Who doesn’t love a good road trip?
After multiple days of family Christmas it was time to kick back and hit the road, destination? St Louis MO. Why St Louis? Visit my side of the family and of course, the food! Oh the food. Time to do some bbq research!
December 27th we are a little late getting going but better late than the next day. A stop over in Gary Indiana overnight ( isn’t there a crime show or something about Gary?) and the next morning we are good to go.
Dec 28th – this is the best scenery of the trip. Once we get through southern Chicago and the 2 million trucks on that stretch of highway it’s an easy and scenic drive paralleling the old Route 66 that ran from Chicago to Californian on interstate 55. Joliet, Kankakee, Bloomington and the home of the 16th president of the United States. Abraham Lincoln, Springfield Ill. You could spend days or weeks in this area exploring all the dedicated museums, monuments ect to him. Lincoln of course was assasinated after the civil war by southern sympathizer John Wilkes Booth. We are through Springfield and on the home stretch to St Louis. I merge onto the 270 loop, cross the Mississippi and we are in Missouri. Ahhh I can taste the Kansas city type bbq already.
The food scene in St Louis is very diverse. Everything from Mexican to italian to German to Bbq. The city has its own distinct pizza. Known as St. Louis pizza, basically a thin cracker style crust, covered with provel cheese ( cheddar, Swiss and provolone). Gooey butter cake and frozen custard are also St Louis staples. Did you know St. Louis style ribs were invented here? Basically side ribs trimmed straight. Or St. Louis style. All these foods are good but, I’m here for two reasons. Mexican and bbq!! Bring it on!
First stop, because of its close proximity to our accommodations ( haha my sisters house) is Mexican. Our restaurant of choice is El Magueys in the valley in Chesterfield. An old favourite. This place is awesome. $6 16 oz margaronas ( a margarita with a bottle of corona stuffed upside down into it) or for a more moderate $4 you can get a regular margarita. Ciara and I go full experience ( margaronas) Chloe and my niece Jana go for the straight margaritas. Next the food, I order the enchilada plater, burittos, tacquitos and tacos round out the orders.
Day two
Todays the day! Sugar fire bbq, this place has been on a ton of food shows. Bobby flay, diners drive ins and dives, pit masters ect. But first we visit, do a little shopping ( I of course hit a place with smokers and assorted bbq accessories for sale). Quick lunch at our fav fast food joint ( sonic burger) one of the only true drive in type food places that you park , order and an attendant brings your food to your car still . The chilli dogs are crazy good here, as is the ice cream. The girls do a little more shopping and it’s time to hit Sugar fire. It does not disappoint. I go for smoked wings, beans, smoked cheesy potatoes. Jacquie does the brisket ( which I pick from) we also have pulled pork, smoked Philly cheese steak sandwiches in the group. The food is outstanding. Great rub, tender, with just the right amount of smoke. This place is a repeat next time we are in town.
Day 3
We have a lazy morning then head to the outlet mall in chesterfield. It’s a gorgeous day. 10-12 c and sunny. Not bad for Dec 30th. I enjoy the sunshine while having a couple Michelobs at the courtyard while the girls shop. Mid afternoon we stop for drinks at the rock and roll sports bar in the valley. Very cool spot, basically a rock and roll themed restaurant bar with a ton of memorabilia there. Makes the hard rock look like it’s walls are barren. Next it’s off to Pappy’s bbq. Pappy’s is consistently ranked in the top 10 of bbq joints in the USA. Yes it’s that good! We order brisket, burnt ends and some pulled chicken to go with the customary accompaniments beans, corn, Mac and cheese ect. The brisket is probably the best I’ve had. Wow. Do yourself a favour and check it out. If you go though, go day time for 2 reasons. 1) safety as it’s not the nicest part of town 2) it will be sold out most likely if you don’t go by mid day.
Day 4 ( New Year’s Eve day)
We spend the morning hanging out ( and I clean up bbq leftovers lol). After lunch we decide to take off and head for home as the weather forecast is good. Once again we are on the road. The stay was of course too short and I didn’t get to a blues game but the bbq and Mexican was phenomenal. A short over night in Benton harbour Michigan and we are home New Year’s Day in time for the Winter Classic.
St Louis is known as the gateway to the Midwest. However I would venture to say it’s also known for its bbq and food scene. There literally is a bbq joint on just about every corner here.
Till next time. Fins up!
