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Vote For Your Favorites in RFT 's Best of St. Louis Poll

We're unearthing the hidden treasures of St. Louis, and need your help

By
Aug 11, 2023 at 12:02 pm
How can we find the Best of St. Louis if you don't vote and show us the way? - Cydney Cherepak
Cydney Cherepak
How can we find the Best of St. Louis if you don't vote and show us the way?

St. Louis is a special place (tell you something you don't know, right?). It's full of delicious food, one-of-a-kind bars, great people, and top-notch entertainment. There's also plenty of hidden gems — if you know where to look. That's why this year, RFT is dedicating our yearly Best of St. Louis issue to unearthing the treasures of St. Louis.

So, while you wait (hopefully eagerly) for our staff picks, we have a mission for you: Nominate your favorites in our poll, and tell your friends to throw their favorites in the hat, too.

Then your favorites, should they move on to the voting round, will duke it out. Five nominations in each category will vie for the top spot from September 6 through 20. Winners will be announced (alongside our picks) in our Best of St. Louis issue on September 27.

From our tech support, here's a couple of things to know before you start voting:
  1. You must register and turn off pop-up blockers before voting. If you have trouble casting votes, you may need to clear your browser's cache. Not sure how to do that? Follow instructions here.
  2. All categories are to the paper's discretion; some category winners may not be published in the print issue, subject to space.
    3. You can vote only once per day. Use your voice, vote daily and help spread the word to help support your local people and places!
Click here to be taken to the poll. Get voting, St. Louis — and to the nominees, may the odds be ever in your favor.

Slideshow

RFT's Best of Food & Drink in St. Louis 2022 [PHOTOS]

Best BurgerJack Nolen'sJack Nolen’s (2501 South Ninth Street) owner Jim Grindstaff doesn’t have a phone in his Soulard establishment. What he does have is the city’s most quintessential smashburger, a stunning specimen created after he traveled the country on a quest to discover what makes for a delicious burger patty. He paid attention to the key details — the ideal blend of beef, the perfect melty cheese, the right type of bun — and the culmination of that effort is Jack Nolen’s double cheeseburger, a magical smashburger that is a perfection of the form. The key is the beef mix, a blend of brisket, chuck and short rib that is so well marbled it remains buttery and tender throughout when smashed on the flattop, save for the crispy edges that are like a beefy lace. Gooey American cheese seeps into every crevice, and a simple garnish of lettuce, tomato, onion and dill pickle slices crown the beauty before it’s tucked into a soft potato bun. That you can enjoy such a classic while bellied up to the bar at such a quintessential watering hole only adds to the mystique. It’s a good thing he doesn’t have a phone; it would be ringing off the hook. —Cheryl Baehr
Best IndianBasil IndiaWhen Basil India (3183 South Grand Boulevard, 314-428-9711) opened in April 2022, the restaurant had big shoes to fill: those of beloved South Grand mainstay Basil Spice. But any concern among south-city foodies was quickly dispelled the moment they tried chef Madan Chhetri’s crispy noodle salad, chili paneer or nasi goreng (an Indonesian rice, tofu and shrimp dish). The fare is outstanding. Chhetri is a nationally recognized chef known for innovative Indian and Indo-Chinese cuisine. For anyone new to Indian food, start with Basil India’s red curry or the chicken tikka masala. A side of flaky paratha is the perfect complement to both dishes. Explore the menu and expand your taste buds from there. Wash it down with a mango smoothie or a Thai tea. —Ryan Krull Best BreakfastBowood by NicheLess a place to go for a bite to eat than an opportunity to bask in nature’s splendor, Bowood by Niche (4605 Olive Street, 314-454-6868) is a true culinary oasis. Located inside the stunningly beautiful, glass-enclosed Bowood Farms garden center in the Central West End, the restaurant feels like the culinary gem of the Garden of Eden. In such a lovely setting, you’d expect the atmosphere to shine more than the food, but thanks to chef Koda Williams, it’s the opposite. The talented Williams was chosen to head the restaurant’s culinary operations after his boss, Niche Food Group’s Gerard Craft, took over the space last year. On Williams’ watch, the restaurant’s breakfast menu has become the food equivalent of a warm hug filled with so much love it transcends the traditional daytime-fare playbook. Familiar items such as eggs Benedict become transcendent in Williams’ capable hands; flawlessly poached eggs, prosciutto, brown-butter hollandaise and toasted semolina bread elevate the brunch classic, while rustic, blueberry-flecked buttermilk pancakes provide easy morning comfort. Even a dish as humble as oatmeal is revelatory, served in a deep-blue Le Creuset and topped with brown sugar, apples, dried and jammed fruit, almonds, almond milk and cultured butter. Like all of Bowood’s breakfast fare, it’s a dish worthy of its gorgeous digs. —Cheryl Baehr Best ThaiChao BaanNearly 40 years ago, the Prapaisilp family opened their South Grand restaurant the King and I, introducing St. Louis diners to Thai food and cementing themselves as one of the city’s most beloved restaurants. In 2019, they channeled that success into Chao Baan (4087 Chouteau Avenue #5, 314-925-8250), a deeply personal regional Thai restaurant that represents who they are as a family. Owner Shayn Prapaisilp says Chao Baan’s combination of Thai dishes only exists because of his parents; his father hails from the Malaysian-inflected south, while his mother is a native of the northern part of the country, which borders Laos. As he tells it, the two areas’ culinary styles are as different as those of Miami and the Pacific Northwest, but at Chao Baan, they coexist beautifully and offer a regional approach to Thai cuisine unlike any other in the area. Prapaisilp notes that a meal at Chao Baan is a window into a meal at his family’s home dining-room table — we’re lucky to be invited. —Cheryl Baehr Best SlidersBurger 809If we could marry a slider, we would race to the altar with Tasha Smith’s at Burger 809 (1821 Cherokee Street, 314-809-5959). Gone are the days of gladly suffering through a White Castle belly-bomber: We have entered a blissful utopia of pretzel and toasted buns. Smith’s sliders are not simple culinary craft — they are works of art that belong in the Louvre. A wide variety of snack-sized burgers are available, and every single one melts in your mouth. Smith takes it a step further by also making each one memorable — you’ll walk out wondering the next time you’ll be able to come back. Seriously, we dream about these sliders. And you will, too. —Jenna Jones Best KoreanChicken SevenIn the summer of 2021, husband and wife Sean Lee and Erica Park opened Chicken Seven (6312 South Grand Boulevard, 314-354-6349) in a former bar in the city’s Carondelet neighborhood with the goal of bringing the Korean fried chicken and street-food experience to St. Louis. It’s been a struggle. From finding themselves stymied in their efforts to get a liquor license to being harassed by their neighbors (don’t even think about parking in the adjacent apartment building’s lot), the pair have faced adversity at just about every turn. Miraculously, they haven’t let it stop them from turning out the gold standard of Korean fried chicken. Lee’s bird has a coating that’s as crunchy as a kettle-cooked potato chip but also impossibly light, wrapping the searing-hot meat in a layer of savory flavor so crisp you can hear someone bite into a drumstick from across the room. Alone, it is magical, but Lee’s sauces, like a honey soy garlic or sweet chili yum yum sauce, push it over the edge. The chicken alone is worth a visit, but Chicken Seven also dazzles with snacks such as the Korean corn dog, which is like the offspring of a mozzarella stick and a cinnamon-sugar doughnut, and the SDSD, a glorious hot-dog-topped sticky-rice dish paired with yum yum sauce. That the parks can continue to put out such good food in the midst of adversity is a testament to their talent and tenacity. —Cheryl Baehr Best ChineseCorner 17Earlier this year, a social media influencer felt firsthand the ferocity with which the St. Louis restaurant community comes to the defense of its own when he dragged Corner 17 (6623 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-727-2402) online after the restaurant refused to give him free food. The telling thing about the incident is not only the strength of our civic pride but that Corner 17 is such a beloved spot people were willing to come to its defense. If you’ve dined at this Delmar Loop eatery, you understand why. Known for its hand-pulled noodles, Corner 17 offers an expansive menu of delectable delights, like cumin lamb, a wide range of bao and dumplings, and twice-cooked pork belly that is positively life-changing. Add to this a wonderful selection of bubble tea and it’s clear why everyone in town has its back. —Cheryl Baehr
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Jenna Jones is the Audience Development Manager for Euclid Media Group and Harry Styles' biggest fan.
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