She Said A-Trisket A-Brisket

Bogart's Smokehouse is St. Louis' newest BBQ joint in a city that is known for its BBQ but has no BBQ. It is a cleverly re-packaged "Pappy's II" with prime Real Estate across from the Soulard Farmer's Market. Today was a nice but not warm spring day, but we were pleasantly surprised to find parking (keep heading west on Lafayette about 1/2 block) amid the many market goers. This space is small and primed for carry-out; we arrived on time to eat indoors and enjoy the Blues City Deli-esque piped soundtrack. By the time we left the line was almost out the door, but staying true to Pappy's business plan, Bogart's is overstaffed with smiling t-shirt wearing employees, and today, two were handing out riblets to sample for patient patrons(right after we arrived).

Bogart's did a decent job of masking its connection to Pappy's, although the owner, Mike, who is instantly recognizable (although I had to look up his name) was leaving as we were arriving. He is also the face of Pappy's too, as I have seen him there on the floor once or twice. The offerings are standard BBQ joint fare, with the addition of the Sausage Fatty (??) and the subtraction of the Adam Bomb. Tim and I are die-hard brisket fans and both ordered a sandwich instead of the platter, which we split last time at Pappy's. Each sandwich came with two sides: I went with the baked beans, which were spicy and had burnt ends mixed in, and the potato chips, which a local business "Billy Goat Chips" provides. This is a great deal for the price ($7.50), considering the chips alone probably cost around 2 bucks if you purchased them at Schnuck's. Tim had the coleslaw in place of the baked beans, which he described as "nothing spectacular." It's unfortunate that the Broadway Oyster Bar has such awesome coleslaw because no other coleslaw can compare, according to my husband, although he continues to order it again and again and complain.

Bogart's is another good edition of non-healthy food to a overall non-healthy food neighborhood (see July 2010 blog on Soulard Gyro and Deli). Maybe next time we'll bike here to burn off some calories-or I will.

http://bogartssmokehouse.com/about/