Twin Cities to St. Louis Backroad Trip!
Calling all backroad foodies!
A buddy and I are heading out on a road trip to St. Louis on Friday.
This is kind of the backroad route, so hopefully we'll find some surprises along the way.
We'll be taking down US-52 thru Rochester, MN; US-63 thru Waterloo, IA; I-380 thru Cedar Rapids and Iowa City; US-61 thru Hannibal, MO; finally, I-70 into St. Louis.
We'll be leaving the Twin Cities early in the morning, probably arriving in St. Louis mid-late afternoon... Doing the opposite trip back on Monday...
Anyone have any suggestions for notable food stops? (or other notable stops?)
Thanks all for your ideas!
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Took this trip just last weekend.
There is a MaidRite in Quincy, IL that you can stop by, little underwhelmed by the sandwhich.
Across the river in Taylor, MO is the 18 Wheeler Truck stop (right off of 61) picked up reakfast there on the way back and didn't eat for the next day.
Saw the Waffle House in St. Louis but didn't get a chance to go-- a trip to the Waffle House is worth it in any time you're near one.
Ditto on the Schlafly's Tap Room (in St. Louis), if you take a tour they're very liberal with the tasting afterwards.
Stopped at Fast Eddies as well-- don't go during the day. Go at night when it seems like a thousand people are stuffed in their main room and the giant heated and covered patio. Their cheeseburgers are very very good, great shoelace fries fried within an inch of their life and their chicken wings are heavenly.
Lots of doughnut shops in St. Louis for some reason so stop by one of them if you see them.
Sean
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If time allows, this is they way you should head into St. Louis from Hannibal. At Louisiana cross the river into Illinois. Wend your way south and get on the Great River Road (breathtakingly gorgeous) into Alton. In Alton, stop at Fast Eddie's Bon Aire, an iconic old tavern with good cheap food. Then cross the river again over an amazing bridge into Missouri (a new state park at the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers is right there).
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There is a wonderful restaurant downtown Waterloo, IA @ 622 Commercial St. that was started by a young man from Bosnia and his parents. He is a spray-paint artist who did a rendition of the Sistine Chapel ceiling on the ceiling of this restaurant. It is gorgeous and the food is great, too! They also have a cozy lounge in the basement, perfect for apps and cocktails! You can see it all @ www.pacorosic.com.
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Uisge
Apr 23, 2008 07:58 AM
I just did a similar trip a couple of weeks ago. I can't really recommend any good road food. On the way down, we stopped at a deli in Waterloo that was fine, but nothing special.
While in STL, we spent most of our time going crazy at City Museum (home of a pretty good burger). If it is not already on your itinerary, you MUST add it. Amazing place where you can crawl through caves or climb a rebar tube 80 feet off the ground.
We did have a fantastic breakfast at Courtesy Diner on the recommendation of a City Museum employee. Devil's Delight = hash browns, two eggs any way, chili, cheese, hold the onions (add a couple of hamburger patties and you've got the Slinger). Delish and would have been even better if I had been hung over.
We had a great dinner at Schlafly's Tap Room. Really good beer (esp. the coffee stout!) and tasty food. Plus they've got a game room with pool table, darts, etc.
On the way back, we tried to stop at Maid-Rite in a couple of locations but they were both closed. The one in Waterloo looked permanently closed. The one in Cedar Falls looked to just be closed on Sunday. Pity - we really wanted those loose meat sandwiches. We wound up at Waffle House instead.
Have a fun trip!
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