St. Louis Restaurants
-
La Vallesana
Years, decades, ago, when my kids were little, a Sunday afternoon run to Velvet Freeze on Gravois, with its giant ice cream cone standing proud, was an occasional treat they still remember. All these years later, I visit Cherokee Street, not so far away, and either with family or alone, slip into Neveria la Vallesana
-
SoCo Gyros
How nice to find a destination-worthy small family spot in an area that has mostly franchise food. Yes, there are exceptions in South County, but this is a spot we'd go out of our way for. You can read about it here.
-
Spice-n-Grill
Small. Very casual. Almost bare-bones. Elegant aromas. That's Spice-n-Grill, located in a small strip of shops on the south side of Olive in University City, much closer to Skinker than the multitude of Asian restaurants that make the street a food-lover's target. Run by the Khan family, who formerly owned Indian Food, closer to I-170,
-
Gobblestop Smokehouse
Finding barbecue in unexpected places seems to be getting easier these days. I dropped by Gobblestop Smokehouse in Creve Coeur the other day, and wrote it for St. Louis Mag's blog Relish. You can read it here: http://www.stlmag.com/Blogs/Relish/August-2012/Something-New-in-Barbeque-Gobble-Stop-Smokehouse/
-
Crown Candy Kitchen
How many of us take our out-of-town guests for a visit to Crown Candy Kitchen when we do the downtown tour or before or after a game? For many, it's almost a ritual when we have the right potential audience. Crown Candy is simple, we explain, and it's not perfect. But the setting and the
-
Pizzeria Tivoli
I admit to having a real soft spot for neighborhood-y restaurants. And the lower end of Kingshighway has begun to sprout them, almost astonishing on quiet residential blocks that hardly seem related to their brethren holding Barnes-Jewish Hospital or the Royale saloon, for instance. But popping up on corners here and there are little spots
-
Southwest Diner
Southwest Diner is, to a minor degree, amazing. Tucked into an old building a couple of blocks east of McCausland, in a neighborhood off St. Louis eaters' radar, it draws the eye with a large blue cactus-shaped sign. Inside showcases a wall of marble tile that was there when they moved in. The fact that
-
Lily-Gilding at Carl’s Drive-Inn
As if it wasn't enough that Frank Cunetto turns out fabulous flat-grilled hamburgers and maybe the best shakes in town, there's now lily-gilding going on at Carl's Drive-Inn Ronnie Ryan, the emperor of Quezel Sorbet, is supplying him with peach sorbet made from Calhoun County peaches. Run, do not walk for a cup of this
-
Brunch: Harrah’s Eat Up! Buffet
Most critics I know, and by now I know quite a few, approach a job with optimism, or at the least hope. That's what it felt like sailing through the front portico at Harrah's. Vegas-style feeding operations have been going on at casinos since the Eisenhower Administration, and one never knows what one can learn