Unless the fish is too fishy or the rolls fall apart when you try to pick them up, it's hard to have bad sushi. But as hard as it is to have bad sushi, it's that much harder to serve sushi that really stands out - especially in St. Louis - where there are more sushi places than Madonna has comebacks.

But one place that does stand out is Tani Sushi Bistro in Clayton. Eric and Jenny Heckman, the owners of the restaurant, designed both the lounge-like atmosphere and the diverse menu themselves, and that personal touch is pretty obvious if you decide to stop by. The roll they're the most well-known for is the Oh My God, which is shrimp tempura, crab, shrimp, avocado, spicy sauce and eel sauce. Oh, and did I mention that it comes out on fire? Not only was the presentation pretty sweet, but that roll was so good that Chris and I ordered a few other rolls to take back to ToastedRav.

Whether you want to experience raw fish at its finest or simply have a cocktail in a posh setting, this is the perfect place to go. To raid Tani Sushi's kitchen with ToastedRav and learn how to make an amazing roll, click on [tab:trav_video]. Just watching this video makes me hungry for the flaming Oh My God.

When I tried the signature polish dill pickle soup at The Fountain on Locust, it was love at first slurp. They use a potato base and fresh dill pickles to make the creamy and chunky soup and the combination of flavors reminds me of my favorite potato chip - Dill Pickle chips. The folks at The Fountain were gracious enough to allow our cameras to raid their kitchen to find out how they make their super soup - a customer favorite.

To learn how they make their Signature soup, click on [tab:trav_video] to watch General Manager Barb Schulz prepare a pot.

Polish Dill Pickle Soup

Ingredients

8 cups vegetable stock
4 cups cubed potatoes
4 coarsely grated dill pickles
1/2 cup milk
1 stick of unsalted butter
2 tbsp flour
10 tbsp sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
Garnish with dill & a dollop of sour cream to serve

Directions

Combine vegetable stock and potatoes in a covered soup pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook covered over low heat until potatoes are soft. Do not over cook. Add pickles and cook 15 more minutes. Blend the soup with a stick blender to slightly smooth but leave chunks of potatoes. Heat butter and whisk in flour to make a rue. Add hot soup to rue then combine then add mixture to the soup pot. In a small bowl, beat milk and sour cream until smooth; stir in a small amount of the hot soup to temper. Slowly whisk sour cream mixture into soup. Add salt and pepper to taste; garnish with dill and sour cream to serve.

The Fountain on Locust has a variety of interesting and unique dishes besides their dill pickle soup, including a peanut soup and a grilled cheese sandwich that is all grown up. They are located at 3037 Locust Street in Midtown and they open Tuesday through Saturday at 11am.

I think it's safe to say that Cafe Ventana is the only place in St. Louis where you can find medieval chandeliers, French "donuts," three patios, a bagel bar, a fireplace, plasma TVs, fresh seasonal coffee, a cobblestone alley, exotic fruit salad, a clear floor and a a PBR/Jazz combo night all under the same roof.

Billikens from SLU stop by the restaurant for a wrap between classes, regulars lunch over the cafe's signature beignets and chances are, executive chef Christopher Lee can tell a little bit about your personal tenancies just by where you sit when you walk through it's swinging French Quarter-restored doors. (They designed the interior based on 12 different personality types.) The cafe has only been open for five months, but word is traveling fast.

Despite my hesitation about putting a pickle spear in a wrap, Cafe Ventana's Cuban Wrap was a party in my mouth. Seriously. I don't usually associate excellent cuisine and late night entertainment specials with a seemingly coffee house environment, but that's exactly what you get at this cozy new hot spot.

Click [tab:trav_video] to see what this self-described "Bohemian bistro with a French Quarter Feel" is all about.

One word of advice: no matter what time of day it is, try their signature dessert. According to Chef Lee, it's not a proper beignet unless you end up with lots of powdered sugar on your nose after the first bite. I can tell you from experience that meeting that requirement won't be a problem.

Cafe Ventana is located at 3919 West Pine Boulevard in downtown St. Louis. Enjoy!

The kitchen in the Four Seasons downtown is already kicking into high gear to serve Thanksgiving dinner for 400 people. Translated, this means they are slicing chopping, and roasting roughly 800 lbs of free range turkeys, 150 pounds of potatoes, 200 lbs of stuffing, and 114 lbs of pumpkin. Four Seasons' Executive Chef Karen Hoffman talked to us about what it takes to serve Thanksgiving dinner to 400 people, shared tips for the at home holiday chef, and whipped up the cranberry compote that will be served up to crowds this turkey day; check it out on [tab:trav_video].

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 shallot julienned
1/4 cup sugar
1 star anise
2 strips of ginger
1 persimmon
2 strips of orange peel
1 small jalapeño
2 cinnamon sticks

Directions

Poke small holes in the jalapeño. Combine cranberries, pomegranate juice, shallots, sugar, star anise, ginger, orange peel, jalapeño, cinnamon sticks in a saucepan. Simmer until cranberries burst. Remove jalapeño, orange zest, and cinnamon sticks. Dice persimmon and add to warm mixture. Serve garnished with persimmon slices and cinnamon sticks. Recipe yields 4-6 servings.

Thanksgiving 2008 at the Four Seasons isn't just a convenient rendition of grandma's traditional spread. Diners will be treated to a feast complete with an oyster bar, an array of meats, tons of traditional sides with a twist, and nine different desert options. From 12pm until 7pm, for $75 per adult and $30 per child, you can enjoy this Thanksgiving day bounty in at the hotel's upscale bar and restaurant, Cielo.

The Gobbler is a Thanksgiving dinner in the form of a sandwich. Let's be honest; by now, you should have realized that I enjoy food - a lot. I've tried many a sandwich, and I've eaten many a Thanksgiving feast, but I have to thank Chris Files for this introduction (he had his first Gobbler a year ago); this is probably the best sandwich I have ever eaten.

As an added bonus in the month of November, half of the money from every Gobbler sold goes towards Gilda's Club St. Louis. The club was created in memory of SNL comedienne Gilda Radner, who died from ovarian cancer.

The deli itself is friendly and fun. It reminds me of a place I could go frequently and everyone would know my name. In fact, any place where I can eat good food, drink a local beer, write on a wall and leave with a bottle of wine gets an "A+" from me.

Click on [tab:trav_video] to see The Gobbler in all its glory.

McLozzi Deli sits at the corner of McNair and Pestalozzi in Benton Park. For more information, please call 314.773.2621. Just remember, they're closed on Mondays.

Cary is likely to tell you the name is about reviving comforting foods, good friends, and great conversation. So far Revival has been a smashing success on all accounts. He's done time in Nashville and spent four years cooking with Wolfgang Puck, but for the last decade, McDowell has become a St. Louis fixture.

Cary decided to take a shot at teaching me how to make an amazing Leg of Lamb. Click on [tab:trav_video] to see the results! The recipe is below!

Name: Boneless Leg of Lamb Date: 7.23.08

Chef Craft took the time to hang out with ToastedRav.com, and show us a few tricks along the way. Click on [tab:trav_video] for this latest addition of Raiding the Kitchen. On the menu: Pork Cheek.

Here's the recipe!:

Slow Roasted Pork Cheeks

1 2lb Pork Cheek (room temp)

2 Heaping T Sugar

1 ½ T Salt

1 Teaspoon picked thyme leaves

½ T Coarse Black Pepper

3 Garlic Cloves Crushed

Place pork cheek in a heavy based pan and cover with foil. Place in a preheated oven at 375 degrees and let roast for 4 hrs.

Pull cheek out of oven and uncover.

Place cheek in pan under broiler and allow to brown on top.

Sautéed Wild Mushrooms

¼ lb wild mushrooms

1 T unsalted butter

Place 1/4lb of wild mushrooms in a smoking -hot pan and allow them to caramelize on one side. Stir mushrooms with a cooking spoon and allow them to caramelize a little more, be careful not to burn them. Place heat on low and add butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Trotter Jus

1 Cup Trotter Stock (you can substitute pork stock, veal stock, or chicken stock)

1 t picked thyme

juice of 1 lemon

Place stock in a saucepan and reduce on high heat until slightly thickened. Add lemon juice until just slightly tart and add thyme. Season sauce with salt and pepper as needed.

Served with toast, and a salad of Arugula and pickled vegetables.

P.S. This episode of Raiding the Kitchen was shot the day the Craft's second daughter was due to be born. She took her time, but Olive Yuriko Craft joined us this past Saturday, July 5. 8 lbs. 2 oz.

Craft, the executive chef and owner of Niche on Sidney Street, is already one of the most "in demand" people in town.  Food and Wine magazine named him one of the nation's ten best new chefs!

Anyway we had been playing phone tag for some time, and yesterday was finally to be the day that Chef Craft and ToastedRav.com would hook up to shoot a Raiding the Kitchen video. (Look for it next week!) 

We arrived, and he seemed a little distracted.  Why?  It was the due date for his wife to have their second daughter!

"We had a little false alarm around 4am, so I'm kinda tired," he told me. 

As a father, I'm standing there in near shock that this guy kept our appointment.  I certainly wouldn't have minded a postponement considering the circumstances.

Instead, we had a fantastic time, as he prepared a pork cheek that's going to knock  your socks off! (stay tuned!)

No word yet on whether the new little person has arrived, but a definite "thanks" goes out to Gerard Craft for taking the time with us.  (I don't know about you, but in a similar circumstance my spouse might have killed me....and I'd understand!)

Salsa de Argbol

Ingredients:

• 7 chile de Arbol
• 6 Tomatillos
• 1/4 Cup of water
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Directions:

1. Using a damp cloth, wipe each chile. toast (on grill) each chile just slightly. Do not burn.
2. Grill tomatillos. Amount of char is not important. Maek sure tomatillos are cooked thoroughly. Remove tomatillos from heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. Place all ingredients into food processor and pulse. It may be necessary to stop and wipe down then pulse again until a fairly smooth consistency is obtained.
4. Add salt and stir.
5. Refirgerate until needed.

This was fun! Chef Ted Stoner has one of the cooler jobs in the world. He went to a top notch culinary school, and was on the verge of doing what those chefs do: going to work at a restaurant and putting in 80 hours a week for the rest of his life.

But then he was lured into a corporate test kitchen, and his world changed.

Now, since 2005, he's been the guy in charge of inventing all those new dishes you taste at Qdoba. (And don't forget, Qdoba also caters!)

For us, it was a salsa day. Click on the video tab above to hear from Ted on how it's done. We showed you the mango salsa preparation, and we've got a recipe for a second one below called grilled verde salsa. They're both great! (Keep an eye on this space, we'll have a bonus, third recipe for you later in the day from Ted.

Both of these salsas can be used in a number of ways. In the video we show them complimenting chicken tacos, but that's certainly not the limit. Put them on anything you like salsa on! Enjoy!

Mango Salsa

Yields appprox. 4.5 Cups

Ingredients:

2 Cups of mangos (fresh or frozen) diced

1 Medium red pepper diced

1 Medium cucumber diced

1/4 of a red onion diced

1 Jalepeno minced fine

1/4 cup of cilantro chopped

Juice of 1 lime

1 Tablespoon of sugar

Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. If using frozen mango, then place the pieces in a mixing bowl and go to the next step. If you've got a fresh one, you need to cut the oblong pit (like a big pumpkin seed) out. Stand the mango on end stem down. There is a seam that follows the pit. Using a sharp knive, make a cut on one side of the pit, then the other. Dice the mango down to the skin, but not through it. Add diced mango to a mixing bowl.
2. Cut the ends of the cucumber and peel, making sure to spoon out the seeds. Dice and add to the mixing bowl.
3. Dice the red onion and add to the bowl.
4. Mince the jalapeno and ad to the bowl. (If you like it spicy leave the ribs in, if not, cut out the ribs and seeds. Wear gloves while doing this if you're sensitive to heat.
5. Chop cilantro and add to bowl.
   
6. Squeeze the juice from the lime and add to the bowl.
7. Add sugar and salt to bowl, then stir thewhole thing up.
8. Refrigerate until needed.

Grilled Verde Salsa

Ingredients:

1/2 dozen tomatillos, medium sized, husks removed. Washed.

1 whole jalapeno

1 clove of garlic with paper skin still on

1/4 of a peeled white onion

1/4 cup of chopped cilantro

Juice of one lime

Salt to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat grill to medium. oven or broiler to 375, or stove top with cast iron pot.
2. Place tomatillos, garlic, jalapeno, and onion on grill or in oven.
3. Grill for approx. 8-10 minutes until they are cooked through(you will need to move them occasionally so they cook evenly) The amount of char or grill marks is for each individual to determine based on personal taste. Most importantly, make sure everything is cooked through.
4. Let ingredients cool.
5. Peel garlic and place in food processor.
6. Remove stem from jalapeno and cut in half. (Remove seeds and rib if you want it less spicy) Place jalapeno in food processor.
7. Add about 1/3 of the tomatillos and pulse the food processor. OPen and make sure there are no large chunks of garlic, jalapeno, or onion.
   
8. Add the remaining tomatillos and cilantro and pulse until you've reached desired consistency.
   
9. Pour salsa into a mixing bowl and add lime juice and salt. Stir to incorporate.
   

Random tips:

• You can substitute 2-3 medium tomatoes for the tomatillos
• The heat level will mellow after this salsa sits
• Use gloves or coat hands with oil before handling jalapeno
• When chopping cilantro using some stem is good. It has a lot of flavor.
• To make a creamy version of this, add an avacado in the last food processor step.

My day began with tacos at 8am.  This may sound completely bizarre, but that's life at ToastedRav.com.  We were shooting a "Raiding the Kitchen" segment with a guy named Ted Stoner.  He's the head chef for all the Qdoba restaurants around the country.  (Some fantastic home made salsas will be coming your way next week!)

Anyway, in reading Ted's bio, I discovered he went to culinary school at a place called Johnson and Wales.  Now, to me, Johnson and Wales sounds like baby oil for large, sea faring, mammals, but, in fact, it's a well respected culinary school.  Great, I thought.  You learn something new every day.

So after an  hour of making salsas, tacos, and burritos, I came back to the office to find a little tidbit in the Post:  "Teen here wins national title as high school chef of the year."  A kid from Parkway Central High School named Brett Eisen won the title over nine others over the weekend.  What a great feat!  But back to the point of this story, guess who was the sponsor of the competition!  Johnson and Wales University.  Brett will now get a scholarship to the same culinary school the Qdoba chef went to . 

So in a matter of a couple of hours, I went from completely oblivious, to somewhat knowledgeable in the world of Johnson and Wales, with campus locations in Denver, North Miami, Providence, and Charlotte, and a reputation for good eats.  Watch.  My kid will end up going there. 

Steak Tartare

16 oz. tenderloin seared raw
½ C mayonnaise
¼ C ketchup
¼ C capers
¼ C cornichons, diced
¼ C parsley
2 T Dijon mustard
1 T Worcestershire
Salt & pepper to taste
Cucumber rings
Roma tomato wedge x 2
1 oz. truffle oil
Radish sprout garnish ¼ oz.

Watch the video to see how we put it all together!

Bouillabaisse

2 oz. swordfish
2 oz. turbot
2 oz. sole
2 oz. corvine
½ C yellow onion sliced
½ C fennel sliced
8 oz. bouillabaisse broth (see below)
3 oz. Pernod
¼ C diced tomatoes
1 T tarragon
1 T butter
Salt & pepper to taste
1 oz. rouille
3 each crostini

Sautee fish, onions & fennel. Deglaze w/ Pernod. Add broth, tomatoes, tarragon, butter and salt and pepper. Boil until fish is cooked. Pour into metal bowl. Brush rouil over crostini. Place on top of bouillabaisse.

Bouillabaisse Broth

3 each onion sliced
6 heads fennel sliced
20 each roma tomatoes roasted
1 C orange zest
1 bottle of Pernod
1 oz. saffron
4 each bay leaves
4 Quart water
8 oz. lobster base

In large stock pot, sauté onions & fennel until soft. Deglaze with pernod. Add tomatoes, saffron, orange zest, bay leaves, water & lobster base. Bring to a boil. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Store in refrigerator.