First photo by Laurie Skrivan (Post-Dispatch); add’l photos sponsored by restaurant
Sister Cities Cajun
Over seven years and two locations, I have eaten my way through the menu of Pamela Melton and Travis Parfait's Sister Cities Cajun. Well, most of the way through. I can't seem to nab an order of the smoked ribs, a Saturday special. This STL 100 cycle, on a Saturday, I arrived too early in the day. Instead, I ate Parfait's smoked pork steak, which between its tender meat and depth of piggy, smoky flavor would do most barbecue restaurants in town proud. So I can add the pork steak to Sister Cities' must-eats, alongside the dry-rubbed smoked wings, the gumbo brimming with seafood, the jambalaya and the Dirty Chix (smoked chicken thighs covered in the aforementioned seafood gumbo). Next year, I swear: the ribs.
Hours: Lunch and dinner Tuesday-Saturday (closed Sunday-Monday)
Last year's ranking: Rest of the Best
Opened: 2013