St.Louis, Missouri

Will be in St.Louis with family for a day trip this spring.We are looking for both lunch and dinner recommendations.Thanks!

Annie,
 
This is your perfect opportunity to compare Wisconsin frozen custard to one of the most famous versions of them all: Ted Drewes Frozen Custard!  As much as I love Kopp's and Leon's, I have never had a better frozen custard than Ted's.
 
If I'm not mistaken, they only offer a vanilla flavored custard, but then provide a long list of mix-ins so you can create almost any flavor you want.  To show how thick their product is, the server at the window hands you the cup of custard to upside down, proving that even gravity cannot effect a Ted Drewes "Concrete".
 
They have two locations, but the most recognized one is the stand on Old Route 66; the one I've listed below.
 
Annie, have a great trip!  See you at a Contingent event real soon.
 
Buddy
 
Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
6726 Chippewa
St. Louis, MO
(314) 481-2652
(314) 481-2124
http://www.teddrewes.com/Drewes.asp

Three places come to mind that I've enjoyed in St Louis, although I haven't been back since late 2008:
 
1. Smoki O's BBQ (http://smokios.com)   Even though I heartily recommend the "snoots" (bbqed pig snouts), their other dishes are also good for those less adventurous.   Here's my review from 2007: http://offbeateats.org/20./07/smoki-o-st-louis-mo/
 
2.  Rooster (http://roosterstl.com).  Had two really good meals there, a breakfast crepe and a lunch sandwich.  http://offbeateats.org/20./07/rooster-st-louis-mo/ for my 2007 review.
 
3. Chocolate Bar, down in Lafayette Square.  A nice chocolate themed restaurant from the Rooster folks. 
 
 

Hodak's for fried chicken. http://www.hodaks.com/
I went last August. It's invariably crowded, and I didn't care much for the sides (although I enjoyed both the fried mushrooms and toasted ravioli appetizers), but the chicken was fresh and tasty, plus it's a fun place in an interesting historical area of St. Louis.
 
I agree that Ted Drewe's is also a must-stop, whether you're into frozen custard  or Route 66 memorabilia, or both.
 

Ann, don't discount a visit to The Hill, St Louis' old Italian neighborhood, especially from some good toasted ravioli
I enjoyed them on my most recent visit in 2006 at
Cunnetto's House of Pasta
 
In 2003 I had them at Rigazzi's but they were disappointing.
 
On earlier visits (going back over 10 years) I enjoyed them at both Lou Boccardi's and Mama Campisi's
Other forum members have commented more recently on both places and apparently both are still good.

For lunch, I would recommend Adriana's on The Hill if you are interested in sandwiches, Mama Josephine's for some southern comfort food, or Pappy's for BBQ.
 
At Adriana's, my favorite is the Mary's Special; hot roast beef with garlic butter on a toasted Italian loaf. Sounds plain but it's very good.  At Mama's, I would order the fried chicken or meatloaf and a side of fried cabbage.  My friends really love the chicken and dumplings.  Fried chicken and chicken and dumplings are cooked to order, so it may take a few minutes.  At Pappy's, I would get the pulled pork or ribs and some sweet potato fries.
 
http://adrianasonthehill.com/
http://mamajosephines.com/
http://pappyssmokehouse.com/
 
Let me think about dinner for a while...

What kind of food do you prefer.  What part of town will you like to dine.  Will you have a car.  If so can you drive to other parts of town.  Thanks for your reply.

Wow-I am happily overwhelmed at the responses!! Ted Drewes is definately on the agenda-thanks Buddy and rumaki for the reminder! I will be submitting all suggestions to my co-travelers.Also, WJ-the Hill is also already on our must see list, so thanks for the heads up! Littleman, we will have a vehicle, and I will be with my roadfood loving cousins( and Bob, of course) so we will be getting around. Looks like we may be there for 2 days now, from the sound of it.Thanks all, and keep posting your recommendations!

I would add Iron Barley.
http://www.ironbarley.com/
 
Viviano and Sons Market on the Hill is one of our favorite places.
 
http://www.shopviviano.com/

Hi Ann, Amy & I stayed in St. Louis last summer on our Route 66 trip, and it was one of the highlights of the whole trip.  Please read about those days on Roadfood Digest here, and my favorites were Ted Drewes, the slinger at Courtesy Diner, the salsiccia pretzel at Gus's, and the Provel pizza at Riley's.  I feel that we hardly scratched the surface, though...and that's a good thing.  Have fun -- we're envious!    Chris

Bob and I are actually embarking on our first roadfood roadtrip, with friends and family as destinations. I need to learn how to take pics and post, as I am so excited about this trip( kind of a roundabout thru Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, and back) Everyone on our list has big plans for us-I will be exhausted( and 5 lbs. heavier!) by the end of this trip. Thanks, Chris and Amy,zaatar, extreme glow and kaszeta for your imput, along with all others I have thanked. We REALLY want to make this a memorable trip, both with people and food!

Ann,
I'm not a native but you may want to sample St. Louis Gooey Cake.
I only know the Parkview. http://parkavenuecoffee.com/content/gooey-butter-cake
I also enjoy the Broadway Oyster Bar for NOLA-type treats http://broadwayoysterbar.com/

Dinner... decisions, decisions.
 
Someone mentioned Iron Barley.  I have been a fan since they first opened and I would recommend going for dinner (not lunch) as I've had some less then stellar lunches.  Dinner is a different matter though as Tom, the owner and chef, is there along with his wife and things are much better.  From the menu, I would recommend the schnitzel and spaetzle, the zarzuela, or the pasta with bacon and chicken.  They tend to have lots of specials in the evening and any would be a good choice.
http://www.ironbarley.com/
 
For Italian, I would recommend Charlie Gitto's (the one on The Hill, not the one downtown... different owners).  Chicken speidini is my favorite there.  Lorenzo's Trattoria is also on The Hill and quiet good.  If you have 5-8 people in your group, try and reserve the kitchen room.  It's no extra charge and quite fun to have a private room off the kitchen.  However, my favorite Italian is just off The Hill; Trattoria Marcella.  If they have the seasonal green salad with bourboned apples, you must get it.  Also, you must get the fritto misto appetizer.  They are known for their lobster risotto but I prefer meat dishes, so it's chicken speidini again.
http://www.trattoriamarcella.com/home.html
http://www.lorenzostrattoria.com/
http://www.charliegittos.com/
 
Other very good places to consider are 1111 Mississippi and Harvest.
http://www.1111-m.com/main.html
http://www.harveststlouis.com/
 
If you are looking for something different, how about Turkish at Aya Sofia?  Very nice place with good food and wine list.  Get the sigara boregi appetizer.  As an added bonus, Ted Drewes is across the street!
http://www.ayasofiacuisine.com/
 
South Grand Blvd is home to a lot of Asian restaurants, mainly Vietnamese, but you can find Thai, Lebanese, and Bedouin too.  Here, I would recommend The Vine for some Lebanese kabobs or swarma.
http://www.thevinestl.com/thevinecafe/Home.html
 
The Shaved Duck has some mighty fine smoked meats.  The smoked chicken wing appetizer is pretty awesome.  The wings are first smoked and then fried... I skip the sauce and eat them plain.  The ribs (just smoked) and brisket sandwich are very good.
http://www.theshavedduck.com/
 
If you need a pizza (not St. Louis style), I would recommend Onesto's Pizzeria or Pi.
http://www.onestopizza.com/
http://www.restaurantpi.com/
 
 

Extreme Glow,
Good to know dinner may be better than lunch at Iron Barley. We've wondered about lunch.
 
Also second the recommendations to 1111 Mississippi and The Vine.  We had a great lunch at The Vine our last trip. You can't beat the freshly baked pita. We loved all of our food there.

I've heard about a place called Urbaneats in St. Louis that's occasionally referenced in articles in our two alternative weeklys as a archetype for a gourmet coffeehouse/light entrees/and neigborhood nexus in a gentrified, upscale urban area. Apparently it's some kind of well thought out concept that blends a st*rb*cks atmosphere with food and blends it with local arts and entertainment. Has anyone been to this place or know of it?

Yes, I've been to Urban Eats a couple of times for lunch.  The meal was certainly fine but the place was a bit quiet so I don't know what kind of vibe it may have later in the day.  However, I would certainly not describe Dutchtown South as "a gentrified, upscale" area.
 
http://www.urbaneatscafe.com/