St. Paul Sandwich Adventure!
Our dining adventure began with the task of finding the Chop Suey house that invented the St. Paul Sandwich! First, Don and I had to drive to St. Louis... not St. Paul. Then we had to find the place, which had moved from Park Avenue to an old gas station on the not so deluxe Choteau Avenue.
| We were pretty intrigued about the idea of a white bread sandwich, stuffed with Chinese food! For at least 40 years, in-the-know St. Louis locals have craved this sandwich and we wanted to find out why it was such a big deal. | 
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The Place
Even though Don and I once lived in St. Louis, we had never tried the food invented by Steven Yuan. Yuan was once the owner of Park Chop Suey, when it was near St. Louis' old Lafayette Square. When we found the place on a recent visit, there were no cars in front, but we ventured in. There were no tables for dining, so we figured we'd order a few things and find a park for a Chinese Picnic!
Lots of Signs
Besides the giant illuminated menu, there were lots of handwritten signs taped to the sliding glass window. Was that bullet proof glass? "No Cell phones at the window. Thanks." There was a frown face drawn, along with the words, "No Public Restrooms! Please Don't Ask!"
| Welcome! In contrast to the not so welcoming handmade reminders, I noticed a colorful display of Chinese Buddhas, plastic flowers and silk banners behind the counter. That seemed pretty friendly. Behind the display I could see some cooks, who seemed to be all business, working over big stoves in the corner. I tried not to think about the fact the kitchen was where the service garage had been. | 
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Chinese Sandwich!
There it was, on the menu! The sandwich we'd heard about! For $3.25, we went all out and ordered the mixed meat sandwich which had chicken, beef, pork and shrimp, along with a fried egg foo young patty, pickles, lettuce, tomato, sprouts and dressing... served on 2 slices of wonderful, "wonder-style" white bread!
A Nice Surprise
Maria, who took our order turned out to be quite delightful and helpful. When she wasn't taking phone orders, she chatted with us about moving from San Francisco to St. Louis and about her grown kids. Then a woman came in to get her order and seemed to recognize that we were first timers. She smiled and assured us, "Oh, you'll like your St. Paul Sandwich!" Another woman came in with a couple kids in pajamas and suddenly the place seemed lively and friendly.
Where to Eat?
We took our carryouts down the road to Lafayette Square Park. Chinese carryouts... in a lovely park... in an old St. Louis neighborhood...filled with Victorian houses. That was an odd combo.
Swans and a Bench
A few swans seemed seriously interested in our food as we made our way to a pond-side bench. (We feared for our safety at one point) We were unable to find a table, since the few picnic tables were occupied by folks who appeared to be permanent city park residents. But we settled onto our bench and went to work on our food. Everything about our meal seemed a bit comical!
Odd Picnic
Back in 1910, when the park was filled with parasols and walking sticks, I'm sure there weren't any picnics like ours. But our St. Paul sandwich turned out to be pretty darn tasty. Maria talked us into ordering a duck leg, which was very sloppy, but flavorful. The Vess soda was another St. Louis tradition! I just wish we'd gotten Chop Suey instead of fried rice... since we were at a Chop Suey House, after all!
Duck and Swans
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Maybe the swans were interested in the Wonder Bread from our sandwich. We didn't tempt them with any pieces.
| A couple times I had to warn them that we were eating DUCK! "Don't get any closer! We're not afraid to eat birds, just like you!" Luckily they stayed in the water! |
Ice Cream cone, Toasted Ravioli and St. Paul Sandwich! Now I can say I'm a fan of all 3 foods invented in St. Louis! Yay!
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