When you think of the Midwest, chances are good that St. Louis is one of the first cities that comes to mind. When you think about St. Louis, you think about great barbecue. No, this isn't another bad DirecTV commercial telling you to get rid of cable so that some tragedy doesn't befall you. It's the introduction to Pappy's Smokehouse, which is the best barbecue in a city that knows how to smoke meats.
I spent four years at college in Missouri, but I never once ventured to Pappy's because for 3/4 of my college life, the restaurant didn't exist. It's only been around since 2008, but in that short time, it has become the place in St. Louis to find fantastic barbecue, appeared on Man vs. Food and made it on to the Chowdown Countdown at 48.
How good is Pappy's? As you can tell by the grass in the picture, I couldn't actually eat it in the restaurant. I had to make it to work in Iowa (four hours away), so my only chance was to call for takeout and eat on the streets of St. Louis. That's how long the lines are. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
What makes Pappy's so amazing is the quality of everything. First, you aren't going to find anything that wasn't made fresh that day at Pappy's. The restaurant doesn't want to serve day-old barbecue, so what they do is make a pre-set amount at the start of the day based on the crowd they expect for their hours. Once they hit their amount of an item, they don't make more of it. It goes up on the board at the store to mark that they've sold out of that particular food, and it won't be available again until tomorrow.
When they sell out of all of their items, well, that's when the store closes. Pappy's says it's open until 8 p.m., but that's just a suggestion. They almost always shut their doors before that time comes.
The reason is because Pappy's knows how to do great barbecue. They might have only been around since 2008, but their owners have a combined century's worth of experience smoking meats. The St. Louis staple of ribs is one of the top choices on Pappy's menu, and you've got three sauces to choose from. Other meats available for you to select are pulled pork, pulled chicken, beef brisket, turkey and hot link sausage.
I love barbecue, and when I find a barbecue place, 90 percent of the time I'm going to go with at least one and possibly both of my two favorite meats: pulled pork or beef brisket. That's what I did here, and it was incredible. Throw some of Pappy's original sauce on it, and you have a barbecue meal that simply can't be beat. There's a reason it won the best barbecue in St. Louis three years running, and its streak was stopped only because the editors of the magazine didn't want to make that category an automatic win for Pappy's.
If you want to step outside of barbecue, the Frito Pie might catch your attention. This is basically beans, onions, cheese served on top of a bed of Fritos and topped with your barbecue of choice. I haven't had it yet, but I'm sure I'll be back in St. Louis again.
It's probably a good thing this place didn't exist while I was in college. I didn't have money, and given how often I went to STL, I'd have been losing money left and right standing in line for some Pappy's. It's that good.
Recap
Time to go: Early. Pappy's mantra of cooking all food fresh means that there is no guarantee the restaurant will even be open by the time you arrive if you get there later in the day. The restaurant opens at 11, and I'd advise being there near that time.
Wait during my visit: Here's the other reason why you need to get there early. If you don't, you'll be waiting for well over an hour, or you're going to be calling it in and having a picnic.
Remember Ike's Place? Pappy's is very similar, as lines can easily go for over an hour. To-go orders can jump the line, but if not, you'll be waiting a while. My advice is that if the line extends outside the restaurant, call in your order.
Location: Pappy's can be found near the campus of St. Louis University, at 3106 Olive Street in St. Louis.
Parking: You'll find some. Being near the university, if you can't park at Pappy's, garages and street parking can be had.
Cost: Average. Pappy's does feature two pricey items in the Big Ben and the Adam Bomb, but these are not meant for one person. The Big Ben includes a slab of ribs, beef brisket, a pork sandwich, a quarter of a chicken and four sides. The Adam Bomb adds a hot link Frito pie to all of that.
Those go for over $40. However, sensible meals at Pappy's cost roughly $10-15.
Website: Pappy's Smokehouse
Signature items: Barbecue, Frito pie
Located in a shopping center in the Atlanta suburb of Kennesaw, Big Pie In The Sky is hidden so well that if you don't know what you're looking for, you'll drive right past the Publix and miss the restaurant completely. That would be awful, because Big Pie is more than worth the short detour off Interstate 75 to find it.
Two things define Big Pie In The Sky: quality and size. The restaurant uses a wide variety of toppings, several of which aren't exactly ingredients found in your local Pizza Hut. Sharp cheddar, feta, smoked provolone and cream cheese are some of the cheese choices at your disposal, while artichokes, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes are the high-brow ingredients on the vegetable side.
That brings us to the size. When they say Big Pie In The Sky, they are not kidding. They offer their pizza in medium, large and extra large, or you can go by the slice. A medium pizza here is 16 inches. Yes, you saw that correctly. The extra large measures in at 30 inches, can weigh roughly 11 pounds and is said to be able to feed 8 to 10 people.
One of their extra larges, the Carnivore, is even used by the restaurant as a challenge. The Carnivore Challenge is attempted by two people, who have one hour to eat an extra large pizza topped with bacon, ham, pepperoni, sausage and ground beef. Do it and you win $250, which probably isn't enough to make up for the feeling that comes with eating 5 1/2 pounds of pizza.
That brings me to the slices. At the top was my choice, the West Coast Pesto, which features chicken, pesto, Romano cheese and cream cheese. The slices are taken from the extra-large pizza and cost $5 for one slice. Be warned: these are not tiny slices. That is a normal-size pizza pan that the slice is lying on, and one slice is probably going to be enough to fill most people. If you're really hungry, maybe you can put down two, but that's not likely. I almost ordered two before wisely asking the girl behind the counter, and was glad I did.
Because of its size, you're almost certain to need silverware. You can't pick it up and eat it (believe me, I tried many times) until you're about 3/4 of the way through the pizza, it's just too massive. You can try to fold it, since it is New York-style pizza, but that doesn't work much better either. Really, your only course of action is to use a fork.
It's worth it. The toppings blend so well together on the West Coast despite the unusual combination. The big surprise is how the cream cheese and pesto go together. I'd never tried the two at once before, but wow, what a pairing. It's something I'm going to have to try again, probably even on a pizza at home someday.
Big Pie does serve sandwiches, calzones and salads for those who just aren't feeling pizza. Whichever way you go, pair it with a Coke or a sweet tea (this is Georgia, after all), and you've got one excellent meal before getting back on the road in the Peach State.
Recap
Time to go: This place is perfect for lunch. It's a good dinner spot if you're feeding a lot of people, but if your party is small, lunch is the time to visit.
Wait during my visit: None. I came shortly after the restaurant opened and was served immediately. I would not guess it is always like this, but since Kennesaw's a suburb rather than in downtown ATL, the wait probably won't be too bad.
Location: Big Pie In The Sky has been located at 2090 Baker Rd NW in Kennesaw, Ga., since 2007. It's in a shopping center near a Publix grocery store.
Parking: Plentiful. With the grocery store right there, you will always find a spot somewhere.
Cost: Very wallet-friendly. The slice is a meal and costs $5. Slice and drink can be had for $7. That sounds good to me.
Website: Big Pie In The Sky
Signature items: Really big pizza
Getting good Mexican food in Florida is hardly a surprise. Getting good Mexican food out of a school bus? OK, that's a little different. But that's what you have with Taco Bus, a Tampa-area restaurant that offers authentic Mexican served either in a fixed location or from the streets, but both from that familiar yellow bus that we all rode to school decades ago.
What makes Taco Bus so excellent is the quality and authenticity of what you're getting. Taco Bus's owner grew up in Monterrey, Mexico, so there is no Tex-Mex in this place. Having once been to a real Mexican place in Nogales, that's the only thing I can say compares to the tacos here. For filling, you've got steak, beef, chicken and fish available to you, but if you really want to try something special, go for the pork.
Their cochinita pibil is slow-roasted pork shredded and marinated in achiote and bitter orange, which really comes through to make this flavorful. It's further wrapped in banana leaves and smoked, which they say is based on a 5000-year-old Mayan recipe. I don't know how true that is, but the results are unquestioned. Throw some cheese, cabbage, cilantro and pico de gallo on it and you've got one incredible Mexican experience. Complete the meal with beans and rice, and it's perfect.
Not feeling the tacos? They offer quesadillas, burritos, the usual stuff you'd expect from a Mexican place. Pretty much the only American thing on the menu is the drinks, but even those aren't all American, as they serve Mexican Coca-Cola.
What's more, if you're just not feeling the usual fillings, they offer special fillings served only one day a week along with the standards. Maybe you show up on a Wednesday for some chicken mole, for example. There's always a new option available to you at any time of day, because this place is open 24 hours a day. I love places that do that.
For the atmosphere, it's basically street eats. At its restaurant location, Taco Bus offers seating on the patio, but this is not a typical restaurant and you shouldn't expect it to be one. It's a place that offers great food with some open-air tables available for your convenience. Just find the yellow bus and you've got some great Mexican coming.
Recap
Time to go: Anytime, although I wouldn't recommend going late at night. I'd guess the line would get long.
Wait during my visit: Very short, served almost immediately
Location: You can find them at 913 East Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa, in the northern part of the city. They're also located in downtown Tampa and over the bridge in St. Petersburg.
Parking: Readily available
Website: Taco Bus
Signature items: Cochinita pibil tacos
