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At Starrs you’ll find a worldwide array of cheeses.

My son, Russ, and I stopped at Starrs Wine and Spirits on South Big Bend. It being the oldest operating wine shop in town, he thought I’d find it blog worthy. In fact, I found it blog amazing!

Starrs started out as a Clayton coffee shop in 1979. (They’re still roasting coffee in the same reliable roaster they had in those days.) But today the place is more aptly a wine, cheese, coffee, meat and fish shop.

Variety and Innovation

I’d estimate that about 80% of the place is devoted to wine and spirits. But there are other items you won’t find in the average wine shop. I talked with John Nash, the resident wine guru, who was the founder/operator of the Wine Merchant before casting his lot with Bud and Valery Starr.

John told me about the 9″ house-made chicken pot pies ($12.99). Their gourmet version is prepared from pasture-raised, antibiotic and hormone-free poultry produced at Buttonwood Farms in California, Missouri. Large pieces of moist, tasty chicken and chunky vegetables are loaded between a double crust. This pie taste more like it was homemade than any I’ve seen sold commercially.

Starr’s Chicken Pot Pie goes from frozen, to oven, to plate in little more than an hour. No fuss, no muss. The 9″-pie feeds two amply, and three, if you’re serving other dishes. A good comfort food to keep on hand.

I learned, too, that their fish comes fresh from Chicago and is sold only on Friday and Saturday. I also noted such great party items as the house-made trout spread and cold smoked salmon.

John Nash offers us a whiff of his favorite coffee beans.

Russ and John Nash examine a New York strip steak cut from the short loin—one of the tenderest sections of beef.

Cheese and Honey

John was especially proud of their broad selection of cheeses and offered me a few samples to taste. I couldn’t resist getting a chunk of their Parmesan, since I was planning to make a minestrone and it needed a sprinkle of fine cheese. Besides, I always throw a Parm rind into a pot of soup for a umami flavor jolt.

When I inquired about a cheese used in an Alsatian dish I had in France, John immediately knew what I was talking about. “Raclette,” he said, “It’s hard to find.” He recommended Gruyere as a substitute, that melted well.

Stinger’s Honey

When I asked for advice on honey, he inquired as to what area I lived and then suggested Stinger’s that comes from the bees of Clayton. Supposedly, honey is more effective for what ails you if it’s made from your local pollen.

Jacques Torres Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

They were sold out of their famous chocolate chip cookies, but more would be cooked the next day. When I inquired about the recipe, John said it was the one used by renown chocolatier Jacques Torres of New York.

Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies are made in house with Valrhona dark chocolate feve from France.

Cookie Baking Secrets

Nash also passed on a couple of secrets to making the old favorite—or any chocolate chip cookie. The dough must be refrigerated for 24-72 hours. (The original Toll House recipe called for cooling the dough, at least, overnight.) Butter should be at room temperature. And, rather than chocolate chips, use feves chocolate—flat, ovals of fine, French chocolate that’s broken into pieces and allowed to swirl into the cookies as they bake.

John went to the kitchen and returned with cookies warm from the oven. . . and oh, my goodness! They were slightly crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside, highlighted with ruffles of chocolate.

I considered making a batch of Jacques Torres’ cookies myself. I checked online and found that the bittersweet chocolate discs sell at Torre’s in New York for $17 for 2 pounds. On top of that, they charge $14.50 to ship! Come to think of it, you might not want to get the kids addicted to this recipe.

Starrs is a fun place to visit and I came away having learned something new about chocolate, honey, cheese, coffee, fish and cuts of beef. Bud Starr and John Nash show a unique knowledge of their products and pride in the quality of what they offer and that’s what keeps the shop’s many fans coming back.

Russ contemplates the cheese selection at Starr’s.

A few other items caught my eye as well.

A large park lot on the downhill side of the street makes for easy access. Be sure to sign up for Starr’s online newsletter and learn about wine tasting events and weekly specials.

Starrs Wine and Spirits. 1135 South Big Bend in Richmond Heights. Open: Mon-Thu10a-8p; Fri-Sat 10a-9:30p; Closed Sunday.

Parker’s Table at Oakland and Yale in Richmond Heights

Like some homes, some stores and restaurants are more inviting than others. At Parker’s Table, the name itself says welcome, sample the cheese, sniff the tea, sit a spell and learn about the wine, or admire the jazz record collection. If you’re tired of the same old thing, here’s where you can add some zip to your home cooked meals.

The spacious site at Oakland and Yale has had many face lifts over the years, but none more fetching then the makeover by owner Jon Parker. Parker moved his place from Clayton five years ago and has nestled nicely into the Richmond Heights area. Outside, an old mail trolley has been recast as a food cart and a reminder of the post office, that once occupied the corner back in the 20s.

Parker’s Table boasts a new artwork over the checkout counter.

Today the place is reminiscent of a European wine shop. In addition to local items, there are products from around the world: wine, cheese, tea, coffee, meats, pasta, oil and vinegar, bread, sweets and nuts and a soon-to-come bakery. The many fine selections encourage the shopper to try a new vino or an unknown cheese. Or to take home an untried pasta like the black squid ink noodles. Or rejoice—as I did—at finding my favorite spaghetti noodle, Bucatini pasta, available in bulk.

You might want to check out the selection before the holiday season. Great place to book a wine tasting with friends or design a tasteful gift basket.

“Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall.” Not sure how many, but you can see there’s quite a collection.

Parker’s Table offers imported pasta in bulk. I was glad to see the black squid ink noodles that I had eaten in Sicily, as well as the hard-to-find Bucatini noodles with the pinhead opening down the middle.