#61: "7th Street Sicilian" Po' Boy at Blues City Deli

Ian Froeb

The "7th Street Sicilian" Po' Boy at Blues City Deli

​One o'clock on a Friday afternoon and the line at Blues City Deli stretches out the door onto the sidewalk. There are cops and office workers, dudes with blond dreadlocks and intricate tribal tattoos -- and hey! there's Mike Sweeney of STL Hops.

Everyone, it seems, loves Blues City Deli. I'm no exception.

My pick is the #2, the "7th Street Sicilian" Po' Boy: a thick stack of Genoa salami, pepperoni and capicola topped with a slice of Provel cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle (if you swing that way; I don't and begged that it be omitted) and pepperoncini, dressed with vinegar and oil and served on a seeded baguette. Of course, you can hardly go wrong with that combo of cold cuts, but the baguette is this sandwich's secret weapon: crusty, chewy, with actual flavor.

And, yeah, the cheese is Provel, making its first and almost certainly only appearance on this list. That, my friends, is the power of Blues City Deli.

Blues City Deli
2438 McNair Avenue
314-773-8825
$6.25

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:

#62: Tamales at Taqueria la Pasadita
#63: Ćevapi at Bosna Gold
#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