I came here based on a recommendation that this was "the best BBQ." That set the bar pretty high,…read moreand unfortunately, the food didn't come close to meeting it.
I ordered the two-meat meal with pulled pork and brisket, fiery mac & cheese, sweet BBQ baked beans, and cornbread, plus an iced tea. With tip, the total was $32.04. At that price, I expected a genuinely good BBQ meal. Instead, I left wondering how a place known for BBQ could miss the mark so badly on the meat.
The pulled pork was simply bland. There wasn't much smoke or seasoning coming through, and very little about it stood out. The one positive: it wasn't dry.
Then there was the brisket, which was by far the biggest disappointment of the meal. It was sliced extremely thin--almost like lunch meat--and had quite a bit of fat that didn't appear to have rendered properly. Yet somehow, despite all that fat, the meat itself was incredibly dry. Good brisket should be tender, juicy, and have properly rendered fat. This was none of those things. Quite frankly, it was some of the worst brisket I've had in years.
Ironically, the BBQ sauces were considerably better than the BBQ. You get a choice of Original, Honey Chipotle, and North Carolina Vinegar. I really enjoyed the spicy, smoky-sweet flavor of the Honey Chipotle, but the Original was easily my favorite. That sauce was excellent, and I'd happily put it on another meal.
The sides were a mixed bag.
The sweet BBQ baked beans were decent and had good flavor. Nothing extraordinary, but I enjoyed them.
The fiery mac & cheese had potential. I liked the heat from the jalapeños, but the cheese sauce had a noticeably grainy texture. Whether that came from the way it was prepared or how it was reheated, I don't know, but good mac & cheese should have a smooth, creamy, silky cheese sauce. This didn't.
And then, surprisingly, we get to the best thing on the entire tray: the cornbread.
I really liked that they put whole corn kernels in it, and the cornbread had great flavor. In fact, it was the only item on my tray that I finished completely. Unfortunately, it appeared to have been reheated--presumably in a microwave--which made some of the corn kernels chewy. Honestly, I would have preferred it served at room temperature. Still, it was easily the highlight of the meal.
Even the iced tea managed to disappoint. I initially mixed the sweet and unsweetened teas, but after realizing I couldn't taste much sweetness, I went back and filled my glass with 100% sweet tea. It still wasn't sweet. Maybe the containers were accidentally switched that day, but whatever was labeled "sweet tea" definitely wasn't.
For $32.04, I expected much better. When you're selling BBQ, the smoked meats need to be the reason people come back--not something that has to be rescued by sauce. There were some bright spots here: the Original BBQ sauce was excellent, the beans were good, and the cornbread was genuinely enjoyable.
But those things can't make up for bland pulled pork and especially dry, poorly rendered brisket sliced like deli meat.
Maybe I caught them on a bad day, but based on the meal I was served, I wouldn't return.
And I definitely wouldn't call it "the best BBQ."
