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| - "Hand rubbed meat can't be beat." That's what a t-shirt reads. It's hung up on the wall next to other things, like posters with catchy phrases and local acknowledgments of Hap's being the best BBQ around town.
This place is really just a hop, skip and jump from my office. On a rainy November day, BBQ sounds superb. So, I hop, skip and jump over to Hap's. It's my first time and I'm curious to see how they do BBQ. After all, I hail from the south, you could say, and have eaten some pretty great BBQ in Oklahoma and Texas.
At Hap's around 12 on a Friday, there's a line out the door. I agree to wait. The wait allows me to check out the decor and patrons. It's mostly men here, and I begin to think, "What a meat market." Literally, with pulled pork, lamb, chicken, ham and links as your choices. But, all I see when I look around are young and middle aged men. Some are rather cute. Who knew such things existed in this business area off Washington and 48th St.
I'm not the only one with wandering eyes. I notice several of the patrons take notice of me, the only young female in the place. Yep, that's right. I'm here for the BBQ.
The menu is a bit cumbersome to read. There's the regular menu and a catering one. Then there's a small black board with suggested specials. I jump at the chance to try their smoked BBQ lamb with their mint dressing on the side. Mint isn't the only dressing option you have, but it sounded like the ideal match for lamb - even the little black board said so.
So, it's my turn at the register. The woman behind the counter gives me a big, friendly smile. I smile back. "I'd like to try your smoked lamb sandwich with mint on the side." I tell her it's to go. She punches up my total - $5.07 - runs my card and hands me a receipt. She also asks for my name, for when you place an order here and it's ready, they shout out your name. Not some number. Not profanity. Your name. Very cool. Well, they didn't have a chance to shout my name. While the woman hands me my receipt copy and card, a man leans over the counter. "Alicia?" Yep. "Here you go. Enjoy." I didn't even have to wait one millisecond. I snatch up the bag and left. It's not that I wanted to eat there, but if I had, there wouldn't have been any open booths anyway - just a couple of stools against the wall, nearly in the way of the line of hungry lunchers.
I anticipate biting into the sandwich and having an "oohhh" moment. The sandwich is sloppy, pieces of lamp escaping the entrapment of the bun. I dunk the lamb pieces in the mint dressing, which is my favorite part of the sandwich. Don't get me wrong, the meat is good. It just didn't wow me. Nor did the bun, which is your basic hamburger bun you can buy at the grocery store. The sauce was also just okay. I mean, I could tell it was BBQ sauce, but, let's face it, it wasn't oh-my-god BBQ sauce. So...
3 stars for Hap's. I can see why Phoenix likes this place, for it offers up a plethora of BBQ options and sides, including broccoli and cheese casserole. Or, supposedly, they have a really great cauliflower casserole. My friend says so. If that's not your thing, there's bags of chips, cobbler (peach, cherry, etc.), chocolate nut brownies and even coleslaw.
So, why not a higher rating? Because I wasn't wowed by their translation of BBQ. Granted, I ordered one simple sandwich, but even that one simple sandwich, with all its flavor and sustenance, wasn't enough for me to deem this place my preferred lunch destination.
Yet, it's definitely worth checking out.
(But, as my friend told me, "It's no Honey Bears.")
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