushi restaurant to ask if you liked one of the courses he has selected painstakingly prepared and artfully plated for your multi-course meal will describe each dish and make small talk with you and your few fellow diners throughout the meal Calm is the first descriptor that comes to mind when you step inside Nobu’s with its blond wood and warm light like an upscale Nordic spa You can hear the click of spoons seeking the last drop in bowls of red snapper bone broth the pop of dashi-infused trout roe against your teeth and a sigh of delight when the perfectly tart accent of green tomato seeds hits Are you embarrassed when your noises turn frankly carnal as dinner moves through bluefin tuna The publication schedule of the STL 100 and my desire to bring you the freshest possible reports bring me to the region’s most prominent restaurants in late winter that isn’t the prime season to visit any kitchen that favors local farms and the ingredients of the moment and it seems especially unfair to drive to Philip Day’s Root Food + Wine in Augusta before the trees along winding Highway 94 have begun to bud Yet once again this year Day has floored me with an early March menu where the mint chimichurri with pink peppercorn that accompanied lamb sausage and a couple of lamb fitters was more electrifying than other restaurants’ most verdant summer fare Day continues to reinvent his signature winter mushroom appetizer this time serving a consommé to sip alongside a custardy mushroom riff on Japanese chawanmushi He coaxed unexpected elegance from the sweet potato: charcoal-grilled maple-glazed and decorated with apple and mustard seed Day has just changed Root’s menu format to highlight more game and vegetable dishes Cahokia Congee with bread and butter pickles shattering spinach and turnips tots at Mainlander Louis’ best new restaurant of 2023 and a James Beard Award semifinalist in 2024 for the country’s best new restaurant Chef Blake Askew and his business and life partner Gordon Chen are moving Mainlander from its cozy original home in the Central West End to bigger digs in the same neighborhood When the restaurant reopens in late spring in the former Salt + Smoke space by the intersection of North Euclid and McPherson avenues it will feature a bar area as well as a dining room Will this make it any less challenging to score a reservation My return to Mainlander this past fall found Askew and his team confident and playful exploring Midwest cuisine through that month’s set menu with inspired touches from various Asian cuisines: a riff on shrimp toast made with rainbow trout delicate Minnesota walleye in sizzling sesame oil Scallops in a white mole sauce are surrounded counterclockwise by the blue crab tostada kaaxil sikil and beef tongue taco from El Molino del Sureste Once again I must demand that the national tastemakers of the James Beard Awards take seat at Alex Henry’s exceptional Southampton restaurant El Molino del Sureste I don’t return to restaurants that debuted on the previous year’s STL 100 until the end of my research for the new edition but Henry’s exploration of the cuisine of his native Yucatán required a visit in high summer for a cool ceviche percolating with chile heat and a huarache piled with juicy peak-season heirloom tomatoes El Molino won’t celebrate its second birthday until September but Henry and his brother Jeff have already transformed Mexican cuisine in St scallops in white chocolate mole and turkey dishes to persuade the Thanksgiving-averse El Molino is now open for lunch with a more casual menu of tacos and Henry continues to dazzle at the Food Hall at City Foundry with his signature cochinita pibil and other Yucatecan dishes I knew that very day when the unthinkable happened You can usually count on Matt McGuire to keep the wood-fired hearth burning inside his Clayton restaurant Mother Nature would need to pack quite a wallop to keep diners from their coveted reservations here and if Louie’s hearth can’t entirely vanquish winter’s chill The appeal of chef Sean Turner’s menu is as consistent as the warmth of the restaurant’s embrace That menu has hardly changed over Louie’s seven years like the grilled Spanish octopus with chickpeas fit seamlessly alongside the unaffected pleasures of the roast chicken with rapini the pork chop with chermoula and shishito peppers and the wood-fired pizza I bring you good news about the great Balkan Treat Box in Webster Groves last year Loryn and Edo Nalic opened Telva at the Ridge expanding their Bosnian and more broadly Balkan fare into breakfast (You can read more about Telva in its entry in this year’s STL 100) Balkan Treat Box is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday Not that the restaurant lacked for crowds before but first as a food truck and since 2019 as a brick-and-mortar If your schedule has kept you from Balkan Treat Box’s wood-fired and grilled fare now is the time to try the plump cevapi (beef sausages) in hearth-baked somun berad or the char-speckled Turkish flatbread pide with tangy kajmak prickly ajvar and more fresh herbs than a garden shop It is easy to dwell on the meat options here — those cevapi the spicy beef lahmacun — but Balkan Treat Box also offers a terrific wood-fired eggplant dish patlidzan with apricot-pomegranate molasses as well as vegan and vegetarian versions of several signature dishes Nick Bognar continues to make big moves at Sado (see No opening the exclusive omakase counter Pavilion at his Hill restaurant his original Botanical Heights restaurant Indo hums along Indo’s nigiri sushi moved to Sado when the latter restaurant opened a selection of hand rolls replaced nigiri on Indo’s menu but these were no longer available when I returned in February — and I didn’t miss them for everything else the restaurant does so well The menu abounds with options brilliant in both conception and the colors on the plate Composed sashimi dishes — silky dry-aged king salmon over the tart pop and dusky spice of a cranberry salsa macha — remain Indo’s signature But I was just as impressed this year by plump pan-seared scallops topped with lump crab meat and accented with Cajun-spiced butter and a pea puree while chile-garlic noodles with mushrooms in an umami-bomb black garlic-soy sauce didn’t need seafood or meat to dazzle Noto Italian Restaurant owner Wayne Sieve removes a pizza from the woodfired oven For proof that Noto Italian Restaurant can do more than the metro area’s best Neapolitan pizza Here Kendele and Wayne Sieve have opened Bormio where it mingles with Swiss and German fare (see the Rest of the Best) Or you can stay in Noto itself — you scored that mandatory reservation after all — where executive chef Justin McMillen tempts you away from those wood-fired pies with a quarter of luscious duck confit in a teasingly tangy black-garlic agrodolce served over farro with pickled cherry Black garlic appeared again this March in the aioli served alongside fried snow-crab claws a luxury that demands you scrape the last sweet morsel of meat from each shell I won’t blame you if pizza remains your go-to order at Noto airy crust and elegant topping arrangements like slices of mortadella with both bubbling fresh mozzarella and creamy stracciatella over a pistachio pesto The Crossing is one of only two restaurants to remain in the Top 25 of the STL 100 from its inaugural edition through today Jim Fiala can add this distinction to the stack his Clayton flagship has earned over the past 27 years For a practical example of the restaurant’s continued relevance not exactly a bustling dining time these days — and I made this reservation because I wasn’t confident I would find a free seat at its small bar The fare overseen by Fiala and chef Thu Rein Oo redefines timeless The seasonal luxury of shaved Perigord black truffle garnished a simple bed of housemade spaghetti Succulent porchetta in its own juices provided a balm against a sudden cold snap while the pork’s sweet bed of peas and rainbow carrots hinted at spring’s arrival Beef cheek with celery root and braised carrot at Sidney Street Cafe A certain celebrity chef opened a restaurant downtown last year When I visited Kevin Nashan’s Sidney Street Cafe for the inaugural STL 100 in 2015 I ate a take on that old-school dish made with lamb instead Louis is much richer and further advanced than drive-by chefs realize thanks in no small part to the work the James Beard Award-winning Nashan has done at his Benton Park institution and the talents he has cultivated in its kitchens (The latest rising star here is pastry chef Amelia Lytle whose desserts floored me for the second straight year.) Post-pandemic and with Nashan also supervising Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co Sidney Street has settled into a groove that smartly mixes classics (veal dumplings seasonal ingredients and occasional old friends like that swanky lamb Wellington amped up with prosciutto inside its pastry shell and an earthy sauce chasseur on the plate A 14-ounce New York strip steak with dauphinoise potatoes at Wright's Tavern  See how easy this whole restaurant business is Identify a gap in the market — in the case of Wright’s Tavern in Clayton a steakhouse that justifies the tremendous cost — design a stylish glowing dining room appropriate for business deals and fleeting assignations alike hire top-notch staff for both front and back of house and wait for the accolades to accrue owner Matt McGuire crafts memorable dinners that seem you know Wright’s Tavern takes pains few other restaurants do dispatching your cut not only at your requested temperature but also properly enrobed in a glistening crust from the crispest onion rings to the most ethereal pommes puree you can skip steaks entirely for the burger the crab cake or the potato-encrusted halibut Chicken jus is poured over the Amish chicken featuring herbs de Provence as prepared at Esca it is one part of an audacious reinvention in the flourishing Delmar Maker District brushing brawny steaks and delicate fruits alike with fire Crackling-skinned chicken in its silky jus Branzino with an olive-pistachio tapenade like a briny breeze from the sea Esca risks cliché to find new magic in old favorites revitalizing hamachi crudo with the snap of almonds Poremba followed Esca’s opening with a second new restaurant across the street (the casual Israeli cafe Florentin) and the return of Nixta the first of three acclaimed restaurants he is relocating to the Delmar Maker District when his flagship duo of Elaia and Olio arrive in this district later this year a delivery of Heidi Hamamura’s sushi is even more difficult to score The platter is worth setting your alarm — Hamamura opens her books at 6 a.m on the first of each month for the next month’s orders which she takes via Instagram — and risking the frustration of a missed chance Hamamura understands that sushi should be a luxury She gilds luscious bluefin tuna with gold leaf and she reimagines the spicy-tuna roll so that it leads with the fish’s sweetness before it wallops you with heat Her accents can be as subtle as the sake-kelp marinade for red snapper or as equally obvious and welcome as the smoke that touches octopus salmon and even a piece of duck breast with black-cherry sauce Taberu’s plastic tray turns your dining room into St You can measure the impact of Olive + Oak without setting foot in the restaurant The glimmering heart of the Old Orchard district of Webster Groves — and the thriving dining scene throughout the entire municipality — Olive + Oak has led to direct beloved sequels in O+O Pizza and the Clover and the Bee as well as the restaurant’s collaboration with Perennial Artisan Ales owners Mark and Jenn Hinkle have raised awareness and funds for pediatric health care and the families it has impacted you place yourself in the care of chef Jesse Mendica and her team Mendica’s ever-changing menu is as likely to grab your attention with goat as with its 32-ounce cowboy ribeye I’ve always appreciated her deft touch with seafood baked clams) to more recent dishes both elegant (monkfish) and rustic (cornmeal-crusted hake) a vegetarian dish featuring wood ear & oyster mushrooms so his Clayton restaurant isn’t among those honored in every edition of the STL 100 which opened only a month after Hiro closed Lee has showcased an incredible range over the past decade he ladled out several different varieties of ramen while other local spots were still perfecting their tonkotsu style Lee has eschewed trends for a far more personal cuisine This can be as simple as his favorite dish from childhood a refreshing salad of pickled Taiwanese cabbage tangy crunch hides a sharp and surprisingly juicy chile bite Lee also encourages diners to indulge themselves: tea-brined duck breast a recent take on Thai drunken noodles with plump Andrew Cisneros has expanded his reach from St which opened last year on the Loop’s east side Cisneros introduced his take on this chicken as an early-pandemic pop-up and it has proven popular enough not only to earn its own restaurant but also to feature on the menu of his debut restaurant That chicken and a couple of other charcoal-grilled meats are reason enough to visit Jalea but the menu here showcases the remarkable range of Cisneros’ modern Peruvian cooking His take on classic lomo saltado is equally assertive and elegant with hunks of medium-rare beef strip loin in a swanky sauce of veal stock Jalea puts Cisneros on the map for its seafood alone: from the mix of fried fish shrimp and calamari that gives the restaurant its name to ceviche in an eye-popping leche de tigre you want to sip directly from the dish A selection of food at Bar Moro in Clayton  who moves nimbly across the narrow open kitchen of Bar Moro Ben Poremba’s Spanish restaurant in Clayton While Poremba has been hustling to open two restaurants Hillis has kept Bar Moro’s classic tapas (albondigas pan con tomate with or without anchovies) as sharp as when the restaurant opened in 2022 Hillis has also juiced Bar Moro’s menu of large plates adding an extraordinary dish of roasted rabbit leg paired with chistorra sausage in a spiced tomato sauce he swayed me with a special: crackling-skinned duck breast with chestnuts grapes and kale in a summery burnt-orange reduction The flavors here are brilliant enough to speak for themselves Chef’s signature biryani from Black Salt in Chesterfield Black Salt was one of the best new restaurants of 2023 and is the foremost example of the past few years’ boom in Indian dining in Chesterfield and beyond but all of that might prove a mere prologue to its story Owners Raj Pandey and Sanjiv Shekhar have already opened a second Black Salt in Creve Coeur and they recently debuted a new concept called Oh London Back at the original Chesterfield storefront I’m still working my way through Madan Chhetri’s elegant menu of familiar favorites (butter chicken rogan josh) and the chef’s own specialties (biryani grilled Chilean sea bass in a silky coconut-coriander sauce) I somehow didn’t try Chhetri’s most exquisite dish until recently grilled lamb chops poised in a bowl of sweet As camera-ready as these Zafrani lamb chops are you will find yourself plucking the charry sauce-slathered meat from the bones with your fingers and teeth I’ve previously called red snapper Kevin Willmann’s signature ingredient Louis’ great chef-driven restaurants of the past two decades Farmhaus has delivered both the best and the most varied seafood dishes Willmann is as passionate a fisherman as he is a talented chef I need to declare Willmann’s spoonbread his essential dish — or maybe his secret weapon instead not exactly cornbread and not exactly a soufflé spoonbread was the centerpiece for plump golden-brown scallops with ham over creamy corn in a peppery sauce anglaise The dishes at Farmhaus can change week to week or day to day Willman and his longtime lieutenant Dillon Witte (longtime but still young enough to qualify as a rising star in his own right) are mining a fresh vein of seasonal ingredients playful plates like local beef-neck meat in a light The pork steak plate with sides at Beast Craft BBQ The inaugural edition of the STL 100 in 2015 featured nine barbecue restaurants Meggan and David Sandusky’s Beast itself has contracted in recent years from three locations back to the original Belleville location Louis barbecue boom of the Aughts and Teens inevitably ebbed The pandemic visited hell upon the restaurant industry Beast has emerged on the other side of this disruption bruised but proud — and still the metro area’s premier barbecue restaurant You know Beast for such signature cuts as the whopping pork steak or the beef brisket simply seasoned with salt but you know pitmaster David Sandusky also doesn’t take standards like turkey breast I certainly didn’t enjoy how we arrived at this point but for now the reality is bracing: You aren’t guaranteed great barbecue convenient to your home “Slurp up!” Menya Rui’s website reminds guests that there is a one-hour limit to dining inside the tiny Lindenwood Park ramen shop “eats ramen in 5-10 minutes.” Anyone who has waited in line for a bowl of Steven Pursley’s ramen — which is to say just about anyone who has eaten at Menya Rui over the past three years — will appreciate the notice but that suggested experience of just 5-10 minutes really is the best way to enjoy Menya Rui springy noodles of the pork or chicken shoyu ramen or the thicker noodles of the tsukemen (dipped) or mazemen (brothless) ramen Pursley and his team craft communal moments Menya Rui is essentially you and your dish of painstakingly prepared and composed ingredients brought together for a few slurping minutes Bolognese sausage pizza at Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria at Ballpark Village Katie Lee has gathered a formidable array of talent at Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria the acclaimed chef Cary McDowell (the Crossing Pi Pizzeria and most recently Wright’s Tavern) joined Lee and Katie’s culinary director Jake Sanderson in the “collective” overseeing the menu Lee has named front-of-house ace Chris Kelling (Niche Food Group and his own Elmwood Burger Champ) director of operations across Katie’s locations in Rock Hill Town and Country and Ballpark Village downtown Katie’s could have rested on the laurels its pasta pizza and other luxe Italian fare has already won and Lee could have focused only on growing the national reach of Katie’s frozen pizzas this restaurant is chasing still greater ambitions A recent visit needed neither pizza nor pasta to improve delicata squash in a light tempura batter or a crackling piece of chicken Parmigiano stuffed with fontina and prosciutto di Parma jolted with Calabrian chiles and kissed by wildflower honey A sausage and peppers pizza at 1929 Pizza & Wine Amy and Matt Herren have relocated 1929 Pizza & Wine from Wood River to Edwardsville Amy ran the late downtown restaurant Fond; Matt was the founder of both 222 Artisan Bakery and Goshen Coffee Co they have crafted their own take on wood-fired pizza The signature pizzas from Wood River remain on the menu including the region’s best take on the classic duo of sausage and peppers and the one-of-a-kind Greens A new offering reimagines the Italian beef sandwich as a pizza The Herrens have also opened a second concept inside their Edwardsville storefront with French pastries both savory (a ham and cheese croissant) and sweet (an outrageously oversized cinnamon roll a croissant-muffin hybrid with pistachio cream) that are worth a visit themselves Jim Fiala’s the Crossing has ranked in every Top 25 of the STL 100 one of only two restaurants to do so (see No Fiala joins Gerard Craft as the only two restaurateurs to land multiple establishments on all 10 editions of this list Consistent excellence is a given at a Fiala restaurant but the highest praise Acero has received over its 18 years is its lack of imitators no one has even tried to copy Acero’s rustic luxury from such signature dishes as the ethereal gnocco fritto with prosciutto di Parma (a.k.a the meat doughnuts) and the now iconic raviolo cradling a fresh but precisely composed seasonal dishes like halibut and mussels in a tomato-Calabrian chile fumet few upscale restaurants have learned from Acero’s four-course dinner still a goodwill-generating deal beginning at $58 per person The stir-fried lamb with leek at Afandi Kitchen in Chesterfield A decade of the STL 100 has witnessed the remarkable growth of the region’s Chinese restaurants both in the regional cuisines represented (Sichuan Dongbei and Shanghai among them) and in the singular visions of such chefs as Lawrence Chen of Private Kitchen and the late Ying Jing Ma of Chef Ma’s Chinese Gourmet The latest addition is one of the most exciting which opened in October 2024 in Chesterfield is the metro area’s first restaurant to feature the cuisine of the Uyghurs predominantly Muslim people of northwest China Chef Abulaiti Abuliz surveys Uyghur fare with an emphasis on lamb: skewers of grilled lamb; cumin lamb here stir-fried with leeks; a heady lamb broth with beef meatballs delightfully chewy hand-pulled noodles served with beef or Grilled Marcho Farms lamb loin chops with mushroom chutney and potato gratin at Annie Gunn's Annie Gunn’s and its adjacent gourmet grocery and sandwich shop the Smokehouse Market have undergone the most obvious physical transformation of the 14 restaurants honored in every year of the STL 100 The Sehnert family has expanded Annie Gunn’s with the Fáilte Room under the longtime stewardship of chef Lou Rook III I wouldn’t change my description from 2015 of “an upscale dining destination a clubby steakhouse and the Chesterfield Valley’s living room.” What has changed in the intervening decade is the rarity of Rook’s approach unabashedly carnivorous luxury that has largely vanished since the Great Recession — and that might seem entirely foreign to younger diners raised on pop-ups and counter-service Here amid the more obvious pleasures of steaks and chops you might begin your meal with foie gras or sweetbreads before preceding to quail or calves’ liver Glenn Bardgett oversees Annie Gunn’s acclaimed wine program roasted cauliflower and potatoes with micro cilantro at August the Mansion mansion built in 1857 by August Wastfield is almost too picturesque for fine dining first-time restaurateurs Candice and Justin Mills don’t avoid familiar pleasures but chef Jessica Hickman distinguishes the restaurant’s upscale fare with her fresh Her touch can be as slight as the local smoked gouda gilding the burger as electric as the Peruvian chicken thighs’ aji verde as sweet as last summer’s peach-Champagne glaze on the whopping pork rib chop Hickman’s signature might be an appetizer of Brussels sprouts with accents both expected (bacon) and wonderfully surprising (cranberry poppy seed and salt bagels at Bagel Union in Webster Groves When Bagel Union debuted on last year’s STL 100 I listed the Webster Groves restaurant separately from its older sibling After visiting both restaurants for this year’s list I knew each again deserved its own spot — but believed they were still more impressive together Since Sean Netzer and Ted Wilson opened Union Loafers in 2015 It began and continues to revolve around Wilson’s exemplary Light & Mild sourdough bread and other loaves which are available for retail sale and anchor Union Loafer’s sandwich menu When Union Loafers expanded its menu to include pizza for dinner evoking the char of Neapolitan style without the wood-fired oven Wilson and Netzer studied up on a different baking process altogether and nailed the glossy chewy target in styles both traditional (salt a recent schmear of cream cheese flavored like cacio e pepe sauce) Louis needs more hyper-focused restaurants Cut those menus down to the bone — to the marrow The Biscuit Joint is exactly what the name claims a counter-service Midtown restaurant based around a biscuit recipe Elliott Brown learned from a former boss are “the best biscuits ever.” He’s not wrong pairs those biscuits with gravies as thoughtfully composed as haute-cuisine sauces from classic sausage to schmaltz-rich roast chicken with paprika oil to a mushroom-sage option no less flavorful than the meat options He builds biscuit sandwiches with fried chicken and sausage patties smashed on the griddle like skinny burger That doesn’t mean your order can’t be singular: one Biscuit Joint biscuit with a side of sorghum butter makes for a lovely breakfast The muffuletta sandwich at Blues City Deli Louis restaurant lines in which I not only expect to wait to order but will also do so happily: Blues City Deli and Pappy’s Smokehouse At Vinnie Valenza’s Benton Park institution when the weather is pleasant and the blues are cranked up I can think of few better ways to while away a lunch hour In a town with no shortage of great sandwiches Blues City Deli is a destination for multiple styles and often multiple choices within those styles: a classic Italian beef and versions with capicola and pepper jack (the Knuckle sandwich) or roast pork provolone and pepperoncini (the Creole Deluxe) The pastrami smoked in house with cherry wood makes an ideal Reuben but needs nothing more than mustard and Swiss (the Old School) Following last year’s closure of pastrami destination Nomad in Dogtown A pulled beef sandwich and potato salad at Bolyard's Meat & Provisions  when the STL 100 debuted — I might have imagined a future dining scene full of restaurants like Bolyard’s Meat & Provisions Not literally copies of Chris and Abbie Bolyard’s Maplewood restaurant and retail butchery but with the same commitment to top-notch ingredients and transparency you can look through a window and watch butchers break down animals while you eat (Note: you don’t have to look through this window.) The intervening decade with the pandemic rearranging restaurants’ ambitions and diners’ priorities to follow Bolyard’s example would be difficult in ideal circumstances The food is both impeccably sourced and invariably delicious The menu draws on Chris Bolyard’s fine-dining background for grace notes like the black garlic aioli on the mushroom-Swiss smash burger or that aioli and duxelles on the Fiesty Bull pulled beef sandwich It also embodies the butchery’s whole-animal ethos with fries cooked in tallow pork rinds as a side and broths for sipping Kendele and Wayne Sieve introduced the space below their acclaimed Noto Italian Restaurant in St The couple was already tweaking Bacaro’s menu from customer feedback when a trademark claim led them to scrap the concept entirely and replace it with the Alpine-influenced Bormio grab your alpenhorn and blast a song of tribute through the mountains Bormio delivers a thrillingly different take on Italian cuisine as in that Ricola — lends Wayne Sieve’s elegant while he puts an Italian spin on sauerbraten with a bed of creamy polenta Bormio retains some of the Sieves' original vision for its space with cocktails and smaller (though not small) bites like baked oysters with ‘nduja and plump Cacio e pepe eggs served with arugula salad The menu at Gerard Craft’s Central West End cafe includes no fewer than five dishes that would be any other breakfast restaurant’s signature: blueberry pancakes a hybrid of French toast and bread pudding cacio e pepe scrambled eggs and eggs benedict Settling on eggs benedict didn’t help because Bowood offers it two ways: a swanky take on the classic form with prosciutto playing the role of Canadian bacon and a version with Maryland-style crab cakes (close to the real deal says this Baltimore native) and Cajun-spiced hollandaise I took the easy way out and picked both benedicts and you can try the whole breakfast slate and a couple of the can’t-miss lunch dishes like the smash burger and the Reuben with peppery Chef Andrew Cisneros continues his dazzling exploration of Peruvian cuisine at the small sleek Brasas on the east side of the Delmar Loop A sequel to his debut restaurant Jalea in St Brasas is named for the dish that kickstarted Cisneros career in an early-pandemic pop-up: charry juicy rotisserie chicken marinated in an elixir of beer half or whole bird with your choice of sides (fries pollo a la brasa alone justifies Brasas’ presence on this list Yet the restaurant’s narrow storefront can’t contain Cisneros’ talents He grills tender beef heart over embers for his take on Peruvian anticuchos and explores the influence of Chinese cuisine on Peru with chaufa aeropuerto pork belly and shrimp topped by a light omelet French restaurants claim meager territory in the STL 100 The few this list has loved and lost over the past decade — Franco’s cosmopolitan charm Gerard Craft’s Brasserie by Niche has been glowing in the Central West End beckoning diners for cocktails and gougères on warm patio evenings and red wine and cassoulet on cold winter nights I described that cassoulet as “peerless,” and I stand by this judgment after my latest visit Each component is prepared to exacting standards duck confit and navy beans harmonize deliciously Brasserie’s menu of classics can still surprise like a newer dessert of refreshingly tart passionfruit mousse folded inside an airy crepe Few restaurants return from a five-year hiatus Fewer still come back exactly as you want them to be Bob Brazell has relocated Byrd & Barrel to the restaurant space in his Tamm Avenue Bar in Dogtown but this is essentially the same Byrd & Barrel fans have been mourning since the original Marine Villa location closed in 2020 Byrd & Barrel is one of the pioneers of local the nuggets’ breading seasoned so well that you don’t need a dipping sauce (You should still get the Byrd sauce and the homemade ranch.) The Mother Clucker ranks as one of St Louis’ best fried chicken sandwiches with its garnishes of Red Hot Riplets red-pepper jelly and a bechamel sauce made with Provel Brazell’s fine-dining background — he cooked at Monarch and Niche — reveals itself in the bechamel and a roast-cauliflower appetizer with cashews but growing new generation of leading restaurants like Sado and Pizzeria da Gloria the year’s biggest restaurant news will likely be February’s closure of Tony’s after 79 years downtown and in Clayton For those of us who love the Hill and a classic fine-dining meal Charlie Gitto’s is an ideal keeper of tradition and his team have kept the restaurant a buzzing operation Gitto’s appeals to those seeking homey lasagna or housemade fettucine in an alfredo sauce creamier than egg nog and those dreaming of rustic bucatini all’Amatriciana that could have been delivered directly from Italy And with toasted ravioli that claim a direct line to the reputed original of the species the Food Hall at City Foundry in Midtown has evolved from a delay-plagued project to a blockbuster debut to an essential part of St Its vendors have launched a brick-and-mortar satellite (Chicken Scratch) and a terrific standalone restaurant (Alex Henry’s El Molino del Sureste But if I had to pick a single vendor to represent the Food Hall’s success Here was an unheralded (to my chagrin as a food writer) talent ready for the spotlight to shine on his Afro-Caribbean and West African cooking Chez Ali’s core menu is as indispensable as it is brief: smoky jerk chicken with a fiery boost from scotch bonnet chiles warmly spiced curry chicken and the citrus-vinegar jolt of Senegalese yassa chicken This year’s STL 100 finds Thai cuisine in St the restaurant at the summit of the list and its Top 10 sibling — Nick Bognar’s Sado and Pavilion on the Hill and Indo in Botanical Heights — showcase a significant Thai influence as does 10-time STL 100 honoree Lona’s Lil Eats right before the pandemic and even into its first year the metro area seemed on the cusp of an evolution in its Thai restaurants that has since stalled which Su Hill founded in the COVID fall of 2020 in Webster Groves The menu has adapted to diners’ apparent preferences over the past four years but at its heart is the fare of the city that gives the restaurant its name and Thailand’s north more broadly: the rippling layers of pickled greens and coconut-red curry broth in the signature khao soi noodle soup; the subtle rustic sweetness of the hung lay curry; the touch of honey in meaty roasted pork ribs The braised greens with black mushrooms at ChiliSpot I should dedicate a year to making my way through ChiliSpot’s expansive menu In multiple visits to the University City Sichuan restaurant over the years I somehow hadn’t tried its version of one my favorite Sichuan dishes until now: dandan noodles noodles and ground pork buzzing with the mala combination of chile heat and numbing Sichuan peppercorn I’m adding it to my ChiliSpot favorites alongside Chongqing chicken homemade tofu and braised greens with black mushrooms In an interview last year before Connoley announced Bulrush’s closure and his eventual departure from St he told me he at ate ChiliSpot at least once a week His dinner there might feature dry-pot chicken and the appetizer Mr and the quality is so good across the menu The breakfast burrito at Clara B’s Kitchen Table wraps up everything I love about Jodie Ferguson’s food truck and Belleville restaurant in a dish you can hold in your hand — until the overstuffed package inevitably falls apart The burrito was a no-question inclusion in my 2024 survey of the metro area’s best breakfast dishes Which version of the burrito would be available on my most recent visit: with brisket or with a combination of bacon and chorizo so she knows how to smoke the tricky cut to render tender with delicate eggs and precisely cooked potatoes Ferguson brings this level of attention to her full spread of breakfast fare (especially the buttery I wrote about my decision to quit drinking I mention it again here only to provide context for my love of Clementine’s Naughty & Nice Creamery gratefully embracing one of the clichés of sobriety I now eat a lot more ice cream than I used to And I have always loved ice cream — especially Clementine’s high-butterfat variety ruling out the Naughty side of Clementine’s menu has hardly limited my choices at Tamara Keefe’s chain of parlors which boasts eight locations as well as local delivery and nationwide shipping through Goldbelly her vegan options are at least as intriguing as the boozy ones with sophisticated flavors like coconut fudge and tahini chocolate chip as nearly as creamy as the real thing The classic ice cream ranges from childlike joy (Gooey Butter Cake Blue Moon) to grownup elegance (Espresso Royale Truffled Manchego Honey) to better than the beloved original (strawberry The pork chop served with a sunny side up egg bread pudding and green beans at Cleveland-Heath Cleveland-Heath is singular among the 14 restaurants that have been honored in every edition of the STL 100 Its upscale comfort fare has succeeded across three owners: founders Jenny Cleveland and Ed Heath successors Kari McGinness and the late Keith McGinness and current operators Evan and Gina Buchholz That includes dishes dating back to Cleveland-Heath’s 2011 debut you still can’t top the signature pork chop with a sunny-side-up egg and cheddar-jalapeño bread pudding followed by cherry pie for dessert Evan Buchholz has honored the restaurant’s spirits while investing it with his own voice from confident global touches throughout the menu to clever new dishes like a recent sandwich that pairs the sophistication of shaved ribeye in a peppercorn bechamel with the wondrous mess of a cheesesteak the Curry Club has been a forerunner of nearly every trend that has swept across St Hardly a month passes without word of a new Indian restaurant in that city (Though this is the place to mourn 2022-2024 STL 100 honoree Khanna’s Desi Vibes which closed last year in Chesterfield; yes has replaced it.) The Curry Club’s menu focuses on India’s south and its format breaks from what is typical of Indian restaurants here Rather than an expansive lunch buffet followed by a more formal dinner service the Curry Club is counter-service with a curated cafeteria-style lunch buffet featuring rotating chicken curries and vegetable dishes as well as made-to-order dosas That lunch menu is so appealing in flavor and value that not only do many of those new Indian restaurants struggle to compare I’m also overdue to visit Curry Club for its weekend or dinner specials Damn Fine Hand Pies serves a variety of hand pies “Nothing in the world makes me feel like pie,” says Madeline Hissong co-owner of the new Shaw bakery Damn Fine Hand Pies “And I just wanted to share that with people.” Hissong traces her love of baking back to her great-grandmother Hissong herself launched Damn Fine Hand Pies in 2021 as a cottage-law bakery based in her south city home After building a following at the Tower Grove Farmers Market she and employee-turned-business-partner Gene Bailey opened a cozy brick-and-mortar location in June 2024 hand pies savory and sweet lead the menu with their crackling laminated crust but these are just one reason Damn Fine is St Doughnuts both simple and elaborate distinguish themselves in our doughnut-mad town and the apple fritter might sway your fierce loyalty elsewhere You will leave feeling exactly as Hissong intended: damn fine A banh mi with cold cuts at DD Mau Vietnamese Eatery Julie Truong has delivered her Vietnamese fare through the unforgiving efficiency of the counter-service format without losing any of the food’s freshness This was impressive when Truong operated only the Maryland Heights location of DD Mau Vietnamese Eatery Given the degree of difficulty in expanding an independent restaurant without sacrificing its charms it has been more than doubly impressive at the original DD Mau and DD Mau can sate your lunchtime craving for a quick It can also patiently coax more soulful flavor into a bowl of pho than most fast-casual restaurants can manage in a lifetime Though not a vegan or vegetarian restaurant Truong has fashioned a verdant vegan pho to soothe any appetite Fish and chips at Dressel's Public House in the Central West End  When Dressel’s Public House appeared on the inaugural STL 100 in 2015 it was different from the cozy Central West End pub Jon Dressel had founded in 1980 You could still order chips and rarebit and other signature dishes had remade the menu for that era of the gastropub (Remember those?)  The Dressel’s on this year’s list is different from both the original and the 2015 model The pandemic prompted Dressel to close the pub for three years for a thorough renovation The menu applies the best lessons of those gastropub years —quality ingredients a chef’s touches — to classic dishes like fish and chips a burger (beef or lamb) and the Porchetta Louie roast-pork sandwich featured on a 2012 episode of Guy Fieri’s “Diners Drive-Ins and Dives.” The Dressel’s of 2025 is also different from last year’s pub The brewhouse Dressel added during the renovation is now up and running as Rock & Horse Brewing Co The Reuben as served at Ed’s Delicatessen in Edwardsville When chef Ed Heath moved from the metro area to Salt Lake City a few years ago which he and former partner Jenny Cleveland founded in 2011 continues an anchor of downtown Edwardsville under its current owners — and one of the few restaurants to make every edition of the STL 100 Now Heath has returned with a name to spare and a new legacy for Edwardsville’s Main Street Heath opened Ed’s Delicatessen in September 2024 with business partners Tim Foley and married couple Samm McCulloch and Rick Kazmer and the sandwiches here showcase the same creativity and attention to detail that distinguished Heath’s upscale comfort food at Cleveland-Heath from a roast beef with jus to a Vietnamese banh mi Ed’s also rewards indulgence with its buttered ham-and-cheese sandwich and a luscious crab roll with zippy chili crisp The Cardinals suffered a lackluster season in 2024 but the organization did get one thing right last year bringing in Samantha Mitchell’s Farmtruk as a Busch Stadium vendor Farmtruk has long been a standout among St and its Busch Stadium season was an overdue spur for its inclusion in the STL 100 — and a reminder to seek out the truck at Tower Grove Farmers Market and its other stops this year Mitchell cut her teeth as a cook at Annie Gunn’s in Chesterfield where she worked for seven years before leaving in 2016 to launch Farmtruk ingredient-focused background is evident in dishes like sliders with pork belly (smoked and confit) Farmtruk’s signature dish on the truck and elsewhere pairs falling-apart beef brisket on a bed of decadently creamy mac and cheese all of it topped with crumbled Red Hot Riplets pork belly sisig and chicken piyanggang at the Fattened Caf This year marks the Fattened Caf’s third consecutive year on the STL 100 Louis seeing the full vision of the Filipino restaurant from Charlene Lopez-Young and Darren Young After beginning as a pop-up and then operating inside the now-closed Earthbound Beer the Fattened Caf now occupies its own storefront on South Jefferson Avenue at Cherokee Street in Gravois Park The new location of course features the Filipino barbecue that has already won acclaim: the St Louis-tribute pork steak and the sweet chicken longganisa a smoked sausage that you can order as a platter or tucked into an ube hot-dog bun The expanded menu might tempt you from these favorites with such new dishes as piyanggang chicken The spacious dining area includes a lounge area perfect for enjoying the Fattened Caf’s selection of Filipino coffee drinks If you needed a reminder to take no restaurant for granted the past year delivered a couple of bitter reminders from opposite ends of the price scale Uncle Bill’s Pancake House ended its legendary run in North Hampton They should seek inspiration from Fleur STL moved into the former Eat-Rite Diner building south of downtown and didn’t succumb to the temptation to open Eat-Rite 2.0 He has invested the tiny space with his own style from the seasonally shifting preparation of eggs benedict to the patty made from USDA prime beef that is the heart of the exceptional burger as well as — for those of you who do want to dwell in a little bit of deliciously messy nostalgia — Fleur STL’s take on the classic slinger A hot roast beef sandwich (left) and a hot salami sandwich The inaugural STL 100 only hinted at the future growth of Gioia’s Deli third-generation owner Alex Donley (his grandmother bought it from the Gioia family) had recently launched a food truck for the century-old Hill sandwich shop and Gioia’s first satellite downtown closed during the pandemic independent restaurants proliferating rapidly I can imagine even more Gioia’s storefronts The restaurant has maintained the quality of its signature hot salami even as it has scaled up its operations (You can even ship Gioia’s hot salami and sandwiches nationwide via Goldbelly.) For all the region’s sandwich shops a shoo-in for the Mount Rushmore of iconic St A chicken shawarma plate at Golden Chicken With the unfortunate closure of 2024 STL 100 honoree West Bank Street Eats in O’Fallon I must now head west instead of east to find the metro area’s best beef shawarma at Golden Chicken in St I was already going to Golden Chicken for the eponymous spit-roasted golden chicken the signature dish since Amjed Abdeljabbar and his uncle Mahmoud Abualizz opened the restaurant in late 2020 char-kissed beef and chicken shawarma have competed with the rotisserie chicken for diners’ attention you don’t need to call an hour ahead to guarantee an order of either shawarma.) Golden Chicken’s Palestinian cuisine has also brought it to the Food Hall at City Foundry where it operates under the name Mazaj Mediterranean and serves chicken shawarma The rotisserie chicken and beef shawarma remain exclusive to Golden Chicken in St Fried chicken served with honey-glazed cornbread and pickled beets with herb yogurt and sunflower brittle at Grace Meat + Three but chef and owner Rick Lewis has made every edition of this list: in 2015 at Quincy Street Bistro in Princeton Heights; for the next two years at Southern his Midtown partnership with the Pappy’s Smokehouse team; and since 2018 here in the Grove in Forest Park Southeast Lewis has honed his approach to Southern comfort fare to an entire menu of can’t-miss dishes shrimp and catfish) to the array of sides from which you could build an entire meal (collard greens mac and cheese) to the milkshake of the month like the obligatory smash burger’s dry-aged beef and tangy comeback sauce This year will see the next big step for Lewis and Grace with the spinoff Grace Chicken + Fish slated to open in the former King Edward’s space in Crestwood The latest chapter of Tamara Landeiro’s remarkable journey from Cuban refugee to acclaimed St Louis restaurateur has moved Havana Cuisine’s from Washington Avenue downtown to snug new digs in the Central West End For a business that has already grown from Soulard Farmers Market stall to food truck to brick-and-mortar location this relocation feels more like a homecoming — an opportunity for Landeiro to showcase the full range of her talents Sandwiches are still the heart of Havana Cuisine’s menu: the classic arrangement of ham mustard and pickles; that luscious roast pork by itself; ropa vieja Now she is also playing with the very idea of Cuban cuisine but she has fashioned a compellingly feisty version with the punch of habanero and the sweetness of mango egg and cheese biscuit at Honey Bee's Biscuits + Good Eats If you had told me when the STL 100 debuted 10 years ago that one day the list would feature two biscuit restaurants but something is in the air — or in the dough (A lot of butter is one of those somethings I suspect.) Married duo Meredith and Michael Shadwick have grown their biscuit business from a stall at the Kirkwood Farmers Market to a food truck to the Honey Bee’s Biscuits + Good Eats storefront in downtown Kirkwood The towering honey-glazed buttermilk biscuits are Honey Bee’s main attraction but the recipe for Michael’s herbaceous gravy (sausage or vegetarian) came first These are also ideal biscuits for sandwiches holding their form against the trio of cheese and Kirkwood is now trending the Shadwicks’ way The couple also operates Tropical Moose Shaved Ice and took over the iconic Spencer’s Grill But you’ve never eaten fried rice like the Volcano Fried Rice at Jinzen Japanese and Korean fusion restaurant that opened at the end of 2023 in Clayton Co-owner Lynn Li drew inspiration from her childhood near Sichuan province in China when her father would make fried rice with leftover kung pao chicken She combined this with her love of American breakfast skillets a server pours beaten egg around a mound of fried rice on a sizzling skillet as is everything else on Jinzen’s ambitious menu Here you can find both hearty tonkotsu ramen and the North Korean noodle soup naengmyeon both bibimbap and bite-size sea cucumber dumplings Josi and Zamir Jahic’s Bosnian restaurant serves a large menu despite its small south St Louis County storefront — a menu that has grown considerably since the original J’s Pitaria in Bevo Mill opened offering only stuffed pita and a few other dishes I ordered at the counter only to realize that the Jahics have now added table service We have thankfully abandoned the idea that counter service is but if you believe the latter conveys more respect The signature dishes haven’t changed since Bevo Mill: the stuffed pita the Sarajevo-style Bosnian cevapi (beef sausages) and the best doner kebab in St J’s Pitaria has also claimed a standout array of flatbreads from pide and lahmacun to the overwhelming J’s Malenica smoked mozzarella and creamy kajmak and then smothered in parsley-flecked yogurt sauce Sally and Randy Arcega relocated their Filipino restaurant Kain Tayo from Trenton in the Metro East to the ambitious new Midtown restaurant development on Locust Street a block west of North Jefferson Avenue By the time I came back this past summer and fall during my STL 100 research the dining room’s décor was in full flower citrusy morsels of deep-fried pork belly with alternating bites of sharp red onion and fierce red chile This is just one of three versions of sisig (chicken and chicken with pork are the other two) at Kain Tayo where the menu has continued to grow since its Midtown debut First-time visitors might start with the warming spice and garlicky vinegar smack of chicken adobo and those seeking a more intense pork-belly experience than sisig can provide should proceed directly to Kain Tayo’s lechon kawali the only bakery to be honored in every edition of the STL 100 Louis looks like Simone Faure’s: a patisserie if you believe a simple macaron and an elaborate wedding cake alike can aspire to art With Pint Size Bakery founder Christy Augustin selling that bakery to new owners last year La Patisserie Choquette is the lone restaurant standing from the dramatic initial transformation of the intersection of Tower Grove and McRee avenues in Botanical Heights you would find La Patisserie Choquette compelling thanks to Faure’s elegant takes on tarts cream puffs and laminated pastries — especially her signature chocolate croissant The Lox o’ Love bagel at Lefty’s Bagels in Chesterfield Scott “Lefty” Lefton and Doug Goldenberg probably would have been welcomed as heroes if they had simply brought passable bagels to Chesterfield after the Bagel Factory in nearby Creve Coeur closed in 2022 the brothers-in-law have created an entire ecosystem at Lefty’s Bagels a two-year-old shop that feels as if it has been part of the community for decades which the duo perfected well beyond passable before opening their storefront a schmear of cream cheese or a supple slice of lox to appreciate each gently chewy boiled-and-baked bite though Lefty’s curates a selection of all three accompaniments and more Lefton and Goldenberg have also filled the area’s need for a Jewish deli with such classic fare as pastrami Talani Mo’e’s unique French-Polynesian cooking debuted on last year’s edition of this list and it has grown even more compelling since then I hardly minded the absence of my two favorite dishes pork cracklings with a Gruyère fondue and a macadamia-encrusted red snapper Mo’e had substituted a panko-coconut crust.) Instead I marveled at his playful interpretation of fried chicken and waffles with juicy pineapple-marinated chicken paired with crisp fluffy and very purple ube waffles in maple syrup charged with Thai chiles An appetizer reimagined shrimp toast as succulent fried morsels to be tucked inside lettuce wraps Le Ono shames higher-profile restaurants with far lesser ambitions Grilled whole tilapia marinated with sauteed bell peppers and onions jollof rice and plantains at Levels Nigerian Cuisine  The recent STL 100 track record for ambitious new downtown and Downtown West restaurants isn’t great The Last Hotel’s Last Kitchen debuted on the 2020 list with an appealing modern menu from a rising-star chef It emerged from the depths of the pandemic minus that chef as an Italian restaurant Wunderkind chef Juwan Rice’s Rated Test Kitchen was a standout newcomer on the 2024 STL 100 Rice will close Rated in May to bring it to other cities So I’m going to insist you visit another stellar debut from last year’s list Ono Ikanone and Justice Johnson’s Levels Nigerian Cuisine Levels encourages the festive communal vibes a restaurant in the heart of the city should It’s right there in the name of the signature Party Jollof beef or goat and a scotch-bonnet kick to clear out your head and let you see the neighborhood anew Patience is an underrated virtue in restaurants Tyler Garcia has taken a dozen years to grow Locoz Tacoz from a food truck into one of St The truck launched in 2013 as an offshoot of Garcia’s parents’ Bridgeton restaurant La Tejana Taqueria By the time the original Locoz Tacoz storefront opened in 2021 in Tower Grove South His carne asada ranked among the area’s best tacos of any style Since closing that location in 2022 and reopening a year later in Maplewood adding lengua and tripe to his core lineup of carne asada He has also succumbed to customer demand for birria Taking the slow-cooked lamb at his parents’ restaurant as inspiration Garcia knows great birria is also about patience A grilled chicken plate with stir-fried glass noodles Lona’s Lil Eats was six months old when the STL 100 debuted in 2015 Lona Luo had already won fans at her Soulard Farmers Market stand when she opened this brick-and-mortar restaurant in Fox Park but whether a hybrid of her deeply personal cooking and the fast-casual format would flourish was an open question A decade and many dozens of Luo’s dumplings later Louis’ preeminent example of how dining has transformed in this first quarter of the century you order your meal by number or build your own bowl or plump rice-paper wrap your meal will feature Luo’s unique blend of Thai and Chinese regional fare: herbaceous often fiery and deeply flavorful whether based around meat tender beef brisket that is only more remarkable as the area’ s conventional barbecue boom fades further into the past Madrina sommelier Alisha Blackwell-Calvert is a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist for “Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service,” a nationwide category Please allow the Post-Dispatch to puff our chests in her honor We named Blackwell-Calvert a rising star in 2018 when she was leading the wine program at the late Reeds American Table in Maplewood asking customers questions to learn what kind of wine they might like: “That’s the art to it.” Blackwell-Calvert’s involvement was an early sign that the owners of Robust Bistro & Wine Bar and Parkmoor Drive-In meant business when they teamed to open the swanky old-school Madrina in late 2023 in Webster Groves Madrina infuses new energy into such familiar dishes veal Parmesan and especially chicken marsala as overwhelming on the plate as a thick steak the classic Italian-restaurant formula can still age as well as fine wine Mai Lee is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025 Given what the Tran family has accomplished over the past four decades — introducing St thriving after relocating from their original location in University City to an (at the time) unlikely new home on the ground floor of a parking lot in Brentwood — it feels incidental to note that Mai Lee is also one of the 14 restaurants honored in every edition of STL 100 But this list would be incomplete and probably fatally flawed without Mai Lee’s big bowls of pho its stir-fries verdant with lemongrass and feisty with chiles In the January 1987 review that put Mai Lee on the map the late Post-Dispatch critic Joe Pollack compared finding this fare in what was then mainly known as a Chinese restaurant was like entering the Twilight Zone Del Trompo at Malinche Mexican Culinary Experience If the drive to Ellisville has kept you from visiting the great Malinche Mexican Culinary Experience Owners Angel Jimenez-Gutiérrez and Alex Ayala have opened Mestiza in Lindenwood Park Mestiza expands Malinche’s twice-weekly taco menu into a full-fledged taqueria carne asada) and seldom seen in the area (stew-like taco guisados a vegetarian riff on al pastor made with hibiscus) continue to dazzle diners with their deeply personal Mexican fare I’ve eaten some beautifully plated dishes at Malinche but on a recent visit I was floored by the confident simplicity: quesabirria so flavorful and juicy that it doesn’t need consommé; a slab of pork belly with guacamole housemade queso fresco and crickets to add to taste; chicken in a soulful mole verde with pepitas and dusky dried chiles Mandy Estrella closed the original Lafayette Square location of Mayo Ketchup Dominican and Puerto Rican fare — myself included — didn’t need to wait long for their next visit Mayo Ketchup reopened in March in the Midtown storefront where Estrella and partner Bradley Payne had debuted the Colombian- and Venezuelan-focused Salsa Rosada in 2023 The new Mayo Ketchup consolidates the two concepts on one menu with her Cuban sandwich alongside both Colombian- and Venezuelan-style hot dogs (the former with pineapple sauce among its many garnishes I visited the original spot before the news of its relocation broke but the ropa vieja in one of the restaurant’s signature bowls was as succulent as always Don’t just take this critic’s word on it: Mayo Ketchup is also a go-to caterer for MLB teams visiting St The chicken dish as served at Milque Toast restaurant It remains so even after Colleen Clawson relocated her restaurant a short distance along South Jefferson Avenue from its miniscule original home to marginally bigger digs in the former California Do-Nut Co The case it makes for the relevance of the casual idiosyncratic neighborhood restaurant in the post-pandemic era is expansive Clawson’s global influences range from crepe-like Norwegian pancakes with seasonal fruit to Spanish-style tortillas to a spring 2024 riff on choucroute garnie with apple alongside the sausage and sauerkraut Even Clawson’s salads are distinctive — her take on a Caesar with grilled broccolini could pass for a main course — and she pays tribute to her new building’s history with a plate of miniature doughnuts you can count this as a joint entry for the entire Napoli Group of restaurants the Pietoso family has expanded from the original Cafe Napoli in Clayton and its Town and Country spinoff to include two restaurants in St Charles (Napoli III and the adjacent Napoli Sea) I’ve enjoyed meals at each of the restaurants to open since 2020 while its menu features some elegant pastas in the Napoli tradition (cacio e pepe gnocchi) here the Pietosos have brought something new to St Connecticut-style: very thin crust pies blistered crisp in a 550-degree coal-fired oven Dive into the style with a classic white pizza with clams or an oregano-drunk A sample of some of the sweet delights at Nathaniel Reid Bakery When we decided to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the STL 100 by putting a birthday cake on its cover we knew exactly where to go next: Nathaniel Reid Bakery I couldn’t choose just one of Nathaniel Reid’s jewel-like pastries as this cake I assembled a greatest-hits collection: the Amber’s caramel cloud on a sablé Breton the Guyana’s dark chocolate mousse-chocolate crème brulee dream team and the Ruby’s raspberries among them His bakery is a James Beard Award semifinalist for “Outstanding Bakery” nationwide Louis’ premier bakery since its 2016 — in no small part for its broad appeal and they share a display case with such everyday indulgences as the bakery’s croissant Nixta is the first of the three restaurants Ben Poremba is relocating from Botanical Heights to the Delmar Maker District to arrive and it has set a daunting path for his flagship duo Elaia and Olio to follow This is what the Mexican restaurant should have been from its 2016 debut: airy I lost count of how many plants decorate the dining rooms Poremba and chef Juana Caballero haven’t reinvented Nixta’s menu The arrangement of seafood and tacos is both familiar and welcome The Baja taco with cod and chile-lime mayo might be the best fish taco in town right now Nixta’s signature octopus is one of the few large plates but don’t overlook the showstopping pavo en mole negro roasted turkey thighs in a mole poblano with the bittersweetness of cacao and a simmering heat The charred Brussels sprouts with cashew dukkah and harissa honey Younger diners know Steve Gontram for Five Star Burgers in Clayton where he slings a green-chile cheeseburger to rival New Mexico’s finest Those of us who remember dining without our phones in our hands think first of his late Harvest which Gontram and Dave Zitko opened last year in Botanical Heights leads Harvest’s culinary legacy into the era of shared plates and sipped cocktails Chef Stephen Kovac kindles familiar Mediterranean fare with inspired touches Toasty pepitas garnish butternut-squash hummus A splash of Pernod enlivens warmly spicy Merguez meatballs in tomato sauce No Ordinary Rabbit is also one of the most vegetable-forward of recent debuts Build a feast from charred Brussels sprouts with harissa honey roasted carrots in agrodolce and grilled eggplant popping with pomegranate as served with macaroni & cheese and potato salad Pitmaster John Maness continues to surprise at O’B Que’s the barbecue restaurant adjacent to the minimart of a Chesterfield gas station That location was surprising enough when Maness and the team behind O’B Clark’s in Brentwood opened O’B Que’s in 2023 native’s decades of experience include the famous Driftwood Texas-style brisket has been a highlight from the beginning at O’B Que’s and the restaurant’s burnt ends are the best in St (Get there early before the latter sell out.) But Maness has also introduced something new — to me at least — with his smoked pork tenderloin served on Wednesdays in juicy slices glistening with tangy the tenderloin also shows Maness’ range with pork Its texture fits perfectly between O’B Que’s bark-encrusted properly tug-from-the-bone ribs and luscious pulled pork Mark's Meatball Pie at O+O Pizza in Webster Groves Will I ever order pizza at O+O Pizza again styles and its own quirks — earned its place in the restaurant’s name when Webster Groves superstar Olive + Oak transformed its original location into this casual Italian restaurant in 2020 chef Mike Risk keeps distracting me with his takes on Italian and Italian-American fare both familiar (swanky toasted ravioli stuffed with pancetta as well as beef and cheese) and wholly his own (corzetti pasta with bone marrow and grilled octopus) Risk can overwhelm you with a dish known simply as the Chicken: a plate-spanning breaded and seared cutlet topped with blistered blobs of mozzarella and set in a vodka cream sauce that still tastes of ripe tomato He can also sneak up on you with the unshowy luxury of braised beef short ribs and fettucine in a silky buffalo-butter sauce One whole rack of ribs is photographed at Pappy's Smokehouse three barbecue joints placed in the Top 25 only one has maintained its presence on this list through today: Pappy’s Smokehouse the Midtown restaurant that launched the great St John Matthews and pitmaster Skip Steele fired up the smokers 17 years ago a different dining room and a second location out west in St out the door for the exceptional pork ribs A half-slab combo with a quarter-pound of sweet falling-apart burnt ends is my go-to order though nowadays I’m likely to take half of that home for later Pappy’s and its family (Bogart’s Smokehouse in Soulard and Dalie’s Smokehouse in Valley Park) is still there for us nevertheless A rack of lamb at Paul Manno's Restaurant in Chesterfield Why did a pasta special of linguine with clams at Paul Manno’s Restaurant hit me so hard this March buttery sauce with bread after I ate the noodles and clams and considered scooping up the dregs with the discarded shells — the dining equivalent of full-body sobbing Maybe because the dish reminded me of a favorite pasta from the late Maybe also because this Chesterfield restaurant inspires big emotions alongside big appetites lamb chops like a rack of Thor’s hammers and shrimp you mistake for lobster tail rolling through the rollicking dining room on carts but the cooking is as precise as the briny snap of each caper berry strewn over those lamb chops or the colossal shrimp in the gamberone scampi I did order only an appetizer-sized portion of the linguine with clams special Bucatini all’ amatriciana is topped with grana padano I didn’t need to think hard about this decision but Craft’s Pastaria and Brasserie by Niche have stood tall on this list throughout its 10 years I don’t need to think hard about either restaurant’s inclusion Pastaria nailed its menu of pasta and wood-fired pizza from day one in Clayton: delicate pistachio ravioli and hearty bucatini all’ Amatriciana charry pizzas both classic and signature (with Salume Beddu’s nduja or Allen Benton’s country ham) all of it even more impressive for the restaurant’s high volume Those of us who came of age during America’s culinary explosion between Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential” and the Great Recession — an era that includes Craft opening the original Niche in 2005 in Benton Park — are middle-aged now but restaurants like Pastaria keep the spirit alive for the next generation The McClane pizza at Pie Hard Pizzeria in Waterloo Louis is spoiled for great pizza right now Pizzerias have dominated the recent editions of the STL 100 as barbecue joints did the early years I could have included a few more on this year’s list had I wanted to risk nudging the sublime into the ridiculous You don’t need to travel far from your home to find one of those great pizzas but you should travel to Michael and Megan Pastor’s Pie Hard This tiny Waterloo pizzeria bridges the smoky tangy crust of Neapolitan-inspired pies with unabashedly American inspirations (candied ham and pickled pineapple in the Island pizza Pie Hard hosts a series of weekly pop-up menus These let Michael Pastor flex his chef’s muscles with meaty crab fritters or a rich seafood pot pie with a flaky cheddar-biscuit crust Pizza Via would have been 2024’s most confounding debut This Central West End pizzeria opens for only a few hours a week Its amenities include tables and chairs and little else Even if we restricted the competition to wood-fired pizzerias Louis offers too many other options to bother with this Except Pizza Via marks the return of Scott Sandler who last decade founded the Neapolitan-style Pizzeoli in Soulard and the New York-inspired Pizza Head in Tower Grove East Sandler has fashioned a new wood-fired pie that marries the char and tang of Naples to the compact chew of New York The crisp crust is the ideal bed for a classic cheese or pepperoni pizza the latter a change from Sandler’s previous vegetarian ventures and you will save Pizza Via’s limited hours on your Google calendar for its signature spinach pie with garlic the stracciatella pizza and the mushroom pizza at Pizzeria da Gloria I already knew I would follow Joe Kurowski anywhere Kurowski opened his wood-fired Hill restaurant Pizzeria da Gloria in the pandemic maelstrom of November 2020 and it was one of the first restaurants I sought out when I resumed reviewing the following spring cooked at a lower temperature than traditional Neapolitan pizza Kurowski can make classic pepperoni and sausage pies taste new again Louis’ most exciting pizza then — and now — is his Bonci a sauceless vegan pie starring gossamer slices of eggplant and garlic-chile oil I trusted Kurowski to top his crust with a hazelnut pesto He has introduced a mobile pizza oven to bring his pies to the Tower Grove Farmers Market and other venues Sabroso Cocina Mexicana has opened a second location in downtown Maplewood Louis’ best Mexican restaurants — and not simply because of its greater geographical reach Ann has won admirers since its 2021 debut for Miguel Pintor’s cooking which ranges across Mexico’s regional cuisines with an emphasis on Yucatán’s cochinita pibil and Mexico City’s tacos (Pintor’s mother has operated a taco stand in Mexico City for decades.) Due to a quirk of its location Ann Sabroso can’t acquire a liquor license margarita or other adult beverage with their meal will find a full bar Everyone will dig into the expansive selection of tacos quesabirria and that signature cochinita pibil with refried beans and pickled onions on a corn tortilla Tom Schmidt’s Delmar Loop barbecue restaurant wasn’t yet a year old Salt + Smoke boasts five locations from Ballpark Village downtown through St (That doesn’t include the Central West End storefront that didn’t return after a 2022 fire.) Through this expansion Salt + Smoke has been one of only two barbecue joints honored in every edition of the STL 100 an especially remarkable feat given how a few other prominent local restaurants have lessened their appeal as their numbers have grown who joined Salt + Smoke as pitmaster before also becoming a co-owner with focusing on quality alongside empire-building pork ribs) and unique offerings (cherry-smoked salmon burnt ends toasted ravioli) have not lost their luster from location to location and year to year A smoked turkey sandwich served with housemade pork rinds  The stories behind Shorty’s Smokehouse could power the STL 100 by themselves Shorty is the late grandfather of co-owner Anthony Hassler Shorty was short and didn’t like his actual name Hassler and co-owner Brandon Bauza bonded over barbecue while working together in aviation but their friendship might have been kismet Hassler went to school with Bauza’s future wife in Washington while Bauza went to school with Hassler’s future wife in Waterloo Waterloo is also where the two men turned their amateur barbecue into a serious profession (Hassler has also built and sold smokers) into a destination for some of the best beef brisket in the metro area alongside standout turkey Theirs is the kind of unexpected restaurant story that has fueled 10 years of the STL 100 and (I hope) many more Five years after the pandemic forced Sides of Seoul and every other restaurant to close their dining rooms the Korean restaurant in Overland remains takeout-only The adaptation has proved a keeper — though I do miss its kimchi jjigae (a pork-tofu stew the color of a fire engine and the temperature of the fire it was sent to extinguish) delivered hissing and spitting directly to my seat with a refrigerated grab-and-go case of kimchi and traditional Korean side dishes but the heart of Sides of Seoul has always been Lee family matriarch Mimi’s home cooking and getting food to go here feels like spiriting leftovers home from a festive home dinner complete with foil-wrapped kimbap for snacking Yet even before shifting to the takeout-only model the Lees were in tune with modern dining habits spicy pork) and other dishes both delicious and convenient two boneless smoked chicken thighs smothered with gumbo and served with dirty rice Sister Cities Cajun was an inaugural STL 100 honoree in 2015 but I can’t count Pamela and Travis Parfait’s restaurant among those featured in all 10 editions Sister Cities missed the 2017 list because it was closed to relocate after errant cars struck its original building in Dutchtown twice in four months The Parfaits bounced back later that year with an expansive new location in Marine Villa and now I can’t imagine Sister Cities anywhere else I certainly can’t imagine its smoked wings shrimp po’ boys and etouffee absent from this list would earn a spot on the STL 100 if he served nothing but his bewitching seafood gumbo — shrimp crawfish and catfish in a dark roux — by itself or smothering smoked chicken thighs and dirty rice in my favorite dish which bridges Parfait’s mastery of Cajun cuisine and barbecue Songbird is the rare breakfast joint where you should make a reservation whether you plan to visit for weekend brunch or at 10 a.m Seating is limited at Chris Meyer’s Forest Park Southeast restaurant especially if the weather doesn’t permit outdoor dining and when Meyer and Mike Miller founded Songbird in 2020 a devoted fanbase followed them from their stand at Tower Grove Farmers Market and their previous restaurant Market regulars knew Songbird would become the home of the Combo breakfast sandwich Kounter Kulture diners knew a tiny kitchen wouldn’t keep Meyer and her team from sweating the details Baker Bryan Russo makes the sprouted-wheat English muffins for Songbird’s other great breakfast sandwich with egg He also bakes Polish-style bialys to pair with my favorite dish here Jonathan's Famous Firey Scramble at Southwest Diner The Eat-Rite Diner south of downtown closed in 2020 and the Courtesy Diner on South Kingshighway followed in 2022 Uncle Bill’s Pancake House shuttered its longtime South Kingshighway location New owners with a proven vision for the neighborhood will reopen Uncle Bill’s Eat-Rite has reopened as the diner Fleur STL (Courtesy Diner is now a hot-chicken joint but at least it’s a good hot-chicken joint Chuck’s.) Jonathan Jones and Anna Seidel have led the way for this era of “new” diners at Southwest Diner where the food is as distinct as the coffee is hot and ready to pour If you’re going to get eggs your way in this economy pair them with Southwest’s carne adovada (pork shoulder braised with red chiles) or cheesy grits Both the green-chile cheeseburger and the torta are as messy as any old slinger — and far tastier As “Wicked”-mania swept through movie theaters this winter the cozy ice cream parlor and bakery in the Patch neighborhood could dish up one of its signature sandwiches the Elphaba: green mint-chip ice cream paired with a salted mint brownie Sugarwitch’s seasonal options let you pair the Elphaba with the Galinda a sandwich of vegan strawberry-chocolate chip ice cream with a fudgy brownie also showcases how inclusive Sugarwitch makes its menu.) Sugarwitch regulars know to pounce on specials like the Harrow sandwich — dark chocolate-chip ice cream and marshmallow fluff with a dark cocoa brownie — before they disappear for the season or just sell out for the weekend Regulars also know that founders Sophie Mendelson and Martha Bass and their team cultivate a joyous The pistachio-flavored Big Momma Cinnamon Roll at SweetArt Too Update: SweetArt has closed its storefront at 2203 South 39th Street to relocate to 3701 Lindell Boulevard Reine Keis has embarked on a transformative 2025 for her plant-based bakery and cafe SweetArt she opened SweetArt Too at the Food Hall at City Foundry in Midtown bringing her vegan dishes both savory and sweet to the venue’s all-star ensemble she will relocate her flagship from its home in Shaw I’m always nervous on behalf of restaurants making big changes but I can already attest that SweetArt’s baked goods are just as delectable at the Food Hall There I encountered a new (to me) version of the signature Big Momma Cinnamon Roll elevated even higher by a gently sweet pistachio icing Keis’ plant-based fare has always been ahead of the curve — her Sweet Burger which doesn’t pretend to be a “real” burger predated and has outlasted the faux beef patty trend A basic description should sell Telva at the Ridge At this Webster Groves restaurant adjacent to Rolling Ridge Nursery 9) uses its wondrous cooking and warm hospitality on breakfast Telva’s charms are obvious even if you have never visited its older sibling The botanical décor anticipates the fresh herbs chef Loryn Nalic showers over the Turkish dish cilbir two eggs in glimmering swirls of tomato-chile brown butter and garlic yogurt Nalic gives the egg the attention its current cost and fraught availability demand A perfectly fried egg garnished with oregano and shaved double-cream feta is perched atop the Sloppy Mustafa’s stack of toast and moussaka-spiced ground beef while the orange yolk of a runny egg gilds the hearth-baked bread of Telva’s extraordinary breakfast sandwich Should I still be checking Instagram regularly for restaurant tips I’m old — too old to invest much time in TikTok or whatever else the cool kids are using instead — so while the Instagram algorithm increasingly buries the restaurant pictures I want under videos I didn’t ask for Melanie Meyer’s Korean restaurant follows no model but its own The compact core menu of this walk-up kitchen in the Bevo Mill bar and pinball arcade the Silver Ballroom is attraction enough thanks to Meyer’s Korean tacos and bowls of bibimbap with juicy steak and fiery Regulars know to check Tiny Chef’s accounts on Instagram and Facebook for the week’s specials which can range from homey stews to kimchi pancakes to Meyer’s incendiary Nuclear Noodles you might catch the announcement of one of Meyer’s infrequent The hot salami sandwich at Vegan Deli & Butcher Vegan Deli & Butcher makes me think about barbecue restaurants Among the many charms of chef Chris Bertke’s vegan sandwich shop Vegan Deli & Butcher adds an “or until sold out” qualifier to its posted hours and when you scroll through its Instagram posts When Bertke opened Vegan Deli & Butcher in 2023 he’d already gained a following for his vegan “meats” from pop-ups a short-lived earlier version of his own restaurant in St Charles and his pre-pandemic cooking at the late Utah Station in Benton Park sketching both the flavor and the texture of Italian cold cuts Even when he reveals artichoke hearts as the secret to that buttery lobster roll From left: roasted beef bone marrow mushrooms with pork belly braised lamb shank with cheddar grits and pan-roasted king klip with beet at Veritas I could learn how to wrangle a list this long only by making it from scratch but I’m proud to have included the Stitt family’s Ellisville restaurant and wine shop Veritas from the beginning — even if my write-up in that inaugural edition hardly did right by Mathis Stitt’s cooking I have eaten everything from cornbread with bacon jam and foie-gras butter to an inspired shellfish stew with lobster bisque as the base and — why not — lamb sausage added to the mix of mussels I bring things full circle to remind you Veritas isn’t only upscale dinner where Stitt plates juicy fried chicken with fluffy waffles Duck-fat truffle fries at Westchester in Chesterfield chef and co-owner Matthew Glickert topped tater tots — just ordinary tots like you would toss in the air-fryer at home — with caviar I chuckled as the bartender described the special did a double-take when the generous portion arrived and ate more than I should have These haute-r tots might not be regular Westchester fare but they prove the appeal of this three-year-old Chesterfield restaurant Here is higher-end dining that doesn’t take itself too seriously a snack at the bar (consider the smoked and fried pork belly if no tater tots are available) or a bowl of onion soup Glickert is loyal to local growers (Lucky Dog Farms and tomatoes from Tony’s Family Farms make regular appearances) and attuned to the season A more typical winter dish paired pan-seared duck breast with a vegetable hash over the earthy sweetness of a parsnip puree Shrimp ceviche with blue-corn tortilla chips at Yellowbelly Yellowbelly returns to the STL 100 for the first time since 2020 I hadn’t visited the Central West End restaurant or its adjacent cocktail bar I found the crackling energy a refreshing change from our current early-bedtime dining scene Seafood remans Yellowbelly’s lure: both literal seafood like shrimp ceviche in a leche con tigre simmering with chile and citrus contrasted with cool avocado; and the seafood-adjacent like a fun riff on a certain seafood chain’s signature cheddar biscuits This kitchen can just plain cook right now from the prime hanger steak marinated with koji to give the meat a little dry-aged-like funk to butter-tender charred carrots with a sprinkling of crumbled macadamia nuts Co-owner Tim Wiggins is one of the area’s most celebrated mixologists Yellowbelly’s no-nonsense Faux-jito and Piña Co-nada mocktails hit the spot Here’s toasting the 2025 STL 100 and 10 more years Here are the restaurants on Ian Froeb's STL 100 list Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Winnipeg Jets coach Scott Arniel, Washington Capitals bench boss Spencer Carbery and Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St Louis were named first-time finalists for the Jack Adams Award on Friday The award is presented annually to the head coach who has "contributed the most to his team's success." guided the Jets to their first Presidents' Trophy in franchise history after finishing his first season as the team's head coach with a 56-22-4 record He replaced the retired Rick Bowness behind the bench in Winnipeg led the Capitals to an Eastern Conference-best 51-22-9 record He is bidding to become the fourth Capitals coach to win the award guided the Canadiens back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021 Their 91 points were 15 more than the team recorded last season ST. LOUIS -- Phillies right fielder pursued a fly ball into the right-field corner in the first inning on Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium but he thought he had no chance to catch it “I started running after it a little bit like a courtesy run,” Castellanos said following a 4-1 victory over the Cardinals that’s going to stay in fair territory.’ Then I caught it.” A young Phillies fan wearing a powder-blue Mike Schmidt jersey stood up and offered his hand to Castellanos “Just to give him a little bit more love,” he said “We’re just all out here having a good time,” he said Castellanos went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs on Saturday which includes five strikeouts in Thursday night’s 11-inning loss to the Braves Castellanos was the 12th player in Phillies history to strike out five times in a game “If you take out that one night in Atlanta I just feel like I’ve controlled my at-bats decently for the most part,” he said Castellanos drove a two-out double to left-center field in the first inning to score Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead “It reassures that I’m in a good spot,” Castellanos said about hitting the ball to left-center “I really like my work that I’m doing with [Phillies hitting coaches] Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly Barbecue sliders and wings are seen May 14 at a preview event on the rooftop patio at Salt + Smoke at Ballpark Village Here are some key retail and business openings and closings for the St This branch marks Wisconsin-based Associated Bank’s first Missouri location It is located at Dellwood Crossing Shopping Center Two new concepts opened this month at Ballpark Village AVA Garden Bar is an outdoor patio with cocktails Crown Hall is a Southern-style neighborhood bar with live bands and regional DJs Brasilia has expanded with a new grab-and-go market next to its restaurant Doozle’s Den is a private play and agility space for dogs The 1,600-square-foot space can be rented for 30 This florist opened a new studio in the Macklind Business District The acclaimed barbecue chain also offers a large bourbon and beer selection This family-owned store sells a variety of wines Another Sav-On location opened last year in Twin Oaks Suites available to licensed health and beauty professionals are open This coworking space is a 55,000-square-foot research lab and think tank It’s a $33 million investment headed by AltonWorks and Southern Illinois University Dollar General said it plans to close 96 stores this quarter based on store performance expected future performance and operating conditions This casual taco chain temporarily closed its Webster Groves location This local caterer closed its both its sandwich counter and corporate catering business this month citing the “long-range impact of COVID on the retail business and the work-from-home impact on lunch orders.” John Viviano & Sons Grocers closed amid rising costs and competition after 75 years of business The company recently said it plans to close 45 Popshelf stores After opening a year ago in the Midtown neighborhood Rouge Bistro had its last day of operation on March 29 The Walgreens at 12400 Old Halls Ferry Road in Black Jack and at 2310 McCausland Avenue in Ellendale closed permanently closed in April A company spokesperson said that “increased regulatory and reimbursement pressures are weighing on our ability to cover the costs associated with rent If you know of business openings or closings, please email Post-Dispatch retail reporter Hannah Wyman at hwyman@post-dispatch.com Post-Dispatch photographers capture hundreds of images each week; here's a glimpse at the week of April 20 Louis TV journalist announced her impending departure in a post on X on Thursday afternoon Oliver Properties acquired the Bogen Lofts at North Tucker Boulevard and Washington Avenue Affected workers include 82 drivers and seven facility managers Some are represented by Teamsters Unio… who said repairs made no sense and worried it was a backdoor land grab Curio Manufacturing said that it shipped $61,126 worth of cannabis products to Heya Missouri Holdings’ three locations The group meets weekly at a secret location Members practice hooks and footwork in pairs and the sound of fists on vinyl echoes throughout the space The room hums with an energy that is positive and not too self-serious a kickboxing and self-defense class for LGBTQ folks At a time when honest and open conversations about gender identity and sexuality have become increasingly politicized wanted to carve out a space where queer and trans people could feel safe and reclaim a sense of joy “I had this feeling that straight people think queer people are soft and think that queer people are emotional sissies Louis to attend Washington University for graduate school Green said they were shocked at how their perception of the city changed Although they found that the local LGBTQ community was vibrant and supportive the city no longer felt safe for people like them They experienced homophobic and transphobic harassment at bars which occasionally led to physical altercations Green started Queer Fight Club in 2023 as part of their masters thesis project. They said they were inspired by social practice art pieces, including Adrian Piper’s Funk Lessons where the creative element takes the form of conveying new knowledge that can change participants’ experiences or perspectives who has been involved with the club from its inception and now helps out with instruction or they would film and record us hitting,” they said “There was one class that we did after we lost our first gym space where we dipped our feet into paint and we did a whole class on the ripped-up mats from our old gym space and there’s like a hundred footprints of all the different combos that we’re doing.” Queer Fight Club has evolved into a more typical workout class but Schultejans says the spirit of it has stayed consistent “Those creative parts have lessened a little bit but that’s not to say that the class isn’t still a creative space,” they said “We’re just not creating as much physical media from the class anymore.” Green said that their focus has shifted toward creating a positive “I wanted it to be focused on good community building and taking care of each other,” they said “Because that’s what queer communities have to do anyway who has been part of Queer Fight Club for a little under a year said that the camaraderie of the group was a big draw for her I’ve also gotten to know myself better because these are people I can really be myself around,” she said “Having the community be queer people has allowed me to not overthink or put any extra energy into how I’m being perceived because I feel comfortable in the space and I feel like however I’m perceived is how I’m gonna want to be.” a relatively new member who had just finished their second practice with Queer Fight Club said that these classes felt like a safe space to learn self-defense “I am kind of tired of feeling scared all the time,” they said “I’ve never really felt comfortable at a gym just because I’m queer and I’m more feminine presenting and I was always just terrified of someone coming up to me and harassing me This felt like the right space to go to where I could feel safe learning to be safe.” had taken martial arts classes at other gyms in the past Louis Public Radio only use their first name out of safety concerns They said that their previous experiences with combat sports didn’t feel as supportive or accepting as Queer Fight Club but if from day one all people focus on doing is beating you down and trying to weed you out you wouldn’t necessarily feel comfortable going back there,” they said “Having an environment where I felt safe to get back into it was really encouraging.” Green said that growth has been encouraging to see and that it feels good to fulfill a need within the queer community the club’s transition into somewhat of a small business They are reluctant to advertise Queer Fight Club’s meeting place publicly fearing that this might make the group a target for harassment “The realness of it also kind of threw me for a loop,” they said “Because part of me wants it to stay underground and to keep it secret But then this other part of me wants to have our own gym space with a storefront and be so loud and so legit.” Other challenges include finding a permanent home for the club and raising funds so finances don’t prevent people from participating. Queer Fight Club currently accepts donations to cover equipment costs and to sponsor new fighters so that folks in need can have their class fee waived New members must complete an introductory class to learn basic kickboxing techniques and can register online members of Queer Fight Club all spoke to the positive impact the group has made on their lives said that coming to practice each week just makes her feel better “I always leave practice feeling way better about the day and way more energized and hopeful,” she said “It gives me hope to see a bunch of queer people who are consistently getting stronger and encouraging one another WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Jets will try to win the second Game 7 in their history while the St Louis Blues will attempt to win their fifth consecutive Game 7 when they meet in the finale of their Western Conference First Round series at Canada Life Centre on Sunday (7 p.m The winner will advance to the Western Conference Second Round and face the Dallas Stars who came from two goals down in the third period to defeat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in Game 7 of their first round series Winnipeg is hosting the first Game 7 in its history The Jets’ only other Game 7 was a 5-1 win against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena in the 2018 Second Round “I mean, it’s a great opportunity,” Jets forward Morgan Barron said “These Game 7s are kind of the moments you grow up watching on TV and dream about playing in them Louis could become the fifth team in NHL history to win at least five straight Game 7s Four teams have won six in a row: the Carolina Hurricanes (2006-2022) Boston Bruins (1983-94) and Detroit Red Wings (1949-64) Jim Montgomery is coaching a Game 7 for the third consecutive season and fourth time overall the more grateful you are for the opportunity,” the Blues coach said I think the experience gives you the knowledge of what to expect how to handle the peaks and the valleys that are going to naturally happen not only within the game but between the days leading up to the game.” This is the 200th Game 7 in Stanley Cup Playoff history and second of this postseason after Avalanche-Stars on Saturday Teams scoring first in a Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Playoff series have won 75.4 percent of the time (150-49) Home teams have won 58.8 percent of the time (117-82) Blues: St. Louis has gotten great balanced scoring throughout the series. Defenseman Cam Fowler continues to lead the Blues with 10 points (two goals, eight assists). Center Robert Thomas is next with eight points (two goals, six assists) and Pavel Buchnevich is third with seven points (three goals Those two will likely need to lead the offensive charge for the Jets in Game 7 Number of Game 7s for the Blues in their history They have the fifth-most overall in NHL history Dallas Stars and New York Rangers who have each played in 18 Game 7s What to look for: Will it be a home sweep and advancement for the Jets Or will the Blues put together their best road game of the playoffs to upset the Presidents’ Trophy winners The guys discuss the trust the entire Blues team has in Jordan Binnington “I just feel we’ve been really solid all year at home. We know that, and we’re comfortable playing here and the crowd really helps as well. I think we just have to use that home-ice advantage to our advantage and just make sure we stick to the simple details and try not to waver.” -- Jets defenseman Dylan Samberg Pavel Buchnevich -- Robert Thomas -- Jordan Kyrou Jake Neighbours -- Brayden Schenn -- Jimmy Snuggerud Mathieu Joseph -- Oskar Sundqvist -- Zack Bolduc Alexey Toropchenko -- Radek Faksa -- Nathan Walker Kyle Connor -- Vladislav Namestnikov -- Gabriel Vilardi Nikolaj Ehlers -- Adam Lowry -- Cole Perfetti Nino Niederreiter -- Morgan Barron -- Mason Appleton Brandon Tanev -- Dominic Toninato -- Alex Iafallo The Blues had a full practice on Saturday and an optional on Sunday Kyrou and Snuggerud swapped spots on the first and second lines at Saturday’s practice Montgomery said it was “just getting a different look.” Round 1 | Full Coverage🔹Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs 🔹Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning 🔹Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals 🔹New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes 🔹St. Louis Blues vs. Winnipeg Jets 🔹Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars 🔹Minnesota Wild vs. Vegas Golden Knights 🔹Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings LOUIS — A person with a confirmed case of measles visited the St Louis Aquarium and a local restaurant last week potentially exposing others to the highly contagious virus The out-of-state resident went to the aquarium in Union Station on April 30 between 1 p.m but details are limited according to a news release from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Anyone who was also at the aquarium during that time frame should watch for the symptoms of measles Symptoms can take one to two weeks to appear after an exposure an infectious disease specialist at Mercy in Creve Coeur “We have been kind of hearing the hoofbeats for a while now,” Mabian said kind of like flu and COVID but it is much more contagious.” One person with measles can potentially infect 12 to 18 people who are susceptible to measles meaning they are not fully vaccinated or have not caught the virus in the past The contagious period can extend from four days before the rash develops to four days after its onset it’s going to be impossible to really know who the exposed people were,” he said Louis city and county health departments did not respond Monday to interview requests Federal health officials declared measles to be eradicated in 2000 due to high vaccine uptake A vaccine rate of 95% or higher is needed to achieve herd immunity with measles really important for measles because it’s such a highly contagious virus,” he said including babies under one year and people who are immunocompromised are especially at risk of infection Charles said she is nervous about venturing out with her second daughter I am very nervous to leave the hospital with a little human that has no protection from measles right now,” Bietsch said Health officials say the best way to prevent the spread of measles is to receive two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella The recommended childhood vaccine schedule starts with an MMR dose between 12 and 15 months and again at 4 to 5 years old Anyone born before 1957 is considered immune to measles because of environmental exposures as are those born after 1989 and are fully vaccinated But people generally born between 1958 and 1988 may need a booster because they likely only got one dose of the vaccine “It’s really important for us going forward that people who are eligible for vaccination and have never had measles actually get full immunization,” Mabian said Experts warn of a potential increase in measles outbreaks as vaccination rates fall stressing the need for community awareness and proactive measures The Centers for Disease Control reports 800 confirmed cases of measles in 26 states including Missouri and Illinois April brought green leaves and blooming flowers to St along with a fresh wave of restaurant openings across the region 222 Artisan Bakery & Café unveiled its new location on St while State Street on LaSalle found a new home in the riverside town of Elsah the eagerly awaited Grand Bistro Vietnamese Restaurant — led by the Trinh family — opened in the former Pho Grand space a longtime favorite for retail and catering on Clayton Road Babbo’s Spaghetteria ended its 15-year run though its locations in Frontenac and Edwardsville remain in operation Catch up on all of April’s restaurant openings and closings below 222 Artisan Bakery & Café, 222 St. Louis St., Edwardsville, Illinois, 222artisanbakery.com Euphoria Kitchen + Kocktails, 5916 Delmar Blvd., Skinker DeBaliviere, St. Louis, Missouri, euphoriastl.toast.site Genesis Social House & Bowl and Leaf (soft opening) Grand Bistro Vietnamese Restaurant, 3195 S. Grand Blvd., Tower Grove South, St. Louis, Missouri, instagram.com/grandbistrostl Mizan Pizza, 15523 Manchester Road, Ballwin, Missouri, mizanpizza.com Salt + Smoke, 4130 Rusty Road, St. Louis, Missouri, saltandsmokebbq.com Sandy’s Sandwiches, Soups and Salads, 1100 IL-157, Edwardsville, Illinois, sandyssoups.com State Street on LaSalle, 18 Lasalle St., Elsah, Illinois, instagram.com/statestreetonlasalle The Garden Studio, Café + Kitchen, 100 N. Florissant Road, Ferguson, Missouri, thegardenstudio.cafe and thanks to some stellar chefs around the area Louis diners have plenty of options when it comes to … you'll want our guide to the places to eat and drink near some of your favorite venues Chef-owner Ben Welch opened dual concepts Little Lucy and Lucy Quinn in The Grove while chef-owner Juwan Rice closed down Rated Test Kitchen … Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInST (First Alert 4) - A person was shot and injured Sunday in East St Sunday in the 1200 block of McCasland in East St No details about the victim have been released but the Illinois State Police said they were taken to an area hospital for treatment The Illinois State Police are handling the investigation This is a developing story and will be updated when more information is available By Lia AssimakopoulosDallas Stars and college sports reporter The Stars will continue their Stanley Cup pursuit in the second round against either the Winnipeg Jets or St The two Central Division teams are tied 3-3 with Game 7 set for Sunday night in Winnipeg here are some reasons the Stars should or shouldn’t want to face either Winnipeg or St Sports RoundupGet the latest D-FW sports news analysis and opinion delivered straight to your inbox GoogleFacebookBy signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy The obvious choice between the two possible opponents for the Stars would be St The Blues were the last team in the Western Conference playoff picture as the second wild card seed While they went on a run late in the season they spent a good chunk of the year outside of a playoff spot The Stars had no trouble with the Blues in the regular season if the Stars take on the Blues in the first round The Stars haven’t been without home-ice advantage since 2023 The difference between three possible back-and-forth trips to Canada and two to St The Blues may not have been dangerous all year but they were the hottest team at the right time Louis went on a 12-game winning streak in March and April setting a franchise record and securing a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2022 losing the last seven games of the regular season Blues center Robert Thomas was also one of the top scorers in the league down the stretch tying for second in points since March 1 with 33 (five goals and 28 assists) He’s kept that up in the playoffs with two goals and six assists in the first six games Louis is averaging four goals a game in the playoffs against the league’s top netminder It’s rare to want to face the league’s top team in the playoffs but the Jets may have more than just the Presidents’ Trophy curse working against them Winnipeg has a reputation for falling apart in the playoffs as does its superstar goaltender Connor Hellebuyck The Jets have reached the playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons but have advanced past the first round only twice it has only won three total playoff series and never a Stanley Cup Many saw this as Winnipeg’s best chance to do so but in a tight series with the lowest-seeded team in the conference with a .815 save percentage and 4.42 goals-against average through six playoff games The Stars are a seasoned group coming off back-to-back runs to the third round and their playoff experience may be even more valuable against a team that often looks shaky this time of year Winnipeg isn’t a great matchup for the Stars Hellebuyck was by far the best goalie in the league this year and is expected to be the back-to-back Vezina winner The Stars struggled against Colorado’s Mackenzie Blackwood and Hellebuyck would be a much greater challenge While his road numbers haven’t been great in the playoffs Winnipeg and Hellebuyck have been solid at home Winnipeg also had the top power play in the league in the regular season (28.9%) though it’s dried up a bit in the playoffs It finished top-five in the NHL in goals per game (3.35) and goals against per game (2.32) After a challenging first-round series against Colorado the Stars’ road wouldn’t get any easier against the Jets On X/Twitter: @Lassimak 49 imagesView GalleryMore from the Stars’ Game 7 win— 5 thoughts from Stars-Avs Game 7: Mikko Rantanen hat trick saves Dallas’ season — Mikko Magic: Rantanen leads Stars’ frantic comeback to eliminate his former team — Wyatt Johnston puts another feather in his Game 7 hat in Stars’ win: ‘He’s special’ — Stars coach Pete DeBoer’s ‘super impressive’ Game 7 record is now the best in pro sports — Winnipeg Jets or St. Louis Blues? Who should Stars want to face in second round? — Avalanche, Nathan MacKinnon stunned after season ends at the hands of Dallas Stars — Stars coach Pete DeBoer expects both Miro Heiskanen, Jason Robertson to play in Round 2 — National reaction to Stars’ win: Mark Game 7 down as a classic in Dallas sports history SMU and college sports for The Dallas Morning News She joined The News in June 2022 as a high school sports reporter and previously contributed to Sports Illustrated the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and NBC Sports Lia graduated from Northwestern University in 2022 Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email LOUIS — Police on Sunday identified a 16-year-old shot and killed in south city late last week as Aeyion Barnett Police have described Barnett as part of a group of thieves who were breaking into cars in the Carondelet neighborhood early Friday when a homeowner interrupted them The thieves then fired multiple shots at someone Police said Barnett's accomplices dropped him off at Barnes-Jewish Hospital Louis Post-Dispatch tracks the data behind reported homicides on an interactive map that allows readers to explore information in various ways Explore the homicide tracker Louis County house turned from a polite inquiry to gunfire Police have made no arrests but believe the shot that killed the boy came from his friends — not from the homeowner A jury convicted Demesha Coleman of first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the shooting death of a 19-year-old who lived in the Wildwood house until it was condemned Katarina O'Reilly filed the suit Wednesday on behalf of her minor son who she said suffered second-degree burns when the coffee spilled onto … Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.