Blog Posts - Big Sky Cafe

Our carrot hummus is yummus.

1/9/2019

From Pat Eby of the St. Louis Post Dispatch:

When carrots and chickpeas combine in a silky hummus at Big Sky Cafe, the delightful pairing, enlivened with a touch of cumin and lemon, is served with an herbed flatbread. It would also go well with crackers or vegetable dippers. The dish is served every day during dinner service at the cafe, a complementary amuse-bouche. It’s indicative of the top-shelf customer service regular diners have come to love. “The carrot hummus with an herbed flat bread is our version of bread service,” executive chef Dominic Weiss says.

Click here to read the full article and get the recipe!

Are you a socially conscious diner?

10/18/2018

42 million Americans are food insecure, 1 in 9 Americans rely on food banks. And we can help change that.

Big Sky Cafe is proud to announce our partnership with Gift A Meal - a mobile application that provides meals to the hungry in St. Louis. One meal is donated through Operation Food Search every time you share a picture of your meal within the app. If you share your picture on social media, an additional meal will be donated.

Let's work together to help those who need it!

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Five Star Certification

6/30/2018

READ MORE ABOUT OUR MISSION

Although we have been committed to sustainable practices for 20+ years now, we decided it was time to be certified!

The Green Dining Alliance (GDA) works with restaurants in the St. Louis area to reduce their environmental impact. An audit is done to evaluate "reducing, recycling, and composting restaurant waste; operating facilities with efficiency; and sourcing sustainable food, to-go ware, and cleaning supplies."

Here's what the GDA had to say about us:
"Sustainability is part of the culture at Big Sky Café. After long conversations with wait staff, the owner, managers, and kitchen staff, they decided it was in line with their mission to move to compostable straws, and to only offer them on request. The whole staff is engaged with their environmental mission, from servers, who learn about the local farms their menu items are crafted from, to their kitchen staff, who waste nothing – creating masterpieces out of scraps and composting the rest."

Read more about our report and evaluation here.

From Earth Day to Birthday: a Big Sky Celebration

4/20/2018

Since opening in 1992, Big Sky Cafe has always worked hard to better ourselves, the community, and the environment, in the every day the choices we make. Those choices appear in our sustainable and local food partners, in various recycling programs, and charity causes we support.

With two important dates approaching on the calendar, and keeping our long standing mission in mind, we are going to celebrate the best way we know how: treating our friends and helping others!

That's why when you purchase a bottle of selected sustainable wines during the week, we will donate 20% to our favorite cause, charity:water.org. Feeling generous? Match our donation and you automatically earn $15 to use at a future visit!

Not only will you feel good about providing clean water to someone in need with your purchase, but every guest who purchases a bottle of sustainable wine will also have a chance to win nightly prizes!

Congratulations to our nightly winners!

Winner #1: Dana Klann
Winner #2: Valerie
Winner #3: Patty Tecu
Winner #4: Pat Flynn
Winner #5: Gai Lowell
Winner #6: Ben Rassieur

MAKE A RESERVATION

One night, ONEHOPE

11/15/2017

How can you feed the hungry, contribute towards breast cancer research, fund pet adoptions, end global disease, promote autism awareness and provide clean drinking water?

Drink wine of course!

This December, put your money where your mouth (wine glass) is and attend the ONEHOPE, one night winter wine social.

For just $35 a person, sample five wines paired with Big Sky specialty small plates all while doing good, because 50% of each bottle is donated to a specific cause. In addition, $1 to every ticket sold goes to our own adopted cause, charity:water.

Advance Admission is required and can be purchased below.

Wednesday December 6th from 5-7 pm
with special guests Claire Augustine of Trademark Wines and Kate Judson from ONEHOPE Wines

ONEHOPE Chardonnay 2016 (benefits breast cancer clinical trial)
Grilled Ozark Forest French Horn Mushrooms and Polenta

ONEHOPE Pinot Noir 2015 (funds pet adoptions)
Seseme and Soy Shrimp Skewers

ONEHOPE Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 (promotes autism awareness)
Midwest Pasta & Missouri Rabbit Ravioli with Sage Butter

ONEHOPE Merlot 2015 (end global disease)
Pomegranate-Cinnamon Quail Drummies

ONEHOPE Sparkling Brut NV (every bottle provides 15 meals to a child in need)
Cheesecake with Cranberry Compote and Orange-Lemon Zest

ONEHOPE Wine, a partnership with Robert Mondavi, Jr., is located located in Napa Valley, CA and has a strong commitment to the charities they support as well the quality of wine they provide.

Montinore Wine Social

9/1/2017

We're getting social in September with a wine tasting! Join us Wednesday September 27th from 5-7 pm on our front patio as we sample four wines from Montinore Estate paired with Big Sky Cafe hors d'oeuvres:

Montinore Pinot Gris 2015 paired with
Crab Salad with Lemon Aioli on Toast Points
and an Oregon Meat and Cheese Charcuterie Board

Almost Dry Riesling 2015 paired with
Smoked Trout Toast with Shaved Fennel and Lemon Salad

Montinore Pinot Noir 2015 paired with
Roasted Mushroom and Truffled Buratta Galette and
Chicken Satay with Golden Raisin and Pine Nut Agrodolce

Borealis 2015 “The Northern Whites” paired with
Pistachio and Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Candied Orange

About the Montinore Estate:
"Established in 1982, Montinore Estate is the second largest estate producer of wines made from Biodynamic® grapes in the country. With our 200-acre Demeter Certified Biodynamic® and Stellar Certified Organic vineyard located in north Willamette Valley in Oregon, we focus on producing superior Pinot Noirs, cool climate whites, and fascinating Italian varietals."

Admission is $30 per person (not including tax) and must be purchased in advance online.
SAVE $5 WHEN YOU USE "WINESOCIAL" AT CHECKOUT!

It's a Beer Blow Out!

7/17/2017

RESERVE YOUR SPOT

We're partnering with Urban Chestnut Brewing Company
for a Beer & Food Pairing event to celebrate St. Louis Craft Beer Week!

Wednesday August 2nd from 6-9 pm
$39 per person (not including taxes)
with special guests Mikka Bailey from Urban Chestnut and Joe Albrecht from Grey Eagle

Your prepaid admission gets you access to 8+ beers from Urban Chestnut paired with Big Sky Cafe specialties.
Along with cheeses, fruits, charcuterie and housemade pickles, some examples include:

Urban Underdog American Lager --> Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs
Stammtisch German Pilsner --> Pastrami Duck Breast Rueben on Dark Rye
Moon Monkey Summer Ale w/ Ginger --> Lemon Grass and Ginger noodles w/ Peanuts
Dorfbier Bavarian Style Dunkel --> Croque Monsieur on Vanilla Brioche w/ Beer Dijon
Maximilian Weizenbock --> Flourless Choc Torte & “Summer Time” Sorbet
And so much more!

Space is limited, so reserve your spot now!

We're turning #WineIntoWater for one week only, and all you need to do good is to drink wine!

3/21/2017

It only takes $30 to provide clean drinking water to someone living in an developing nation for 20 years. We've been proud supporters of clean water world wide, and with partnering with charity:water, we've provided over 400 people with that basic right. So with World Water Day on March 22nd, we want to do more.

When you purchase a bottle of wine from our selected list from March 22-29, we will donate 20% of the list price to charity:water. Can't make it in? Donate online below. Once you donate, you will be able to follow the progress of your donation and the good it can do!

Or you can always drop a few coins in the large wine bottle by the front door the next time you come see us. We will match your donation by a nickle for every quarter you drop in.

Drink wine, do good.

Special Request: Carrot and Lentil Soup

3/2/2017

As featured in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on February 14th:

“The difference in flavor between locally grown carrots and bagged supermarket ones is striking,” [Chef Joe Hovanessian] says. “Roasting them brings the natural sugars out. When you get that blackened edge, they’re caramelized. There’s a fine line between a little black and burnt. If you burn them, start over.”
“The lentils add an earthiness while the light grill on the kale makes a textural change,” he says. Hovanessian likes French green lentils cooked just to tenderness. “They hold their shape well.” Every step in his soup recipe is considered. “The grated carrots add another dimension. We reserve a few, uncooked, to use as garnish.”

See the full article and get the recipe here!

December 1-11: Buy a gift card, get a gift for you!

12/1/2016

Make your holidays happier - with a gift for yourself! Now until December 11th, when you purchase $100 in gift cards, you receive a $25 coupon to use towards a future visit!

Your bonus coupon will be good for lunch or dinner in January & February (excluding Clayton Restaurant Week and Valentine's Day) and will be a great way to drag yourself out of the post-holiday blues.

Extra bonus: split your $100 purchase into multiple smaller cards, or one large one. In addition, our cards never expire and can be used at both Big Sky Cafe and Remy's Kitchen & Wine Bar.