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The Dining Divas

By Lisa Kampeter

I’m always excited when we find a new restaurant that’s delicious, down to earth, and affordable, and the Dining Divas discovered another in the U-City loop area at Salt and Smoke.   The sign out front says it’s barbecue, beer, and bourbon, and that means…it’s good eating.

The Missing Divas really missed out. The Accountable Diva was extremely disappointed as she was sick in bed for over a week. The Teacher Diva had too many after school activities to break free to join us. The Traveling Diva was actually back in town but still had a full calendar.   And the Cheerful Diva was busy with birthdays. But we still had a good-sized group, and we all enjoyed our food immensely.

Now known as the Elderly Diva, the Storytelling Diva shared with us her concerns of her upcoming hip replacement surgery. She’s worried she’s going to end up lopsided…one leg longer than the other. We couldn’t help but giggle. Her young mind is telling her she’s going to recover and be back at work in a week or two. The doc is telling her to give herself three weeks. I can’t recall a time she’s taken it easy for three days. Three weeks will feel like a lifetime.

Parking is never easy on Delmar, but don’t ignore the parking spots right next to the restaurant. The Was-She-A-Real-Blonde Diva drove around forever looking for a spot all along thinking the open spots she saw right out front were restricted. This was after she drove up and down several streets surrounding University City, thanks to her GPS, trying to find the restaurant. Getting to the restaurant is not difficult. Take 170 to Delmar. Get in the Loop area, and you’re there. She is from St. Charles County. I guess if you don’t cross the river too much even GPS can get you confused.

An appetizer of Hush Puppies with maple butter is a good choice. We had several to share with the table, and everyone loved them. This is a typical barbecue place where the barbecue sauce isn’t baked on many of the meats. Salt and Smoke has the typical homemade sauces of sweet, mustard, and tangy. Unlike our last Diva outing, Salt and Smoke’s prices and portions are reasonable. A “plate” consists of the main course plus two sides.

Not the case for the last place. The Beef Brisket was the most popular item and for good reason. Even the Brisket Expert Diva said it was melt-in-your-mouth delicious with wonderful flavor. The Pulled Chicken and the Pulled Pork were juicy and good choices as well. As for sides, the Mac ‘n Cheese was not typical; it was better. One Diva, who’s not even a fan, loved the white cheddar cracker macaroni and cheese. The Garlic Herb Fries tasted good but could have been warmer.   The BBQ Sweet Potato Chips and Pit Beans with Bacon were tasty choices, as well.

Since dinner was so good, we figured dessert would be too. We weren’t wrong.   Perfection is the best way to describe the Apple Pie with ice cream and a caramel sauce. It was seriously so good sharing wasn’t encouraged. We wanted it all for ourselves.

Salt and Smoke impressed us so much that several of us ordered meals to go for our men. That hasn’t happened since our visit to Delish in Florissant a few years ago.   And the feedback from the guys was the same as ours. Salt and Smoke is good eating!

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