Boston: Sweek Cheeks Q, Fenway Park & Island Creek Oyster!

We purchased tickets a month before the Boston trip, because a visit to Boston isn't complete unless you catch a game at the historic Fenway Park!  Lots of food options around Fenway too so we planned a night around the area. 

Rather than eating ballpark food on Yawkey or the Fenway Franks (hot dog between slice of white bread), we decided to stop by Sweet Cheeks before the game, and then Island Creek Oyster for some late night grubbing with Peggy.  Sweet Cheeks is a Texas-style BBQ spot opened by Top Chef season one finalist, Tiffany Faison, and it was close enough for us to walk from there to the game!  

Sweet Cheeks Q

1381 Boylston St

Between Park Dr & Kilmarnock St

Fenway

Boston, MA 02215

sweetcheeksq.com

Menu.  It's all about using top quality local ingredients for BBQ.  We decided to get two trays and share so we can try a bit more of the menu.


Leinenkugel Summer Shandy draft..  Not summer yet but the it's a great beer for summer!  Of course, served in mason jars.


No free biscuits so we had to order it.  Kinda sucks for a BBQ spot, but damn these biscuits are amazing.  For $10, you get a bucket of biscuit with their honey butter.  The honey butter is crack.


Sauces.  Texas-style original, Memphis-style vinegar based, and spicy habanero.  I liked the original sauce a lot, with a few drops of the spicy one mixed in.  When I first tried the habanero one, I didn't believe it was that spicy but damn it killed my taste buds for over 10 minutes haha. 

I like brisket, so I choose the Great Northern Brisket with BBQ beans and potato salad.

Thick thick slabs of fatty, moist brisket!  It actually is one of the best brisket I've had anywhere.  Love the color of that smoke ring too.

Potato salad.  The BBQ beans was actually better, but the picture of the beans was corrupted :[

Pickled cucumber and onions to give your taste buds a break from all the BBQ!  Much needed refresher.

The Big Cheeks Tray (2 item combo) with Berkshire Pork Rib and Berkshire Pulled Pork, along with carrot salad and mac n' cheese.

Berkshire Pork Rib!  Berkshire pork is a high quality breed of pork and you can tell from that first bite.  While the ribs may not be as good as what I had in St. Louis, the ribs are juicy, meaty, and tender.  

Pulled Pork.  Sorry for the shaky hands, but pretty good too!  Wish there were more of the outside pieces for the BBQ bark, but it is moist and very good with the BBQ sauce.

Carrot salad.  Probably the best side!  Very refreshing and the blue cheese works so well with the walnuts.

BBQ is probably forever ruined for me after Bogart's and Pappy's in St. Louis, but I gotta say, I did like Sweet Cheeks!  Even though there's nothing in particular that really jumps out at me, everything was tasty.  They definitely focus more on the quality of ingredients and it shows.  I was just glad we were able to secure a table before the game cause it was pretty packed!

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The Red Sox was playing Houston Astros (one of the worst team in MLB), and the starting pitching weren't that great either, so I wasn't too interested in the game, but it is Fenway!  It was just fun walking around and taking in the atmosphere.

Near Gate D.

Yawkey Way, where the food vendors are at!  They close off this alley next to Fenway Park so people can eat and relax before the game.

Vendors.

View of the field, walking from Gate D to the bleachers.

Astros batting.

Our seats in the bleachers!  Not bad at all.  Of course, the bleachers are the cheapest seats so you get an interesting mix of people.  Definitely heard a lot of trash talking and foul language hahah.  Behind us was a family and you can tell they were a bit uncomfortable with the language :P

Green Monster!

Green Monster at night.

This game was excruciating slow!  3 1/2 hours in and it wasn't even the 7th inning, so we actually left before the 7th inning stretch since we had to meet up with Peggy at Island Creek.

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Island Creek Oyster is probably one of the most popular restaurants in Boston, and it is all about seafood here!  Of course, they are known for the oysters here, as well as a few other items, but Diana and Jadson were still full from Sweet Cheeks, so only Peggy and I ate.

Island Creek Oyster 

500 Commonwealth Ave 

Boston, MA 02215 

islandcreekoysterbar.com

Bread.  No idea what kind of bread it was, but it was pretty tasty haha.

Jadson ended up ordering a few beers.  Brasserie D'Achouffe La Chouffe.  Had a sip, very good. Definitely a Belgian Strong.

My Brooklyn Brewery Sorachi Ace.  I've been digging saison brews lately!

Halibut ceviche for starters.

My fish sandwich with Old Bay seasoned fries.  Forgot what kind of fish it was, but the spicy tartar sauce was good!

Peggy's Lobster Roe Noodle.  Braised short rib, grilled lobster, oyster mushrooms, Pecorino, and fresh egg noodle.  Holy hell I had a bite of this and I immediately regretted my sandwich.  Intensely savory.  No wonder this is one of their most popular dish.

Day one, done!  I originally wanted to go check out a few bars, but thanks to the red eye flight, we were beyond tired so we just went back to get a good night's rest!

Saint Louis: Rooster & Bogart's Smokehouse

One thing to do when traveling to a new city is find a brunch place that locals love and uses local ingredients that showcases the food.  I like to find a place like that for brunch because I think brunch has a much more casual dining environment and that you really have to stand out to differentiate yourself from all the other brunch spots.

This time around, I chose Rooster, which is located in downtown St. Louis.  Rooster actually specializes in a variety of crepes, from fruit filled ones to savory crepes, and I don't eat crepes that much so it was a nice change.  I also wanted something very different from what we were gonna eat later, BBQ, and crepes fit the bill!

Rooster

1104 Locust St 

Downtown

St Louis, MO 63102

roosterstl.com

Rooster, located in downtown.  The area was pretty dead when I was there though, with Rooster being the busiest.

 

Front of menu.

 

My fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and Diana's coffee.

I wanted something savory so I went for the Smoked Sirloin #4, which has red onion, arugula, goat cheese, and tomato jam, but instead of red onions, I asked for caramelized onions.

The smoked sirloin.  Thinly sliced sirloin with a nice smoky flavor.  Goat cheese & arugula worked well.  It wasn't until I took the first bite that I realized I was gonna be eating BBQ later too haha.

Tomato jam.  This was what really made this crepe pop.  I have no idea what's in it but that jam is dank!  Has a bit of kick to it sorta like harissa but similar to ketchup too.  Awesome.

Diana's Caramelized Banana & Nuts French Toast.  

French toast is solid and the caramelized banana is a whole banana sliced in half then cooked in sugar. Great crunch from the coated sugar.  I also liked how there's a variety of nuts, like walnuts, pecans, and cashews, instead of just one type like many places.

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Afterwards, we visited the Arch Gateway, walked around a bit to digest, then headed towards the Soulard neighborhood for Zagat's #1 BBQ spot, Bogart's Smokehouse!  Of course I had to compare to it the first BBQ spot I visited in STL, Pappy's.  Funny thing is Pappy's and Bogart's paths intertwine.  The pitmaster and the GM of Pappy's were part of the group that started Pappy's so many think of Bogart's as Pappy's second coming.  Some things may be similar, but Bogart's completely standing its ground against Pappy's!

Funny how the two top BBQ spots in Saint Louis are Memphis-style (dry rub) rather than STL's own saucy BBQ :P

Bogart's Smokehouse

1627 S 9th St 

Soulard

Saint Louis, MO 63104

bogartssmokehouse.com

Bogart's.  Tiny restaurant located next to Soulard Farmer's Market.  Very different from downtown's Pappy's.

Lots of restaurants in STL uses pigs hahah.

The 4 sauces at Bogart's: Sweet Maegan Ann, Voodoo Sauce, Pineapple Express, and Mad Maddie's Vinegar.  I like sweet sauces so Sweet Maegan Ann was my favorite.

Decided to get a combo: half slab ribs & brisket.

The baby back ribs have a darker color while the brisket has a thicker smoke ring than Pappy's.

Very flavorful.  In fact, the dry rub and the finishing glaze is so good that I barely used any sauce for the ribs!  Their final process involves using a torch to caramelize the apricot glaze to achieve the crust and the color!  It is a bit sweeter, but you can still taste the rub and the smoke.  It's tough but I think Pappy's ribs win by a super narrow margin since it is more tender.

Deviled egg potato salad.  Their unique take on a classic side.

Pit-baked beans.  Awesome baked beans and I actually like it here better than Pappy's baked beans.

Diana went for the chicken wings special with coleslaw & pork skins.

Super legit, plump, juicy, flavorful wings.  I can eat these non-stop.  The coleslaw is oil based too so it's much lighter than mayo-based coleslaw.

The pork skins.  It is actually just Old Vienna Pork Rinds, but when you eat it with the Mad Maddie's Vinegar sauce, it's like a party in your mouth!  Vinegar + the seasoned salt + pork skin = one damn good crispy bite.

I think... if I am just talking about ribs, Pappy's baby back is still just a bit better than Bogart's.  Pappy's is just more tender to me, even though the apricot glaze finish on Bogart's is bomb.  However, Bogart's quality is better overall.  It is not as packed, the ribs are good, there are more unique items like the wings, brisket is better, sides are much much tastier, and the people working there are just super friendly.  I am just sad that I will not eat any BBQ even close to those two back home in LA.  Sigh.

Saint Louis: Pappy's Smokehouse for the Best Ribs I've Had

First of all, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

This Christmas, I really just want another bite of Pappy's awesome ribs, cause it is legitimately the best ribs I've had anywhere.  So good that I am still dreaming about it today!  When I first got to Saint Louis, I knew the barbecue was gonna be good but never imagined mind-blown status.  

The funny thing is, Pappy's style of barbecue is not even Saint Louis.  The barbecue is actually Memphis-style, and for the ribs, it's not the Saint Louis ribs cut, which Saint Louis made famous, but the baby back loin ribs cut.  Even though it's not "true" Saint Louis barbecue, the city has definitely embraced Pappy's as its own, evident by the line that forms daily.

Story: we were actually in line, and I was deciding between the full slab or half.  While pondering, the guy in front of us helped open the door when the staff was bringing in newly smoked ribs.  One of the staff was so grateful that she cut off two pieces of the rib for the guy to try, and the guy was nice enough to share one with Diana and me!  First bite of the rib, I just stood there in amazement, mouth in a flavor heaven, and I make sounds that I did not think was possible.  Just that one bite was enough to convince me to get the full slab :P

Pappy's Smokehouse

3106 Olive St 

Midtown 

St Louis, MO 63103

pappyssmokehouse.com

Pappy's!

One of the smokers that they have.

Wood for smoking!

 

Waiting in line outside and the line inside.

Some shots of Pappy's.  Very highly rated by Zagat.

Menu.

Hi piggie.

Diana looking at the soda fridge.

Had to try a Fitz's Root Beer.

The three sauces: Sweet Baby Jane, Holly's Hot Sauce, and Pappy's.  I liked the Sweet Baby Jane the most since I like sweeter BBQ sauces.  Holly's got a good bit of kick and Pappy's is more of a vinegar-based sauce.

The ribs, a full slab of the house specialty, dry-rubbed and slow smoked over apple & cherry wood.

Since it is the baby back loin cut, it is much meatier and look at the smoke ring! 

The dry rub here is amazing, and so flavorful that you don't really need any sauce!

But I'm a sauce guy so I alternated between adding all the different sauce or just eating as it is.  Here it is with my favorite, Sweet Baby Jane.

Baked beans, and of course, baked with BBQ sauce.  Sweet.

This is also something unique: fried corn on the cob.  They take a whole ear of corn and just fry it!  Thought it was gonna be greasy but it's actually the opposite.  Pretty tasty.

Diana got a two-meat combo so we could try more.

Beef brisket and pulled pork!

Never seen beef brisket like this.  You can see a bit of the smoke ring.  Super tender.  Definitely not in the same class as the ribs.

Pulled pork!  Out of the two, I definitely liked the pulled pork more, especially with the Sweet Baby Jane and Pappy's sauce.

Sweet potato fries.  

Potato salad.

To be honest, I didn't care too much for the pulled pork, the brisket, or the sides cause I could not stop thinking about how good the ribs were!  It really is the best I've had and it sucks that I can't have in here in LA :[  GAH!  Pappy's = hog heaven.