PrintImo's Pizza in St. Louis
Editor's note: Below, reader Lemons checks in with some St. Louis pizza intel. For more on St. Louis–area food, check out Lemons's blog: St. Louis Eats and Drinks. —Adam
Photograph from MagDawg462 on Flickr
It's flatter than a pancake, it's square, and there's not a hint of mozzarella about it. What's something described like that doing on a pizza blog?
It's a piece of Imo's Pizza, the epitome of St. Louis–style pie. This idiosyncratic rendition is characterized by an extremely thin crust with no raised edge, the pie itself roughly cut into 3-inch squares—or as closely as you can get when starting with something round—and the use of Provel cheese. Detractors, who include most non-native St. Louisans, describe it as Cheez Whiz on a cracker.
Nobody quite knows why the Imo family began cutting their pizza in squares, but it certainly makes it easier to eat; if it were cut in wedges, it'd collapse like the 2007 Rams' defensive line. And what on earth is Provel cheese?
Provel is a combination of cheddar, provolone, and Swiss. Imo's claims it was made specifically for them, but as with many St. Louis specialties, like toasted ravioli and gooey butter cake, there's disagreement about the origins. It is, certainly, very cheesy, but it lacks the characteristic stretchiness of mozzarella. Between the small pieces and no strings of cheese, it's a very tidy pizza to eat, which may have been an early selling point in a city whose population is generally distressed by messiness. (In St. Louis, spray blowing from fountains onto sidewalks is a source of complaint. Well into the twentieth century, locals scrubbed their front steps with a brush and bucket.)
Toppings are pretty standard, and sauce application is usually somewhere between moderate and heavy. The chain offers sandwiches, salads (with Provel!), and wings, plus a dessert item called Cinnimos—which I admit I haven't tried.
The depth of loyalty as an Imo's fan seems to depend a great deal on whether the eater were raised in the area. Arguing about pizza is like arguing about barbecue: There are no absolute answers, only deeply held opinions. And there are some excellent mozzarella-topped pies available in town. But exiles returning to St. Louis for visits crave their Imo's. (We're seeing third-generation Imo's fans in St. Louis now; partly, I think, because of the size of the pieces—it's very kid-friendly.)
There are plenty of locations around the area, many of which have little or no seating for eat-in, since the bulk of the business is delivery. They're franchises, albeit extremely closely monitored, from what I understand. They've gone as far afield as the Kansas suburbs of Kansas City, and smaller towns like Farmington have now been colonized, although there seems to be much less action on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River.
Visitors to town will find an Imo's that delivers to downtown hotels, as well as one diagonally across I-64 from the fabled St. Louis Zoo. (It sports a neon pizza chef, a beacon for the Provel-deficient.)
Imo's Pizza
Address: Various locations; use the Imo's finder for one near you
Website: imospizza.com
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29 Comments:
wow. While I consider myself a strict pizza conservative, and usually hate all American bastardizations save for the NY interpretation of neapolitan and sicilian pizzas, and also eschew toppings, this looks very tempting. Maybe it's just because i'm FRIKIN STARVING right now, and havent had ANY pizza in the last 3 weeks due to my silly New Year's resolution to eat "less" and "better". Maybe I'll hit Sal's and Carmine's on my way home...... That should do it.
seyo at 6:51PM on 01/17/08
This pizza just does not even tempt me:( Lemons---good to see another post from you...hope you can become a more frequent contributor!
JEP at 7:23PM on 01/17/08
Even nine years in St. Louis didn't turn me into an Imo's convert. The cheese is just too gooey and Velveeta-like. But a few places there know the trick for making STL style delicious - ditch the provel for mozzarella, and drown you in toppings. Best of the bunch is Fortel's, by far.
jraphs at 9:13PM on 01/17/08
While the post is very well written, I have to agree with the majority of the posters so far...IMO's is NOT for me. The cheese is completely unimpressive and just plain n.a.s.t.y. I have tried on several occassions to like the pie, but it just isn't in me.
Carpe 'Que,
Jim Rhino
BanditBBQ at 9:27PM on 01/17/08
5 years in St. Louis, and me neither. Bleh bleh bleh and bleh. Provel is SO not real cheese.
For pizza that happens to be in St. Louis but is actually awesome, try the Black Thorn Pub.
selizara at 9:34PM on 01/17/08
I made a Serious Eats account especially for this post. I. LOVE. IMO'S. I'm from the KC area (Olathe/Overland Park, Go Falcons, Adam!--Yep, Olathe South) and first ate Imo's in Rolla, MO. I'm glad there are some local Imo's stores but for some reason that Imo's in Rolla is my all time favorite. Don't knock it til you try it.
emes1 at 9:59PM on 01/17/08
ok, now that I've eaten, I can impartially say that that thing looks pretty gross. Phew, back to my senses.
seyo at 10:28PM on 01/17/08
I grew up in St. Louis and on provel cheese. I like Imo's, but St. Louis has better pizza places that use provel as their cheese topping.
I also grew up with White Castle hamburgers, and can't get enough of those, either.
It's hard to convert adults to these different flavors.
gperls at 7:41AM on 01/18/08
emes1!: No kidding! Is there an Imo's in the OPKS area? I was just back, and it seemed to have disappeared from the place I thought it was. Maybe I had the wrong shopping center.
I have to say, I like cracker thin crusts and I'm a fan of Velveeta in certain conditions, so I could see myself going for Imo's -- or one of the other STL-style places you all mention or allude to here.
Thanks for the great intel on STL-stilo, Lemons!
Adam Kuban at 8:24AM on 01/18/08
Spent some time in STL a few years ago and cannot stand Imo's. (Gooey butter cake and toasted ravioli, however, are tasty.) Provel burns the roof of your mouth much worse than mozzarella because it is softer and doesn't have any stretchiness, so it just STICKS. And it has a distinct Swiss character, not in a good way, which makes it completely inappropriate for regular red-sauce type pizza, IMHO.
The crust isn't bad.
wellred at 9:19AM on 01/18/08
Seriously, I wouldn't feed that to a starving dog. Are those green peppers?
Fillippelli the Cook at 9:23AM on 01/18/08
Adam-
Can you offer any insight (explanation?) for the reasoning behind cutting a pizza that way? I experienced this during my first trip to Chicago and was HORRIFIED. Now I'm thinking this method is a midwest thing. I'm from NJ. We know how to cut pizza here. ;-) All I could think of was that this was someone's idea of a joke--to make mini-apps out of a perfectly decent pizza. What's up with that?!?
Curlz at 10:19AM on 01/18/08
Here in Ohio there are several local large chains/franchises that cut in squares with the thin thin crust. (Cassanos and Donatos). Love them, especially Cassanos...brings back childhood. I live here now again, and have to have one sometimes, but it is more like "I want Cassanos" than "I want pizza". They do use provolone or mozzarella, not some hybrid cheese!
Cary at 10:41AM on 01/18/08
I was born and raised in St. Louis and am a HUGE Imo's fan. I grew up in Edwardsville, Illinois, and we would order delivery at least once a week. Everytime I go home I have to have a large pizza with pepperoni, green peppers, and black olives, an order of toasted ravioli, and a house salad with tons of provel.
I understand that people who didn't grow up on it probably won't love it, but I never considered it comparable to traditional pizza. I love traditional pizza too, but sometimes I would get a craving just for Imo's. It's like the difference between craving a thicky juicy burger hot off the grill vs. craving a White Castle burger. Both are burgers, but worlds apart.
As far as the "square beyond compare" shape of the pizza slice, it is a well known fact to any Imo's lover that the "corners" (so to speak) of the pizza are the best. The key to eating the middle pieces is to let the provel cool a little bit. Piping hot provel is very runny and it sticks to the back of your top incisors (fellow St. Louisans know exactly what I mean!).
Emsev333 at 10:41AM on 01/18/08
Curlz: It's called "party cut" or "tavern cut." I've mentioned it on Slice before: here's a link with more info. It's just a different way of cutting it, and I'm guessing from the "party/tavern cut" name that it's sliced that way so more than eight people can share it. I don't know if it's something I'd necessarily become horrified by.
Adam Kuban at 10:54AM on 01/18/08
A further note from the author: I have a theory - and it's only that, understand - that the square cut goes back to around the early Fifties.
Is there anyone around here old enough to remember aluminum trays in cafeterias? When I first ate pizza in St. Louis, it came on one of those trays, cut in squares. I think thrifty restaurant owners bought the trays (probably used) because they were either cheaper than the relatively-new-fangled round pizza pans or said RNFPPs weren't even available except on the East Coast, where commercial pizza first appeared in the US.
I've never heard it referred to as party or tavern cut, but the old guys in the local pizza biz were gone before I began asking serious food questions, and the Imo family is strongly, strongly media-shy.
Since I started writing about food, I've learned there are two things there are no sense in arguing about: pizza and barbecue. Everybody has an opinion, and everyone is right. (An uncharacteristic burst of tact, that.)
And thanks for your kind words about the writing.
lemons at 11:03AM on 01/18/08
Lemons: The Oprah episode devoted to pizza featured a pizzeria who had a story along the lines of what you talk about above. The family at Ledo's told Gayle that they started making "tray pizza" on rimmed baking sheets because they were cheaper and easier to find than round pizza trays.
Adam Kuban at 11:17AM on 01/18/08
Our neighbors moved here to northern California from St. Louis three years ago and they are STILL talking about Imos..
Stephanie at 11:28AM on 01/18/08
Adam: When I lived in Leawood last year I'd go to the store at 135th and Quivera. Now that I live in the more Midtown area I might have to check out the KC location. I'm also really considering hitting up the Oak Park food court for the cone pizza!!
emes1 at 1:08PM on 01/18/08
I'm still horrified, Adam! But I do appreciate the details... Thanks! ;-)
Curlz at 2:20PM on 01/18/08
I consider myself an IMO's convert. Born and raised in NY, went to school in St.Louis, and still find myself randomly having cravings for IMO's. Can't say that it is "Pizza", but whatever it is it's tasty.
stlyankfan at 2:58PM on 01/18/08
The so-called "St Loius Style" of pie is trying to make a go of it here in Big D - and several of these places of popped up in Allen, Grapevine, Dallas proper and a think I saw one in The Town of The Cow (Fort Worth) a few weeks back. They all suck! This fake-ass cheese "ProVEL!" is PLASTIC and melts like a crayon on your pie. A melty yellow/white crayon on this nasty leftover matzoh "crust" that soggs out in like 5 minutes. Seriously, go and try it - it is like a mountain oyster - you need to try it to know why more don't! Yeech!
Sputnik
SputnikHQ at 4:28PM on 01/18/08
I've had lots of great pie from time spent in NY, Chicago and LA, but NOTHING beats Imo's. I live about 100 miles southwest of St. Louis, but we have an Imo's down here. If it were to close, I'd be moving to St. Louis. :-)
Being a thin-crust fan, it doesn't get much better than Imo's crust. The sauce is tangy and delicious, and I'm a total Provel convert. We call it "goat cheese" as it tastes somewhat like that; it adds a unique, smoky flavor. Mozzarella just doesn't cut it anymore.
Imo's garlic cheese bread also kicks serious butt also. A great night out for us down here in the sticks is a large Imo's pie with canadian bacon, onion (they use the red kind) and black olives; garlic cheese bread and a pitcher of beer. Throw in some Cardinals baseball on the big screen and you've got a taste of Midwest Heaven.
leamanc at 1:12AM on 01/26/08
I was in St. Louis at the end of last year and got Imo's delivered to my hotel room. I ate it only because I needed food. I don't know if the problem was the location I ordered it from, or if it is just not good overall, but I was not impressed with this Matzo posing as pizza. And my caesar salad was 50% provel cheese to boot.
BrianPrestonCampbell at 5:25PM on 01/26/08
I'm one of those native St. Louisans and I must admit that I can't wait to get home from college to have me a dinner of Imo's Pizza. There's an Imo's down here in Springfield, surprisingly, but I haven't had the chance to try it since none of my roommates enjoy it. Guess it really does depend on whether someone was raised on it or not. :)
Scorponis at 6:05PM on 03/02/08
I first had St. Louis pizza about 18 years ago on a random trip to KC. My friend and I wanted pizza but not from a chain since we were someplace new. We went with the first local pizza place we found. It wasn't Imo's, but a place called Leo's. We were instant converts! We nearly fought over the middle pieces. I still take random trips to KC and absolutely have to get a pizza with provel. Many times I spent $100 or more so I could bring some back for the next few days and to share with close friends......I never invited the friends over. :)
CBoz13 at 7:08PM on 03/03/08
It is glue on cardboard. I have intensely disliked this pizza since the first time I tried it back in '91. You can actually get good NY style pizza in St Louis. It's not on every street corner, but it's there. - Racanelli's, Vito's, Pizza-A-Go-Go to name a couple.
Conventional pizza cheese is called mozzarella, but in actuality it's a type of whey cheese. Provel is a derivation of Elmer's Glue-All.
provelsucks at 6:45PM on 03/11/08
My family (wife & 2 kids) and I had the misfortune of stopping here in 1986 while driving to KC from NYC. We thought it was the worst excuse for Pizza ever imagined. We all agreed it was like making Pizza with Matzoh and Cheeze Whiz. UHG!!!!!! The sad part is it continues to win Best of St Louis year after year. After having an Italian dinner in the area known as the Hill I did understand why Imos is a St. Louis staple.
bullitt at 3:54PM on 03/13/08
Having been born and raised in St. Louis our favorite whenever we come back is pizza from Ponticello's Italian Restaraunt in Spanish Lake, north St. Louis county. It also uses Provel cheese, which we bring back also bought from Dierburg's or Schnucks, sliced thin with paper in between each slice. Ponticello's makes a really good, thin crust pizza and has wonderful Italian sausage and the world's best onion rings! There used to be at least 5 Ponticello's but now only 1. It's family run and as soon as it opens there's a line to get in.
grannyjojo at 12:17PM on 03/31/08