Review: Bogart's Smokehouse

Over the past month or so, I've become aware of a new BBQ joint in St. Louis called Bogart's Smokehouse.  Now all I really need is an excuse to go eat BBQ so when one of the owners dropped me a line here at Grill & Barrel asking me to pay them a visit, I had all the excuse I needed.

I didn't annonce myself, but I showed up this afternoon on my way home from work.  I timed my visit to be just after the lunch rush since I'd heard that they do a crazy amount of business at lunch time.  Even at 2:00pm, there were no empty tables inside to be had.  I figure that's a good sign.

I was met at the door by Mike Macchi, one of the partners, but I kept a low profile, stepped to the counter, ordered a combo plate, and took up a seat to sample the fare.  What I got was a plate piled high with brisket & pulled pork on an open hoagie roll, pit beans, and a side of pork rinds.  

I sampled each of the four sauces that were on the table.  They were all uniquely named and uniquely different.  There was what I'd call a St. Louis style sauce called Sweet Maegan Ann's.  It's a sweet tomato based sauce.  Mad Maddie's Vinegar sauce is a thin vinegar based sauce as the name suggests.  Pineapple Express is a thin sauce that unmistakably has a hint of pineapple flavor.  And the sauce that I like the best, VooDoo Sauce.  That's a thinner sauce with a peppery kick.

So how's the food?  The pulled pork was some of the best in St. Louis.  I really enjoyed the taste and texture, and the VooDoo sauce was a great compliment.  The brisket was very good, though I wasn't a huge fan of the rub.  I couldn't tell if the rub was applied pre or post cook, but there was a beautiful smoke ring and it was very tender and flavorful.  And the pit beans?  Some of the best BBQ beans I've had.  I learned that they cook the beans on the pit with the brsiket for 12 hrs.  They were smokey, peppery, and really tasty.

As I was wrapping up my lunch, one of the partners stopped by my table and we began to chat.  Mike gave me the background on the relationship between Bogart's & Pappy's (one of my Top 5 BBQ Joints in St. Louis).  It turns out that the 4 partners who own Bogart's started it up with Pappy's blessings.  They still work with Pappy's, but they now have a chance to do their own thing as well.  That's a pretty sweet deal, and Pappy's deserves a tip of the hat for being open to helping their folks spread their wings a bit.

Mike took me out back and showed me the Ole Hickory & Southern Pride pits that they're cooking with.  We chatted about the pits and he let me peek at the butts that were finishing up on the Ole Hickory.  

All in all, I enjoyed my visit and will definitely return to try the other items on the menu.  Here's how I'd rate Bogart's Smokehouse:

• BBQ - A
• Side Dishes - A
• Atmosphere - A
• Value - B
• Overall – A

Bogart's is definitely worthy of a stop if you're in the St. Louis area.  They're in the Soulard neighborhood between Busch Stadium and Anheuser Busch Brewery, and right behind the Soulard Farmer's Market.  I think I'll be revising my "Best in St. Louis" list to include Bogart's.

Here's their address:

Bogarts Smokehouse

1627 S. 9th Street

St. Louis, MO

Cheers,
Braddog 

Review: Bandana's BBQ, St Louis

I’ve delayed writing this restaurant review for a long time.  I can’t explain why, but I guess it’s because it feels so overly commercial that I don’t place it in the same category as most BBQ joints.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s an honest-to-goodness BBQ restaurant, but it just feels like they are trying way too hard to be “authentic”. 

Bandana’s is a St. Louis based BBQ restaurant that has franchised to roughly 25 locations in 3 states and growing.  I’ve tried at least 6 of their locations and I can say that they’re very consistent.  But with that consistency, comes a lack of authenticity.  This is evident in the way the place feels when you walk in the door.  From the wash tub light fixtures to the handkerchief curtains, it’s obvious that they’re executing on a theme.  It's like walking into an Applebee's or a TGI Fridays.  You know that it's supposed to be kitschy and cool, but it just doesn't feel authentic when there's one on every corner.

But enough about how the place looks and feels, how’s the BBQ you might ask?  Well, it’s just okay.  In at least one of their locations, I’ve seen the pit and they are sure enough cooking on site.  However, I wouldn’t say that the results are great.  I find the ribs to be too tough, ditto the brisket, and the pulled pork is hit or miss.  On the other hand, I do enjoy their side dishes.  I like their baked beans, green beans, corn, and especially the garlic bread that accompanies every lunch or dinner plate.

Another area where they’ve done a nice job is in their selection of sauces.  I can’t say that it's necessarily an original idea, but they have a six-pack of sauces on every table.  Each sauce is designed to capture a different regional form of BBQ.  From a thick, sweet Kansas City style sauce to a mustard-based Carolina sauce, they offer a taste for just about everyone.  The only anomaly here is their Chicago Style sauce.  I never knew that there was such a thing as “Chicago Style” BBQ, did you?

Here's how I'd rate Bandana's BBQ:

• BBQ - C
• Side Dishes - B
• Atmosphere - C+
• Value - A
• Overall – B-

Banadana's has done a nice job of making BBQ affordable and accessible to a lot of people.  I just wish the food was a little better. 

Cheers,
Braddog

Best BBQ in St. Louis

I try to make it a habit of visiting as many BBQ joints as I can for a couple of reasons.  First I like good BBQ, and second it's great blog fodder. ;)

Over the past couple of years, I've eaten at most of the BBQ joints in the St. Louis area.  There are a couple of chains that I typically avoid and I'm sure there are places that I haven't had the opportunity to try.

However, I though I'd put together the short list of the places that I think are at the top of the heap in the St. Louis area.  Note that this includes the metro-east or Illinois side of the metro area, mainly cause that's where I think you'll find the best BBQ in town.

Here goes:

1. 17th St. Barbeque- This is my favorite place to eat BBQ in the St. Louis area.  It's one of Mike Mills' restaurants.  If you track the BBQ culture, you know that Mike "The Legend" Mills is a well respected competition cook, restaurateur, and pitmaster.  If you live in the St. Louis metro area, it's worth the drive to try Mike's ribs in O'fallon, IL.
2. Pappy's Smokehouse -Another joint with great credentials, Pappy's sports some trophies from Memphis in May and folks line up at lunch time to get a taste of some really great BBQ.  Pappy's has also been featured on food & travel shows on cable TV.  They're located in the downtown area so there's no excuse not to sample their fare, but get there early.  When they run out of BBQ, they close early.
3. Plush Pig- This is a place that I nearly overlooked when they were located in downtown Clayton, MO.  They've since relocated, revamped the menu, and if possible made the BBQ even better.  Still one of my top 5 places to eat BBQ in St. Louis, they're now located at McKnight & Manchester.
4. Hick's BBQ- Another Illinois place, I discovered them after buying some of their sauce at a BBQ shop in St. Louis.  I've enjoyed their BBQ a couple of times, but when I attended a backyard party that they catered I really became a fan.  I highly recommend their sauce and their BBQ.  I've also had the opportunity to meet the owner and he's a super nice guy, further reinforcing my belief that if you BBQ you're my friend.

So there you have it gang.  To my taste buds, these are the best BBQ joints in the St. Louis metro area.  Who'd I miss? Which joints do I need to visit?  Where do you think the best BBQ in St. Louis can be found?  Drop me a comment and let me know.

Cheers,
Braddog

St. Louis Home Fires

Although I'm very happy with my Big Green Egg, I've been thinking about a cabinet style smoker for capacity.  A few times I've been asked to cook for parties and the like and I just don't have the capacity that I need to be able to take on those jobs.  So, I've kinda been thinking about my next cooker.

On Friday afternoon, I headed out to West St. Louis County to check out a local grill and fireplace shop that I've heard about.  They're listed as a dealer for Backwoods, Cookshack, Traeger & Big Green Egg grills & smokers, just to name a few. 

The shop isn't huge, but they have a decent amount of their space dedicated to BBQ gear, including everything from gas grill parts, grills & smokers, smoking woods, charcoal, rubs, and sauces (the rest is dedicated to fireplaces and the like).  I found the staff to be pretty knowledgeable about the gear they sell and when I told them about Grill & Barrel, they quickly turned me onto the St. Louis BBQ Society and some local events that are planned for later this year.

I picked up a few things from the store and I plan to go back and get a first hand look at a Backwoods Party in a couple of weeks.  So if you're in the St. Louis area, support your local dealer and give the guys at St. Louis Home Fires a shot the next time you're in need of some BBQ gear.

Here's their contact info:

St. Louis Home Fires
(636) 256-6564
15053 Manchester Road
Ballwin, MO  63011
2 Miles West of Woodsmill / 141

Cheers,
Braddog

Review: Plush Pig BBQ Saloon

Due to changes in traffic patterns I recently altered my route on my commute to work, only to discover a BBQ restaurant that I’d previously overlooked.  The crazy thing is that this place is only a few blocks from my office.  So, today a co-worker and I ventured out in single digit temperatures to have lunch at the Plush Pig in St. Louis, MO.

Now in an urban environment, I didn’t really expect to find great BBQ.  This is partly because I didn’t smell the smoke as I approached the front door.  However, when I opened the door my spirits lifted because there was the unmistakable aroma of wood smoke in the air.

The Plush Pig is similar to a lot of BBQ joints these days.  Wood floors, corrugated tin, and knick knacks on the wall seem to be the de facto décor.  A large board prominently displays their wares.  It’s not as extensive as some places, but they certainly had plenty to offer.  Pulled Pork and Texas Brisket were available as lunch specials so I ordered up the brisket plate. 

When I eat BBQ at a restaurant, ordering is always a critical point in my assessment of the place.  There’s only one correct answer to the question I always ask.  But I tentatively inquired about whether they had Sweet Iced Tea and again my spirits were lifted when I received a positive response.

As I said, I ordered the Texas Brisket lunch plate.  This was served with corn on the cob, choice of one side (I chose BBQ beans of course) and a piece of grilled sweet bread.  I’d prefer that they not apply sauce to the meat when serving it, but it was minimal and had a good flavor.  Additional sauce was on the table for those that prefer a healthier application.

I have to say that everything on my plate was very tasty.  The brisket was sliced thin and had a nice smoke ring.  The portions were generous and the prices were reasonable.  You can bet I’ll be dining here again and if you find yourself in St. Louis or Columbia Missouri, I’d highly recommend the Plush Pig if you’re in the mood for BBQ.

Here’s my report card:

• BBQ - A
• Side Dishes - A
• Atmosphere - B
• Value - A
• Overall – A-

Cheers,
Braddog