Barbecue Battle Begins at Ethyl's

After last month’s , I’m switching continents for something completely different. In May, I’m on a quest to find the best barbecue in O’Fallon.

In the spirit of fairness, I plan to order similar meals at both. My favorite slow cooked barbeque is brisket, so I’ll be looking for a pink smoke ring, buttery soft meat and addictive sauces.

I started my quest at Ethyl’s.

This crowded, friendly outpost off Veteran’s Parkway does a good job pulling off a family friendly atmosphere by day with plenty of entertainment options by night. Most of the time, a stage and disco ball are a sign the place you’ve entered relies on events to get people in the door and bar sales once they’re inside, but the lunch time crowd and good sized menu are a testament to it’s quality as a restaurant.

The decorators at Ethyl’s clearly had drinks with the same people who buy decorations for TGI Friday's and Cracker Barrel. The theme here is the Age of Automobile Americana. Texaco, Sinclair, Standard oil, Phillips 66 and Penzoil all battle it out on the walls. You'll find gas pumps around the rooms, old signs for gasoline stations, oil cans and occasional car parts. Against the back wall, you can even sit in booths designed to look like the back seat of a Model T.

Now that the weather has warmed up, you can enjoy patio seating as well as tables indoors or stools at the bar. On the right nights, outdoor seating comes with a lovely view of the sand volleyball players.

The main dining area is dominated by a central stage with an impressive lighting system, disco ball permanently affixed to the ceiling, and a movable projection screen TV. Smaller bars flank the stage.

I ordered my barbecue brisket sandwich with an ear of fresh corn, one of my favorite vegetables. Alright, technically it’s a grain, but it still makes for delightful summer eating.

My barbecue brisket sandwich came out on a toasted kaiser roll, chopped roughly and pre-sauced. To my surprise, I really like this bun. Unlike the white bread on which most most BBQ is served, this has some strength to it, giving up a little resistance to the teeth and soaking up the sauce nicely.

The crispy end tips of the brisket had a beautiful pink smoke ring interior with barely a hint of brown. That pink is something you just cant' fake. I'd love to try this brisket as a full platter, but alas they don’t offer it that way. Instead, it comes as part of the meat platter (with several other meaty friends including ribs and pork) or on a sandwich.

The chopped brisket is nicely lean - no wobbly fatty bits lurking in the bun - with a good mix of crispy tips and buttery soft middle.

Ethyl's subscribes to the Kansas City style of barbecue with the sweet, smoky flavors of molasses and tomato. There were only two nearly indistinguishable sauces to choose from on the table: sweet and sweet with a tiny bit of heat to it (but not enough to satisfy anyone who loves spicy food.)

This is a good brisket sandwich. I would've liked to see the option for a whole brisket platter (I quite liked the meat itself), as well as the option to have it sliced as well as chopped. The sauces are adequate, but nothing stunning. That said, this is a sandwich I'll cheerfully eat again.

All restaurants need more seasonal produce. I love having a whole ear of corn when it’s fresh in season. The  bi-colored yellow and white corn was firm beneath my teeth, obviously boiled fresh rather than the horrifying texture that results from freezing ears of corn. It came served with a broad dish of butter. Next time you order fresh corn, try asking for some honey to go with the butter. If you’ve never tried it that way before, you’re in for a sweet natural treat that you can pretend is still good for you. Corn counts as a veggie and honey is all natural, so how could you go wrong?

My attentive waitress bragged that all the desserts were home made, so I decided to try the apple dumpling. She warned me it would take awhile since each one was baked from scratch. The idea made my mouth water. Alas, she came back a few minutes later to report they’ve discontinued the dumplings because not enough people were willing to wait on them. I opted for the home made turtle cheesecake instead.

The creamy center of the sharably sized slice was less sweet than many, which was very nice considering the sweetness of the caramel and chocolate sauces topping it. If you like cheesecake, this is a nice option, but it won’t win over any converts to the dessert.

I am happy to say Ethyl’s menu offerings make it much more than just a busy bar. Mine was a good brisket sandwich. Side dishes include nutritious options like my nicely prepared corn, a fruit cup or applesauce as well as more carbohydrate laden mashed potatoes, fries, or potato salad. You could actually order a shockingly healthy meal with the leaner smoked meats, corn and fruit without feeling like you denied yourself, which impressed me.

I give Ethyl’s an enthusiastic B.

My meal came to $16.92 + $3 tip for a brisket sandwich, corn, constantly refilled iced tea and a large slice of cheesecake.