“Do you like BBQ?” someone on Twitter asked. I laughed for about five minutes before replying “Yes.”
“Of course,” I thought. Then it occurred to me that it was absolutely a valid question because some people really don’t like BBQ. These aren’t the people who typically want to hang out with me, though.
This is the kolache that started our obsession. Last week, Jake’s coworker brought in a box of kolaches from St. Louis Kolache to share. Jake was so excited about this Philly Cheesesteak kolache that he texted me a photo.
It really started here, though:
Our new, favorite beef tartare is Korean.
Not to long ago, local blogger Dive Bars 2 Five Stars wrote a blog post about a meal at Joo Joo Korean Restaurant & Karaoke. His photo of a raw beef dish nestling an egg yolk caught my eye. I had never seen a Korean beef tartare before. Soon after, we all met at Joo Joo and tried it for ourselves, along with several more dishes.
Joo Joo’s spread of banchan is more concise than Asian Kitchen spread of 20 dishes. They are slightly larger portions, though, and we liked everything. At Asian Kitchen, there are usually one-two banchan that feature tiny dried fish.
Tacos are love.
At least to me they are. You can keep your Valentine’s candy and roses that will just die anyway, and stuffed bears holding hearts. You can also keep your poetry, unless it’s about tacos, of course. Mexican street-style tacos are like everything nice in food cradled between two soft corn tortillas.
This weekend, we continued our St. Louis taco quest. Previous outings brought us to La Tejana, Taqueria El Bronco and Taqueria El Bronco again (and again).
A while ago, Whiskey & Soba mentioned how El Morelia, a Mexican grocery store in nearby Bridgeton roasts al pastor on a spit for Saturday and Sunday taco lunches. I never forgot this.
One thing that’s evident is how collaborative St. Louis’s food people are. Chefs and restaurant owners often work together on pop-ups and mash-ups and take-overs. And at any given moment, you’ll spot a restaurant offering a special food item created with another restaurant such as a special burger or pizza. I often see chefs giving shout-outs to restaurants at which they are enjoying meals and really, never hear restaurant professionals bashing their competition.
Between the classics, openings, and collaborations, we’re never going to run out of places to try during our time here.
Sameem Afghan Restaurant quickly rose to the top of our “must try” list. I kept reading enthusiastic reviews and blog posts such as this one by Good Food STL. According to Sameem’s website, it’s the only Afghan restaurant in Missouri. Before our visit, Jake had never tried Afghan food before; technically I had.
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