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| - Stopped off at the Rock-and-roll Hall of Fame on the way home from Michigan and we were looking for lunch afterwards. We realized we were only few blocks from Mabel's BBQ. Being a big fan of Michael Symon, it was a no brainer.
It wasn't a huge restaurant which surprised me. I'm not sure why I thought it should be huge, but I did. There were long tables inside and about 10 smaller ones outside. We were greeted promptly, and asked if we could sit at the outside tables because it was an absolutely beautiful day. Our server was friendly and very food knowledgeable, which is always a big plus for me. She suggested that we order different things and share as the idea is that Mabel's is representative of a backyard bbq. She also mentioned the wood used for smoking was locally sourced and native to the area.
For meats, my wife ordered the brisket, I got lamb ribs. I mean, c'mon when the hell do you ever see lamb ribs on a menu? Both are served with homemade bread, red Cleveland kraut, and Cleveland pickles. For sides the cucumber dill salad and spatzle with cabbage.
So first the meats, of course. So for the brisket she was given a choice of lean or fatty. Our server recommend the fatty version. Turns out she made the right call. The meat was moist, smoky and melted in your mouth .The dry rub they use is peppery, but not overly. All of the meats are served dry, with a rub, instead of sauce. They do provide a house made mustard based bbq sauce that complimented everything perfectly and my wife really loved it. They also have an option for a locally made habanero sauce which is great if you like heat. So, the lamb ribs, what can I say? We enjoyed them immensely. Same rub, I believe, but they were fatty, moist, and just melt in my mouth goodness. The kraut and pickles provided a nice acidic offset to the rich smoky meats. It was very well done. Just as a side note, the kraut.....outstanding.
Now for the sides, which usually are just a footnote to my reviews, but it wasn't the case here. The sides were simple but very well executed and complimented the smoked meats. The cucumber dill salad was fresh and bright. It comes with a sour cream dressing and red onion. Reminded me of a salad I would make from my own fresh garden vegetables. The spatzle was just about my favorite, the lamb wins the show of course, but not by much. I could have just eaten that. It was warm and buttery with an exceptional mouth feel, chewy but not tough. I loved it.
Are far as negatives the only thing that I can think of is the portion of the lamb ribs. You get 4 ribs for 16 bucks, I would have liked to see a few more on my plate. Other than that, it was all a positive. I recommend this place to anyone who is a fan of bbq done thoughtfully. It wasn't just the great meats, it was all of the other details that made it stand out. Can't wait to go back.
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