famous restaurants in St Louis?

[hornadylnl]

I'm planning to take a ride to St. Louis for lunch and to possibly go up in the arch. Anyone know of a famous burger joint, etc? I don't want steak or anything like that, just something akin to Kokomo's Coney Island or another type of landmark restaurant. Thanks in advance.

[edsinger]

Spaghetti factory by the riverfront, great meal decent price...

[dwh79]

They have a old fashion Steak and shake that looks straight out of the 60's or so on the SE side by the Lemay WWTP (Thats Waste Water Treatment Plant for those not in the water and sewer public works business)

[jblomenberg16]

+1 to either of those. There is a river boat McDonalds that kinda cool too, and was a lot of un when I was a kid.

Seriously there are several places along the ricer front to stop in, and all are pretty cool.

[hornadylnl]

I guess I'll wing it. Surely, there will be several restaurants near the Arch? I'm looking for something unique and spaghetti doesn't sound too good right now. I'm starting to be a good burger afficianado i think. I found a place called BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups but they aren't open for lunch. I love the blues and their menu looks good. Maybe I'll go there some other time.

[edsinger]

Originally Posted by dwh79

Lemay WWTP (Thats Waste Water Treatment Plant for those not in the water and sewer public works business)

Back in my consulting days I called em turd plants, That didn't go over well with the bosses......
Come to think of it, I once mentioned 'peckerhead' in a meeting and got frowned on for doing so. I was actually bewildered, what do I call it? A 'motor connection junction box'?

Needless to say, I lost.....I no longer consult in that manner, I am too politically insensitive

[joslar15]

Originally Posted by hornadylnl

I guess I'll wing it. Surely, there will be several restaurants near the Arch? I'm looking for something unique and spaghetti doesn't sound too good right now. I'm starting to be a good burger afficianado i think. I found a place called BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups but they aren't open for lunch. I love the blues and their menu looks good. Maybe I'll go there some other time.

I don't remember any names, but there are quite a few places open for lunch at Laclede's Landing, very close to the Arch.

[edsinger]

Originally Posted by hornadylnl

spaghetti doesn't sound too good right now. I'm starting to be a good burger afficianado i think.

This ain't no regular spaghetti by any means, they even have other items on he menu. It the all you can eat bread and garlic butter, last I was there it was about $8-9. Counting inflation it should be around $12 now..
Its a really good place to eat and its great food and you will not be hungry afterword....did I mention they have beer?

[paddling_man]

Burger places... I specifically remember Johnny's in Soulard.

Head down toward Anheuser Busch brewery area and hit the Soulard area. Take i-55 south and the area is southXsouthwest of the brewery. There were a couple of good, local burger places. Soulard was home to the biggest Mardi Gras celebration in the US outside of Louisiana. Take the free brewery tour.




Rt 66 era Ted Drewes Frozen Custard on old Rt 66 (Watson between Jamieson and Laclede Station.)


Great Italian food over on The Hill. Area off of 44 near the Garden. (One of the best Arboretums in the country. My wife, the grad-level botanist, hated to leave!)





My studio was up in the Central West End. Nice area but mostly bistros and stuff.


Woofies on Page/Woodson at 170.


No place sticks out other than GOOD barbeque (SuperSmokers) or some of the nicer steak houses.


I'm assuming you're riding your bike... er... sorry, Ultra. Swing through Forest Park once. Cool place. All of the "stuff" is free... Zoo, Museums. 1904 World's Fair "Meet Me In St Louie?" Yeah, this is the site.




Have fun! I moved from there a bit over one year ago. Whatever you do, avoid the gawdawful stuff they call PIZZA. Imo's is the primary offender. It is paper thin cracker crust, sweetish sauce, and the aborted child of provolone and velveeta call PROVEL. Yeck.

Described this way:

Ever had Cheese Whiz on a Cracker? Imo's.

I will be the first to admit that I am probably biased when it comes to pizza having spent the first 20 years of my life in Chicago. One of the first things I looked for when I moved here was a good place for pizza. Every St. Louis native talked to raved about Imo's pizza. I heard love stories of crust, sauce and cheese that I never dreamed could be describing a pizza. I ordered my first Imo's pizza with great anticipation. After all it was a "St. Louis original". Well let me tell you why it is an original. No where else in this country could make something so horrible and pass it off as pizza.

Let me start with their 'famous' crust. It is hard and brittle and I nearly cut the inside of my cheek while eating it. Their wonderful cheese is actually provolone which any true pizza lover know is not pizza cheese. Their cheese is quite sweet and actually reminds one of Cheese Whiz. The sauce is not horrible. It is comparable to Pizza Hutt or Dominoes. The main problem I had with the sauce is that you can see it through the cheese. There is so little cheese you can see through to the sauce. They must know the cheese is terrible so they limit what they force poor hungry people to endure. I figure it's a mercy thing.

The toppings are sparse and consist of precut prepackaged veggies or frozen meat parts. The pepperoni had little flavor and the onions were thin and stringy. I have not had chance to taste too many other toppings since I would rather eat cardboard dipped in ketchup rather than pay money for that stuff again.

I am often confronted by quizzical looks from the natives here when I express my dislike for their favorite pizza. I decided they must be brainwashed as children to eat it. Either that or they have not had the opportunity to try anything better. In any case I sort of pity them. One day I will take them on a field trip to Chicago and show them what they have been missing.

[hornadylnl]

Super Smokers sounds really good. I love some pulled pork.