St. Louis has a special sandwich that is local to the area: The Gerber. T
he Gerber is an open-faced sandwich made in St. Louis, Missouri. The Gerber consists of a half section of Italian or French bread, spread with garlic butter and topped with ham, and Provel cheese (the original sandwich was made with provolone), seasoned with a sprinkling of paprika and then toasted. - Wikipedia
The sandwich can be found across the city, but I found one spot on GrubHub that could deliver it right to my hotel room: DB's Sports Bar. And, I got a side of macaroni and cheese, too.
The sandwich is really good. Think of a ham & cheese that is even better - because it has garlic and the cheese has a richer flavor. Mac & cheese was fine. But the gerber was the star here.
Just across the street from the hotel I was staying in in Missouri was the St. Louis Union Station Soda Fountain - complete with ice cream, candy, burgers and booze.
This spot seems very commercial with giant ceilings, beautiful finishes and a sprawling space. I tend to love places that have a bit of a personal touch in some manner. But that's not to say this place isn't fun.
They serve diner fare, gigantic milkshakes - and boozy drinks, too.
The St. Louis Standard drink caught my eye because it's made with Clementine's Gooey Butter Cake Ice cream, Still 630 Expedition Rum, and Golden Road Brown.
Now, this is one very boozy drink.
So, there's another entire section of the restaurant that is dedicated to a shop with all kinds of retro candies or uncommon sweets.
And of course I left with a whole bag full of goodies.
While in St. Louis, I tried to make the most of experiencing the local food and culture - all while working around a conference. Missouri Baking Company is an iconic, family-owned bakery that has been creating European pastries since 1924.
When I arrived, I planned to get something small. I had just a few dollars, and they're cash only. But once I got a glimpse of all the goodies, I reconsidered.
Fortunately, they have an ATM on site. So, I went a little wild. There's a whole section of these tiny cookies. And one available was the "gooey butter cake" cookie. That was a must-have. And, it was a fun little bite of buttery, crumbly cookie reminiscent of the classic dessert here.
As I moved along, I discovered "pasticciotti." These little pastries were filled with ricotta, so I had to try it. The pastry was very light, and the ricotta was sweet. Lovely combination.
But that wasn't all. I went with a cannoli, too, because I can't often find those at home. Stuffed to the gills with ricotta, this cannoli had a hint of cherry. Perfection.
Another goodie was a napoleon. It has three layers of puff pastry with cream in between each. Plus, the top had a cute design in icing. It just feels so decadent to me, so I love them.
And, goodness, there were so many beautiful desserts. I wish I could've tried the entire store. Everything looked amazing.
World's Fair Donuts is a small, cash-only shop that sits at an awkward angle off two streets in St. Louis. They've been selling donuts for more than 30 years and always has a line of morning shop-goers in search of delicious sweet treats.
The shop has a variety of donuts - filled, glazes, powdered and more. I asked what the most popular ones and was told the glazed is the fastest to sell out. That, and the blueberry chip cake donut is a classic. So, I went for both! The glazed was delicious and thick. The blueberry was my favorite of the two - I love a good cake donut. It's like a blueberry muffin in donut form.
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