Yes, I live in North Carolina, and so this is a crazy thing to say, but these are the best ribs I…read morehave ever had in North Carolina!
A little personal info, I have been eating ribs all over the nation for decades now,, and I was raised in the South, Florida to be exact. When I was in grade school, my father brought me to Geech's Pig Meat BBQ, and they specialized in a hot yellow mustard base sauce that is applied while the ribs are being smoked. This is still my favorite way to have some ribs. But a good hot yellow mustard sauce is tough to find at a restaurant.
The next best ribs I have found in the nation are in North Carolina, a little place in Goldsboro that is no longer there. However, today I have found an amazing batch of ribs like you've probably never tried before. And it is at a place you would not think about when you think of "ribs," but these are killer short pork ribs in a wonderful dark mole sauce.
The mole sauce there is made from mild smoked red and black chiles, and it is almost like a paste. It is rich, spicy, but not hot, and has a beautiful balance of flavors. The short ribs, though, are only a few inches tall, are very thick with super tender meat that has been simmered in the mole for hours.
The meal included a large amount of white rice and black beans. Their black beans are very flavorful with just the right amount of spices and onions. There was a small salad of tomato, avocado, and lettuce included. When you are seated, you are greeted with their killer chips and salsa.
These are not your normal fried tortilla chips. Quetzal's chips are very light, thin, and delicate, served warmed. They bring to your table with the chips two small bottles of salsa, one green and one red. They also have a special orange habanero sauce in a squeeze bottle that you have to ask for. I recommend mixing some of the orange into the green.
Also recommended is to try one of their homemade fresh fruit drinks, Aqua Fresca. They usually have Mango and Passion Fruit available, and I get the two mixed together.
There has yet to be a time when I have gone to this wonderful restaurant and been able to finish all the food served to me. The portions are large and well worth what they are charging. The mole rib dish I am speaking of is called "Mole de Puerco," and you will find it on the last page of their large menu. It is only $12.99!
The service there is very friendly, happy people working there. They are very accommodating.
Many times I go there, I get the Huachinango. That is a whole large red snapper perfectly cooked, and it is probably the best deal you will find in NC for a whole red snapper of this size, only $23.99!
Quetzal is not your usual "Mexican" restaurant. It is a Latin American restaurant featuring foods from South of the Border, Mexico to Argentina. https://latinamericanquetzalnc.com/
