BBQ is about what you deliver. Service was five star and the brisket was a sold ten. So why three stars? Since the TV chefs are seldom, if ever, in the house working, their recipe spirit, and the day-to-day is at the hands of managers and the kitchen. So deduct the Michael Symon gushing. This is Mabel's.
Where it works is in the dishes like the potatoes that counter the greasy by baked then fried, tossed in a splash of vinegar and sprinkled with green onions. Where it fails are the cold beans drowning in sauce, or the hugely tasty dry rub on super thin ribs full of fat and very little meat.
A word on the barbecue sauce: watery. Taste is good, but I poured some on to my tray and it was liquid. Not a winner.
The bar was a serious slap. Angels envy that I grabbed at my hotel the first night for $12 two blocks away was a noteworthy $32 at Mabel's! It wasn't alone: All of the inventory of whisky was vastly overpriced. They have really rare stuff like Pappy 32 at about double it's price in FL. $235. New York prices in Cleveland? Carry a few less lofty pocket pickin' picks. That's my other star.
I would love to come back and give it four or more...