03/06/09

Great for Yankees who don't know BBQ"

by CSMobileUser3

Tender BBQ, but no smoke. Poor vinegar sauce, the "pickles" were more like cucumbers with vinegar sprinkled on them. Who serves pickles with BBQ anyway? The cornbread was cake like, but not sweet, makes you wonder if they use cornmeal. The hushpuppies at $4 extra were overcooked and greasy. It's cozy only if small is the only criteria for cozy. If so yes, it's cozy. This place made me remember where I was...chapel hill. And I don't mean that in a good way. An embarrassment to NC BBQ.

01/08/09

IF PRIOR REVIEWS FOUND THIS PLACE TO BE THE BEST THEY HAD, I CRINGE AT THE WORST.

by yankeebumpkin

I have recently dined at the Barbecue Joint. I also have read the prior reviews of this establishment. I can only say that those rave reviews must have been written by the staff, because the food my family was served deserved none of the praise.

I was looking forward to some nice brisket. They don't serve it at the Barbecue Joint, nice brisket that is. They do serve brisket, but their version doesn't come close to decent. The brisket appeared to be pre-cut, doused with sauce and then zapped in the microwave. I don't think I have had brisket quite that bad before. Any establishment that re-warms a main course in a microwave does not deserve to stay in business. The process drives away any moisture left in the food and gives it a very distinctive taste and mouth feel. Yuck!

The (taters), were greasy limp and just warm. Yuck! They also tasted like they were fried up in the same fryer as everything else. The hush puppies were about as bland as you could get. They were fried just fine, but they had no taste. They were not worth the space they take up. The slaw was also very bland. The baked beans were alright, but certainly were not exceptional.

My daughter was looking forward to the barbecued catfish that (Rachel Ray) had touted on her visit to the JOINT. All I can say is Rachel must have brought her own. The version we were served was quite soggy and appeared to have been pre-cooked and had been sitting. Yuck x 2!

The prior reviews simply did not reflect reality. To say that we were very disappointed with our visit would be and understatement. How this establishment has kept people coming in the door is beyond comprehension. Customers must have simply come in based on the prior reviews.

By the way, I have been to Allen and Sons also. Their food is equally as poor in pizzaz & quality. Again, the Triangle is a vast wasteland of poor barbecue and overuse of vinegar. Wise up.

• Pros: GOOD EXAMPLE OF BAD FOOD
• Cons: BAD EXAMPLE OF GOOD FOOD

12/30/08

The BBQ is good, but check out the rest of the menu

by Carlinhos

My lunch partner swears by the barbecue platter here, but I never order without checking what's cooking today. Recently, I had an excellent meal of boudin and tongue, a platter you'd have a hard time finding north of Lafayette, La. Yesterday, it was a large bowl of Brunswick Stew. And the gumbo is uniformly delicious.

I've eaten here many times and have never been disappointed. Truly, one of the great food finds, and food bargains, in the Triangle.

• Pros: Variety and originality of the menu. Quality of the preparation.
• Cons: A bit out of the way, but that will be fixed in 2009