Austin's

Austin's
382.0709
6300 W. Florissant

After taking a break for Thanksgiving, the quest continues. Back north of 70 just down the block from Ropers is Austin's at the corner of W. Florissant and Goodfellow. Strictly take-out, the location has plenty of parking and does catering as well.

The rib tips were excellent, very tender with a deep smokiness and a sauce that harbored a sneaky burn. The sides were fantastic as well - greens bean that had about a serving of meat hidden in them and, though not much to look at, tasty baked beans as well.

The whole shootin' match ran me $9 - about par for the course. Of the two joints off W. Florissant, my nod has to go to Austin's.

Shame on Me

I was at a Trivia Night Saturday when the question came up: "St. Louis eats more of this condiment, per capita, than any other U.S. city?". I was kicking myself when the answer turned out to be BBQ sauce. At least according to the Washington University Law School.

Roper's

Roper's is a cozy little joint at the corner of Jennings Station and W. Florissant that seats about a dozen. Parking is in a lot across the street. Steve & I paid them a visit for lunch today - Steve getting the pork steak, I got the Small rib tips.

I had to chuckle at the decor - not one, but two signed photos of Handsome Harley Race graced the walls - possibly the last icon I expected to see and a mainstay of my Saturday morning visits to my neighbor's as a kid.

On to the food:

You better like potato salad 'cause that's your side. The rib tips were a bit on the underdone side with very little smokiness to the meat. Steve said the pork steaks were tender, but we both agreed the sauce was fairly unremarkable. The prices were a bit on the high side compared to other places we've tried.

Roper's is open seven days a week. They also have smoked turkey and will smoke one you bring in - make your appointments for the holidays. It is probably fair to note that the other photo on the wall was from Steve Harvey's Hoodie Awards celebration where Roper's was the only Missouri BBQ joint nominated.

Mi Hungry

What a pleasant surprise!

Steve & I headed up N. Grand yesterday to St. Louis Ave. to sample the next BBQ joint on the list, Mi Hungry. The neighborhood looks like it has seen better days (and to be fair, worse days too). An abandoned factory takes up most of the block across the street so we were expecting your typical cramped, carry-out, storefront BBQ joint.

What we got was a bright, cheery restaurant/bar with flat screen TVs, electronic darts, and, bless their souls, a jukebox with ZZ Hill and Johnnie Taylor on it. We sauntered up the bar where the proprietor and one of the customers introduced themselves. As new customers we were given samples of the rice & peas, rib tips, curried goat, and jerk chicken (did I mention the place has a Jamaican menu too?).

We both got rib tips; I had greens and the rice & peas for sides, Steve went with the baked beans. My sides were superb. The tips were good - not spectacular and I'm really looking for spectacular at this point - the sides were the best I've had yet. The sauce is not tangy but has a rich, sweet flavor. By the way - the jerk chicken & the goat were great. I'll be back for those.

All in all, a great place for lunch or dinner. Mi Hungry is open seven days a week.