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Ones I've had. Meme borrowed from the article of the same name on Wikipedia.
Misc. dishes:
(Arizona) Cheese Crisp: Even though Mexican restaurants here have given everyone chips and salsa for a long time, the cheese crisp has been an extremely popular. If you've ever been in a restaurant when one went to another table you'd know why. Basically it's just a giant wheat flour tortilla smothered with a mix of cheeses and treated like a pizza then cut into squares before being brought to the table. Garnish with jalapeno slices if you desire. The chips and salsa may just sit on the table. But you rarely see any cheese crisp pieces left behind. Way better than anyone's nachos and less messy. (I've never heard it referred to as an 'Arizona' cheese crisp anywhere.)
Biscuits and Gravy: Where I grew up only the poorest families ate it, but the kids of those families preferred it to fancier fare. Our more middle class version was Chipped Beef on Toast (aka SOS) and probably wasn't as good.
Boston Baked Beans: Everybody had Pork and Beans whenever, but Boston Baked Beans were more of a special dish. A far richer, far sweeter sauce, but as a kid I wasn't sure it was worth the extra effort.
Chili burger/ Chili Size: Never liked it as well as a hot dog with chili. Like the Patty Melt it was on a lot of small town cafe menus.
Cincinnati Chili: Very difficult to convince people it's not just Chili-Mac, but I think maybe the Wikipedia description may be a bit misleading. Very good.
Cowboy Beans: I've had it many times, but I'm not sure I ever associated it with this name.
Eggs Benedict: I'm not a fan of runny eggs, which is the preferred way of serving this.
Frito Pie: I think half the housewives west of the Mississippi claimed to have invented it. Usually with the chips baked right in, I like it better with the Fritos separate and crispy in which case it's a version of nachos.
Hotdish: Looks like a generic casserole with meat, potatoes and green beans. The one everyone avoided at the pot-luck suppers.
Hush-Puppies: I'm not big fan of cornbread but deep frying makes most everything better.
Mission Burrito: As far as I can tell it's just a burrito served in aluminum foil to keep it warm, and I've had that.
New England Boiled Dinner: Nothing special about it, and nothing wrong with it.
Provel Cheese: I was surprised this wasn't wider spread. A nice mixture of cheese flavors and very versatile.
Spoon Bread: As Wikpedia says it's a southern take on a British savory pudding.
Steamed Cheese Burger: It sounds like a steam-table cooked White Castle burger, which means it sounds good. One burger chain in Columbus, Ohio used to cook the burgers as usual then stick the burgers with buns in plastic bags and put them under a heat lamp till sale. Moisture in the bag steamed everything inside. This kind of steamed burger was anything but good.
Succotash: I like it a lot now, preferably without Lima beans. But it's not a dish a lot kids are likely to enjoy.
Toasted Ravioli: Something everyone ought to try. More a finger food than a meal.
Barbecue:
I like vinegar sauces, Chicago style and KC Style best. "St Louis style" is mostly KC style using pork steaks (see below).
Bread:
Texas Toast is just thick sliced white bread toasted. Besides being used instead of regular toast at breakfast it's commonly found on a number sandwiches.
Chicken Dishes:
Buffalo Wings: Now so widespread in the US, they don't need much intro. My favorite sauces are garlic-Parmesan and Cajun.
Chicken and Waffles: The combination of chicken and syrup never works for me the way it does for others. I like syrup and waffles, and I like chicken, but not together.
Desserts:
Bananas Foster: I just love 'em.
Beignet: They may be just another doughnut, deep down. But like most fried doughnuts (even fried bread for that matter) they are great.
Boston Cream Doughnut: I'm not sure I ever heard them called that, but I certainly made the connection before. I prefer a lighter cream filling, but they are still good.
Boston Cream Pie: Oddly I don't like it as much as the doughnuts. I wouldn't refuse it, but wouldn't choose it either.
Gooey-Butter cake: Something else I didn't know was from St. Louis. It tastes good, but if you want something that sweet with similar calories I'd suggest bakalava or Nanaimo bar as better alternatives.
Key Lime Pie: I'm a big fan of banana cream pie, but Key lime is my favorite cream pie.
Mississippi Mud Pie: Very good!
Pecan Pie: Very sweet and very good.
Pie-a-la-mode: I doubt pie and ice cream is actually a regional dish. Hot apple, blackberry or peach pie without a scoop of vanilla ice cream is only half as good.
Salt Water Taffy: My dad used to bring it back with him from trips to the East coast. Now, if you look, you can get it all over.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie: I think this is only regional because of the difference in growing seasons across the country. The similarity of taste between strawberry and rhubarb is very noticeable, but in St Louis the strawberries were out of season by the time the rhubarb was ripe. I don't think I ever had rhubarb except in pie, by itself or with strawberry.
Sweet Potato Pie: Basically a pumpkin pie (same spices, same texture, same color) made with sweet potatoes. It's about the only way I like sweet potato!
Toll House Cookies: By the time I was born they were long past a regional thing. Chocolate Chip Cookies! I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't like them.
Whoopie Pie: I've never had a taste of a good fresh one. Mass produced under several names, the commercial version falls into the range of 'better than nothing.'
Seafood:
I don't like oysters and I find lobster consistently disappointing. Farm-raised shrimp sadly isn't as good as the wild caught. I like clams and muscles. I like trout but prefer cat fish.
Shrimp creole: It is good, but good shrimp could be easier to taste in other things.
Stuffies: I've had them but not under that name.
Hot dogs and sausages:
In the old days hot dogs mostly came in a casing that gave them a pleasant snap when you bit into them. that went out of style most places. Lately, I've begun to miss it.
Beer Brat: Far overrated. Beer is good. Brats are good. Brats cooked in beer... a waste of beer.
Chicago style hot dog: Maybe a bit overloaded but very good.
Coney Dog: It's best with real chili rather than just any tomato-y meat sauce.
Polish boy: Kielbasa is very salty, but it's a good use for one.
Sonoran Hot Dog: Same old thing in a different wrapper and garnishes. Good for a change.
Pizza:
Chicago style: Too much of a mess for me. Very rich, but a tad overdone.
New York style: If you can fold it, the crust isn't crisp enough for me. The slices of the genuine article are too big, mostly to give people something for their money.
St. Louis style: Very crisp, convenient sized pieces, almost like pizza canapes. Most chain pizzeria thin-crust pizza is close enough though the slices are bigger.
Rice dishes:
Hoppin' John: about the only way I'll eat black-eyes peas.
Jambalaya: It's good with a variety of spice levels.
Red Beans and Rice: I like it better with what is more commonly called red beans than with the traditional kidney beans.
Salads:
Cobb salad: I frequently order it.
Jello salad: Another that is hard to believe is regional. At my university cafeteria if it had no lettuce under it, it was a dessert and with lettuce under it, it was a salad.
Waldorf salad: I grew up calling it fruit salad. My mother made it a lot.
Sandwiches:
Beef on weck: I had it several times, but not with that name.
Philly cheese: Much more wide spread than once. I like it with more onions and less green pepper.
Cuban; One of my favorite sandwiches to order at a restaurant.
Denver Sandwich: Oddly if it's just the omelet I call it a Western omelet, but I do call it a Denver Sandwich.
Fluffernutter: Marshmallow fluff is just one of those things that never worked for me. The Fluffernutter sounded great when I was a kid, but I didn't enjoy eating one.
Pilgrim Sandwich: It's pretty common without that name at Thanksgiving leftover time.
Po' Boy: Among the types listed I've only had the cat fish. I recommend it.
Pork Tenderloin Sandwich: My very favorite sandwich at a restaurant going between my unveristy's town and home. The restaurant chain was once common, but it's long out of business. I miss the sandwiches.
Reuben: My favorite deli sandwich.
St. Paul Sandwich: I've certainly heard of them, but egg foo young isn't my go-to Chinese-American food.
Submarine Sandwich: It's sad that Subway has gone downhill of late.
Soups and stew.
Chili: When I was young if you got too far east people thought it was a soup and made it that way, and farther east they never heard of it. It's a stew. Texans will swear up and down it shouldn't have beans. But it's better with beans! It's also better left over, so I never worry about making to much.
Clam Chowder: I like the milk/cream-based (New England Style) version better. I think I first had it at my grandmother's house in the days of meatless Fridays for Catholics.
Gumbo: I'm not sure I've had File gumbo, but I do like the okra based version.
Sonofabitch Stew: I've had it, but I don't think anyone who served it had the guts to call it that!
Steak Dishes:
Chicken Fried Steak: I had it a lot in every school I ever attended. A common way to hide tough steak. According to Wikipedia it should be cubed or well tenderized. Best to have good teeth if you commonly order it at new places.
Pork Steak; Definitely a St. Louis thing. Occasionally I can get pork shoulder cut into steaks here. But more often they cut shoulder into "boneless ribs" here. The flavor is not as delicate as pork chops and pork steaks can be very fatty if you don't trim carefully. I really enjoy them, baked or barbecued.
Misc. dishes:
(Arizona) Cheese Crisp: Even though Mexican restaurants here have given everyone chips and salsa for a long time, the cheese crisp has been an extremely popular. If you've ever been in a restaurant when one went to another table you'd know why. Basically it's just a giant wheat flour tortilla smothered with a mix of cheeses and treated like a pizza then cut into squares before being brought to the table. Garnish with jalapeno slices if you desire. The chips and salsa may just sit on the table. But you rarely see any cheese crisp pieces left behind. Way better than anyone's nachos and less messy. (I've never heard it referred to as an 'Arizona' cheese crisp anywhere.)
Biscuits and Gravy: Where I grew up only the poorest families ate it, but the kids of those families preferred it to fancier fare. Our more middle class version was Chipped Beef on Toast (aka SOS) and probably wasn't as good.
Boston Baked Beans: Everybody had Pork and Beans whenever, but Boston Baked Beans were more of a special dish. A far richer, far sweeter sauce, but as a kid I wasn't sure it was worth the extra effort.
Chili burger/ Chili Size: Never liked it as well as a hot dog with chili. Like the Patty Melt it was on a lot of small town cafe menus.
Cincinnati Chili: Very difficult to convince people it's not just Chili-Mac, but I think maybe the Wikipedia description may be a bit misleading. Very good.
Cowboy Beans: I've had it many times, but I'm not sure I ever associated it with this name.
Eggs Benedict: I'm not a fan of runny eggs, which is the preferred way of serving this.
Frito Pie: I think half the housewives west of the Mississippi claimed to have invented it. Usually with the chips baked right in, I like it better with the Fritos separate and crispy in which case it's a version of nachos.
Hotdish: Looks like a generic casserole with meat, potatoes and green beans. The one everyone avoided at the pot-luck suppers.
Hush-Puppies: I'm not big fan of cornbread but deep frying makes most everything better.
Mission Burrito: As far as I can tell it's just a burrito served in aluminum foil to keep it warm, and I've had that.
New England Boiled Dinner: Nothing special about it, and nothing wrong with it.
Provel Cheese: I was surprised this wasn't wider spread. A nice mixture of cheese flavors and very versatile.
Spoon Bread: As Wikpedia says it's a southern take on a British savory pudding.
Steamed Cheese Burger: It sounds like a steam-table cooked White Castle burger, which means it sounds good. One burger chain in Columbus, Ohio used to cook the burgers as usual then stick the burgers with buns in plastic bags and put them under a heat lamp till sale. Moisture in the bag steamed everything inside. This kind of steamed burger was anything but good.
Succotash: I like it a lot now, preferably without Lima beans. But it's not a dish a lot kids are likely to enjoy.
Toasted Ravioli: Something everyone ought to try. More a finger food than a meal.
Barbecue:
I like vinegar sauces, Chicago style and KC Style best. "St Louis style" is mostly KC style using pork steaks (see below).
Bread:
Texas Toast is just thick sliced white bread toasted. Besides being used instead of regular toast at breakfast it's commonly found on a number sandwiches.
Chicken Dishes:
Buffalo Wings: Now so widespread in the US, they don't need much intro. My favorite sauces are garlic-Parmesan and Cajun.
Chicken and Waffles: The combination of chicken and syrup never works for me the way it does for others. I like syrup and waffles, and I like chicken, but not together.
Desserts:
Bananas Foster: I just love 'em.
Beignet: They may be just another doughnut, deep down. But like most fried doughnuts (even fried bread for that matter) they are great.
Boston Cream Doughnut: I'm not sure I ever heard them called that, but I certainly made the connection before. I prefer a lighter cream filling, but they are still good.
Boston Cream Pie: Oddly I don't like it as much as the doughnuts. I wouldn't refuse it, but wouldn't choose it either.
Gooey-Butter cake: Something else I didn't know was from St. Louis. It tastes good, but if you want something that sweet with similar calories I'd suggest bakalava or Nanaimo bar as better alternatives.
Key Lime Pie: I'm a big fan of banana cream pie, but Key lime is my favorite cream pie.
Mississippi Mud Pie: Very good!
Pecan Pie: Very sweet and very good.
Pie-a-la-mode: I doubt pie and ice cream is actually a regional dish. Hot apple, blackberry or peach pie without a scoop of vanilla ice cream is only half as good.
Salt Water Taffy: My dad used to bring it back with him from trips to the East coast. Now, if you look, you can get it all over.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie: I think this is only regional because of the difference in growing seasons across the country. The similarity of taste between strawberry and rhubarb is very noticeable, but in St Louis the strawberries were out of season by the time the rhubarb was ripe. I don't think I ever had rhubarb except in pie, by itself or with strawberry.
Sweet Potato Pie: Basically a pumpkin pie (same spices, same texture, same color) made with sweet potatoes. It's about the only way I like sweet potato!
Toll House Cookies: By the time I was born they were long past a regional thing. Chocolate Chip Cookies! I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't like them.
Whoopie Pie: I've never had a taste of a good fresh one. Mass produced under several names, the commercial version falls into the range of 'better than nothing.'
Seafood:
I don't like oysters and I find lobster consistently disappointing. Farm-raised shrimp sadly isn't as good as the wild caught. I like clams and muscles. I like trout but prefer cat fish.
Shrimp creole: It is good, but good shrimp could be easier to taste in other things.
Stuffies: I've had them but not under that name.
Hot dogs and sausages:
In the old days hot dogs mostly came in a casing that gave them a pleasant snap when you bit into them. that went out of style most places. Lately, I've begun to miss it.
Beer Brat: Far overrated. Beer is good. Brats are good. Brats cooked in beer... a waste of beer.
Chicago style hot dog: Maybe a bit overloaded but very good.
Coney Dog: It's best with real chili rather than just any tomato-y meat sauce.
Polish boy: Kielbasa is very salty, but it's a good use for one.
Sonoran Hot Dog: Same old thing in a different wrapper and garnishes. Good for a change.
Pizza:
Chicago style: Too much of a mess for me. Very rich, but a tad overdone.
New York style: If you can fold it, the crust isn't crisp enough for me. The slices of the genuine article are too big, mostly to give people something for their money.
St. Louis style: Very crisp, convenient sized pieces, almost like pizza canapes. Most chain pizzeria thin-crust pizza is close enough though the slices are bigger.
Rice dishes:
Hoppin' John: about the only way I'll eat black-eyes peas.
Jambalaya: It's good with a variety of spice levels.
Red Beans and Rice: I like it better with what is more commonly called red beans than with the traditional kidney beans.
Salads:
Cobb salad: I frequently order it.
Jello salad: Another that is hard to believe is regional. At my university cafeteria if it had no lettuce under it, it was a dessert and with lettuce under it, it was a salad.
Waldorf salad: I grew up calling it fruit salad. My mother made it a lot.
Sandwiches:
Beef on weck: I had it several times, but not with that name.
Philly cheese: Much more wide spread than once. I like it with more onions and less green pepper.
Cuban; One of my favorite sandwiches to order at a restaurant.
Denver Sandwich: Oddly if it's just the omelet I call it a Western omelet, but I do call it a Denver Sandwich.
Fluffernutter: Marshmallow fluff is just one of those things that never worked for me. The Fluffernutter sounded great when I was a kid, but I didn't enjoy eating one.
Pilgrim Sandwich: It's pretty common without that name at Thanksgiving leftover time.
Po' Boy: Among the types listed I've only had the cat fish. I recommend it.
Pork Tenderloin Sandwich: My very favorite sandwich at a restaurant going between my unveristy's town and home. The restaurant chain was once common, but it's long out of business. I miss the sandwiches.
Reuben: My favorite deli sandwich.
St. Paul Sandwich: I've certainly heard of them, but egg foo young isn't my go-to Chinese-American food.
Submarine Sandwich: It's sad that Subway has gone downhill of late.
Soups and stew.
Chili: When I was young if you got too far east people thought it was a soup and made it that way, and farther east they never heard of it. It's a stew. Texans will swear up and down it shouldn't have beans. But it's better with beans! It's also better left over, so I never worry about making to much.
Clam Chowder: I like the milk/cream-based (New England Style) version better. I think I first had it at my grandmother's house in the days of meatless Fridays for Catholics.
Gumbo: I'm not sure I've had File gumbo, but I do like the okra based version.
Sonofabitch Stew: I've had it, but I don't think anyone who served it had the guts to call it that!
Steak Dishes:
Chicken Fried Steak: I had it a lot in every school I ever attended. A common way to hide tough steak. According to Wikipedia it should be cubed or well tenderized. Best to have good teeth if you commonly order it at new places.
Pork Steak; Definitely a St. Louis thing. Occasionally I can get pork shoulder cut into steaks here. But more often they cut shoulder into "boneless ribs" here. The flavor is not as delicate as pork chops and pork steaks can be very fatty if you don't trim carefully. I really enjoy them, baked or barbecued.
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no subject
Pretty much anywhere else in the country, I'm given to understand, a chicken pot pie is served as a pie-- with a crust, and gravy.chicken and some veggies inside. Around here, the emphasis is on the "pot", where the dish is created, and not the "pie". Why say pie when there is no conventional pie? Guess that's something only the past generations of Amish folk know, perhaps something lost in the translation from the German.
The picture at the top of this page had much larger "noodles" than the ones my mother made, but it's still in the general category. If you scroll down, there's a few more pix.
https://lancasteronline.com/features/food/discuss-pot-pie-in-lancaster-county-is-comfort-food-minus/article_c976261a-02bb-11e8-939a-e7a5a29de9d1.html
BTW, key lime pie, YESSS!!! As long as you don't get it from a bakery where they somehow got the idea that it's just a lime meringue pie, with regular ol' limes. Usually seasonal here for the best ones, although several local supermarkets carry this brand of fresh-frozen pies, and their key lime is pretty darn respectable.
https://www.edwardsdesserts.com/products/whole-pies/whole-pies-key-lime.htm
Dunno if they're available in AZ, but if so, you might check 'em out!
Agree with you that chili is usually better with beans, but if it's well made, I'm OK without them.
Ever have a genuine Philadelphia soft pretzel?
From:
no subject
Yes, we can buy Edwards' Key Lime pie here, and I have!
I'm not a big fan of regular pretzels, and I've never actually tried a soft pretzel. Many of the old American cities with German populations had soft pretzels, including St. Louis. I don't know if they were much different from the more famous ones from Philadelphia, but people talked about enjoying them with mustard.