The 32 Essential St. Louis Restaurants

"The Classic breakfast sandwich at Songbird is composed of aged white cheddar, applewood smoked bacon, a sunny fried farm egg, and a mizzle of local honey. The sandwich is finished with sea salt on the exterior, which gets caught in the crags of griddled sourdough, creating distinct flavors of salty on the outside and sweet on the inside, rather than allowing them to emulsify together. This may seem like a superfluous nuance for a breakfast sandwich, but it’s the difference between tasty and out-of-this-world delicious, and the kind of mindful detail that Chris Meyer and Mike Miller figured out after serving thousands of breakfast sandwiches for seven years at the Tower Grove Farmers market before opening their permanent breakfast and lunch spot. The rest of Songbird’s menu is equally thoughtful, especially the sprouted-grain English muffins and bialys that baker Bryan Russo makes in-house. It’s all evidence of what a team of curious cooks can produce when given the freedom to hone their skills through experimentation." - Holly Fann