These Are St. Louis' Best New Dishes of 2017

Hot Crispy Fish
Cate Zone (8148 Olive Boulevard, University City; 314-738-9923)

Do not let the the intimidating red pepper coating scare you away from Cate Zone’s “Hot Crisp Fish.” Though spicy, the heat is less about intensity and more about showing the nuances and interplay of different types of spices, including the mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Pide
Balkan Treat Box (www.balkantreatbox.com; 314-667-9927)

Lorny and Edo Nalic’s delightful food truck is a celebration of Balkan cuisine, and nowhere is the party more lively than in the wood-fired pide. The traditional Turkish bread is shaped like a hollowed out Viking boat and filled with everything from cevapi to brisket, though the simple cheese version is as satisfying as it gets. Photo by Mabel Suen.

White Pizza with Spinach and Artichoke Hearts
Pizza Head (3196 South Grand Boulevard; 314-266-5400)

Scott Sandler’s sophomore pizza shop may be filled with punk rock irreverence, but its white pizza is good enough to make you kneel down in prayer. The creamy olive oil, ricotta and garlic base is a beautiful backdrop for any number of toppings, though it’s tailor-made for spinach and artichokes. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Zucchini Pita
J’s Pitaria (5003 Gravois Avenue; 314-339-5319)

One of the year’s most welcome trends was the arrival of Bosnian cuisine into the city’s culinary mainstream. J’s Pitaria made us realize what we’d been missing with it’s lovely flaky pitas, including one stuffed with zucchini and kajmak, a rich, buttery cheese. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Balkan Dipping Board
Lemmons by Grbic (5800 Gravois Avenue; 314-899-9898)

If bread is life, then Lemmons by Grbic’s ustipci is the reason for living. This fluffy Bosnian fry-bread, similar in texture to a doughnut or a funnel cake, is delightful enough on its own -- but its even better paired with the cheese spread, mushrooms and red pepper sauce on the restaurant’s Balkan Dipping board. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Tempeh
Confluence Kombucha (4507 Manchester Avenue; 314-833-3059)

If your experience of the meat “substitute” tempeh consists of the tough, dried-out versions that have become a sad staple of vegan cuisine, William Pauley’s version at Confluence Kombucha will blow your mind. Pearl-sized beans suspended in white fungus threads are perfection of the form and won’t make even the most dedicated carnivore feel like she is missing out on anything. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Breakfast tacos with green chile
Taco Buddha (7405 Pershing Avenue, University City; 314-502-9951)

Thanks to places like Southwest Diner and Taco Circus, St. Louis is wising up to the beauty of southwestern U.S. breakfast fare. Taco Buddha is the latest to get in on this game, and its breakfast tacos, covered in New Mexican green chiles, make us thankful this delicious cuisine is now calling the Midwest home. Pictured: Margaritas, tres leches cake and a variety of tacos.Photo by Mabel Suen.

Lemon Strozzapreti
Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria (Locations in Rock Hill and Town & Country)

With all the excellent pizza and pasta to choose from at Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria, it can be difficult narrowing down a decision. Let us help you: The lemon strozzapreti pasta, accented with pistachios and cauliflower, is the perfect balance of brightness and decadence and may just be the best offering in a parade of good choices. Photo by Mabel Suen.

“Shroomed Out” Ramen
Nudo House (11423 Olive Boulevard, Creve Coeur; 314-274-8046)

For Qui Tran and Marie-Anne Velasco, opening Nudo House was a three-year quest in pursuit of ramen perfection. Their efforts have paid off in the town’s best bowl of noodles, especially their vegetarian “Shroomed Out,” which satisfies with its voluptuous body and hearty accoutrements. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Shandong Style Jianbing with Barbecue Pork
Bing Bing (567 Melville Avenue, University City; 314-669-9229)

If you thought crepes were reserved for French cuisine, head into the Loop’s Bing Bing and prepare to be dazzled. The restaurant specializes in jianbing, a delectable street food popular in China that is just now making its way stateside. The caramelized, sweet and salty barbecue pork is good enough to stand on its own, but when filled in one of these delicious thin pancakes, it’s simply outstanding. Pictured: The crab-meat stick jianbing with scrambled egg, sesame, scallions, cilantro, lettuce, Chinese pickles and crunchy wonton. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Pulled Pork
3 Bay BBQ & Bakery (14195 Clayton Road, Town & Country; 636-227-1208)

3 Bay BBQ & Bakery says it has the best pulled pork this side of the Mississippi -- a claim that’s hard to dispute. Succulent meat dressed in a sweet spice rub, rendered pork fat and jus, and woodsmoke is so delicious it’s hard to believe such a barbecue masterpiece comes from a humble gas station. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Yushiang Eggplant
Webster Wok (8162 Big Bend Boulevard, Webster Groves; 314-961-5999)

If you’ve passed the corner of Big Bend and Old Orchard Avenue any time in the past decade or so, you’ve surely noticed Webster Wok. This year, the mainstay of Americanized Chinese fare got a new proprietor, a new chef and a secret menu of authentic dishes, including the transcendent Yushiang eggplant, which is simply dazzling with flavors of sesame oil, red chile, vinegar and sugar. Photo by Mabel Suen.

The “Don Hamm”
The Blue Duck (2661 Sutton Boulevard, Maplewood; 314-769-9940)

The Blue Duck’s mammoth “Don Hamm” sandwich has so much going on it should be a mess, and it is -- a glorious one. Piles of thick-sliced smoked ham are nestled into a potato bun with crumbled blue cheese, a date walnut spread, sorghum molasses, an onion ring and some arugula. It’s the sandwich of the year. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Tlayuda
Nixta (1621 Tower Grove Avenue; 314-899-9000)

Nixta’s tlayuda is a master class in fusing cuisines. Chefs Ben Poremba and (now departed) Tello Carreon combined their respective Israeli and Mexican heritages to produce a dish that bills itself as a simple Mexican pizza but is really a crisp, herb-flecked flatbread topped with pomegranate molasses, burrata, spices and fresh herbs. It’s a flavor so good it cannot be contained by one continent. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Osam-bulgolgi
Wudon (1261 Castillons Arcade Plaza; 314-628-1010)

Wudon’s Korean barbecue is so good, you might be tempted to skip the composed dishes that come out of the kitchen. Don’t. The osam-bulgolgi is a simmering pot of delectable pork belly and squid swimming in a spicy gochujang sauce. The concoction reduces and fuses the flavors as it simmers in the pot -- if you can wait that long before devouring every last bite. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Brisket
The Stellar Hog (5623 Leona Street; 314-481-8448)

Pitmaster Alex Cupp learned how to smoke meat from the masters of the Pappy’s family, and it shows in his luscious Texas style brisket. A caramelized black pepper and char crust coats the marbled meat, which is so tender it’s like butter. It’s a masterpiece. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Avocado Smoothie
VietNam Style (6100 Delmar Boulevard; 314-405-8438)

When owner Thao Truong was a little girl, her mom would send her back to the market if she failed to return with the best produce they had. Those exacting standards are on display in VietNam Style’s avocado smoothie, a luxuriously creamy blend of fresh avocados, vanilla and sweetened condensed milk. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Dinner Rolls
Sardella (7734 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton; 314-773-7755)

Who would’ve thought that the hallowed halls of Niche would yield to a warm, inviting dining room whose signature dish is a plate of yeasty, pillow-like dinner rolls? He may be a James Beard award-winning chef, but Gerard Craft knows how to give us simple, yet perfectly-executed, comfort. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Compart Farms Pork Belly
BEAST Craft BBQ (20 S Belt W, Belleville, IL; 618-257-9000)

Pitmaster David Sandusky was already putting out some of the best barbecue in St. Louis, yet it still wasn’t good enough. This year, he transitioned to using exclusively Compart Farms pork, a farm known in the competition circuit as the best of the best. One bite of the luscious, buttery pork belly will make you realize why this meat is a winner. Photo of Sandusky by Mabel Suen.

Blondie Supreme Royale
Hugo’s Pizzeria (3135 Olive Street; 314-896-4846)

When the beloved Harvest restaurant closed a few years ago, it meant the loss of one of the city’s most iconic desserts, the bread pudding. Dave Bailey may have filled that void with his Blondie Supreme Royale, a molten cast iron skillet filled with a confection that is part bread pudding, part half-baked white chocolate chip cookie and part blondie lava cake. This is the dessert of the year. Photo by Mabel Suen.