its hilarious that bbq is generally considered poor ppl food but that's not the reality anymore, its one of the more expensive dinners i can have here
in most restaurants a rack of ribs is like the most expensive thing on a menu
I feel like if you're buying bbq ribs at a restaurant then something has probably gone wrong. Unless it's specifically a bbq joint, and even then your luck is going to be inversely correlated with the restaurant-ness of the joint.
If a BBQ place was actively on fire, I would run in and order, as it would be the pinnacle of BBQ. Exception: sweet cheeks in Boston is great ( note that I do recognize new England as not BBQ country)
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is a restaurant, blues venue, and biker bar chain located mostly in upstate New York with branches in New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois and Maryland .
Opened in 1988 on Willow Street in downtown Syracuse, it specializes in authentic barbecue, using a wood-fueled barbecue pit. The restaurant markets its sauce, pulled pork, chili, and baked beans at local supermarkets, and at Wegmans, Fairway, D'Agostino's, Price Chopper, and Shaw's Supermarkets across the Northeast. Several additional locations have also been opened in Rochester, New York (in the old Lehigh Valley Railroad Station) in 1998, Harlem, New York City in 2004,[1] and Troy, New York adjacent to the Hudson River in late 2010. In April 2012, a 5th location opened in Newark, NJ near the Prudential Center. On December 5, 2012, a 6th location was opened in Stamford, CT and in early 2013 a 7th location was opened in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn.[2] An 8th location opened in Buffalo, NY in February 2014. In the spring of 2015 a location opened in Chicago. The chain plans to open its 10th restaurant in late 2015 located in Baltimore.
I'm not saying we don't have BBQ. I'm not saying we don't have BBQ. I'm just saying that BBQ in New England is like Soccer in America - pretty good with some standouts, but it's not the big leagues.
KC, NC etc. are the spots for the pinnacle of BBQ.
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jmcdonaldI voted, did you?DC(ish)Registered Userregular
its hilarious that bbq is generally considered poor ppl food but that's not the reality anymore, its one of the more expensive dinners i can have here
in most restaurants a rack of ribs is like the most expensive thing on a menu
I feel like if you're buying bbq ribs at a restaurant then something has probably gone wrong. Unless it's specifically a bbq joint, and even then your luck is going to be inversely correlated with the restaurant-ness of the joint.
If a BBQ place was actively on fire, I would run in and order, as it would be the pinnacle of BBQ. Exception: sweet cheeks in Boston is great ( note that I do recognize new England as not BBQ country)
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is a restaurant, blues venue, and biker bar chain located mostly in upstate New York with branches in New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois and Maryland .
Opened in 1988 on Willow Street in downtown Syracuse, it specializes in authentic barbecue, using a wood-fueled barbecue pit. The restaurant markets its sauce, pulled pork, chili, and baked beans at local supermarkets, and at Wegmans, Fairway, D'Agostino's, Price Chopper, and Shaw's Supermarkets across the Northeast. Several additional locations have also been opened in Rochester, New York (in the old Lehigh Valley Railroad Station) in 1998, Harlem, New York City in 2004,[1] and Troy, New York adjacent to the Hudson River in late 2010. In April 2012, a 5th location opened in Newark, NJ near the Prudential Center. On December 5, 2012, a 6th location was opened in Stamford, CT and in early 2013 a 7th location was opened in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn.[2] An 8th location opened in Buffalo, NY in February 2014. In the spring of 2015 a location opened in Chicago. The chain plans to open its 10th restaurant in late 2015 located in Baltimore.
I'm not saying we don't have BBQ. I'm not saying we don't have BBQ. I'm just saying that BBQ in New England is like Soccer in America - pretty good with some standouts, but it's not the big leagues.
KC, NC etc. are the spots for the pinnacle of BBQ.
so, you mean it's like men's soccer in America. Right?
its hilarious that bbq is generally considered poor ppl food but that's not the reality anymore, its one of the more expensive dinners i can have here
in most restaurants a rack of ribs is like the most expensive thing on a menu
I feel like if you're buying bbq ribs at a restaurant then something has probably gone wrong. Unless it's specifically a bbq joint, and even then your luck is going to be inversely correlated with the restaurant-ness of the joint.
If a BBQ place was actively on fire, I would run in and order, as it would be the pinnacle of BBQ. Exception: sweet cheeks in Boston is great ( note that I do recognize new England as not BBQ country)
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is a restaurant, blues venue, and biker bar chain located mostly in upstate New York with branches in New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois and Maryland .
Opened in 1988 on Willow Street in downtown Syracuse, it specializes in authentic barbecue, using a wood-fueled barbecue pit. The restaurant markets its sauce, pulled pork, chili, and baked beans at local supermarkets, and at Wegmans, Fairway, D'Agostino's, Price Chopper, and Shaw's Supermarkets across the Northeast. Several additional locations have also been opened in Rochester, New York (in the old Lehigh Valley Railroad Station) in 1998, Harlem, New York City in 2004,[1] and Troy, New York adjacent to the Hudson River in late 2010. In April 2012, a 5th location opened in Newark, NJ near the Prudential Center. On December 5, 2012, a 6th location was opened in Stamford, CT and in early 2013 a 7th location was opened in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn.[2] An 8th location opened in Buffalo, NY in February 2014. In the spring of 2015 a location opened in Chicago. The chain plans to open its 10th restaurant in late 2015 located in Baltimore.
I'm not saying we don't have BBQ. I'm not saying we don't have BBQ. I'm just saying that BBQ in New England is like Soccer in America - pretty good with some standouts, but it's not the big leagues.
KC, NC etc. are the spots for the pinnacle of BBQ.
so, you mean it's like men's soccer in America. Right?
Yes, Men's Soccer. Apologies, didn't mean to be horrendously sexist.
its hilarious that bbq is generally considered poor ppl food but that's not the reality anymore, its one of the more expensive dinners i can have here
in most restaurants a rack of ribs is like the most expensive thing on a menu
I feel like if you're buying bbq ribs at a restaurant then something has probably gone wrong. Unless it's specifically a bbq joint, and even then your luck is going to be inversely correlated with the restaurant-ness of the joint.
If a BBQ place was actively on fire, I would run in and order, as it would be the pinnacle of BBQ. Exception: sweet cheeks in Boston is great ( note that I do recognize new England as not BBQ country)
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is a restaurant, blues venue, and biker bar chain located mostly in upstate New York with branches in New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois and Maryland .
Opened in 1988 on Willow Street in downtown Syracuse, it specializes in authentic barbecue, using a wood-fueled barbecue pit. The restaurant markets its sauce, pulled pork, chili, and baked beans at local supermarkets, and at Wegmans, Fairway, D'Agostino's, Price Chopper, and Shaw's Supermarkets across the Northeast. Several additional locations have also been opened in Rochester, New York (in the old Lehigh Valley Railroad Station) in 1998, Harlem, New York City in 2004,[1] and Troy, New York adjacent to the Hudson River in late 2010. In April 2012, a 5th location opened in Newark, NJ near the Prudential Center. On December 5, 2012, a 6th location was opened in Stamford, CT and in early 2013 a 7th location was opened in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn.[2] An 8th location opened in Buffalo, NY in February 2014. In the spring of 2015 a location opened in Chicago. The chain plans to open its 10th restaurant in late 2015 located in Baltimore.
I'm not saying we don't have BBQ. I'm not saying we don't have BBQ. I'm just saying that BBQ in New England is like Soccer in America - pretty good with some standouts, but it's not the big leagues.
KC, NC etc. are the spots for the pinnacle of BBQ.
Proper BBQ places don't have multiple locations. Maybe two, and certainly not in multiple states.
The problem with barbecue is that if you've never been exposed to the good stuff, it's really hard to tell that what you've got available is subpar.
It's not just meat + heat + sauce + time, it's usually a very specific combination of things that create something truly excellent. In Pennsylvania, they can roast a pig just fine, but throwing some vinegar and a salt rub at it isn't the same as barbecuing it.
With regards to black coffee, years ago I trained myself to drink black coffee with no sugar to save on calories (it actually makes coffee into a slightly calorie negative beverage!)
I never really enjoyed coffee but I came to tolerate it. It tended to taste burnt and bitter.
But! I had a magnificent cup of black coffee not too long ago and I was shocked by how enjoyable it was. Smooth, no bitterness, with a strong fruity flavor present throughout the entire cup.
THAT is what coffee tastes like. It's just 90% or more cups use old or low quality beans, over or under roast it, or mass produce it. Which is fine if you just want an acceptable cup or you're drowning it in milk in sugar.
It's a surprisingly delicate substance, but it takes effort and time to make it properly.
Otherwise you get Starbucks
i have read that american coffee, specifically, is bad, and that for whatever reason we here in australia have the best coffee in the world
i don't know if that's true, i have no idea what you guys are drinking over there
Interestingly you can buy really high quality coffee beans pretty widely. Some coffee shops operate their own roasters, and sell fresh, delicious beans and even a smallish city will have a place where you can pick out a wide range of beans from just about everywhere, they grind it for you, etc.
That makes it really easy to make a great cup of coffee yourself (an invaluable skill if you have have people you want to impress wake up at your place) but the most widely available coffee is going to range from mediocre (starbucks) to horrifying (gas station and bank coffee)
Then there will be a smattering of independent cafes, some of which are also mediocre and a few who are truly achieve greatness. Blue bottle, Toby's, Grumpy's, and Irving Roasters in NYC for instance make great coffee.
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syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
This is what NC BBQ is
SW-4158-3990-6116
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
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VanguardBut now the dream is over. And the insect is awake.Registered User, __BANNED USERSregular
@Casual Eddy already covered it, but coffee culture in America is pretty much where beer culture is today. We have no shortage of people paying attention to every part of the craft at this point, and quality coffee is widely available.
I'm guessing the people who hold the opinion that our coffee sucks are basing it off a different time in America.
There are a couple great BBQ spots in NYC: Dinosaur was already mentioned, also Fette Sau and Mighty Quinn's. But even the "great" places in NYC don't come anywhere close to the BBQ I had in Texas.
While Georgia doesn't have its own particular barbecue style, the reason it's scored so highly on many 'places you'll find the best bbq' lists is that you can find all of the varieties in very close proximity. The best of those aren't better than their equivalent in their home states, but there is something to be said for not having to drive for hundreds of miles before coming across a different style of bbq joint.
While Georgia doesn't have its own particular barbecue style, the reason it's scored so highly on many 'places you'll find the best bbq' lists is that you can find all of the varieties in very close proximity. The best of those aren't better than their equivalent in their home states, but there is something to be said for not having to drive for hundreds of miles before coming across a different style of bbq joint.
I dunno, I think the reason its one of the best places to get barbecue is that the people making it don't let the regional styles of other places dictate what they do and instead take a bunch of things they like from different styles and use them. A place I really liked near Savannah did pecan and mesquite wood to smoke, and used a tomato based sauce that was heavy on the vinegar and the sugar. Some of the best brisket I've ever had. Not too far down the road was a place that used pecan and another wood I forget, but made an awesome mustard and vinegar sauce for their pork. It's something that I'm starting to see in Washington now that people are realizing how much they want barbecue and how crap what they've been getting is, that you're seeing a lot of people approaching it how they want to instead of trying to do just one style.
That's what I've always found funny about the barbecue style debate, they're all delicious when they are done well. If you think your way is better, great, but they are all awesome I promise. Let us end these senseless fights and instead join together to support the glory of Flavortown.
That's what I like about the guy down in Austin who operates Franklin Barbecue. He writes a cookbook, but instead of just giving explicit recipes and instructions the book is more like a guide to how to make good barbecue in general. From telling you it takes the dedication to wake up at 4 a.m. and go out in the rain to start your smoker up. It's one I highly recommend anyone pick up.
User name Alazull on Steam, PSN, Nintenders, Epic, etc.
its hilarious that bbq is generally considered poor ppl food but that's not the reality anymore, its one of the more expensive dinners i can have here
in most restaurants a rack of ribs is like the most expensive thing on a menu
I feel like if you're buying bbq ribs at a restaurant then something has probably gone wrong. Unless it's specifically a bbq joint, and even then your luck is going to be inversely correlated with the restaurant-ness of the joint.
If a BBQ place was actively on fire, I would run in and order, as it would be the pinnacle of BBQ. Exception: sweet cheeks in Boston is great ( note that I do recognize new England as not BBQ country)
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is a restaurant, blues venue, and biker bar chain located mostly in upstate New York with branches in New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois and Maryland .
Opened in 1988 on Willow Street in downtown Syracuse, it specializes in authentic barbecue, using a wood-fueled barbecue pit. The restaurant markets its sauce, pulled pork, chili, and baked beans at local supermarkets, and at Wegmans, Fairway, D'Agostino's, Price Chopper, and Shaw's Supermarkets across the Northeast. Several additional locations have also been opened in Rochester, New York (in the old Lehigh Valley Railroad Station) in 1998, Harlem, New York City in 2004,[1] and Troy, New York adjacent to the Hudson River in late 2010. In April 2012, a 5th location opened in Newark, NJ near the Prudential Center. On December 5, 2012, a 6th location was opened in Stamford, CT and in early 2013 a 7th location was opened in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn.[2] An 8th location opened in Buffalo, NY in February 2014. In the spring of 2015 a location opened in Chicago. The chain plans to open its 10th restaurant in late 2015 located in Baltimore.
Bah ya beat me to it. My wife went to school in Rochester where we became acquainted with it and we've been insanely happy since they've opened up near us in Newark. The place isn't the best BBQ ever I'm sure, but it is totally legit and light years ahead of anything that you'll find in the region.
@Didgeridoo and I eat at Dino about twice a month. They have gotten so much better recently is almost like it's a different place. Two suggestions: the sausage cheese and crackers is great, and get the chili and Mac and cheese sides and mix them together.
The problem with barbecue is that if you've never been exposed to the good stuff, it's really hard to tell that what you've got available is subpar.
It's not just meat + heat + sauce + time, it's usually a very specific combination of things that create something truly excellent. In Pennsylvania, they can roast a pig just fine, but throwing some vinegar and a salt rub at it isn't the same as barbecuing it.
I know enough to know all the BBQ around Lodi is average at best but mostly bad.
Cabezone on
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AlazullYour body is not a temple, it's an amusement park.Enjoy the ride.Registered Userregular
its hilarious that bbq is generally considered poor ppl food but that's not the reality anymore, its one of the more expensive dinners i can have here
in most restaurants a rack of ribs is like the most expensive thing on a menu
Yeah, I'll meet my dad for lunch at a Texas Hill Country BBQ spot (not even one of the trendy ones that get all the media attention), and we'll drop 40-50 bucks or more for a good size but not huge lunch.
Technically speaking, even onions in pico de gallo are cooked. The acid from the lime juice and tomatoes do a number on them in the same way those juices do for ceviche.
edit - grammar
Well there you go. Raw onions are terrible in everything.
If you don't like raw onions on burgers and sandwiches I feel you are disqualified from having an opinion on flavortown.
It's just that I like to taste, y'know, the burger, no the pungent ring of plant matter. Raw onion completely overpowers anything else in the burger/sandwich and becomes the dominant flavor, AND it lingers, screwing up every bite afterwards.
I suggest putting less than an entire onion on top.
I see his point though, and its one thing I always hated when making burgers back in my bar kitchen days. Even sliced pretty thinly, a full slice of red onion is pretty heavy. Instead next time try breaking the onion into it's individual rings and putting only enough on to give total coverage. Yes you will have areas with some overlap, but give it a shot. If you still don't like it, then hey its cool.
User name Alazull on Steam, PSN, Nintenders, Epic, etc.
@Casual Eddy already covered it, but coffee culture in America is pretty much where beer culture is today. We have no shortage of people paying attention to every part of the craft at this point, and quality coffee is widely available.
I'm guessing the people who hold the opinion that our coffee sucks are basing it off a different time in America.
You hav to actively look for good coffee in the US usually. Even your average local coffee shop has over roasted trash beans
@Casual Eddy already covered it, but coffee culture in America is pretty much where beer culture is today. We have no shortage of people paying attention to every part of the craft at this point, and quality coffee is widely available.
I'm guessing the people who hold the opinion that our coffee sucks are basing it off a different time in America.
You hav to actively look for good coffee in the US usually. Even your average local coffee shop has over roasted trash beans
Not in Seattle.
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
@Casual Eddy already covered it, but coffee culture in America is pretty much where beer culture is today. We have no shortage of people paying attention to every part of the craft at this point, and quality coffee is widely available.
I'm guessing the people who hold the opinion that our coffee sucks are basing it off a different time in America.
You hav to actively look for good coffee in the US usually. Even your average local coffee shop has over roasted trash beans
I would argue that one has to look for good anything actively anywhere. In Seattle you can have a bad cup if you're just going to walk into a Starbucks that's been shoved in some corner somewhere versus finding a proper spot that prides itself on serving a decent cup. Some of the worst fried chicken I've ever had was when I lived in Georgia, as was some of the worst sawmill gravy.
I've had friends return from travelling around Europe and tell me there worst food experiences were in France and Italy. The thing to realize is that some people don't really care about the product they're producing and a lot of it has to do with either knowing that they'll sell it and so don't care, or don't value what they are doing to begin with. The first group is something you run into with restaurants in the Theater District of cities, they know they'll get busy with the theater crowd so generally the food is something that appeals to that crowd but I bet you'll be disappointed by the actual quality of it, mostly because its dumbed down to the octogenarians who don't know what a "sushi" is. The second group is one I have to deal with often working in restaurants, because its a lot of work for what at the end of the day isn't a lot of pay, so many look at it as a job they shouldn't care too much about. I try to instill in anyone I've trained that it is the pride of knowing that you are putting the best product in front of people you possibly can make. My mantra for the hard days? Make the food better than these assholes deserve.
User name Alazull on Steam, PSN, Nintenders, Epic, etc.
@Casual Eddy already covered it, but coffee culture in America is pretty much where beer culture is today. We have no shortage of people paying attention to every part of the craft at this point, and quality coffee is widely available.
I'm guessing the people who hold the opinion that our coffee sucks are basing it off a different time in America.
You hav to actively look for good coffee in the US usually. Even your average local coffee shop has over roasted trash beans
@Casual Eddy already covered it, but coffee culture in America is pretty much where beer culture is today. We have no shortage of people paying attention to every part of the craft at this point, and quality coffee is widely available.
I'm guessing the people who hold the opinion that our coffee sucks are basing it off a different time in America.
You hav to actively look for good coffee in the US usually. Even your average local coffee shop has over roasted trash beans
Not in Seattle.
There is still a lot of bad coffee in Seattle.
Yeah but it's also not like its hard to find a shop that's roasting their own beans in-house.
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
@Casual Eddy already covered it, but coffee culture in America is pretty much where beer culture is today. We have no shortage of people paying attention to every part of the craft at this point, and quality coffee is widely available.
I'm guessing the people who hold the opinion that our coffee sucks are basing it off a different time in America.
You hav to actively look for good coffee in the US usually. Even your average local coffee shop has over roasted trash beans
Not in Seattle.
There is still a lot of bad coffee in Seattle.
Yeah but it's also not like its hard to find a shop that's roasting their own beans in-house.
This statement does not counter my statement. "Roasting their own beans" doesn't mean they're doing a good job of it.
The new Starbucks on Capitol Hill actually has some pretty good coffee. It's all specialty stuff though. They had a sample of an 18 hour cold brew single origin when I was there and it was divine. They wanted like 40 bucks a pound for the beans though and nope.
Thanks, assholes. I'm stuck in the office, starving, and now I want BBQ I simply can't get in DC.
There's perfectly good pit beef like an hour or so north of you.
Quid on
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TraceGNU Terry Pratchett; GNU Gus; GNU Carrie Fisher; GNU Adam WeRegistered Userregular
so if a guy from Texas who owned a BBQ joint moved up to NY and happened to open a BBQ joint he runs out of his house with a great big wood pit he uses to cook the meat would that be Texas BBQ or New York BBQ?
because he lives right up the road from me and I'm currently devouring some brisket and sausages and salt potatoes.
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TraceGNU Terry Pratchett; GNU Gus; GNU Carrie Fisher; GNU Adam WeRegistered Userregular
edited July 2015
your BBQ styles aren't nearly as uniquely localized as you think they are is what I'm saying.
so if a guy from Texas who owned a BBQ joint moved up to NY and happened to open a BBQ joint he runs out of his house with a great big wood pit he uses to cook the meat would that be Texas BBQ or New York BBQ?
because he lives right up the road from me and I'm currently devouring some brisket and sausages and salt potatoes.
'Texas BBQ' is denoted by particular shared processes and techniques common to most Texan barbecuing, so as long as he adhered to those it's totally Texas BBQ. It's like how French cooking has particular sauce bases and frequently used herbs/spices and other cooking ratios.
syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
You can potentially get anything almost anywhere, with rare exception due to environmental factors (bread in NYC, for instance).
But the likelihood of getting the good version of whatever you want goes up drastically if you are in the region of origin, or in a big ass metropolis.
SW-4158-3990-6116
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
so if a guy from Texas who owned a BBQ joint moved up to NY and happened to open a BBQ joint he runs out of his house with a great big wood pit he uses to cook the meat would that be Texas BBQ or New York BBQ?
because he lives right up the road from me and I'm currently devouring some brisket and sausages and salt potatoes.
Texas style.
My point about localization is that periodically, you have chefs that will be better or worse in a given area. If you're one of the only BBQ joints around, your quality can fluctuate with little impact to your customer base, as a certain level of it is based on "I want BBQ", so you can slip a little and still be successful. This results in no real push (not that some people don't always push) to get better.
Contrast that with an area of lots of BBQ places - you have to stand out from the crowd, and your choice of staff includes people experienced with BBQ, leading you to have better quality throughout the area as the competition pushes the quality up.
It's why it's rare to have one standout restaurant in an area as opposed to a group of them.
Posts
I'm not saying we don't have BBQ. I'm not saying we don't have BBQ. I'm just saying that BBQ in New England is like Soccer in America - pretty good with some standouts, but it's not the big leagues.
KC, NC etc. are the spots for the pinnacle of BBQ.
so, you mean it's like men's soccer in America. Right?
Yes, Men's Soccer. Apologies, didn't mean to be horrendously sexist.
Proper BBQ places don't have multiple locations. Maybe two, and certainly not in multiple states.
It's not just meat + heat + sauce + time, it's usually a very specific combination of things that create something truly excellent. In Pennsylvania, they can roast a pig just fine, but throwing some vinegar and a salt rub at it isn't the same as barbecuing it.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
Gonna be honest, it's the thing I miss most having come to New York.
Well, that and on the opposite end of the spectrum, Bojangles.
Bojangles is just ridiculous fast food chicken glory.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Interestingly you can buy really high quality coffee beans pretty widely. Some coffee shops operate their own roasters, and sell fresh, delicious beans and even a smallish city will have a place where you can pick out a wide range of beans from just about everywhere, they grind it for you, etc.
That makes it really easy to make a great cup of coffee yourself (an invaluable skill if you have have people you want to impress wake up at your place) but the most widely available coffee is going to range from mediocre (starbucks) to horrifying (gas station and bank coffee)
Then there will be a smattering of independent cafes, some of which are also mediocre and a few who are truly achieve greatness. Blue bottle, Toby's, Grumpy's, and Irving Roasters in NYC for instance make great coffee.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
I'm guessing the people who hold the opinion that our coffee sucks are basing it off a different time in America.
I dunno, I think the reason its one of the best places to get barbecue is that the people making it don't let the regional styles of other places dictate what they do and instead take a bunch of things they like from different styles and use them. A place I really liked near Savannah did pecan and mesquite wood to smoke, and used a tomato based sauce that was heavy on the vinegar and the sugar. Some of the best brisket I've ever had. Not too far down the road was a place that used pecan and another wood I forget, but made an awesome mustard and vinegar sauce for their pork. It's something that I'm starting to see in Washington now that people are realizing how much they want barbecue and how crap what they've been getting is, that you're seeing a lot of people approaching it how they want to instead of trying to do just one style.
That's what I've always found funny about the barbecue style debate, they're all delicious when they are done well. If you think your way is better, great, but they are all awesome I promise. Let us end these senseless fights and instead join together to support the glory of Flavortown.
That's what I like about the guy down in Austin who operates Franklin Barbecue. He writes a cookbook, but instead of just giving explicit recipes and instructions the book is more like a guide to how to make good barbecue in general. From telling you it takes the dedication to wake up at 4 a.m. and go out in the rain to start your smoker up. It's one I highly recommend anyone pick up.
@Didgeridoo and I eat at Dino about twice a month. They have gotten so much better recently is almost like it's a different place. Two suggestions: the sausage cheese and crackers is great, and get the chili and Mac and cheese sides and mix them together.
I know enough to know all the BBQ around Lodi is average at best but mostly bad.
I see his point though, and its one thing I always hated when making burgers back in my bar kitchen days. Even sliced pretty thinly, a full slice of red onion is pretty heavy. Instead next time try breaking the onion into it's individual rings and putting only enough on to give total coverage. Yes you will have areas with some overlap, but give it a shot. If you still don't like it, then hey its cool.
You hav to actively look for good coffee in the US usually. Even your average local coffee shop has over roasted trash beans
Not in Seattle.
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
Edit: GOD DAMMIT
I would argue that one has to look for good anything actively anywhere. In Seattle you can have a bad cup if you're just going to walk into a Starbucks that's been shoved in some corner somewhere versus finding a proper spot that prides itself on serving a decent cup. Some of the worst fried chicken I've ever had was when I lived in Georgia, as was some of the worst sawmill gravy.
I've had friends return from travelling around Europe and tell me there worst food experiences were in France and Italy. The thing to realize is that some people don't really care about the product they're producing and a lot of it has to do with either knowing that they'll sell it and so don't care, or don't value what they are doing to begin with. The first group is something you run into with restaurants in the Theater District of cities, they know they'll get busy with the theater crowd so generally the food is something that appeals to that crowd but I bet you'll be disappointed by the actual quality of it, mostly because its dumbed down to the octogenarians who don't know what a "sushi" is. The second group is one I have to deal with often working in restaurants, because its a lot of work for what at the end of the day isn't a lot of pay, so many look at it as a job they shouldn't care too much about. I try to instill in anyone I've trained that it is the pride of knowing that you are putting the best product in front of people you possibly can make. My mantra for the hard days? Make the food better than these assholes deserve.
There is still a lot of bad coffee in Seattle.
Yeah but it's also not like its hard to find a shop that's roasting their own beans in-house.
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
This statement does not counter my statement. "Roasting their own beans" doesn't mean they're doing a good job of it.
(Popeye's is better)
:hydra:
Just look at that brisket fall apart.
I want that in me so bad
Steam Me
Phrasing!
There's perfectly good pit beef like an hour or so north of you.
because he lives right up the road from me and I'm currently devouring some brisket and sausages and salt potatoes.
'Texas BBQ' is denoted by particular shared processes and techniques common to most Texan barbecuing, so as long as he adhered to those it's totally Texas BBQ. It's like how French cooking has particular sauce bases and frequently used herbs/spices and other cooking ratios.
But the likelihood of getting the good version of whatever you want goes up drastically if you are in the region of origin, or in a big ass metropolis.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Texas style.
My point about localization is that periodically, you have chefs that will be better or worse in a given area. If you're one of the only BBQ joints around, your quality can fluctuate with little impact to your customer base, as a certain level of it is based on "I want BBQ", so you can slip a little and still be successful. This results in no real push (not that some people don't always push) to get better.
Contrast that with an area of lots of BBQ places - you have to stand out from the crowd, and your choice of staff includes people experienced with BBQ, leading you to have better quality throughout the area as the competition pushes the quality up.
It's why it's rare to have one standout restaurant in an area as opposed to a group of them.
Fuck Big Tomato.