Thursday 11/09
Funny Business
This week, more than 100 comedians will launch a takeover of St. Louis for Flyover Comedy Fest, a laugh-filled comedic invasion stretching across several venues and 30 separate events. You read that right: All weekend, starting the night of Thursday, November 9, some of the best comedy in the country will be happening right here in the Gateway City. For three days, the Grove neighborhood (Manchester and Tower Grove avenues) will play host to dozens of live comedy events ranging from improv to stand-up at great venues including Handlebar, Urban Chestnut and the Improv Shop, in addition to two headlining shows at the Sheldon in Midtown. Catch big names such as Jeff Ross, Sheng Wang and Janelle James, as well as plenty of local and regional talent, too. Showtimes vary, and many of the events are only $15. For just $85 you get access to all the fun. More info, including a detailed schedule, at flyovercomedyfest.com.
Saturday 11/11
It Ain't Easy Being Cheesy
We're about to enter into a holiday season replete with some of the best eats of the year — maybe the best, no qualifier — and there's one dish that belongs on pretty much every holiday table from Thanksgiving to Christmas to Hanukkah to Kwanzaa to New Year's: mac & cheese. But honestly, it's a bit hard to wait even a few days to sample some of that gooey, carby goodness. Thankfully you don't have to because the sixth annual Mac & Cheese Throwdown is coming to St. Louis on Saturday, November 11. From 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the Moto Museum (3438 Locust Street, 314-446-1805) will be positively overrun with the dish, as a host of St. Louis area restaurants including BEAST Craft BBQ, the Blue Duck, Salt + Smoke, Taco Drip and so many more bring their fiercest (and cheesiest) game to vie for the Mac & Cheese Champion title. Naturally, reigning champ Doggie Mac will be there — and if you want to see (and help determine) if the food truck can defend its title, you know what to do: Pick up a $45 ticket and get your stomach ready for all-you-can-eat mac & cheese. The bottomless craft cocktails and beer on hand at this 21-plus event will surely help. For tickets and further details, visit rftmacncheese.com.
What's the Deal with Hot Pocket Food
If you want to spend a gut-busting evening full of relatable insights into everyday life, you'll definitely want to be in attendance for Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Gaffigan's co-headlining show this Saturday, November 11. The pair will be hitting Enterprise Center (1401 Clark Avenue, 314-622-5400) for a double-hitter of an affair that will be long on laughter and short on material of the "blue" variety. Each is known for his squeaky clean comedy. Seinfeld rose to dominance with the hit show Seinfeld in the 1990s (it was kind of popular) and stayed there with the Netflix show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, whereas Gaffigan is primarily known for his routines about food, including his hysterical Hot Pockets bit. He also created and starred in The Jim Gaffigan Show and often makes jokes about his large family, being Catholic and being pale. According to promotional material, the two met doing Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and, per Seinfeld, "have been talking about doing this for years. We finally made the schedules work out." For his part, Gaffigan adds, "I'm so excited to help out this unknown up-and-coming comedian who many may have never heard of. I know it will be an amazing bunch of shows." The two comedians are only visiting four cities on this tour: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and St. Louis, so it's a special treat indeed for local comedy buffs (though the fact that it overlaps with Flyover Comedy Fest may make for some tough decisions). The show starts at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $32 to $496. Pick those up over at enterprisecenter.com.
Sunday 11/12
Royality Check
The international chess scene is returning to St. Louis this week as the city prepares to host the Grand Chess Tour: Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz at the Saint Louis Chess Club (4657 Maryland Avenue, 314-361-2437). In addition to St. Louis, which is the host city for two events, other locations on the tour include Bucharest, Romania; Warsaw, Poland; and Zagreb, Croatia. Rapid & Blitz is one of five events that make up the 2023 Grand Chess Tour, which showcases some of the best chess players in the world. This 10-person round robin tournament will excite viewers with its fast-paced and high-energy play. The stakes are high, as participants will have the chance to win cash prizes from the $175,000 prize money fund. The family-friendly event will run from Sunday, November 12, to the following Sunday, November 19. Fans who are not interested in attending the event in person can also watch online via the Saint Louis Chess Club's Twitch and YouTube Channels. See grandchesstour.org for full details.
Food Drive on Bicycle
'Tis the season for gratitude and giving — including Cranksgiving, St. Louis BWorks' annual bike-powered food drive. For 17 years now, the youth-focused nonprofit has annually gathered locals together on bicycles to provide a happy infusion of resources to a local food bank tackling food insecurity. This year's good-cause shenanigans will start and end at 2nd Shift Brewing (1601 Sublette Avenue, 314-669-9013), with the family-friendly ride kicking off promptly at 10 a.m. Sunday, November 12. Registration and waiver are required (see details on BWorks' Eventbrite profile), with $15 of each $20 registration fee benefiting Operation Food Search, and the other $5 helping BWorks purchase healthy, fresh snacks for its growing numbers of Earn-A-Bike and Learn-To-Ride students. Cranksgiving participants 21 years of age and older will receive one free beer courtesy of 2nd Shift upon returning to the brewery at the end of the ride. BWorks will release digital route maps (including short, medium and long route options) to registrants the night before the event. More details at eventbrite.com/o/st-louis-bworks-8011731273.
Subscribe to Riverfront Times newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
