Blue Ribbon Barbeque merits first place
by Greg Hu
Arts | 9/15/09
Posted online at 1:54 AM EST on 9/15/09
I felt even luckier than usual to be eating at Blue Ribbon Barbeque when I found myself sitting next to all-star Celtics player Ray Allen. I was astounded to be sitting next to him, but not surprised that Allen cures his barbeque cravings at Blue Ribbon. At the diner, Allen is just another customer enjoying Southern-style smoked barbeque, and that's what Blue Ribbon Barbeque is really all about.
At Blue Ribbon Barbeque, your choices of slow-cooked, wood-smoked meat include Texas sliced brisket, North Carolina pulled pork, Kansas City burnt ends and Memphis dry-rubbed ribs, to name just a few of the available varieties. The pulled pork and ribs are definitely worth a try and maybe even worthy of making a routine weekly trip to the restaurant. The pulled pork is juicy and tender with hints of smoky flavor in every bite, and it just melts in your mouth. The burnt ends are a little too saucy for me, since the flavor of this particular dish is not as much about the meat itself. However, the barbeque sauces are all original to Blue Ribbon Barbeque and genuinely tasty.
You can order your barbeque meat in two ways: the sandwich or the "platter," a dish with more meat and no bread. The portions are generally oversized here, so I often opt for the sandwich, though there are times when I just have an insatiable appetite for barbeque and the platter just makes more sense.
Either way, every order comes with two sides, and my favorites are the mashed potatoes with gravy and the coleslaw. The mashed potatoes are very fluffy, creamy and perfectly seasoned; many customers often just order the potatoes as both of their sides (they call it "double-mash"). The coleslaw is crisp and light, and the fact that it is not drowning in mayo makes this particular side a refreshing counterbalance to the bold smoky flavor of the meat. Blue Ribbon Barbeque also offers baked and green beans, but I'm personally not a big fan of them because they just are not as original as many of the other sides available.
At Blue Ribbon Barbeque, your choices of slow-cooked, wood-smoked meat include Texas sliced brisket, North Carolina pulled pork, Kansas City burnt ends and Memphis dry-rubbed ribs, to name just a few of the available varieties. The pulled pork and ribs are definitely worth a try and maybe even worthy of making a routine weekly trip to the restaurant. The pulled pork is juicy and tender with hints of smoky flavor in every bite, and it just melts in your mouth. The burnt ends are a little too saucy for me, since the flavor of this particular dish is not as much about the meat itself. However, the barbeque sauces are all original to Blue Ribbon Barbeque and genuinely tasty.
You can order your barbeque meat in two ways: the sandwich or the "platter," a dish with more meat and no bread. The portions are generally oversized here, so I often opt for the sandwich, though there are times when I just have an insatiable appetite for barbeque and the platter just makes more sense.
Either way, every order comes with two sides, and my favorites are the mashed potatoes with gravy and the coleslaw. The mashed potatoes are very fluffy, creamy and perfectly seasoned; many customers often just order the potatoes as both of their sides (they call it "double-mash"). The coleslaw is crisp and light, and the fact that it is not drowning in mayo makes this particular side a refreshing counterbalance to the bold smoky flavor of the meat. Blue Ribbon Barbeque also offers baked and green beans, but I'm personally not a big fan of them because they just are not as original as many of the other sides available.
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