Post-Dispatch file photo
Sister Cities Cajun
For as long as I’ve recommended Travis Parfait and Pamela Melton’s Sister Cities Cajun, from its original Dutchtown location to its current home in Marine Villa, I’ve called the smoked chicken wings the restaurant’s must-order dish. The wings are great, and you should order them, but to appreciate Parfait’s talent as a chef more fully, order his gumbo. A native of Dulac, La., about 75 miles southwest of New Orleans on the Gulf Coast, Parfait loads his gumbo with crawfish, shrimp, clams, scallops and mahi mahi (or similar fish). Based on a dark roux and laced with chile heat, it’s spicy, briny and rich on its own or smothering smoked chicken thighs and dirty rice (the Dirty Chick).
Hours: Lunch and dinner Tuesday-Saturday (closed Sunday-Monday)
Last year's ranking: Rest of the Best
Opened: 2013