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

07/29/08

Best BBQ in the Triangle

by ifoufo

The Triangle is a BBQ desert in the middle of the BBQ oasis of North Carolina. There are very few places for BBQ in the Triangle worthy of NC's reputation in the craft of the porcine ambrosia. The BBQ joint is the best and is a decent example of Eastern style BBQ. The BBQ is moist, smokey, and importantly, consistent from visit to visit. It definitely passes the "needs no sauce" test. The sides are gourmet quality, especially the brussel sprouts with homemade smoked bacon. The menu has a wide selection which varies daily. Other high points are desserts such as sweet potato bread pudding with bourbon cream sauce.

I don't know what to make of the following two reviews other than they must from the gustatorily challenged. Perhaps it is part of a campaign, for there is another BBQ place not far down the road which in the last year has hired a PR agent to do things like get them listed in GQ as "best BBQ restaurant in America," despite the fact that they serve dried out bacon every other day in place of BBQ. When that place even bothers to open, that is, as I find them closed seemingly randomly both at lunch and dinner during prime days of the week. Newcomers to the area often read such propaganda for hire and recycle it as if it makes them a BBQ expert. It most assuredly does not.

I also don't know what to make of the editorial review which cites slow service. The BBQ Joint is self-service. You order at a counter. Most of the food is pre-prepared. The food is dished up and delivered to you at the counter as you order it.

About the only criticism to be made of the BBQ joint is that, for purists, they aren't a "log burner." That is, the BBQ Joint's product is made in gas fired cookers which generate indirect smoke by heating a box for the wood. The gas fumes and exhaust do not make contact with the BBQ itself, however. The BBQ is slow cooked by wood smoke and is exceedingly flavorful for those with taste buds intact.

• Pros: Great Eastern NC BBQ
• Cons: Not purist BBQ

06/30/08

Excellent service, horrible food

by mjanan

I went to the BBQ joint with two friends. We ordered a selection of dishes, including the BBQ pork, cornbread, hush puppies, coleslaw, pickles. The staff could not have been more helpful and accomodating, but the food was beneath contempt. The pulled pork had not a whiff of smoke savour, while the hushpuppies' chief flavour-note was library paste. The only highlight of the meal was the pickled cucumbers--lightly sweet, tangy and fresh. The cornbread was good, but not outstanding. There are much better alternatives in the Triangle, including the Q-Shack and Allen & Son. Avoid this place!

• Pros: Inexpensive
• Cons: ...but given the execrable quality of the food, still overpriced

05/20/08

Poor service and poor food

by foodcritic6532

If you like terrible food and service in a dingy restaurant, this is the place for you. The food is inconsistent with odd flavors and the employees are more concerned with what is on TV than getting out your food. Visiting this establishment will test your patients and your stomach. Don?t say you weren?t warned!

05/14/08

Great Food if You Steer Clear of the BBQ

by ERD82

The BBQ Joint is one of my absolute favorite places to not eat BBQ. Their crabcakes are wonderful, their ribs, excellent, their BBQ chicken, outstanding. Their sides (especially sprouts, beer-baked beans, and collards) are equally delicious and they often have great deserts.

The BBQ: iffy at best. Too tough, too much gristle, too little seasoning. I'd eat it before I went to Allen&Son's or Danny's BBQ, but there's so many better items on the menu that I've never had to make that decision.

• Pros: Great (non-BBQ) food, Fast Service, Expansive Menu, Fresh Ingredients
• Cons: A bit pricy, They Run out of food sometimes

02/08/08

Brilliant but spotty

by attyp

Great food at times. We like the barbecue. The vegetables were a screaming buy when the place first opened, at $1.50. At $3, some are still worth it. The Spanish speaking workers are well intentioned; the owners are totally energetic, but some of the native USA white staff is less than enthusiastic.

• Pros: Easy parking
• Cons: Closed Sunday -- but that's ok.

09/18/07

Best BBQ, but the sides are even better

by kycats75

The BBQ is outstanding, but the sides are even better-- cheese grits, baked beans, brussel sprouts in garlic and bacon (see Rachel Ray's review). Slow service? Not any of the two dozen times we've been there.

• Pros: Outstanding BBQ, wonderful side dishes
• Cons: Off the beaten path, can be crowded

03/20/07

Amazing fried squash and decent barbecue

by yt

A casual restaurant which not only serves decent barbecue (not the best I've had, but pretty good), but really excellent sides. The fried squash was made to order and the best I've ever had - perfectly cooked slices of squash with shatteringly crisp shell, with a little thyme and kosher salt. The cole slaw was flavorful and crunchy without being runny/watery. The hush puppies were good - perfectly fried without being greasy. They also serve some great salads and other entrees, a little more variety than the typical barbecue place. I like the barbecue - but I prefer a little more fatty meat - this barbecue is pretty lean and not as tender as I like. Overall, I'm looking forward to my next visit there!

• Pros: Awesome sides