The Vitals: the spot: Grace Meat + Three 4270 Manchester road St. Louis MO 63110 the eats: Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Cornbread, Collard Greens, Deviled Eggs, Fried Green Tomatoes the bucks: $10-$15 a person the full nelson: refined classic Southern food with a 21st century mindset

A few weeks ago I found myself back in St. Louis to see some old friends, my old baseball stadium and remind myself that the city with the Arch is and always will be my hometown. It's been 25 years since I could call myself a local and the restaurant scene has certainly changed, and for the better. Grace Meat + Three is probably as fine an example of how the city's food scene is evolving with the times while still being totally St. Louis: straight up comfort food that's affordable and especially in the case of Grace, commands the respect of discriminating palates, like yours truly.

A chef driven success

Chef Rick Lewis is the man behind Grace and his resume reads like a list of St. Louis restaurant young guns. Being someone who doesn't get back often enough, I have never heard of Quincy Street Bistro or Southern, but they are both restaurants I'm adding to my watch list. At Southern, Chef Lewis fried up yardbird to great acclaim. As of my last visit, he definitely hasn't lost his touch.

A little secret about fried chicken

I've been to Grace Meat + Three on two separate occasions, both times I got the chicken. The first was in early 2020, before the pandemic. We ordered chicken, ribs, plenty of sides and lots of drinks. I had a blast that visit, bought some merch and enjoyed the food but wasn't blown away. This most recent visit? I was BLOWN away. And it was because we waited a long time for the fried chicken. 20 some years ago I ordered fried chicken combo to go from a downtown Los Angeles eatery called Soul Folks. Their nickname was Slow Folks because they took forever for the food to come out of the kitchen. You know why I put up with Slow Folks aka Soul Folks? Their fried chicken rocked. Another time, also in Los Angeles, specifically South Los Angeles, I ordered fried chicken from a place called Harold's Meat + Three. That also took a long time. The fried chicken was transcendent even though the sides were straight outta the cafeteria. Grace Meat + Three also took a long time. And the fried chicken was simply tremendous. Crisp exterior with juicy flavorful meat. Like flavor to the bone. I wish I had fried chicken like this in Austin.

Mashed Potatoes: fried chicken's best friend

Growing up, I had a soft spot for Church's fried chicken. Their chicken was so darn crisp and I preferred it over the Colonel aka Kentucky Fried Chicken. But the Colonel had my fav mashed potatoes and gravy, I mean I could have lived off that stuff. I can't imagine getting fried chicken without getting mashed potatoes and my trips to Grace would reflect this tradition. I like to take my time taking pics of food and editing them but listen: the mashed potatoes at Grace are as good as they look.

Mac 'n Cheese: for kids of all ages

Grace Meat + Three does a mac n cheese that appeals to the grown ups and the kids. From previous reviews I've read that Chef Rick uses both Velveeta and Gouda cheese. One of those combos that keeps the dish familiar and grounded while still giving it the old farm to table/fine dining technique try. Don't skip this if you have crowd but be prepared to take some of this rib sticking side home.

Pass the cornbread

After hosting a couple baking competition shows I can spot a good baked good. I enjoyed the cornbreads plenty at Grace Meat + Three. Like any great bake, well browned exterior and edges are clutch as is paring the sweet with a contrast kick of salt. Grace lists flake salt in their cornbread description and that's a sign that they are taking their cornbread seriously.

FGT: Fried Green Tomatoes

I always feel compelled to order fried green tomatoes and I starting to wonder why. I suppose they seem like the right kinda dish to order when you're going whole hog with a Southern fried chicken feast. My fav part of this dish was the smoky dipping sauce. Take it or leave it is my call here.

Which came first: the chicken or the deviled egg?

Technically it was the deviled egg. I love me some deviled eggs and Grace did my craving justice. It seems excessive to me to eat chicken and eggs in one sitting. It feels like I'm trying to eradicate a species by eating it at every stage of life. These are the things I think about while indulging in deviled eggs and fried chicken.

Family friendly + foodie worthy

The first time I went to Grace Meat + Three I was simply looking for something easy that checked all the boxes while not skimping on the food. In general Midwest restaurants, heck the Midwest, is pretty family friendly. Still, for a place like Grace Meat + Three to offer counter ordering, a full bar and killer food worthy of a 30 min wait . . .  this is a perfect storm of a restaurant and in the case of a St. Louis expat like me, a full blown case of restaurant jealousy. Grace Meat + Three is a score for quality fried chicken with a laid-back yet hip set up. I suppose I should dock points for the fried chicken coming out kinda late. But that's exactly why I love the place so much. Great fried chicken is always worth the wait. And I can't wait to get back to Grace Meat + Three again.

Lamb Vindaloo: a go to recipe

Like a lot of you, my first experience with Lamb Vindaloo was at an Indian restaurant. My parents immigrated from Bangladesh and our lamb curries were just called . . . lamb curries. Indian restaurants in the US are notoriously monotonous with their carbon copy menus, lunch buffets and decor. Which is more a reflection of the American appetite for Indian/South Asian food for that "ethnic option". Well times are changing. Diners are becoming more adventurous and the desire for "authenticity" brings me to sharing this ridiculously good lamb vindaloo. If you are remotely a fan of lamb curry, you're gonna be very happy.

It's all about the spices

Spices drive curry recipes. Sure there are curry recipes whose signature comes from the addition of butter and cream or spinach, but in every curry lies a certain combination of spices. Vindaloo is no different. Out the gate let's talk about the spices you will need:

Spices

• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp cinnamon powder (divided)
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 whole cloves
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

I got all my spices as a generous gift from my pal Meherwan Irani's Spicewalla. Chef Irani was featured in Cheap Eats Atlanta, is a James Beard Award semifinalist and is a force for making Indian food something to really respect in the US. In fact this Lamb Vindaloo is essentially his recipe with a few modifications from yours truly. If you're interested in getting these spices: click here. Now back to the Vindaloo . . .

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder
• 2 cups diced white onions
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2" piece of fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 2-3 small tomatoes
• 4-6 jalapeños
• 2 cups water

Step 1: Marinate

Cut the lamb shoulder up into 1.5" pieces and place in a bowl. Toast the spices(fennel, peppercorn, cumin seed, and cloves) in a hot dry pan until the spices become fragrant(use your nose, don't let the cumin burn!). Add the spices along with salt, turmeric, garlic, ginger,  1/2 of the vinegar, ground cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon of Kashmiri Chili powder into a blender or food processor and process till you make a paste. Pour over lamb and marinate for a couple hours. I went for 3 hours, the original recipe calls for up to 6. Honestly I would try for overnight if I had the time. *note I initially tried a food processor but was unable to grind the spices so I switched to my Vitamix blender. I added a bit more liquid so my marinade was not quite a paste but worked regardless.

Step 2: Sear

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Heat a couple tablespoons of canola oil in a heavy bottomed ovenproof pot until almost smoking. Sear the lamb in batches on all sides and set aside. Don't rush this and overcrowd the pot. Your patience will be rewarded. Trust the process.

Step 3: Cook the onions

After the lamb has been seared, add the chopped onions. Cook them until they are well browned, being careful not to let the onions burn. Reduce the heat and add more oil as needed. This usually takes me about 10 minutes.

Step 4: add the heat

Meherwan's recipe calls for dried whole Kashmiri chili peppers that give the Vindaloo a deep red hue. I didn't have those so I subbed in some jalapenos from my garden. I used everything I got, which when minced probably up, added up to about a 1/3 of a cup. Also I kept the seeds in. Vindaloo is usually one of the spicier curries on the menu and lamb can take the heat. If I had to spitball a measurement here: two serrano peppers, three large jalapeño peppers.

Step 5: add some tang(tomatoes)

Now I deviated a bit from the original recipe here. I added tomatoes which was not in Chef Irani's recipe. I've seen recipes use them but I can see how it's not a game changer. Especially if you add a tangy tamarind paste like original recipe calls for. Again, an ingredient I did not have on hand but when life hands you lemons, make vindaloo with tomatoes.

Step 6: bring back the lamb

I toss the tomatoes around a bit and let them soften. Then bring the lamb back, toss that around and bring in the Kashmiri chili. In hindsight I would have added more than the two tablespoons allotted just to pick up more of that fiery red in the finished product. Add the water. Then pop it in a 300 degree oven for 2-2.5 hours.

Step 7: make the sauce

After two hours, check the lamb to see if it is tender, mine was almost fall apart after two and half. Remove the lamb and set aside. Carefully spoon everything left in the pot into a blender, remember it's hot! Blend to your desired consistency. I like to start slow and gradually up the speed. Return the sauce back to the pot. Add the brown sugar, the rest of the vinegar and salt to taste. Finally, bring the lamb back. I should add that the original recipe calls for jaggery, an unrefined cane sugar but I uses brown sugar in its place. Regardless, the sugar would be critical in balancing off the heat. *note the next time I do this Im going to check the lamb every hour. At two and a half hours the lamb was very tender. I wouldn't mind a bit more chew. However if like fall apart lamb, definitely stick to the two and a half hour mark.

Step 8: Ugly Delicious

I suppose I could use some photo tricks and cook this in a black pot, add more Kashmiri chili powder and make this pop more red but that would detract from the truth. This lamb vindaloo is straight up ugly delicious. Like a killer carne guisada or a beef stew, the sea of brown is in fact an ocean of flavor. Cue the rice.

Step 9: Mint Bae

I threw some mint in there to give it a little pop. I mean, I had to try. But you know what? Who cares. As tender as the lamb shoulder came out, it's the gravy that stole the show. So much flavor: rich, spicy and more importantly the heat and aromatic spice profile was balanced with a splash of acidity from the vinegar, and a kick of brown sugar when I finished the sauce. A truly complex dish that is also just as comforting, this lamb vindaloo is the new gold standard. I really hope you try it.      

The Vitals: the spot: Imo's Pizza multiple locations in St. Louis  the eats: St. Louis style pizza the bucks: $13 for a small single topping pie, $25 for a large with all the toppings the full nelson: pizza abomination and beloved local institution

I love my hometown, I really do. Nostalgia rushes through my veins when I come back to St. Louis. There's a charm about a Midwest blue collar city that endures in my soul. It's more than the local landmarks too. Sure, it's fun to see the Arch in your selfie and go to Busch Stadium and see the Cardinals regalia. What really makes St. Louis special is the Midwestern friendliness. Which even extends to a love affair with a pizza style, that simply put, just ain't good. Forgive me St. Louis but I don't love your pizza anymore. Imo's Pizza is a St. Louis institution that has been going strong for nearly six decades. What started out as a little pizza joint in the Hill, a historic Italian American neighborhood, has grown into 100+ locations across three states. The promise of pizza delivered to your door in the early 1960s lead to Imo's growth. In some ways it's like how chains like Domino's came to be: fast, convenient and consistent pizza; though Imo's carries the allure of a local Mom 'n Pop. I was staying in downtown St. Louis a few weeks ago and had to make a stop to Imo's. Apparently their main location was a stone's throw from my Airbnb. My nostalgia was met with immediate modern day gratification. You can order online directly on their website. Within 45 minutes my Imo's feast was about to begin.

Imo's Deluxe pizza

Growing up, I can't say Imo's was part of my family's regular rotation. Trips to Imo's happened more and more in the years after I moved away from St. Louis, when I would visit family and hit up Imo's with old high school friends. And that's how I discovered the deluxe. Sausage, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, bacon and provel cheese combine forces to say a big "FU" to your cardiologist or gym trainer. I don't mind getting over the top every now and then if it's worth it. Sadly, Imo's isn't. At this point non St. Louis folks might be asking what Provel cheese is? According to Imo's website + Wikipedia, Provel cheese is a combo of Provolone, cheddar and swiss along with some emulsifiers which allow it to melt very easily. A modern food marvel perhaps but it ain't better than Mozzarella. In fact it's decidedly worse.

Imo's Sausage Pie

My kid opted for something pretty typical for a kid: single topping pizza and on this day he was feeling sausage. I love sausage on pizza when the seasonings, like fennel seed, really pop. This sausage makes Jimmy Dean taste like Andouille from New Orleans Gumbo Shack. I will say this was by far the best pizza of the bunch. Still, you're stuck with that St. Louis cracker crust whose texture is closer to undercooked frozen pie crust. Oh, and provel doesn't pack much of a flavor wallup. That plus the low melt point makes the cheese behave more like a white sauce. And a bland one at that.

Imo's veggie pizza

This could be the worst pizza I've ever eaten. Mushrooms, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, black olives and provel prove that throwing a salad bar at a pizza monster is a really really bad idea. The tomatoes must have leached out so much water that the ensuing pizza sog was to be deemed inedible by an inebriated Ali Khan. I'm not one to waste food, especially with a few beers in me, but a keg of IPA could not wet my whistle to eat this. Most of this was consumed by the trash can.

I still love you, Imo's.

Imo's pizza is not very good pizza. Nor is St. Louis style pizza, a very good pizza style. And while I'm at it I could throw Chicago deep dish in there too plus the BBQ chicken pizzas from California Pizza Kitchen I ate in the 1990s. The point is bad pizza is out there and people love it anyways. Lately I have been on a pizza Renaissance tour with Neapolitan pies popping up along with some more frequent trips to NYC and East Coast. When I think about the sausage pie we featured in Cheap Eats New Haven, I think any St. Louisian who tried that would throw their arms in the air and say "That is real pizza!" And it's nothing too elegant or foreign. That's "watching football on the couch" pizza as Dave Portnoy would put it. Ultimately none of that matters. For a place like St. Louis, that's maybe seen more that it's fair share bad days than good, I'll let the people rejoice in what they take pride in. It's their thing and it has stuck around.

Eyes wide open. A little.

This last Imo's run has let me look at Whataburger with fresh eyes. Since I moved to Texas, the love affair for Whataburger has truly escaped me. Especially because it comes with an In-N-Out bashing. Whataburger is decidedly inferior to In-N-Out which is more a reflection of Whataburger's ho-hum fast food burger quality than In-N-Out being some sort of shining burger joint on the hill. But Whataburger, like Imo's, is a beloved local joint, it has stuck around and that counts for something. Even when the food doesn't. I'd bookmark Imo's as a true St. Louis eatery that's worth of a visit. I just won't eat there.  

The Vitals: the spot: Anthonino's Taverna 2225 Macklind Ave St. Louis MO 63110 the eats: Toasted Raviolis, anything with meatballs, Cannoli  the bucks: $12-$20 depending on lunch or dinner the full nelson: my go to spot for Toasted Raviolis in St. Louis and really anything Italian American

Classic St. Louis Italian . . . and Greek.

Thanks to a shout out on Twitter, I made my way to Anthonino's Taverna when I was back in St. Louis a few weeks ago. Located in The Hill, a historic Italian American neighborhood of St. Louis, this place has all the authentic feels of OG St. Louis despite opening in 2003. Plus it's been approved by the Mayor of Flavortown; Guy Fieri visited Anthonino's on an episode of Diners, Drive Ins and Dives.

Toasted Raviolis: a St. Louis treasure

Ask anyone who grew up in St. Louis and they will tell you that Toasted Raviolis are the crown jewel of our food culture. Sure, there are smashed burgers joints that have been slapping spatulas to flat tops years before it became a bonafide food trend. And there is the case of the controversial pizza style that I'll be digging into in an upcoming post. But for now I am concentrating on Toasted Raviolis, and Anthonino's are glorious. What makes them great is that they are simply done right. Each ravioli is hand made with a generous filling of beef along with Pecorino and Romano cheese, onion, garlic and spices. Each one was perfectly fried. And that red sauce that will make you scream "madone". Look, I'm not Italian American but I've seen enough episodes of The Sopranos to talk the talk. At least a little.

"did you see those meatballs?"

That's literally what my kid said as we passed a table. The meatballs are huge, moist and straight up divine. I'm pretty sure these are baked vs fried, regardless I knew what I had to order. Also Im currently researching baked meatball recipes too. Cuz baked meatballs>fried meatballs. Seriously.

The Freshman 15

This meatball sandwich could have single handedly put on my summer vacation weight. I'd like to say this sandwich is enough for two but technically three people could live off this sammich, the meatballs are that big. The fries? Yeah I ate them too but you don't need 'em. Being a Taverna I was strongly considering the Gyro but our waitress said that the spit was a bit too fresh. Like Al Pastor or Shawarma, Gyro needs some time to caramelize and since we came at an off hour, the spit hadn't been cooking long enough. Major points for a restaurant whose staff will be that straight up with you.

Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

Not that was I was exactly starving but since it was vacation, I had to get my sweet tooth on. The waitress, again looking out for us, did mention that the cannoli served is made with pastry shell made elsewhere. It's a good heads up in case you want to avoid a soggy cannoli. Not the case with this one though. It was still one of the best cannolis I have ever had. That includes the Termini Bros in Redding Terminal in Philadelphia. Anthonino's Taverna is a total gem. That's all I got left to say. Huge portions, great quality, and it's a taste of classic St. Louis Italian. It's among the finest Italian joints in St. Louis.