I made my way to this restaurant based on it being voted best of city search. I have a special place in my belly for barbeque and wanted the best of what the south has to offer.
The Service: The wait staff was attentive, although the waitress was a bit socially awkward (she meant well). The restaurant was clean and has excellent seating on the river. I asked for the waitresses recommendations and she quickly and confidently recommended one of the combo meals with pork ribs, beef brisket, and sausage. She described the barbeque sauce as being sweet with a hint of orange.
The Food: The fresh loaf of dark wheat bread was a treat, coming complimentary with the meal. It was served with individual packets of honey butter. I would have preferred the honey butter served in a small bowl, as the individual packets of butter are the first clue that the restaurant may not be going the extra mile in terms of using fresh ingredients and making an appetizing presentation. A very minor point.
The meal itself came very quickly. I took the waitresses recommendation and ordered the aforementioned combination with sides of beans and french fries. The presentation was fine, they had healthy portions of each meat slathered with plenty of deep red sauce (I like a lot of sauce, so point to them).
First the good, the beef brisket, while a little dry, had a light flavor that was well complimented with the sauce. My favorite part of the meal were the spicy sausages. They had a nice firm texture with excellent flavor. They were well cooked. The spiciness of sausage melded perfectly with the sauce.
The not so good started with the sides. The french fries tasted of rubber and were cold. The flavor and temperature screamed that they had been sitting for some time. The beans were warm but completely bland of flavor. Quite a disappointment considering the abundance of meat in the beans, they appeared very appetizing but did not deliver on flavor.
Finally the ribs, a good barometer for any barbeque restaurant, they were served as the showcase on top of the other meats. They appeared to have plenty of meat and were a nice deep red black color. They had a strange combination of spices on the outside that did not mesh well with the sauce. They were overcooked and cooked too quickly resulting in tough meat. I always look for that fall off the bone tenderness when eating ribs, and they just did not even come close. Further, the ribs had not been trimmed of fat making the bite into nothing but gristle very common place. These ribs were a major disappointment in every regard.
I will continue my quest for more respectable southern barbeque in hopes of finding a better representative than this "best of city search."
Pros: Great location
Cons: Poor food quality
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