Pros:
Excellent meats – tender pork BBQ good enough to eat without sauce; smoky beef brisket is the best I’ve had in Knoxville by far. I also sampled 1 rib (how much for 1 rib?!) and ‘twas good. This is why I’ll be going back for more.
Convenient location – it’s located on Sutherland Avenue, close to downtown and short-west Bearden.
Beer and Wine – Woodruff IPA on tap along with standard domestics, domestic and import bottles and they serve several wines too (no liquor); happy hours 4-7 pm and beer bucket specials available.
Cons:
Parking – the parking lot is too small to handle peak hours when everyone drives themselves 1 per vehicle so I recommend carpooling if possible. Night hours may be different when the neighboring produce market is closed to allow spill-over parking.
Too clean – It’s brand new and clean as a whistle! Ok, that’s really good but it is too neat and fresh and just doesn’t have that rundown, hole-in-the-wall feel that you expect with a good BBQ joint.
Sides* – the macaroni & cheese and beans with sausage were unimpressive. The M&C was bland and the beans were served at room temperature or below, twice. *I’ve only been once so they probably can do better. The guy next to me at the bar said his greens and corn on the cob were good. The jalapeño cornbread was spicy.
I also went opening day. I got Dead Hot wings, a pulled pork plate, with beans and slaw. Everything was good but they brought me my wings the same time they brought the meal so things got cold before I was able to get to them. This is typical for opening days when things get crazy. I think they need to spice up their wings and sauce a little bit. I was also unimpressed with the beans and slaw. A little too bland but the barbeque had great flavor. Their hot BBQ sauce is tasty but they brought it out cold. However, the IPA on tap and the beer specials will keep me coming to the bar area after classes when I get a BBQ craving.
ReplyDeleteDavid - haven't tried the wings but I've heard mixed opinions. They're working out the kinks and I think once they get settled in a bit more everything will be better. I'll go back for more.
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