Anthony Bourdain‘s No Reservations began a new season last week, which got me to wondering: if Bourdain wanted to film a show in St. Louis–I’m not saying he is, mind you; I’m not on his speed dial–where would you take him to eat?

If you’re not familiar with his show, Bourdain visits places in search of foods that are unique and sometimes a little out there, but mostly he’s using food to learn about the cultures of the places he visits. He might eat at a high end restaurant to sample food prepared by one of the world’s top chefs, then taxi across town and eat tripe from a street vendor. When he filmed in Kansas City last fall, he went to a Chiefs game to hang out with tailgaters (and sample their food, presumably). Where should he eat to understand St. Louis?

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately (it’s easier than writing), and I’m still puzzled. I was trying to avoid the usual spots visited by every food show that films in St. Louis: Iron Barley, Ted Drewes, maybe Crown Candy. All are fine choices, mind you, but is that all we have? Ted Drewes is probably mandatory, if nothing else for the experience of hanging out with half of south St. Louis on a summer night. We have a few soul food restaurants and a few pockets of Asian restaurants, mostly Vietnamese, but so do many other cities. We have many fine restaurants serving very good food, but do we have cutting-edge restaurants that give our food culture a unique identity? What are the places that are so popular with St. Louisians that Bourdain should go there just to mingle with us?

I can think of a few food items that I don’t see in many places, like toasted ravioli (yum) or pork steaks (also good when grilled). Sadly, though, brain sandwiches are much harder to find these days. If you grew up in St. Louis after WWII, you might suggest Imo’s or some place that serves provel, but you already know how I feel about that. Certainly St. Paul sandwiches are unique to St. Louis, as Kevin Belford has documented.

I think ultimately our food culture is a mutt, like most of us who live here; at least I am. We’ve been a crossroads town for so long that maybe I shouldn’t be surprised if our food culture lacks a cohesive identity. Maybe, if I really paid attention, I would find more interesting examples of fusion food that helps define St. Louis food culture, foods like that St. Paul sandwich. Or maybe our food culture is less about specific foods and more about where we eat them, like Ted Drewes or the Wednesday lunch at St. Raymond’s.

So again: let’s say Anthony Bourdain is coming to St. Louis. Where you gonna take him to eat?

© Dean Klinkenberg, 2012