Rural Missouri - August 2013 - (Page 18)

Beks O U T O F T H E W A Y E A T S Upscale dining in historic downtown Fulton O by Alyssa Goodman info@ruralmissouri.coop ne kitchen wasn’t enough for Beks. The recently expanded restaurant now has two kitchens to accommodate the many patrons who ﬂock to this eatery in Fulton. The 1903 structure has been renovated, keeping some of its old-time feel with exposed brick and tin ceilings. A former antique dealer, Garry Vaught and his wife, Rebekah, a former hygienist, opened the restaurant together in 2005 when they felt a coffee, wine and dessert bar was missing in Fulton. “In the beginning, we both had a lot of trouble trying to ﬁgure out where our place was within our business,” Garry says. Now, eight years later, the couple has To watch a video featuring it ﬁgured out and couldn’t be happier Beks, click this button inside our digital edition, online at with the success www.ruralmissouri.coop. of their restaurant. Beks co-owners Garry and Rebekah Vaught opened their restaurant in 2005 and recently expanded the eatery. says. “They feel like they need the spiciness to cure their ailments from the night before.” Another must-try item is Bek’s carrot cake, which also holds special meaning to Rebekah. “I developed that recipe based on my childhood,” she says, explaining that whole-wheat carrot cake was the only dessert her mother prepared. “So, I took that recipe and kind of added a spin of my own and came up with something that doesn’t quite have 100 percent whole wheat.” The menu at Beks is accommodating to those with food allergies. Gluten-free options are available, and Beks even has the occasional vegan item. “Because we make everything from scratch, we know what everything is made of,” Rebekah says. Beks has a kid’s menu, and children eat for Rebekah is responfree on Monday nights with your purchase of an sible for the paperwork, payroll and taxes, while entrée or sandwich. Garry can mostly be seen in “the back of the The ﬁrst Saturday of every month is wild house” working in the kitchen. The restaurant’s game night. The chefs decide what wild game name came from Garry’s nickname for his wife. will be available. It could be anything from However, they didn’t want the restaurant named kangaroo during the day and elk or antelope at after a person, so they left off an apostrophe. night. Garry likes to leave choosing the daily “We couldn’t come up with anything better specials to the chefs to let them have control of than Beks,” Rebekah says. “We thought what they want to cook that day. Beks sounds much better than Gars.” Garry hopes that customers will take Beks The Vaught’s 7-year-old son, Neal, some time while in Fulton not just to can be seen scampering through the visit Beks, but also to enjoy the attrackitchen with a box of fresh-picked tions of Fulton such as the National Specialties: Menu rotates daily; Fulton • cucumbers from the family’s garden Churchill Museum at Westminster Colfavorites include the chipotle chicken and snagging a piece of bacon on his lege where you can see a piece of the sandwich, Beks burger, Beks salad and way out. Berlin Wall. carrot cake. The restaurant works hard to include Despite Beks’ recent expansion, the local ingredients whenever possible. restaurant is still in transition. Soon Price: Appetizers range from $5.99 Beks has a core menu, but the specials the restaurant will include a wine celto $9.99, meals from $7.49 to $9.99 change daily and are updated online. lar where patrons can keep their wine and entrées range from $10.99 to $18.99. Cash, Visa, The same goes for the lunch menu. bottles for free and pay a small corkAmerican Express, MasterCard and Discover accepted. One favorite is the chipotle chicken opening fee. sandwich. On any given day, the resThis isn’t your typical small-town Details: Open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; taurant sells 60 to 70 of the well-known restaurant, which leaves a lot of people Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and sandwich. Served on a Kaiser bun, the surprised. “They usually say that they closed Sundays. No smoking. Reservations encouraged for marinated chicken breast is buttercan’t believe this place is in Fulton,” parties of six or more. ﬂied, then topped with Gruyére cheese Rebekah says. served with an aioli sauce. At $7.99, it’s popular with college students. Love great food? Pick up a copy of Directions: Located at 511 Court St. in downtown Fulton. “I see this being a possible hangover Rural Missouri’s “Out of the Way Eats” cure for those who may have endured restaurant guide, available online at www. Contact: 573-592-7117 or www.beksshop.com a little bit of an adult beverage,” Garry ruralmissouri.coop/merchandise.php. 18 WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP http://www.beksshop.com http://www.ruralmissouri.coop/merchandise.php http://www.ruralmissouri.coop/merchandise.php http://WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - August 2013

Rural Missouri - August 2013
Table of Contents
Comments
Columns
Hideout heaven
Mining a lead-lined history
Adrenaline adventures
Outdoors
Out of the Way Eats
High-flying fun
Hearth and Home
Blood-stained dawn
Swarm chasers
Around Missouri
Marketplace
Neighbors
Just4Kids

Rural Missouri - August 2013