Billy G's, Kirkwood - Visited August 2018

Another Saturday, another day to select some place different to go for lunch. Now that my mother-in-law is getting very picky in her food choices and also is not very mobile for long walks, I have had to limit myself to more standard food choices, which makes a neighborhood bar and grill a sound choice. This week I selected Billy G's in Kirkwood, a very popular and highly regarded establishment in the heart of the downtown Kirkwood area. As we were turning onto Argonne from Kirkwood, someone pulled out of one of the street parking slots and we were lucky to grab it. By around 11 am most of the spots were full so we felt pretty fortunate to nab a close spot.

When we first entered around 11:00 am there were already a few customers, but by the time we left over an hour later the place was pretty full, With a fairly large dining area plus a good sized patio they had a pretty large crowd for Saturday around noon. Their menu is fairly large for a bar and grill and they even had a small brunch menu (and a Bloody Mary bar special that day). We thought it odd they gave us 4 brunch menus but only 2 regular menus. I would have thought they would have given us 4 of each. After perusing both menus extensively I decided to go with the brisket sandwich with bean and fries. My son selected the breakfast burger and my wife and mother-in-law both selected the turkey club sandwich. The wait for our food was a bit longer than expected, and we noticed as more and more people came in, the dining area became noisier and noisier. Soon it became somewhat difficult to carry on a conversation, and there was a regular stream of people walking by our booth going back and forth throughout the restaurant. I did receive my barbecue sauce to sample as I awaited my food. It was a pretty tasty sweet sauce, but it would have been even better with some food.

Brisket sandwich with sauce, beans and fries

Finally our food did appear and they were all generously sized sandwiches with a hefty mound of fries on the side. They also included a pickle spear which my son always eats, one of the few vegetables he regularly consumes. My beans came in their own small crock and they were very good, with chunks of smoked pork and a flavorful sauce with a sweet barbecue sauce. My brisket was also very tender, but the meat did not have a very strong smoked flavor. The sauce did go well with it, and it made for a very good sandwich, and also a large and messy one with plenty of sliced brisket. The fries were also pretty good, especially dipped in the barbecue sauce, or in the sriracha ketchup that was served with my son's breakfast burger. Both my wife and mother-in-law thought their club sandwiches were okay, but my wife would have preferred more moisture and flavor from some mayonaise. She thought the aioli would be more mayo-like, but it was pretty much just smoothed out avocados. My son thought the burger was good but not exceptional, but he did like the green onions they added.

Our server did appear occasionally to ask us how things were even though the place was so busy. My wife told him she was not overly impressed with her sandwich and he tried to appease her with a dessert. Later a manager came by and again asked it there was something they could do to make things better. I was ready to order a dessert to go (Frank's Cheesecakes and The Blue Owl selecctions), but my wife declined the offer for us (oh, well!) So they did try their best to make us happy, but we would just have to rate the food as okay but nothing special.  I do not think they will be hurting for business any time soon, so they can probably continue to do things as they are doing and still keep customers coming in all the time. Overall it is not a bad place, in a very busy and popular location, with a fairly extensive menu. The food was pretty solid, but nothing special, and they do have a "Yappy Hour" and a pretty long drink menu. I would eat there again, but I would probably not pick it given other options.

Food, Service and Atmosphere