Chinese takeout tends to have fairly standard items: General Tsos, Lo Mein, and more. But, in St. Louis, there is an additional standard item - the St. Paul Sandwich.



The sandwich consists of an egg foo young patty (made with mung bean sprouts and minced white onions) served with dill pickle slices, white onion, mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato between two slices of white bread. The St. Paul sandwich also comes in different combinations and specials, such as chicken, pork, shrimp, beef, and other varieties. - Wikipedia



So, I ordered from Hon's Wok to get one of these bad boys delivered right to  my hotel room. First, I dug into the crab rangoons which had super crisp edges but a pocket full of creamy cheese. The eggrolls put all the others in my local area to shame. So good. Finally, this sandwich. It is pretty basic - but it's good! It's simple, but think of a good, seasoned egg and onion sandwich with mayo - plus mine had shrimp. I'm on board.

Grade: B

Three words: Gooey Butter Cake. It's this flat, dense, ooey gooey "cake" that is covered with powdered sugar.



"The history behind the gooey dish is questionable but stories we came across said it started out as a mistake and turned into the delicious treat we eat today. One story said the dish dates back to the 1930s when a German baker added the wrong ingredients to the coffee cake batter he was making, and it turned into a gooey, pudding-like filling, according to What’s Cooking America. Another story on that same website said while it was a mistake, the dessert was actually born in the early 1940s when a St. Louis baker named Johnny Hoffman of St. Louis Pastries Bakery created the dish. After many trial and errors Johnny and his dad, “got it pretty good.” Johnny’s mom came in to the shop to try it and said, “this sure is gooey” and, according to the story, that’s is how the name was born." - Source



Park Avenue Coffee has 73 versions of gooey butter cake. From apple cinnamon to turtle and everything in between. For a first-timer, though, I went with the original. It is super thin - and very sweet - but delicious and buttery and so tasty.



My coffee was a caramel "frappicano" - coffee milkshakes are my favorite.

Grade: A

Fitz's Root Beer is an iconic St. Louis soda. So, while in St. Louis - and more specifically at The Arch - I saw a four-pack that I just had to make mine. I'm not a huge root beer fan, but this was pretty tasty.

"Fitz’s Root Beer first appeared in St. Louis at a local drive-in restaurant back in 1947. Famous for its tasty draft root beer and hamburgers, Fitz’s quickly became a local tradition. After sadly disappearing for a number of years, Fitz’s Root Beer was revived in 1993 when Fitz’s Bottling Company, America’s original soda microbrewery opened in the historic and vibrant Delmar Loop. Please come watch us bottle Fitz’s Premium Sodas while sipping on a frosty mug of root beer and enjoying some good homemade food from our diverse American menu.

Fitz’s Root Beer, our flagship soda, is made according to an original recipe developed in St. Louis in 1947. Our unique formula features fine ingredients including select natural roots, spices, barks and is exclusively sweetened with all natural pure cane sugar. Thanks to its robust and creamy flavor, Fitz’s Root Beer has been recognized as one of the best root beers in the United States. We keg Fitz’s Root Beer in 15 gallon barrels in our bottling room right inside our restaurant and serve it ice cold right out of the tap. Our mugs are ‘bottomless’ so come thirsty and enjoy Fitz’s Root Beer, and our other kegged traditional sodas, including Fitz’s Diet Root Beer, Cream Soda, Orange Pop and Black Cherry!" - History

Always and forever, I love pasta. So, when I learned that there was an Italian restaurant at the bottom of my hotel - and it was well-known for being good! - I was sold.



Lombardo's Trattoria is an Italian Restaurant that features salad, pasta, veal, beef and seafood. It's not a huge menu, but there is a nice variety.



"The Lombardo Family's legacy of fine food at moderate prices goes back almost 75 years, and the tradition continues today. Available at all of our locations, Lombardo's Famous Toasted Ravioli. Award winning oversized meat and spinach ravioli, lightly breaded and served with our house marinara sauce and grated cheese. You have to try at least one!" - Website



We started with some warm bread and butter. But I ordered that toasted ravioli not far behind it. I'm not sure why St. Louis calls it toasted, but it's essentially deep-fried, and it's a THING here. It's large beef-filled raviolis that have been deep-fried and blanketed in cheese with a side of marinara. Definitely tasty - and hearty.



My main dish here, though, was maybe one of my favorite dishes I've had thus far this year. It was a seafood rigatoni with shrimp, scallops, crab meat, peas, mushrooms, and white sauce. It was a creamy sauce that had those earthy mushroom flavors. Some brightness of color and flavor with the peas. And gosh, that creamy sauce. Divine.

Grade: A

Imo's Pizza is a well-known pizza shop in St. Louis that features the iconic St. Louis-style pizza.



The definitive characteristics of St. Louis-style pizza are a very thin cracker-like crust made without yeast, the common (but not universal) use of Provel processed cheese, and pizzas cut into squares or rectangles instead of wedges. - Wikipedia.