My top five are:



1. Yemanja Brasil in Benton Park.



2. Frazers also in Benton Park, Soulard area.



3. Thai Cafe in the Loop.



4. Red Moon in Downtown.



5. Jimmys on the Park in the Demun area.

One thing that I wish STL had is a Brazilian steakhouse like Fogo De Chao. It's one of the best value meals you can find in the US.



It would be perfect in Clayton or on Washington Avenue.

Not necessarily in order:



Majestic Cafe, CWE (great people watching)

Blueberry Hill, Loop (burgers)

McGurks, Soulard (burgers and mashed potatoes)

Dressels, CWE (I don't know, I just like it)

Flannery's, Downtown (Wash. Av., affordable)

Framer,

I liked the atmosphere at Flannery's but I felt the food was vastly dissappointing. I'm all for bar food, and I'm pretty easy to please, but it was just way too bland.



Good call on McGurks though, I always get a good meal there.



I'd concur on Wasabi, bests sushi IMO in STL. Red Moon is also good.



I'd add Pho Grand to the list.

Blackthorn Pub and Pizza (best chicago style pizza in STL).

Lynch Street Bistro, good solid food.

For Tappas, either Modesto or Mirasol are fantastic.



For anyone looking for some of the best sandwiches in the world...try Adrianna's on Shaw.

Yes, the food at Flannery's is, uh, "disappointing". I mostly go there because its right across the street from where I work, and most of the other loft district restaurants are just so freaking expensive.

Boy I've got a lot, so I'm listing them by cuisine and price



Giovannis - Hill (Italian) $$$

Zuzu's - Clayton (Mexican) $

Mai Lee - Ucity (Vietnamese) $-$$

Talayna's - City (Stl style Pizza) $

Edible Difference - Downtown (soups & sandwiches) $

Carl's Drive In - Rock Hill (Burgers) $

I <3 Mr. Sushi - Olivette (Sushi) $$$

Pumpernickles - Creve Coeur (Kosher style Deli) $$-$$$

LuLu - Ucity Chinatown (Chinese/Dim Sum) $

India's Rasoi - CWE/Clayton (Indian) $-$$

Llywelyns Pub - CWE (Bar) $$

Olivette Diner - Olivette (Diner) - $ (BEST MILK SHAKES EVER)

Restaurant Space - Hill (by rigazzi's) (International) $$-$$$

Olympia - City (greek) $$





Now for my worst



Tony's (Downtown) terribly overrated, 3 hour wait to be seated (with reservations!) Food was cold and service slow.



Flemings (Plaza Frontenac) outrageously overpriced. $30 for a 12 oz ribeye? no thanks



Cardwells (also plaza frontenac) pretentious menu, tries to hard to be exotic, tastes like it too



Sportsman's Park (Ladue), ok so this place is fine for a drink, but the wings are way too small, and the burgers are too often dry and chewy



China Buffet (downtown) this place has a line out the door for lunch and I have no idea why.



JBuck's (clayton/des peres) just generally unimpressive all around. not bad food, just not what you expect when you see the white tablecloths and dark atmosphere

Iron Barley www.ironbarley.com



Baby K's www.babyks.net



Zoe



10th Street Italian



Sen



Chimichanga



Chuy's



City Diner



Vito's



Curry in a Hurry



Soulard Coffee Garden

I'll add 1111 Mississippi and Trattoria Marcela to the list. I like Lucas Park Grill and Safari Cafe for lunch.

Wasabi

Pho Grand

Framer,



As for affordable loft district eats, Sen is the king. Great Thai food, very nice atmosphere, nice folks - and most entrees are under $10. Can't beat that. Wasabi is also surprisingly reasonable for lunch - you can get a sushi combo with 6 pieces of maki and 6 nigiri for $10 which is really cheap for real sushi.

10th Street Italian is cheap for the quality you get. Cummels is affordable, too. A bit of a walk, but Everest is really cheap.



Ok - my favs:

Sen & Wasabi (of course)

O'Connels, Norton's, Crown Candy, Cafe Natasha, King & I, Banh Mi So, Wei Hong, Burrito Loco, Courtesy, Duff's, Rasoi.



Places I need to try yet: Yemanja, La Tropicana, Blues City Deli, Drunken Fish, Iron Barley, Gasthaus, Red Moon, Grbic, Olympia, Modesto, Mosaic, Atlas...



Looks like I need to get out there more

Top 5....



1, India's Rasoi

2, Wassabi

3, Space

4, Mossaic

5, O'connels



Honorable mention: Pho-Grand



Also if you?re looking for some amazing Mexican check out some of the small taco stands located off of Cherokee.

Black Thorn, Tanner B's and Kitchen K are the hangouts for our welcomed non-natives, but if you want to get a feel for the old southside culture, check out these places:



For Italian subs & weekday lunch specials,

Adrianna's on The Hill;



For a Saturday mom'n'pop bakery,

Missouri State Bakery on The Hill;



For cheap, fried half chicken anytime,

Hodak's on Gravois;



For the best politics mixed with lunch on Wednesdays,

St. Raymond's Cafeteria south of Purina;



And for the best politics over beer,

the new Royale Bar on South Kingshighway.

In no particular order:



Cardwell's - Frontenac

Remy's Wine Bar

Big Sky

Mirasol

Melange

Moxy

King Louie's



I'm a vegetarian, so YMMV.

I don't feel qualified to make a list because I am not in St. Louis enough to keep up with all the new places. I read the STLPD, RFT, Sauce, & StLMagazine religiously to learn about new restaurants and old. But, since I can't resist giving my opinion, I will throw out a couple:



Majestic Cafe - Not for the food, but for people watching.

Any place with good St. Louis style pizza because you can't get it outside of St. Louis.

Sqwires for Sunday brunch. I had a great time there. Enjoyed the open sunny industrial space and the transformation of the neighborhood.

McGurks for burgers & Hodaks for fried chicken

Dressells & Duffs on Euclid

I have a long list of places I want to try when I get a chance. Many of you have listed them.

Pho Grand has been a favorite of mine, but I?m looking forward to trying all these new places once I move back. Also, I really hope that there is now Indian and Thai delivery downtown!



I also have to mention Eat Rite. Nothing like a slinger at 4am!

Crown Candy -northside - Malt and grilled cheese (sometimes its the simple things)



Iron Barley -southside- Personal fav



Citzen Kanes - Kirkwood - great steak



Annie Gunns - Chesterfield - pricey but very good



Kitchen K - Downtown - never the same place twice



Honorable mentions - Modesto, Blueberry Hill, LaRusso's, Del Pietro's, Dewey's Pizza, Sen Thai,



Fast Food honorable mention _ Lion's Choice

Guisseppe's- South Grand (absolutely superb old-world Italian)

Gino's- S. Hampton

Seki- U. City (a lot of people disagree but I've always liked it)

King & I- South Grand

Bar Italia- CWE

Zoe- CWE

Shangri-La- Cherokee St. (great Sunday brunch!)

Frank & Helen's- U. City

Banh Mi So- South Grand

Miss Saigon- East Loop



...and so many more that I can't even think of.

I can't believe no one has mentioned Sidney Street Cafe. Do you guys ever get out of downtown?



anyway, my fav's would have to include



Sidney St. - great steaks, service, atmosphere.

Citizen Kane - ditto, but I think SSC is a little bit better

Trattoria Marcella

Cafe Balaban - also not yet mentioned and I haven't been there in a while (maybe it's no longer around?)



The Billy Goat (Restaurant & Bar) - Incredibly sophisticated menu for a place most people think just serves "pub grub". Plus the dry-rub wings are beyond compare.



Arcelia's for mexican

Sidney Street and Fraziers', both in Benton Park are my two favorites by far right now. 1111 Mississippi in Lafayette Square is right behind them, though.

For the best Mexican in St. Louis, it HAS to be Pueblo Solis on Hampton. If you haven't been...go. And their Margaritas are incredible, and I don't even drink Margaritas.



Oh, and get the Sopes for an appetizer.



Best Burger - O'Connels. Get it rare, and drink the blood off the plate at the end of the meal.

I love India Rasoi (Clayton, CWE), Helen's/Syberg's (Sunset Hills/Downtown location) and Malone's (Crestwood).