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| - I went to Barque for dinner about three weeks ago and I'm still dreaming about the brisket!
We went without reservations, but hoped that arriving at 5:15 (it opens for dinner at 5) would mean we could get a table fairly quickly. No such luck. The hostess quoted us 1.5h wait time, but my normally-impatient boyfriend fell prey to the delicious BBQ smell and was happy to wait. We were overjoyed to get a call 45 minutes later about two available seats, and it was definitely worth the wait!
First things first: the drinks. I tried the famous bacon-rimmed Caesar and was thoroughly impressed, though it was probably a bit too much considering all the food I was about to devour. Plus it came with an asparagus stalk, and I'm all about creative Caesar accoutrements (celery need not apply).
Shared the platter for two and sampled the brisket (heavenly), beef ribs (ginormous) and chicken breast (boring choice, but super delicious) and three sides including French fries, corn on the cob and brussel sprouts. As a brussel sprout fan I was a little disappointed since I expected it to be a hot side dish and instead it was more like a cold salad. Still, the flavor was pretty good, but the texture would have been much better if warm. In any case, there was PLENTY of food for two people to share and, if you plan on ordering some appetizers, prepare to go home with either your jeans unbuttoned or leftovers.
I appreciate that Barque thinks of the little things: the buckets of popcorn and individual basting brushes that come with the cutlery are a nice touch. The two types of BBQ sauce are great, though with some choices (BRISKET), BBQ sauce is not necessary.
The vibe is relaxed and not at all pretentious. When I was there, they were playing cartoons on the TV. It's a small space crammed with as many people as they can fit, but it's surprisingly not noisy. If you're looking for a casual place with good food, this is a must-try.
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