Emily Standlee

1 week ago | feastmagazine.com | Emily Standlee

The Tower Grove Farmers Market may have kicked off under rainy skies this year, but that hasn’t dampened the spirits of its vendors or their loyal customers. One vendor in particular continues to draw a crowd, rain or shine: Tee Rak Thai. If you’ve come to the market over the past couple years, you’ve likely noticed the growing line in front of chef-owner Alada Poodtajan’s food stand.

1 week ago | feastmagazine.com | Emily Standlee

The cat’s out of the bag: Manny Negron’s speakeasy-style cocktail bar, Keep Quiet, has been drawing in curious drinkers since its March debut. Hidden away in a vine-draped outpost at the edge of Urban Chestnut Brewing Co.’s Midtown patio, the bar remains mostly concealed from view – marked only by a glowing red light that hints at what's inside. While Keep Quiet and Negron’s other bar, Little Lager in Princeton Heights, are very different spaces, Negron’s enigmatic style threads through both.

1 week ago | stltoday.com | Emily Standlee

April brought green leaves and blooming flowers to St. Louis, along with a fresh wave of restaurant openings across the region. In Edwardsville, Illinois, 222 Artisan Bakery & Café unveiled its new location on St. Louis Street, while State Street on LaSalle found a new home in the riverside town of Elsah, Illinois. On South Grand in the city, the eagerly awaited Grand Bistro Vietnamese Restaurant — led by the Trinh family — opened in the former Pho Grand space. Only two closures marked the month.

1 week ago | laduenews.com | Emily Standlee

In St. Louis, we all know and love Forest Park. We skate at the rink there in winter and sled down Art Hill. When spring rolls around, we’re out on the trails listening to birds and admiring all 71 different species of trees, climbing over suspension bridges and taking in everything the park’s museums have to offer. We’re also familiar with River des Peres, the oft-forgotten, 9.3-mile waterway that originally flowed from a lake in Creve Coeur to the Mississippi River, near Lemay.

2 weeks ago | feastmagazine.com | Emily Standlee

April brought green leaves and blooming flowers to St. Louis, along with a fresh wave of restaurant openings across the region. In Edwardsville, Illinois, 222 Artisan Bakery & Café unveiled its new location on St. Louis Street, while State Street on LaSalle found a new home in the riverside town of Elsah, Illinois. On South Grand in the city, the eagerly awaited Grand Bistro Vietnamese Restaurant – led by the Trinh family – opened in the former Pho Grand space. Only two closures marked the month.