RECOMMENDED

Smokee Mo’s BBQ

Finishing my review of Smokee Mo’s proved difficult only because it forced me to order something other than the Mangia Bene. So smitten am I with this sandwich that in April I dedicated an edition of my Ian Eats STL online column to its arrangement of beef brisket (smoked for 12 to 13 hours over a mixture of oak and hickory and then sliced to order) and a horseradish-heavy white barbecue sauce between two pieces of garlic-Provel bread.

Smokee Mo’s brisket is, by St. Louis’ still-evolving standards, above average. Does it need horseradish sauce and garlic-cheese bread? It doesn’t hurt. As I wrote in April: “Between the sauce and buttery, Provel-capped bread, Smokee Mo’s brisket is transformed from just ‘tender enough’ to melt-in-your-mouth succulent. Too rich? Not with the garlic and horseradish notes. Too soft? Not set against the crusty bread.”

So, yes, the Mangia Bene ($12.95) is the signature dish at Smokee Mo’s, which Frank Imo opened in late November in Arnold, next to one of the locations of his family’s pizzeria chain that he operates. But when I resisted the temptation to order the sandwich again, I still enjoyed my visits here.