afeldman

This message is for you all you St. Louis locals. I am moving to Colorado and am going to be passing through St. Louis next Sunday and would like a dinner recommendation for me and my buddy that is making the drive with me.

I have researched several St. Louis institutions and they all seem to be closed on Sundays. Can anyone recommend any must do St. Louis "institutions" for Sunday dinner?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Liz5959

Several questions for you first:

What highway will you be on? Although I55,I44,I64 and I70 all meet in Illinois, just east of St. Louis.

Are you staying the night in St. Louis, and if so, where?

What, exactly, do you mean by "St. Louis institution" and what restaurants did you already explore?
If you mean Italian restaurants on the Hill, they are all closed on Sundays, but there are good Italian places NOT on the Hill.

The best place to look up St. Louis restaurants is on http://www.saucemagazine.com/ click on search for a restaurant on the upper right. You can search by what is open on Sundays (which can be a bit limited).

There are plenty of things open, and places I would recommend, but I don't know if any of them are "institutions". Balabans is open on Sundays, and has been here a long time, but it is recently under new management with a new chef. I haven't been since it reopened, but it has had good reviews.

Go look at Sauce and see if anything open on Sundays appeals to you, and we can probably give you some suggestions.

Liz5959

You could try Aya Sofia, which is Middle Eastern and is very good and open on Sundays. http://www.saucemagazine.com/website.php?e=3007
It's across the street from Ted Drewes, which really is a St. Louis institution, so save room for frozen custard...... http://www.teddrewes.com/Drewes.asp

afeldman

We are staying at the Hilton by the ballpark, but were planning on going to Ted Drewes so we don't mind driving anywhere.

I guess you are right that the definition of an "institution" is kind of subjective. But I meant a place that anyone from St. Louis would know, I guess.

We wanted to go to Cunetto's House of Pasta, but that is closed on Sundays.

tmontauk

I don't know about institutions b/c I think a lot of places people love in STL are awful. But I'm not a native, I moved her from the East Coast 2 years ago.

That said -- I'm throwing out a couple of places I like in no particular order. Also you should post this on the Midwest board of Chowhound.com --- you'll get some great answers there since it's all about food.

South Grand (it's a street and a neighborhood) has a lot of great little food places. Here are some of my favs. Every one of these places you could show up rumbled and unwashed.

City Diner: Just what it sounds like but they have a full bar. Pretty good foood, fun people watching. It's more funky neighborhoody than seedy diner. http://www.saucemagazine.com/citydiner/

Mangia: Pasta place right down the block. All homemade and very fun. www.dineatmangia.com/

Natasha's Kabob International --- it's Persian food and I LOVE this place. Great beef, yummy chicken pomagranet stews, nice moody lighting. www.kabobinternational.com/

If you want something very St. Louis -- the new St. Louis -- go grab some Bosnian food -- there is place in South City called Grbic. Here is an article on it: www.saucemagazine.com/article/2/24

Oh, and that is anothe place to check -- saucemagazine.com -- it's a local foodie magazine.

Oh PS -- Aya Sofia is ok (just ok) -- but it's pricey and you should look nice going there. I have no idea what kind of money you are looking to spend.

Have fun.

afeldman

Thanks for the responses so far. I will definitely look into Mangia.

Let me narrow the focus of my request a little. We would really like to try some of St. Louis's famous toasted ravioli, so a great Italian recommendation would be appreciated.

We have already researched and found that Cunetto's House of Pasta, Trattoria Marcella, Amighetti's are all closed on Sundays. Does anyone have any other great Italian places that are open on Sundays?

Does anyone have any comments (pros or cons) about LoRusso's Cucina?

Lolly100

Hi afeldman,
If you're looking for toasted ravioli, they do serve at all types of restaurants - not just Italian.

You could go to the U City loop - I'm pretty sure both Fitz's & Blueberry Hill serve toasted ravioli. Both are considered St Louis "institutions". And the loop is a fun place to hang on, although I'm not too sure how busy it would be on a Sunday night.

If you're just looking for an Italian restaurant, I believe Charlie Gitto's on the hill is open on Sundays.

tmontauk

You can get toasted ravioli anywhere in STL. You could probably even get them at an Applebees. (sp?) You can buy them in the grocery store and I even think they sell that Olive Garden. So pretty much if you go to even a "bar" type restaurant -- you'll find them.

Liz5959

Other thoughts: LoRusso's Cucina, 3121 Watson Rd. 314-647-6222. One of the few Italian restaurants on the Hill (well, almost on the Hill) open on Sundays. They don't have a website, but I would guess they have toasted ravs. Try calling and asking....

Also, since you are staying downtown, you could try Mike Shannon's Steaks & Seafood 620 Market St. 314-421-1540. It's a fairly pricey steak house, but has busy atmosphere and vibe, ball players often are there (Mike Shannon is a former Cardinal and has been a Cardinal radio announcer for many years). I would be shocked if they didn't have ravs on the appetizer menu.