Eric & Kenz vs Food

Inspired by the entertaining Man vs Food television series, Mackenzie and I continue to explore the St Louis dining scene. On the show, Adam Richman travels the country in search of unique local eateries and food challenges. Although Kenz is "grossed out" by the show and continues to state "I don't understand why you like to watch him stuff his face" I find it to be inspiring. We recently watched the St Louis episode, and have now been to two of the three establishments featured on the show: Pappy's Smokehouse & Iron Barley.

The show is spot on! (If the show makes a trip to your home town, I highly suggest you check out the restaurants they visit. I know the show has gone to Cleveland) These are two of the best meals we have had in St Louis. I will attempt to give a quick review of the restaurants, but words simply will not do them justice.

Pappy's Smokehouse
We were surrounded by the sweet, savory aroma of hickory smoke from the minute we opened the car door. We arrived hungry and ready to eat with high expectations. Upon entering the restaurant, we saw a line that wrapped around the corner. We followed the line around the corner, and around another corner, and finally made it to the end. We thought this must be a good sign, since it was 2:30 in the afternoon on a random Saturday. The anticipation continued to build as we waited for approximately 45 minutes. We ordered the pulled pork, smoked turkey, and array of sides including coleslaw, potato salad, sweet potato fries and fried corn on the cob. The portions were huge, and the flavors bold. Well worth the wait! If you want bbq when you visit, this is the spot!
http://www.pappyssmokehouse.com/

Iron Barley
Located off the beaten path, Iron Barley is quite the hidden treasure. After a short wait, Kenz and I grabbed a spot at the bar, and selected a few delicious craft beers. As we reviewed the tattered paper menus, we were surprised to find extensive offerings with items ranging from hot dogs to barley paella. We asked the server about the daily specials and after about 20 minutes of incredibly descriptive potential meals, we knew we couldn't go wrong - everything sounded amazing. After much deliberation, we settled on grilled cheese fajitas (appetizer) a double dog reuben (house made hot dogs with melted swiss, kraut and thousand island) and smoked duck breast salad. The food was amazing! The following quotes from Kenz will give you an idea of our experience:

"Tied for top meal in St Louis"

"If no one was looking, I would lick my plate!"

"I think that woman saw me eat that piece of bacon off the table....but it was a big piece!"

http://www.ironbarley.com/

As I said, words can not do the food justice, but I would be happy to treat family and friends to experience either destination to decide for yourselves. Other than the dining, we have been thoroughly enjoying the weather (it was 66 degrees today!) To satisfy our golf hunger, we made a trip out to the driving range. Although my swing is not 100% (Kenz was hitting well) we are looking forward to checking out the St Louis golf scene.

Kenz Job Application Count: 95

Riddle - What is it? (don't just copy and past into google!)

This thing all things devours;
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays King, ruins town;
And beats high mountains down