Had lunch today at Mabels.
Everyone working here is super friendly and works hard to make sure I had a great experience. I was seated at a communal table with about 10 or so other people. Had nice conversation. Everyone was pretty excited to try the food.
I ordered the This is Cleveland which came with spare ribs, kielbasa, sauerkraut, and pork belly. I was expecting this to come out as individual portions (you, know, the way most BBQ restaurants do it). All of the above came out mixed together on a single plate. The 8 or so people to my left had ordered a bunch of food and shared. I wish I could have shared with them. I was so disappointed my food came out all mixed together like that.
I also ordered lean brisket and JW potatoes and cucumber salad. With an Ice T.
My bill was $50. For lunch.
The lean brisket was overcooked and dry. The ribs were overcooked and falling off the bone. The pork belly was apparently mixed in with the sauerkraut. I couldn't tell if it was or not. So I won't comment on it. The kielbasa was outstanding. Moist on the inside. Had that crisp exterior. Was really good.
As for the sides. The JW potatoes tasted like it had their mustard sauce on it. I don't like Bertmans mustard. Or any spicy mustard for that matter. I could only eat two of these potatoes. I ordered cucumber salad. This was excellent cucumber salad. The sauerkraut tasted like it was cooked in a mustard sauce as well. But because of how it was cooked into it I actually enjoyed it.
They have 2 BBQ sauces on the table. The homemade Bertmans. I get it. Its an hommage to the city and represents Cleveland. I don't like it. I didn't like this sauce. The other sauce was a habanero sauce that was too spicy for me. So I had to choke down the dry brisket with no sauce.
My wife wants to try the place. So I know I'll be back. I know what not to get next time. And what to get. The stack of ribs next to me off the ala carte looked more like what I was looking for. And I'll get the fatty brisket. No way that can be dry. If I do go back for lunch I'll get one of the sandwiches. They looked awesome and the people next to me raved about it. The cheese version was spicy according to him in a good way. As long as its not as spicy as the habanero on the table I may give that a try.
Overall I'd give it a 3.5. Primarily because 2/3 meats I had did not meet my expectations and were dry. And it was waaay overpriced for what I got.