gastronomic landmarks!

 You can't come to St. Louis without checking out a few of their gastronomic landmarks! 

Ted Drewes has been selling frozen custard and Christmas trees since 1931.  They're so good they've received offers to franchise, but they say they never will because franchising could lead to mediocrity.

 Gus' Pretzel is a pretzel bakery that opened in 1920 and is still going strong.   From pretzel sticks, to twists, to endz, to cinnamon-sugar or garlic-butter, to ones stuffed with bratwurst, salsiccia or hot dogs, to sandwiches made from pretzels instead of bread---they're hard to pass up.

Soulard Farmers Market is open year round, Wed. - Sat.  It got it's start in 1779 and is still going strong.  They feature locally grown and shipped in goods such as produce, meats, cheeses, spices, flowers, baked goods, ... .  There's even a pet shop and severl eateries on the market.

 If you love Italian food, there's a neighborhood teeming with great Italian restaurants and markets known simply as The Hill.  Italiam immigrants settled in the area, including Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola, Sr.  Soon restaurants and other Italian businesses sprouted up in the area.  One of our favorite restaurants here is Cunetto's.  Their Bistecca Soto is delizioso!

Another interesting ST. Louis restuarant in the Bevo Mill.  It was designed in the style of Dutch and German windmills and was built in 1916.  Unfortunately it's had a tough time staying open lately, but it is open for Sunday Brunch now.

Sunday brunch at the Bevo Mill.

Another landmark of St. Louis is the Crown Candy Kitchen, although expect to have to wait to get in---notice the line on the right and this was on a day when it was over 105 degrees!  They've been featured on the travel channel or food channel for their milk shakes and BLTs, but everything there is great.  And, yes, they do make homemade candy, too.

A fast food place that has gotten an interesting reputation in the mid west for it's little burgers and their steamed somewhat soggy buns is White Castle.  Everyone should try at least one!



I figure I have a pretty good start on my St. Louis blog.  I'll try to update it from time to time.

Just over the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers north of the city is another landmark eatery that everyone in St. Louis knows about---Fast Eddie's.  In 1921 Anheuser Busch opened a bar in Alton, Illinois. About ten years later, Busch had to sell the tavern due to a change in the statutes, which prohibited breweries from owning drinking establishments. In 1981,Eddie Sholar (alias Fast Eddie) purchased the bar became known as Fast Eddies Bon-Air.  In the twenty plus years that Fast Eddie has owned Bon-Air, it has quadrupled in size going from 80 chairs to over 400 chairs.  They even have live music on weekends. A food bar serves an assortment of grilled burgers, shish-kabobs, bratwurst and boiled shrimp all sold at the same low prices as when they were added nineteen years ago---which is quite a buy! (no doggie bags permitted, though).