Our good friends and clients at Pi in St. Louis was visited by Barak Obama and the President Elect could not stop talking about how great the Pizza was he had there. He even make a personal call of praise back to the restaurant.

We know that if anyone from the Obama staff had a cup of coffee or a glass of iced tea, it came from US!

Congratulations Chris, Frank, Ryan and the staff at Pi

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Re-posted from Pi Press Release

SAINT LOUIS, MO / November 11, 2008 / www.restaurantpi.com/obama.pdf – Pi, the deep-dish cornmeal crust pizzeria in the East Loop, today announced a brand new pizza to commemorate the historic election of Barack Obama as President of the United States.  The pi, dubbed the Broccoli O’Bama, reflects many of the President-Elect’s favorite ingredients.

Owners Chris Sommers, Frank Uible, and Ryan Mangialardo wanted to capture the energy of the transformative candidate and pay homage to the profound support the Senators’ hundreds of staffers and volunteers gave their restaurant over the past year.  The Senator from Chicago even dined on Pi himself, after the largest political rally ever under the Gateway Arch in mid-October.  While walking back from the event, Sommers received a phone call from Barack Obama himself, proclaiming “that is the best pizza I have ever eaten.”  Subsequent calls and emails to Sommers from Obama’s senior staffers supported the Senator’s sentiments, indicating that Obama “would not stop talking about your pizza.”

Kitchen Manager David Harper, who cooked the senator’s pizza, and created the Barack O’Bama conducted extensive research on an appropriate pizza for the President-Elect.  Obama sampled five different pi standards under the Arch.  The Broccoli O’Bama features many favorites of the Senator:

Broccoli
Seasoned Potatoes
Applewood Smoked Bacon
Gruyere Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Minced Garlic
Fresh Chives (after bake)
Served on vegan Thin Crust with a side of Sour Cream dip

“Considering the close ties Pi had with the Obama campaign and its wonderful staff and volunteers here in St. Louis, as well as the Senator’s own comments about our pizza, we believe the best way to pay homage to this transformative time is with what we do best–our pi” said owner Chris Sommers.

Located at 6144 Delmar Boulevard, across from the Pageant, in the East Loop, Pi is quickly becoming the favorite pizzeria of locals and visitors.  The signature deep-dish pi boasts an award-winning cornmeal crust from San Francisco, California, golden brown and perfectly crispy throughout.  The thin-crust pi has a flour dough which is rolled in cornmeal, providing its unique texture and crispiness.  Regulars include hipsters, scenesters, concert-goers, families with strollers, and retirees, filling the bar, 2 dining rooms and beautiful patio.  In addition to pleasing guests with the freshest pizza in St. Louis, Pi is a green restaurant, striving toward carbon-neutrality.

www.restaurantpi.com
314.727.6633 - p
314.727.6655 - f
*think before you print*

Just published in this weeks Riverfront Times is the 2008 BEST OF ST. LOUIS. Knowing how we are about our quality of baked goods and coffee, you may want to take note of the recent mention of 222 Artisan Bakery, Goshen Coffee and Erato On Main as being part of the BEST DINING DESTINATION of our home town, Edwardsville, Illinois.

Then you have BEST LOCAL CHEF, Kevin Willmann of Erato on Main. We are very proud of him for this amazing accomplishment and his commitment to preparing great food from his restaurant in Edwardsville. There are some extremely talented chefs in St. Louis and for him to be bestowed this honor is validation that Kevin is doing great work. 222 Bakery has believed in Kevin since he has opened his doors. We supply Erato on Main with breads and coffee.

One more thing, can’t forget about US!!!! 222 Artisan Bakery was voted BEST BAKERY. We are super proud of our staff and dedicated customers. We have worked hard to get here and plan to continue providing you with the most fantastic baked goods and coffee legal in the United States.

Thank you for being an early adopter of great taste. Please tell your friends you eat the best pastries and bread in the St. Louis Metro region.

Our new crop of Kenya AA is here!

Let me start by saying East African coffees are my favorite. Always something going on with these coffees. Must have something to do with all coffee being able to trace their roots back to East Africa. One could go on for days, but suffice to say that these are some of the most distinctive coffees in the world.

Tasting notes are as follows-

In the dry grounds, distinct nuts and slight floral aroma. 

Wet, the grounds let the orange blossom and mint jump out. Wonderful!

In the cup there is a definite stone fruit aroma, I couldn’t decide exactly what. Peach? Maybe.

The finish is mildly sweet, succinct, and ever so slightly tannic.

Stay tuned!

Comment with any questions you have about how we brew our coffee. We’ll get back to you quick.

Alex 

Other locals are getting in the election season spirit by sporting a

“Pat for President ‘08″ T-shirt. Now it’s your turn! (more…)

“I may just be an Old Poagy…” - Direct quote, of a man that is/once was well known to the Edwardsville populous. The story isn’t too long, but is certainly entertaining. When you stop by our bakery, do ask for the details! 

On to the tasting notes-

    The aroma is nutty (think peanuts) and has very subtle berry notes, I detected blackberry in specific. The body is on the heavier side, dense in a very good way. Definitely an earthy, juicy lingering finish on the palate.  

I can taste this going well with a desert with some intense chocolate/fresh dark fruit/berry themes. Nothing too delicate! 

Up next is our new crop of Kenya AA. Stay tuned!

You’re aware that November 4th is Election Day, right? Did you know that Edwardsville has its own challenger in the presidential race?

Take a look at this video we found….
PLAY VIDEO!

Yes, Edwardsville’s very own PAT is slowly rising in the polls and becoming of growing concern to the presidential nominees from both major parties.

Pat is a respectable “everyman” who visits our bakery each morning, gracing us with his clever philosophical insights. You may have seen him at various local drinking establishments sharing his political wisdom and thoughtful opinions on our local government. You may have even engaged him yourself in a spirited conversation and enjoyed his witty repartee about our national political dramas!

How much do you know about Pat? How much do you know about his big-name rivals? Do you care enough to vote this year? The campaign to support Pat for President ’08 begs the question, “do you care who runs our country?” We at 222 Bakery challenge you to exercise your right to participate in the political process.

222 Bakery is the official campaign headquarters for “Pat for President ‘08”.
Fight apathy with humor …..we’re selling T-shirts for Pat, $12 gets you your very own. Wear it out and challenge your friends and neighbors to jump into the political fray. Pro-Pat or Anti-Pat, be sure to participate!

You can only have a say in who runs the country if you’re registered vote. Make sure you are by contacting your local board of elections for validation or initial registration:

ILLINOIS – Contact the Illinois State Board of Elections http://www.elections.state.il.us/
MISSOURI – Contact the Secretary of State, Robin Carnahan http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/

This blend has been offered for quite a while. It’s normally considered an espresso blend but using any other method of brewing will have equally pleasing results. Here are the tasting notes on its current reincarnation -

The aroma shows off its spicy and earthy appeal with a DARK chocolate complexity, a bit of pine, and smokiness very mildly reminiscent of a fine Islay scotch. This is another one of our fairly low acidity coffees. Big body and a balancing sweetness are very apparent in the long semi-dry finish.

On an cool morning after a late night, I’d crave this one! 

Drink up,

Alex

We’ve had this years long awaited Mexican crop for some time now and it’s time for the tasting notes on it. 

The aroma of this coffee is quite pleasing, I noticed pecan like nuttiness, with some sweet vanilla undertones. The low acid and pleasing dryness is very well paired with its medium-heavy body along side a lingering semi-sweet chocolate finish. 

This years crop is a well balanced crowd pleaser, nothing that reaches out and grabs you, but has a great finish and a simple desert like richness. 

I’m thinking this would be a deadly combo with 222 Artisan Bakery’s Chocolate Croissant. 

Cheers!

Alex

I’m sure some of you have noticed the new crop this year. Which means you’ve also found a new favorite I hope! 

So tasting notes go like this,

The grounds-

Dry- Slightly spicy. Nutmeg? Little bit of Cinnamon?

Wet- Tremendous floral attributes. Jasmine maybe? 

On the palate-

All kinds of milk chocolate here. I couldn’t stop thinking about how creamy this coffee was. Was like a great hot chocolate. 

The Aroma of the brewed coffee was surprisingly devoid of all that floral acidity… not a bad thing for this coffee. All those big, creamy bodied coffee lovers out there need to give this one a run. We’ve only got a few bags left! 

By the way- Every question mark is an invitation for your input!

Alex