Edwardsville Scene » Restaurants

Fond opens Township Grocer in Edwardsville

Jesse — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:19:22 +0000

by Jesse Gernign

Edwardsville, IL – Often in our lives we find ourselves longing for things we can otherwise not have.

I can’t count the times I have come back from a restaurant wishing I could take small and exceptional parts of it with me (handmade ketchups, hard to find cheeses, a unique wine). But I understand that restaurants often don’t want to reveal their sources, and honestly I don’t believe people can reproduce most plates seen in restaurants.They are often far more complicated in their preparation than first considered and usually require precision in technique far beyond the amateur chef.

That said, Amy Zupanci of Fond is pulling up the curtain on their operation by bringing their ingredients directly to your pantry. That’s right, Fond is opening up a boutique grocer called Township Grocer in Edwardsville beside the restaurant proper, and for those inclined towards finer ingredients, rejoice!

As for the products Township Grocer plans to carry, they have been holding the cards close to their chest. Amy hinted that they will be carrying some fine cheeses (bringing back silky blues from a farm in Vermont) some great American wines and a good deal of other fine things she wasn’t willing to disclose.

Secrecy is a fun thing, but thankfully Amy isn’t pushing the envelope too much. She has taken it upon herself to publish daily revelations on items on their lunch list. And yes, you read that right, Township Grocer will be doing a lunch. It seems that they will be doing a nicer lunch, which will be great. The lunch menu seems to subsist mainly of quality sandwiches, which I look forward to.

The opening is next week and I suggest swinging in when they open and checking things out.

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Edwardsville BBQ Legend Red’z Returns

Editor — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:10:18 +0000

by Jesse Gernigin

There comes a time in every small town’s life for it to grow up. Edwardsville’s time came when the court house won the suit against Phillip Morris.

Since then Edwardsville has grown into a small but prosperous town filled with people from many different walks of life. Not to far from us lies SIUE, one of the fastest growing schools in the midwest.

Red'z at its new location in Edwardsville.

The town is also full of fascinating history, but for foodies, all of these things are eclipsed by the return of a local legend, something that started not in Edwardsville but Maryville, right outside of Glen Carbon.

This legend started in a shack, in which a man and a woman became famous (infamous perhaps…) for their barbeque. People from all over the area (St. Louis included) traveled to this red shack for a taste of their barbeque.

This, dear readers, was the birth of Red’z Rib Shack. Red’z prospered for some years and then Randall Quick called it quits and moved to the caribbean. Now Randall has returned amidst the clamor of growth in Edwardsville, bringing back with him his secret sauce.

When asked about the sauce Randall said, “The barbeque sauce recipe is a family secret that has been passed down for over 100 years. This was inherited and remains the same for every batch. We pride ourselves on the consistency of a quality product, and one of the most important parts is the signature sauce. The only change we will make, upon request, is for a hot sauce – beyond that every meal receives our standard hand crafted BBQ sauce.”

I didn’t want to press Randall for the sauce’s secrets, such things are uncouth, but I did insist on one bit of advice. I wanted to know if his sauce (and therefore, by extension, his food) was gluten friendly. Most BBQ is unsafe for celiacs because the large amount of wheat product that makes it into sauces. I was happily informed that the sauce is gluten safe, so celiacs can rejoice! I was also interested in how Randall would respond to the ever growing trend towards locavore consumption (i.e.-eating as much locally grown food as possible).

Randall told me, “Our goal remains to provide the freshest and best food possible and ingredients make all the difference in attaining that objective. While we are not an organic restaurant, we do try to buy local when available and support local vendors when possible. We serve real food.”

I won’t lie, I am excited for Red’z to reopen. And yes this may be my own cheap nostalgia at work, and yes the product may not match up to how I remember it (I don’t believe this, but I understand it is a possibiliy). But I want to believe. I want to believe that legends can return, that good food can always be good and that Randall Quick can deliver on what he promises. Well, we will see soon enough. Redz reopens on April 10th at eleven in the morning. I hope to see you there.

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Review of Edwardsville’s 222 Artisan Bakery

Editor — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:22:31 +0000

by Jesse Gernigin

I waited to write this review. Edwardsville’s 222 Artisan Bakery had expanded their hours and I wanted to give myself enough time to experience the shop in the expanded hours.

The 222 Artisan Bakery in Edwardsville has expanded hours and great food and coffee.

This is not the first time they have expanded their hours though. Way back when 222 first opened they had toyed with staying open later, they were not happy with the results then and scaled their hours back. Thankfully I can say this is not the case now. 222, which used to be open till 3 p.m. on weekdays is now open till eight and serves as a wonderful refuge from winter nights.

With the expansion 222 has decided to offer a wonderful and reasonable lunch special which includes a sandwich of your choice (I’m always torn between the Matt and the Caroline, deciding between moist tuna salad or a hearty roast beef is always difficult) a drink of your choosing (as in any drink whether it be a cup of coffee, soda, tea, or a pristine iced caramel latte) a bag of Billy Goat potato chips and a cookie. All of this for a reasonable $8.75.

222 still has the classic half sandwich and soup deal (and the soups change daily although White Chili is a welcome reoccurrence about twice a week) so fret not there. And on Fridays 222 still serves the best pizzas in town, and when I say best pizza I am not joking. Their pizzas are baked in their ovens, allowing them to come out with the perfect texture mix of crunchy and chewy to match the simple yet precise toppings they have. There are two meat options and one vegetarian, I suggest coming with friends as to try them all. Word to the wise, come early Friday if you want a pizza, I have yet to show up for a pizza Friday where they have not sold out before three.

But perhaps a meal isn’t what you want, and that’s fine. 222 bakes their bread and pastries fresh every day. So whether you need a hearty flaky loaf to take home to the family or a sweet tooth fix, 222 has your back. And for those late in the day folk 222 has a happy hour deal. If you come in after 6 p.m. all pastries are two dollars. If you think you’d like a loaf of bread my advice is come before noon if you can. The bakery usually sells out their bread three days a week, and although I have yet to see a pattern to the days that loaves sell out or a reason why all I can tell you is that the days they do sell out they do so before noon.

Then there’s the coffee. 222 has the best coffee in town, with a selection that stretches both sides of the flavor continuum to appeal to all palates, disinterested to discerning. What is really cool (in my opinion) is that Matt roasts all of his beans right here in Edwardsville. Matt’s hard work is well rewarded as both Companion Bakery in the Central West End and the well known St. Louis pizzeria Pi use his roasts exclusively in their establishments.

But honestly, in my eyes, that is to be expected. Simply said, the hard and honest work put into 222 should serve as the guidebook and measuring stick on which all businesses in Edwardsville should be judged. So come get a cup of coffee, a pastry, a sandwich, a pizza, whatever, just come, come and meet your expectations, and find them well met.