It’s a couple of months after Mardi Gras, but in honor of New Orleans cuisine, Dave’s Cheap Eats will take you to our neighbor to the south for some wonderfully delicious, and cheap, Cajun style food. No, I’m not talking about New Orleans, I’m talking about the southern city of Rock Hill and The Gumbo Shop.
This little piece of suburbia is an ethnic diners delight with Read the rest of this entry »
What’s the best shop to get cheap gumbo in in St. Louis? You’ll have to wait a few days to see. It will be in the latest issue of Around The Tower and since they pay me I figure I’d let you read it there first.
Before I moved to St. Louis, I only knew of deep dish and regular pizza. Once here, I learned to love thin crust and I thought that was the whole of the pizza world. Then I start Dave’s Cheap Eats and supporters of jj twigs bombarded me with comments and e-mails about their favorite restaurant. Their claim to fame is a Read the rest of this entry »
First, Rachel, please stop calling it St. Louie-it’s St. LOUIS!
Ok, now that that’s out of my system I have to comment on Rachel Ray’s Tasty Travel’s-St. Louis.
It’s always fun to Read the rest of this entry »
If you spend much time exploring the local pizza establishments in the River City you will munch your way through many of those cracker crust pizza’s loving called “St. Louis Style” thin crust. But this is not just a town of thin crust. In fact, the pizza tendencies of St. Louis’ northern suburb (Chicago, IL) has crept into the pizza scene with its deep dish delicacies. In deference to this, today Dave’s Cheap Eats will host a battle of epic proportions between St. Louis thin crust and St. Louis deep dish.Let me introduce our competitors. On the traditional St. Louis thin crust we have Read the rest of this entry »
Guess what, I actually did make it to Adriana’s for lunch. I mentioned it on this previous post. I even found it on the first try! Fortunately the reviews were a little out of date. First, they do take credit cards (yeah!). Second, there was no line out the door, even during the lunch rush. However, the reviews I read were right about one thing-this place has great cheap Italian food, though it does take a little work.
First you have to make your way to the order window. This is no small task. This corner restaurant is stuffed full of Read the rest of this entry »
It’s always amusing when the glossy city magazine aimed at the upper middle class tries “slumming it” with a cheap eat’s article. There always seems to be an air about them. Like, if the table clothes are vinyl that somehow Read the rest of this entry »
Guess what? Today was the first day I’ve gone out to eat since I started this blog. Amazing. When I was living in San Diego just a few weeks ago we were eating out every couple days. Not so anymore. However, since starting Dave’s Cheap Eats I’ve become inspired. Inspired not just to eat out but to make every dining experience a “Dave’s Cheap Eat’s” experience. That is great food at a cheap price.
Today we were looking for some comfort food, nothing too fancy, too complex, or too trendy - just down home good food. I found out about a place called Hodak’s in South St. Louis that was famous for 
Read the rest of this entry »
It is 10:30 a.m., and the sun finally begins to force its way through the closed blinds and curtains on your window. As you wake up, you figure that since its not quite noon, you can still squeeze in some breakfast. But the cupboard is bare. All you can find are a few single-serve bags of flavored oatmeal and a half-eaten bag of off-brand fruit loops. What’s a seminarian to do? Gather up your spare change, find a few dollar bills you have stashed under your mattress and head out to breakfast. (After getting dressed, of course.)
But where to go? McDonald’s just won’t do. Instead, head south on Kingshighway to a place called “Uncle Bill’s.” You know you will have found it when you see the building that looks like it is out of a Read the rest of this entry »
It’s summer time, and where are we? We’re stuck at school! No vacation for us this year. No traveling and discovering new places. No new faces and no new food. But wait! This is Dave’s Cheap Eats, so we will find some new food usually at pretty cheap prices. This summer we are going on an exotic field trip to discover an interesting, if sometimes scary, place on Delmar Blvd that straddles the St. Louis Line/University City Line called “The Loop.”
It’s not scary because of any crime. It’s actually a fairly safe place that is beginning to find its own with the tourists. Nevertheless, it is still the home of the “Fringe” in St. Louis with such places as Iron Age Studios, Vintage Vinyl, Subterranean Books and the offices of Riverfront Times. Today we will be sampling the foods from some of the better and lesser known establishments along The Loop.
American Cuisine
Blueberry Café:
This dining hotspot is one of my favorites, and it’s popular with both the tourists and the locals. Many famous music acts play in the Duck Room. Customers can see their pictures on the wall. The menu changes regularly, but anyone can find something they like from salads to burgers to more exotic fare. My wife’s personal favorite summertime treat is a cup of Gazpacho for $2.75. Burgers and sandwiches run from $4.50 to $6.00 without any real chance of sharing, but it’s still fairly cheap. Plus you can “people watch” through the large windows or gawk at owner Joe Edward’s oversized collection of Americana.
Fitz’s:
I have never done this before, but I am including a restaurant that I don’t like. I feel pressure to include Fitz’s because everyone talks about how much fun it is to eat where they brew root beer. People I know rave about the great food. The root beer is one of the best I’ve had, but the food is just like what you would find at Applebee’s. The cheapest sandwiches will cost you $7.00 to $8.00 a piece. My advice: go for dinner somewhere else in The Loop, then go to Fitz’s for a creamy root beer float.
Middle-Eastern Cuisine
Saleem’s:
Their motto is “Where Garlic is King,” so it probably wouldn’t make a great restaurant to take a date. They are known for the best Lebanese food in town, which isapparently very heavy on the garlic. They aren’t cheap, but doesn’t their motto just pull you in?
Al-Tarboush Deli:
This is my personal favorite in The Loop. It’s actually just off the loop on Westgate, which is the light east of Blueberry Hill. If you want some great, freshly-made, real Middle Eastern food, then this is your place. They have the best falafel ($4.50) outside of Israel, and I’ve tried a lot! My wife’s favorite is Haifa’s salad ($4.95), named after one of the owners. Our kids love the meat, spinach, or cheese pies ($2.50 a piece). This is truly one of the great cheap eats in St. Louis!
Asian Cuisine
Thai Country Café:
There are at least a couple of Thai restaurants in The Loop just north of Skinker. Any of these are good, but Thai Country Café has the reputation for being the best bet for good cheap eats; nothing on menu is over $7.00. Their authentic cuisine will take you to Southeast Asia, even if the wagon wheel leaves you a little confused!
There are so many more places in The Loop that deserve mention, but I can’t write about them all! One Saturday afternoon first take a summer vacation to The Loop. Park your car, walk around, and find a restaurant that will take you someplace new. For more information on these or other restaurants go to:
http://www.ucityloop.com/
and explore new cuisine options.
(This article orignially appeared in the July, 2005, ATT)
What’d ya say?