Tucked inside South City’s punk-rock landmark, the Silver Ballroom, Tiny Chef STL has been quietly serving some of the city’s best Korean-inspired comfort food for more than six years at 4701 Morgan Ford Road.

Chef-owner Melanie Hye Jin Meyer’s bibimbap bursts with color and texture. Amply seasoned rice is layered with house-made vegan kimchi, pickled radish batons, sesame cucumber-carrot pickled salad, a sunny-side-up egg, plus a generous smattering of scallions and sesame seeds. Add your choice of protein: Bulgogi steak is the standout, with crisp caramelized edges and melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. Don’t skimp on sauce: The Dragon is creamy and fiery, while the Pixie is a sweet and savory plum sauce; together they’re perfection.

Pro tip: Go on a Monday night when the Silver Ballroom offers free play on all its pinball machines.

Editor’s note: Dishes pictured are for artistic purposes only; all meals are served in disposable dishes on-site.

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We stop into Porano at 13323 Manchester Road in Des Peres pretty regularly, and the monthly pizza specials are always worth a try, but December’s collab is on another level. For this month’s feature, Porano teamed up with Big Mouth Sandwich Co., which you might remember from our recent Hit List, and the result is the Stuffed Italian Hoagie Pizza.

This thing is a monster. It starts with Big Mouth co-owner Matt Frentzel’s focaccia – fitting, since Frentzel once worked at Porano – used as the base for a deep, double-layered pie. The first layer gets loaded with Italian charcuterie, pepperoncini aioli and plenty of provolone before it’s sent through the oven. Then a pizza “lid” goes on top, followed by tomato sauce and mozzarella, plus a final hit of fresh lettuce and raw onion for that perfect hot-and-cold contrast.

The crust deserves its own shoutout: super deep, shatteringly crisp around the cheesy edge, and sturdy enough to hold the stack of meat inside. There’s a little heat, a lot of cheese, and that crunchy, caramelized edge adds a perfect finishing touch.

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We’ve long admired Noto Italian Restaurant at 5105 Westwood Drive in St. Peters, but its new sister concept tucked around back is quickly making a name for itself. The Alpine-inspired eatery first opened in 2024 as Bacaro, offering a light menu of snacks and a wide selection of spritzes, among other beverages. After a trademark hiccup prompted a rebrand to Bormio, the team expanded the offerings into a full dinner menu, transforming it from a casual aperitivo spot into a full-service destination.

On a recent visit, the standout was the caviar, a playful yet sophisticated combination of textures and flavors. Mini sourdough waffles form the base, layered with chive-infused cultured butter, Champagne jelly, and a sous-vide egg yolk before being crowned with a delicate dollop caviar. “It’s truly a fun and unique way to enjoy caviar, with each element complementing the salty, briny flavor of the caviar,” said chef and co-owner Wayne Sieve.

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A soft pretzel with bronzed exterior and chewy texture is a delight. A perfect croissant is a work of art, with hypnotic, tissue-thin layers of laminated dough. Put these two together and voila, you’ve got the wunderkind pretzel croissant at The Preston inside the Chase Park Plaza.

These beauties are made daily by the restaurant’s pastry team. The dough is mixed, laminated, shaped, dipped in lye and sprinkled with pretzel salt before it is proofed and finally baked. The lye gives the pretzel croissant’s exterior its iconic color and a bit of tangy acidity. On the inside, the dough, which is made with French Buerremont butter, has a mild sweetness and feather-light layers.

Dip them in the housemade cheese sauce or seasonal jam they are served with, or just eat them plain. Whatever you decide, it’s the right choice.

212 N. Kingshighway Blvd., St. Louis, 314.633.3036, theprestonstl.com

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When the pulled chicken sandwich from a barbecue joint is so good it doesn’t even need barbecue sauce, that’s when you know you’ve hit the jackpot. I always enjoy at least a few bites of this beauty from Salt + Smoke sans sauce before adding just a slight drizzle of my two favorites: My Sweet Bestie and Hotangy.

Tender pieces of cherry wood-smoked chicken are nestled in a sturdy brioche bun from Breadsmith in Rock Hill. The top half of the bun is smeared with spicy-sweet house-made pimento cheese, and a subtly sweet, house-made street corn relish tops the chicken, oozing out the sides. Be prepared to fork up any remnants.  It’s so addicting you could easily eat it in one sitting, but it’s also gargantuan, so I usually set aside half for lunch the next day.

I pair mine with the pit beans with smoked bacon for some extra protein and fiber, but I always manage to snag a couple bites from my husband’s plate of the insanely good white cheddar cracker mac, a rich and creamy shell pasta topped with crushed Ritz crackers – the best mac and cheese I’ve ever tried.

Multiple locations, saltandsmokestl.com

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Very few ramen shops in the United States make their noodles in-house, and restaurants offering broth-less styles like tsukemen and mazemen are comparably rare. Local jewel Menya Rui does both, but it’s the broth-less tantanmen that really has us hooked. The fresh, chewy noodles take center stage in this Japanese take on Sichuan dan-dan noodles with ground pork, aromatic chile oil, sesame paste and pleasing notes of that signature numbing spice. Crisp strips of menma (bamboo shoots) and a generous topping of bean sprouts and scallions add fresh crunch. Add a generous squeeze of black vinegar for a satisfying tang, and upgrade your bowl with a perfectly custardy marinated egg for an additional dollar.

3453 Hampton Ave., St. Louis, 314.601.3524, menyarui.com

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The bakhtiari platter at Ehsani’s Hot Kabob is ideal for sharing, serving up classic Persian grilled meats atop a generous mound of basmati and saffron rice. The tender joojeh (chicken tenderloin) is marinated in saffron and yogurt, while seasoned ground beef and lamb are the basis for the mouthwatering koobideh.

The server will offer to brighten the dish with a scattering of tart sumac and a mix of other spices. Accept both – in fact, ask to have a dish of the sumac and spices left at the table so you can add more if you so desire. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the meat and you’re ready to eat. The platter’s various sides – barbecued tomato, red cabbage, peppers, and red onions with parsley – add variety to each bite, rounding off a delightfully simple feast.
4561 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314.328.1302

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The lobster Rangoons at Le Ono are reason enough to pay a visit to this French Polynesian restaurant.

Each serving includes four crispy Rangoons filled with fresh lobster claw and knuckle meat, cream cheese and finely chopped scallions. But the pièce de résistance is the housemade sweet chile sauce: a mix of honey, tamari, Sriracha, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar. Its subtle, sweet start is followed by a sneaky heat, both of which are harmonized by the cheese filling. Save the sauce! It also enhances most other dishes on the menu.

101 S. Cherry St., O’Fallon, Illinois, leonorestaurant.com

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We’re always on the hunt for the perfect breakfast sandwich. Flavor, texture, sauce ratio and construction are all important factors that are exemplified by the Green Eggs & Ham Sandwich on the weekend brunch menu at The Crow’s Nest. Walnut pesto scrambled eggs are the ideal gooey, flavorful filling, bonding firm, house-cut slices of ham and melted Swiss cheese to a pillowy soft brioche bun. Add a cool slice of tomato for freshness and a layer of creamy garlic-pepper mayo because yes, of course, and you have the perfect mid-morning reprieve.

The Crow’s Nest, 7336 Manchester Road, Maplewood, 314.781.0989, crowsneststl.com

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Paul Manno’s Restaurant in Chesterfield has been open for decades, and while there are many dishes on the menu that we love, the shrimp scampi has won our hearts. Whether you order it as an appetizer or the gamberone scampi entree, the perfection of the shrimp is the same: breaded, broiled and served with a luscious, lemony sauce with briny caper berries and herbs. It’s a simple plate with richness, acidity and complexity that’s delicious every time.

Paul Manno’s Restaurant, 75 Forum Shopping Center, Chesterfield, 314.878.1274, paulmannos.com

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