| rev:text
| - I checked out their booth with a friend at the Heinz Field Rib Fest on Fri. evening. This is the first year I've gone, and I believe it's the first year they've participated. I wanted to check out one of the local purveyors of ribs, and I'd heard good things about Swhinery, so I decided to give them a try.
My friend and I both ordered the 3-bone teaser (we're both relatively small women) with two sides, which we split. We both had the cornbread, and I ordered the bacon mac 'n cheese, and she ordered the baked beans. The ribs themselves were very good--they were very tender with a nice smoky flavor and fell off the bone. The ribs came covered with a tangy tomato-based BBQ sauce, which was reminiscent flavor- and consistency-wise of the sauce on the ribs I had at a BBQ place in Atlanta (Daddy D'z). However, this sauce had a spicy kick that that sauce didn't have that I wasn't a huge fan of (I don't believe BBQ sauce is supposed to be spicy unless specified). I think I saw red pepper flakes in the sauce, which was probably the source of the heat. The bacon mac was okay, but it didn't wow me the way I was hoping it would, and I felt similarly about the cornbread. The baked beans, on the other hand, were the highlight of the meal, with a nice sweet/savory flavor profile reminiscent of the baked beans my grandmother used to serve.
While this meal was definitely filling and satisfying, I doubt that I'd go out of my way to try the restaurant itself (it's in Beechview, a section of the city I never get to), and I'd probably try another rib purveyor if I return to the Rib Fest next year. 3.5 stars.
|