Photograph by Kevin A. Roberts
It’s not an easy task, answering, “What’s the greatest thing you ever ate?” To give the question proper consideration, I try to imagine picking my final course; the Wikipedia entry for “last meal” reveals others’ choices have ranged from turkey à la King to Pizza Hut to a bag of Cheez Doodles. This would not be the time to skimp or count calories.
Of course, it’s hard to imagine being hungry under such circumstances—and circumstances certainly do matter when it comes to food.
Recalling my favorite dishes instantly evokes more cheerful moments, time spent with family and friends: gathering around the kitchen table for waffles and bacon on Christmas morning. Savoring a slice of coconut cream pie and milk beside my grandmother at a small-town café. Sharing a crab-stuffed grouper and a bottle of chardonnay with my wife at a candlelit table. It’s a pleasant exercise in nostalgia, to be sure, but it’s difficult to choose between such memorable meals.
Yet somehow, for this month’s cover story (p. 66), dining editor George Mahe and his talented cohorts were able to elicit answers from 27 well-known St. Louisans, from actress Ellie Kemper to restaurateur Vince Bommarito, sportscaster Joe Buck to Enterprise Holdings president and COO Pam Nicholson.
Even after limiting the options to St. Louis restaurants, many still couldn’t decide on a single dish—so they shared a few. Comedian Kathleen Madigan’s answers ranged from bistro steak to T-ravs (for dessert!), while Pappy’s Smokehouse co-owner Mike Emerson chose several nonmeat options. Southern-style comfort food was a surprisingly popular choice, but a number of answers veered from traditional American offerings: Ozzie Smith flips over an Italian dish, while singer Erin Bode croons about Peruvian cuisine. Then there were the altogether unexpected choices: Blues diva Kim Massie’s favorite calorie-packed plate at a certain chain comes to mind.
So what exactly do these answers reveal? Well, not all palates are the same—and the greatest dish is not always synonymous with the most extravagant. In fact, it’s sometimes quite the opposite.
At the end of the day, after weighing the seemingly endless menu of mouthwatering options, it’s a matter of taste.
