St. Louis MO: Gerber Sandwich

I came across some info on a local sandwich from STL, "Gerber":
http://www.recipezaar.com/Gerber-Sandwich-85144

also from Wikipedia:

Gerber sandwich or "Famous Gerber sandwich" is an open faced sandwich popular in St. Louis, Missouri. The Gerber consists of a half section of Italian or French bread, spread with butter, and topped with garlic, ham, Provel processed cheese or Provolone cheese and seasoned with a sprinkling of paprika and then toasted.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerber_sandwich

Sound great! Who's ever had it?????

And they call it a Gerber sandwich because when ready to eat it looks as if a seven-month-old had just tossed it from his high chair?

Actually sounds pretty good...grilled provolone is pretty good...so I bet this combo has some great flavor!

quote:

Originally posted by leethebard

Actually sounds pretty good...grilled provolone is pretty good...so I bet this combo has some great flavor!

It's not provolone, it's "provel" cheese
unique to St Louis

It sounds interesting enough to try my next time through. Can anyone recommend a place in town to get one?

quote:

Originally posted by wanderingjew

quote:

Originally posted by leethebard

Actually sounds pretty good...grilled provolone is pretty good...so I bet this combo has some great flavor!

It's not provolone, it's "provel" cheese
unique to St Louis

The recicpe he linked to calls for provolone.

http://www.recipezaar.com/Gerber-Sandwich-85144

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

quote:

Originally posted by wanderingjew

quote:

Originally posted by leethebard

Actually sounds pretty good...grilled provolone is pretty good...so I bet this combo has some great flavor!

It's not provolone, it's "provel" cheese
unique to St Louis

The recicpe he linked to calls for provolone.

http://www.recipezaar.com/Gerber-Sandwich-85144

Wow, I didn't think they had Provolone cheese in St Louis since all they ever talk about is Provel cheese

From that fount of information -- lots of it quite wrong -- Wikipedia:

"Provel is a white processed cheese that is popular in St. Louis, Missouri. Provel is produced with cheddar, Swiss, and provolone. It is soft at room temperature, with a gooey and almost buttery texture, and thus has a low melting point. It is the traditional topping for St. Louis-style pizza. It is also often served on salads, chicken and the Gerber sandwich."

Sounds sort of like a low-grade Velveeta to me.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

low-grade Velveeta

You're being redundant.

Brad

I've got to admit the Gerber sandwich is a new thing to me; haven't heard of that one. I'll need to try it out.

Provel cheese is definitely an acquired taste for many....it is several steps above Velveeta in taste, but it's still a processed cheese. It's fine on St. Louis-style pizza; and ocassionally baked with pasta, but many St. Louis area restaurants use it for almost everything. That can be a little much.

quote:

Originally posted by stlouisguy

I've got to admit the Gerber sandwich is a new thing to me; haven't heard of that one. I'll need to try it out.

Provel cheese is definitely an acquired taste for many....it is several steps above Velveeta in taste, but it's still a processed cheese. It's fine on St. Louis-style pizza; and ocassionally baked with pasta, but many St. Louis area restaurants use it for almost everything. That can be a little much.

So report back to us, Mr. St. Louis Guy! Photos? Let us know if it is delish.....

I know this is an old thread. I've been searching for unique sandwiches and stumbled on the "Gerber Sandwich". Sounds interesting enough to try. I live in TX but made a St. Louis-Style Pizza recently. Having lived in NY for 13 years I didn't care much for this style, but I thought the cheese was interesting. Here's a recipe clone for "Provel" cheese.

2 cups shredded white American cheese (ask the deli person to      just cut you an 8 oz chunk)
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 drops liquid smoke

Just toss the cheeses with the liquid smoke in a medium bowl and cover until ready to use. Note: don't use bagged shredded cheese, they tend to be very dry and don't melt well. Shred your own.

I was going to make "NJ Sloppy Joes" tomorrow night but I think I'll make this instead ;-)

5th Street Pizza in Allen TX has St. Louis-Style Pizza with Provel cheese.  They also have other St. Louis favorites like Toasted Ravioli, but I don't see any Gerber sandwich on their menu.

plb


5th Street Pizza in Allen TX has St. Louis-Style Pizza with Provel cheese.  They also have other St. Louis favorites like Toasted Ravioli, but I don't see any Gerber sandwich on their menu.

Allen TX

Allen is a bit far for me, I'm in the Austin area. There was a Pizza place here in Cedar Park that only served St. Louis-Style Pizza, it didn't stay in business very long.

I've lived in St. Louis 26 years and never heard of a Gerber sandwich.  However, I did some research on the Riverfront Times and found that the Gerber was created by Ruma's Deli in 1973 and named after a customer, Dick Gerber.  There used to be Ruma's everywhere in STL but now there are two left.  They still have the Gerber on their menu and it is open face ham with garlic butter and lots of provel.

http://rumasdeli.com


Personally, I would recommend the Mary's Special at Adriana's.  Roast beef, garlic butter, and provel on a toasted roll.

http://adrianasonthehill.com/