I passed right by Harrisburg on my way down from Macon, MO to Columbia...now I've heard 2 nominations that it is "the best BBQ I've ever had"....I'll have to head out and back again, maybe pick up a few more signs.

Could you share the name of the store where you bought the neon Pit BBQ sign? It looks like a destination!

It wasn't really a store, it is a barn/warehouse that this guys stockpiles old signs in..he's a local real estate agent in Missouri, and knows a lot of farmers/building owners, etc. and gets a ton of inventory from all over the midwest. He started collecting antiques and signs as a hobby, then at one time opened a store, but he said it was more work than it was worth to run the store, so now it's more of his side hobby to buy/sell old stuff/signs. PM me for his name/number.

Heading out on my own road trip tomorrow - Chicago-Memphis-NOLA. Stopping for a couple of days in Memphis, then a nice, long, warm visit to NOLA. Planning my eats.

Taking I55 instead of 57 solely for food. Probably will stop at Cozy Dog for an early snack, since I have never been. Then lunch in St. Louis. Looked at Roadfood, as well as here and Crown Candy looks great, as does John's Donuts for something to tide me over as I drive in the PM. The Sterns adore a place that has never been mentioned on LTH, to my surprise - Connelly's Goody Goody Diner. It is a bit west, about 15 miles out of my way, but the chance to enjoy a real Slinger is enticing.

Anyone have any thoughts on the Goody Goody Diner?

Dick,

We just got over a foot of snow in five hours here in KC. Hope you make it through StL!

Geo

dicksond wrote:Heading out on my own road trip tomorrow - Chicago-Memphis-NOLA. Stopping for a couple of days in Memphis, then a nice, long, warm visit to NOLA. Planning my eats.

Taking I55 instead of 57 solely for food. Probably will stop at Cozy Dog for an early snack, since I have never been. Then lunch in St. Louis. Looked at Roadfood, as well as here and Crown Candy looks great, as does John's Donuts for something to tide me over as I drive in the PM. The Sterns adore a place that has never been mentioned on LTH, to my surprise - Connelly's Goody Goody Diner. It is a bit west, about 15 miles out of my way, but the chance to enjoy a real Slinger is enticing.

Anyone have any thoughts on the Goody Goody Diner?

What about the weather? Storm is supposed to hit approximately NOW, and things really shut down here in St. Louis with a little rain or snow.

I have not been to Goody Goody. If you are interested in a slinger, it might serve. Check out this guy's blog- he really is a hero in my book. Goody Goody was his 42nd slinger, after all.

Myself, I'd go with Crown Candy. and the BLT with about a pound of bacon and the banana- Missouri black walnut shake. You could stop nearby on the north side for a pork steak and some snoots to snack on--at Smoki-O's (see Rene G's post upthread.)

Me, I'd go with a different sort of place, depending on what time you plan to arrive. Salume Beddu offers a really outstanding lunch plate of assorted salumi- it's not far from Ted Drewes, and this offers you a takeaway of artisanal salumi.

I'm OK with John Donuts, but you must arrive super, super early to get freshness. If you stop at World's Fair Donut, 1904 Vandeventer (not far off I-64, near the Missouri Botanical Gardens), you will have the opportunity to get fresh donuts hot out of the fryer all day long. The fried pies are nothing to sneeze at either.

If you want to take a bit of a detour, south on I-55 in the Dutchtown-Carondelet section of the south side of STL, you might check out Iron Barley. I have not been there, but I have it on good authority that the schnitzel is 10 out of 10. The pork and pepper sandwich also amazing, so I am told.

If you are staying overnight and need a morning jolt, Sump Coffee is where all the chefs and kitchen staff hang out in the AM. Nearby, I like the slinger and the chicken and dumplings and the daily specials at Carondelet Diner, a really nice little spot with a devoted clientele.

Bon Voyage!

As it worked out, the storm did not interfere with jumping on the highway at N'ville and heading south. But I was convinced to take I57 and do a (slightly) quicker drive and Q near Carbondale.

Will report on Memphis and NOLA elsewhere.

Thanks, Josephine. Heading back in a couple of days and I still may need and use some St. Louis recs.

I'm finishing up a short trip in St Louis and I was thinking tonight about trying to get some St Louis-style pizza before I leave.

I understand, on paper, what St Louis style pizza is - but I've never had it. But after looking around online it seems like it is a style of pizza barely embraced by 50% of St Louis, let alone outsiders.

It is even worth something to seek out? Is there any really great quality St Louis style pizza out there? Or is that like asking for some really great quality potted meat?

It seems like Imo's is the biggest player in town, but reviews and photos don't seem promising to this Chicagoan, solidly spoiled with the pizza I've grown accustomed to.

Go out and buy some Ritz Crackers and spray some Easy Cheese on them. If you like that, then go try an Imo's pizza.

I'll wait for a couple more replies to get a decent sample size, but that was the response I was expecting.

If it is conclusively stated that this style of pizza is not worth seeking out, I guess the follow up question would be, is there any pizza in St Louis worth seeking out? Any style is fine if it is extraordinary.

As an example, I was in Milwaukee last year and Zaffiro's blew my mind, despite Milwaukee not necessarily being well-known as a pizza town.

I agree that IMO's sets the bar pretty low for STL pizza - only had it once. PROVEL does not belong on a pizza or a salad (the second most likely place you will see it.)

The thing about St. Louis is that the neighborhoods are far-flung, so I have organized my suggestions by neighborhood.

You might try Pi pizza in the Delmar Loop. Not extraordinary, but solid "good-to-very-good". The thin crust is crisp but not cracker-like. Their deep dish may be President Obama's favorite- I have not tried it. If you go to the Loop location and are underwhelmed, you can always decamp to Blueberry Hill for burgers and rock and roll memorabilia. Or to Dewey's nearby U-city location.

If you go to the Kirkwood location and want to try a second pizza for comparison, you can go to Dewey's Pizza, which I believe is an Ohio chain. It is always packed on weekends, so I have not tried it.

The Good Pie on Olive near Compton (Midtown area near Chafetz Arena) seems to be (I have not tried it) a Spacca Napoli Neapolitan style pizza-- thin in center, puffy on edges, may be moist under toppings, quick-wood-fired crust, premium toppings sort of place. I have not tried it, but it seems polarizing in reviews-- people complain about burned bits, just like they do when reviewing Pepe's and Sally's in New Haven. That's a good thing, I think.

More artisanal pizzas on my to-try list are at these restaurants: Pastaria by Niche (chef Gerard Craft) in Clayton and Mad Tomato, also in Clayton.

In local reviews, people mention Katie's as typical STL pizza. It does not look promising.

Also, if location and a by-the-slice option are factors in your choice, and you happen to be in the Soulard area, you might try Epic Pizza, a newcomer. Here is the Riverfront Times info on that.

My money's on Pastaria for the best around, based on the research Chef Craft did before he started the place and the expectionally high level of his work in general. Please report back!

Loop
Pi Pizzeria
6144 Delmar Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63112
314.727.6633 – phone
314.727.6655 – fax
Hours: 11am-Midnight Monday-Saturday | 11am-11pm on Sunday

Blueberry Hill
6504 Delmar Blvd
St Louis, MO 63130
(314) 727-4444

U-city near Loop
Dewey's Pizza
559 North and South Road
St. Louis, MO 63130
314.726.3434

Kirkwood
Pi Pizzeria
10935 Manchester Road
(just west of Lindbergh)
Kirkwood, MO 63122
314.966.8080 – phone
314.966.8082 – fax
Hours: 11am-10pm Monday-Thursday | 11am-11pm Friday-Saturday | 11am-9pm on Sunday

Dewey's Pizza
124 N Kirkwood Rd
Kirkwood, MO 63122
(314) 821-7474

Clayton
Pastaria
7734 Forsyth Blvd
Clayton, MO 63105
(314) 862-6603

Mad Tomato
8000 Carondelet Ave
Clayton, MO 63105
(314) 932-5733

Midtown
The Good Pie
3137 Olive St St Louis, MO 63103
(314) 289-9391

Soulard
1711 S. 9th St.
St Louis, MO 63104
(314) 436-3742

rubbbqco wrote:I opened my first bag, and found the ribs (baby back, no spares - what respectable BBQ Joint doesn't serve ANY spares?) wrapped in foil - no container. I opened the foil, and found the ribs wrapped in PLASTIC! Now, to me, this is a deal breaker. I don't think you should EVER wrap ribs in plastic

Oklahoma Joe's in KC wraps their ribs in plastic, and I don't think you'd find anybody who tells you that Oklahoma Joe's does anything wrong - I think this is much more common than people think.

Piccione Pastry is just the thing for parents reeling from the shock of separation after delivering a son or daughter to the freshman year of college. Steps from the Wash U. campus at Delmar and Skinker, this Italian pastry shop offers both sweets and caffeine for that long drive home. Celiacs can share in the solace with gluten-free cannoli.

PICCIONE PASTRY
6197 DELMAR BLVD.
ST. LOUIS, MO 63112
[email protected]
314.932.1355 PH

Roundup from a two night trip I took a couple months back. I've got some business down here and nearby in Wood River, IL so I'll be getting down once every couple months. I'm looking forward to more explorations like this with my buddy who lives down there and loves taking me around.


Good to see you again Louis

First stop of this trip was to Smoki O's which is a favorite of my friend. He's buddies with the family that runs this Popular STL Style BBQ Spot in the North Riverfront neighborhood.


"We keep it clean so you can eat it lean"


Smoked Wings and Rib Tips

Totally spaced out and didn't order a pork steak which as mentioned upthread seems to be one of the more popular pieces of meats to smoke in these parts. Sauce comes on stuff here so you need to ask for it on the side if you like it that way. My friend likes their tips and wings. Tips were ok, not up to par with some of the spots in Chicago but the wings were on point.


The Rollin' Smoker

We spied this guy rolling thru the Northside and honked for him to stop but all they had was sno cones for another 45 or so while the BBQ finished up. Still pretty awesome seeing him roll around. I got my pork steak fix at Pennie's which is a place I had heard had one of the cities best. I doubt what I ate there was as good as Smoki O's and it wasn't like that which I inhaled outside a club in Brooklyn but the huge piece of steak with tender meat and slightly sweet sauce has to be one of the best fill you up meal deals in town. The folks eating here obviously stopped in for one often.


BBQ Pork Steak from Pennies

Having never been to Crown Candy Kitchen we stepped back into time at this old world candy and ice cream counter. They've been around since 1913 and four generations later the same family continues cranking out homemade candies and malts.


The Historic Crown Candy Kitchen


Try a Johnny Rabbit Special: Fresh banana malt with whipped cream, nuts and nutmeg

They also do lunch and dinner. The biggest seller is what they call the "World's Best BLT" I think I remember seeing the Man vs. Food dudes pic here and him declaring it one of the five best sandwiches he's ever had or something like that. I mean it's a BLT done in the traditional way so no. But that said this isn't a BLT like your mama used to make...unless you're Honey Boo Boo.


"World's Best" BLT served with at least a package worth of bacon

Well the food itinerary wasn't getting any healthier from here. I have a serious/sick love for fried tacos. I've come to find that these seem to be a popular item served at bars and Mexican restaurants in places outside of and around STL. Particularly in some Illinois towns. They're also big in Kansas City but for whatever reason there arent many in St. Louis. The exception is a place called Mi Ranchito. I thought their chicken ones were better than the beef. They had a few options.


Pan Fried Tacos from Mi Ranchito


#RandomPics: Turkish Tent from Worlds Fair

The Slinger and St. Paul Sandwich have been discussed upthread and elsewhere. No need for a history lesson here. These stoner creations are what happen when you live in a town where the bars rarely ever close and arent ever empty. The St. Paul is an American-Chinese food creation found in restaurants all over the area. My buddy pulled a sharp turn into some random spot in a strip mall so I could try one. An egg foo young patty is placed between cheap bread and topped with white onions, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes and mayo. I had a few bites but all in all it wasn't awful, something that can only get better with each beer and bong hit.


St. Paul Sandwich from Wong's Inn

The Slinger is something everyone from St. Louis has a favorite version of. My friend loves Tiffany's which is probably a result of its hours (24/7) and the fact they serve booze until 2a. But its not a bar, its a diner and the old lady working the nights is a real treat. She and her grumpy attitude were bringing out some laughs from us.


Late Night Slingers in St. Louie at Tiffany's

The usual outline for a slinger is two eggs, hash browns, and a hamburger patty or some other sort of meat covered in chili and topped with cheese and onions. Just like the Horseshoe up in Springfield (IL) slingers can come in both breakfast and lunch/dinner form.


Breakfast Slinger with Sausage Gravy


Original Style Slinger with Bacon

I enjoyed my original style slinger. I just mashed it all up into one big mush and inhaled the plate. Ya it was late and I was hungry so keep that in mind. There's a blog out there dedicated to tasting all the slingers STL has to offer and I noticed Tiffany's wasn't in the Top 10. I'm going to have to try one that is next time I'm down there.


24 Hour Grease Pit (Eat Rite Diner)

We also came thru this 1940's style diner late one night after a show at the Old Rock House down the block. The burgers were frozen so it's not comparable to other old time classic like Powers in Fort Wayne. But they were a good quick fix.


Cheap Cheeseburgers to soak up the booze


#RandomPics Down by the River

Dinner one night was at the Sydney Street Cafe in Benton Park. It's my friends favorite spot down there and that was clear when everyone there knew him upon entry. It sits in a century old historic building with in informally elegant atmosphere. Just three of us on this trip and my friend did the ordering. They specialize in in continental and contemporary American cuisine.


Pasta with Chorizo and Veal Dumplings at Sydney Street Cafe

Both apps were fantastic. It looks like the fresh made pasta with sausage dish over a colorful puree is no longer on the menu but it was one of the best dishes I've ate of late. My friend the regular got us three orders of the veal dumplings with a cilantro salsa. So good. The Crab and the Egg was also a winner for all. Not pictured were some amazing rolls served pre-meal a charcuterie plate served on a Boos block and a really spot on soup to start off. The pastry chef here is highly acclaimed and the Apple Brown butter cake with a caramel apple puree, spicy walnuts, caramelized Jonathan apple and foie gras ice cream was sensational.


Crab & Egg: Jumbo lump crab, green goddess, crispy soft boiled egg, pancetta vinaigrette


Apples Brown Butter Cake


Salume Baddu

"Salume Baddu is a small, artisan company, dedicated to the craft of Italian and European cured meats, fresh sausages and regional Italian specialty food items" Only the highest quality natural and local is possible ingredients are used here. It's a must stop in my book.


Free Samples

Everytime I've gone thru here I spend at least $50 on cured meats and fresh salsiccie. Its a small space but they pack their display case with a wide range of offerings all made on site. Their mostarda is a must if you're bringing some of their salume to put out on a spread with cheese and crackers. They offer a traditional Roman Guanciale as well as a Spanish spiced one. Pancetta and Coppa always go into my basket as does Finocchiona Salame and fresh Diavolini sausage.


Display Case


Cured Meat Platter with Cheese

Lunch is served here so we feasted like some old Roman emperors on this visit. All three of the sandwiches we tried were excellent, I liked the hot Italian best with the Beast (Fresh sausage with roasted hot peppers and onions) right behind it. These guys are giving the Lou the goods.


Porchetta Sandwich


Hot Italian


The Beast Salticia Sandwich...see you again soon.

Smoki O's
1545 N Broadway
St Louis, MO 63102
(314) 621-8180

Pennie's BBQ
4265 Reavis Barracks Rd
St Louis, MO 63125
(314) 544-1661

Crown Candy Kitchen
1401 St Louis Ave
St Louis, MO 63106
(314) 621-9650

Mi Ranchito
887 Kingsland Ave
St Louis, MO 63130
(314) 863-1880

Wong's Inn
2666 S Big Bend Blvd
St Louis, MO 63143
(314) 647-1176

Tiffany's Original Diner
7402 Manchester Rd
St Louis, MO 63143
(314) 644-0929

Eat Rite Diner
622 Chouteau Ave
St Louis, MO 63102
(314) 621-9621

Sydney Street Cafe
2000 Sidney St
St Louis, MO 63104
(314) 771-5777

Salume Beddu
3467 Hampton Ave
St Louis, MO 63139
(314) 353-3100

Da Beef - Nice round up. Good to see Tiffany's is still alive and kicking. I think we gave that old waitress hell back in college.

Sidney Street has really done a tremendous job of evolving over the years and sound slike it's as great as I remember.

Salume Beddu is a treat. Highly recommend that chefs new wine bar, Olio. It's incredible.

Excellent report, DaBeef. You covered a lot of ground there.

However, if you have a car at your disposal, St. Louis is as easy a city as they come. This was mentioned in an op-ed by the author Curtis Sittenfeld in the NY Times Week in Review section last weekend. Some people around here seem to have been insulted by her views - it was a topic on my favorite local gab-cum-slugfest, Donnybrook (sort of a Chicago Tonight equivalent if you replaced Phil Ponce with a crew of opinionated LTH-ers of various political stripes) last night. I guess the complaint was that Sittenfeld was damning STL with faint praise by stating that some of what she likes about the city is the minimal traffic and easy parking. I find the unclogged highways a wonderful part of daily life here - a boon for productivity and especially chow-exploration. If such day-to-day matters are not important, then why did the bulk of Donnybrook's call-in listeners decry the removal of free Saturday downtown street parking? These folks don't know how good they've got it! Sittenfeld might have done better to enumerate some of the the main reasons to love St. Louis, such as the beautiful public parks and botanical garden, the farmers' markets and the ease of eating locally, the low cost of living, the warm weather, and the plethora of creative enterprises and free entertainment options. Maybe she will cover those things in her next article.

It's clear, though, DaBeef, that you have some great intel on STL. I can't believe you found Pennie's! Did your local friend know about it? That place has been highly, and credibly praised on Yelp as the place to go for a huge pork steak - but nothing else. That pork steak does look a bit fatty, however. I can't imagine that it stacks up to the tender one from Smoki O's pictured upthread (which I tasted). It really had little fat left, and was optimally smoked. The Yelp reviews lead one to believe that the atmosphere at Pennies leaves a great deal to be desired. Where does it rate on the Dive Scale?

Salume Beddu happens to be at the very top of the list for St. Louis eats. It embodies the motto that the the boosters use about this town: "World Class." Note that if you are planning a Christmas visit, the Mangalitsa cotechino is available for a limited time only. Also, if arrive in the evening and you miss getting to Salume Beddu's headquarters, the sausages can be purchased at Straubs in Clayton, Local Harvest Grocery in Tower Grove South and, apparently, some Schnucks, as reported by Schab in the other Salume Beddu thread.

heading to st.l next week
looking forward to some of these stops

philw wrote:heading to st.l next week
looking forward to some of these stops

I'd be interested to hear your views on Smoki O's pork steak and snoots, philw. And it might be worth making a visit to Soulard to sample Peter's Pork Rinds - many flavors.


Soulard Farmers' Market Since 1779 by Josephine2004, on Flickr

I was about to steer you to the all-you-can-eat Sunday Dinner at the Carondelet Diner. So sad that they are closed. This place was the real deal for home cooking. RIP Carondelet Diner! You could still try the (pork) schnitzel & spaetzl or the pork and peppers sandwich in Carondelet's well-loved bar, Iron Barley. Inform yourself about the prices for specials and plan your weekend visit for off-peak times.

My favorite place of all, for sheer uniqueness, is World's Fair Donut (see Rene G's post upthread). It's a must-see for the show of donuts frying in the window, and for the outstanding care with which they are made by the couple who runs the place. (Don't miss the freshly fried pies.) Also, it is near the Missouri Botanical Gardens. The burgers at O'Connell's atmospheric pub nearby are good. A nearby alternative, if you are hungry, is Mama Josephine's for southern food in a calm atmosphere. No beer there, though, strictly food.

An alternative St. Louis one-two punch is Ted Drewes for frozen custard and the nearly-next door Fortune Express (also mentioned by ReneG upthread) for a St. Paul sandwich.

If you are feeling really brave, hit one of the seemingly countless Imo's outlets for a St. Louis style pizza and report back here.

This thread is getting a little long and therefore, unwieldy. So I thought I would put together a google map for St. Louis. I hope it is a useful resource. I apologize for a few omissions, notably those located far outside the city limits, such as Taqueria El Gallo Giro in Cahokia. A few places came up as closed as well. That said, I have also taken the liberty of adding a few places that I have enjoyed but not yet posted on, such as Olio and Chouquette (patisserie) and KimCheese (Korean fast food). I have also added good pubs with food: O'Connell's, the Royale, and The Crown's Nest. Others additions, such as Pastaria by Niche in Clayton, are highly rated by the locals, but I have not yet tried them. Some of the notable markets, both brick and mortar and farmers' are noted as well. Enjoy!

Here is the link to the map:

LTH-STL Google Map


Yours in good food and good cheer,

Josephine

Thanks Josephine. I know that map will come in handy for my future visits!

The Wife and I are doing a quick trip to see Cahokia Mounds, so this thread has been very helpful. The Carl's looks like it may be a definite stop.

Hammond,

If you get anywhere near Alton IL, the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center is totally worth a visit. Of course, in Alton itself, there's always Fast Eddie's, but I'm not sure it's actually worth a visit...

Geo

Geo wrote:Hammond,

If you get anywhere near Alton IL, the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center is totally worth a visit. Of course, in Alton itself, there's always Fast Eddie's, but I'm not sure it's actually worth a visit...

Geo

Thanks, Geo. We've got basically only 1.5 days in St. Louis, so after the Cahokia Mounds, it's either City Museum or Fine Arts.

David Hammond wrote:The Wife and I are doing a quick trip to see Cahokia Mounds, so this thread has been very helpful. The Carl's looks like it may be a definite stop.

If you are going to Carl's, there is one item typically seen on a St. Louis menu that you should avoid: the pork steak sandwich. It is a pork steak in name only, nothing like the justifiably praised steaks that I've had from Smoki O's and the one DaBeef ate at Pennies.' If I ran Carl's, I would reconsider the frozen industrial disk of a pork steak they put in their sandwiches, but, who knows, they may be nostalgic to some customers. Burgers with a lacy edge are what to order at Carl's, as specified above. The City Museum cannot be improved upon, however. If you are looking to eat nearby, Schlafly Tap room has better-than-average pub food conceived with some imagination (Execution may at times falter, however.) The only thing that might improve the City Museum is if Homaro Cantu did the food - he might find the experience right up his alley.

I'll second Josephine on the Tap Room. Food's a notch above, and the beer is fresh and good too.

Geo

Just got back from Saint Louis. After reading some of the suggestions on this thread we stopped at Pappys Smokehouse, Crowns Candy Kitchen and Paul Mannos. We liked every one of these places!! At Pappys Smokehouse the ribs which were wonderful had so much meat on them four of us couldn't finish two slabs. The owner said they use the loin cut which is why the meat was so plentiful. Crowns Candy Kitchen was charming but while driving there we needed some directions and everyone we asked said "are you sure you want to go there" implying that the neighborhood was really bad. Being from Chicago I said directions please..
Thanks for the great tips on Saint Louis Eateries

zim wrote:These peppercorns, along with the City Museum (by far the wildest museum I've ever been in), and the hotel pool were the highlights of the family trip

Good news, zim! MORE from the Wild Man who built the City Museum, Bob Cassilly: Check out this post on Slate about Cementland, the planned post-industrial theme park he was working on at his death, and the related photos on this cool website, atlas obscura, which documents other cool spots in St. Louis to visit. At least one of them, Turtle Park, was also created by Cassilly, "decapitated" the head of a massive cement snake to protest planned highway construction adjacent to the site.

Apparently Cassilly's daughter carries on with a fan page for Cementland, and some organized events there. It might make an excellent outing paired with some Snoots from Smoki O's (continuing the cement theme, deliciously).

Spent a very quick (2.5 days) getaway in St. Louis and thought I'd report in via this wonderful ongoing thread. This isn't exactly laser-focused because it's excised from a write-up I did elsewhere. Apologies. The opening about the hotel may be deemed too off-target, but it does deal with the hotel's food offering, if you bear with it.

Some time ago—I have since forgotten when and exactly how—Southwest Airlines offended me in a manner and to an extent that could not be countenanced. And so my seconds called on theirs and the result was the issuance of vouchers on their part which, though monetarily negligible were sufficient, in conjunction with an apology, to satisfy the code of a gentleman and obviate the need for further hostilities. When I discovered recently that said vouchers were trembling on the brink of expiration, I was for the second time in my checkered relationship with SWA, faced with a dilemma and spurred to action: Where to go on short notice that would extract full value from the vouchers while minimizing any additional tariff? While I had hopes for Minneapolis, the answer to this (and for all I know, many other questions as well) turned out (born of Mrs. B's diligent research ) to be St. Louis.
Never been there.
What the hell.
Off we went.
What I knew about St. Louis going in extended as far as: tallish arch, goodish symphony, wide-ish river, loathsome beer giant, even more loathsome MLB franchise (In fact, I really have no feelings on that score. Just a tip of the hat to my north side Chicago friends.)
Turns out, there’s a good deal more to the place. All of it pretty charming, some of it stunning.
But first we pause for a commercial message: (Those who travel with children and less than abundant means may wish to read on. Others may choose to fast forward.) In the course of the same research which identified St. Louis as our best destination, Mrs. B. also found a hotel package which we took a chance on, propitiating the whimsical gods of travel with our standard invocation: “All we really need is running water and a place to store our stuff without bedbugs. Anything more is gravy.” (In much the same way that whenever we try a new recipe out on company we ritualistically intone, “If it’s a disaster, we can just order pizza.”)
The hotel was the Drury Inn Plaza (several other Drury Inns dot the St. Louis landscape), and it could not have better executed its pet-and-family-on-a-budget-friendly mission. (Note: If, as I did, you reflexively refer to it as the “Drury Lane,” you will bemuse the natives.)
Neat, clean, well-staffed; good TV/wi-fi/cable and plenty of outlets in the room for those who travel with multiple devices. Extras included a complimentary breakfast buffet which was miles ahead of the bins of stale cereal and toaster pastries which many corporate “inns” offer with a straight face, and at least as good as what I’ve had at higher-end places. A cheerful and indefatigable woman worked a medium sized grill churning out mounds of freshly scrambled eggs, scraping it down, then switching to fresh pancakes, and back again to eggs in a Sisyphusian loop. (So helpful was she that when I stopped by her station just to ask where S&P might be found, she offered to bring it to my table. I told her there was no need for that, I could find it. Yet 2 minutes later there she was at our table, across an acre of lobby, with 2 shakers and a smile, before loping back to her grill.) There were acceptable sweet rolls, completely unacceptable “bagels,” not-stale cereals, passable coffee (and real half-and-half), juice, potatoes, etc. Every day.
Fresh popcorn and soft drinks were produced starting at 3:00, and happy hour began at 5:30. This comprised a rotating selection comparable to any decent happy hour, but also including a ticket for up to 3 drinks per day. My cynical expectation was wretched, watery, premixed cocktails or Solo cups of Loathsome Lite from the local brewing behemoth whose signage was ominously omnipresent. But no! Honker’s Ale was an option. Any company that sends me out into the early evening of a vacation weekend with 3 complimentary Honkers under my belt (you have 2 min. to amuse yourself with double entendres, then back to work), has already earned from me a loyalty of samurai-level intensity.
In addition there was a good-sized pool and a weight room which, it must be said, was clearly an after-thought. But then, so is my weightlifting regimen, so again, form precisely followed (my) function.
Given its mission, or as they might say up in corporate, the market space they wish to occupy, its virtues included not merely the various benefits offered, but the absence of downsides one might reasonably expect to be unavoidable in such a place, e.g. a heightened ambient noise level, some threadbareness around the edges, the sense of incipient chaos or even all hell itself about to break Miltonically loose. But, again, no.
The appointments were not merely neat and clean but new and fresh. Guest babies didn’t scream but grinned, burbled, or slept angelically at maternal breasts. Along the corridors and even in the notoriously testing close quarters of elevators, one encountered charming dogs of all shapes and sizes, all of whom appeared to have attended the same Swiss finishing school.
And now, back to our program.
EATS
While it was not organized as a food tour we ate pretty well indeed, usually for a bit less than here (Chicago), and found that the misses were never bizarre or catastrophic, and that both food and restaurant space aesthetics seemed to pleasantly recall Chicago 20 years ago.
ROOSTER: For logistical reasons rather than any preference we ended up having 2 meals here. The first was a very meh lunch, the second, a somewhat better breakfast. Roosters bills itself as “a Bailey’s restaurant.” Bailey’s seems to be a Lettuce Entertain You-esque concern, comprising 5 fairly high-concept fantasy eating environments, with a genuine commitment to quality, sustainability, local sourcing, and humane animal care, a la Melman. When they err, it is in allowing visuals to undercut taste. Roosters is a sort of cheeky yuppie take on the rustic farmhouse, with dark wood and folky arty chickens painted on the walls. They do a bustling business and offer an attractive menu of crepes, scrambles, sandwiches, and salads. The place is spacious, energizingly noisy when busy and generally attractive. Service is friendly and efficient with the exception of longuers between coffee refills which simply should not happen in a breakfast-focused restaurant. It’s the kind of place you really want to like more than you can, and whose unforced errors are all the sadder for being avoidable.
The Roosters Reuben: I’m not ultra-orthodox about this. I can live without the Russian or 1000 island, and if you want to replace kraut (which I love) with something daring or just different, I say have at it. Unfortunately, it was three strikes on three pitches for this sandwich. Described as, “house-made corned beef, spicy slaw, rooster mayo, & emmenthaler on rye,” what was delivered was this: Bread that might have been wheat, or some sort of multi-grainish hippie commune loaf, it tasted nothing of rye and, most hopelessly, wasn’t pan browned and greasy, but obviously toasted under a salamander or a mere toaster. From the get-go then, irredeemable. Corned beef without any “corned” tang. Blah. Pinch-hitting for the kraut, the “spicy slaw” was merely crunchy and bland. A second chance to score some tanginess blown. Whatever “rooster mayo” may be, we’ll never know from eating it on this sandwich, unless it’s a special invisible mayo developed for the CIA to help WASP agents eat comfortably while infiltrating Jewish delis. Some went down swinging, some just looking, but the entire Reuben line-up went down in order. An edible sandwich, yes. A Reuben, no way.
The Breakfast Scramble: Here’s the thing about a “scramble.” The whole point is that the various savory ingredients get coated in rich, eggy goodness. That’s the sine qua non of the whole damn enterprise. Yet Bailey’s allowed some misbegotten plating/presentation idea to sabotage what would otherwise have been a perfectly good scramble. They started with a pile of good stuff—in my case “seasoned black beans, cheddar, red onion, salsa.” But they didn’t scramble it with eggs. They put a mound of it on the plate, and then delicately placed a slab of separately scrambled eggs on top, perversely guaranteeing flavor apartheid. Compounding the error were the refrigerator-cold twin mounds of actually excellent salsa bookending the dish. With no tortilla or chips included, there was nothing much one could do with the salsa, which sat, unemployed, imparting its deep chill to the rest of the dish. This was really a vintage Cubs sort of a loss---solid, attractive ingredients oddly deployed and unable to get it together, due largely to managerial bungling.
MANGO: This Peruvian place was the site of our first dinner during which a crackling tension was maintained between the genuine competence of the kitchen, and the genial but not-quite-ready-for-prime-time front-of-house operation.
The place looked exactly like the sort of place the characters of Thirtysomething would go to celebrate surviving a sensitivity crisis---exposed brick, “rustic” dark wood, and exposed ductwork painted in soothing earth tones snaking around the ceiling.
We were greeted, oddly, by 2 hostesses, each briskly, cheerfully professional, but together stepping on each other’s lines and toes trying to decide who would greet and seat us. Once we were seated, our waitress arrived promptly to give us a brief orientation and drop menus, immediately after which a friendly waiter arrived to repeat the orientation, whereupon he was accosted by our waitress who politely asked him---more or less---what the hell he thought he was doing at this table, while simultaneously smiling vaguely at us and delivering at him a surely lethal stink-eye. He tried to disarm her with a sort of early-Ashton-Kutcher-haplessness Judo move, which actually succeeded, at least in the short term. She gave us up to him, but left the distinct impression that outside a 10’ radius of our table, his life was worth less than a cuisine minceur cookbook in Guy Fieri’s kitchen. As she left, forbiddingly, he turned to us and said somewhat blankly, "That was weird." I kind of wanted to hug him.
However, as soon as eating and drinking began, all was well. Behind the bar, a woman who might have been Virginia Woolf’s sister-gone-working class, hair piled on her head, large, dark, tired eyes tracking a stream of orders, produced a wonderful cocktail: The Chiclayo Cooler. (Is this well known to all? I have no idea, not being a real contemporary cocktail sort of guy.) Hendricks gin, muddled cucumber, cilantro, sugar and fresh-squeezed citrus—it was sweet but not cloying, and thoroughly delicious. The cucumber/cilantro notes lifting it and giving a lightness, almost an ethereality to the sweetness and the alcohol.
A shared salad with greens, roasted pepper, mango, almonds and citrus dressing was, like the drink, perfectly balanced between sweet and tart.
Aji de Gallina—Shredded chicken in creamy aji amarillo, parmesan & walnut sauce over baby Yukon gold potatoes and garnished with Peruvian olives and boiled egg with a side of rice was disconcertingly monochromatic off-white to look at (chipped beef on toast?), but rich and delicious to eat. Saltado de Champinoñe—Button, shitake, portabella & oyster mushrooms, sweet onions & tomatoes sautéed in white wine-olive oil reduction and served with rice or pasta was just the opposite—pure and distinct flavors from each of the ingredients, restrained seasoning, and a reduction in which the wine, the oil, and seasoning each sounded clearly.
CUCINA PAZZO—Generically and irrelevantly named, there was nothing “pazzo” about the cooking, just a kitchen and a management that clearly knew exactly what they were about, and went about it very well. In Chicago it would be a solid 2 stars/good value: Not Spiaggia, certainly, and perhaps not La Scarola or Piccolo Sogno, but entirely worthwhile on its own terms. Perhaps a Vinci. On a strip of restaurants where most have sidewalk tables and traffic is slow and people meander slowly, talking and waving to friends, perusing menus, etc. this seemed to be near the top of the heap in ambition and execution. Our waiter worked hard to please without wearing out his welcome. They start you off with an oily little parmesan focaccia with a nice sweet-tart balsamic sludge for shmearing. “House-made pasta” really means something here, as the texture of the ricotta-filled tortellini was exactly what fresh pasta should be and often isn’t. Surrounded by terrific large shrimp and sitting on a pool of really good white wine-cream sauce this was one of those dishes that one sees everywhere but rarely done well enough to make you sit up and take notice. We sat up. We noticed. We asked for more focaccia to get all the sauce with.
Next was the waiter-recommended stracotto, and again, everyone is doing short ribs, but this dish pulled it all together. The ribs had a perfect crunchy-bitter char on the outside, rich beefy flavor, and sat on a disk of perfectly judged gorgonzola-polenta, neither too soupy nor too stiff, and the gorg. Just present enough to add a great note of funk without overpowering the rest. To top it off were crispy fried brussel sprouts leaves, adding a little crunch, a little more char, a bit of veg. Great dish.
Dessert was a cooked-to-order chocolate-nutella soufflé and it was fine, but when all is said and done, it was a brownie. A good, freshly baked brownie. But a brownie. After the terrific service and the great entrees, I’m not complaining.
THE DELMAR LOOP
I have no idea why they call this area a loop. It seems to go straight up and down a single street. It’s a very enjoyable studenty-touristy area of boutique shops and small storefront restaurants of just the sort one wants to encounter on a beautiful spring day: Middle Eastern, pizza (far better than the St. Louis pizza reputation alluded to above, and offering local/regional/seasonal beers, even in 4 oz. sampler pours if you like!), bakeries, gelaterias, etc. Piccione bakery gave us 2 fantastically good cannoli (classic pistachio and coconut cream, neither flavor upstaging the fresh ricotta they were mixed with) which we then smuggled into Bluepoint Coffee, where they go whole hog with the pour-over, and the footnoted lecture preceding each order, and the resulting brew served in a science lab beaker. But somehow it’s all done without undue solemnity, and made for a nice bit of sipping, nibbling, and people watching before leaving for home.

Our greatest regrets on leaving were missing out on World's Fair Donut, and Salume Beddu. We did stop in to the one little donut shop we stumbled on, and it was an odd and somewhat dispiriting experience. It was a strange little outlet of what is surely a larger chain called Pharaoh's. It was tucked away in an office building and its little, barren corner was as bare and dim and uninviting as a UPS or FedEx drop-off point might be. A counter. A girl. Some donuts. The product was neither awful nor revelatory but just OK.

From Dickens’ “American Notes” (Which, I gather, posterity has judged rather harshly, but I enjoy.)
“There are queer little barbers’ shops , and drinking houses too, in this quarter; and abundance of crazy old tenements with blinking casements, such as may be seen in Flanders. Some of these ancient habitations, with high garret gable windows perking into the roofs, have a kind of French shrug about them; and, being lop-sided with age, appear to hold their heads askew besides, as if they were grimacing in astonishment at the American Improvements.
It is hardly necessary to say that these consist of wharfs and warehouses, and new buildings in all directions; and of a great many vast plans which are still “progressing.” Already, however, some very good houses, broad streets, and marble-fronted shops have gone so far ahead as to be in a state of completion; and the town bids fair, in a few years, to improve considerably: though it is not likely ever to vie, in point of elegance or beauty, with Cincinnati.”
I think Dickens would be pleased with how things turned out, though whether Cincinnati must at last yield the palm in terms of elegance or beauty, I’m not prepared to say.

PICCIONE PASTRY
6197 DELMAR BLVD.
ST. LOUIS, MO 63112
[email protected]
314.932.1355 PH
PI PIZZERIA
6144 Delmar Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63112
314.727.6633 – phone
CUCINA PAZZO
392 N. Euclid Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63108
Phone: 314.696.8400
http://oghospitalitygroup.com/a_pazzo/html/location.htm
ROOSTER
314.241.8118
1104 LOCUST STREET ST. LOUIS MO
From Bailey's Restaurants web page: We have a unique central kitchen and our own bakery — this allows us to make nearly everything from scratch. We butcher and smoke whole hogs, bake all of our own breads and pastries, and make every sauce and dressing. We do everything we can to bring you Farm-to-Table-Fare without the price hikes that type of food usually demands.
Additionally, we serve only locally & responsibly raised, antibiotic & hormone free meats, including Missouri grass fed beef. We truly believe in better foods for the benefit of the environment, the midwest, and most importantly, you.
MANGO
1101 Lucas Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63101
314.621.9993
Hours: Mon.-Thurs.: 11-10, Fri. & Sat.:11-11 / bar open til 1:30, Sun.: 4-9

Thanks for the write-up, mrbarolo. With the exception of Pi and Piccione, these are places I have not felt moved to visit. Overall, the same advice most LTH-ers give about Chicago applies to St. Louis: To eat well, get out of downtown. The more interesting dinner spots are scattered like GNR's in Chicago. Sidney Street in Benton Park, Taste in the CWE, Olio/Elia in Botanical Heights, Franco's in Soulard, Home Wine Kitchen in Maplewood, Five Bistro on The Hill, etc. The same is true for more casual fare and places of historic interest, just as in Chicago.

For the highest concentration of "nice" restaurants, Clayton has the largest selection. Niche & Pastaria, I Fratellini & Bar les Freres, Demun Oyster Bar, Pomme and Pomme Wine Bar, The Libertine, Five Star Burgers, Half and Half, Remy's, and so on.

For those who are hankering for pork steak, I have some sad news: Pennie's has closed. I'm sad about it since I never got there, however, thanks to DaBeef, I have an LTH take on the place.

St Louis is known for the slinger, barbecued snoots, fried brain sandwiches, gooey butter cake, the St Paul and Gerber sandwiches, duck ends, toasted ravioli, pizza with Provel, not to mention all those donuts. And TUMS.



Since the 1930s, the antacid tablets have been made at this fine old factory in downtown St Louis.

TUMS (now owned by GlaxoSmithKline)
301 S 4th St
St Louis MO

Visiting Josephine in St Louis, we had a chance to check some more local sandwich oddities off the list. First, another stop at Fortune Express to make sure their St Paul is as good as I remember.



It is. There may well be better St Pauls but I have to think this carefully-prepared example is near the top. I found the more straightforward ham St Paul (foreground) to be clearly superior to the too-complicated Special with chicken, beef and shrimp. We got an order of egg foo young gravy to supplement the mayo-pickle-tomato-lettuce dressings but found it actually detracted rather than improved. Don't mess with a classic.

I had hoped to visit Ruma's Deli to try their creation from the 1970s, the Gerber—a toasted sandwich made with ham and Provel cheese on garlic bread. While enjoying a plate of t-ravs at Mama Campisi's (the possible birthplace of toasted ravioli back when it was Oldani's), we noticed the Paisano, their version of the sandwich. No need to budge from our bar stools for a Gerber.



Not a bad sandwich. The melty Provel works surprisingly well here, certainly better than on pizza. In 2008, The Riverfront Times bestowed the prestigious "Best Use of the Worst Cheese in St Louis" award upon the Gerber. I agree.

We had a sandwich for dessert—a cookie sandwich at Ted Drewes.





It's the ideal size for me, not overwhelming like some of their more elaborate creations. There's an interesting story behind the cookies, and I hope to share it soon, but until I finish I'll leave it under wraps.

Fortune Express
6738 Chippewa St
St Louis MO
314-351-9988

Mama's on the Hill (Mama Campisi's)
2132 Edwards St
St Louis MO
314-776-3100

Ted Drewes
6726 Chippewa St
St Louis MO
314-481-2652

I'd like to second Rene G's thumbs up for the ice cream sandwich at Ted Drewes, and to add that I was impressed with Ted Drewes combination of the day: lemon ice cream and graham crackers. The audible crunch and the note of salt from the freshly crumbled crackers against the creamy, tart lemon ice cream left me feeling that I had tasted an improvement on key lime pie - quite a feat, I'd say.