In this final episode of The Sauce, Meera Nagarajan, executive editor, discusses leaving Sauce Magazine after 16 years. She shares a few memories from her time working at the magazine and the St. Louis meals that changed her life.

You can continue to find copies of the monthly print magazine the first Wednesday of the month and daily updates on the website at SauceMagazine.com. To all listeners of The Sauce, we thank you for tuning in each week. It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve you.

This week Meera and Michelle discuss a visit to CITYPARK, where the vegan kebab at Balkan Treat Box and the bacos at Saucy Porka stood out. Also in the conversation was a visit to Blues City Deli where their take on the tuna melt, the fiesty tuna sandwich, was a knockout. A recent trip to Tucker's Place solidifies that this steak house is serving up one of the most affordable steaks in town.

CITYPARK

2100 Market St., St. Louis

Balkan Treat Box

Saucy Porka

Blues City Deli

2438 McNair Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-8225

Tucker's Place

4 Hands + Peacemaker Kirkwood

150 W. Argonne Dr., Kirkwood

First Look: 4 Hands + Peacemaker Kirkwood

This week Michelle and Meera chat about a recent visit to Old Bakery Beer where they got to try new dishes from their menu including a pulled pork sandwich and a tofu parmesan sandwich. Also in the conversation is Daile’s Smokehouse where the barbecue is delicious but the sides here are equally as good. Also in the talk is a recent visit to Niche Food Group’s resurrected Porano, which was in the form of a pop-up at Wild Carrot as they gear up for their summer opening in Des Peres. Finally, they discuss the Saucy Soiree, Sauce’s annual grand tasting party where some of the city’s best restaurants and bars come out with creative and delicious tastings.

Old Bakery Beer

400 Landmarks Blvd., Alton, Illinois, 618-463-1470

Daile’s Smokehouse

2951 Dougherty Ferry Road, St. Louis, 636-529-1898

Porano Pop-Up

Saucy Soiree, June 23 at Union Station

Jalea

323 N. Main St., St. Charles, 314-303-0144

Levels Nigerian Cuisine

1405 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 314-571-9990

Planter’s House

1000 Mississippi Ave., St. Louis, 314-696-2603

Lazy Tiger

Idol Wolf

1528 Locust St., St. Louis, 314-325-0360

This week Meera and Michelle discuss revisiting some personal favorite spots like Picadilly at Manhattan where the NOLA BBQ shrimp in spiced butter and their famous chicken pot pie both fall under the "must order" category. Also in the chat is a pop-in to Mai Lee where their St. Paul sandwich ranks among the best of the best in St. Louis as well as Thai Nivas Cafe, where their pad eggplant with tofu is a light yet satisfying dish. They also talk about new spots mentioned on saucemagazine.com including Damn Fine Hand Pies, Ichiro Ramen, Bud's Pizza and Beer as well as two new concepts from Chef Ben Welch.

Piccadilly at Manhattan

7201 Piccadilly Ave., St. Louis, 314-646-0016

Mai Lee

8396 Musick Memorial Dr, Brentwood, 314-645-2835

Thai Nivas Cafe

11054 Olive Blvd., St. Louis, 314-567-8989

Damn fine hand pies

4000 Shaw Blvd.

Instagram: Damnfinehandpies

Ichiro Ramen

5638 Telegraph Road, Oakville

Ichiro Ramen now open in Oakville offering array of Asian cuisine

Chef Ben Welch is opening 2 new restaurants in the Grove later this year

Bud’s Pizza and Beer

3805 S. Kingshighway Blvd., St. Louis

First Look: Bud’s Pizza & Beer in the Northampton neighborhood of St. Louis

Andrew Cisneros will open Brasas in the Delmar Loop in spring 2024

Food Truck Friday

Saucy Soirée, June 23, at Union Station

This week Michelle and Meera talk about a few spots where you can dine outside, cicada free. Also in the chat this week is a first look at Florentin, the new breakfast and lunch spot from Ben Poremba in the Delmar Maker District.

Adrianna's on The Hill

5101 Shaw Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-3833

Le Meridien St. Louis Clayton

7730 Bonhomme Ave., Clayton, 888.861.1483

Art Bar

3550 Samuel Shepard Drive, St. Louis, 314.561.0033

Moonrise

6177 Delmar Blvd. St. Louis, 314.721.1111

Panorama Restaurant

Saint Louis Art Museum, One Fine Arts Drive, Forest Park, St. Louis, 314.655.5490

Blueberry Hill

6504 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314.727.4444

Crow's Nest

7336 Manchester Road, Maplewood, 314.781.0989

First Look: Florentin in the Delmar Maker District in St. Louis

Florentine

5090 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis

This week Meera and Michelle discuss a recent trip to Madrina in Webster Groves followed by a quick jaunt to Olive + Oak for a post-dinner drink. Also in the conversation is the interesting burger menu from The Crow's Nest in Maplewood especially their green chile burger. They talk about a few new spots from the website at SauceMagazine.com including the newly opened Black Lab Coffee, Ramsay's Kitchen as well as five local dessert shops to check out right now.

Madrina

101 W. Lockwood Ave., Webster Groves, 314-963-1976

First Look: Madrina in Webster Groves

The Crow's Nest

7336 Manchester Rd., Maplewood, 314-781-0989

Black Lab Coffee now open in University City inside Washington University's Lewis Collaborative building

A Spoonful of Sugar

2800 McNair Ave., St. Louis, 314-328-1048

Cafe Ganadara

6413 Hampton Ave., St. Louis, 314-802-7044

Clementine’s Naughty & Nice Ice Cream

Multiple locations

Spoonful Desserts

12943 Olive Blvd., St. Louis, 314-485-1757; 1063 IL-157, Suite 11-12, Edwardsville, Illinois, 618-514-8020

Sylvie Dee’s

8721 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-918-5472

Sauce 75 digital edition

Levels Nigerian Cuisine

1405 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 314-571-9990

2023 Best New Restaurants // No. 9 Levels Nigerian Cuisine

Mayo Ketchup

2001 Park Ave., St. Louis, 314-696-2699

We're obsessed with the mini cheese empanadas from Mayo Ketchup

3 appetizer platters from St. Louis restaurants you need to try ASAP

Nathaniel Reid

11243 Manchester Rd., Kirkwood, 314-858-1019

Peacemaker Lobster & Crab

1831 Sidney St., St. Louis, 314-772-8858

The Ultimate Clam Chowder Recipe

This week Meera and Michelle discuss a recent trip to Dressel's where the pretzel is still playing a starring role on the menu. From SauceMagazine.com, new spots including Well Met Cafe in Shaw; No Ordinary Rabbit in Botanical Heights and Fattened Caf off Cherokee Street have announced their concepts that have either just opened or are coming soon. Finally, the Sauce Team has put together a guide: Sauce 75: Your guide to the essential St. Louis restaurants right now, and they discuss a few spots from the list that consistently exceed expectations.

Dressel's

419 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 314.361.1060

Dressel’s in the Central West End is a St. Louis landmark

Well Met Cafe

4100 Shenandoah Ave., St. Louis, 314-282-8016

First Look: Well Met Cafe in the Shaw neighborhood of St. Louis

No Ordinary Rabbit

1621 Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis

No Ordinary Rabbit opening in former Nixta space in Botanical Heights in late summer 2024

Recipe: Harvest's Warmed Brioche Bread Pudding

The Fattened Caf is opening a brick-and-mortar just off Cherokee Street later this year

Kasama

The 75 Most Exciting Restaurants in St. Louis Right Now, According to Sauce

Sauce 75

Tiger Soup Dumplings

98D Gravois Bluffs Circle Drive, Fenton

Tiger Soup Dumplings is opening a location in Des Peres in spring 2024

Blues City Deli

2438 McNair Ave., St. Louis, 314-773-8225

Bulrush

3307 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 314-449-1208

Rob Connoley of Bulrush nominated in James Beard Awards finalist round for Best Chef: Midwest

Pepe's Apt. 2

800 S Geyer Rd., Kirkwood, 314-909-1375

Lona's Lil' Eats

2199 California Ave., St. Louis, 314-925-8938

The Tenacity of Lona's Lil Eats' Lona Luo

Ben Poremba to open two new concepts, Esca and Florentin, in the Delmar Maker District in early 2024

After years of working for other restaurateurs Loryn Nalic, together with her husband Edo Nalic, opened Balkan Treat Box in 2016 as a food truck. The inspiration for the concept came from falling in love with her husband and falling in love with his native Bosnian cuisine; but the development of the menu came from a deeply personal visit she took to Bosnia, which brought the entire Balkan Treat Box menu into focus starting with her favorite -- the cevapi. In this episode Loryn discusses with Meera and Michelle her experience in restaurants; her flagship restaurant and her new restaurant Telva at The Ridge; and the local restaurants that have captured her heart.

Balkan Treat Box

8103 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-733-5700

Telva at The Ridge

60 N Gore Ave., Webster Groves, 314-395-2760

Yemanja Brasil

2900 Missouri Ave., St. Louis, 314-771-7457

Farmhaus Restaurant

3257 Ivanhoe Ave., St. Louis, 314-647-3800

Frazer's Restaurant & Lounge

1811 Pestalozzi St., St. Louis, 314-773-8646

Pappy's Smokehouse

3106 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-4340

Julia Usher

Ones to Watch 2021 // Madeline Hissong

Damn Fine Hand Pies

Afghan Kabob House

3500 Watson Road, St. Louis, 314-449-1110

Curry Club

1635 Clarkson Road, Chesterfield, 636-778-7778

MeYou

8162 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314-961-5999

Webster Garden Vietnamese & Chinese Restaurant

5 S. Old Orchard Ave., St. Louis, 314-961-2131

Mai Lee

8396 Musick Memorial Dr., Brentwood, 314-645-2835

Saucy Soirée tickets available here

This week Meera and Michelle discuss dining at Casa Don Alfonso inside The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis where they tried a pasta tossed with deep-fried zucchini and for dessert their dazzling pistachio profiteroles with pistachio cream. Also in the conversation was an epic office lunch with spring salads from Knead Bakehouse + Provisions and several pizzas from Fordo's Killer Pizza including their ramp spring special, wild mushroom and four cheese with honey drizzle. From saucemagazine.com they discuss several restaurant openings like Off Elm in Webster Groves, Sunday Best reopening a take-out concept in South City and Sugar Shack Cafe in Granite City, Illinois. Finally they discuss 3 gas station dining destinations serving barbecue and also Indian food that are hidden gems throughout St. Louis.

Casa Don Alfonso

100 Carondelet Plaza, Clayton, 314-719-1496

Knead Bakehouse + Provisions

3467 Hampton Ave, St. Louis, 314-376-4361

Fordo's Killer Pizza

3730 Foundry Way, St. Louis

City Foundry

3730 Foundry Way, St. Louis

Sunday Best, formerly Juniper, has reopened at the Hill Food Co. in south St. Louis

Sugar Shack Cafe now open in Granite City offering Southern flavors and retro vibes

Poke One is now open on South Grand in former Tower Grove Creamery space

Cube Tea Studio

8041 Olive Blvd., University City, 314-942-1289

3 St. Louis spots making boba that will blow your mind

The Vandy, STL Barkeep team will open Off Elm in Webster Groves this fall

Khanna’s Desi Vibes in Chesterfield is closing

3 awesome under-the-radar restaurants inside gas stations around St. Louis

Olivette Station is serving delicious Pakistani food in an unassuming gas station in St. Louis County

3 Bay BBQ & Bakery

14195 Clayton Road, Town & Country, 636.227.1208,

O’B. Que’s

158 Long Road, Chesterfield, 636.778.9675, obques.com

Olivette Station

9680 Olive Blvd., Olivette, 314.991.3082