New on my radar for GNR-STL status is the DeMun Oyster Bar. Located near Wash U in a charming section of town, this small corner spot has 20's era charm to spare, with its half-elipse bar, mosaic-tile floor, handful of tables and soft lighting. Lively, but not noisy, I'd pick the De Mun Oyster bar for a festive Saturday or a sedate weeknight. Etta James was playing at low volume the night after her passing, which was just the first of many clues that this place is run by some people who care, and who know what they are doing. In that spirit, I noted also that the menu is focused, with Washington oysters starring amid small plate options such as steamed clams and mussels with garlic. Had we been starving, tenderloin or snapper en papillote would have been good choices, I wager. There is a nightly risotto-duck was suggested this past Saturday. I'd rate the service as outstanding, with attention to details often overlooked in spots with a laid-back vibe. The bone china was a special treat in keeping with the atmosphere of the place, if likely a difficult job for the dishwashing staff. Wine list was deep and reasonably priced, with several champagne options at slightly higher prices.

Great 1-2 punch: Kaldi's original location is down the street in the same charming block. Kaldi is St. Louis' answer to Intelligentsia.

De Mun Oyster Bar
740 De Mun Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63105-2219
(314) 725-0322 ‎

gleam wrote:Bogart's in Soulard is a very good smoque-type barbecue place. Ribs were as well cooked as any commercial ribs I've had; skip the pastrami. Sides were excellent.

Ate there this past weekend and had some of the best ribs of my life. Nicely smokey, pink inside with a nice toothsome bite (I know that's not the proper use of toothsome, thank you). Agreed on the pastrami and the sides. The pulled pork was smokey and hunky, but the brisket was a touch dry for my liking. The beans were great, and i enjoyed the pork rinds with their house vinegar. definitely worth a stop in.

In town for a whirlwind coffee-centric tour, we stopped for dinner last night at Big Mama's BBQ in Belleville. The room is comfortable and informal, with plastic-topped tables, paper-towel wrapped utensils and metal plates. We started with crispy snoots, which to the best of my knowledge, are pieces of nostril. They're cut into roughly 1" x 3" sections and deep fried, resulting in a texture and flavor similar to cracklins and pork rinds. The order comes slathered in sauce, which can be a good thing if you're averse to eating pig face and nose skin . Having tasted them, I would probably order them again, but with sauce on the side.

Moving on, we had the jumbo pork steaks (2 lb.) and a 1/2 rack of spare ribs with fried okra and black eyed pea salad for sides. The pork steaks taste of hickory. Cutting into one reveals a nicely rounded smoke ring. The steak is almost impossibly tender, given the thickness and lean cut, well flavored and prepared. The ribs were nicely smoked and cooked, albeit a little more tender than I would normally prefer; not quite fall-off-the-bone but coming away cleanly and with very little resistance. It seems that the star of this show is their 5 sauces, which range from mildly "sweet" to "kickin". The predominant flavors are tomato and sugar, with a little bite but not a huge amount of complexity. If none of these fit your fancy, they offer a chipotle sauce which balances smoke and heat easily, but strays from the flavor profile of the other sauces.

There are 2 locations, a standalone in Belleville (no alcohol) and a golf course location at the Clinton Hills Golf Club in Swansea. Both are on the Illinois side around 20 minutes east of the river. Seeing as how we visit the area several times a year, this place will go in my back pocket for the next time I hear "let's go out to eat."

Big Mama's BBQ
5110 North Belt West
Belleville, IL 62226
(618) 239-0695

3700 Old Collinsville Road
Swansea, IL 62226
(618) 277-3724

Sherman wrote:In town for a whirlwind coffee-centric tour, we stopped for dinner last night at Big Mama's BBQ in Belleville. The room is comfortable and informal, with plastic-topped tables, paper-towel wrapped utensils and metal plates. We started with crispy snoots, which to the best of my knowledge, are pieces of nostril. They're cut into roughly 1" x 3" sections and deep fried, resulting in a texture and flavor similar to cracklins and pork rinds. The order comes slathered in sauce, which can be a good thing if you're averse to eating pig face and nose skin . Having tasted them, I would probably order them again, but with sauce on the side.

Moving on, we had the jumbo pork steaks (2 lb.) and a 1/2 rack of spare ribs with fried okra and black eyed pea salad for sides. The pork steaks taste of hickory. Cutting into one reveals a nicely rounded smoke ring. The steak is almost impossibly tender, given the thickness and lean cut, well flavored and prepared. The ribs were nicely smoked and cooked, albeit a little more tender than I would normally prefer; not quite fall-off-the-bone but coming away cleanly and with very little resistance. It seems that the star of this show is their 5 sauces, which range from mildly "sweet" to "kickin". The predominant flavors are tomato and sugar, with a little bite but not a huge amount of complexity. If none of these fit your fancy, they offer a chipotle sauce which balances smoke and heat easily, but strays from the flavor profile of the other sauces.

There are 2 locations, a standalone in Belleville (no alcohol) and a golf course location at the Clinton Hills Golf Club in Swansea. Both are on the Illinois side around 20 minutes east of the river. Seeing as how we visit the area several times a year, this place will go in my back pocket for the next time I hear "let's go out to eat."

Big Mama's BBQ
5110 North Belt West
Belleville, IL 62226
(618) 239-0695

3700 Old Collinsville Road
Swansea, IL 62226
(618) 277-3724

Thanks for the report, Sherman. My in-laws live in Swansea, so will make an effort to visit next time we're down there. We have been to the 17th Street BBQ outpost in O'Fallon a number of times, but look forward to trying out Big Mama's.

Please let also let me/us know what places you hit on the coffee tour. I am familiar with some of the roasters/brewers over on the St. Louis side of the river, but would be interested to hear what places you hit west and/or east of the river.

Szechuan Beef Noodles at Joy Luck Buffet, the perfect order if you find yourself dining alone. Tender beef of various cuts, lots of la, and a bit of celery crunch to offset the silky onion and bouncy noodles. Perfect.


photo.JPG by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Spent a previous weekend down in da Lou for my buddy's 30th bday celebration. It was his big wkd and he was hosting so I let him make the calls which would mean I would have to sit thru a game of watching my two least favorite teams in MLB play. I've been to alot of Cubs (Love/Hate) vs Cards (Hate/Hate) games over at Wrigley thru the years but never at Busch Stadium which I will say was very pretty and all things considered (free tickets and drinks with passionate fans) was a really fun time. I'm glad I can now say I've been to the new Busch Stadium and encourage all baseball fans to go at least once. Not many cities these days where baseball comes first but St. Louis is without a doubt one of them.


Busch Stadium: Home of the Cardinals

-A day of eating in the Soulard Neighborhood

Its only fitting that an area that was settled at and developed by a Frenchman named Antoine Soulard be one of the bigger drinking communities in the country. Reason being is that Soulard is the French word for a drunkard. But I think that's just coincidence and the fact that the 'hood is so heavily loaded with bars and celebrations, such as the largest Mardi Gras party outside NOLA, is due to its roots. This was a neighborhood where many of the early day brewery workers built their homes and it's filled with beautiful old school brick buildings which have been turned into bars, eateries, lofts and other places that intend on keeping the historic charm of the old world neighborhood intact.


Soulard Neighborhood in St. Louis

We got all around on this trip but only spent a few hours exploring around by day. We spent Friday night after the game over at my friends local watering hole. So first things first on Saturday one of those with us wanted to get breakfast while we waited for the rest to rise. A few lots down from my friends house is Luvy Duvy's. A great little spot on the corner that was packed with locals there to eat and of course drink. I just had a bite of my buddy's biscuits and gravy which I thought were good but kind of plain. Nothing life changing but alot of the sandwiches I saw people chowing on looked very tasty. It was a lively place and my friend who lives there loves it. Lets just say he likes to eat and fit in well at Busch Stadium so he definitely knows where to go.



On the corner of Arsenal & Jefferson across from Benton Park

After a few drinks for me at Luvy's breakfast would be an old neighborhood favorite over at Gus' Pretzels. Where you at Navman? This ones for you. They've been around and all in the family since 1920. They weren't the only ones who started serving twisted dough though. As expected with the brewery being in the store's shadows and pretzels being of German heritage they were a popular snack both for work and play (drinking) for the locals who worked at the brewery back then and those who still do today. They must make 1,000's a day on the weekend as was evidence from the line where you could see the employees hard at work making them and then baking them and then letting them rest in a large room amongst many more with fans blowing down on them.




Pretzel stick and a twist...good eating for $2 and change

After that we met back up with our buddy from around that way and headed over to the historic Soulard Farmers Market. It has roots all the way back to 1779 when it was just a flat area of land where farmers could come sell their crops, dairy and livestock. "In 1795, Antoine Soulard was given a 122 acre plot that included the market grounds by his father-in-law, Gabriel Cerre. But, when the United States made the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Antoine's claim to the land was put in jeopardy. It wasn't until 1836, after a lengthy legal battle and Antoine's death, that his widow, Julia Soulard, acquired the deed to the land. In 1841, she officially set aside two city blocks to be used as a farmers market..." from their Website.


One of the two main buildings as it stands today

I'm with Stevez when he says "Every time I visit another town that has a permanent market, I get more and more frustrated at our City’s (Chicago) lack of one" referring to his recent trip to Kansas City. Whats wrong with my city? Their market is open Wed-Sat all year long. However only certain portions of it are open on days leading up to Saturday which is when the entire space is 100% occupied and thus the day to go. It's especially busy during summer months and was very vibrant the day we visited. If you needed further proof that its either Milwaukee or St. Louis for the biggest non tourist destination drinking city in America, check the 2nd pic to the left on top of the collage below. That's the first vendor and sign I saw when we walked in.




The Soulard Farmers Market

Soulard's Market is like a mixture of your local farmers market with a little bit of your local meat packing plant with the vending people of a Phish show and an Asian Flea Market mixed in. Add to that the fact you can shop and drink and it's got a little local tavern vibe going to it too. It was the most integrated market I've been to as there was all sorts of different folks shopping this Saturday. I liked what I was seeing even before the exploration and eating began. Its not the best idea to walk thru such a big selection of grocery goods while being hungry so first things first, some food and drink.



Whats not to like?

There's a little section amongst one of the entry ways where theres a few vendors who sell food and baked goods and the rest of the good stuff like fresh butchered meats, shaved ice, sausage and beer. There's a couple stands that sell sausage and one of them has a really good brat while the other sells their specialty, a German garlic sausage. It's a 100 year old family recipe and they sell them to take home at the butcher shop across from the stand where you can buy them ready to eat. The German Garlic's were fantastic and something I wish we had access to here. The next time I'm in town I hope I can get a bunch to take back. A local specialty of freshly baked gooey butter cake for the 3rd course and break in between meals was the only way to go while in St. Louis.


Bloody Mary and Chicken & Dumplings from Julia's Market Cafe

There's a few other vendors selling food you can eat at while shopping and I stopped in at Julia's Cafe at one of the entry ways to order a bloody Mary and then saw they had chicken and dumplings that day too. So I got an order after a recent trip to Nashville has me loving a great made version of these. Very good but not nearly on par with Arnold's down in the Music City. After all that it was time to walk around see what else was going on.



A look around the market

There was really good looking stuff and pretty much everything you needed here from freshly grown local produce that was in season to Cardinals players t-shirt jerseys, bootlegged DVD's and beanie hats for hippies. Fresh flowers, cheeses, pasta and fruits and veggies too. The local stuff looked really nice as most every stand is occupied by local farms from around Missouri. We got a really sweet, juicy watermelon from one of them that was the best I've had this summer. There was also a vendor selling wood chips for BBQ buffs and I picked up some cherry chunks and sassafras wood which I've never used before but I now see after the fact that it gets mixed reviews online.




Who says farmers markets are all about teaching people to eat healthier?

After that we kind of sat back and relaxed at my buddy's place for an hour or so while he got ready to go to a parade in Southern IL to do a political appearance for the person who's campaign he's running. The plan was that we would stroll out and about to the Great River Road (stay tuned) and see and experience some of it around these parts and then all meet back later for dinner and fun after that.


A cool old business turned home in Soulard

I wanted to do some BBQ while we were down here and was very much tempted by Bogart's when I first saw it when we were pulling up to the Farmers Market. It had a line out the door and my buddy said that their pastrami sandwich was amazing. I looked it up on google for a little bit while we were walking around and then before taking off I made a last second decision to grab something to go for the road.


A popular new BBQ spot in the Soulard neighborhood

I prefer the old school found on the side of the road pits to the newly opened places that get alot of hype which alot of the time is undeserved. I trust my friends taste for good BBQ as he does events with Mike Mills and goes to these random low key shack while on the road in Southern IL and parts of Missouri away from St. Louis. I don't consider much if anything from yelp as credible info but when a place has over 200 reviews and stays near five stars I dont see that as a bad thing. Usually even the most popular places get served single stars bc of something stupid. The reviews were good as were other things I read about the former pitmaster at local favorite Pappy's new place. I was going to get the smoked pastrami but they were out of that which was a blessing in disguise as I went with the ribs instead.


Bogart's BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Skip Steele who is co-owner of Bogarts is one of the founders of Super Smokers BBQ and a seasoned veteran of both the competition BBQ circuit and restaurant/smokehouse scene. He and a former GM of Pappy's BBQ opened Bogart's which has fit into the BBQ scene real well or so it would seem. It's not just ribs and pulled pork here. I heard great things about their smoked prime rib and the aforementioned pastrami. I'll try to try one of those next time though as their baby back were fantastic. As good if not better than the ones I had at 17th Street in Murphysboro the day before. They finish them with an apricot glaze that's caramelized with a blow torch giving them a sweet crisp exterior to pair with tender juicy meat with just the right amount of smoke flavor and perfect resistance off the bone. The baked beans and potato salad were as good as either or I have had.


A smokey, sticky, succulent delight of a bite

After a long day we rested up for an hour before meeting back up with my buddy and some other friends in town for dinner. This would be my 2nd trip back to Hodak's which while I dont think is technically in the Soulard neighborhood, it is in Benton Park right which is right next door and a short five minute drive.


Locals favorite since 1962

Hodak's chicken is a St. Louis tradition. They love their fried bird from Hodak's down there. The people that swear by it live for it and even a few friends from Chicago of mine who make regular trips to see our friend agree with him that its the best fried chicken there is. I've been before and remember it for being good but not the best so I was glad to get a 2nd taste of it and see what was up. Especially since its been a few years and I've been around since then. We started off with an order of sticky wings and also some fried mushrooms. Wings were tasty and the 'shrooms were pretty damn good with their fried chicken breading and they give you an absurd amount for the $5 pricetag. Hodak's has very good fried chicken and a unique batter to taste. I'll give them and my friend that.


Hodak's Fried Mushrooms

But I cant go so far as to say its the best fried chicken in the world. But its a great place to get it at. No doubt about that. Dinners dont come in 1/4 bird portions. A 1/2 order of golden fried chicken or an order of 5 whole wings are your options. They come standard with fries and slaw but other sides are available and a side of their BBQ sauce comes with it. At $7.95 this is a great dinner value and the chicken comes juicy although I dont think it was freshly fried. I liked the fact it came with BBQ sauce which was also pretty good dipped with the chicken. Stevez mentions that some STL people feel like their city comes second to KC in an unfair way in many things such as BBQ. I haven't been to Stroud's but I hope Hodak's isn't better as far as fried chicken goes. Because with the hype Stroud's gets that would be disappointing. Rip's is still king for me.


Fried Chicken Dinner from Hodak's

After Hodak's it was back over to my friends local watering hole for some boozing and schmoozing. I really like the vibe around the Soulard neighborhood and think my friend (well his parents anyway) made a great investment on buying a couple of houses there a couple years back. It keeps getting better each time I visit. I dont know if John's Donuts is located in Soulard but my boy had the first batch of the night delivered fresh to us at Trueman's Place as we drank. I dont think they deliver, this was a guy working there doing him a favor I'm pretty sure. St. Louis as he told me is a donut town and these while still hot were as fantastic of a batch I've had in sometime, but I'm not a doughnut guy. The apple fritter, blueberry and maple bacon donuts were all fantastic and nowhere near $3 a piece. Donuts arent trendy here, they're traditional.


Great drinking eats

It just so happened that it was shortly thereafter the donuts were delivered that I experienced my only unpleasant event while in da 'lou. Some meatballs at the bar who I was getting bad vibes from all night wondering why I would always catch them looking over I guess were either unhappy that my friend was enchanting all the bartenders and waitress' or that he brought some Cubs fans with him to join or maybe they were just jealous they didn't get offered any donuts. But a couple of them decided to play tough. They were held down until bigger men came and then kicked out. Poor guy I hope is elbow isn't as bad as Wainwrights was last year. Damn Cardinals fans, just because I'm from Chicago doesn't mean I'm a threat to you. Besides the Cubs and their yuppie fans suck, Ill be the first to tell you that.


See you again soon St. Lou...

Luvy Duvy's
2321 Arsenal Street
St. Louis, MO 63118
(314) 776-5889

Gus' Pretzels
1820 Arsenal Street
St. Louis, MO 63118
(314) 664-4010

Soulard Farmers Market
730 Carroll Street
St. Louis, MO 63104
(314) 588-1206

Bogarts Smokehouse
1627 South 9th Street
St. Louis, MO 63104
(314) 621-3107

Hodak's
2100 Gravois Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63104
(314) 776-7292

John Donut Co
1618 South Broadway
St. Louis, MO 63104
(314) 241-3360

Actually, one of the best things at Gus's Pretzels are the Salsiccia and Bratwurst pretzels. The sausage is cooked inside of the pretzel.

As for Hodak's, yes, its the local favorite. And it is simply the greasiest fried chicken that I have encountered - and served over white bread. Personally, I would rather head a mile or so down the road to Sweetie Pie's on Manchester for their fried chicken and their excellent macaroni and cheese. Stroud's in KC is better.

I hate to bash Hodak's as it is a restaurant in my old neighborhood, but the hype ...

Great post Da Beef! Jlawrence01 is correct in identifying Sweetie Pie's as a good alternative to Hodak's. ( I happen to have their mac 'n cheese recipe if anyone is interested). It's disappointing that Hodak's is not up to the Stroud's standard, but most of my discerning friends here in St. Louis don't enjoy Hodak's chicken. People have warned me off it. Instead, I was steered to Porter's Fried Chicken, in a strip mall not far south of the Wash U campus to satisfy my fried chicken craving. Porter's is primarily takeout with a few stools and tables, rather than a restaurant like Hodak's. Simple.


Porter's Fried Chicken by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Here is the menu:


Porter's Menu by Josephine2004, on Flickr


Porter's Fish Menu by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Note the availability of T-Rav's (Toasted Ravioli) and the selection of sides. I did not try any of these, however, I would like to go back to sample their fried fish. I can't remember seeing Jack Salmon on a fried fish menu. It seems that St. Louis takes its fried fish seriously, for an inland capital, that is.

A guy was buying this 100 piece box. I snapped a picture. Not my order, I promise!


100 Pieces at Porter's by Josephine2004, on Flickr

I was glad that I had bought enough chicken for a few days' meals, however. The birds were tender without brining and had a thin, minimally greasy, crisp crust that was delicious hot and excellent cold. (Nothing worse than cold greasy breading in my book.) Also, the batter was not overseasoned with celery salt or powdered thyme. Instead, the flavor of the chicken was allowed to shine. You can kind of make out how thin the coating was in this picture:


Porter's Closeup by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Try Porter's when you get a chance. I have eaten at Stroud's, and while they serve a heftier bird, I think Porter's handles their smaller birds just as skillfully. It's important to call ahead so that they have your order ready when you arrive.

Porter's Fried Chicken
3628 South Big Bend Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63143
(314) 781-2097

Josephine wrote:Great post Da Beef! Jlawrence01 is correct in identifying Sweetie Pie's as a good alternative to Hodak's. ( I happen to have their mac 'n cheese recipe if anyone is interested). It's disappointing that Hodak's is not up to the Stroud's standard, but most of my discerning friends here in St. Louis don't enjoy Hodak's chicken. People have warned me off it.

It is hard for me to order fried chicken at Sweetie Pie's as the fried catfish (whole) is some of the best that I have had in years. Toss in a side order of collard or turnip greens. Also, I have to admit that I prefer the old restaurant on W. Florissant in Ferguson over the Manchester Rd location which is more upscale. It really bothers me that I worked a mile from the old location for years and never knew about it. Where I worked had a fortress mentality that the area was rough - not really.

One of my friends has told me about a restaurant that is about three blocks from my old abode in Tower Grove East - a soul food place called Yummies Restaurant. It is currently closed due to a kitchen fire.

St. Louis is one of the few cities where many of the fast food places have closed down.

Da Beef wrote:I heard great things about their [Bogart's] smoked prime rib and the aforementioned pastrami.

I think I'd stick with the other things Da Beef recommends above. Here's Bogart's Pick Two Plate with prime rib and pastrami plus beans and pork rinds.





Fifteen bucks gets you small piles of thinly shaved meats that don't even cover the bun. Neither was bad but both were disappointing. Pastrami tasted more like lean corned beef, having had its flavorful fat and spices cut away before slicing. Beef had decent smoke flavor (and ring) but seemed lifeless and somewhat dry. Beans were excellent, maybe the best molasses-heavy version I've had, and the rinds were just fine. I wonder if it wouldn't be better to go at a less busy time and let them know that a little fat and thicker slices (hand cut?) are good things. The beans alone tell me they're capable of much better than what we were served.

jlawrence01 wrote:Actually, one of the best things at Gus's Pretzels are the Salsiccia and Bratwurst pretzels. The sausage is cooked inside of the pretzel.

There's no place to eat inside Gus' but we found a table for three right outside.





Nice little snacks. The brat was unanimously preferred over the Italian sausage. I can't believe I forgot to order any regular pretzels. Based only on the saus-zels I don't think I'd go too far out of my way for Gus'.

jlawrence01 wrote:As for Hodak's, yes, its the local favorite. And it is simply the greasiest fried chicken that I have encountered - and served over white bread. Personally, I would rather head a mile or so down the road to Sweetie Pie's on Manchester for their fried chicken and their excellent macaroni and cheese.

I'd been to Hodak's years ago and remember liking their chicken but not finding it terribly special. This visit we tried Sweetie Pie's, run by a former Ikette. The cafeteria-style setup and food remind me of MacArthur's or Morrison's in Chicago (though Sweetie Pie's is significantly spiffed up). Good food, good portions, good prices.





The table seemed fairly satisfied with their fried chicken wings (a special that day) and I was quite happy with my smothered pork steaks, mac-n-cheese and some very fine braised cabbage. Pork steaks seem to be common in St Louis soul food restaurants, barbecue houses and elsewhere. You'll find these steaks, cut from the shoulder, around Chicago too, but they're rarely labeled as such. A couple days around St Louis made me an instant fan of barbecued pork steaks. They aren't uncommon in Chicago's soul food places (often masquerading as chops) but has anyone seen pork steaks at a local barbecue?

Da Beef wrote:I dont know if John's Donuts is located in Soulard but my boy had the first batch of the night delivered fresh to us at Trueman's Place as we drank. I dont think they deliver, this was a guy working there doing him a favor I'm pretty sure. St. Louis as he told me is a donut town and these while still hot were as fantastic of a batch I've had in sometime, but I'm not a doughnut guy. The apple fritter, blueberry and maple bacon donuts were all fantastic and nowhere near $3 a piece. Donuts arent trendy here, they're traditional.

A big problem with donuts is you have to get up so early for a good selection. Late night donut delivery is clearly the way to go. Unfortunately we didn't have that option available and John's was already closed for the day when we arrived.



Instead we went to World's Fair Donuts, another of St Louis's countless donut shops.











One bite of the still-warm glazed fried dough and I understood why people get excited about donuts. I liked the simple cake donut even more. We got the last fried pie—coconut cream—and it wasn't bad at all. The prices are startlingly low (cake 49 cents; glazed 51 cents; pie $1.10) and they had a good laugh when I told them people pay 3 or 4 dollars for a donut in Chicago. I think a real donut enthusiast could spend an enjoyable few days surveying the St Louis scene.

Bogart's Smoke House
1627 S 9th St
St Louis MO
314-621-3107

Gus' Pretzels
1820 Arsenal St
St Louis MO
314-664-4010

Sweetie Pie's Kitchen
4270 Manchester Av
St Louis MO
314-371-0304

World's Fair Donuts
1904 S Vandeventer Av
St Louis MO
314-776-9975

Rene G wrote:The table seemed fairly satisfied with their fried chicken wings (a special that day) and I was quite happy with my smothered pork steaks, mac-n-cheese and some very fine braised cabbage. Pork steaks seem to be common in St Louis soul food restaurants, barbecue houses and elsewhere. You'll find these steaks, cut from the shoulder, around Chicago too, but they're rarely labeled as such. A couple days around St Louis made me an instant fan of barbecued pork steaks. They aren't uncommon in Chicago's soul food places (often masquerading as chops) but has anyone seen pork steaks at a local barbecue?

If you head to the St. Louis backyards., you will find that the pork steak in THE meat of choice. Why not? It is very inexpensive AND if done well, the product is excellent. Websites talk about snoots and St. Paul sandwiches but pork steaks are one of the top St. Louis foods.

The second food is jack salmon which is not "real" salmon BUT is generally whiting. It is very popular amongst the Catholic fish fries on the Fridays in Lent.

What does not get covered at all in the bar meal that I had on a weekly basis when I lived in St. Louis. Most bars would serve a small steak. baked potato, salad of iceberg lettuce, and saltines for about $6.50 (it is probably the reason I was not dragged to Hodak's more often).

==================================

I guess what really bothers me to this day is that for three years, I worked 1.5 miles from the original Sweetie Pie's location on West Florissant and never heard of the place. I would probably attribute it ro the racial polarization in the city as most people in the area did not leave work until they were heading home.

jlawrence01 wrote:

Rene G wrote:The table seemed fairly satisfied with their fried chicken wings (a special that day) and I was quite happy with my smothered pork steaks, mac-n-cheese and some very fine braised cabbage. Pork steaks seem to be common in St Louis soul food restaurants, barbecue houses and elsewhere. You'll find these steaks, cut from the shoulder, around Chicago too, but they're rarely labeled as such. A couple days around St Louis made me an instant fan of barbecued pork steaks. They aren't uncommon in Chicago's soul food places (often masquerading as chops) but has anyone seen pork steaks at a local barbecue?

If you head to the St. Louis backyards., you will find that the pork steak in THE meat of choice. Why not? It is very inexpensive AND if done well, the product is excellent. Websites talk about snoots and St. Paul sandwiches but pork steaks are one of the top St. Louis foods.

Pork steaks are one of the top St. Louis foods. I bought a pig from a local farmer last summer. The first question the butcher asked me for the cut sheet was, "How thick do you want your pork steaks?" (Most people order them 3/4' thick, I learned.) Since then, I've asked locals about pork steaks, and it appears they are something people make at home, the most frequent method being low-temperature oven baking, followed by finishing on the grill, with Maul's or Sweet Baby Ray's-type BBQ sauce. Fall-off-the-bone texture is favored among my small sample. Not knowing how to prepare a pork steak, I treated most of last year's steaks as pork chops, simply marinated and grilled, and they were tender and flavorful.

I've sampled one example of professionally smoked pork steak from Smoki O's BBQ, which was was a fine example of BBQ texture, with some tooth, but not dry or crispy. (Smoki O's is owned by St. Louis BBQ royals, the Walker family. Otis Walker and his brother used to do BBQ in an oil barrel at Soulard Market). Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of their pork steak.

So what about snoots? I invite Rene G and Cathy2 to chime in here, but I thought the snoots were a bit hard and dry. That said, I am not sure what they are supposed to be like. Perhaps the cartilage of the snoots makes them hard when fried. For me, snoot doesn't stack up as an entree, though one customer in front of us in line at Smoki O's was ordering a snoot dinner platter with sides. It reminded me of chicharron, but not as tender, thus, more of a snack or garnish. For those who want to try snoots, but not necessarily commit to a full order, Smoki O's offers snack-sized bags of "Snoot Chips."

Here are pictures of Smoki O's snoots and ribs:


Smoki O's Snoots by Josephine2004, on Flickr


Smoki O's Ribs by Josephine2004, on Flickr

jlawrence01 wrote:The second food is jack salmon which is not "real" salmon BUT is generally whiting. It is very popular amongst the Catholic fish fries on the Fridays in Lent.

Porter's Fish Menu by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Thanks for clarifying jack salmon for me, jlawrence01. I've seen frozen fish identified with that name in some of the Asian markets along Olive Blvd. here. Above is picture of the fish menu at Porter's Fried Chicken on Big Bend. I haven't yet gotten past the chicken.

Smoki O's BBQ
1545 North Broadway*
St. Louis, MO 63102
(314) 621-8180

* This is a location north of downtown near the river, do-able by car from major tourist attractions.

jlawrence01 wrote: Personally, I would rather head a mile or so down the road to Sweetie Pie's on Manchester for their fried chicken and their excellent macaroni and cheese.

Rene G wrote:. . . This visit we tried Sweetie Pie's, run by a former Ikette. The cafeteria-style setup and food remind me of MacArthur's or Morrison's in Chicago (though Sweetie Pie's is significantly spiffed up). Good food, good portions, good prices. . .



. . .The table seemed fairly satisfied with their fried chicken wings (a special that day) and I was quite happy with my smothered pork steaks, mac-n-cheese and some very fine braised cabbage.

I forgot to mention in my previous post that Sweetie Pie's owner and former Ikette, Robbie Montgomery shared her mac 'n cheese recipe on a local St. Louis TV show, and I happened to write it down. So I share it here, in spite of the fact that the amounts are probably for a cafeteria-size counter pan, and the amount of macaroni is not specified. One more thing, for those who are interested, here is a link to the Wikipedia article on Sweetie Pie's and their reality show, Welcome to Sweetie Pie's on OWN, the Oprah network. The next season's premiere is scheduled for September 15, 2012.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welcome_to_Sweetie_Pie%27s

Sweetie Pie's Mac 'n Cheese

2 lb. Velveeta, cubed
5 eggs, beaten
1 lb. Sharp Cheddar, grated
1 lb. Colby Jack, grated
1 lb. Monterey Jack, grated
3 T. salt
1/2 cup sour cream
2 T. sugar
2 cans Pet Milk
2 cups whole milk
2 sticks margarine
Macaroni- to taste

Combine the Velveeta cubes, 1/2 of the cheeses, milks, eggs, salt and sugar. Pour over macaroni. Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheeses and bake at 350 degrees until done.

Josephine wrote:
Thanks for clarifying jack salmon for me, jlawrence01. I've seen frozen fish identified with that name in some of the Asian markets along Olive Blvd. here. Above is picture of the fish menu at Porter's Fried Chicken on Big Bend. I haven't yet gotten past the chicken.
* This is a location north of downtown near the river, do-able by car from major tourist attractions.

I will NOT say that I would pass up a meal of jack salmon, especially if I was fed it at home. However, I would NOT drive a block out of the way
to get it. I would far rather find a good platter of catfish although other than Sweetie Pies, I do not know where to get it in St. Louis.

When I lived in St. Louis, there was a small restaurant called Hatfields and McCoy that had great catfish. The owners decided to split and one opened up a chain called Bubba and Coy's which was at best average. Both are now closed.

================================

Note the Velveeta in the Sweetie Pie's recipe. I have to believe that it is to keep the sauce from cracking. Velveeta is a mainstay of Southern cooking.

jlawrence01 wrote: I would far rather find a good platter of catfish although other than Sweetie Pies, I do not know where to get it in St. Louis.

I'll keep an eye out for some good catfish. It seems to be available in lots of places here.

jlawrence01 wrote:Note the Velveeta in the Sweetie Pie's recipe. I have to believe that it is to keep the sauce from cracking.

I was wondering about the lack of a white sauce base in this recipe, and how it could work, especially with the milk. But I figured it was more of a quiche than anything, with all the eggs and Pet Milk. I haven't made this mac 'n cheese, because my favorite recipe is trixie pea's mac 'n cheese and I always regret making any other kind.

St Louis Oddities: Slingers, Snoots & St Paul Sandwiches

St Louis seems to have more than its share of local culinary oddities. Many folks are familiar with slingers, barbecued snoots, St Paul sandwiches and toasted ravioli, if not from firsthand experience then from watching television. Other less-publicized oddities await those willing to dig a bit. Duck ends, anyone?

Many Chicagoans know the slinger from Diner Grill's version ("Don't ask, just eat"), for years the only one in town. Slingers are everywhere in St Louis, from the lowliest lunch counter (their natural habitat) to upscale restaurants. Slinger burgers are not uncommon. One Scottish bar serves a late-night haggis slinger, complete with cabbage and house-made haggis fritter. For those not familiar with the genre, a basic slinger usually consists of a foundation of hash browns, topped with some sort of meat (often a couple hamburger patties), topped with fried eggs, topped with chili. Variations, from minor to extreme, are common.

Eat Rite Diner, a classic greasy spoon, looks to be the perfect spot to sample this delicacy.







Not a bad version, but honestly I prefer Diner Grill's. I didn't love Eat Rite's use of sausage patties, not such a great match with chili. They put out a nice diner-style burger and the space is about as classic as you're likely to find. I mean, they have a functional cigarette machine (six bucks!) and an old-style pinball machine.





Those seeking the perfect slinger would do well to consult The 13 Blog for an impressive rundown of the many options throughout St Louis.

The last time I tried snoots was probably the culinary low point of my last decade. This experience was somewhat better but I'll say right upfront I just don't understand snoots. We stopped at Smoki O's for some snoots plus a few other things and read Snootology as we waited.







This is how an order of snoots is presented. You tell me, how does one go about eating these things? They're about hard enough to break a tooth. I assume you're supposed to soak them in sauce but even that doesn't help a lot.



We couldn't resist an bag of snoot chips which were pretty similar, but even less chewable. Perfect dog treats (and I think this is how these ended up). I think I might have it in me to try snoots once more before giving up. Here's Smoki O's German hot link.





What really impressed me from Smoki O's was the pork steak. Crusty and salty on the outside, tender and smoky within, a real nice hunk of meat. It's a mystery to me why these things aren't more common (say, in Chicago barbecue houses). St Louis really takes advantage of this often-overlooked cut. Here's a nice display of fresh pork steaks at Frandeka Meats in Soulard Market.



On the way out of Missouri we stopped at Hawg Fathers, a randomly chosen barbecue spot in Macon and had another good pork steak.



Aside from that unfortunate gloppy sauce (when, oh when, will I ever learn?) this was another very satisfying piece of meat.

The St Paul sandwich is one of St Louis's most enigmatic oddities. Why is an egg foo young sandwich named after one of the Twin Cities? I'll try to say some more about the origins of the sandwich in another thread. Our first St Paul was at Fortune Express, only steps from Ted Drewes. An entire section of the menu is devoted to St Pauls. We stuck with the classic ham version. I couldn't help noticing duck ends listed on the menu so we ordered one of those too.









The duck end is about what you'd expect—the butt of a roasted duck hacked off with a cleaver, served in a simple broth. I thought this made the skin unappealingly flabby but it's tough to complain about the 75 cent price. I was prepared to find the St Paul mildly repulsive but Fortune Express makes a surprisingly appealing version.



The judiciously applied mayonnaise, the lettuce, tomato and pickle actually enhance the expertly prepared, almost greaseless egg patty containing plenty of smoky ham. It's simply a very good fancied-up egg sandwich. All in all, a big surprise for me.

A second St Paul at Dr King Chop Suey was quite different. Dr King's has duck ends on the menu too, so we repeated our order, subbing duck for ham in the St Paul.













This sandwich seemed greasy and heavy, very possibly from being fried in some animal fat, yet was undeniably tasty. You just know this thing is bad for you. I missed the lettuce and tomato we had on out first sandwich and there was too much mayonnaise (but then, any mayo is often too much for me). When I asked the young Chinese woman behind the almost-opaque bulletproof shield, she told me that St Pauls are their biggest seller. The duck end was similar to the first but at nearly three times the price, not such a good deal. Maybe some enterprising food investigator should do a survey of duck ends in The Lou.

On our way back from Dr King's we passed AAA Fish House and their irresistible sidewalk sign.





The tripe was crispy as anything I've eaten and the mix of mustard, hot sauce, pickles and raw onion really helped things along. I have to say, however, I won't be craving St Louis-style tripe sandwiches any time soon. Judging from other window signs I began to notice, it seems that tripe sandwiches are indeed a popular local item, at least in certain neighborhoods. Another worthy project.

We drove around a bit in the old Polish neighborhood of Hyde Park, now decimated. Piekutowski's Sausage Shop might be the last Polish business left.





I liked a lot of what I saw in the old-fashioned market but what really caught my eye was a display of Dad's Original Scotch Oatmeal Cookies. These had been a favorite of mine growing up in Buffalo, where one of the bakeries used to be located. It turns out the St Louis bakery is the last remaining. I bought a bag and couldn't have been more pleased that these cookies taste exactly as I remember from decades ago—a totally unexpected but most welcome discovery. Dad's cookies are distributed throughout St Louis, in grocery stores as well as some specialty vendors such as Crown Candy. You can get them at Ted Drewes, though they're not advertised very prominently.



Note the "Tedad" flavor midway down the second column. That's shorthand for Ted's custard with crumbled Dad's cookies mixed in. The "cookie sandwich" is also made with Dad's. I found out about this too late but you can be assured it will be high on the list for my next visit.

I didn't eat much bread in St Louis (aside from the Wonder-like holders for egg foo young and fried tripe) but it looks like there's some notable stuff. At Soulard Market we found Black Bear Bakery (Friday and Saturday only; I think Saturday is better for a good selection). Most of their breads looked good but what stood out was their Lickhalter's sourdough rye, based on the century-old original recipe from Lickhalter's Bakery in St Louis (now closed).



On Friday at Soulard all they had were older loaves (a dollar for a large one) but it was good enough that I'm enthusiastic about visiting the bakery itself for a fresh loaf and maybe their weekend vegetarian brunch.

So many things I didn't know about eating in St Louis and so much left to explore . . .

Eat Rite Diner
622 Chouteau Av
St Louis MO
314-621-9621

Smoki O's
1545 N Broadway
St Louis MO
314-621-8180

Frandeka Meat Market
in Soulard Market
Stand 6 & 7
1601 S 7th St
St Louis MO
314-241-4389

Hawg Father's BBQ
805 N Missouri St
Macon MO
660-385-4294 (HAWG)

Fortune Express
6738 Chippewa Blvd
St Louis MO
314-351-9988

Dr King Chop Suey
5435 Dr Martin Luther King Dr
St Louis MO
314-361-4500

AAA Fish House
3360 Union Blvd
St Louis MO
314-385-3811

Piekutowski's Sausage Shop
4100 N Florissant Av
St Louis MO
314-534-6256

Ted Drewes
6726 Chippewa Blvd
St Louis MO
314-481-2652

Black Bear Bakery
in Soulard Market
Stand 89
730 Carrol St
and main location:
2639 Cherokee St
St Louis MO
314-771-2236

Comrade Engler, snoots look truly ghastly, but even those pix are so beautifully composed. Did you get a new camera? Excellent stuff.

Interesting about the pork steaks. Every grocery store in Kansas City has pork steaks of all sorts, but I've *never* seen them at a bbq joint. Now I've smoked them myself (but of course! : ), but never had them eating out.

Excellent report RG, simply excellent. Gives me lots to think about for my next visit to Arch-town.

Geo

Brasserie by Niche is a place in the Central West End that may be of interest to those visiting St. Louis for the first time. It's one of several restaurants in the group headed by Gerard Craft, who is widely viewed as St. Louis' top chef, and one of the top chefs in the Midwest. It's not my aim to review the restaurant here*, but I do want to point out what is for me certainly one of the best dishes of 2012, the Brisket Tartine (available on the brunch menu). Because the Brasserie by Niche has aspirations, but not pretensions, the sandwich is served without a preface by a genial waitperson. Diving into the sandwich, I need to ask for details. I learn that the brisket is braised in ale. It is silky and beefy and deliciously topped with an over-easy egg, an interesting cheese (that I cannot remember), and a touch of arugula.


Brisket Tartine by Josephine2004, on Flickr

*although it is a beautiful setting, with professional service and a menu of approachable French classics, locally sourced.

Brasserie by Niche
4580 Laclede Avenue St. Louis, MO 63108
(314) 454-0600
http://brasseriebyniche.com/

Brunch Sat. Sun 10-2
reservations recommended

jlawrence01 wrote:

Rene G wrote:A couple days around St Louis made me an instant fan of barbecued pork steaks. They aren't uncommon in Chicago's soul food places (often masquerading as chops) but has anyone seen pork steaks at a local barbecue?

If you head to the St. Louis backyards., you will find that the pork steak in THE meat of choice. Why not? It is very inexpensive AND if done well, the product is excellent. Websites talk about snoots and St. Paul sandwiches but pork steaks are one of the top St. Louis foods.

Sorry for the poor choice of words. When I wrote, "at a local barbecue" I meant "at a Chicago barbecue house."

David Hammond wrote:Comrade Engler, snoots look truly ghastly, but even those pix are so beautifully composed.

Sometimes it's best not to look at your food too closely. I hadn't examined the snoot pic (or the real thing) very carefully but only now noticed what's probably been obvious to everyone. Here's an annotated blowup of the earlier photo.



Or am I imagining things?

I don't think snoots are simply a joke on visitors. As Josephine mentioned above, a local (or seemingly a local) ordered a snoot dinner as we waited. Had I known what was in store for us, I would have quizzed her about what she found appealing about the dish.

This gives me a good excuse to quote again my favorite passage on snoots, from Smokestack Lightning.

Lolis Eric Elie wrote:The snoot announces itself on the tongue with a crisp extravagance of grease. It's not nearly as light as the conventional pork rinds that you can buy off the potato chip rack. They are more like cracklins with their combination of crisply fried fat on one side and the hard, crunchy skin on the other. It's the skin that gives you the most trouble. It seems that no matter what angle you take the snoot from, it's hard to bite into. Though it does have a soft underbelly, the snoot is well protected by an armor-like shell.

We refuse to give up. This is the local delicacy, so there must be some way to eat it. Finally Frank adapts a trick he learned from his daughter's rottweiler, Sheba. He maneuvers the snoot around to his hind teeth, where he can get a better grip. He closes his eyes and bites with renewed vigor but marginal success. "This is damn near uneatable," he says in frustration. With three quarters of the sandwich left, we give up.

I kind of wish we'd had a crisp extravagance of grease. I'm curious to hear how the dogs enjoyed the snoots and chips that were sent their way.

David Hammond wrote:Did you get a new camera? Excellent stuff.

Thanks, but no new camera or software in over two years. Maybe I've learned to point it better.

Geo wrote:Interesting about the pork steaks. Every grocery store in Kansas City has pork steaks of all sorts, but I've *never* seen them at a bbq joint. Now I've smoked them myself (but of course! : ), but never had them eating out.

Excellent report RG, simply excellent. Gives me lots to think about for my next visit to Arch-town.

Thank you. I don't mean to suggest pork steaks are unknown in Chicago but they're surely underappreciated. You'll see them in some markets but they're not ubiquitous. In the next few weeks I'll look more carefully. The real tragedy is that pork steaks are unavailable in Chicago barbecue houses. From what I tasted in Missouri they're great for that style of cooking. Maybe a Chicago pitmaster or two will read this and be inspired to try cooking a few.

I am attending a culinary conference in St. Louis next week and have learned a great deal reading this long running thread. Wondering if anyone can give me an update on the Clayton area? I had wanted to try the Plush Pig Barbecue but this now seems to have been closed due to a rent increase by the landlord. Are there any GNR type restaurants in this neck of the woods?

Just got back from a weekend in St Louis. While hardly any of my trip was food-focused, I did manage to grab lunch with a friend at Pappy's Smokehouse. It's near SLU, which isn't all that far from Clayton. Absolutely fantastic BBQ. There was a Hot Doug's-esque line, so I would advise arriving a little on the early side if you want to have lunch there. I also hear that Bogart's (which has a loose connection to Pappy's), is also good and can be less crowded.

Also, if you are headed downtown for any reason be aware that there is some pretty serious construction going on on 64/40 so allow extra time or be prepared to make some detours.

Pappy's Smokehouse
http://pappyssmokehouse.com/
3106 Olive Street
(314) 535-4340

Bogart's Smokehouse
http://bogartssmokehouse.com/
1627 South 9th Street St.
(314) 621-3107

I made a day trip down to St. Louis earlier this summer to check out the wealth of new breweries that have opened in the last couple of years. We stopped into Pappy's for lunch on a Saturday afternoon and the line was huge. People were tailgating in the parking lot and Pappy's had someone set up outside selling bottles of water. We ended up asking if you can call for takeout and they said yes. So we called our order in and walked across the street to the Good Pie for a beer while we waited. Took 20 minutes for our food to be ready. The people we were behind in line were still quite a ways away from getting to the front of the line, so it was a good time saver. Took the food a couple of blocks away to Urban Chestnut and enjoyed the bbq with some beer.

Ribs were outstanding.



Brisket wasn't my favorite rendition. Thin, lean, not enough bark


Pulled pork was also very good.

I had some very pedestrian brisket at Pappy's as well (super dry), so I need to get back to try the ribs. I thought the beans and pulled pork were great.

I do love me some Bogarts.

I had the ribs and thought they were outstanding. My friend who had been there steered me away from the brisket. Had had the pulled pork and pronounced it excellent.

Cinnamon Girl wrote:I am attending a culinary conference in St. Louis next week and have learned a great deal reading this long running thread. Wondering if anyone can give me an update on the Clayton area? I had wanted to try the Plush Pig Barbecue but this now seems to have been closed due to a rent increase by the landlord. Are there any GNR type restaurants in this neck of the woods?

I see that jesteinf and the wimperoo suggested Pappy's. Though I myself have not been there, I spoke to glennpan at the picnic, and he said he enjoyed Pappy's as well. It's best to go early - check that they have not run out of ribs. Also, glennpan used the phone order approach with success, when he noticed that the line was quite long.

Cinnamon Girl, you may be interested only in something in Clayton or very nearby. (Note to those visiting Washington University for the first time: Clayton is near the main campus.) In Clayton proper, I can recommend I Fratellini, which impressed my ever-so-Italian-cuisine & Manhattan-expense-account indulged brothers as the kind of place they wish they had at home (and the price is right).

Also in Clayton is Pomme and Pomme Cafe & Wine Bar. I really enjoyed tiny, French-inspired Pomme for dinner. The duck was excellent and I see from the menu they have currently posted online that they now serve it with figs and bay. My husband regularly breakfasts and lunches at Pomme Cafe & Wine Bar when visiting faculty and candidates are in town. I notice they have a duck salad available. Sounds promising.

Another Clayton option is the Demun Oyster Bar, recommended by me, upthread.

Nearby (technically in University City) on Delmar Blvd. is the charming general store-cum-local, sustainable eatery Winslow's Home.


Winslow's Home Terrace by Josephine2004, on Flickr

I had planned a proper post on the place after taking home one of their heavenly Chicken Pot Pies. It was, without question, the finest chicken pie I have had in my life, my own chicken pie included. Unfortunately, I did not get any photos of the pie, but it was loaded with moist chicken breast and recognizable vegetables in a modified puff pastry crust that stood up to the substantial filling. Although I have not had any of their other offerings, the chicken pie has the makings of a signature dish. In Michelin terms, "worth a journey." There is also a whimsical gift and household item selection. My favorite item was the vintage candy collection. When was the last time you saw candy cigarettes for sale? I wonder if they have the pink tips. . .


Vintage Candy Cigs by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Winslow's Home is housed in a lovingly restored butcher shop and general store with pressed tin ceilings and one of those old wooden refrigerator cases that has been discussed on LTH in several old Chicago threads. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and offer takeout. During my late afternoon visit, it seemed that people were holding meetings and just hanging out, more-cafe-than-restaurant-style. The outdoor seating area is nice for those who want to enjoy St. Louis' warm early spring and late autumn weather. (It's still in the 70's here, folks!)


Winslow's Home by Josephine2004, on Flickr


Tables at Winslow's Home by Josephine2004, on Flickr

A bit west on Olive Blvd., also in University City, is a string of Chinese Restaurants. This area is the "new" Chinatown, the "old" Chinatown having been demolished along with most of the south side of the St. Louis downtown in favor of "urban renewal" and a new stadium in the late 60's, I believe. A favorite spot among PRC students at Wash U is Famous Szechuan Pavilion, (located in Jeffery Plaza, which is also home to a Jamaican place, a Vietnamese Pho place, and Nobu for sushi in an old IHOP). FSP is somewhat challenging from a limited English standpoint. It is a bit hard to know what to order, and I would not recommend the hot pot, since it is served in a tippy mixing bowl. However, after doing a bit of asking around and investigating old threads on other boards, I can suggest ordering the dan dan noodles and enlisting other patrons with the point and gesture method. Yu shan pork and kong bao (kung pao) chicken are also likely to be good. Also on the plus side, there is none of the "not for you" response here. If you like it hot, hot you shall have!

Somewhat more approachable, though a short drive away, is Joy Luck Buffet, much lauded by gleam upthread. (This is the place for hotpot, judging by the throngs of Chinese students who all seem to be ordering it. )They have a new non-secret, secret menu. I intend to post more on this later.
Hot Pot Menu @ Joy Luck Buffet by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Finally, Gerard Craft (of Niche) has just opened Pastaria by NIche in Clayton. (His new Niche location in Clayton will be opening Nov. 1.) In Chicago, I would never try to get into a new place during its first few weeks of opening, and I might not want to until the kinks can be worked out. But Craft runs a tight ship. You might give it a try for Italian classics.

I wish I had browsed LTH before my trip, but it was kinda last minute - and it was quick (out and back in 24) , so there were some hits, and some misses. I ventured out to Macon, MO (1 hr north of Columbia) Monday afternoon to barn-pick some vintage signs for our new restaurant space opening in March.

I first planned to stop in St. Louis on my way out, but it was Monday and I expected most of the good places to be closed - so I headed straight to Macon to sleep in a roadside Super 8. Macon is a sleepy little town

I thought about exploring what little local nightlife there may be (drove by Bojangles, which is "Right down town")

but had a long day of picking & driving ahead of me, so I went to bed early.

Tuesday morning, up early - I head out to this guys barn to find some signs:

REALLY COOL START TO MY DAY!! This barn in Macon was full of cool old signs, an old soda fountain back bar, old amusement equipment....really fun to look around for an hour or so.





FOUND MY SIGN!!

Loaded up, ready to go:


I was headed to Columbia 1st, then through St. Louis.
I tried to stop at this place (The Diner in Columbia) which looked promising - but they weren't open at 10am:




I drove around Columbia for an hour, waiting for my first stop to open - cute little historic town that is home to Univ of MO or Mizzou - nice mix of old buildings with young, energetic population and businesses.

The few BBQ Joints I saw all had their cookers outside, which I found interesting. Missouri doesn't suffer winters quite as bad as Chicago, but it's far from Florida! How do these walk-up places cooking outside survive when it snows?




First stop:
Shotgun Pete's BBQ Shack in downtown Columbia, MO

This was a stop prompted by an internet forum. I am an active member of http://www.thesmokering.com - a site for BBQ enthusiasts. I have followed this guy's story from day 1 - he opened up a few years ago, prompted by his father (who was having health troubles) to take the family BBQ pit from Florida back to Columbia and start a little roadside Q shack. His father taught him to cook BBQ, and wanted him to share that love with others. If you're bored, or wanna feel inspired - it's a fun story to read (6 pages of threads, so it may take you awhile..the 1st couple and last couple are the best reads):
http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34837&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

I waited outside for them to open at 11:30, and there were about 10 other people waiting with me (good sign).


I order 4 ribs (full spares), 1/2 brisket 1/2 Pork, and some hellfire beans - washed down with a locally brewed porter (it was still the AM, but I had to have one, as I was in a region known for brewing - and I love porters with BBQ).




Spares were REALLY solid, brisket was pulled (not my preferred style), pork was fine, beans were hot. SPARES WERE AWESOME! And, his Texas pit BBQ Sauce was some of the best I've ever had in its style - nice and peppery/vinegary - maybe best Texas Style sauce I've ever had.

Shotgun Pete's BBQ Shack
28 North 9th St. Columbia, MO 65201
(573) 442-7878

Back on the road, next stop St. Louis. I wanted to stop at 2 places, but the trip was taking longer than I expected ( I chatted with owner of Shotgun Pete's for an hour), so I had to choose 1. I called a few BBQ friends, Philw, GWiv, and Andrew Bloom at Wichita Packing. I was told Pappy's was famous - but none of them had tried it, so I was supposed to go and report back.
Rolled into St. Louis, GPS directed me to Compton St., sorta half-ghetto/half-gentrified neighborhood...good sign it had a chance at being good.
Ole Hickory Pits outside the restaurant, smoking billowing, good sign:


I had heard there were long lines, always, but there were only about 20 people inside eating at 2pm - so no wait. I ordered my standard BBQ Tester - Brisket, Ribs, Pulled Pork - and a few sides came with it. I chose Deep-Fried corn, and coleslaw.

I got the food to go, as I was in a hurry to get back to Chicago - but gave them the professional courtesy of opening the food in the restaurant and trying at least some of each fresh. I opened my first bag, and found the ribs (baby back, no spares - what respectable BBQ Joint doesn't serve ANY spares?) wrapped in foil - no container. I opened the foil, and found the ribs wrapped in PLASTIC! Now, to me, this is a deal breaker. I don't think you should EVER wrap ribs in plastic, but if that's part of your mad-scientist ways to hold ribs, fine - but UNWRAP THEM prior to serving them to me so I don't feel like I just picked up ribs at the Dominicks Fresh $5 Fridays Self-Serve Buffet:

ribs tasted as expected, soft, mushy, steamed (which is what happen when you wrap them in plastic)

pork was just as "pre-packed" and dry:

Brisket was AWFUL:

I notice this in St. Louis/Kansas City: Brisket sliced on a meat slicer. It tastes like roast beef or pastrami. Sure, it has a pink ring - but the consistency of the meat is like lunch meat. I can guarantee all of this was cooked on a day other than the day I ate it (couldn't tell if that was yesterday or a week ago, didn't matter to me). I find this offensive, as they are famous for "running out of food" cause "everything is cooked fresh the day of, no re-heating". When you promote this as being something you stand for, you have got to deliver - and they are clearly not serving fresh food. They are famous, and sell T-Shirts, have food network signs everywhere, etc....but this was really mediocre Q. The deep fried corn tasted like it was hot-held in an old shoe (sorry, that's the best I could do..that's what it tasted like).



The sauces were all bad too...not a fan of Pappy's

Pappy's Smokehouse
3106 Olive Street St. Louis, MO 63103
(314) 535-4340

About 30 miles outside of St. Louis, I read this email, on my phone, from someone who had attended my BBQ101 class a few weeks prior:

"I took your BBQ class on Saturday with my dad and we both loved it. I wanted to thank you for putting as much enthusiasm into your teaching as you obviously do into your cooking. My favorite was the brisket, but I'm pretty sure my dad liked the pork shoulder best. That was only the second time where I've ever had BBQ and not needed to use sauce because the meat had so much flavor, although the citrus chipotle was great stuff. The best BBQ I've ever had was in a tiny town of 286 people called Harrisburg, Missouri. It's about 30 minutes north of Columbia where I go to school at Mizzou. I was up there for a journalism story and my partner and I went in because it appeared to be the only restaurant in town. It's this tiny little restaurant called Lonny Ray's with maybe 10 tables inside, but it's the best BBQ I've ever had. You can get a big plate of ribs, brisket, and pulled pork with 3 sides (smoked mac and cheese is definitely recommended) for about $20. I highly recommend you check it out if you get the chance.

That information would have been VERY useful about 3 hours prior!
so, if anyone's out that way - try out Lonny Ray's and report back

Made it back to Chi, sign is ready to be "re-neoned" and hung, trip was a success - but I'll do some research next time before I go.



All in all, trip was cool - saw some cool old parts of Missouri, met a long-time internet friend and enjoyed his BBQ Shack - and confirmed another one of the "Big Guys" was all hype....

Interesting post, rubbbqco, particularly in view of the glowing reviews I have heard about Pappy's from people that I respect. One thing I value about LTH forum is the opportunity to learn about people's disappointing experiences in detail. Thanks for being clear about your less-than-expected experience. I can certainly relate to your dismay at the plastic-wrapped ribs. It makes me wonder if Pappy's is like many other restaurants in that there is a consistency problem. This seems to come up a lot, (for instance in the recent discussion of Spoon Thai in Chicago.) It's helpful to have posts like yours to determine whether a place is overrated overall, or whether it is just uneven, or working with the B-team at lunch or on certain days.

I will just have to put a trip to Pappy's on my to-do list.

Could you share the name of the store where you bought the neon Pit BBQ sign? It looks like a destination!

My ribs at Pappy's looked nothing like that, and they certainly weren't wrapped in plastic (I ate in).

I've been to Lonnie Rays and it might be the best BBQ I've ever had in my life. This place is a hidden gem in Harrisburg and only locals know about it. Place is a small and a dive, in the middle of nowhere, which makes it even more special.