Bogarts - If I Had to Choose Just One

Date Dined: May 23. 2014

Overall Rating: 4.0 Stars

For ages a time tested battle has taken place in Saint Louis. The ancient BBQ lords of old long have struggled for the coveted Lee seal of approval. Although each gazed upon the brilliant glare of my adulation, only one reigns supreme.

Two days before the wedding and we had to take our family to what I think is the overall best BBQ in Saint Louis. Now before the hating starts I will say this: Pappy’s has amazing pulled pork, Sugarfire is all about the brisket, and Ropers is untouched as far as snoots go, but Bogart’s has my heart.

Décor: 3.5 stars

Bogart’s décor matches the rest of the meal, casual and first come first serve. There is no hostess, there are no reserved tables and you might even be more comfy grabbing a to go order and eating your meal at home. Inside you’ll find a long row of tables that seats about 30 and a few tables on the side that seats another 12 or 16. Outside there’s a row of picnic benches that accommodates a large number of people. Like any popular local joint there’s going to be a lack of seating, luckily people eat quickly so it’s not to hard to snag a table usually.

Service: 4 Stars

Again, we’re grading this on a casual dining scale, but if you don’t walk in expecting a fine dining experience then the service is actually pretty good. If you go during the lunch or dinner rushes then you’ll be standing in line a half hour or more. When you get up to the front then your order will be promptly taken and you can start scouring the premises for a seat. Your food will arrive hot and delicious within five to ten minutes. If you need a box for leftovers you’ll get it right away with some generous to go sides of whatever sauces you want. All in all, not a bad deal.

I will add one caveat. Typically I have no complaints about this place, but this last time (which also happened to be when we were showing it off to our out of town relatives coming in for the wedding) we had kind of a sour experience. Bogart’s has a rule. You can’t sit at a table until your order is placed. Makes sense right? Except in this one scenario. We were actually in line placing our order and there happened to be three empty tables. Two that were together and one to the side. My father-in-law who happens to be an elderly gentlemen and can’t stand for long periods of time went to sit at one of the tables. The guy in the picture above immediately shooed him away. Really? Come on guy. He’s old, it’s 80 degrees and he’s just been standing in line for 30 minutes, and we are literally completing our order. There are THREE open tables. No one else is placing their order before us. Let the poor guy sit down… Not cool bald guy, not cool… I was especially embarrassed after I had gone on and on about how friendly they were.

Price: 3 Stars

Average BBQ price. A half rack of ribs will cost you about $13.00 and a full rack around $24.00. It’s not cheap and it’s not worth it if you don’t like BBQ, being messy, or have a lot of disposable income. I am not insulting the quality of the food, but it can be an expensive meal depending on what you order. On the other hand you can get away with a pulled pork, brisket, or burnt ends sandwich for under $10.00. The price here isn’t ridiculous, it’s just standard pricing for BBQ and you won’t find any great meal deals.

Food: 4 Stars

Okay, the food is why you really come to Bogarts and they have some of the best BBQ I’ve ever had outside of a ribfest I’ve ever had. So why four stars? Because while some of their items are amazing, some are only above average. Let’s delve into the wonderful world of Bogarts.

Jess has always been a fan of pulled pork, and Bogarts knows how to do it right. Their pork isn’t even the best in Saint Louis, but it is tender with a slightly smoky flavor. My only wish is that it was shredded a little more finely. Sometimes the chunks of pork are pretty well connected which makes them difficult to eat and if you hit a large chunk of an outside piece then it can be a little tough. I will also say that the flavor isn’t enough without some sauce to accentuate it which is what makes it only good.

I of course ordered the ribs and for the first time the burnt ends. The ribs are why are come to Bogart’s and what I judge most BBQ by. Bogart’s ribs are everything you could want them to be: nicely smoked, dry rubbed, fall off the bone, tender, slightly sweet, with no need for sauce. I have had multiple people tell me that these are the best ribs they’ve ever had and while I have no illusions that I’ll eventually find better, this is my go to for now. They give you a plastic knife, but you can literally rip these suckers off the rack with your fingers. The dry rub has melted into a delicious glaze sealing all that meaty goodness inside. (Someone told me that they use an acetylene torch to get that result and I might have to try the same thing with one of my browning torches).

Burnt ends were well done, much better than the last three places I’ve tried with just the right amount of “burning” done to the meat. The sauce was well used to offset any of the more tough bits. This is definitely something I’ll be ordering again.

For the first time, we also decided to get an order of wings with the understanding that everyone would have at least one. People did not fulfill their end of the bargain… which was okay! The wings have been smoked, like everything else, with a nice char on them. Nothing special, but still delicious. The smoking process really sealed in the juiciness of the wings and they were a nice alternative to more greasy fried wings or soggy oven baked wings. Nicely done, but if you only have a little room stick with the ribs.

Time to talk a little bit about the sides (all pictured above). Almost everything was made in house and it shows. The baked beans are possibly my favorite and I typically don’t like beans. The beans have been placed underneath the smoking racks in the smoker, you’ll find little pieces of pulled pork swimming innocently in a sweet BBQ sauce. The applesauce is refreshing and light with real minced pieces of apple that will send you reaching for more. The deviled egg salad is just what it sounds. Takes some delicious deviled eggs, mash them up, and you have an addictive salad. The BBQ pork skins are fine, but lacking. They take some pork rinds, sprinkle some BBQ rub on them and then serve them up on a plate.

I won’t get into all the sauces because that would take me forever, but I will highlight some of my favorites. The sweet maegan ann is perfect for sweet BBQ lovers. You’ll be reminded of a KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce, but of much higher quality. You won’t get the ketchup taste you will from mass produced products. The pineapple express is heavily laced with its namesake and is a little spicier, more liquid, and tangier than its sweeter counterpart. The Voodoo is for heat lovers, this thing will definitely catch your tongue on fire, although it’s cut with just enough sweetness so that even people who fear heat can try just a little bit of it.

In Conclusion

If you don’t mind eating in an incredibly casual setting then definitely check out Bogarts. You won’t be disappointed. Now depending on what you order you may not be wowed, but you’ll walk away at least satisfied. The one negative is that it’s impossible to try everything. I do wish they’d put in a sampler with just a bit of everything, but beggars can’t be choosers. Again, if BBQ isn’t your thing, the food here isn’t so good that you must try it out, but if there’s even a little smoked meat lover in you then try this joint. Just don’t bring anyone sickly that needs to sit down or else that bald guy is going to shoo you away.