BBQ

Midtown Alley BBQ!

by Stephanie on September 5, 2012

in American, BBQ

I know what you’re thinking. I said last week that I was going to choose a winner for my Ribs Challenge. I even promised a full rundown of each of the places I visited! Wow…someone is overly ambitious! Winking smile

Well, friends…I told a teeny tiny fib. The full rundown (and winner!) of the Ribs Challenge will be announced next week. This week I’m going to talk about a really cool thing I did a few weeks ago.

I helped judge a BBQ contest! The Midtown Alley BBQ Contest, to be more specific.

That’s right. I was asked to be a judge, along with Greg Lukeman (Executive Director of Food Outreach), Skip Steele (Executive Chef of Bogart’s Smokehouse), and Gerard Craft (Chef/Owner of Niche; he also owns Brasserie and Taste). Um…little old me? Sitting next to some of the biggest names in the St. Louis food scene?

Awwwwkwarrrrd.

Just kidding. I did feel awkward (as I always do!), but I was also very flattered (and excited!).

More about this contest. It took place at Atomicdust, which is a design and digital marketing agency here in St. Louis.

Atomicdust, along with several other local agencies (Switch, Scorch, Toky, Marketplace, HappyMedium, and Spot Creative) held a friendly competition to earn the title ‘Best in BBQ’.

I arrived early, so I was able to walk around and snap a few pictures of the competitors getting ready for the contest.

I was able to get a sneak peek of what was to come…

And I also enjoyed an ice cold beverage Winking smile

Soon enough, it was time to sit down and chow!

All of the judges were given scorecards. We were instructed to rate each dish on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best) in four categories: Presentation, Flavor/Balance, Execution/Cooking, and finally, How Much Did it Rock? I’m pretty sure that was my favorite category. Smile

Time to eat! Each dish was brought to the judges, one by one. We could eat as much or as little of each dish as we wanted. Since I knew there were twelve dishes to try, I attempted to pace myself.

With all of this amazing food (yes, seriously…I loved every dish!) it was really hard to pace myself, and by the time the 12th plate was placed in front of me, I was stuffed. But I pressed on, of course. I take my judging responsibilities very seriously. Winking smile

You may be wondering why there are only 11 pictures instead of 12. Well…I forgot I was a food blogger for a moment and scarfed it down before I thought to take a picture! Oops.

In between tasting dishes, I observed the crowd. One thing I noticed? More than a few people were snapping pictures.

It felt really weird to be the subject of photos, since I’m usually the one behind the lens!

After all twelve dishes were sampled (and the scorecards were turned in), the crowd waited patiently for the results to roll in.

While we waited, I snapped a few pictures of the cool trophies.

Neato!

I also chatted with the other judges for a bit.

Skip (the executive chef at Bogart’s) told me he read my review of Bogart’s! I was super flattered. Gerard told me he didn’t usually read food blogs, but I promised him that my reviews are usually nice and are always fair and honest. (And I honestly loved one of his restaurants–Brasserie!)

Finally, it was time to announce the winners.

 

3rd place went to the pulled pork by Thaddeus from Switch,

2nd place went to the Bo Ssam pork by Dan from HappyMedium,

and 1st place?

That went to the pulled pork by James from Atomicdust!

Well-deserved wins, although they were all amazing in my book.

I had a great time at the event; it’s crazy to think that my little hobby blog has opened the door to such cool opportunities! Thanks again to Atomicdust for asking me to be a judge. If you need a judge for next year, I’m totally game. Winking smile

See you next week! I promise I’ll have the Ribs Challenge winner for you then! Smile

{ 1 comment }

Pappy’s Smokehouse and an announcement!

by Stephanie on July 27, 2012

in American, BBQ, challenge, ribs

Okay…so I’m a little embarrassed.

The place I’m reviewing today has been talked about for at least a few years now. It’s been all over The Travel Channel and The Food Network. It has won numerous awards, and if you’re from St. Louis (and hey – maybe even if you’re not!) you’ve heard of this place.  It’s solidified itself as THE place to visit for good barbecue in St. Louis.

IMG_24492

I’m talking about Pappy’s Smokehouse, of course! While I’ve definitely visited Pappy’s on a number of occasions, all of my visits were before I started this little blog.

So when a friend mentioned that he had never been to Pappy’s (whaaaaaat?!), I knew we had to visit. And I brought my trusty camera along for the ride. Winking smile

We arrived early on a Saturday morning for some of the good stuff. Pappy’s doesn’t begin serving food until 11am, but we arrived around 10:30am to get a good spot in line.

Turns out we weren’t the only ones with that idea.

IMG_24202

Wowza!

While we waited patiently in line, I took a look around. There are lots of things to keep you entertained. I was a huge fan of the wall of barbecue sauce.

 

IMG_24232

Did you know that barbecue sauce is my favorite condiment? What I wouldn’t do to have every one of those bottles in my house!

Standing in line also gave us plenty of time to decide what to order. I briefly considered ordering the Adam Bomb:

IMG_24282

What’s in an Adam Bomb? Well…it’s a full slab of ribs, beef brisket, a pulled pork sandwich, 1/4 chicken, four sides, and a hot link frito pie.

I’m kidding, of course. I like to eat, but I don’t think I could eat that much food! I’ll leave that to Man vs. Food. Winking smile

I decided to go with a half rack of ribs, deep fried corn on the cob, and potato salad instead.

IMG_24452     IMG_24462

IMG_24442

Oh yeah, baby.

I loved these ribs. After getting some practice at Bogart’s a few months ago, I knew exactly how to dominate this sucker. No rib left behind!

The potato salad was also pretty good, but it didn’t blow me away.

The corn on the cob? Well, as much as I adore corn on the cob, this didn’t do anything for me. The flavor was good, but it was very unpleasant to eat. I took one bite, and immediately, sticky corn found its way into every crevice of my mouth. Having corn stuck in your teeth is not fun.

My friend went with a pulled pork sandwich, sweet potato fries, and baked beans.

IMG_24382IMG_24392

IMG_24362

Everything on his plate was delicious. The baked beans were good, the sweet potato fries blew me away, and the pulled pork sandwich was delicious.

It helped that Pappy’s has some incredible barbecue sauce.

IMG_24342

I tried all three and liked the Sweet Baby Jane sauce the most. Delish!

Although everything at Pappy’s was tasty, It’s safe to say that the ribs were my absolute favorite. If you only order one thing while you’re at Pappy’s, order the ribs. You won’t be sorry.

Speaking of ribs…it’s announcement time! I love announcements. They’re fun, aren’t they?

While chowing down on wings at the Marathon Chicken Wing Eating Event a few weeks ago, I brought up the idea of doing another challenge. Oh yeah, baby. You think I was finished after finding the best bread pudding in St. Louis and the best chicken wings in St. Louis? I’m just getting started!

The idea of doing a Best Ribs challenge was mentioned, and I liked the idea, but I also knew that the obvious winners of a rib challenge in St. Louis would be Pappy’s Smokehouse and Bogart’s Smokehouse. These two places are easily the most popular barbecue joints in the city.

So I made a decision: I’m going to do a Best Ribs Challenge, but since I believe Pappy’s and Bogart’s have an unfair advantage, I’m leaving them out. This blog is called Off The Eaten Path, and I’m all about giving the little guys a time to shine. While I absolutely adore Pappy’s and Bogart’s, I know that there are other amazing barbecue places in this city. I just know it!

The setup is going to be the same as the Bread Pudding Challenge and the Chicken Wing Challenge. I’m going to visit 10 local restaurants in St. Louis to try their ribs. Starting on August 1st, I will post the results of my visits.

However, instead of stretching out this challenge to 10 weeks, I’m shortening it to 5! That’s right – I’m going to blog about two rib restaurants a week. Where are my stretchy pants?

I hope you’re just as excited about this new challenge as I am. Bring on the meat!

I already have an idea of the ten places I want to visit, but of course, that could change. Give me your input! Where are the best places to find good ribs in St. Louis? I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

Have a great weekend, and see you this Wednesday with Week 1 of the Ribs Challenge. Smile

{ 25 comments }

Bully’s Smokehouse

by Stephanie on May 18, 2012

in American, BBQ, Dinner, Lunch

When I first started this blog in March of 2010, my goal was to explore and write about restaurants in the St. Louis area. Other than a trip to Chicago, I’ve stayed pretty true to that goal.

But occasionally, I’ll venture outside of the boundaries I’ve set for myself. If a restaurant outside of the St. Louis area comes highly recommended, I’ll go for it!

And this one, friends? Came with a glowing recommendation from this guy:

IMG_04392

You may remember my uncle from my trip to Epic Pizza & Subs. He raved about Epic Pizza, and I was blown away. So after months (maybe even years?) of hearing him rave about Bully’s Smokehouse, I knew I had to pay them a visit one day, even though they were all the way in Edwardsville, Illinois – a good 45 minute drive from my house.

The perfect opportunity came a few weeks ago when we had a Welcome Home party at Bully’s for my Aunt, who was stationed in Iraq. Perfect!

 

IMG_14852

There were a ton of us there, so a ton of food was ordered. I tried a little bit of everything.

Spicy chicken wings,

 

IMG_14182

Onion rings,

 

IMG_14302

Sweet potato fries (with the most amazing sweet dipping sauce!)

 

IMG_14322

Fried green beans,

 

IMG_14392

And pork and beef nachos, smothered in white American cheese sauce.

 

IMG_14202

It’s hard for me to even pick a favorite. All of our starters were amazing.

Yes, I said starters. When I go out to eat with family, we don’t play around. Haven’t you noticed?

My uncle ordered a BBQ sampler plate for me, so I could try a bit of everything.

IMG_14462

There were ribs,

 

IMG_14482

Chicken,

 

IMG_14552

Brisket,

 

IMG_14512

And pork.

IMG_14572

Where to begin?

I sampled all of the meats by themselves. Everything was so tasty, although if I had to choose, I think the ribs were my favorite. They were extremely tender and practically fell off of the bone!

And then I smothered everything in my favorite condiment ever. Any guesses?

IMG_14612

BBQ sauce. Of course. Bully’s has two types: Midwest Sweetness and Carolina Mustard. Although the Carolina Mustard sauce had an interesting tangyness to it, I preferred the Midwest Sweetness barbecue sauce. It had a smoky, subtle sweet flavor that I liked.

As if I hadn’t already eaten enough, I also stole a few fries (and a bite of bread) from my sister’s plate.

 

IMG_14402

It was all good. The fries were sprinkled with a sweet seasoning that I fell in love with!

When dessert was mentioned, I initially declined. There was no way I could fit another bite into my stomach.

But then I heard two magical words.

No, not bread pudding. Winking smile

Funnel Cake.

Bring it on! We were all going to share it anyway, right? Smile

There was the classic powdered sugar version,

IMG_14762

And we also tried a version with cinnamon and sugar on it.

 

IMG_14812

They were both incredible, but if I had to choose a favorite, it would be the cinnamon sugar version. Wowza! I could eat this everyday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But then I’d probably weigh 500 pounds…and no one wants that, right? Winking smile

Anyway, I’d call my visit to Bully’s a huge success. I don’t know when I’ll visit again, but I’m sure I’ll be back if my family has anything to do with it. I highly recommend Bully’s if you’re in the area! Just try not to stuff yourself as much as I did, okay?

See you next week!

{ 4 comments }

Bogart’s Smoke House

by Stephanie on November 18, 2011

in American, BBQ, Dinner, Lunch

Howdy, friends! How are y’all doin? :)

Whoops – sorry about the country bumpkin slang. There’s just something about barbecue that makes me want to talk like a cowgirl! I promise that’s the last time you’ll ever hear me say ‘Howdy’ on this blog.

I can’t make any promises about ‘y’all’, though. ;)

Anyway, I hope your week is going well. My week has been ridiculously busy! For the next few weeks, I’m writing a series of holiday mini-guides for Maplewood-Brentwood Patch. This week’s guide? Shop Local: Gifts for Women.  Check it out and let me know what you think!

I was also on television this week! If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you’ve already heard about my appearance on Great Day St. Louis! I talked about holidays on a budget. Will someone do me a favor and tell me how I did? I can’t get past the first minute of the segment without curling up into a huge ball of embarrassment. Does anyone else hate seeing themselves on camera? Eep!

Okay, okay. Enough about me – let’s talk food! That’s why you’re here, right? :)

I recently went to Bogart’s Smokehouse in Soulard.

I’ve been aching to try this place ever since it opened. It immediately drew strong comparisons to another local BBQ joint – Pappy’s. And Pappy’s is goooooood.

Bogart’s is similar to Pappy’s, menu-wise. Check it out!

A nice variety of items, for sure!

After a lot of waffling back and forth – everything sounded so good!—I settled on a half rack of ribs, baked beans, and coleslaw. I took a seat on one of the picnic tables outside and soaked in the nice fall day.

Before I knew it, my food arrived!

Oh baby.

I couldn’t decide which picture I liked more, so you get to see both! Feel free to lick the screen.  You’re welcome.

I started with a bite of the baked beans. Wow! These were, hands down, the best baked beans I’ve ever had in my life. In my life! They were piping hot, and had a rich, smoky flavor that I loved. They even had a bit of a spicy kick to them! You know how I feel about spicy foods, right?

Next up? The coleslaw. This was delicious as well. It was mayo-based (rather than vinegar-based), which I enjoyed. It was cold, creamy, and super refreshing. I couldn’t get enough of this!

Finally, the main event. The ribs. Can I be honest for a moment? I’m not a huge rib girl! Actually, this was the first time I’ve ordered ribs from a restaurant. I know – bad food blogger.

Anyway, I didn’t know how to tackle these! Do I cut them with a knife and fork? Do I pick up the entire thing and gnaw at it? I was seriously at a loss. I looked around to see if anyone else had ribs.

I noticed a guy a few tables down pulling each rib apart by hand and eating it that way. Bingo! The meat was so tender that as I pulled each rib apart, the meat came clean off the bone. Oh my word. Delicious.

I sampled each of the sauces: The Sweet Meghan Ann was a sweet and smoky sauce. The Pineapple Express was super sweet and tangy. Mad Maddie’s Vinegar had a bit of an interesting (but delicious) bite to it. And finally, the Voodoo Sauce was super spicy without being overwhelming. I enjoyed all of the sauces, but the Sweet Meghan Ann and Voodoo sauces were my favorites.

Service at Bogart’s was friendly, efficient, and super speedy. People constantly walked around to ensure that everyone enjoyed their meals.

Prices were extremely reasonable, as well! My entire meal was less than $20, and kept me full for hours.

I highly recommend Bogart’s. One plus? The line isn’t nearly as long as Pappy’s!

See you next week!

{ 10 comments }

BBQ, Booze, and Good news…

by Stephanie on September 4, 2010

in American, BBQ, Dinner, Lunch

So I’m going to be honest. I had heard some not-so-good things about Smoking Joes online, so when my mom suggested we go here for our monthly girls night get together, I wasn’t too thrilled. However, after giving the place a try on a busy Friday night, I can safely say that Smoking Joes is legit.

IMG_2290
Smoking Joes is located on Washington Avenue in St. Louis, MO. It’s a really hip place (gosh, I just said hip…am I getting old?) with lots of bars, clubs, lofts, and awesome eateries.

I was expecting it to be somewhat crowded with the dinner rush when we arrived at 6:30, but to my surprise, it was mostly empty. The bright side? We could sit wherever we wanted! There was a live band playing that night, so we chose a table close to the stage, naturally. More on the entertainment in a bit.

Our waitress was pretty friendly, and quickly handed us menus and drinks.

As far as food goes, we decided on the large combo platter to split between the three of us:
- 1/2 rib
- 1/2 chicken
- 1/2 pound beef brisket
-choice of 3 sides

We subbed pulled pork for the brisket and chose mac and cheese, baked beans, and sweet potato fries for our sides.
While we waited for our food, I was able to get a good look at this place. Usually, when I think about barbecue joints, I think of a down and dirty type atmosphere. Grungy, dirty, farm-like. But this place was actually REALLY nice! It was very swanky and lounge-y. I liked it!

Our food came out pretty quickly, and boy was there a LOT of it! The waitress brought out three BBQ sauces (hot, mild, and sweet) and we went to town.

I started with the pulled pork, which was definitely my favorite part of the meal. Tender, juicy meat which knocked my socks off! Adding barbecue sauce only magnified the yummyness.

IMG_2299

I tried the ribs next, which came off the bone very easily with a slight tug. Once again, tender and moist, albeit a little too fatty for my tastes. Nonetheless, these are the types of ribs I’m accustomed to, not the ribs at Pappy’s (review coming soon!), which are good, but remind me of beef jerky.

IMG_2298
Next? Chicken! This was tasty as well, although a little dry for my tastes. That’s what BBQ sauce is for, right? It was seasoned very well, and it’s hard to get BBQ chicken right, so they get a pass on this one.

On to the sides! The mac and cheese was yummy after I added a touch of salt. The baked beans were sweet and perfect. And the sweet potato fries were hot and crispy, just the way I like them!

IMG_2297 IMG_2303IMG_2296

Smoking Joes has a pretty decent drinks menu, so I ordered the Smoking Joes sweet tea, which had jeremiah weed sweet tea vodka in it. Yumtastic! My sister ordered the ‘Brazilian Blast’, which contained Malibu, Blue Curacao, Triple Sec, Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, and Mango Schnapps. My mom ordered something green. With a cherry on the bottom. I forgot what it was (darn!), but it was mighty tasty.

IMG_2309

I said I was going to get back to the entertainment, so here goes. The live band hit the stage around 8pm, and they were FABULOUS. Very smooth and jazzy. Love love LOVED it. I didn’t want to leave! The live entertainment knocked up what would have been a 4 star review to a solid 5 stars. I was snapping pictures like a fool, and this was the best one out of the bunch:

IMG_2316

Okay, so not the best picture, right? I kept taking picture after picture, fumbling around with the settings, and it was just a challenge! The lighting was tricky. And I’m not very proficient with my camera yet; I use the auto setting a LOT, and I’m trying to experiment with others. It’s just a huge fail. Help!

Anyway, the entertainment was FAB.

Okay, score time!

Food: 4 stars (out of five)

Ambiance: 5 stars

Service: 3 stars

Value: 4 stars

I can definitely see myself coming back here on a Friday or Saturday night when they have live music. And because the food is cheap, I’ll probably come here more often than I should!

Smoking Joes, you’ve won my heart. Congrats.

Oh, so you’re probably reading the title of my post and wondering what the good news is. Well…Off the Eaten Path is getting a (much needed) makeover VERY soon! I’m so excited I can barely contain myself. Everything will be organized by cuisine type (BBQ, Mexican, Italian, etc), and the site will look a lot cleaner and will be easier to navigate overall. I don’t have an exact date on when all of this will happen (this is just a part-time hobby, after all!), but I promise it will be soon.

One more shameless plug: if you’re on Facebook, you can keep up with Off the Eaten Path by becoming a fan (do it…pretty please!). You can also follow me on Twitter and get up-to-the-minute updates on what I’m doing, and more importantly, what I’m eating! So clickety-click away!

P.S. By the time you all see this post, it will be September 4th, so I just want to wish my mom a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Love you mommy :)

{ 5 comments }