Dalie’s is the brainchild of Pappy’s owner Mike Emerson and chef Skip Steele, who wanted to bring Pappy’s legendary ’cue to West County. The meats we tasted were indeed delicious, slow-smoked over cherry wood for something like 22 hours. Tender, moist and flavorful, what they didn’t have was the heavy and overpowering smokiness found in so much of today’s barbecue.
A Half-Combo ($20) was a hefty platter of food that included a half-slab of ribs, 1/4 pound of any meat and two sides. The runaway favorite was the ribs, which were hard to beat. A spicy rub created a crusty top, and the meaty flesh was slightly smoky, tender, moist and not overly fatty. These were, simply put, a little bit of heaven. Don’t pass them up. Our extra meat was the beef brisket, similarly moist and ever so lightly smoky.
The sauces—four are offered—were all good, so there are no bad choices, depending on what you like. All have some bite and most have lots of sugar—this place likes its foods sweet. That goes for the sides, too. The Pit Baked Beans were sweet with a distinctive spice, like clove or mace. The Creamy Mustard Slaw also was sugary, as was the Apple Sauce, which is chunky and covered in cinnamon.
The Potato Salad was more classic and very good. An exception was the mac and cheese, which was the only thing here you could call ‘mild’. Tasting very much like elbow noodles with Velveeta, they came topped with a little breadcrumb mix and were a welcome dose of creaminess amid a sea of sweet and spicy.
The pulled chicken was a good choice all around. The meat was in chunks and slightly spicy. Much like pulled pork, it had bits of crisped meat and plenty of flavor. The pulled pork was fine, if not my favorite; same for the barbecued roast beef, which we had on a long hoagie bun. It reminded me a little of a barbecued version of cafeteria roast beef, but instead of au jus, it came with a sauce reminiscent of brown gravy.
The hush puppies here were quite good, very crusty and well-browned. They’ve got bits of jalapeno pepper and corn kernels inside. If you like fried foods, do not miss the Fried Pickles, which are very crunchy deep-fried nuggets of goodness—salty and sugary. Also worthwhile is the dinner salad, a large plateful of greens with cherry tomatoes; you need something to help you digest all that meat! The ranch dressing is good.
The serving staff was among the friendliest I’ve encountered anywhere. They come by to see if you need anything, and they bring boxes and lids so you can package up your leftovers. And when I told them my beans weren’t hot, they brought an entire new serving, which was. All around, this is a pleasant and tasty place for a casual meal of ’cue.
amuse bouche
the scene | Lively barbecue spot
the prices | $16-$24 ribs, $10-$16 plates, $10 sandwiches
the chef | Craig Basler
the favorites | Brisket, Potato Salad, Ribs, Pulled Chicken, Fried Pickles
chef chat » craig basler
pedigree | The Culinary Arts Program at Forest Park Community College
favorite ingredient | Butter
favorite cookbook | Peace, Love and Barbecue by Mike Mills
favorite local restaurant | Sidney Street Cafe
most memorable meal | Wolfgang’s Steakhouse in New York
2951 dougherty ferry road | 636.529.1898
Photos: Bill Barrett