Salt and Smoke Saint Louis MO

Salt and Smoke Saint Louis MO was the place I chose for my birthday dinner.

The interior of Salt + Smoke St. Louis MO restaurant looking out through a wall of glass at a bright yellow awning.

A very upscale BBQ joint in St. Louis MO

My birthday was April 5. Yes. Waaaaay back then. And I wanted barbecue. St. Louis style ribs to be exact. Because, well, when you are in St. Louis you must eat St. Louis style ribs. So after checking out a few places online, I selected Salt and Smoke Saint Louis MO for my birthday dinner.

Salt + Smoke has a few locations in the area, but the only one open late enough for us late diners was the Delmar Loop location. The restaurant was large and airy with what seemed like an entire front wall of glass. There was seating outside under a huge bright yellow awning. We chose to eat inside with air conditioning. The tables were space far apart so diners could feel safe during these trying pandemic times.

White oval dishes topped with fried ravioli and deviled eggs at Salt + Smoke St. Louis MO

Our appetizers: Fried Ravioli and Deviled Eggs

Salt + Smoke St. Louis MO showing tow oval dishes. One with fried ravioli and a dish of white sauce. The other with deviled eggs

Appetizers so good they deserve another look!

I had read about a popular local appetizer called fried ravioli. And happily, it was on the menu. Of course we ordered one of those and an order of deviled eggs. The Fried Ravioli was crisp on the outside and filled with luscious burnt ends. The big surprise was the creamy and tangy white bbq sauce to dip them in. It was a wonderful accompaniment. The Deviled Eggs with Bacon were quite tasty as well. How can you go wrong with deviled eggs topped with lots of crispy, crunchy, smoky bacon?

Salt + Smoke St. Louis MO serves their bbq ribs on an oval white platter and creamy white bbq sauce.

St. Louis style ribs served with tangy white bbq sauce

And then there was the main event. Those St. Louis style ribs that I was lusting after. When the ribs were placed before me my eyes gazed upon the beautifully sauce lacquered meaty ribs. They looked so awesome that I didn’t hesitate for a second to dig right in. They didn’t disappoint. Not even a tiny bit. And that tangy white bbq sauce added a creamy counterpoint to the seasoning on the meat.

A large white plate topped with bbq ribs, a dish of mac and cheese and a dish of coleslaw at Salt + Smoke St. Louis MO

My St. Louis cut rib platter with White Cheddar Cracker Mac and Coleslaw

Our sides weren’t too shabby either. Who knew that buttery Ritz crackers were what was missing from mac and cheese. I loved how the crackers added crunchy texture to the thick, cheesy macaroni in Salt + Smoke’s yummy White Cheddar Cracker Mac. And to round out the entrée, crunchy cabbage slaw added a bright freshness and relief from the richness of the ribs and cheesy mac.

A man in a dark green sweater presenting a chocolate bundt cake on a striped plate.

Steve proudly presents Aunt Rita’s Chocolate Cake for my birthday dessert!

We were actually too full to enjoy dessert. But do not fret my friends. Steve had made something special for my birthday dessert and it was waiting for me back home. Aunt Rita’s Chocolate Cake was the quintessential birthday cake!!! Thanks honey.