Gut Check has been looking back on the Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis 2012, but we're also keeping an eye on the Best of St. Louis 2013 by nominating finalists for our awards this fall. To see hundreds more winners and finalists, suggest your own contenders and download the Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis mobile app, visit our Best of St. Louis homepage.

Jennifer Silverberg

Is this the best Indian food in St. Louis?

From restaurants that are bright and splashy to those that are nestled in unassuming strip malls, St. Louis has Indian restaurants to suit most any taste and budget (lots of these have excellent lunch buffets). So read to find where to get the best saag paneer, lamb vindaloo or a little something known as a "Bollywood Popper."

India's Rasoi
(25 North Euclid Avenue; 314-361-6911)
A modern twist on the standard Indian restaurant, India's Rasoi offers a sleek, colorful atmosphere and serves up equally bright dishes, not the least of which includes a "Bollywood Popper," an Anaheim pepper stuffed with shrimp in a coconut sauce. Or try a unique fusion dish, the spicy "Calcutta Fish and Chips" that demonstrates the wonderful impact of Indian cuisine has had on Great Britain. But don't worry, your traditional Indian favorites are still very much a part of the menu, ready to be enjoyed with basmati rice served in abundance alongside its excellent golden-brown naan. Tandoori offerings are classed up with the spicy, complex and exceptionally tender masadelar lamb chops, and palak paneer -- cubes of homemade cheese in creamed spinach -- is right on the money. Though India's Rasoi's inspired menu is bit pricier than some of the other locations on this list, its distinctive dishes are more than worth it.

See also:
- RFT Review: India's Rasoi
- 2006 Best of St. Louis: "Best Indian Restaurant"

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Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of the successful clobbering of the French military by a group of ragtag Mexicans defending the town of Puebla de los Angeles. France had been trying to carve out an empire in Mexican territory, and when the country sent 6,000 troops to the small town in east-central Mexico, they were confident they would overthrow the Mexican army. Thanks to some stellar planning (and heavy artillery) the Mexicans defeated the French, killing 500 soldiers.

The holiday isn't that special in Mexico outside of the state of Puebla, but here in 'Merica we like to celebrate the French getting cut down to size by feisty Mexicans. And how do we do that?

With tequila. Lots of tequila.

To help you celebrate, we've compiled a list of the restaurants with best tequila selections outside of Mexico. Actually, these are just the ones in St. Louis, but they'll definitely do the trick.

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St. Louis has scads of places to belly up and watch the Final Four. But what of that belly? Treat it to some good grub while you cheer on your favorite team during the Final Four at these six places where "bar food" is synonymous with "good food."

See Also: The 5 Best Bars for March Madness

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Like any good superhero, culinary or otherwise, toasted ravioli has quite the origin story.

Actually, it has several origin stories, none of which can be definitively proven or disproven. The most prevalent anecdote is that the St. Louis staple was invented in the 1940s when a chef accidentally dropped ravioli in hot oil instead of boiling water. This ostensibly took place at Angelo's Pasta House, which is now Charlie Gitto's on the Hill. Of course, the folks at Mama's on the Hill claim it originated there. Lombardo's is also famous for the dish, as is Rigazzi's.

The true history of toasted ravioli has been lost in the sands of time, but that doesn't make it any less tasty. Today is National Ravioli Day (we don't know what semi-influential figure declared it so, but God love him), and to celebrate, we've rounded up the best toasted ravioli in St. Louis. While citizens in lesser other cities mark this day of days by eating plain ol' boiled ravioli, here in the city where dreams are born, we will be feasting on t-ravs.

Here are our picks for best toasted-ravioli spots in town:

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Gut Check has been looking back on the Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis 2012, but we're also keeping an eye on the Best of St. Louis 2013 by nominating finalists for our awards this fall.

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With the craft beer scene exploding across the Midwest and the recent opening of the beer emporium Flying Saucer (stay tuned for a first look), it has never been a better time to be a malt lover in St. Louis. As such, we thought we'd take this opportunity to revisit the best craft and microbreweries in this town built by beer.

Page through to see the finalists that we've nominated -- as well as our current top pick -- for "Best Craft Beer Maker" in 2013.

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Kaitlin Steinberg

The bloody mary menu at The Famous Bar

People keep telling Gut Check that bloody marys are to be consumed during the morning and early afternoon hours only. They are not an evening drink.

Well Gut Check says whatevs. We drink bloody marys any and all times of day or night. And in our quest to provide you, our dear readers, with the best recommendations in town, we have tried bloody marys across the city to find the best of the best. Also, we just wanted to have an excuse to drink them after 5 p.m.

Here is our list of the best bloody marys in town, along with individual superlatives for each. If you think you know of a better one, though, by all means. Holla at us.

See Also:
- Sub Zero's Eric Weis: Featured Bartender of the Week
- The Five Best Margaritas in St. Louis 2012

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Gut Check has been looking back on the Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis 2012, but we're also keeping an eye on the Best of St. Louis 2013 by nominating finalists for our awards this fall.

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Bust out your sombreros and maracas, cause Friday is National Margarita Day! Why is this holiday celebrated in the middle of February, when it's generally too cold to sit outside and sip a cocktail in the sun? Gut Check has no idea. But we don't ask these kinds of questions. If someone says drink, we drink!

So yeah, we may be cold, and we may be in a Midwestern city known more for its toasted ravioli than its chile con queso, but St. Louis boasts a number of mean margaritas. Here are our picks for the five best margaritas in St. Louis.

See Also:
- The Seven Best Barbecue Joints in St. Louis 2012
- The Ten Best New Restaurants in St. Louis 2012

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Jennifer Silverberg

Bogart's Smokehouse pitmaster Skip Steele

The barbecue renaissance continues in St. Louis. When we last ranked our best barbecue joints, only five made the cut. This time around, we found seven worthy of consideration -- four holdovers from last time and three newcomers.

See Also:
- The Five Best Cajun/Creole Restaurants in St. Louis
- The Ten Best New Restaurants in St. Louis 2012
- The Five Best Barbecue Spots in St. Louis (2011)

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Gut Check has been looking back on the Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis 2012, but we're also keeping an eye on the Best of St. Louis 2013 by nominating finalists for our awards this fall. To see hundreds more winners and finalists, suggest your own contenders and download the Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis mobile app, visit our Best of St. Louis homepage.

Jennifer Silverberg

The "Pat Say Jack" sandwich at the Kitchen Sink features grilled andouille, roasted pork loin, jalapeño bacon, Swiss and pepper jack cheese, with stone-ground mustard, fried pickles and fried banana peppers.

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Mardi Gras in St. Louis?

Right.

What's the second thing that comes to mind when you think about Mardi Gras in St. Louis? Cajun and Creole food. If you've got a hankerin' for po' boys and gumbo, for red beans and rice and étouffée, you've come to the right place. Here are our picks for the five best Cajun/Creole restaurants in St. Louis.

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Selecting the Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis 2012 was no picnic. Choosing the winner meant several worthy candidates would go unmentioned -- until now. In this Gut Check series, we're chewing our way through notable runners up in a number of categories. To see hundreds more winners and finalists, and to download the Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis mobile app, visit our Best of St. Louis home page.

Unlike last week's accounting of the Ten Best New Restaurants in St. Louis 2012, this list was no fun to compile. Still, as much as we love to celebrate the best that St. Louis has to offer, we also must pause to recognize a few former favorites who departed the culinary scene over the past year.

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