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| - Iron chef, Michael Symon has another hit in Cleveland, this time a hip barbecue restaurant on east 4th. Having travelled to many of the great barbecue institutions of America - Texas, Memphis, St. Louis - I was hesitant walking though the door on the authenticity and quality of the food. Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised. In addition to excelling at the barbecue fundamentals - Symon integrates his signature pickling talents into several of the side dishes - offering a unique twist pairing with the traditional barbecued meats.
The restaurant it's self is best described as a mix of modern and a bit of southern charm. Nice two floor spacious design.
If you love bourbons, your going to love the bar selections. For the signature cocktails, there were 3 types of manhattans alone. The Michael Manhattan is the way to go, a bit steep on the price point, however it is well worth it - plus they give you a pretty generous pour. One of the best manhattans I have had to date.
For appetizers, you have to stretch yourself and try out the pig parts - pig ears are delicious. Crispy and tender, with a great spicy seasoning. Very tasty and with the try - and added bonus is that you can brag you have had pig ears before!
For main entree, brisket is the best on the menu - would highly recommend the fatty cut. Hands down on of the best brisket I have tried. The home made ballpark mustard based barbecue sauce goes perfectly with the cuts of meat. Ribs on the other hand were mediocre at best. The ribs were pretty dry, over cooked, and not tender at all. When comparing the 2, the brisket is definitely the way to go. For sides, we order the greens and cole slaw. Great job on the pickling of the veggies in the Cole slaw - and loved the fact is was not overflowing with the mayonnaise. The combination of the pickled sides, with the mustard barbecue sauce, and the smoked meats was perfect.
Try this place out, worth a visit. Understand there is sometimes some long lines here - hit it up later in the night - we went at 11 on a Friday night and the place was empty.
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