Cheap Eats: Barbeque Dinner at Salt+Smoke!

As I said when posting our last barbeque dinner, back in March, we seem to be drowning in a wealth of great new barbeque restaurants around here! I hadn't even gotten through all of them that already existed when I heard about Salt+Smoke, which has taken over the space in the Loop where Nico used to be. Only open for a couple months now, it is simply so good that I had to schedule a dinner (well, actually, two back-to-back dinners) there without delay!

Cuisine - Well, what as have here is barbeque! Perhaps no cuisine is so subjective, so let's just stick with the basics - barbeque is really all about the meat, and here, you have your choice between pulled pork, pulled chicken, brisket, St Louis-style ribs, and, in what is certainly a first, fried jalapeno-cheddar bologna! I've stuck with the traditional choices and they are spectacular! Meat is served dry, as it should be, with your choice of sauces at the table; their traditional sauce is awesome, but they have a couple of rather creative alternates as well. For something other than plain 'cue, they have some excellent alternate choices, including a great smoked trout sandwich, a burger, and even a falafel sandwich for the vegetarians! Some great salads (to which you can add various meats), appetizers, and really fantastic sides round out the menu. Bottom line, they have a really interesting cross-section of choices, and it my experience, everything I've tried has been delicious!

Cost - Barbeque is normally a pretty inexpensive sort of dinner, and this is no exception. The sandwiches run $10 and less, even even the larger plates are mostly in the low teens; only dishes like the larger combos or a full rack of ribs break the $15 mark. Definitely a delicious but inexpensive dinner!

Other Info - Salt+Smoke is located on the northeast corner of Melville and Delmar in the U-City loop. Parking is always a pain the butt in the loop but you might find it on the side streets or in the large lot in the back, one block to the west. If in doubt bring a bunch of quarters!

As with many of our dinners, you can spread your arrival time out between 6:30 and 7:00 or so, which will make things faster and easier for the kitchen. So just plan on socializing and enjoying a leisurely meal!

Salt+Smoke is still quite new so they are sometimes rather busy, which is why we have two nights here rather than filling the place on one night!

Looking forward to seeing lots of my frugal foodies at Salt+Smoke on Wednesday evening!

Salt + Smoke (http://saltandsmokestl.com/)