Mars' Best

I revisited this south-side joint for lunch yesterday as part of the 'second chance' round and for the second day in a row, the reality of today did not live up to the memory of last year.

I pulled up with a smile on my face to see the smoker out on the sidewalk in front and nearly tore into the food on the way home as the aroma was driving me nuts in the car, but when I dug in at home, I was disappointed.

The meat is still tender & smoky, the price is still right, but the sauce, subtle to begin with, lacked flavor - no kick, no sweet, no spice.

If you want to judge for yourself, the Youngs have added a second store in Florissant, this one a sitdown at 75 Blackjack Ct.. The original is at 4064 S. Grand. The joints are open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday. To order ahead, call 352.8555 or 653.3389.

Smokemasters

Darren & I went for lunch. I have to say it was kind of a let-down from last year. I had the buffet which featured rib tips. Smokemasters seems to have gone to a mild, dry, rub since last year though Darren had sauce on his pulled pork sandwich that he described as not too sweet or too spicy.

Service, too seems to have slipped as they were just opening for lunch and still putting out the buffet at 12:15. All-in-all a little disappointing after making it into the round one loser's bracket.

Fat Toney's

Matt & I went back to Fat Toney's for lunch today - the rest of the gang were busy. Petty much the same as last year but a surprisingly light crowd for a Friday lunch on a nice June day.

I had the rib plate, Matt the beef & pork plate. The portions were decent for the price (just under $10 w/tax) which is about par for a couple of sides - an improvement from last year as was the meat. The sauce was as tasty as I remember with options of additional hot or mild sauce at the table. The baked beans were very tasty and not too mushy or too hard. The fries - just average.

Two disappointments: Rib tips seem to have been taken off the menu and the wait staff was a bit on the inattentive side, especially for how slow it was.

All in all, not a bad joint & improving but not good enough to move on to the next round.

Sir B Que

Finally! After waiting through the winter, Sir B Que is up and running. A great location, just east of the loop and the Pageant on Delmar at Hamilton and having no competition in about a 2 mile radius (except for the occasionally open Mama's Coal Pot). Parking is scarce, mostly street and a small lot.

The place is brand spanking new and clean. The wait staff was, as Steve put it, 'a sharp as a marble'. I started off getting short-changed, not much, but this is a business. I sat at the bar waiting for my order. After an order had been out for about five minutes, the cashier asked if I needed a menu. When I told her: 1) She had taken my order, 2) She had taken my money, and 3) She had short-changed me, she looked real confused and then discovered the order sitting next to her was mine. I hope for her sake, she's related to the owner (actually I hope for her sake she's not and has to learn how to behave in the world before it's too late).

So on to the food.

I had the rib tip sandwich (big surprise) for about $8. A little steep but a decent amount of meat. I have to say the sauce was great, a nice tang to it, but the meat could have stay on the smoker a while longer - very tough.

There are better options, food-wise, if you want to drive a couple more miles, but for a sit-down joint in the Delmar/DeBaliviere area, it's a very nice place with so-so Q.

See for yourself; their Grand Opening is this Friday, June 20.

Smokin' Al's

The loser's bracket of Round One kicks off with Smokin' Al's. This place had the misfortune to run up against Red's in the first round, but it deserves a second chance. I had the burnt ends & beans with Wolf sauce. The meat was perfection, the sauce a very smoky burn to it. I was mopping this up with the bread and craving more even after a generous portion for only $5.45.

Lucky for me this place is on the way home. Give them a try.

http://www.smokinalsbbq.com/bbq.html

Barney's BBQ

I made this visit on my own, it being a bit of a haul out to Ellisville. I had the half chicken which reminded me of my Mom's recipe - vinegar & butter though with a lost more spice. The chicken wasn't the moistest in the world but was OK. Service was real slow.

Barney's is a bit of a throw-back. Summer-only, outside dining at picnic tables, no credit cards. For all that, prices are pretty much in line - nothing to write home about.

If you like their style of BBQ, this is the only place I've found it in St. Louis, but me - I'll be sticking closer to home.