The Amighetti’sSpecial

AMIGHETTI’S MAY HAVE BEGUN AS A SMALL BAKERY IN 1916, BUT THE RESTAURANT WAS LATER REVOLUTIONIZED – ALL THANKS TO ONE SPECIAL SANDWICH.

“To put it simply, Marge Amighetti's ambition inspired the sandwich,” Amighetti’s owner Anthony Favazza says. “In 1969, Mrs. Amighetti saw the potential for her husband’s business to expand to more than just a bakery. She told Junior that his bread was wonderful and insisted [they were] going to do more than just sell it over the counter. [So, they] began work to create a one-of-a-kind sauce.”

According to Favazza, Amighetti spent eight months perfecting this unique condiment.

“She offered the neighborhood kids tastes of her concoctions, and she knew she had a winning spice mixture when the kids kept coming back for more,” Favazza says. “Once the sauce was right, Mrs. A set out to pick the best combination of meats and toppings.”

She ultimately chose ham, roast beef, salami, Provel cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion and pepperoncini, all stacked high on Amighetti Italian bread.

“The sandwich is still made the same way as it was in 1969,” Favazza says. “Mrs. Amighetti insists that the order of the ingredients is crucial to its taste, so we make every Amighetti's Special exactly the way she did.

“There are countless Amighetti's Special dupes,” Favazza continues. “Anyone can source high-quality ingredients like we do if they really want to, but no one can replicate our signature special sauce. This phenomenon inspired the slogan, ‘Often Imitated, Never Duplicated’ that Mrs. Amighetti came up with after being frustrated by every corner sandwich shop imitating, albeit poorly, her sandwich.”

Amighetti’s, multiple locations, amighettis.com

Casa de Tres Reyes

Casa de Tres Reyes opened in the beginning of November in Des Peres. If you know even a little Spanish, you might have guessed the restaurant’s link to a well-known St. Louis spot: This is the new venture from the team behind Three Kings Public House. Tacos are among the featured dishes at Casa de Tres Reyes, but the appetizers also offer some gems.

Where Casa de Tres Reyes, 1181 Colonnade Center, Des Peres, Missouri

More info 314-394-0214; casadetresreyes.com

West Bank Street Eats

At a reader’s suggestion, we visited West Bank Street Eats, a new O’Fallon, Illinois, storefront where Milad Hamed and his family are focused on beef and chicken shawarma. Ian Froeb declares it the best shawarma in the St. Louis area.

Katsuya

At Katsuya in the Delmar Loop, you will find the rare intersection of convenience, efficiency and elegance. The restaurant serves its signature dish, katsu, as a bento box.

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