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| - Oh CJ's, how you've changed. Back when CJ's first opened it was almost like a small taste of home being from Austin. The meat (esp. the ribs) melted in your mouth, the greens were the right texture and firmness and they even had the delicousness that is Blue Bonnet ice cream all served in a comfy little area with picnic tables. Well, I don't really live on that side of town so I kind of forgot about it until recently this past weekend when I happened to be next door to it. Well, I was told by the person at the front that they are under new ownership and I have to say, food wise this place has changed. There was a little construction going on and since it's under new ownership that's understandable, but the place just seemed dead which is the complete opposite of when I first went there.
I ordered the ribs, beef brisket, greens, and mac and cheese. Let's start with the sides first: The greens - still delicious, with a hint of bacon in them, the M &C - not bad, pretty good no real complaints, the beef brisket - tender, but wayyyy more fatty than I last remember and a little saltier too but still not bad.
However, the ribs I'm sorry but I have to give them a solid D-. They were rubbery, barely seasoned, chewy and gristly, and no amount of their delicious barbecue sauce could compensate for their overall lack of quality. I couldn't even get the dog to eat the leftover ribs, and that's saying something since he would probably eat a rock covered with barbecue sauce if his teeth were strong enough. I don't know if this is due to new ownership and changed meat quality or if maybe my taste buds have changed since I was last there but this is not how ribs are supposed to be. Well CJ's if you go back to your old self, me and the fam will come back more frequently but if this is what you're doing with your ribs, I think I'll just stick with Lucille's BBQ over in the District.
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