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| - In the past couple of years I've gotten on a barbecue kick, and have been trying all the places in town. I hadn't eaten here in perhaps fifteen years, and was looking forward to some tasty, tender barbecue. As I do every time I try a different BBQ restaurant in order to make valid comparisons (my backgroud, after all, is as a research scientist), I ordered the same thing I order everywhere--a beef brisket sandwich.
The first downer is that you have to tell them which sauce you want on your sandwich. No samples--you just have to guess. (That's one reason I love Bobo's so much--they let you apply your own sauce, choosing from a half dozen vats that enable you to experiment as much as you like.)
To my surprise, it was not sliced beef but rather small shreds of meat. The meat was dry and rather tasteless, even with the added sauce I poured over it to provide some semblance of gustatory attraction. Because I don't eat much meat (even though at heart I remain a dedicated carnivore due to my upbrining in Texas), every expedition to a barbecue place is a special occasion for me. I either gorge myself in carnivorous excess, or restrain my lusts sufficiently to take the meat home so I can have yet another feast of flesh.
A first for me: I ate only half my sandwich, and discarded the rest in the trash bin. I just didn't want ever to eat any of that stuff again.
The French fries--which come with every order whether or not you want them, thus artificially jacking up the price--were soggy.
Another downer: I detest having televisions ruin the placidity of a meal. When I sat down, a party of six was in the same room. Because one or another of them occasionally glanced up at the TV, I said nothing. Had they unambiguously NOT been watching, I would have asked management either to turn it off or to turn off the sound. After this party left, I quickly considered doing something about the TV--but then various employees kept walking back into the room, standing around to watch the TV for a half minute or so, and then leaving--only to be replaced seconds later by one or more other employees. (I think perhaps it was a sporting event? Anyhow, I recall thinking that, if I managed a restaurant, I would want my workers to be working.)
I won't ever try this place again.
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