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Lamberts Downtown Barbecue – Austin, TX

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Name: Lamberts Downtown Barbecue
Date: 7/5/13
Location: 401 West 2nd Street, Austin TX 78701
Order: Beef Brisket with Fried Okra (link to menu)
Bill: $30

Before we started this blog and started reviewing barbecue, I had eaten at Lamberts Downtown Barbecue and thought it was the best brisket I had ever had, so I was excited to go back and try it again.This time it was on the record.

Lamberts describes themselves as ‘fancy barbecue’ which causes some people to question if they should be really be considered as a barbecue “joint”. Texas Monthly Barbecue recently ranked Lambert’s in their Top 50 and two years ago it was ranked as one of the top 100 most important restaurants in the US (I can’t find the link to this anymore, but Darren Rovell had this year’s rankings, and I looked at the past ones at the time). So needless to say, while the barbecue may be called fancy, it also is called good.

Lamberts uses a coffee and brown sugar rub which gives the meat, and especially the bark, a tremendous amount of flavor. The only problem with this is that pieces of the brisket that don’t include the bark seem like they are missing flavor, when it is only because it is being compared against other bites. Some of this is also a result of the fact that Lamberts uses a gas smoker instead of wood, so the meat doesn’t have that full smoky taste. That being said, it was still tender and wonderful, however it was not as good as I had remembered it to be.

For a side I had the fried okra, which was hand-breaded and came with a spicy remoulade dip. It was fantastic and a welcome alternative to the weak sides that often plague barbecue joints around here.

Lamberts is located in an old historic warehouse in downtown and has a great feel to it. There is dining indoors and on a patio, plus live music upstairs. While it is a great atmosphere, it doesn’t scream barbecue, but it’s a great place to enjoy a meal. The barbecue was great, the side was great, and the atmosphere was fun, but my only complaint was the price. The menu says fancy barbecue, and I think the only thing that made it seem fancy was the high price. $18 for less than half a pound is more than twice the price of brisket almost anywhere else. Fried Okra and a small amount of brisket costing $30 is pretty ridiculous. So far it seems like you pay a price for great brisket in Austin. It’s either a 3 hour wait at Franklin’s or a $30 tab at Lamberts, but at least it’s great when you are eating it.

-Rudy

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3.5 Hogs
Brisket – 4 Hogs
Sides – 4 Hogs
Overall – 4 Hogs

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Lambert's Downtown Barbeque on Urbanspoon

The Q Shack – Raleigh, NC

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Name: The Q Shack
Date: 7/8/13
Location: 4120 Main at North Hills St, Raleigh, NC
Order: Three meat combo plate with pulled pork, beef brisket, smoked sausage, collards, fried okra, and hush puppies (link to menu)
Bill: $16

After Rudy’s history making first 0 hog review, I felt like I needed to share a barbecue experience I had lately that was (spoiler alert) equally terrible.

I arrived after work this particular Monday at the North Hills Raleigh Renaissance – a hotel I had never stayed at before. As I had a fair amount of stuff I needed to get done before some meetings the next day, I decided to just get some takeout and eat in my room. I was pleased to find a barbecue joint just around the corner from the hotel, so clearly, that was my choice for dinner.

Walking in, I started to get a little skittish, as there was a large placard advertising wine (WTF?). I should’ve known then and there to turn around. But the restaurant was spacious and comfortable looking, putting me a bit at ease. The cafeteria line made me a little nervous, but I ignored it because I’ve had great meals in similarly set up restaurants.

As I like to do when trying new restaurants, I opted for a combo plate in order to try several different types of meat. At The Q Shack, you order cafeteria-line style and your meat/sides are spooned onto your plate (or my to go box) from the line, so it’s hard to know how long it’s been sitting out. However, I was excited when my cut of brisket was carved in front of me from the full brisket that was kept warm in a warmer oven. All went well with my order, as everything looked great.

When I got to my room, I eagerly took out my to go box and silverware and forked a nice portion of pork. This is where the problems started. The pork was terrible. It literally tasted like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for days. It was dry, and instead of a lack of flavor that I usually associate with bad barbecue, there was a bad flavor. Honestly, I once tried a McRib and I think it tasted better. I applied some of the sauce that was given to me on the side, and while that helped, it only moved the pork from awful to almost tolerable. Honestly, I should have stopped the meal then and there, but I thought to myself, “surely the brisket can’t be worse.” Well, turns out it can be just as bad. Had I not seen it sliced before my eyes, I would’ve thought I was eating Oscar Meyer lunch meat. The brisket was rubbery and tasted like a bad pot roast. Somehow I stomached a second bite, but it was just as bad as the first. Being a glutton for punishment, I moved on to the sausage. The sausage, fortunately, was far and away the best meat in that it was edible. Don’t get me wrong – it was still bad – but at least there was some flavor there. It was rubbery and over-cooked, but I feel like it would have been OK had it been cooked properly.

The sides were average, which means they were the best part of the meal. The fried okra was fine, though nothing special, and the collards were decent. The hushpuppies were actually pretty good. Basically, the sides are what prevented me from having to go out and get a second meal after the catastrophe that was the meat.

I didn’t take any photos of my meal, but no one would want to see it anyway. Honestly, I’m just glad I survived.

-Speedy

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 1 hog
Pork – 0 hogs
Brisket – 0 hogs
Sausage – 0.5 hogs
Sides – 1.5 hogs
Overall – 0 hogs

Stamey’s Barbecue – Greensboro, NC

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Name: Stamey’s Barbecue
Date: 7/12/13
Address: 2206 High Point Road, Greensboro, NC 27403
Order: Chopped pork plate with red slaw, hush puppies, and Cheerwine (link to menu)
Bill: $6.84

Monk: Guys, I think I am in love. Despite growing up in High Point not 20 minutes from Stamey’s, I’m a little ashamed to admit that this past Friday was my first visit to the joint. I mean, Carter Brother’s was fine at the time but why didn’t someone drag me by the ear to Stamey’s?

Rudy: It’s funny that you had never been there, because I practically grew up on Stamey’s. It is located about 2 blocks from my Dad’s business, so I ate there all the time. It is pretty much the barometer for how I view all barbecue. It is also directly across the street from the Greensboro Coliseum, so during the ACC Basketball Tournament, it is packed all day long.

Monk: There really is no good explanation as to why it took so long but in any case, after finishing my latest reading material and getting a better understanding of Warner Stamey’s legacy and influence on Lexington style barbecue in NC, I knew I had to get here asap. And visiting my parents for the weekend while my wife went out of town presented the perfect opportunity.

My dad and I were already going to be in Greensboro so we planned to stop in at Stamey’s that day. We walked into the large wooden building, sat ourselves in a booth and did the usual barbecue joint drill – order a drink, order food when the waitress returns with our drink 2 minutes later, and then receive the food another 2-3 minutes after that (if not sooner).

Soon a perfect plate was presented before me with chopped pork barbecue, red slaw, and oblong hush puppies. After snapping a few photos, I took my first bite and wow. Just wow. Immediately I knew an overall 5 whole hog ratings was in play. Nice chop, perfect smokiness that can’t be faked with gas, and the right ratio of sweetness to tang in the sauce. I ordered the regular plate but immediately wished I had ordered the large.

Rudy: With so many places moving towards gas, it is refreshing to see a big stack of wood piled in the corner of the parking lot; a clear sign that they are sticking with the traditional smoking, which makes the whole difference.

Monk: In case you weren’t aware (I wasn’t until recently), Warner Stamey is actually credited with introducing hush puppies into barbecue meals in the 50’s (it had previously only been a seafood side). As stated in this space numerous times, I like a sweeter hush puppy and while these weren’t quite as sweet as I’d have liked they were pretty good. The red slaw was above average and a Cheerwine rounded out the meal nicely. My Dad and I also split a blueberry cobbler bro-style (separate plates, thank you very much) for dessert, which was quite good. I’m usually too full to order dessert at a barbecue restaurant, but I’m glad I did on this day.

Rudy: One of my biggest complaints about barbecue in Texas is the lack of effort with sides. Most of the time it is just some beans as an option. Stamey’s has brunswick stew as a side option…and it is amazing. Next time anyone goes there, it is an absolute must.

Monk: I wish I had seen your tweet and had ordered the brunswick stew, but next time. When the bill came out I did a double take since the entire meal was under $14. Total. I have come to expect to pay that much for just myself. So you’re telling me not only is this probably at least as good as the best barbecue I’ve ever had (Lexington #1), but the prices are ridiculously reasonable too (a sandwich is $2.99 and a regular plate is $5.29)?

I can’t say enough good things about Stamey’s and I hope to make it back very soon. It is the definition of a 5 whole hog plate of chopped pork barbecue and to me, also the definition of a 5 whole hog joint.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4.5 hogs
Pork – 5 hogs
Sides/Dessert – 4.5 hogs
Overall – 5 hogs

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Stamey's Barbecue on Urbanspoon

CHARLOTTE EATS: Harrill’s Bar-B-Q

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I was directed to this site by a tweet from Charlotte Burger Blog (who was put onto it by @MatthewGreen73), so naturally I did a search for barbecue restaurants of Charlotte past. Harrill’s Bar-B-Q was located off Kings Drive until a little over 30 years ago in a building that is now Philadelphia Deli. Based on the description below, I would be a very frequent customer of this place were it still around today.

 Its speciality was Western-style barbecue cooked over a charcoal pit. They also had a full menu of sandwiches, burgers, steaks, and chicken. Harrill’s would run into the late-60’s. For the last 30 years, the Philadelphia Deli has occupied the original Harrill’s building.



(photos linked from Charlotte Eats blog)

-Monk

CHARLOTTE EATS: Harrill’s Bar-B-Q