STLLifer's Profile
Back to St Louis for shopping trip.
mutti, I don't remember if this was mentioned from your last trip but when you mentioned chinese cooking it reminded of Global Foods in Kirkwood. This is a large ethnic grocery that carries a huge selection of bottled and canned goods. There are about 3 aisles of Asian food sorted by regions as well as aisles for just about every region or country in the world. Also some really unusal fruits, veggies and root veggies in the produce section. It is located pretty close to your current travel routes. 1-2 miles North on Lindbergh from Hwy 44. Open from like 8am to 9pm (double check the hours) everyday. I doubt you have anything like it in Arkansas. I would put a link but never figured out how. Just google it and you can check on the details.
Back to St Louis for shopping trip.
Second on Home Wine Kitchen although I've only been there for their no menu Mondays a couple of times. Good call on Vom Fass, some nice flavored oils and vinegars. There is a cheesemaker from Illinois that makes some good herbed goat cheeses at Soulard but not sure if she is there in the winter.BTW toni, what kind of food goes with ghost hunting. I'm pretty good at theme menus for holidays and events but for the life or in this case death of me I can't think of what goes with ghost hunting. I guess some halloween stuff but that seems too cliche for serious ghost hunting.
Back to St Louis for shopping trip.
Mutti, DeGregarios is an italian grocery that has a meat counter that carries Volpi, Oldani, Boars Head and a few other brands plus cheeses, canned goods, a huge selection of olive oil, etc. I go directly to Volpi if I want a whole sausage since pricing is a tad bit better but usually I get 1/2lb each sliced of a variety of meats so DeGregarios works out better. I'm not big on mortadella(forced to eat cheap bologna sandwiches as a child ruined it for me) so I'm not sure which brands they carry. I don't if they cryovac since I'm local. BTW if you like garlic, the regular Oldani sausage has a nice background garlic flavor. DeGregarios also makes a variety of uncured italian sausages in frozen packs as well as some pastas like cannelloni. The counter people are really nice and will be glad to let you try something if you express an interest or ask. I would suggest making DeGregarios your first stop to see if they fit your needs and then you can head down the block to Volpi or where ever else if you want whole sausages etc. BTW pretty good pricing and selection of San Marazano canned tomatoes but check the label to make sure you get the ones from Italy. G&W on the other hand is the best stop for a selection of bratwurst and a free Busch beer if you chug it really fast. Lastly, Soulard market this time of year is going to be pretty much the same produce as the supermarkets since most of it is trucked down from produce row. Oops that reminds me we do have a Penzeys Spice store in Maplewood now that might be worth a stop if you are into that. Plus there is a number of good restaurants right near Penzeys.
Back to St Louis for shopping trip.
ddfry3, I know a number of you on here will disagree but I wasn't that impressed with Salume Beddu. I went twice and didn't think there was a noticable difference between Bedu, Volpi and Oldani except maybe the price where Beddu was higher. Although stuck in West County, I hit the Hill about every other week for my fix of Missouri Bakery and then De Gregarios for sausage. I was really excited to try Beddu but after two tries last summer including six of their products I was underwhelmed plus their service was pretty poor as well. BTW DeGragarios was carrying an Oldani fennel salami that reminded me of salscicia that Oldani made special order for a restaurant but they got ahold of. Good stuff.
Back to St Louis for shopping trip.
Mutti, I went back and checked a thread from last year. I assume you are coming from Harrison AR again. Your best bet would be a hotel at Hwy 44 and 141. Costco is straight up 141 about 3 miles at Manchester Rd. Trader Joes is east on Manchester about 1 1/2 miles from Costco at the wedge when Manchester splits. Volpi's is straight in Hwy 44 about 10 miles and G & W is near the Hill as well. The munincipality for the Hotel is Fenton and I think it is a Hampton Inn but there are a few other within a mile or two of that intersection.
Food Trucks that went Brick and Mortar
I used to follow this board pretty close but have lost track of two places. I'm going to be in town Thanksgiving week but with older relatives and the food trucks might not fly. I thought Franklins was going brick and mortar. Did it?, Is it still called Franklins?. The other place I think was called Odd Duck. Did it go brick and mortar? Is it still called Odd Duck. Are there any newer food trucks that are somewhat unique and must trys? I might be able to slip away from the old folks if it is worth it. Thanks in advance for your feedback.
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Odd Duck
1219 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
Food night
Friends and Family Fantastic Food Fiesta Free for All for filling food and fun fraternization(you can eliminate as many of the F's as space or common sense requires)
Skillet / fry pan material for browning: black steel, enameled steel, stainless steel, cast iron, copper and stainless?
I'm down to only two types of pans that I cook with, cast iron and De Buyer mineral steel. Both become nonstick after seasoning although the De Buyer is much more consistent as far as nonstick. The De Buyer is also about 1/3 the weight of the cast iron. I still like the cast iron for high heat browning.
Visitors review on St. Louis
Collardman, Sorry your trip didn't allow for a little more St Louis variety. The "Hill" area where Favazzas was has quite a few places like that which are usually maligned on this board which is a shame because lots of good comfort food gets ignored. Even though most of those places are more old school and their sauces would be called gravy in the italian neighborhood joints back east they are still good for what they are. I liken it to a grilled cheese with Wonder bread and Kraft singles, wouldn't want to eat it everday but it tastes good on occasion. Anyway if you come back in the future drop a post and we will give you some interesting and creative places to go.
In regards to the sausage of which I'm a big fan of encased meats, here is a post I made a couple of years ago on a local message board
I have been going to G&W for years for their brats but in the last year or so I've also had their andouille and salsiccia which are pretty good. Their salsiccia is heavy on the fennel.
G&W Bavarian Style Sausage Company
4828 Parker Avenue
St.Louis MO 63116
I recently found Manzo Importing Co. which has a few different varieties of salsiccia(I thought their extra special with marsala wine was the best) and a greek loukanika sausage that has not been in stock when I was their.http://www.manzoskitchen.com/Products/Products.html
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Favazza's
5201 Southwest Ave, Saint Louis, MO 63139
Mammer Jammer!
While that is a very colorful review, Lemons review about a year and a half ago might be a bit more General Audience. I hadn't been there for years since an older location but after I saw Lemons review had to go back. Although the place is cleaner the sandwich hasn't changed. One of my top five sandwiches in St Louis.
St Louis for a week
If you do get Easter candy at Crown Candy you should pick up an Easter monkey. It is a cute tradition they made up years ago. There should be sheets available with the story. My 20 yr old son still expects his Easter monkey every year. Oh, if you like heavenly hash(chocolate, marshmallow and pecans) they are really good too.
Looking for a good sausage [KC]
You could go on an encased meat power tour of St. Louis. Suggestions include:
Salume Bedu- Haven't been there yet but getting good reviews and comparisons to Batali's fathers stuff. The owner trained under Batali. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Volpi- Good quality less artisan than Bedu but consistently good coppas, salami etc.
Piekutowski's European Style Sausage- Never been but have heard good things.
From a post I made about a year ago
I have been going to G&W for years for their brats but in the last year or so I've also had their andouille and salsiccia which are pretty good. Their salsiccia is heavy on the fennel.
G&W Bavarian Style Sausage Company
4828 Parker Avenue
St.Louis MO 63116
I recently found Manzo Importing Co. which has a few different varieties of salsiccia(I thought their extra special with marsala wine was the best) and a greek loukanika sausage that has not been in stock when I was their.http://www.manzoskitchen.com/Products/Products.html
And based on lemons review and photos she did elsewhere it would be worthwhile to stop in Swiss Meat.
Threadgill's Only Better
After reviewing a number of threads it seems a general consensus is that Threadgill's is just ho hum and a little overpriced. Is there a restaurant with a similiar menu but that does it better? I'm coming in from St. Louis with a few people that want to go there but would much prefer food that is better than averaage. Thanks
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Threadgill's Restaurant
6416 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78752
classic Missouri comfort dish
I have to agree with hillfood, that Missouri is too divided. The pork tenderloin sandwich is really an Indiana thing or at least most closely associated with them. If you look at it by the largest Cities it would be:
KC- BBQ there may be others but I haven't spent much time in KC
Springfield- Cashew Chicken but it has to be their unique Cashew Chicken
St. Louis- Gooey Butter Cake, Toasted Raviolis, St. Louis Cracker Crust Pizza with provel and according to one of the food shows I saw awhile back pig snoots. I had to include this one because I have lived here all of my life and never met anyone who has eaten a snoot.
Columbia- Greasy burgers(Booches) and burnt crust pizza (Shakespeares) I'm not complaining about Booches because sometimes a greasy burger is a good thing but I'm not sold on Shakespeares.
I'm not saying that any of these are comfort foods per se but they are the foods I think about when talking about food in Missouri.
Best Pizza in St. Louis – WITHIN Parameters
Ammy, as hill food, a regular contributor, has indicated this is basically spam. You have never made any posts on Chow Hound and then you join and immediately hit three threads with the same post. One of the threads wasn't even about Best Pizza it was about Pizzaria Tivoli. Another thread was about St Louis Specialties. I know people have a love hate relationship with Provel cheese but I don't think you can call a thin crust pizza without provel cheese a St Louis specialty. In fact the RFT article that you cut and pasted called this a Neopolitan pizza. So there are two threads that your spam didn't belong in. I won't be visiting Laganini any time soon just on principle.
BTW you should at least mention that they do not serve pork products so that means no sausage, pepperoni, bacon or canadian bacon.
New members to the board are always appreciated when they have a sincere interest in sharing their opinions.
Need Help for dining this weekend in St. Louis!
I'll try and hit at least some of your questions and then fill in later. Going in reverse order. For live music info your best source is the Riverfront Times, a weekly newspaper. RFT.com. Best venue IMO is the Pagaent in U City but not sure who is playing there. RFT will have the info.
St Louis foods- Toasted ravioli(Almost anywhere), Gooey butter cake(Most bakeries), Frozen custard(Ted Drewes and many other frozen custard stands) St. Louis style pizza(Imo's and many other places). Americanized Italian with heavy sauces (Most of the italian restaurants). I'm missing a few but I'm sure others will chime in.
Now if you were visiting and I was in charge, here is a list of the places to give you both a taste of St. Louis and show that we aren't just a fly over city when it comes to food.
Lunch-Crown Candy Kitchen, real old style soda fountain type of store. Blt or some other sandwich but mainly there for a Chocolate or Chocolate banana malt or other flavor of your preference.
Pappy's BBQ, Some of the best BBQ in St. Louis and I put it under lunch since they only smoke a set amount per day so when it runs out it's gone. An early dinner would probably be safe too.
Dinner-Farmhuas, locally sourced creative american food but you mentioned it so you may have read some things already.
Niche, locally sourced creative american food and again you mentioned it but if you want to change things up a bit Brasserie by Niche is less expensive bistro style food. If you go that direction Bissingers Chocolates in the Central West End would be a stop afterwards.
Monarch is unfortunetly closed for remodeling otherwise that would have been my third choice.
Iron Barley, kind of comfort food with a twist but very good.
A diffferent direction on the Pizza would be Pi which is not St. Louis style at all but our current president was impressed enough to fly them to the Whitehouse to make their pizzas.
To wrap up on your post:
Hodaks, ok fried chicken and an institution but nothing special.
Shaved Duck, haven't been there since they changed things.
American Place, haven't been there since the chef left.
We have some really good ethnic restaurants but since you are from SF I pretty much avoided them since admittedly you guys do most of those better. BTW based on where you are staying there isn't much in the immediate area but most everything can be reached in 1/2 hour or less in non rush hour traffic.
Other sources for food info
saucemagazine.com
rft.com
stltoday.com
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Iron Barley
5510 Virginia Ave, Saint Louis, MO 63111
Candy Kitchen
310 Cedar St, Wilton, IA 52778
Hodak's Restaurant
2100 Gravois Ave, Saint Louis, MO 63104
U City
, Saint Louis, MO 63101
Shaved Duck
2900 Virginia Ave, Saint Louis, MO 63118
Brasserie by Niche
4580 Laclede Ave, St. Louis, MO 63108
St. Louis Adventures
So here is the info on this place.
CHAOZHOU CUISINE
8233 Olive Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63132
Tel: 314-567-0199
And now my comments. I saw the 'RFT article when it came out and went about a month later. Keep in mind this was 3 years ago so things may have changed. I did not have anyone with me who speaks chinese and it was a fairly frustrating and uncomfortable experience. It was also uncomfortable enough that we got the food to go and ate in a park nearby. I am very adventurious with both food and people but it seemed pretty obvious to us that we were being tolerated at best. I really think that they would prefer to deal with people within their own community. After struggling with ordering a few items, I remember we got roasted duck prepared a couple of ways and a few other things, we really felt like it was better to be on our way. The food was excellent and seemed authentic when compared to some of the places I've been in Vancouver. Having never been to China I can't compare it to truely original cusine.
I really wish that the many chinese people that have come to St. Louis would try offering authentic food rather than the americanized crap that shows up at every corner. In Vancouver you can get a huge variety of supposedly authentic cuisine and still feel comfortable interacting with the owners.
St. Louis Adventures
Ok, you all got me started on adventuresome food/locations in St. Louis and I'll stick to just sandwiches. As mentioned the St Paul Sandwich although I think it is mostly North City/County cheap Chinese takeouts that make it. Also mentoned was the Slinger ( I know it's not a sandwich but it reminds me of an open face chili burger) although the Eat Rite Diner on Broadway is my location of choice. Then there is the little known Mammer Jammer at the restaurant of the same name. A finely chopped beef sandwich more like a Sloppy Joe that goes any where from mildly spicey to death by peppers. Located at Kingshighway and Natural Bridge. And finally there is the Mexican torta. Certianly not unique to St Louis but La Vallesana on Cherokee makes it an adventure (Spanish is the native and almost exclusive language of this diner). Since all of these are sandwiches and more appropriate for lunch and these are all located in somewhat dicey neighborhoods lunch time is probably the best time to go but it you want to make it a real adventure then go later in the evening. It is a good time to test your urban survival skills. Anyone of these would fit with Guy's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives but I'm pretty sure his 67 Camaro would be gone by the time he came out.
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La Vallesana
2801 Cherokee St, Saint Louis, MO 63118
Eat Rite Diner
622 Chouteau Ave, Saint Louis, MO 63102
Chinese Dinner Rec.-Vancouver
Thanks Clutterer, I actually meant Cantonese not Mandarin in the post. I suppose Cantonese would be the defining regoinal cuisine for what we are looking for. I just thought that the Hong Kong cuisine was a slight variation of Cantonese. Also the King Crab is not the deciding factor in our choice. I just noticed in a few posts that the season recently started and that it was not something to be missed but since we will be there in June it may not be an issue. I just don't want to end up at Kirin or Sun Sui just because that is where all of the tourists are sent and miss out on something newer or better.
Alaska Recommendations Needed - Fairbanks, Denali, Anchorage, Seward
As AKgalleygirl mentioned, I much prefer dining at the local spots. Usually better food at a better value. I'm going to be in Fairbanks for 2 days and would appreciate any input. I won't have any kids in tow so the food and a nice atmosphere are much more important than kitchy or entertaining decorations.
Chinese Dinner Rec.-Vancouver
I'm going to be in Vancouver (Richmond) for 1 night in June and would like an authentic Hong Kong/ Mandarin/ Peking dinner (Aren't these cuisines all similiar?). So far from perusing this board and others, Sun Sui Wah and Kirin seem to be mentioned the most frequently.
I understand that there has been continued Asian growth, especially in the Richmond area, since Hong Kong changed hands. With all of that said, are there other newer restaurants that are better? Is there a difference in the quality between the different locations? What is the typical bill for a nice dinner for 2? Even though the main king crab season is over, are fresh crabs still available and if so is fresh crab so much better that it shouldn't be missed? Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.
BTW on a non food note. Is the Chinese garden as spectacular as it is made out to be?
Thanks in advance.
St. Louis ethnic food
Just wanted to comment and elaborate on a few things from above. Yes, Cherokee St. this time of year is probably best visited during the day. South Grand has a decent amount of people traffic and better lighted so it might be more comfortable in the evening. BTW La Vallesana looks like a dive but is inexpesive, authentic and good. I'm not big on Indian food but a place I like, Everest, is a mix of Indian and Nepalenese. There is both an Indian restaurant and a couple of good taquerias up near the airport.
Now in regards to Italian restaurants. St. Louis probably has a 4 to 1 ratio of Italian over all other restaurants combined yet most of them are similiar and only a notch or two above Olive Garden. I just don't get it, but there are a few places that have some stand out dishes and more than just over sauced pasta. Two places I like are Acero and Trattoria Marcella. Honestly, the reason I know most of the Italian markets so well is because I usually fix my own. Another rec for Italian salsccia that is off The Hill but nearby is Manzos. They have a number of flavors and most are available frozen so if you are traveling home they should be fine. Going the opposite direction with sausages, G & W has good German sausages.
St. Louis ethnic food
St. Louis is not nearly as diverse as places like NYC and Chicago. Yes we have just about every ethnicity but not in the numbers that those cities have. That said, Cherokee St between Jefferson and Grand is the recognized Mexican neighborhood. I frequently hit La Vallesana for lunch, good tortas. South Grand, from Hwy 44 South is basically a melting pot of Asian and Eastern European restaurants and a few markets. Banh Mi So is another one of my lunch stops for pho. Those are really the only two concentrated ethnic neighborhoods besides the Hill that you already mentioned. Oops I forgot the other Asian area on Olive Blvd in University City. This area is more centered on Chinese but still somewhat mixed. There are other good ethnic places spread out through the City and County as well.
As far as markets go, my favorites include Di Gregorio's on the Hill, Jay's Intl. on South Grand, Global Foods in Kirkwood and Seafood City(Mostly Asian) on Olive.
Check both saucemagazine.com and riverfronttimes.com for specific addresses and some reviews.
Indiana Folks, Need some Help
I really didn't mean to hurt anyones feelings or insult anyone. Here in St. Louis we are known for a pizza abomination made with cracker thin crust and a processed cheese, toasted ravioli that really isn't that great and a cut of ribs when we aren't even a BBQ town. Some guy on a FoodNetwork special said we were known for our pig snoots when I've never met a single person in this town that has heard of them.
So, I appreciate the input and think that mini pork sandwiches will work just fine. A friend suggested horse steaks but I'm pretty sure he was joking. BTW one thing we do have in common is that St. Louis and Bloomington are about the only two places you can get fried brain sandwiches.
need greasy breakfast diner for st. louis--stayin a reniassance st. louis
I don't think you can find any place more qualified to be called a greasy spoon than the Eat Rite Diner. And if you want to combine it with a St. Louis greasy spoon tradition then you have to order the slinger. The slinger has soaked up almost as much alcohol in St. Louis as White Castle sliders.
Indiana Folks, Need some Help
Cookie,
I'm more into the microbrews so I'll check those out. Since AB sold out to the Belgians I have no real allegiance to them. BTW On the pork sandwich, are we just talking a breaded filet? And what are the typical toppings? If you just say mayo my head might explode. I know Manning is about the whitest guy you can find but this sandwich is running a close second if its just pork, mayo and white bread.
Indiana Folks, Need some Help
nsxtasy, thanks for the help. Sadly, it looks like I wasn't far off. After reviewing the thread there were really only a few ingredients mentioned: Pork, Corn, Persimmons and some kind of syrup, oh and some sugar pie. I was hoping for something a bit more unique.
Indiana Folks, Need some Help
Every year for Super Bowl we make distinctive food from the two competing cities. New Orleans is easy but I'm having trouble with Indy. Besides pork sandwiches on white bread with mayo, just kidding, what are some distinctive Indy foods?
I'm rooting for the Colts, BTW. I appreciate any suggestions
St. Louis dinner ideas
I have to agree with the last couple of posts. Kreis is a nice old school place with consistenlty good prime rib and does a nice mayfair salad etc. but I wouldn't call it memorable. I think Niche and Monarch would be considered memorable with the highlighting of seasonal and local products that they do so well.
Shopping trip to St,louis.
Since you are coming up Hwy 44 I think Fenton might be your best bet since the hotels/motels are about a 1/2 mile from Hwy 44 and 270. Just try and plan around rush hour since that area is pretty congested during those times.
