Delicious Mexican food and more are on the menu in an inviting historical building photos by Paul Newton | pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop What do you get when you combine a Missouri farm girl with Mexican heritage and fine-dining experience, a former police officer who...
Refined plates in historic ambiance It all started with a wheel of Maytag blue cheese for Adam Glenn. The high schooler was visiting a friend’s house over the holidays when a giant wheel of cheese was set on the counter for guests to snack on. “I didn’t know what it...
Fried chicken is the thing at this northeast Missouri gathering spot Employees of the IDK Cafe have a standard response when newcomers ask: “What does IDK stand for?” Their answer is, “I don’t know.” Eventually the guests get the texting abbreviation, but not the...
Over-the-top burgers with a story photos by Paul Newton and Sara Schafer There’s no definitive path for finding your footing as a rural restaurant. Some go to culinary school, others rely on family recipes and more lean on their business acumen. The path for David and...
Photos by Sara Schafer and Jim McCarty A step into Fred & Red’s in Joplin is a step back in time. As you enter the unassuming tan diner, you take in the classic decor, neon sign, vintage barstools and wood paneling. Then, suddenly, your senses surrender to one...
Upscale dining in downtown Rolla Inside the kitchen, the work is never done — especially before the first customer even walks in the door. Whole fresh, never frozen, salmon, halibut and mahi-mahi need to be skinned and prepped. Whole potatoes are waiting to become...
Classic American fare with a memorable twist As soon as the front doors open, the kitchen is a flurry of activity. Hungry customers head to the counter to order one of Nick and Rachel Giacopelli’s creations for lunch. Online orders come in as fast as the couple...
The pastry chef has been cooking for as long as he can remember. Growing up, Jeremy Sayler would enlist his older brother, Michael, to turn on the burners to the stove; at just 6 years old, he couldn’t reach back that far. “I just cooked what I liked to eat back...
St. Louis restaurant specializes in all-day breakfast and burgers Steve and Lisa St. Pierre have three requests when you step into their restaurant: Love coffee, love burgers and love your enemy. Their St. Louis-based farm-to-table restaurant and urban store is more...
The chef thought she had it figured out. Every weekend she served elegant, refined dishes at Catalpa — her quaint, 10-table Arrow Rock restaurant — to customers heading to a show down High Street at the Lyceum Theater. “I got a lot of acclaim for the fine dining,”...