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| - Lunch, 6/2/14, seated immediately, friendly and knowledgeable hostess. I am an Eastern Style NC aficionado, having eaten it all my life. Others at the table did not have this bias. [g]
Of the items I tried, I'll make comment. Ice tea rather bitter and watery, $2.00. Tasting the sauces -- 5 of them -- was great. I don't know if this is offered to every new customer but it should be. The one with the Habernero was my favorite and really well balanced. The Eastern style sauce was good, actually very good, but just a tiny bit on the sweet side (as Bob Garner said). But seriously, ask for the sauce tasting if you don't get it; they arrive steaming hot.
Stars of the show: The fatty brisket. You must request it well marbled, and it beats anything I ever had in two driving trips across Texas. Next in line would be the ribs. Request them without sauce and use the sauce tray you earlier requested. They were moist, tender, and not too much char. Third star was the sausage. It's a rather sophisticated blend with a natural casing; they don't grind it there but they smoke it there.
The hush puppies are fine, though probably started out as a mix. On this day, the macaroni and cheese was just too dry and one dimensional; I would not order it again. The collards were great, without as much grease as my grandma used.
I do not recommend the fine chopped pork. The flavor is not quite there and the chop is too fine for my taste, but I've met old barbeque masters who prefer it that way. The vinegar/pepper sauce wakes it up for sure. I asked about banana pudding and was told that they use the old time method with Nilla Vanilla Wafers; that's something to try next time.
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