No list of St. Louis favorites could be complete without mention of ćevapi, the iconic Bosnian dish. I'd never seen a Bosnian restaurant, let alone eaten Bosnian food, before I moved to St. Louis. Ćevapi was the first Bosnian dish I sampled and remains my favorite.
At Bosna Gold, an order of ćevapi brings more than half a dozen of the plump sausages -- I never count exactly how many so I won't feel guilty once my plate is clean -- tucked inside two halves of the Bosnian flatbread known as somun or lepinja. This bread is as much a part of the dish's charm as the rich, spicy meat, with an airy body and a substantial chew.
Traditionally, ćevapi are served with some combination of onion, minced red pepper and a condiment like clotted cream called kajmak. Many local Bosnian restaurants substitute sour cream for kajmak, which I think is the case here -- though, if this was sour cream, it isn't an especially sour variety. For me, at least, the point is moot: This simple pairing of sausage and flatbread is glorious.
Bosna Gold
4601 Gravois Avenue
314-351-2058
$6
I'm counting down -- in no particular order -- 100 of my favorite
dishes in St. Louis. Some are well-known, others obscure. Some are
expensive, others dirt cheap. All of them, I guarantee, are delicious.
Please do not hesitate to share your own favorites via the comments
thread.
Previously:
#64: Lemon meringue and pine nut torte at BitterSweet Bakery
#65: Chile Morita con Puerco at Señor Pique
#66: Soda chanh duong (sparkling lemonade) at Lemon Grass
#67: Nachos grande at Nachomama's
#68: Pizza with pepperoni, sausage and mushroom at Pizza-a-Go-Go
#69: Bill's "Burger Meister Burger" at Cardwell's at the Plaza
#70: Sake (salmon) nigiri sushi at Nobu's Japanese Restaurant
#71: Massaman curry at Simply Thai
#72: The lunch buffet at Mayuri
#73: Fried chicken (spicy) at Porter's Fried Chicken
#74: Arancini at Lorenzo's Trattoria
#75: Meat shawarma at The Vine Mediterranean Café & Market
#76: The South Side Smoke at sandwich at Stellina Pasta Café
#77: Falafel at Kabob House
#78: A slice with pepperoni at Feraro's Jersey-Style Pizza
#79: Birria at Pueblo Nuevo
#80: Banh mi dac biet at Phuc Loi
