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| - Mabel's is out of the park fabulous.
The space is a touch industrial with interesting finishing touches. The two communal tables and several individual tables are well placed and keep the space open with a good flow. Every time I've been the restaurant has been full and noise has never been a problem either on the first floor or second.
We've ordered most of the menu and completely enjoyed every single thing. I wasn't expecting to like Mabel's as much as I did. I am a red sauce kind of BBQ girl. I like mustard sauces fine for South Carolina- style pulled pork but even for pulled pork I usually prefer a dab of red BBQ sauce. The Bertram's Mustard and Vinegar sauce that MS came up with is BEYOND. It blew me away both with how it tastes on its own and with how completely fabulously it pairs with the meats. The mustard sauce elevates the meats, enhances the amazing spice blend of the rubs and the vinegar in it is just what you need to temper the delicious fattiness of the meats. And, the meats, seriously. I adore the spice blends used for the rubs which are far from the traditional American BBQ rubs. Think more Eastern European-style, reminiscent of pastrami seasoning with plenty of coriander doing its fabulous thing. I've had every meat on the menu and the pastrami special (offered occasionally) and have been thrilled with everything however, I will say, the star of the show is the giant beef rib. The beef rib comes out with a gorgeous crust/bark that, with the gentlest nudge from a fork, gives way to tender meat and bits of fat that are like candy. If I was going and could only order one meat it would be the beef rib.
In my book, BBQ must have traditional sides- greens and mac & cheese please, maybe some macaroni salad too. Anyplace that doesn't serve mac & cheese with BBQ is starting at a deficit for me. With that in mind, I have to tell you, as disappointed as I was that there was no mac & cheese, after our meal not only did I not miss it but I can say it would have been out of place with this meat. The greens are absolutely perfect- no sweetness and just enough bitter to balance the fatty BBQ. The Smoked Beets, lightly dressed with vinegar and oil and topped with fresh grated horseradish, offer the same kind of balance to the 'Q. The potatoes (parboiled, smashed then fried) are almost as rich as the meat but the vinegar spritz tempers the decadence and makes one want just one more bite until they're gone. I was dubious about the broccoli salad with dried cherries and peanuts but was won over at the first bite. The broccoli is delightfully crisp. The creamy dressing, while on the heavy side (for me), is cool and tangy, redolent with dill, and a welcome relief on the tongue from the fattiness and spice of the BBQ. The peanuts and dried cherries in the broccoli salad are a great textural element. The paper thin, sliced pickles from Cleveland's a pickle and red cabbage kraut from Cleveland Kraut nice foils to the richness of the meats.
I haven't been able to stop thinking about how good the BBQ is and how crazy it is that Michael Symon has actually created a whole new style of BBQ, whole cloth. That's crazy and amazing and fabulous.
If there was one disappointment it was the dessert offerings, not that we had room for dessert or think most people would but, three types of puddings being the only items to chose from didn't inspire me. We tried the pudding on one visit and it was decidedly "meh". I would like to see something for dessert as creative and thoughtful as the rest of the menu. Minor quibble in the face of absolutely amazing BBQ and genius sides.
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