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Monday, July 28, 2008

Mini Review: City BBQ

I'm really just showing off the fact that I figured out how to get my Blackberry to upload pictures. Finally!

Terry and I go to City BBQ more often than we should. It's a state chain, founded in Columbus, and they have really good barbecue. If you go to Hyde Park Plaza at the right time, you can smell them smoking and it's absolutely addictive. Terry says it's not quite like home, but it'll do in a pinch.
City BBQ
They have three sauces-- Brushfire, Regular and Mustard. I find little difference between the Brushfire and Regular (Though the brushfire is a bit thicker with molasses), but the mustard is darn good. All three are good, really. They also have good coleslaw, excellent skin-on french fries and great hush puppies. Terry swears he can make a meal just of the coleslaw and hush puppies. I could do the same with the fries! You can also order a whole roasted hog (which I SO want to do someday), chicken, and beef.

It is a great place for "fast" food that is actually tasty.

20 comments:

JKNEPFLE said...

I like that place a lot, especially for the 3 sauces! I usually get the quarter chicken dark, which is great for the price.

If you want to check out a locally-owned BBQ place, go on down Madison a little and check out BBQ Review. The chicken is very good, and their sauce is one of the best I've ever had.

Julie said...

Really? We've been there once and really disliked it-- I hear the problem is that we got the pulled pork, which was just crock pot barbecue.

I STILL haven't dragged Terry to Goodies, which is my favorite local barbecue spot.

ShannanB said...

I haven't eaten at City BBQ, but it's mostly because I love BBQ Review so much. I just can't get enough of that place.

Jeff Elrod said...

awesome blog - if you ever absolutely need to review a place and you can't get there, for whatever reason, my nights are almost always free. tap me in :) and thanks for putting me on your blog roll. here comes the reciprocity.

The Boyfriend said...

I really need to go back to BBQ Revue. People who like the place say it's the best barbecue in the city.

But, as Julie mentioned, the one time we visited, we had pulled pork. Indeed, it tasted like crock pot barbecue...and not even particularly good crock pot barbecue. It was almost soupy (Julie says "watery") from the amount of liquid.

When we mention the experience to people who are fans of the place, they look at us much as they would look at a three-headed monkey: They just don't believe their eyes and ears. "You DIDN'T like BBQ Revue? You're nuts! You don't know anything about barbecue." (And that's one of the nicer exchanges we've had with fans of the place.)

Maybe the ribs or chicken will be out of this world. I hope so. And maybe we were just there on a bad day. It happens.

Amber said...

The last time I had City BBQ was after my MS150 ride. I don't know if it was because I was REALLY hungry but I thought the BBQ was awesome. Nobody had mentioned the cornbread though! I went back for seconds on that.

Toddy-O said...

BBQ Revue, very good ribs! (And their commercials have always looked excellent :) )

Amy in Ohio said...

What are Terry's thoughts on Golden Rule in Alabama?

I love love love City BBQ - I didn't even know they had hushpuppies (note to self). We had them at our festival this weekend - big hit. Toby - the manager there was super!

Julie said...

Amy-- I'll let Terry talk about The Golden Rule. It's his favorite, by far. And man, was it good. Mmmm.

Anonymous said...

Mr Blue loves City BBQ, its one of his favorite places. I'm not a huge bbq person (whatev...I'm from Cleveland, we do brats in the summer!) but I'm a huge fan of City BBQ's super-easy online ordering! I've ordered online twice when I've needed a crapton of food for lots of people, and they always do a fabulous job.

it was great meeting you at the Cinci Women Blogger's meeting! I love your blog!

The Boyfriend said...

Amy--Oh my God! I LOVE The Golden Rule!

My earliest recollections of eating out with my parents are from GR. And keep in mind that these memories are from 40+ years ago. All the way into my high school years and beyond, we never passed through Birmingham without eating and/or getting by-the-pound takeout.

Still, it probably isn't quite as good as it used to be. About two years ago, I had my first sub-par meal there. I've heard rumors that management is beginning to cut a few corners (using MSG, for example). But when Julie and I were there back in December, it was fantastic.

They have several locations now, but my memories will always be of the original Irondale location, which was demolished more than 30 years ago. I still remember the waitress who served us virtually every time we ate there. Still remember the in-booth jukebox.

So you know the Golden Rule? You've eaten there?

JKNEPFLE said...

re:BBQ Review...I've never been crazy about the ribs nor the pulled pork. However, the brisket and chicken are phenominal. Give it another try, if you get a chance. Also, the brownies, while maybe boxed (the horror!) are really good, and I'm not even a boxed brownie fan.

Kate The Great said...

Woah! Nice redesign!

vudutu said...

Love the new doo! The last one was a bit, well, pedestrian, This comes off well. Me thinks I am going to have to make a trip out to the Hoakley area.

Julie said...

Thanks, guys! I like this one better too (though I'm still working on it).

JKnepfle-- See Terry's review of BBQ Revue. I didn't like their sauce at all-- not terribly complex, just ketchup, pepper, vinegar and a bit of molasses.

Amy in Ohio said...

Terry - I love Golden Rule. As I told Julie, it makes the LONG ASS drive to Gulf Shores bearable.

We stop in Birmingham - the one near Hoover - is that the one you go to?

Now I'm craving it and no matter my love for City BBQ - it's not the same.

And the fried pies - oh my.

The Boyfriend said...

Amy--The location where I've always eaten is in Irondale (the original location...or what replaced the original location when it was demolished).

Interestingly enough, it's located only a mile or so from the Irondale Cafe, which was Fannie Flagg's inspiration for the Whistlestop in her novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe.

The Boyfriend said...

Amy--I did some research. Actually the original Irondale location is now in its fourth building, though all buildings have been within a mile or two of one another.

It was in its first location from 1891 until the late 1930s.

Second location lasted from the late 1930s until the mid 1950s.

The third location (the one from my childhood memories) was its home until the mid 1970s.

The current building has been its home for more than thirty years.

The Hoover location, the one where you stop on your trips to Gulf Shores, was GR's first franchise. It opened in 1973.

Amy in Ohio said...

Okay, we'll try the Irondale next time - probably September/October (if not this weekend with my enormous craving!).

vudutu said...

City BBQ rocks, go, this has to be one of the best bangs for the buck out there. We went out to Kenwood Thursday night to pick up our new iPhones, hit City BBQ after to celebrate. This was not a good idea. Try to keep your hands off your new toy with BBQ sauce up to your elbows. BUT it was so good we managed. Someone on one of these BBQ posts, perhaps Terry, said "It's about the meat" they were right. City's comes sans sauce, it's good and lot's of it. We did the deluxe sampler, 27 bucks with a couple of Lone Stars and we brought home lunch for two, a deal. Their sauce did not do much for us, way sweet, not enough savory, we cut it with the vinegar sauce to get by. We will bring our
own next time, we are working on a killer quart jar of sauce from Lulling Texas. It came from a friend in Rabbit Hash via his mother. Locally we kind of like the sauce at Walt's Hitching Post, 3300 Madison Pike Covington, KY. We are pretty sure it has coffee in it.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Mini Review: City BBQ

I'm really just showing off the fact that I figured out how to get my Blackberry to upload pictures. Finally!

Terry and I go to City BBQ more often than we should. It's a state chain, founded in Columbus, and they have really good barbecue. If you go to Hyde Park Plaza at the right time, you can smell them smoking and it's absolutely addictive. Terry says it's not quite like home, but it'll do in a pinch.
City BBQ
They have three sauces-- Brushfire, Regular and Mustard. I find little difference between the Brushfire and Regular (Though the brushfire is a bit thicker with molasses), but the mustard is darn good. All three are good, really. They also have good coleslaw, excellent skin-on french fries and great hush puppies. Terry swears he can make a meal just of the coleslaw and hush puppies. I could do the same with the fries! You can also order a whole roasted hog (which I SO want to do someday), chicken, and beef.

It is a great place for "fast" food that is actually tasty.

20 comments:

JKNEPFLE said...

I like that place a lot, especially for the 3 sauces! I usually get the quarter chicken dark, which is great for the price.

If you want to check out a locally-owned BBQ place, go on down Madison a little and check out BBQ Review. The chicken is very good, and their sauce is one of the best I've ever had.

Julie said...

Really? We've been there once and really disliked it-- I hear the problem is that we got the pulled pork, which was just crock pot barbecue.

I STILL haven't dragged Terry to Goodies, which is my favorite local barbecue spot.

ShannanB said...

I haven't eaten at City BBQ, but it's mostly because I love BBQ Review so much. I just can't get enough of that place.

Jeff Elrod said...

awesome blog - if you ever absolutely need to review a place and you can't get there, for whatever reason, my nights are almost always free. tap me in :) and thanks for putting me on your blog roll. here comes the reciprocity.

The Boyfriend said...

I really need to go back to BBQ Revue. People who like the place say it's the best barbecue in the city.

But, as Julie mentioned, the one time we visited, we had pulled pork. Indeed, it tasted like crock pot barbecue...and not even particularly good crock pot barbecue. It was almost soupy (Julie says "watery") from the amount of liquid.

When we mention the experience to people who are fans of the place, they look at us much as they would look at a three-headed monkey: They just don't believe their eyes and ears. "You DIDN'T like BBQ Revue? You're nuts! You don't know anything about barbecue." (And that's one of the nicer exchanges we've had with fans of the place.)

Maybe the ribs or chicken will be out of this world. I hope so. And maybe we were just there on a bad day. It happens.

Amber said...

The last time I had City BBQ was after my MS150 ride. I don't know if it was because I was REALLY hungry but I thought the BBQ was awesome. Nobody had mentioned the cornbread though! I went back for seconds on that.

Toddy-O said...

BBQ Revue, very good ribs! (And their commercials have always looked excellent :) )

Amy in Ohio said...

What are Terry's thoughts on Golden Rule in Alabama?

I love love love City BBQ - I didn't even know they had hushpuppies (note to self). We had them at our festival this weekend - big hit. Toby - the manager there was super!

Julie said...

Amy-- I'll let Terry talk about The Golden Rule. It's his favorite, by far. And man, was it good. Mmmm.

Anonymous said...

Mr Blue loves City BBQ, its one of his favorite places. I'm not a huge bbq person (whatev...I'm from Cleveland, we do brats in the summer!) but I'm a huge fan of City BBQ's super-easy online ordering! I've ordered online twice when I've needed a crapton of food for lots of people, and they always do a fabulous job.

it was great meeting you at the Cinci Women Blogger's meeting! I love your blog!

The Boyfriend said...

Amy--Oh my God! I LOVE The Golden Rule!

My earliest recollections of eating out with my parents are from GR. And keep in mind that these memories are from 40+ years ago. All the way into my high school years and beyond, we never passed through Birmingham without eating and/or getting by-the-pound takeout.

Still, it probably isn't quite as good as it used to be. About two years ago, I had my first sub-par meal there. I've heard rumors that management is beginning to cut a few corners (using MSG, for example). But when Julie and I were there back in December, it was fantastic.

They have several locations now, but my memories will always be of the original Irondale location, which was demolished more than 30 years ago. I still remember the waitress who served us virtually every time we ate there. Still remember the in-booth jukebox.

So you know the Golden Rule? You've eaten there?

JKNEPFLE said...

re:BBQ Review...I've never been crazy about the ribs nor the pulled pork. However, the brisket and chicken are phenominal. Give it another try, if you get a chance. Also, the brownies, while maybe boxed (the horror!) are really good, and I'm not even a boxed brownie fan.

Kate The Great said...

Woah! Nice redesign!

vudutu said...

Love the new doo! The last one was a bit, well, pedestrian, This comes off well. Me thinks I am going to have to make a trip out to the Hoakley area.

Julie said...

Thanks, guys! I like this one better too (though I'm still working on it).

JKnepfle-- See Terry's review of BBQ Revue. I didn't like their sauce at all-- not terribly complex, just ketchup, pepper, vinegar and a bit of molasses.

Amy in Ohio said...

Terry - I love Golden Rule. As I told Julie, it makes the LONG ASS drive to Gulf Shores bearable.

We stop in Birmingham - the one near Hoover - is that the one you go to?

Now I'm craving it and no matter my love for City BBQ - it's not the same.

And the fried pies - oh my.

The Boyfriend said...

Amy--The location where I've always eaten is in Irondale (the original location...or what replaced the original location when it was demolished).

Interestingly enough, it's located only a mile or so from the Irondale Cafe, which was Fannie Flagg's inspiration for the Whistlestop in her novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe.

The Boyfriend said...

Amy--I did some research. Actually the original Irondale location is now in its fourth building, though all buildings have been within a mile or two of one another.

It was in its first location from 1891 until the late 1930s.

Second location lasted from the late 1930s until the mid 1950s.

The third location (the one from my childhood memories) was its home until the mid 1970s.

The current building has been its home for more than thirty years.

The Hoover location, the one where you stop on your trips to Gulf Shores, was GR's first franchise. It opened in 1973.

Amy in Ohio said...

Okay, we'll try the Irondale next time - probably September/October (if not this weekend with my enormous craving!).

vudutu said...

City BBQ rocks, go, this has to be one of the best bangs for the buck out there. We went out to Kenwood Thursday night to pick up our new iPhones, hit City BBQ after to celebrate. This was not a good idea. Try to keep your hands off your new toy with BBQ sauce up to your elbows. BUT it was so good we managed. Someone on one of these BBQ posts, perhaps Terry, said "It's about the meat" they were right. City's comes sans sauce, it's good and lot's of it. We did the deluxe sampler, 27 bucks with a couple of Lone Stars and we brought home lunch for two, a deal. Their sauce did not do much for us, way sweet, not enough savory, we cut it with the vinegar sauce to get by. We will bring our
own next time, we are working on a killer quart jar of sauce from Lulling Texas. It came from a friend in Rabbit Hash via his mother. Locally we kind of like the sauce at Walt's Hitching Post, 3300 Madison Pike Covington, KY. We are pretty sure it has coffee in it.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Mini Review: City BBQ

I'm really just showing off the fact that I figured out how to get my Blackberry to upload pictures. Finally!

Terry and I go to City BBQ more often than we should. It's a state chain, founded in Columbus, and they have really good barbecue. If you go to Hyde Park Plaza at the right time, you can smell them smoking and it's absolutely addictive. Terry says it's not quite like home, but it'll do in a pinch.
City BBQ
They have three sauces-- Brushfire, Regular and Mustard. I find little difference between the Brushfire and Regular (Though the brushfire is a bit thicker with molasses), but the mustard is darn good. All three are good, really. They also have good coleslaw, excellent skin-on french fries and great hush puppies. Terry swears he can make a meal just of the coleslaw and hush puppies. I could do the same with the fries! You can also order a whole roasted hog (which I SO want to do someday), chicken, and beef.

It is a great place for "fast" food that is actually tasty.

20 comments:

JKNEPFLE said...

I like that place a lot, especially for the 3 sauces! I usually get the quarter chicken dark, which is great for the price.

If you want to check out a locally-owned BBQ place, go on down Madison a little and check out BBQ Review. The chicken is very good, and their sauce is one of the best I've ever had.

Julie said...

Really? We've been there once and really disliked it-- I hear the problem is that we got the pulled pork, which was just crock pot barbecue.

I STILL haven't dragged Terry to Goodies, which is my favorite local barbecue spot.

ShannanB said...

I haven't eaten at City BBQ, but it's mostly because I love BBQ Review so much. I just can't get enough of that place.

Jeff Elrod said...

awesome blog - if you ever absolutely need to review a place and you can't get there, for whatever reason, my nights are almost always free. tap me in :) and thanks for putting me on your blog roll. here comes the reciprocity.

The Boyfriend said...

I really need to go back to BBQ Revue. People who like the place say it's the best barbecue in the city.

But, as Julie mentioned, the one time we visited, we had pulled pork. Indeed, it tasted like crock pot barbecue...and not even particularly good crock pot barbecue. It was almost soupy (Julie says "watery") from the amount of liquid.

When we mention the experience to people who are fans of the place, they look at us much as they would look at a three-headed monkey: They just don't believe their eyes and ears. "You DIDN'T like BBQ Revue? You're nuts! You don't know anything about barbecue." (And that's one of the nicer exchanges we've had with fans of the place.)

Maybe the ribs or chicken will be out of this world. I hope so. And maybe we were just there on a bad day. It happens.

Amber said...

The last time I had City BBQ was after my MS150 ride. I don't know if it was because I was REALLY hungry but I thought the BBQ was awesome. Nobody had mentioned the cornbread though! I went back for seconds on that.

Toddy-O said...

BBQ Revue, very good ribs! (And their commercials have always looked excellent :) )

Amy in Ohio said...

What are Terry's thoughts on Golden Rule in Alabama?

I love love love City BBQ - I didn't even know they had hushpuppies (note to self). We had them at our festival this weekend - big hit. Toby - the manager there was super!

Julie said...

Amy-- I'll let Terry talk about The Golden Rule. It's his favorite, by far. And man, was it good. Mmmm.

Anonymous said...

Mr Blue loves City BBQ, its one of his favorite places. I'm not a huge bbq person (whatev...I'm from Cleveland, we do brats in the summer!) but I'm a huge fan of City BBQ's super-easy online ordering! I've ordered online twice when I've needed a crapton of food for lots of people, and they always do a fabulous job.

it was great meeting you at the Cinci Women Blogger's meeting! I love your blog!

The Boyfriend said...

Amy--Oh my God! I LOVE The Golden Rule!

My earliest recollections of eating out with my parents are from GR. And keep in mind that these memories are from 40+ years ago. All the way into my high school years and beyond, we never passed through Birmingham without eating and/or getting by-the-pound takeout.

Still, it probably isn't quite as good as it used to be. About two years ago, I had my first sub-par meal there. I've heard rumors that management is beginning to cut a few corners (using MSG, for example). But when Julie and I were there back in December, it was fantastic.

They have several locations now, but my memories will always be of the original Irondale location, which was demolished more than 30 years ago. I still remember the waitress who served us virtually every time we ate there. Still remember the in-booth jukebox.

So you know the Golden Rule? You've eaten there?

JKNEPFLE said...

re:BBQ Review...I've never been crazy about the ribs nor the pulled pork. However, the brisket and chicken are phenominal. Give it another try, if you get a chance. Also, the brownies, while maybe boxed (the horror!) are really good, and I'm not even a boxed brownie fan.

Kate The Great said...

Woah! Nice redesign!

vudutu said...

Love the new doo! The last one was a bit, well, pedestrian, This comes off well. Me thinks I am going to have to make a trip out to the Hoakley area.

Julie said...

Thanks, guys! I like this one better too (though I'm still working on it).

JKnepfle-- See Terry's review of BBQ Revue. I didn't like their sauce at all-- not terribly complex, just ketchup, pepper, vinegar and a bit of molasses.

Amy in Ohio said...

Terry - I love Golden Rule. As I told Julie, it makes the LONG ASS drive to Gulf Shores bearable.

We stop in Birmingham - the one near Hoover - is that the one you go to?

Now I'm craving it and no matter my love for City BBQ - it's not the same.

And the fried pies - oh my.

The Boyfriend said...

Amy--The location where I've always eaten is in Irondale (the original location...or what replaced the original location when it was demolished).

Interestingly enough, it's located only a mile or so from the Irondale Cafe, which was Fannie Flagg's inspiration for the Whistlestop in her novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe.

The Boyfriend said...

Amy--I did some research. Actually the original Irondale location is now in its fourth building, though all buildings have been within a mile or two of one another.

It was in its first location from 1891 until the late 1930s.

Second location lasted from the late 1930s until the mid 1950s.

The third location (the one from my childhood memories) was its home until the mid 1970s.

The current building has been its home for more than thirty years.

The Hoover location, the one where you stop on your trips to Gulf Shores, was GR's first franchise. It opened in 1973.

Amy in Ohio said...

Okay, we'll try the Irondale next time - probably September/October (if not this weekend with my enormous craving!).

vudutu said...

City BBQ rocks, go, this has to be one of the best bangs for the buck out there. We went out to Kenwood Thursday night to pick up our new iPhones, hit City BBQ after to celebrate. This was not a good idea. Try to keep your hands off your new toy with BBQ sauce up to your elbows. BUT it was so good we managed. Someone on one of these BBQ posts, perhaps Terry, said "It's about the meat" they were right. City's comes sans sauce, it's good and lot's of it. We did the deluxe sampler, 27 bucks with a couple of Lone Stars and we brought home lunch for two, a deal. Their sauce did not do much for us, way sweet, not enough savory, we cut it with the vinegar sauce to get by. We will bring our
own next time, we are working on a killer quart jar of sauce from Lulling Texas. It came from a friend in Rabbit Hash via his mother. Locally we kind of like the sauce at Walt's Hitching Post, 3300 Madison Pike Covington, KY. We are pretty sure it has coffee in it.