All Entries Tagged With: "St. Ann"
The Great NoCo Pizza Challenge: Cugino’s vs. Omar’s
The North County pizza train rolls on… Here we are at Round Eleven, more than half way to the finale of the Great NoCo Pizza Challenge. I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to get very excited!
Did anyone notice that the quarterfinal round, starting April 6, has eight pizzas in it? I’m thinking we may need to have a pizza party. Would you pay five bucks to sample eight delicious local pizzas? If so, let me know by posting a comment. I’ll have to pull this together pretty quickly.
In the mean time, here are your contenders for Round Eleven…
Open since 1994, Cugino’s (pronounced coo-gene-oh’s) is a family-run restaurant and bar that seems to have a split personality. On the restaurant side, you’ll find classic Italian fare and a cozy dining room, even some upscale entrees like honey glazed salmon and shrimp scampi. On the bar side, you’ll find Natty Light specials, bean bag tournaments and the occasional Jägermeister girl. You might also hear this Florissant favorite referred to by its nickname: The Cuge.
My cousins are regulars at the Cuge, attracted by the restaurant’s ever-changing drink specials, but they also give thumbs up to the pizza. It’s thin crust topped with provel and parmesan, and you can choose from a typical topping list or go for one of five specialty pizzas: The Big Dave, the Veggie, the BBQ Chicken, the Special, or the Hot Wing, which features grilled chicken, onions and hot sauce. Large single-topping pizzas start at $11.98.
Cugino’s – 1595 N US Highway 67, 63031, (314) 831-3222. Hours: Monday-Thursday 4-10, Friday & Saturday 4-11, and Sunday 4-9. Lunch served daily starting at 11am.
We first met Omar’s back in Round Four, and I’m so pleased to report that several readers have emailed me since then to say how glad they are that they’ve discovered this unique St. Ann eatery. As I mentioned before, Omar’s is special not only for its brick oven pizza, but also because the restaurant has a huge menu of Mediterranean dishes.
If you like Greek or Lebanese food, you MUST check this place out. It’s just a wee cafe tucked away in St. Ann, but if you enjoy big flavors, Omar’s will definitely hit the spot.
When it comes to pizza, you’ll be hard pressed to find any restaurant with a larger selection of toppings. Omar himself is Muslim, so there’s no pork here, but you can still select from numerous items, including spinach, eggplant, artichoke hearts, shrimp and baby clams. You can also choose your crust – St. Louis-style (provel and mozzarella), New York-style (mozzarella) or Chicago Deep Dish (also mozzarella) – and opt for one of nine specialty pizzas, including Greek Lamb, Chicken Alfredo, BBQ Chicken, and Beef or Chicken Shawarma. A large, single-topping pizza starts at $10.99 for St. Louis-style and $11.49 for New York.
Omar’s – 10111 St. Charles Rock Road, 63074, (314) 429-6881. Hours: Weekdays 11-9, Weekends 11-10
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Cast your vote! Round Eleven voting ends Wednesday, March 16, at 11am…
Who has the better pizza?
- Cugino's (58%, 1,292 Votes)
- Omar's (42%, 922 Votes)
Total Voters: 2,214
Loading ...If you need a contest bracket, you’ll find an updated one right here.
New North County magazine launching March 1
No, it’s not me launching a North County print magazine. Not yet anyway. But the publisher is someone who’s equally committed to spurring good things in the North County community.
You may remember Steve Erdelen – he organized the “Let’s Revitalize Northwest Plaza Now!” rally in January 2010. He also hosted the Fountainheads Rendezvous, a successful live concert event in St. Ann last summer that reunited countless people who used to hang out at the Northwest Plaza fountains in the 1960s and 70s.
Erdelen, a St. Ann-based marketing professional, will launch his new magazine, The Rock Road Reporter, on March 1, hand-delivering it to 10,000 homes in the St. Ann and Bridgeton area. His focus will be on “local issues, healthy lifestyles, travel, food, high school sports and local history and reminisces,” primarily covering Northwest County.
“Our magazine is all about pride in our community and progress along the Rock Road corridor,” Erdelen says. And to that, I say ROCK ON!
If you feel the same and you want to send some love to this positive new NoCo venture, head to the Rock Road Reporter launch party at Hotshots Sports Bar & Grill, 12154 St Charles Rock Road, on March 4, from 6-9 pm. Everyone in attendance will receive the inaugural issue of the magazine and an opportunity to win a great prize.
NoCo Pizza Challenge Round 4: Editor’s Choice
Who gets the nod this week? Cannoli's...
...or Omar's?
Just when I was starting to wonder if I’m the only one doing true head-to-head tastings for the Great NoCo Pizza Challenge, I got three lovely emails this morning, all from local families who’ve decided to play along. Jan C. From Florissant said:
“My kids are having so much fun with the pizza contest! Every week my 10-year-old daughter creates new score sheets for us to use, and she even photographs the pizzas like you do! Just wanted to thank you for giving us something fun to look forward to, especially during the winter months. We’re having a blast!”
Aww, thank YOU, Jan! And thanks to everyone else who’s participating in the contest, including the restaurants themselves!
This week was Round Four, featuring Cannoli’s of Florissant and Omar’s of St. Ann. And despite my initial trepidation, based on previously negative experiences with both restaurants, the pizzas were pretty tasty. Both were thin-crust, topped with sausage and green pepper, and they weighed nearly the same: 2.5 pounds in the box. Neither had an especially noticeable sauce, but one huge difference between the two was the crust.
Several readers have asked me to start photographing the back of the pizzas, and this is a perfect week to begin…
On the right is Omar’s, which is clearly hand-tossed and cooked in a brick oven. It was thin but not too thin, and nice and flaky with air pockets – really, a very good crust. (Much better than Omar’s New York-style crust, in my opinion.) On the left is Cannoli’s, and if I’m wrong about this I will retract it and apologize, but I’m pretty sure this is a machine-made crust. Sometimes when my husband makes pizza, there are little dots on the bottom from the air holes in our pizza pan. But only on the bottom. Cannoli’s crust has uniform dots on both the bottom and the top, which leads me to think it’s manufactured and not hand-tossed.
And that’s not to say it’s a bad crust, because it’s not. It tastes just fine. But that is a significant difference. Also significant is the texture of Cannoli’s cheese. Omar’s uses a blend of mozzarella and provel, compared to straight provel (I think?) at Cannoli’s. I’m not quite sure how to explain this but the Cannoli’s cheese had a faintly gritty texture, and instead of melting in your mouth, it almost dissolved. Like processed cheese.
On the positive side, Cannoli’s sausage was nice and flavorful, and the amount of toppings was just right. Omar’s also had excellent sausage – perfectly spiced beef – but all in all, the toppings were a bit skimpy. So…who gets the win? I think I have to agree with the readers on this one: Omar’s.
Up next in Round Five: Cork Wine Bar vs. Meglio’s. If you need a contest bracket, you’ll find it right here.
The Great NoCo Pizza Challenge: Cannoli’s vs Omar’s
They say a journalist should always reveal his or her bias, so I guess I’ll just come right out and say it, NOCO fans. I’m not looking forward to Round Four of the Great NoCo Pizza Challenge.
By coincidence, this week features two restaurants where I’ve had unfavorable dining experiences. In fact, one place was so bad, in so many ways, I vowed never to return again. But alas, here I am, and now I’m vowing to be as open-minded as I possibly can…
Up first is Cannoli’s of Florissant, a casual, family-owned Italian restaurant open since 1994. Seemingly a bland, strip mall storefront from the outside, it opens up to a delightful street scene inside, featuring fake buildings with little awnings and balconies that are absolutely adorable. It’s like Main Street at Disneyland. So cute!
Food-wise, Cannoli’s offers a nice range of classic Italian dishes and upscale entrees like steak and fish. The restaurant also bottles its own dressing – a sweet vinegar and oil recipe. If you’re having pizza here, and we are, you’ll find St. Louis-style in five different toppings: Italian Sausage, Pepperoni, Alfredo Chicken, Coral Sauce Chicken, and Combination. A large single-topping starts at $11.50, with additional toppings available. Cannoli’s also serves Pizza Soup!
Cannoli’s – 462 N. Lindbergh, 63031, (314) 839-5988. Hours: Monday-Thursday 11-10, Friday 11-11, Saturday 4-11, Sunday 4-9. Cannoli’s Menu (in PDF)
Over in St. Ann, Omar’s is also a “casual Italian restaurant,” but with one very big difference: Its food reflects the entire Mediterranean region. At this wee cafe, in a recycled Taco Bell building on St. Charles Rock Road, you can try slow-roasted Turkish shawerma, freshly made Lebanese hummus, even Greek gyros and baklava. The menu is quite expansive.
In addition to classic pasta dishes, Omar’s also serves up a tasty range of brick-oven pizzas, with your choice of St. Louis-style (provel and mozzarella), New York-style (mozzarella) and Chicago Deep Dish (also mozzarella). Even without pork products, the topping selection is the best I’ve seen, including spinach, eggplant, artichoke hearts, shrimp and baby clams. And get this….there are NINE specialty pizzas available, including Greek Lamb, Chicken Alfredo, BBQ Chicken, and Beef or Chicken Shawarma. A large, single-topping pizza starts at $10.99 for St. Louis-style and $11.49 for New York.
Omar’s – 10111 St. Charles Rock Road, 63074, (314) 429-6881. Hours: Weekdays 11-9, Weekends 11-10
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Cast your vote! Round Four voting ends Wednesday, January 26, at 11am…
Who has the better pizza?
- Omar's (63%, 236 Votes)
- Cannoli's (37%, 136 Votes)
Total Voters: 372
Loading ...If you’re looking for the contest bracket, you’ll find it right here.
Are you getting ready for the big day? NOCO is a proud sponsor of the 3rd annual Live Well Ferguson 5K