St. Louis Foods

Known for only a handful of foods, St. Louis sits low on the eating expedition’s lists. However, three solid contenders emerged from searches on chowhound and my trek began to find toasted ravioli, St. Louis pizza, and butter cake - foods that characterized a meeting of roadside and Italian.

A diner community still exists in the area, where Blueberry Hill in the Loop and Café Manhattan in Clayton attract locals and outsiders for a mix of burgers and memorabilia. Blueberry Hill boasts nine rooms filled with display cases of collectible knick knacks including the Beatles’ St. Pepper dolls, hundreds of Pez dispenser, autographed photos, Simpson’s action figures, and Howdy Doody puppets, protected by large elephants and dinosaur models. Though a scrolling sign and lights dressed the exterior, dim rooms, wood floors, and wooden seating created an interior comparable to an eccentric collector’s home.

Café Manhattan, located in a suburban community, portrayed an expected diner with gleaming surfaces and slick booths, accompanied by a typical menu and chummy staff. A welcomed sight for my rain soaked jacket and sore derrière from an earlier fall. No worries- Advil and beer quickly dulled the pain and frustrations.

An appetizer of toasted raviolis peered up from an oval plate, flanked by a cup of hot marinara sauce and sprinkles of parsley and parmesan cheese. Heavy coats of brown bread crumbs created a rocklike appearance, as if these ten raviolis formally lived amongst the crabs, tangled in gangly seaweed. My fork broke the surface with a reluctant crunch. Distinct tastes emerged, moving from marinara sauce to fried dough, and then finishing with a simply sweet sausage flavor. Ten down, one pizza to go!

With Chicago and New York battling over the best pizza, St. Louis’s small niche in the field commonly cooks unnoticed. Provol cheese accompanies or completely replaces the usual mozzarella, to give their city pizza a sweeter, more flavorful melted topping. Thin and crispy, the crust did not sag under the toppings’ weight and upheld a taste similar to a burnt water cracker. With my plates clean and the bill paid, I contently waved good bye leaving with a full stomach, drier jacket, and happier derrière.

(A day of touring went by and hunger knocked again)

But this time, something sweet for the table. Or actually bar for a Tuesday night at the Capri restaurant in a downtown hotel filled with teacher and administrators from a four day leadership conference. No dinner needed after a filling lunch, and I sat down with a glass of water and a butter cake. Some people could not believe this -

Bar Tender: So you walked all this way for a butter cake?

Whirlway: Yep, I did my research and came over.

Bar Tender: Seriously? I’ll hit you over the head this (he playfully picked up a stack of Styrofoam cups) if you’re lying.

Luckily, he believed me and I enjoyed my butter cake untouched. A Portland development counselor and Georgian elementary school principal provided their additional comments, which led to occasional conversations on other subjects while I slowly ate away. They inquired about the dense, buttery sheet cake topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, pecans, and sticky caramel doodles. I told them, it melts on the tongue with a directly sweet flavor and is worth trying once.

And how could you resist the dessert nick named the Gooey Louie?