The 32 Essential St. Louis Restaurants

"Ray Yeh moved from the Bay Area to St. Louis to study molecular genetics at Washington University, but he developed a hobby exploring the science of baking. That interest evolved into a passionate obsession that led Yeh in 2017 to abandon academia and open the Foundry Bakery, where he offers breads with distinct, bouncy chew and utilizes old-world techniques. For his remarkable longan walnut bread, Yeh smokes Taiwanese longan fruit and incorporates them into the dough along with meaty English walnuts, resulting in an aromatic loaf with mellow notes of currants and molasses. He offers pastries as well, like pineapple gems, a rich shortbread stuffed with sticky fruit that is a popular treat in Taiwan and very rarely found in the United States. Or get to the bakery early to snag one of the egg custard tarts, its belly wobbly and still warm from the oven. One bite shatters the layered pastry crust, sending crumbs everywhere, but you’ll be too delighted to care." - Holly Fann