I stopped by Jim 'N Nick's last Friday and ordered a two-meat combo to surprise my son at school…read morewith a nice lunch. When I say this was an absolute waste of money and still some of the worst barbecue I've ever had, I mean it. Honestly, I probably should've known when I saw "barbecue" spelled Bar-B-Q that we might not be on the same page about what good Southern barbecue is supposed to taste like.
I ordered the chicken and sliced beef brisket, and neither meat delivered. The chicken didn't even look barbecued. It looked and tasted like a plain chicken breast that had been chopped up and served dry, with none of the smoke, char, moisture, or depth I expect from barbecue.
The sliced brisket was equally disappointing. It arrived dry and grey, without that juicy tenderness, rendered fat, smoky bark, or rich beef flavor that makes brisket worth ordering in the first place. And honestly, I've had frozen brisket from Costco with better flavor and texture than this. Maybe they should start grabbing that and serving it instead. A restaurant with Bar-B-Q in the name simply should not be losing a brisket battle to something I can pull out of my freezer at home.
And then there was the barbecue sauce. This might have been the biggest miss for me. It was extremely watery and completely lacked the smoky flavor and richness I want from a barbecue sauce. A good sauce should complement the smoke and seasoning already developed in the meat. This one didn't add anything enjoyable to the plate.
The potato salad actually wasn't too bad. I probably would've enjoyed it more alongside a barbecue sauce I actually liked. The cheddar muffins were easily the best thing I tasted and probably the only item from this meal I'd willingly order again.
I also ordered mac and cheese, but I never tasted it. Considering my opinion of everything else on the plate, that was probably for the best because I may have ended up having something else to add to this review. Visually, at least, it looked more promising than the rest of the meal.
For me, authentic Southern barbecue should bring smoke, seasoning, moisture, tenderness, and layers of flavor before you ever reach for the sauce. The sauce should enhance great barbecue, not be responsible for creating all of its flavor. Unfortunately, I found none of that here.
If you prefer very mild barbecue without much smoke or seasoning, this may be more suited to your palate. But if you're looking for the bold, smoky, deeply seasoned barbecue I expect when eating BBQ in the South, I absolutely would not recommend this as a representation of it.
This was my second time giving Jim 'N Nick's a chance. There will not be a third.
Thank you Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q Team
Kay Lachelle