Post-Dispatch file photo
Annie Gunn's
Some truisms hold: To enjoy a great steak, you will need to spend money. The sleek corporate steakhouses are more than happy to take your cash and a little more a la carte for your potatoes and a little more a la carte for your vegetables. You’ll spend money for a great steak at Chesterfield institution Annie Gunn’s, too, but that includes potatoes and vegetables, and you know the kitchen led by Lou Rook III will deliver your USDA prime rib-eye with the perfect grill crosshatch and sear and the temperature you ordered (true medium-rare, in my case). And you can pair it with wine from Glenn Bardgett’s deep list. Annie Gunn’s is more than a steakhouse, of course, and in years past the STL 100 has celebrated its other selves, but this year I just wanted the simple pleasures.
Hours: Lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday (closed Monday)
Last year's ranking: No. 17
Opened: 1990