St Louis' Finest Eating Establishments

On a recent summer trip to St Louis, my home town, Rick and I visited some old restaurant favorites.

First up was Rigazzi's on the Hill. Known for its fishbowls of beer and toasted ravioli, this was one of our hangouts during our single and softball days of yore. The toasted ravioli thing was invented here. Others have tried to duplicate it but oh so not so. These little nuggets are toasted to perfection on the outside (not tough as leather) and the meat mix on the inside is tender. They sprinkle with butter and Parmesano - reggiano cheese and provide a meat sauce for dipping. YUMMO!

When I sent that picture to my kids, they each asked only one question. Did you get the toasted ravioli? It's genetic:).

Next up on our fine food places was Ted Drew's. That place has been around since FOREVER. How do I know? I'm not saying my age but I was a carhop there when I was 16 and no, I did not wear roller skates. I did spill a chocolate shake down the inside of some guys white interior convertible. It slipped, OK?

Anyway, Ted Drew's had concretes long before DQ ever thought of a Blizzard. Vanilla cstard ice cream with add ins, always served with a turn of the cup upside down and no, nothing ever fell out.

This place is just a little custard stand along a city street. Well, little in my day but they have expanded since. There are 15 counter spots across the front and every one of them is at least 12 deep with people waiting to be served. They have a policeman directing traffic. When we were in B-school, we used to try to calculate the profit per minute. This little stand makes BIG $$$$.  Here's another image that gives you a sense of the crowd. And this wasn't a special occasion, just any summer week night in St Louis.

Our last delicatessan came from Bush Stadium. Nothing is finer than a baseball hot dog...the skinny ones with mustard, onions, relish and ketchup. OH Yeah! And an "ice cold beer, HERE".

Amen!