Midwest - St. Louis - Guilty pleasures (food)

I'm heading to the STL on Thursday for a weekend of fun. Denver is pretty bereft of anything good (from an unhealthy food perspective :p). Every time I visit, I try to visit the following places:

White Castle (yes, they're all over the midwest, but there are none in Denver)
Lion's Choice (why in the world does anyone go to Arby's?)
Fortel's Pizza (sorry, but Imo's and their ilk are simply awful)
Ted Drewe's
House of India (not unhealthy, per se, but it's the restaurant that got me hooked on Indian food)
Some place with toasted ravioli
Blueberry Hill
Fast Eddie's Bon Air (cold beer and cheap eats, can you ask for anything more?)

Any other recommendations? (As you can see, I'm a low-roller.)

I'd say you have a great list going there. I might add a few to contemplate:

Schlafly's Tap Room: get the buffalo nachos from this place. It's St. Louis' "other" brewery.

Mr. Wizard: is a viable frozen custard alternative to Ted Drewe's but, obviously, lacks the recognition.

Pasta House: I only mention it because you asked for toasted ravioli. They do a decent job and while you're there you might as well get some of the St. Louis "style" salad and some pasta con brocolli. Both staples here and both thoroughly artery clogging.

I find burgers better elsewhere than at Blueberry Hill. Seamus McDaniels in Dogtown and O'Connell's come to mind. I prefer the former.

If you're into fried chicken you can hit Hodaks or Pat's (also in Dogtown). Pat's is by the zoo so if you're going there you can kill two birds with one stone.

Schlafly's Tap Room: get the buffalo nachos from this place. It's St. Louis' "other" brewery.

In fact, I'm going to an event there on Saturday night. Open bar to boot. :)


Pasta House: I only mention it because you asked for toasted ravioli. They do a decent job and while you're there you might as well get some of the St. Louis "style" salad and some pasta con brocolli. Both staples here and both thoroughly artery clogging.

Totally forgot about the pasta con broccoli!


I find burgers better elsewhere than at Blueberry Hill. Seamus McDaniels in Dogtown and O'Connell's come to mind. I prefer the former.

Blueberry Hill is more of a hang out with friends and drink beers all night venue. I'll also probably order my toasted ravioli there (out of the sake of convenience).


If you're into fried chicken you can hit Hodaks or Pat's (also in Dogtown). Pat's is by the zoo so if you're going there you can kill two birds with one stone.
I wouldn't mind hitting a BBQ joint like Bandana's or Smokin' Al's, but I don't think I'll have time.

Oh! How could I forget The Courtesy Diner?!

In fact, I'm going to an event there on Saturday night. Open bar to boot. :)Try the breadpudding if you have a chance.

I wouldn't mind hitting a BBQ joint like Bandana's or Smokin' Al's, but I don't think I'll have time.If you have time for BBQ, try Pappy's (http://www.pappyssmokehouse.com/). It doesn't face Olive; use the side/back entrance.


Oh - and if time is a concern, Uncle Bill's is open 24/7.

For BBQ, my hands down recommendation is: Roper's Ribs (http://www.ropersribs.com/). Hit them last summer while driving thru town on a road trip and they are superb. It isn't in the greatest of neighborhoods, and there isn't really room to eat there (it's more of a takeout place), but it's definitely great BBQ.

For BBQ, my hands down recommendation is: Roper's Ribs (http://www.ropersribs.com/). Hit them last summer while driving thru town on a road trip and they are superb. It isn't in the greatest of neighborhoods, and there isn't really room to eat there (it's more of a takeout place), but it's definitely great BBQ.

It's axiomatic that BBQ joints are found in the less polished part of any city. :)

Never heard of Roper's Ribs but I'll put it on my hit list.

Smokin' Al's has smoked itself out of business. Victim to the Highway 40 construction and new ownership. I think it might have survived but the new ownership definately took the quality down a notch and BBQ fans notice that stuff, quick. It took me one visit under the new ownership to take note and a second visit to scratch it off my list. Shame as the pulled pork was great.

White Castle - check
Lion's Choice - check
Fortel's Pizza - check
Ted Drewe's - didn't make it
House of India - check
Some place with toasted ravioli - check (at Fortel's)
Blueberry Hill - check
Fast Eddie's Bon Air - didn't make it



I wouldn't mind hitting a BBQ joint like Bandana's or Smokin' Al's, but I don't think I'll have time.

Didn't make it to any BBQ places.


Oh! How could I forget The Courtesy Diner?!
The slinger: how can something so wrong be so right? :p

Try the breadpudding if you have a chance.

Wow, that was amazing. A perfect way to end an evening of copious (free) beer drinking.

I'm not sure how anyone agreed to simply rip up Highway 40 and force everyone to detour on all sorts of side roads. Props to all of you for managing.

As always, a great time in the STL. I need to visit much more often.

The slinger: how can something so wrong be so right? :p

I'm just glad you didn't pick up any ailments while you were there. Which Courtesy Diner did you go to? Hampton or South Kingshighway? I avoid them both.

I'm not sure how anyone agreed to simply rip up Highway 40 and force everyone to detour on all sorts of side roads. Props to all of you for managing.

Actually, the whole thing has been relatively painless. I live very close to 40 and used it on a daily basis. I'm glad that they decided to minimize the pain by adopting the plan to shut down the entire highway rather than partial lane closures. If they had decided to do it that way we were looking at 6-8 years of constant construction vs. the 2 years we have now. Only 7 more months to go....

I had lunch at LC (Lion's Choice) yesterday in Creve Coeur and the beef was like butter... ^

I'm just glad you didn't pick up any ailments while you were there. Which Courtesy Diner did you go to? Hampton or South Kingshighway? I avoid them both.


The one on Hampton. I also saw they offer "The Hoosier", which is a slinger with sausage gravy instead of chili. I must try that next time.

Of course, for me, the original place to get the slinger was Morgan's Diner in Maplewood (just around the corner from Saratoga Lanes).

House of India (not unhealthy, per se, but it's the restaurant that got me hooked on Indian food)


^True that! I love this place and go about twice each month with friends that previously didn't want to try Indian and now love it. Too bad it's not in AAdvantage dining:td:

My others:
Companion Bakehouse (Clayton, Ladue, CWE): Wonderful baked eggs, homemade oatmeal, wonderful contemporary Paris like setting, although kinda pricey
Sub Zero Burger Bar: Good eat in the CWE, place to 'be seen' on Fridays and Saturdays, gone with my GF
Indias Rasoi: not as good as House but better atmosphere IMHO
Wapango (Chesterfield): Great Latin cuisine, prices are reasonable, great place to go with friends and GF

Love India Rossoi (SP?) is definately a winner for Indian food in the city

And one can't miss torrtellini bianco at Cunetto's.
Of course Charlie Gitto's is famous for their toasted ravioli.

As for BBQ, head 250 miles west to Kansas City for the real deal.

And one can't miss ....... Cunetto's.

Honestly? Cunettos? I'm consistenly bewildered at why anyone would spend the time to stop there to eat. Entirely pedestrian italian food. Please find other alternatives, there are much, much, much better opportunities for pasta in STL.

I would like to hear some of your recommendations, I am always interested in learning of a new place for pasta in St. Louis (new place meaning something other than the usual suspects like Kemoll's, Gian Tony's, Tony's, Zia's, Rigazzi's, Charlie Gitto's, Dominic's, Giovanni's, Tratorria Marcela, Bartallenio's, et al). Please enlighten us.

Honestly? Cunettos? I'm consistenly bewildered at why anyone would spend the time to stop there to eat. Entirely pedestrian italian food. Please find other alternatives, there are much, much, much better opportunities for pasta in STL.

First off go to Sauce Magazine and check out what they have to say:

www.saucemagazine.com

My list of other places to try good pasta would include:

Ricardos - Lafayette Square
Stellina Pasta Cafe - Southwest
Mia Rosa - Forest Park Southeast / The Grove
Bar Italia - Central West End
Luciano's - Clayton
Vito's - SLU
Gino's - Hampton Village - never mind, now closed
Joanie's - Soulard
Mangia Italiano - South Grand

As for your list of places I would consider those part of the standard list of STL italian. Some are exemplary and I'd enjoy eating at them anytime (ie; Giovanni's.) But clearly Cunettos does not belong on a list that includes: Giovanni's, Gitto's, Kemoll's Trattoria Marcella and Tony's. My mom thinks there is one central kitchen on the hill pumping out the food at most of the places there as they seem totally the same one to the next.

Ricardo's has some excellent food. Plus the neighborhood is awesome. /self serving plug


I'd also recommend, if you go to Ricardo's, head to Bailey's Chocolate Bar for dessert, and then 33 wine bar next door for drinks. You can practically barcrawl through the Square these days.

Lest I forget, for amazing sandwiches, try Blues City Deli. They're huge and not very expensive. Only open during lunch though, except Thursdays. Closed Sunday.

......Plus the neighborhood is awesome. /self serving plug....

I'd also recommend...Bailey's Chocolate Bar for dessert, and then 33 wine bar next door for drinks...

..for amazing sandwiches, try Blues City Deli...

Michelle Adams and her chef/husband have done a great job with Ricardos. It's really a family affair. Last time I spoke with her she was becoming a certified sommelier and had added a very nice wine cellar. The wine list is quite amazing for a restaurant of its millieu.

Bailey's, I see, is still an extremely popular joint. Amazing.

There was an article recently about how 33 wine bar had changed hands but the new owner was a big oenophile.

What else is going on in Lafayette Square these days? How is Arcelia's doing? I was never a huge fan of their brand of mexican food but it was passable. (I'm much more into the stuff served on Cherokee.)

How about 1111 Mississippi? Still good? Hangin in there? My opinion is that when I first went there there were alot of service issues and the food was fine.

Squires? Anything new to report there? Lunch specials? Dinner specials?

How about Vin de Set? I have to admit that I am not a fan at all of that place. Not sure why, bad vibe for me. Though with spring and summer here all the women will be whining about wanting to go drink on the deck.....

Any other new places to report in Lafayette Square? My only beef with the pub crawl is that there really aren't any "bars" left there. Only restaurants with bars.

There was an article recently about how 33 wine bar had changed hands but the new owner was a big oenophile. The new guy, Jared, is pretty good. He's going to be expanding the store to also have some retail wine & beer sales - not just off the list. The realtor next door moved out so he's taking over. Also extended the back porch quite a bit

What else is going on in Lafayette Square these days? How is Arcelia's doing? I was never a huge fan of their brand of mexican food but it was passable. (I'm much more into the stuff served on Cherokee.) With you on that. I've been there a couple times, but think it's overpriced and not really worth it.

How about 1111 Mississippi? Still good? Hangin in there? My opinion is that when I first went there there were alot of service issues and the food was fine. Service has been great the 4-5 times I've been there. I really like the place, and it's one of my top recommendations for St. Louis

Squires? Anything new to report there? Lunch specials? Dinner specials? Meh. I live right above it but basically never eat there.

How about Vin de Set? I have to admit that I am not a fan at all of that place. Not sure why, bad vibe for me. Though with spring and summer here all the women will be whining about wanting to go drink on the deck..... The deck is like spanish fly. Women love it.

Any other new places to report in Lafayette Square? My only beef with the pub crawl is that there really aren't any "bars" left there. Only restaurants with bars. Well, there's always Square One Brewery & Distillery - which is pretty darn decent. The St. Louis Gast Haus on Chouteau has excellent german food and a good beer selection. Vino Vitae is a very small wine shop but the owner knows quite a bit about wine. There's a new place on Lafayette called Rue Lafayette opening soon - some kind of cafe, etc. Soda Fountain Square is OK, but Fountain on Locust is the same place but far better. There are several empty locations around the Square that might work for restaurants, but no one has moved in yet. I'm rather surprised we don't have any ethnic food whatsoever, or even more surprised that there is no take out place for sandwiches, soup, etc.

First off go to Sauce Magazine and check out what they have to say:

www.saucemagazine.com


Totally off-topic but...

I used to work for a (now-defunct) national ISP based in St. Louis, and we were their DSL and web hosting provider starting in 2000. I spoke with the owners quite a few times getting them setup. Nice to see they're doing well.

Totally off-topic but...

I used to work for a (now-defunct) national ISP based in St. Louis, and we were their DSL and web hosting provider starting in 2000. I spoke with the owners quite a few times getting them setup. Nice to see they're doing well.

No doubt that judging from the thickness of the publication and activity on the website one would presume that Sauce is doing extremely well. If you are from out of town and looking to find dining suggestions or even general going out recommendations then Sauce is the place to look.

We went to Onesto on Friday night and enjoyed it.

Onesto is located at Macklind and Finkman, fairly far south in the City between Hampton and Kingshighway close to Gravois. If you're visiting St. Louis and staying downtown or in Clayton you will need a car or cab to get there. We had no problem finding on street parking right nearby.

The restaurant is housed in a very typical St. Louis brick building, 1-story corner retail with large windows facing the street and a nice patio area out front. It occupies 2 storefronts with the left side being the "pizzaria" and the right side having sit down seating. The entrance is into the pizzaria which is awesome as the ovens are right in front of you and the smell coming from them is great. We were greeted promptly and although we got there late (9pm) there was still a short wait for a table. Good to see a restaurant nice and busy.

There are a few high tops by the entrance where you can have a drink while you wait and watch the pizza guy work. Within 5 minutes we were led into the dining room. I would estimate there are 15 tops so it is not a huge place which makes it cozy. The dining room atmosphere is Home Depot trattoria chic with drop down pendant lights and banquet seating along the walls. Brown paper covers the table. Our server was quick to stop by and drop off menus and ask for drink orders. We got a bottle of chardonnay off the reasonably priced wine list. Wine is served in decent quality 16 oz wine glasses. Small globs of baked pizza dough are served as a table amenity.

The server was dressed casually but acted quite professionally also reciting the rather long list of evening specials from memory. The menu is available on the website and is actually fairly plain. Salads, sandwiches, pastas and pizzas. Don't judge the food too much just from the menu as the list of specials was considerable and comprehensive. Everything from fish to beef was available. I think they might do themselves a disservice by not making potential customers aware of the true range of dishes available. I was certainly surprised.

Notwithstanding the above we only ordered a small salad to share and a large pizza Margharita. Salads and pastas are available in small/regular size and large/family size. We got the small salad and it was excellent. It was the very typical take on St. Louis salad with greens, tomatos, onion, shredded cheese, etc., etc. The salad was very nicely sized and just perfect for 2 to share. I cannot imagine how big the family size might be...

Of course after reading the menu online and knowing the reputation of the family (Racanelli) here in St. Louis we were eager to try the pizza. I'm a big fan of pizza Margharita because I'm not a fan of over-sauced pizza and I like the fresh taste of the basil and tomatos. We got something approximating a pizza Margharita but not what I would call an accurate rendition. Not to say I was disappointed. The crust was outstanding. Vito has mastered it. I'm a fan of NY style crust/pizza and this crust was close but a bit pouffy along the edge. The pizza was slightly undercooked as some of the cheese on top was not totally melted. The cheese on top was a mix of buffalo and shredded mozzarella. There were tomatos but you had trouble telling as they were drowning a bit in the sauce on top. In the future I'd have to ask them to go easy on the sauce. The sauce seemed standard vintage sweet St. Louis red with a hint of spicy. Not quite the thinned out NY style I was expecting. All in all the pizza was very good, bordering on great. Great crust, ok sauce and cheese.

The room had a very nice vibe to it and we felt comfortable lingering at the table. The server was consistently attentive with water, etc. The price is pretty good. We walked out for $60 which included the bottle of wine, small salad and large pizza. We had half the pizza left over and it was great a day later reheated in the over on a stone.

www.onestopizza.com
5401 Finkman St
St Louis, MO 63109
(314) 802-8883

I've done Onesto a number of times. A great pizza all the way around, and stellar service too.

After the hubbub over PI, I just don't get it - I'd rather have Onesto for far less money.

St. Louis is not a pizza town, no doubt. We have our foor specialties here; frozen custard, toasted rav, brain sandwiches, etc., with which we can wax any other city's butt. But pizza definately isn't one of them.

That said, the Racanelli family is almost single handedly upping the pizza bar here. Let's see if the entrenched pizza interests in town respond in any appreciable way. I doubt it. Imos, Dewey's, Pointer's, Elicia's, Cecil Whittaker's, Fortel's, et al seem stuck on the sticky sweet red sauce dumped on top of either cracker crust or some variation of thick bready undercooked crust. At this point Sam's Club has about the best slice pizza around after Racanelli's.

I'm not a fan of NY-style pizza a la Racanelli's. Fortel's FTW. :)

I'm not a fan of NY-style pizza a la Racanelli's. Fortel's FTW. :)

LOL, well, debating the best pizza in St. Louis is like debating which has better surf conditions: the Mississippi or the Missouri river...

First off go to Sauce Magazine and check out what they have to say:

www.saucemagazine.com

thanks for the URL^, I pulled a few potential restaurants from this site for when I'm in town in a few weeks. By the way if anyone in the STL are wishes to join some FT'ers for dinner, here is the thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/communitybuzz/951406-st-louis-stl-dinner-tuesday-may-26-a.html

--

We went to Onesto on Friday night and enjoyed it.
......
www.onestopizza.com
5401 Finkman St
St Louis, MO 63109
(314) 802-8883

I convinced my family to try Onesto for Mother's Day dinner. Whereas a week ago was much more of a "date night" this would turn out to be a good test for a larger group that included kids, mothers, persnickety sister-in-laws, etc.

We showed up at 4pm Sunday afternoon without reservations. They had just reopened after a few hours off to recover from their Mother's Day brunch. We're not brunch people so did not try to partake in the $35/person affair. We were really the first group there after reopen and even then the host looked like without a reservation we were testing their limits. Given that, I'd say that reservations are needed at Onesto. Most people walking in did not have reservations and one large group was turned away.

We ordered two pizzas and a family style bowl of spaghetti. The restaurant was fairly quiet at first but quickly filled up around us accompanied by the pleasant din of happy restaurant goers. The server was once again excellent with quick refills on drinks and water. The only thing I would fault her for is failing to bring more of the complimentary garlic bread knots when my brother's family arrived. However, the food arrived quickly and nobody noticed.

This time the pizza, a large plain cheese, was absolutely excellent. My sister-in-law ordered the neopolitan pizza which I didn't try. Bleh, cheeseless pizza. Why bother?

We also tried the family style pasta bowl. When we asked the server she said it would serve up to five people. When it arrived I was somewhat let-down. It was a bowl but not huge by any stretch. The spaghetti and meatballs were absolutely drowning in sauce. For serving utensils we were given a spoon the size of my arm and a pair of small tongs. With the soupy sauce neither the spoon nor the tongs were of use. The spaghetti itself was fine but as I said, way, way too much sauce. The redeeming factor was the meatballs. Quite good and there were 6 huge ones in there. I'm not entirely convinced that they were made in Onesto's kitchen but they were quite tasty. I have a bit of a mixed opinion on the family pasta bowls. My immediate reaction is that they are totally overpriced. $29.95 for a bowl of pasta? There's clearly some value there due to the large meatballs but I feel it's overpriced by at least $10. Either that or significantly increase the size of the bowl and reduce the sauce.

Overall the dinner was a huge hit with the family and mom. She really enjoyed the pizza and everyone seemed happy. 6 of us walked away for $90.

The obvious destination after Onesto is a trip to Ted Drewes for some frozen custard. We tried but, oh man, I think they were giving it away for free or something: huge lines.... Needless to say, we passed by and went to Mr. Wizard.

If you don't mind driving out to Chesterfield, Annie Gunn's is one of my favorite steakhouses anywhere, with terrific food, great service, and genuinely friendly locals. Absolutely worth it.

As a former St. Louisian who now has 10 years under my belt on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, I was just back home in STL and found the pizza at Il Vicino in Clayton to be quite good.http://www.ilvicino.com/ilvicino/clayton.asp

Oh and I forgot my favorite St. Louis guilty pleasure. Gooey butter cake. It's a coffee cake/pastry kind of thing with a ton of sugar and it tastes amazing for breakfast. We've gotten ours in Belleville, IL where I grew up at a place called Mallo's, but I'm sure there are some great local St. Louis bakeries that have a good recipe.

If you don't mind driving out to Chesterfield, Annie Gunn's is one of my favorite steakhouses anywhere, with terrific food, great service, and genuinely friendly locals. Absolutely worth it.

+1 for sure, been there many times, always happy. Very much focused on fresh, seasonal ingredients. Pay close attention to the specials, usually these outshine most menu items.

Oh and I forgot my favorite St. Louis guilty pleasure. Gooey butter cake. It's a coffee cake/pastry kind of thing with a ton of sugar and it tastes amazing for breakfast. We've gotten ours in Belleville, IL where I grew up at a place called Mallo's, but I'm sure there are some great local St. Louis bakeries that have a good recipe.

+10.
I grew up a bit north of Belleville. Didn't ever go to Mallo's but had lots of gooey butter cake in my younger days. Kind of miss that, now that I'm out in California. Can't say that I miss much else of STL cuisine. Frozen custard, sure....

Just tried their Hot Salami Sub. Hot as in the salami is served warm, not the sandwich. Delicioso! Definitely one of a kind and a delicious memory to savor.