A concrete is frozen custard blended so thick with mix-ins that it holds a spoon upside down. Ted Drewes made it the St. Louis dessert, dense, cold and famously inverted at the window.
Where to eat it: 1 restaurant across 1 city.
Frozen custard, an egg-enriched ice cream, took hold in the Midwest in the 1930s, and Ted Drewes opened his Chippewa Street stand on Route 66 in 1941. The concrete, blended so stiff it can be handed over upside down without spilling, became the signature, a showmanship move that doubles as proof of thickness. The Chippewa stand still draws summer lines and ranks among the most enduring food landmarks in the city.
Common allergens: Egg, Dairy
Tip from the editors. Keep it as stiff as the machine allows; the upside-down test is the whole point of a concrete.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Serving since 1941 on Route 66, Ted Drewes sells cheap, thick frozen-custard concretes, the landmark dessert handed over upside down to prove it.
Try: Frozen custard concretes
Tip: A concrete is a few dollars and a city rite of passage. Cash-friendly; expect a summer line at the window.
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