I had high hopes for this place, but it went downhill fast... First, our server was amazing and I am sorry I do not remember her name. The owners were engaging and very nice as well. When we walked in, one of the owners came and said we are out of brisket (which is the only bbq I eat) and I think one other item, but I still decided to give it a try. They were also out of the beer we wanted. They said Train Day hit them hard and they ran out, but I see I am not the only reviewer that experienced their food shortage. The run down on the food:
1. The sweet potato fries with BBQ were decent. The actual fries were good, but there was this thick, clumpy sauce that tasted like horseradish, but the owner said there was no horseradish and wouldn't tell us what was in it.
2.Mac-n-cheese, which we really liked. Could of used a bit of pepper, but it was creamy and slightly sharp. Only to learn after that they don't make that in house.
3. Rib-eye - huge piece of meat that was screaming for salt, pepper and some flavor! It tasted like they bought the steak at unwrapped it and through it on the grill and served it. I had to ask for some Worcestershire, just to give it some flavor. The cook was inconsistent--I asked for just below medium and it was mostly rare in the center and medium on the edges.
4. The turnip greens - if you are in the south and want to do any type of greens they better be on point and these greens were not good at all. In all seriousness, they tasted like a canned turnip green with too much black pepper added. There were chopped so fine and overcooked that it was almost mush (that is why I think canned). When I told the owner, he said, "you didn't like the greens? I will have to go taste them. The sous-chef made this batch." To my knowledge any successful restaurant's food is tasted by at least the chef and if I was the owner, I would taste. Those greens should never make it to a table.
5. Parmesan potatoes - a bit of crispy skin and good flavor, roughly mashed. Really good, but they were served barely warm unfortunately.
Again our server was great, but it took FOREVER to get our food. If wait times are going to be long, serve some rolls, cornbread or hush-puppies, so that the wait times aren't that noticeable. Then they had issues with getting the bill because of a power surge which was another 20 minutes just trying to figure out the bill. I believe this place would be great if they actually made homemade mac-n-cheese or not admitting that its boxed because that was one of the highlights. Also, they cant run out of food; especially, brisket. The greens need to be revamped (I can help)--maybe move to a collard and add some seasoning to the steak! Also, the wait times for getting food is absurd; especially, if you are out of items and some are not made from scratch. Usually, I get a tad upset when we experience a bad restaurant, but the experience was somewhat comical which is worse.
I feel if this place was in a larger city, they would be closed by now. I am not against giving this place another shot. The owner did tell us that they have been open for 6 months, but yet to have a grand opening...a bit odd but could explain some of the difficulties. Maybe he will read this and add us to the grand opening list. read more