It had been about four years since our last visit to Sugarfire Smokehouse in Olivette and my wife decided it was time to go back there after having been served some of their meat at a friends home recently. We had remembered from our previous visit that the restaurant had good meat, but not the best ambiance, and we were curious if they had changed the dining experience.
We arrived around 11:30 and parking lot was already noticeably full and there was already a bit of a line inside. As we approached the drink dispensers it appeared they had not changed much inside, with the drinks being along the same wall where people stood in line, with the line also blocking the passage to the restrooms. Since I had decided to order the pork plate I could go ahead and get my drink and I selected an orange soda to go with my pork, fries and green chile stew. My son ordered a burger with cheese and an egg on top, my wife ordered a smoked turkey sandwich with scalloped potatoes and my mother-in-law ordered the smoked salmon sandwich with mac and cheese. They prepare the meats quickly as you select the sides, and we had all our food before we sat down at the table. You definitely get your food quickly once you make it through the line.
They have a lot more sauces than they did in 2012, but we stuck to the St. Louis Sweet and the Texas Hot BBQ sauces. None of the other sauces appealed to me or anyone else. The pork was tender and smoky and had a good flavor of its own, but I did like it with both sauces as well. I also used the sauces with the fries which had "cajun spices" sprinkled on them which were okay but nothing special. I did like having the green chile stew as a side. It had chunks of pork in a flavorful green chile soup base which was quite flavorful, although a bit messy in the cardboard bowl. Aesthetics are obviously not a priority at Sugarfire! I also finished off my wife's turkey sandwich which also had a hearty, smoky flavor to it, even before adding the sauce. The meats are definitely still the stars at Sugarfire and they do not seem to care too much about much else. My son liked his burger but was not overly enthusiastic over it, and my mother-in-law seemed to like her salmon too. My wife and mother-in-law also ordered a slice of pecan pie and said it was okay but nothing special.
The place was still bustling when we departed and they definitely do a good business. Quite a few people ordered food to go since the place was pretty crowded. Since we already had all our food when seated, service is not a big issue, but someone did come by to pick up our trays once we were finished (probably to expedite us from our table.)
Overall it was a pretty satisfying, tasty meal, with generously portioned, flavorful meats, okay sides, and a busy, casual atmosphere. You come to Sugarfire to eat tasty meat, and that's about it!
The MEAT!
Sides, Service, Ambiance
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