The St. Louis Post Dispatch is beginning a fried chicken bracket competition today (by the way, is the food bracket competition the big media gimmick of 2015?). Nothing especially unusual about that, except they managed to fill out four divisions of 16 each, for a total of 64 places that serve fried chicken! Keep in mind they are limiting the bracket to local places, with no chains or drive-thrus. When did fried chicken become such a big thing in St. Louis?

Fried chicken and waffles from The Goody Goody Diner of St. Louis

Fried chicken and waffles from The Goody Goody Diner of St. Louis

Play along in their bracket if you like. One voter will be selected at random to win a $50 gift certificate to the restaurant that wins the competition. But the big deal, as far as we’re concerned, is the wealth of dining tips to be gleaned from the competition. We’ll be following along and taking notes for our next visit to The Lou.