GaryLovesFood's Profile
Boston Area Barbecue Restaurants
Hargau, I'm the author of PigTrip. The review for Firefly's attributes the high number of visits to geographic proximity and is a very mixed review. You like BT's and so do I; it's one of the most positive reviews on the site. Right now the two best barbecue joints in Boston are SoulFire and Sweet Cheeks; I'd add BT's if looking further out and agree with the original poster that Lester's is good, though I'd like to see more consistency.
Are there any bbq places in queens that are good?
John Brown Smokehouse has much upside and is already a must-visit. Pork items seem to be the specialty, especially the ribs, rib tips and shoulder. A dozen photos and much commentary here: http://www.pigtrip.net/preview-JBSH.htm
-----
John Brown Smokehouse
25-08 37th Ave, Queens, NY 11101
Southern Barbecue in Boston? Oxymoron?
Wow, this thread on BBQ in Boston has literally spread all over the map. Some quick thoughts, some of which have already been covered:
1. Gotta agree with multiple posters that BT's (Sturbridge) is the best in eastern New England right now, based on consistency, creativity and execution. But Southern? Not really. I just dig the smokiness, the over-the-top flavor and the originality.
2. More so than even pizza, barbecue opinions vary widely based on styles, as pointed out in the first response by emannths. Some arguments over whether a place is good are based more on style (see M&M) than execution.
3. That said, M&M is open pit and is therefore not smoked. Whether you want to call them "barbecue" is pure semantics, but I prefer a smoked product. Although M&M isn't smoked and isn't my cup of tea, they're sometimes pretty good. CnDs isn't smoked and isn't anywhere close to good.
4. The other variable on top of style is consistency, as brought up by LStaff. "On any given Sunday' any barbecue joint can have a good day or a bad day. I'm looking for a little more consistency out of Blackstrap, but on their good days they are very good (on their worst days they're still pretty good). Not afraid to bust out the flavor. SoulFire is a little lighter on the flavor but very consistent for texture and freshness.
5. [self serving alert] For a useful guide to all the joints mentioned and hundreds more in the Northeast USA, with photos aplenty, check out http://www.pigtrip.net. Even if you don't agree with the stated opinions and tastes, you'll get a good idea of what each joint offers and be able to form your own opinion. (Blue Ribbon and Redbones reviews are due for updates that'll be bumped down a peg or two to reflect recent slippage.))
6. Getting back to the OP, "Southern BBQ" is a wide open term that means many things to many people. If a morphing of soulfood and barbecue is sought, I'd pick Mrs. Jones first, Coast Cafe (Cambridge) second, M&M third, Pit Stop fourth. But for "most Southern" I'd probably go with M&M.
-----
Redbones
55 Chester St, Somerville, MA 02144
The best Vietnamese food in Lowell just went on sale for half price--super deal!
Service at Viet Thai leaves a lot to be desired; getting the check can take an eternity. I like Viet Thai, but I'll take Pho Dalat over it or Pho 88. But the best Vietnamese in Lowell isn't any of the above; it's Hong Cuc Market for banh mi.
-----
Pho 88
1270 Westford St, Lowell, MA 01851
Dalat Restaurant
425 Park Ave, Worcester, MA 01610
First visit to Blackstrap BBQ, now open in Winthrop
Several East Coast Grill and All Star Sandwich alums opened a barbecue joint in Winthrop that opened on Tuesday. I visited Wednesday and could smell the smoke a few doors away. Service is over the counter, behind which a Southern Pride smoker is in full view. I ordered a good percentage of the menu and liked mostly everything, but the standouts were the full cut pork spare ribs and the smoked sausage, which were both juicy and slightly smoky. Chicken, brisket and burnt ends were also promising, just a little oversauced. Pork was unsauced and the only disappointing item foodwise. Servicewise, there were a few disappointments, but I hope those kinks should be worked out.
Full item-by-item details with a dozen photos here: http://www.pigtrip.net/preview-Blackstrap.htm
Restaurant website here: http://www.blackstrapbbq.com
Sichuan Food at Top Garden in Tewksbury . . . WOW!!!
I'm also a huge fan-- thanks Lipoff for reminding me to comment on this fantastic restaurant. For those who are fans of Sichuan Gourmet, I'd say Top Garden is every bit as tasty, with probably more heat and more subtlety in the complementary flavors. Pricing is a little more reasonable, but menu doesn't have as much breadth (not as many vegetable dishes, not as many authentic-but-not-killer-hot options).
-----
Top Garden
1921 Main St Ste 1, Tewksbury, MA 01876
Sichuan Gourmet
1004 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02446
Worcester, MA - New Restaurant - Promising Barbecue!
After 8 visits, I can also see the promise, but I've yet to see that promise fulfilled. It's a nice place with a nice staff and some interesting appetizers and a pretty good burger, but the barbecue needs some serious work. Full review and 40+ photos here:
http://www.pigtrip.net/review-SSUB.htm
Pleasantly surprised by the BBQ at Jerry Remy's Sports Bar Fenway
I'm generally not a fan of chain restaurants, sports bars or any restaurant owned by celebrities, but when I heard Jerry Remy's had its own custom smoker, I was onboard for at least a trial. After three visits, I was very pleasantly surprised by the caliber of the 'cue (that's my main focus) and the professionalism of the place as a whole. The smoked specialties are cured as well as smoked, so the meats turn out much pinker than your typical barbecue smoke ring, and have a unique smoky, bacony, hammy characteristic. Tenderness and flavor across the board were excellent; texture could use a bit of crispiness here or there, but on the whole I was very pleased. Pork ribs were good with or without sauce and were moist enough not to need it. The beef short rib is steak-tender with much more flavor. The smoked chicken is my third recommendation.
Full review with 40+ food photos on PIGTRIP
http://www.pigtrip.net/review-JerryRemys.htm
New BBQ in Bedford!!!
That's how they've "interpreted" burnt ends from the beginning here. Definitely give Lester's a try-- for brisket, ribs and most sides they're the definite choice over Firebox. And you really can't go wrong with Blue Ribbon. But before giving up completely on Firebox, try their pork and barbecued chicken, which they seem to nail down much better than the rest of the menu.
Where to watch Sox/Yankees Saturday in South End?
Heading to dinner in the South End and am looking for a pre-dinner place to catch some of the Sox game starting at 4pm Saturday. Chow-worthy bar snacks and good beer selection a plus, but good viewing is the basic goal.
Big Papi's Opens Today
A friend and I stopped in on opening night. Since we're both burger aficionados, we toured the burger offerings: chimichurri burger, sliders, Kobe beef burgers.
BAJA CHICKEN EGG ROLLS
This $8.50 menu item was one of many opening night $5 appetizer specials, so we chose this to preceed the burger tour. It wound up being a single egg roll cut in two pieces, with generous scoops of guacamole and pico de gallo nestled in endive (the "En Fuego" hot sauce listed on the menu as an accompaniment was missing). The crunchy egg roll shell dominated the bits of chicken and black bean that hid inside. If the regular $8.50 menu version includes two egg rolls, this "$5 special" wasn't so special. If the regular version also only includes a single egg roll for $8.50, I'm bringing agent Scott Boras with me if I ever come back.
TRIO OF SLIDERS
Unless that's all the restaurant does, sliders are overrated in that you're basically trading away quality for variety. And if all the sliders are the same, you're trading away quality for nothing but novelty or mere sharability, and you'd be better off simply sharing a full burger (splitting one burger four ways as an appetizer is one of my signature ordering strategies). Knowing that going in, we ordered the sliders anyway because it was the only way to get the crab and lamb varieties, which aren't available on their own.
All three of the sliders' patties were small compared to their sesame studded mini buns, but the pebbly beef patty exhibited the most shrinkage, the most dry-outage, and a serious outage of flavor. The lamb patty, topped with plum sauce, had a refreshing gaminess and real juiciness to the meat. The crabcake, topped with a dollop of a spiced aioli, had the most flavor of the three (including a little heat) and had a nice texture, even if a little loose.
The chimichurri sauces promised on the menu were not on any of the burgers and not anywhere on the plate. The fries were abundant and flavorful but limp.
CHIMICHURRI BURGER
I love Chimichurri sauce on steak, so I had high hopes for this burger ($10). We purposely ordered this one early in the game so we could work our way up to the Kobe.
Our first full-sized burger arrived naked on a well-toasted ciabatta bun, prompting us to wonder where the chimichurri was. It turns out that the patty is made with the chimichurri mixed with the meat. It added a little flavor, but this burger was just plain dry and just plain plain. With no ketchup or other toppings on the table or the plate, this one had to rely on a nicely roasted tomato to provide moisture. If they added a healthy dose of chimichurri sauce on top of the burger as a condiment, that might have made ip for the flavor and texture deficiencies. On a technical note, the burger didn't skimp on size (no stats listed but I'm guessing 8 ounces), but its diameter fell short of the bun. The rice we ordered with this one never showed up—we instead wound up with another round of limp fries.
KOBE BEEF BURGER
The Kobe burger ($13) can be customized with choice of cheese, bacon and assorted vegetable and sauce toppings. I ordered mine with cheddar, bacon and caramelized onions, and I received bacon, sauteed mushrooms and an unidentifiable cheese. The size of the burger, the inclusion of toppings and the generous amount of fries make this a good value. This burger, ordered medium rare, was juicier and more flavorful than the previous round. Despite the topping mix-up and some incredibly limp bacon to go along with the once-again limp fries, this was a good burger. Not memorable or worth a quick trip back, but good.
Overall: 1 for 4, with not much power. Just like with Big Papi's 2009 on-field performance, an early stumble doesn't necessarily mean a lost cause, but things could be a lot better.
The bottom line: If you're the type of restaurant goer who thinks Papa Razzi is a good choice for Italian, Big Papi's Grille is a good choice for upscale casual. For everyone else, it might be better to wait until the slump is over.
[more detail and numerous photos at http://www.pigtrip.net/review-BigPapisGrille.htm]
Report on the FOOD at Roadhouse, post-smoker, night 1
I visited last night to see what "shutting down the smoker" meant:. Would the menu be completely devoid of 'cue? Would it be pre-smoked offsite? Would it be barbecue meats, cooked using non-barbecue methods? Alas, it was the last choice. And alas, Jake Jacobs is no longer involved-- his last shift was Friday night.
A new menu was unveiled to usher in the third era (I call these eras "pre-Jake", "Jake," and "post-Jake"). With the smoker now dormant, that new menu vanquished the brisket and smoked turkey legs entirely. Ribs and pulled pork remain, but they are billed as "slow cooked" or "braised."
The pulled pork sandwich ($10) is described as "slow cooked, pulled and smothered in our house Dogfish Head Indian Brown BBQ sauce, topped with cole slaw and served with pickles." Our sandwich didn't include the cole slaw. The meat was extremely tender and thankfully not overchopped, but the subtle flavor should be ramped up much further. A few more bottles of Dogfish Head, reduced down, might go a long way.
Two kinds of ribs are available. Sonora Grilled Pork Ribs ($21) are a "half rack of pork ribs seasoned with traditional Sonora Adobo sauce, served with black beans and cornbread. Full Rack of Braised Pork Ribs ($20) are "slow braised in house Dogfish Head Indian Brown BBQ sauce, with cole slaw and cornbread." The braised ribs are also available as a half rack appetizer ($11). I'm not sure why the Sonora half rack costs more than the braised full rack.
I tried the braised ribs. The bone retraction was promising and the meat, just like the pork, was extremely tender. The pale surface had no crust and bore no seasonings that I could detect. They reminded me a little of the ribs I'd make in an oven 20 years ago when I first got out of college (though mine had much more flavor). That was the state of the art then, but it pales (pun intended) in comparison to the artful ribs Jake Jacobs was capable of crafting. A side of collards was the highlight of the meal: roughly chopped, cooked just enough to get the stiffness out while retaining some crunch, and liberally (for some, too liberally) seasoned. Cornbread also is in its third incarnation: it's not only sweeter throughout, but now topped with sprinkled sugar. If you consider it a free dessert, it works. Otherwise, forget it.
I think the place will succeed based on the strengths of beer program, location and overal atmosphere. The food is and has always been the weak link, but luckily for Roadhouse, many who go out to eat don't prioritize the "eat." Although I respect that they've clearly identified the ribs and pork as not being smoked, it would serve them (and us) better to remove those items entirely.
More info and food photos on www.pigtrip.net
PG BBQ Beach Party this weekend
Thanks for the kind words-- www.pigtrip.net is my site. I haven't gotten around to updating the vendor-by-vendor details yet because I had hoped to visit the Boston leg last weekend but could not make it. But my 6/29 post on www.pigtrip.net takes Phantom's Dave Andelman to task for a moronic rhetorical question he posed on the Phantom BBQ Beach Party preview (read: infomercial) show.
I don't think the event has improved so much as the crowds from 1 to 2 years ago have dwindled due to a combination of bad weather and bad past experiences. The event still needs to employ the Fast Pass system used by NYC's BBQ Block Party, along with a few other features. As for the vendors, they are clearly NOT "the best BBQ pitmasters on the planet" as the Andelmans frequently claim. I declined to name names, but there are some vendors that have championship pedigree (at various levels) and some that are simply carnival acts that set up week to week-- I think it's fairly easy to tell them apart.
As for the food I had in Foxwoods:
Willingham's (ribs): smoky, nice crust, heavy on the seasoning, a little dry. A noriceable drop off in quality from last year but still good.
Jack's Down Home (ribs, pulled pork): the rib was the most beautiful looking of the day and had a perfectly moist texture, but had a funky off flavor. Pulled pork had the consistency of dry cat food, with little flavor. This was a huge drop off from my previous experiences with Jack McDavid's pork.
Awesome Aussie (ribs, pulled pork): sweet sweet ribs tasted like the meat equivalent of strawberry shortcake. If that's what you like, you may love 'em, but I thought they were odd, if pleasantly unique. Pulled pork was very similar in sweetness, but i liked the large chunks and tender texture. Cole slaw was also very unusual, like a tropical fruit cocktail with cabbage.
Firefly's (ribs, clams): I really like the idea of clams, and they were lightly battered and cooked perfectly. Ribs were decent-- big on flavor, not as moist as they have been in the past but pretty good.
Cowboy's (ribs, brisket): Brisket looked like pork and was very dry for the second straight year. dry ribs were drowning in sauce.
Texas Thunder (ribs): Fairly competent, nice crust with a light, coated-in glaze, a little dry but passable.
(I skipped Johnson's and Porky & Beans because their 'cue was abysmal from last year's event.)
Overall, more "okay" plates than duds, but nothing close to a standout.
www.pigtrip.net
BBQ, Inc., Rockville Center
The pigtrip review with many photos is up:
http://www.pigtrip.net/review-BBQInc.htm
Despite the kinder presentation, I basically agree with Eric.
Did Poppa Rick's BBQ Westbury NY Ever Resurface?
Yes, I know it's been closed for a couple of years, but the website had hinted at a comeback in a new location for well over a year after the closing. Anybody know the deal?
Bella Costa in Framingham??
Count me among the naysayers. It's old school Italian, which isn't my style, but even within that context, the food was just plain.... PLAIN. Bland, unimaginative. Like Edgewater, I avoid chains like the plague, but I'd hit Bertucci's any day over Bella Costa.
Maine's Best Doughnuts
It wasn't that long ago that Congdon's made their donuts by hand, so each one looked like an irregularly shaped puffy onion ring. On my last visit they had more of a manufactured look and taste. But back in the day, this place was great!
Lester's BBQ, Burlington
Lester's is the real deal. The barbecue is slow smoked in a J&R, the Cadillac of smokers. Their problem is consistency. The traffic isn't very high, so you may get great product one day and older product another. If you took all of the usual BBQ suspects and visited them 10 times each, Lester's average might be middle of the pack or worse, but if you compared only the top 3 visits for each, Lester's would be pretty close to the top. My humble opinion after a dozen or so visits.
Great BBQ @ Yankee Smokehouse, Ossippee, NH
BBQSnobbery, I'm with you. I just didn't get Yankee Smokehouse, but different strokes, you know? I liked American BBQ on one of my two visits and LOVED Holy Smokes, which sadly burned down last summer. They still do catering though.
New England/Upstate NY BBQ Reviews
I'm the author of the www.pigtrip.net site and I've noticed a gradual downhill slide at Memphis Roadhouse over the last two years. My visits since the review were disappointing. I'll update the review after my next visit.
A general comment: BBQ is the most fickle of foods, since the pitmasters prepare it hours and sometimes days ahead in anticipation of future business. How good the barbecue is depends not just on how well they cooked it, but how close they guessed the actual business volume, how well they hold it and sometimes how well they reheat it. That's why you'll see wide variations in quality at the same place even during the same week. This isn't an excuse, just the sad reality. If two people disagree on a BBQ joint, they can both be right if they went on different days.
A perfect example is Goody Cole's, which I like a lot but the original poster found disappointing. Check the photos at http://www.pigtrip.net/review-GCSH.htm and you'll see very different looking ribs from different visits. I'm hoping my next batch of ribs there looks like the ones from visit #2.
City Flame Smoke House, Manchester NH
City Flame Smokehouse is one of my favorites in all of New England. They really have their BBQ craft down pat and they're super nice people too. I agree on the sides-- cucumbers are my favorite and they even have a smoked sweet potato.
More photos/comments: http://www.pigtrip.net/review-CFSH.htm
Chinese Buffet with Actual Chinese food?
Perhaps Sheila meant Lotus Blossom in Sudbury. I'm pretty sure Lotus Flower (related) in Framingham still has a dinner buffet Sunday through Thursday. It's been an occasional guilty pleasure for years but I'd have a tough time classifying it as "Chinese food that Asian folks would eat."
Bailey's Smokehouse Sausage
It's just off route 303 in Blauvelt NY, a few miles south of the Palisades Mall. Although I've never had the sausage, I'm a huge fan of this place. Here are some photos and a review: http://www.pigtrip.net/review-Baileys.htm
Mo Jo's BBQ Shack - Islington St., Portsmouth, NH
I also liked the sauce but I didn't like the meat. At least I *think* I didn't like the meat because it was hard to tell under all the sauce. The joint is fun and the service is friendly, but I'm pretty sure there's no smoker involved. See more food pics and commentary at http://www.pigtrip.net/review-MoJosNH.htm
Recent Prezza Experiences?
It's been a few years since my last visit to Prezza and I'm wondering if it's still as good as it was then. Their veal chop was killer, so I'm also looking for thoughts on that as well as any other recommended dishes if Prezza is still at the top of its game.
Questions about Sichuan Gourmet
I love the smoky chicken with cayenne, but I too think "Old Sichuan Chicken" is the dish closest to what the OP is searching for: crunchy and spicy, more "appetizery" than entree.
Need good BBQ near Radio City
Hill Country is indeed better for brisket-- in fact, I call Hill Country's brisket the standard by which all other briskets must be judged-- but it's not near Radio City, which is where the original poster was looking.
