B.O.B.

"Don't pull the thang out, unless you plan to bang!" Thus is the battle cry in Bombs Over Bagdad, Pitchfork's #1 song of the decade, (which I think was released in 1999). A lesser known B.O.B., St. Louis' Broadway Oyster Bar, was the scene of a 15 degree, outdoor dining experience for my first blog of 2010.*

Mom and Dad Unabashed Gluttons (and Drunks) were in town to kick off the New Year. My parents requested to go to the BOB, since their music is consistently good, bluesey (I use this made-up word loosely, because when I was there in November, it was bluegrass), and starts at the Old Country Buffet dining time at 6:00 PM on Saturdays. Yes, we did eat outdoors, as this was where the band was. The last time I was at the BOB before returning to the Lou, was 2003; at this time there were a couple of those tall heat lanterns spaced around a wood fence. Dining outdoors was not for the faint of heart (or at least St. Louis natives). Since that time, they added some type of plastic tarp-thing around the fence and added actual HVAC so it's basically manageable, with the exception of your feet, so wear wool socks.

We had some raw oyster shooters, which were better this time than last. Oysters are, I feel, a dining adventure, as they can be the ultimate hangover cure, when pared with horseradish and cocktail sauce. Or they can extend that hangover bathroom experience when they are just a bit past their prime. I was neither hungover nor experiencing extreme bathroom time, but the raw oysters were spot-on.
They also have fried alligator tail, which has a consistency somewhere between fried chicken and fried clams. My parents and I all had grinders (shrimp and oyster, respectfully), which is uncoated seafood in French bread, which differs from po-boys, where the meat is battered and fried, I believe. The coleslaw is uber-spicy and the chips are sweet potato.

They recently returned Dixie Brewery's Blackened Voodoo beer (bottled) to their menu; this brewery was destroyed in Katrina and is now brewed by the fine folks at Berghoff in Monroe, WI (I should check my facts here-it said "Monroe, WI" and that is the only brewery > that I know of there.)
The decor is shanty-kitsch; also don't be too fat or you won't fit into the bathroom.

www.broadwayoysterbar.com


*Twenty-ten or Two thousand-ten?