Playboy says best sandwich in America at Wong’s Inn. But…
It’s always nice to make the national lists, but there’s some inconsistency in the recent inclusion of the St. Paul sandwich at Wong’s Inn, 2666 South Big Bend in Maplewood, on Playboy.com’s list of Best Sandwiches in America.
Let’s parse the text that goes along with the award. “Found mainly in the St. Louis area but invented by a chop suey shop owner from St. Paul…” This is a one-source legend dating to a 2006 article by Malcom Gay in the RFT, in which Park Chop Suey’s owner claims that a former owner of the restaurant, who was from St. Paul, Minn., invented the thing. But there’s no corroborating evidence, and the way it’s worded, it sounds like the sandwich was invented in St. Paul and migrated here. I’m pretty sure you can’t find a St. Paul anywhere but in St. Louis.
“…a sandwich invented by Chinese immigrants who wanted to attract uneducated American palettes to their cuisine.” Rather than transcribing from Wikipedia, if you just cut and paste, you’ll even spell “palates” correctly.
“Although the sandwich has only been around for less than ten years—migrating west to San Francisco due to the city’s large Chinese population and perhaps because of the massive number of stoners residing in the area—it has quickly gained legendary status nationwide.” Huh? I think Tommy Crone alone has been writing about the St. Paul sandwich for more than 10 years. And where can you find one in San Francisco (or in Miami, as the article later implies)?
It’s a really weird piece. But at least they spelled our name right.
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Joe Bonwich has been the restaurant critic for the Post-Dispatch since 2002 and has covered the local food scene for various publications for more than 25 years. He does his best to maintain his anonymity so that he isn't recognized in restaurants (which is why his picture looks like it does). 
The Playboy article is, more than weird, inaccurate. I was born in the late 50s; grew up in North St. Louis. One of the most popular Chinese restaurants in town (up to the early 80s) was Chinatown Cafe on the corner of Page and Walton; people came from all parts of town to eat at this old-style Chinese, sit-down restaurant where the waitress had worked there for over 15-20 years when I was a kid. The restaurant became strictly take-out shortly after the original owner (Tommy) sold the restaurant to his nephew when he retired and returned home to China. I worked there as a teenager on weekends in the early 70s (I lived a couple of doors down). The St. Paul was on the menu before I started working there.
The “where” and “how” the sandwich got its name is still a subject of long-standing debate, but what is undisputed is its longevity and near exclusivity to the St. Louis area until the 80s. I saw it listed on a menu in a Chicago take-out in the mid-80s.