Photographs By Katherine Bish
This collection of 97 of our favorite things in the city will give you a fresh perspective—and a host of new things to try. From the best place for carryout to the best place to get carried away, from the best butcher to the best bowling alley, from the best place to get shoes fixed to the best place to get abs ripped, we've turned the city upside down looking for the most amazing restaurants, stores, people, entertainment and getaways. You'll find many old favorites on these pages, but also some hidden treasures. You'll see obvious winners, but also some that beat out more popular choices because of their originality or unusual approach to the category. No matter what your preferences, we guarantee you'll find plenty to love about this list and about the city it celebrates.
Food & Drink
Power Lunch
Roll out the red carpet; sound the trumpets. King Louie's is open again for lunch. The food is fine (very fine), and the atmosphere is conducive to talking brass tacks. Unlike the newest, trendiest spots in town, which sorely lack soundproofing, this eatery on Chouteau allows conversations to be heard and remain tableside.
3800 Chouteau, 314-865-3662, www.kinglouies.com.
Lunch with the Girls
The Zodiac Room at Neiman Marcus. Sure, we know all about The Woman's Exchange, but just how many salads can one person eat in a lifetime? Nordstrom's tearoom is appealing but lacks the warm, cozy feel of yesteryear's department- store eateries. The lure of Neiman's? Efficient use of time (you can shop) and popovers (only great when really hot). The chef, Greg Maggi, lifts the bar on the standard noon repast. And for girly-chic atmosphere, it's tough to beat.
Neiman Marcus, Plaza Frontenac, 314-567-9811, www.neimanmarcus.com.
Greasy Spoon
We like our sashimi and steak au poivre, but sometimes we want something ... simple. And it takes more than a neon clock and '50s music to fool us. It takes the guilt- filled "How ya'll doin'?" comfort food of the Eat-Rite Diner. You've got the grease-thumbed menus and a staff that ages like Casey Kasem, and it's the only place in town we know of where you can get a T-bone steak as a side.
622 Chouteau, 314-621-9621.
Friendly Cuppa Joe
When Hartford Coffee Company opened in February 2004, the cafe ran through a month's worth of food in the first weekend, a surprising omen. Dealing in fair-trade coffee, homemade deli items and fresh baked goods, the Tower Grove South meeting ground has maintained a loyal and growing following since that harried debut. Open-mike jam sessions, knitting circles and family- friendly theme nights keep new people coming through the door, though regulars know it's a good place to sit, by yourself or with friends, without any specific reason to hook you in--just great coffee and a warm, unpretentious atmosphere.
3974 Hartford, 314-771- 5282, www.hartfordcoffeecompany.com.
Best Place to Break the Fast
What could be as heavenly as a hot, buttery croissant filled with broccoli, mushrooms and Swiss cheese? How about any of the other warm breakfast entrees, including made-to-order omelets, at La Bonne Bouchée? Opt to dine outside and pretend to be a sassy Parisienne--leashed poodle and jeweled sunglasses optional. Be sure to take home a sweet ... perhaps a tiny Napoleon?
12344 Olive, 314-576-6606.
No Bubba Bar
A particularly stylish friend says that if you can't get a glass of champagne, it's not an upscale bar. Other criteria: no drunken sports fans in team gear after the game, no shiny shirts, no overconfident middle-aged divorcees on the hunt for arm candy. No neon, no forced Sex and the City vibe. Music? Maybe. Food? Perhaps. Ultrachic decor? Not necessary, but it helps. There are many contenders these days, but we've chosen Lucas Park Grille for its comfortable chic and unapologetic existence as a uniquely St. Louis version of an urban gathering spot.
1234 Washington, 314-241-7770, www.lucasparkgrille.com.
Wine Bar for All
Erato Wine Bar on South Grand manages the impossible: It is both friendly and refined. Gen X-ers and judges, teachers and technicians—all flock to this airy exposed- brick space teeming with blond-wood wine racks. Erato (smoke free, another miracle) offers more than 120 wine selections from vineyards in Europe, South Africa and North and South America. Also on the nine-page menu are selections of spirits and beers, as well as some appetizers. Sip wine, savor scotch, tip back a beer or sample fine cheese. But if you're seeking a table on Saturday night, arrive before 9 p.m.
3117 S. Grand, 314-664-6400.
Cash and Carryout
We were torn between Gourmet to Go (our favorite lunch destination) and Art of Entertaining. But the ultimate nod has to go to AOE. The freezers are stocked with delicious entrees at reasonable prices, and the menu is long, varied and pretty darn delicious.
8796 Big Bend, 314-963-9899.
For carryout from a grocery store, Whole Foods stands counters above the best. More than one person we know picks up the entire Thanksgiving meal there.
1601 S. Brentwood, 314-968-7744, www.wholefoods.com.
Person We Wish Were Our Mom
Holly Cunningham, president of Hollyberry Baking Co., wins the trophy for the best cookie creator in town. Aptly named, the Lemon Heaven melts in your mouth and sends your spirits soaring. It would win the best-cookie-ever-eaten award if it weren't for competition from other Hollyberry entrants: Dave's Double-chip (semisweet- and white- chocolate chips), Cocoa Bliss (cocoa with toffee and white-chocolate chips) and the Oatmeal Crannie (the classic, spruced up with a smattering of cranberries). Order in advance.
284 East in Webster Groves, 314-968-9239, www.hollyberrybaking.com.
James Bond Combo
Like any art form, mixing a good martini requires craft, practice and talent. At the Ritz-Carlton Lobby Lounge, the staff understands this better than anyone, blending consistently sublime versions of the fruity, sweet or peppery cocktails on their leather-bound martini menu. And for old-school martini lovers, the Ritz's seasoned bartenders know their way around gin versus vodka and varying amounts of vermouth—down to the difference a single drop can make. Prefer to inhale your pleasures? At the risk of redundancy, the best cigar bar in town is the Cigar Club at the Ritz. Let gravity pull your body into the rich leather chairs (Atlas-sized "what a day" sigh optional) and peruse, with thoughtful nods, the cigar menu. Connoisseurs and occasional puffers alike are made welcome here.
100 Carondelet Plaza, 314-863- 6300, www.ritzcarlton.com/hotels/st_louis.
Jaw-Dropping Cork-Pop
Once again, the unpretentious Riddle's wins for its wine lists. Whether one's intention is to woo, be wild or just get sideways with a luscious bottle of wine, Riddles Penultimate Café & Wine Bar has 400 bottles on its global list and another 28 selections by the glass. Pooh, darling—who cares about seeing cellars? Sample several or let the trained servers select one that will burst on the tongue, soothe the savage beast or make food stand up and sing. The grape never had a better home. Squeeze in at a table on the star-studded walk and enjoy. Food till midnight, wine till 1 a.m.
6307 Delmar, 314-725-6985, www.riddlescafe.com.
Quintessential Pub
Pubs should be convivial, but smoke, noise, mediocre food and overeagerness can spoil the effect. Dressel's, founded by a poet who won Wales' bardic crown, breathes authenticity. Bach and Gershwin soothe jangled souls into deep and spirited conversation, the stockpot is hearty and the chips are hot and fresh, ready to be soaked in malt vinegar and washed down with Double Dragon ale. "We prefer not to serve people in a hurry," warns Dressel, giving patrons time to realize they're in what one Welsh professor has pronounced "possibly the best pub in America."
419 N. Euclid, 314-361-1060.
Specialty Store
The Smokehouse Market, standing in the Chesterfield Valley since long before the Flood, is a Euro-size shop that specializes in real food, with more necessities, delights and takeaways stacked on its shelves than you'll find in 10 aisles of a superstore. Sauces, vegetables and custom-built sandwiches, creams, cheeses, unique salads, and oh, the meat! Counters full of lusty cuts and lengths of beef, chops and sausages tended by butcher artists. It's serious country-squire stuff, thrilling with flavor, and it's all packed into a few little aisles. Dickens would lose his mind; Hughes couldn't buy or better this one.
16806 Chesterfield Airport Rd., 314-532-3314, www.smokehousemarket.com.
Lunch Like Mom Used to Make
On Wednesdays, The Edible Difference offers the best make-you-feel-like-a-kid lunch in the whole world: tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. The soup is creamy and rich, and the sandwich is served on your choice of classic (not artisan) breads. Even the staunchest businessman will loosen his tie, and the driven CEO will dangle her shoe from her toe and recall carefree days of finger- painting and naptime.
615 Pine, 314-588-8432, www.edible-difference.com.
Proper Tearoom
Remember when you used to have tea parties for your dolls, dressing them in their finest frilly dresses, sipping from miniature teacups and chatting in an oh-so-adult manner about their little dolly lives? You can re-create that experience at Ladies of Lucerne, which serves the city's best tea on Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m. From the opportunity to dress up like HRH the Queen (don't forget the hat) to the friendly service to the seemingly endless towers of treats, there's no better way to spend an afternoon.
The Barn at Lucerne, 636-227-7300, www.ladiesoflucerne.com.
After-Work Unwind
Personal expectations have everything to do with determining the best place to go for cocktails after work. A beer with the guys? Cosmos with the girls? Serious martinis and single-malts? The options are truly infinite. This year's choice is BARcelona, because it's bright and festive with an atmosphere to match, plus a happy hour from 4 to 7 specializing in half-price pitchers of sangria and the option of ordering tapas on the side. In good weather, the lively crowd spills over to the outdoor tables and turns Clayton Catalan.
34 N. Central, 314-863-9909.
Slice of Cheesy Heaven
Really, St. Louis-style, Chicago-style and Sicilian are all variations on the original classic New York pizza. And no one in town does the original better than La Pizza. Dough is made daily; the sauce is simply fresh pureed tomatoes; only 100 percent whole-milk mozzarella is used. Transplanted New Yorkers sing this pizza's praises. Combined with its no-frills location and the fact that you're likely to be waited on by an owner, this is a true pizza joint.
8137 Delmar, 314-725-1230.
The Right Cut
St. Louis carnivores have their own boutique: Hanlen's Meat Shoppe & Catering, staffed by wonderful people who ask all the right questions. "Would you like that marinated?" is one of them. By all means, do it! They have perfected a divine oil-based marinade that includes a delicate blend of herbs and spices. When it comes to service, Hanlen's is a cut above. Special-order customers receive telephone calls asking, "How thick would you like those chops cut?" All that effort at the front end will be reflected in the cook's end result.
11037 Manchester, 314-966-8606
Microbrew
Schlafly beers have always struck us as being cloyingly sweet—not a major problem if you like your beer on the sweet side, but a disappointment for those of us who like beer with a bite. Until, that is, the American Pale Ale (dubbed Expedition Ale in honor of Lewis and Clark) arrived. What a pleasant surprise! A beer that Lewis and Clark would have liked (and probably wish they could have packed).
Tap Room, 2100 Locust, 314- 241-2337; Bottleworks, 7260 Southwest, 314-241-2337, www.schlafly.com.
Before-Dinner Drinks
Whereas all too many major restaurants in the area insult their customers with short pours, substitutions and weak drinks, Red Moon delivers the real thing with a flourish. Bless the bartenders.
1500 St. Charles, 314- 436-9700, www.redmoon-stl.com.
Caterering to Pleasure
Napa Catering's clients include some of St. Louis' most prominent families. Chef-owner Emily Marshall learned her clean cuisine in northern California, where she cooked for former President Bill Clinton and Bill Gates. Deft in Thai, French bistro and northern Italian, she rejects more clients than she accepts because she refuses to fall back on baked pasta.
314-614-5282.
For versatility, our alternative is The Butler's Pantry, whose menus have smoothed papal visits and presidential debates, not to mention David Letterman's Racing Team.
5389 Arsenal, 314-664-7680, www.butlerspantry.com.
Fancy Cakes
Sweet Encores is a cake bakery that takes your breath away. Fit for fancy weddings and big birthday blowouts, its cakes are centerpieces that set the tone. Don't be surprised when you get a thank-you note from the two women who create these heavenly confections. They value their clients as much as clients value them.
4502 Hampton, 314-832-4303.
Beer Garden
There comes a time in every beer-drinker's life when flavor matters more than price, ambience more than speed. For those who have reached this milestone, the beer garden (biergarten, for purists) is the perfect place to hoist a glass in surroundings you wouldn't be ashamed to tell your mother about. With a secret- garden feel, waterfall, abundant greenery, 13 non- Budweiser beers on tap and two dozen more in bottles, John D. McGurk's in Soulard wins the contest.
1200 Russell, 314-776-8309, www.mcgurks.com.
Better-Than-the-Usual-Burger Burger
Fittingly enough, Joe's Big Burger started out as Chef Joe Hovland's midnight snack. Then it moved to CARDWELL'S luncheon menu. Hovland admits that we're all lucky that caramelized onions were on line the night of the original inspiration. Add some double-smoked peppered bacon, Amish blue and Jarlsberg Swiss cheeses and Cardwell's own bourbon barbecue sauce, and you'll comprehend why Joe's Big Burger will never be confused with just another burger. (Note to Cardwell's: What's Joe's current midnight snack?)
8100 Maryland, 314-726-5055, www.cardwellsrestaurant.com.
Tiny Indulgence
Most vices weigh heavy, but biting into the chocolate-coated molasses puffs at Bissinger's French Confections is a pas de deux with an angel. Made by hand, one puff at a time, they taste of innocence and banish greed—which means that the pound that fills the signature gold canister will last a luxuriously long time.
4742 McPherson, 314-367-9750, with outposts at the Galleria, Plaza Frontenac and Westfield Shoppingtown-Crestwood, www.bissingers.com.
Shopping & Services
Contemporary Furniture
There are no knock-offs. It's a melange of exclusive, original Italian furnishings that say "Ciao!" and strike a pose. It's Centro Modern Furnishings, a mod museum of retail wow where form and function finally make sense. Artimedes lamps and "sculptures" sparkle; leather dining chairs steal center floor; funkadelic accessories edge the furniture groupings. It's fun—and it's sneaking into traditional homes all over the area.
4727 McPherson, 314-454-0111, www.centro-inc.com.
Elegantly Aged Antiques
Strolling through an antique mall conjures up visions of several hundred attics and basements being cleaned out all on the same day. The wares waffle from wonderful to weird, jewel to junk. At the Warson Woods Antique Mall, however, they actually monitor the stock on the shelves. If it isn't old, it isn't sold. You'll find everything from majolica porcelains to good quality silver, substantial furniture and unusual (albeit dated) odds and ends.
10091 Manchester, 314-909-0123, www.warsonwoodsantiques.com.
As for the best antique store in town, Clark Graves Antiques is top dog, in terms of the quality of individual pieces. Yes, four-figure prices are pretty much the norm, but the owner welcomes all browsers, he brews a mean cup of coffee and ... he believes in layaway.
132 N. Meramec, 314-725-2695.
Someone Else's Closet
The Women's Closet Exchange has been nationally ranked one of the best clothing-resale shops in this country, and it's not hard to understand why. Owner Sue McCarthy greets you with delight, and the buys go from good to unbelievable. The store is stocked with items shipped in from cities all over the country. On a day we happened by, a frequent contributor from Chicago had just sent a truckload of brand-new Prada, Manolo Blahnik and Chanel.
11557 Gravois, 314-842-8405, www.womensclosetexchange.com.
Place to Pop a Wheelie
For all the great bicycle shops St. Louis boasts, you'd think we'd be a little lower on all those "fattest/unhealthiest" lists. Well, don't blame the good folks at Ballwin Cycles. This exceptionally knowledgeable staff will find the bike for you—and if they don't, they'll build it for you, using state-of-the-art software. Most important, they're known for service and honesty. Say you have a couple of busted spokes: They've been known to fix them lickety-split, take only a fiver from you and send you pedaling.
15340 Manchester, 636-391-2666, www.stlbiking.com/BallwinCycles.htm.
Books Again
When it comes to used bookstores, the Book House has no peer. These are books (used, rare, new and out-of-print) the way we want them—not perfectly arranged in a sterile storefront but packed floor to ceiling on three stories of a historic house complete with resident cat and ghost. Don't see what you want on the shelves? If a title is out there, the owner will track it down for you and have it shipped to the store or your home.
9719 Manchester, 314-968-4491, www.findbooks.com.
As Good as Old Furniture
Don't let the name fool you. Though the eclectic Rothschild's Antiques does offer some older pieces, most of the furniture is new. Rothschild's wins for general panache, artful displays and a rare mix of wares--classic to contemporary, formal to funky, Asian to American.
398 N. Euclid, 314-361-4870.
Nearly New Furniture
Home Renew clearly wins the award for the lowest priced and most attractively displayed used-furniture store. Furnishing your child's first apartment? This is your kind of place. Perfectly great mahogany dining-room table? A mere $130. Comfy couches for less than $300. One deal after another.
5617 Pershing, 314-367-3366, www.homerenewconsign.com.
An A-minus goes to the extremely charming but considerably more cher Little Shop Around the Corner. The fact that the profits go to the Missouri Botanical Garden should help ease the pain.
4474 Castleman, 314-577-0891.
Books
There is one, and only one, full-line independent bookstore in the metropolitan area. Enough said? Left Bank Books is beyond customer-friendly and proves itself particularly invaluable in providing its customers access to interesting (and we mean really interesting) writers. (Is it time to note that Left Bank Books also realizes that translators, as well, are major artists?) There's a simple bottom line at work here: If you truly love books (and don't want every bookstore to look exactly alike), this one's for you.
399 N. Euclid, 314-367-6731, www.left-bank.com.
Cool Castoffs
If June Cleaver needed a new shirtwaist, she would go straight to Annata, the city's latest addition to the vintage-clothing market (and to the Maplewood shopscape). Step inside the attractively displayed and spacious store and you'll swear you're in Los Angeles, mingling among the stars who love to dress up by dressing down in very old clothes. The frocks range from fine (beautiful beaded tops; gorgeous swirl-skirt, lace-top cocktail dresses; wonderful suits from the World War II era) to funky (including the oddball accessory, the overly floral hat, the sharp-edged handbag and the '50s lamp).
7298 Manchester, 314-644-2055.
Place to Get Buffed
Both health clubs and gyms boast free weights, elliptical machines and the like, but Wellbridge Athletic Club & Spa takes it a step further with a heated indoor pool, a day spa and services like the "metabolic submax VO2 test" (locating where your body most efficiently burns fat). And Wellbridge puts the "club" in "health club," with many joining not only for the physical benefits but the social ones as well.
7620 Forsyth, 314-746-1500.
Runner-Up: Gold's Gym, if you're more interested in sweat than in networking. Four locations, www.goldsgym.com.
Pilates Instructor
There's a nice lady teaching Pilates in the church basement. But Karen Prechtl's teacher studied with Joseph Pilates himself. Prechtl founded The Pilates and Yoga Center of St. Louis, where every teacher has completed at least nine months of intensive training. Your body is bound to know the difference.
1015 McCausland, 314-781-5050, www.pilatescentersstl.com.
Hatha Here
A yoga studio needs good teachers, lots of classes and great ambience. We want yoga in all its forms--hatha, kundalini, ashtanga—no African drumming or belly dancing, please. Big Bend Yoga Center keeps its focus on yoga, with more weekly classes than any local studio save one (YogaSource). Classes take place in a converted garage in Webster Groves, and on nice days the garage door is open to the breeze. Perfect.
88 N. Gore, 314-918-9642, www.bigbendyoga.com.
Place for a Male Makeover
Sam Cavato is in a class by itself when it comes to men's clothing, and now it's getting even better—a total renovation-cum-expansion is in the works, including the addition of a designer-shoe salon. Cavato's commitment to customer service is legendary. The classic-clothing line remains classic (and ages well), and if you think classic equals monochromatic, you have a colorful surprise coming.
265 Plaza Frontenac, 314-997-1100.
Place to Take a Little off the Top
The American Classic Barber Shop is coolsville reincarnated. Guys with pompadours commiserate about your woes as they spin you around in St. Louis-made Koken barber chairs, chrome and black vinyl or blond wood and stainless steel. Hip photographers and musicians have already heard the word from the bird, and they're flocking in for $11 flattops and spikes. "It makes you feel like a man," says one patron, "getting ready to go out." Now to find a doll in a poodle skirt ...
5419 Chippewa, 314-351-5993.
Place to Find Out Anything
The Internet is seductive, but you can strangle in its webs. When you really need solid, documented, knowledgeably researched facts and figures, nothing beats the St. Louis Public Library reference desk. Just don't mention that you're doing The New York Times crossword puzzle. These people are professionals.
314-241-2288, www.slpl.lib.mo.us.
Shutterbug Shop
"Last place to get film," one professional photographer dubs it. Schiller's Camera & Video can sell you anything you need, film or digital, but what's more important is the way its experts—three or four lined up at each counter—can solve any problem. Need an amber filter that looks, oh, like candlelight in the 1800s? Want Aunt Bessie cropped out of the family photo after her scandalous elopement with the fortune hunter? Want to restore Aunt Bessie to the family photo after she writes you into her will? Since 1892, Schiller's has been improving St. Louisans' images.
9240 Manchester, 314-968-3650, www.schillers.com.
Shoe Reincarnation
Cobblestone Quality Shoe Repair breaks the centuries-old tradition of small, dark, grimy repair shops where nearsighted curmudgeons whisk away your rotted shrunken shoes with nary a hint of what their salvation will cost you. The management installed extra lights over the counter to help you inspect the work, and the immaculate shelves offer 30,000 different products, from garden Sloggers to dyed-to-match sandals, wooden shoeshine boxes and shoe trees, 53 colors of shoe cream and a rainbow of cloth and leather laces. Satisfaction guaranteed.
8855 Ladue, 314-727-4080.
Hip Boutique
The best of the boutiques must offer stylish-but-one-of-a-kind pieces, chic accessories, celeb-worthy designers and the look of New York or L.A. without the coastal price tags. Vie is our choice, offering everything from T-shirts to formal attire in funky to traditional styles—many from chic labels you'll recognize instantly. With Vie's up-to-the-minute selections, fashionistas of all stripes are guaranteed to leave the shop happy.
9660 Clayton, 314-997-0124.
People & Media
St. Louis Bluesman
For more than 50 years, Bennie Smith has played the blues with skill, ingenuity and grace. Acclaimed for his nimble, inventive leads, the St. Louis-born guitarist has performed with such stars as B.B. King, Little Milton, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Ike Turner and Aretha Franklin. You won't catch this legend coasting on past glories, however. At 71, Smith is still a dynamic presence on the local club circuit, delighting fans nearly every weekend with his stellar band, the Urban Blues Express.
Local Storyteller
If you've ever read any of Patricia McKissack's books, you know you need not search further for children's books that are exciting, informational and thought-provoking. McKissack recounts the African-American experience with conviction, empathy and humor, from her picture books to her biographies, from Color Me Dark to Ma Dear's Aprons, The Honest-to-Goodness Truth and Miami Gets It Straight.
Best Living Mayor
Our own Francis G. Slay. Downtown hasn't seen this many cranes, contractors and new commercial and residential building since the South was battling the North for sovereignty. Developers are now rushing into areas where they long feared to tread. City Hospital? Vacant since 1985; now under construction. And Washington Avenue is becoming St. Louis' answer to New York's Columbus Avenue. The mayor doesn't get all the credit, but he has certainly eased the pain and greased the wheels to kick revitalization into a higher gear. Now, if only he could beam the school board back to this planet.
Best Athlete, No Steroids
They don't call him Amazing Albert for nothing. On the diamond, the 25-year-old Albert Pujols is the St. Louis Cardinals' go-to guy and a constant offensive force, serving up RBIs like an ice-cream man at a kid convention. Jersey Number 5 makes swinging for the opposite field look easy and consistently connects, even on the breaking balls and high fastballs traditionally used to confuse batters. Off the field, we dig him because he's modest, has a reputation of always working to improve his game and keeps our hope alive for a steroid- and crybaby-free baseball world.
Up-and-Coming Politician
Being a freshman Democrat in Missouri's Capitol, heavy on Republicans, did not stop Rachel Storch from getting her voice heard. Less than a month into the 2005 legislative session, Storch called for Chesterfield Republican Rep. Jane Cunningham to step down as head of the House Education Committee. Storch's claim: Cunningham inappropriately reminded Republican lawmakers of how much money she helped them raise in a letter about why she should remain the committee's head. Much of the money Cunningham raised came from a political-action group that supports school vouchers.
Place to Browse
One yardstick of a really good newsstand has snapped: Now even the best newsstand in St. Louis—World News Ltd. in Clayton, across from the courthouse--no longer carries out-of-town Sunday editions of the L.A. Times, the Houston Chronicle or the New Orleans Times-Picayune. But World News still has 3,000 periodicals to choose from, including every U.S. magazine you can imagine and foreign pubs such as Der Spiegel and Le Figaro, not to mention the Fire Apparatus Journal and the Russian edition of GQ. The hours are regular, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, and there's even a branch office in Westport.
4 S. Central, 314-726-6010; 308 Westport Plaza, 314-434-9449.
Underground News
Arch City Chronicle editor Dave Drebes, along with co-founder Will Winter, started this twice-monthly paper three years ago as a monthly news-letter. From their respective South City and North City home bases, the two keep tabs on politics citywide, regularly scooping bigger publications. ACC outlines voting trends, profiles aldermen, reports development rumors and entertains with bar and restaurant reviews in every issue. Cleverly written, the newspaper plots hard facts next to amusing political sidebars. Last year, ACC offered ideas for drinking games while watching the presidential debates and even published a report comparing political-rally buffets.
Unsung Hero
Every few months, advertising account executive Pat Bradley charters a small plane and flies off to one of the world's crisis spots, bringing bags of flour or cash and distributing water cans, mosquito nets or fishing hooks. He targets the no-fly zones where mainstream charities don't dare go. On Sudanese battlefields, he learned to make field splints of bleached sticks tied with tree bark. He's brought food to Taliban-controlled mountain villages in Afghanistan and to Ethiopia, where he hopes to build an orphanage for children who have lost their parents to AIDS—and next he'll fly to North Korea—without fanfare.
Unlikely Politician
Craig Schmid (D-20th Ward) is the type of alderman every city ward covets. Conscientious to a fault, acutely sensitive to the needs of the diverse community he serves, Schmid is an attorney by trade, but he's worked only at his aldermanic duties since taking office in 1995. More at home at neighborhood meetings than at stuffy fundraisers, he's an asset to the city at the legislative level, rolling up his sleeves and taking on issues the old-fashioned way, and he's frequently seen picking up trash and planting medians in his district's toughest neighborhoods—even when the cameras aren't around.
Sportscaster
Here's all you need to know about KMOV (Channel 4) sportscaster Steve Savard: The guy never quits. This spring, he was all over the air the week of the NCAA Men's Final Four. Less than 24 hours after a champion was crowned, he was in Houston doing live shots for the Cardinals' season opener. And spring is his "off" season. In addition to his television duties, Savard is the voice of the Rams and has picked up six Emmy Awards at KMOV since 1994. "I'm just having a heck of a lot of fun," Savard says. It shows.
On-Air Voice
In St. Louis, the best radio voice isn't really a radio voice at all. Radio Rich Dalton has a slow, reassuring pace that might be used to talk someone in off the ledge. Still airing after all these years, Dalton is on Emmis-owned stations KHTS (96.3 FM) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays, then walks "30 feet down the hall" to KSHE (94.7 FM) on Sunday nights from 6 p.m. to midnight. He avoids the commercial cant of most on-air radio "talent," who talk as if they just read the time-is-money memo from station management, and he's the antonym for perky.
Gavel Wielder
Judge Michael Burton manages to blend the best of Dr. Cliff Huxtable and Sheriff Andy Taylor. Courteous, kind but never a pushover, Burton has a strong legal mind tempered by compassion for those less fortunate. After his wife, Sheila, founded a girls' club for underprivileged youth in East St. Louis more than a decade ago, he founded a boys' club to even the scales. "As constant as the Northern Star," was how one lawyer described Burton; he is a judge who moves the levers of power with a steady hand.
www.stlouisco.com/circuitcourt/division16.html.
Cultural Icon
Katherine Dunham is a national icon and a next-to-forgotten local legend. Shame on us. Here is a woman who combined anthropology (with a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, no less) with dance and developed a dance language of her own, justly praised both nationally and internationally. In her adopted city of East St. Louis, she established the Katherine Dunham Museum and, had she had her way, East St. Louis would now be a booming arts center. If we have our way, Miss Dunham's local name recognition will finally equal her talent, dedication and extensive résumé.
Superstar in Waiting
There are many hard, much debated choices we make here in putting together these lists. This is not one of them. If you haven't heard of—or more importantly, heard—Erin Bode, we suggest you do so soon. Her intimate vocal styling is a treasure, and, frankly, she has the looks and the drive, in addition to the talent, to make herself more than just a local hero. Wouldn't it be nice if Ms. Bode leads the way for the plethora of jazz talent we have here, which we locals so take for granted?
Comeback
Maplewood, no doubt about it. You've got a couple of the area's finest restaurants, a classic bowling alley and great music stores, and they're even brewin' beer. If that's not enough, houses are enjoying an average annual appreciation rate of 17.3 percent. In just a few years, solid leadership, piloted by Mayor Mark Langston and some smart, progressive Maplewood business owners, has turned a so-so area into one of the jewels of the city.
Soon-to-be-Missed Attraction
A big attraction in any given year, in this, its final season, Busch Stadium is bound to be the prime destination for both hordes of Cardinals faithful and those others not accustomed to wearing red. The Landmarks Association notes that the foremost cookie-cutter stadium in the country is the most endangered architecturally significant building in the area. Many Cardinals fans will note that there is no significant reason for its demise, but the countdown has begun. It's your last chance. Next year's inevitable prime tourist attraction will be the new Busch Stadium.
200 Stadium Plaza, 314-421-3060, www.stlcardinals.com.
Play
For a Formal Soirée
The Roberts Orpheum Theatre. Designed in the Parisian style in 1917 by architect Albert Lansburgh and lovingly restored this year by Mike and Steve Roberts, the theater provides a fantastic space punctuated by Leo Lentelli sculpture (you can see other Lentelli pieces in Rockefeller Center).
416 N. Ninth, 314-588-0388.
Hollywood Escape
People don't go to the Moolah Theatre & Lounge to see the movies. They go there to pretend they're in a movie. One of Midtown's most interesting revival efforts, the 1912 Moorish-styled building's walls whisper the past secrets of the place, now home to one of the swankiest theaters in town, with a base- ment bowling alley, office space and living units. And oh, the cinema experience—leather loveseats, a full-service bar and one of the biggest screens around.
3821 Lindell, 314-446-6868.
Off-the-Beaten-Path Trails
What makes a great trail? The chance to see the best of what nature has to offer without killing yourself in the process. The Lost Valley Trail in St. Charles County comes through with a diversity of scenery yet is still accessible for all levels of hikers and bikers. The eight-mile loop is home to wildflowers and nesting blue herons in the spring, and visitors find their way through streams, meadows and enough forest for ample shade in summer.
Off Highway 94 in the Weldon Spring Conservation Area.
Perfect Score
After years of battling Milwaukee over beer, St. Louis extended the competition to a pursuit often linked with the brewer's art: bowling. To understand why St. Louis became the sport's Cooperstown, check out the authentic Saratoga Lanes in Maplewood. This is no boutique bowling alley with expensive martinis, nor is it some 24-or-more–lane megaplex. It's bowling at its finest and most basic: lanes, a bar and pool tables at the top of the stairs.
2725-A Sutton, 314-645-5308.
Serendipitous Snooze
We slept everywhere but returned to the Westin Hotel at Cupples Station for the romance-meets-macho, urban-contempo style infused with local art and Euro lighting ... for the cinematic scale of the rooms ... for the Heavenly Beds (even for Fido). We came back for the Presidential Suite's steel-and-chrome pool table ... the deep tub and seamless shower and stadium view ... the full-service Solera Spa ... the relief of living without gold and gilt. And we're not leaving.
811 Spruce, 314-621-2000, www.westin.com.
Naughty Rendezvous
Is it the Daniele Hotel's fairly obscured one-way driveways? The hidden parking lot in the back? The back entrance? The ever-ready excuse provided by the cozy piano bar? Or simply the lure of the rooms and the discretion of the staff? We certainly wouldn't kiss and tell, but those in the know will whisper "the Daniele" into an equally knowing ear.
216 N. Meramec, 314-721-5268 or 866-800- 4934, www.stl.com/Daniele.
Skinny-Dipping Spot
On hot St Louis summer days, few in our AC-addicted populace will make the longish drive to Shaw Nature Reserve, an extension of the Missouri Botanical Garden in Gray Summit, Mo., and fewer still will hike all the way to the Meramec River. A cooling dip rewards the diligent. Buildup: Drive with the windows down. Privacy: Ample brush facilitates Clark Kent wardrobe changes. Risk: The reserve's scant list of rules includes one against swimming, but public nudity is the larger transgression.
Highway 100 and I-44, Gray Summit, Mo., 636-451-3512, www.shawnature.org.
World-Class Theater
Opera Theatre of St. Louis takes its theater seriously, loading its collaborative team with top-flight artists. It's no surprise that OTSL is the only local theater attracting national and international press—and audience.
130 Edgar, 314-961-0644, www.opera-stl.org.
Strange Stage Productions
Lampooning television and film "classics" since the late '90s, the Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre is the inspired offshoot of the St. Louis Shakespeare Company. Fans of the Monkey know that when they attend this group's productions, with their ultracheap sets and wacky adapted scripts, they'll see the original versions twisted and tweaked into zany camp. Sending up works as divergent as Speed Racer, Plan 9 from Outer Space and It's a Wonderful Life, the Monkey's cast and crew always get the joke and are generous in sharing it with a dedicated core of pop-culture aficionados.
314-361-5664, www.stlshakespeare.com/MONKEY.
Top Spin
There's no mystery to the success of DJ Charlie Chan. He's bold enough to drop Madonna in the middle of a hip-hop set, and he's as comfortable underground as he is spinning mainstream. Nicknamed the "don" of St. Louis DJs by Vibe magazine, Chan is proving his power.
314-398-2222.
Quick Getaway
The Dam 51 Lockhouses in Golconda, Ill., offer St. Louisans a little-known and uncommonly restful escape. A short drive away, near the Illinois Alps and plenty of unjustly forgotten historical sights, the houses sit literally atop the Ohio River. Zone out in a hot tub, watching the river flow by.
Golconda, Ill., 618-683-6702, www.mainstreetgolconda.org.
Romantic Hideaway
Two hours from St. Louis is the Riverside Retreat, a nondescript cabin in Lesterville set high above the Black River. In the summertime, the trees surrounding it overflow with green, and the cabin stays cool--the perfect oasis after a hike to Mina Sauk Falls. Winter, cozy up to the stone fireplace or fall asleep just feet from the flames, warmed by the fire and lulled by the peace of the river.
314-534-0826.
Place for a First—or Last—Date
Ah, the first date—the sweaty palms, the cotton mouth, the tachycardia.Instead, meet at Ted Drewes. There's no pressure conversing over frozen custard. And if you discover that your smitten one sucks as a lifetime Terramizzou-eating partner, meet there again, grab an order, head to the parking lot and break it off. Consolation ice cream and no messy clean-up.
6726 Chippewa, 314-481-2652; 4224 S. Grand, 314-352-7376.
Off-season option: Kaldi's.
Chance to Dance
This Central West End club continues to draw the intrigued and addicted for salsa lessons on Thursday and Saturday nights. Show up with or without a partner and get your hips swiveling at Viva. (Another notable opportunity to cut a rug: Head to a side stage at the St. Louis Blues & Heritage Festival over Labor Day weekend. It's a blast of a party, set to tunes near the rolling Mississippi.)
408 N. Euclid, 314-361-0322.
Serene Refuge
Shhhhh! Don't tell. Above all, don't clue in the media. But if you can keep a secret, go to the Missouri Botanical Garden, position yourself on the bridge in the Japanese Garden, resist the pleas of the overfed carp, walk past the peonies and head toward the woodland garden. As the path bends, a small trail leads to an outbuilding. Take the trail, sit on the bench, absorb your own private view of the lake and experience almost instant tranquility.
4344 Shaw, 314-577-9400, www.mobot.org.
Groovy Party Band
Fronted by two pals, star vocalists Leslie White and Kelly Wild, Trixie Delight stands out amid the lame rock-cover bands that monopolize metro-area bars with reckless abandon. Talented and one helluva good time, the ladies can handle tunes by the likes of Alanis Morissette, Chrissie Hynde, Gwen Stefani and so on—but it's their amazing takes on Robert Plant, Steven Tyler, Axl Rose and all the other bad boys that really turn heads.
314-503-7395, www.trixiedelight.com.
Our alternative: Hudson and the Hoo Doo Cats: jump blues, shufflin' blues and rockabilly heavy on guitar and bass and boogie-woogie blues piano.
314-752-1946, www.hudsonandthehoodoocats.com.
Holiday Tradition
Each December, the Maplewood Chamber of Commerce sponsors the Maplewood Christmas Tree Walk—a cozy blend of holiday fuzziness, community spirit and commerce at this relatively new tradition that's family-friendly but fun for all. After the public tree-lighting, visit with Santa and stroll—or ride in a carriage—through downtown Maplewood to view the Christmas windows, complete with a tree expressive of each establishment's style.
314-781-8588, www.maplewoodchamber.com.
Place for the Wee Ones
Five minutes in The Magic House, and you'll understand why it was voted Best Children's Museum by Family Fun magazine. The season passes are inexpensive, the special exhibits fantastic, the programs and classes consistently imaginative. Experiencing it from the eyes of a young Abigail or Aidan makes you very glad that this magical place is in St. Louis and not somewhere else.
516 S. Kirkwood, 314-822-8900, www.magichouse.org.
Casual Shindig
Remember the best party you went to when you were a kid? Games, food (lots of it) and drinks everywhere! Now that we've grown up, every bar or restaurant get-together has the same feel: too much seriousness, not enough fun. C'mon, it's a party. For a group as small as 20, grown-up arcade Dave & Buster's will throw a shindig that includes a buffet, an open or cash bar and games galore. It's partying like when you were a kid—except, of course, without the adults.
13857 Riverport Drive, 314-209-8015.
Sweet Sounds
A good jazz club eases you into sultry intimacy, and Finale has already found out how. It's just dark enough for the stars to shine, just small enough that the saxophonist can meet your eyes. This smoke-free club puts up no obstacles: parking's free, tickets affordable, the doorman's quick with an umbrella and the calendar's just the right mix of smooth and wild, nostalgic and fresh.
8025 Bonhomme, 314-863-8631, www.finale-stl.com.
Underrated Jazz Club
Jazz is the art of improvisation, influenced by a timeless spectrum of ideas, and Brandt's Market & Café seems like jazz itself. Is it a restaurant? A European-style cafe? A market? A jazz club? Like jazz itself—and like Jeanne Trevor, Peanuts Whalum and the other greats who perform here—it's all about mood.
6525 Delmar, 314-727-3663, www.brandtscafe.com.
Not only honorable but mandatory mention: Spruill's, where St. Louis' jazz tradition gets fed and nurtured and the old jazz greats teach their future replacements.
1101 N. Jefferson, 314-533-8050.
Night Lights
Winter Wonderland, open mid-November through early January in Tilles Park, is the most-lights, least-kitsch holiday stare-a-thon in the county. The show is a tra-la-la drive-through or carriage affair with winking lights, blinking waterfalls and a twinkle tunnel. Belief in Santa's not necessary, but it helps.
Litzinger and McKnight, 314-615-7275, www.co.st-louis.mo.us/parks/tilles.html.
Take-Your-Life-in-Your-Hands Sledding Hill
Yeah, yeah, yeah ... everyone goes to Art Hill. So what? Let them enjoy the traffic jam on the slope. The sledding cognoscenti have found their way to that special slope that runs straight downhill from Columbia to Clifton Park. There's even a lake at the bottom for the trusting--and no golf course in the vicinity, for those who have memories of being plunked by a white sphere on white snow, courtesy of an intrepid golfer who demands only his golf clubs.
6100 block of Columbia.
Local TV Show
Living St. Louis debuted in January 2004 and won two Emmy Awards in its first year. The producers work hard to capture fresh, interesting aspects of St. Louis without resorting to puffery or saccharine formula.
Monday-Wednesday at 7 p.m. on KETC-Channel 9, www.ketc.org.
Meditative Escape
Just two-and-a-half hours away in western Indiana, New Harmony began as a German religious community and is now utopia for anyone sick of kitsch and commerce. Heiress Jane Owen commissioned world-class architects and sculptors, mingling pure white modernism with a charming old main street and placing gentle spiritual quotes along wooded paths. Dine at the gourmet Red Geranium restaurant, swim in the glass-enclosed pool, sleep in a high Shaker bed. There's a $500 fine for littering, and if a car honks, everybody jumps.
800-231-2168, www.newharmony.org.
Park of Our Dreams
Forest Park's $100 million facelift was overdue and well deserved—and has paid off beyond monetary measure. In the last decade, the park's infrastructure has been repaired, the lakes and lagoons have been transformed, and roads and walking paths have been realigned, all in classically beautiful, sustainable and environmentally sensitive ways. Vibrant again, the park is everybody's backyard, common history, treasure.
