We have a long weekend coming up in St. Lou soon with kids, and while eating at/near the ballpark, City Museum, and (old) Union Station will kill most of the calories, I'm entertaining suggestions.

Also seeking ideas on what to do / where to stop on the long drive from St. Louis back to Chicago on a Monday (Memorial Day). We'll have already done Cahokia. Festivals / fairs / river walks / quaint dining would be the vibe.

Hi,

If you would consider visiting Twisted Ranch, which features Ranch dressing, it would greatly satisfy my curiosity.

Twisted Ranch
1731 S. 7th Street
St. Louis, MO 63104
(314) 833-3450
http://www.TwistedRanch.com
HOURS
Tues-Fri.: 11 am to 9 pm
Sat: 11 am to 3 pm and 5:30 pm to 9 pm
Sun: 11 am to 3 pm
Mon: CLOSED

When passing through St. Louis, I like to visit Lion's Choice for a roast beef sandwich. There are a number of locations. It has been suggested it was very much like Arby's long ago. They have a hot beef broth dispenser on their condiments table, which I treat like soup, though it is for dipping your sandwich.

***

Why not take the Rt 66 Mother Road to St. Louis stopping along the way at the various small museums and roadside attractions. Mostly it is remember-when, but what the heck it breaks up a drive.

Just south of Bloomington_Normal is Atlanta, IL. Near the Palms Grill Restaurant is one of the Muffler Men or Hot Dog Guy or whatever Giant name you like, which was once in the Chicago area.

RGW Candy is by reservation only, though you could drop on by and chance it.

Regards,
Cathy2

Litchfield was our usual dining stop during my frequent visits to Wash-U.

Jubelt's Bakery & Restaurant
303 Old Rte 66 N
Litchfield, IL 62056
http://www.jubelts.com/index.html

Jubelt's, or as we affectionately call it, the Giblet, is our go-to place for breakfast when we are in Litchfield.

The finest dining in town is the Ariston Cafe, a Route 66 legend that serves a good ribeye, among other things. From the website: "The Ariston Cafe opened its doors in 1924 and is one of the oldest continually operational Route 66 restaurants still going today."

The Ariston Cafe
413 Old Rte 66 N
Litchfield, IL 62056
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Sunday: 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Friday - Saturday: 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Among the faster-food options, Litchfield is also one of the few outposts of Nancy's Pizza outside of the Chicago area. The Litchfield Nancy's Pizza is right next to the Hampton Inn. It's not just a carryout counter; it's an attractive restaurant and bar. You might not think this is particularly worth mentioning, but I have a mad love for stuffed pizza, so I'm glad Nancy's is in Litchfield.

Nancy's Pizza Litchfield
13 Thunderbird Circle
Litchfield, IL
11 am - 10 pm 7 days a week

There are also Nancy's Pizzas in suburban St. Louis (O'Fallon, Mo) and Springfield. I haven't been to those so don't know if they're dine-in or carryout only.

Jubelt's, the Ariston, and Nancy's are all just a few blocks from the I-55 exit.

Carlinville, 20 minutes west of I-55 at the next exit north of Litchfield, is the home of Taylor's Chili Parlor ("Tasty Mexican Cuisine Since 1904"), on its lovely town square.

If you try Taylor's chili or butter bean soup and like it, you can get kits to make it---boxes with beans (canned for chili, dried for bean soup) separate from seasonings (canned for chili, dry for bean soup)---at the restaurant and also at the IGAs in Carlinville, Gillespie, and Litchfield. I buy at least half a dozen to take home whenever I'm in town. You can also order it online. You're less likely to find the butter bean soup in the IGAs than the chili, so if you like it and want more, your best bet is to buy the kit boxes at the restaurant. Or some day I'll re-find and post the link to the website of the person who reverse-engineered the recipe.

Taylor's Chili Parlor
510 N Side Square, Carlinville, IL
Monday - Thursday: 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, Friday: 11:00 am to 7:00 pm, Saturday: 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Hi,

Taylorville had a tornado last fall, which I am sure you can see evidence of.

Taylor's Chili Parlor is a very old time experience. You almost expect a shoot out on the town square, then burst into this dusty place for a celebratory drink. A bit of an exaggeration, but it seems like a set from Wild Wild West (from the 1960's).

Go at least once, so you can tell the grandkids you were once there.

Regards,
Cathy2

How about a blind plug? I have not yet eaten there, however it has to be wonderful...my Daughter-In-Law is part of their staff.

Union 30 at the Hotel Saint Louis.

Katie wrote:The finest dining in town is the Ariston Cafe, a Route 66 legend that serves a good ribeye, among other things. From the website: "The Ariston Cafe opened its doors in 1924 and is one of the oldest continually operational Route 66 restaurants still going today."

The Ariston Cafe
413 Old Rte 66 N
Litchfield, IL 62056
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Sunday: 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Friday - Saturday: 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

A few pictures and a bit of history on the Ariston cafe are here: http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=39721

And, while I am no longer in St. Louis, I can report on a couple of my most recent preferred spots in the area.

Near enough to WashU to merit a visit if you are on campus is Han Lao https://www.hanlaostl.com, a Laotian restaurant. I particularly enjoyed the Laotian sausage with spicy jeow bong.

A short drive away is St. Louis Soup Dumpling https://www.facebook.com/soupdumplingSTL/. They serve only soup and very good xiao long bao. This focus seems to serve the aim of quality control, such that the dumplings are very consistently good. After spending time on a dumpling quest in Shanghai, I find St. Louis Soup Dumplings offerings to be a pretty close approximation of those at Jia Jia Tang Bao. The café comes with a pedigree: it is the offshoot of Private Restaurant, a special-occasion Shainghaianese restaurant on the New Chinatown stretch of Olive Blvd helmed by Shanghaianese chef, Lawrence Chen. I have not visited, but Private Restaurant has received glowing reviews from everyone but those who object to their order-ahead policy.

In Webster Groves, (and definitely worth the drive) is the much-lauded Balkan Treat Box, http://www.balkantreatbox.com where everything on the Turkish-influenced Bosnian menu impresses. They seem to be slammed all the time, so get there early and expect a short wait to order. They seem to be able to get the food out quickly, however.

In Creve Coeur, worthy ramen is now available at Nudo House http://nudohousestl.com, though I'd give a slight edge to Clayton's Nami Ramen http://namiramen.com.

Truth be told, if I had but one lunch to eat in St. Louis, it would be a bowl of chicken and rice or chickpea & kale soup and a half sandwich or cheesy bread at Union Loafers in Botanical Heightshttps://www.unionloafers.com. I would take home crusty loaves of Light and Mild, Rye, and a baguette, as well as a chocolate chip cookie sprinkled with salt. <Nostalgic Sigh>.

That's all for now. Saludos.

The next time I see nasty storms hovering over St. Louis, I can stop wondering how you are doing.

Regards,
Cathy2

We had a great time on both sides of the river last month, and highlights included Tres Caminos (omnibus Mexican in a spacious new build) in Caseyville with dynamite micheldas near Cahokia, Eleven Eleven Mississippi in St. Louis, and perennial favorite Crown Candy Kitchen for the archetype banana split.

We did stumble our way into both Union Loafers (for Blueprint Coffee and bread for a picnic) and Kaldi's Coffee (when Bowood Farms was full up for brunch). We were really, really impressed with Kaldi's - best single espresso service (with sparkling water, bits of chocolate, and a few roasted coffee beans on the side, for about $2) I've had on this side of the pond. I'll also say brunch service at the historic Union Station dining room was stellar in quality, service, and value, all like stepping back in time.

The big miss was Busch Stadium III - the most poorly run, interminable wait, mediocre-for-price concessions I've run into in about 12 parks in the past three years, even with advance "foodie" research. Comerica Park, Target Field, Wrigley, and even The Grate have notably smoother operations and more interesting options.