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| - Best Bar-B-Que in Eastern Ohio!
We found this place a couple of weeks ago and have been back twice since. It is on the west side of the Chardon square, across from the gazebo. From the outside it doesn't look like your typical BBQ place, but on the inside the BBQ is fantastic. There is the perfect level of slow smoke flavor, tenderness, and spiciness. The brisket was good, but the pulled pork and the baby-back ribs have been the favorites. The sauce tastes great, better than Smokey Bones, Cowboys, or Blazen Bills - although it is inconsistent from visit to visit. One time it is thick enough to stick to the ribs then next it is watery to the point where it forms a tasty BBQ soup on the plate.
The decor is the nicest in Chardon and the 20 bin wine list is the most extensive of anyplace I have been to within Chardon. In addition to the BBQ, there is a full menu of everything that you would expect at a typical nice restaurant including a tasty breakfast menu. The wait staff is always friendly and knowledgeable.
On the down side, you can tell that this is still a "small town" restaurant. The staff seems to have set up a "nest" in the bar/lounge area. It is used as a combination of staging area and break room, making the area unusable as a bar. The second odd thing is that the only music seems to be coming from a boom box (?) in or near the kitchen. Rather than the Blues, Jazz, or even Country that you would expect at a classy BBQ joint, there is a combination of classic rock and pop, depending on who is cooking that day, I suppose. The music is not noticeable in the front of the restaurant, but progressively gets louder as you go to the back until it gets loud and rather annoying when you get back to the bar/staff break area. The boom box has been going in two or our three visits, hopefully it stops soon and appropriate music is instead piped through the ceiling mounted speakers.
With a few small changes, Morgan's Place can be a great BBQ destination. We wish them all the best of luck!
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