Pappy's Smokehouse - St. Louis, August 2009

Happy Pappy  Pappy's only opened in February of '08, but it's most definetely an old school bbq joint. They do it right at Pappy's - low 'n slow over real wood and smoke.  Their Memphis style cooking is great.  We enjoyed ribs, pulled pork and brisket.  We had to wolf it all down in time to make the Cards afternoon game.  Eating it fast was easy.  I almost forgot to chew as I devoured all the tender meats.  Pappy's sweet sauce is great and I'm not surprised Pappy's had been voted best bbq in St. Louis only a few months after the doors first opened.  Prepare for lineups and prepare to change your typical order; they run out of menu items on busy days.  That's because it's all cooked slowly - the way real bbq should be.
http://www.pappyssmokehouse.com/

Iron Barley - St. Louis - August 2009

Evening on the Patio Our evening at Iron Barley was wonderful.  We ate outside on the back patio.  This restaurant, also covered on an episode of DDD, gets quite busy and we were lucky to get a seat quickly.  A musician sat on a stool  and played elecrtic guitar and sang easy going rock songs, many from the seventies.  He accepted my request to play Neil Young (a taste of Canada) and introduced us as the family from Toronto and the diners welcomed us with hearty applause.  Much of the menu changes daily and is posted on a blackboard out front.  The servers brought us great mixed drinks; they used mint growing in a planter right next to our table to prepare an awesome mojito.  We enjoyed a watermelon salad and we ordered two amazing seafood dishes - yes I could live on seafood alone.  My zarzeula featured shrimp, scallops, large chunks of whitefish and mussels in a rich tomato broth with saffron.  We also  devoured a seafood pasta with lobster, shrimp, mussels and clams in a lovely cream sauce.  Now with multiple types of seafood in each dish it's very difficult to avoid overcooking some of it - not at Iron Barley.  From the tender mussels, to the just right shrimp and flaky whitefish, everything was cooked perfectly.  I was brought to tears from the magical combination of great music, friendly service and amazing food.  And all these delicious offerings are served in a very laid back setting - nothing frou frou here.  Iron Barley is the type of restaurant that inspired me to write a blog - sophisticated food, made from scratch, executed with skill, served kindly to you in a relaxed setting.  St. Louis should be proud.

http://www.ironbarley.com/