I went here after ChowBella's numerous tweets about how good this barbecue was. I've gotta say, I was unimpressed. This is not real barbecue.
First, the good:
-Cocktails were well done and $2 off craft cocktails was a nice special for HH
-Pickled veggies that came with the wings were very good, and ample (and also unexpected)
-Once we were actually able to order, the food and drinks came out in a reasonable amount of time.
-The food was pretty good; the cole slaw that came with the meats was very good, and so were the accompanying tortillas which were good enough that they could have been house made
-They did comp us some drinks for the poor service
Now, the bad:
-the service was awful. Showed up at 5:25 and the first two of 8 were there. Got our first order of drinks fast enough, however, we did not see the server again until 6:05 (having 6 more people show up and get ignored for 20 minutes was inexcusable), which was conveniently right after HH pricing ended. We tried to waive her over several times from 5:45-6 (which was answered with "I know, I'll be right over").
-Chicken wings were good enough. Advertised as "cold-smoked" they tasted like regular fried wings. We ordered the PB&J flavor based on the server recommendation; they were fine, but I'd opt for traditional next time
-A friend and I split the Brisket, Turkey, Mac&Cheese, and Green Beans. When our food came out, we got the Brisket, Pulled Pork, Mac&Cheese and Smashed Potatoes, so we sent the wrong ones back and (eventually) got the correct food.
-the brisket was tender and nicely seasoned, but lacked in smoke flavor. It was also glazed with a barbecue sauce after having been sliced
-The turkey was nice and smokey but had a bit of a cold cut vibe to the thin, uniform slices.
-Mac&Cheese as overly salty; we had two kids order some at the table, and the kids version did not have the Parmesan topping leading to a nice seasoning level
-The comped drinks simply made up the difference between what we should have paid (if we had decent service and got an extra 5 or so drinks as well as wings at HH price) and what the "original" bill had us charged at
-I've never been a huge fan of Southern Pride smokers (although the aroma entering as well as the pit on display by the entrance was a nice touch), preferring barbecue joints that use an Oyler pit or custom models
Overall there was enough promise that I will visit again. With good service and the right order (I would like to try their PBLT as it comes highly recommended) I could see amending this to 3 or even 4 stars for BBQ-inspired New American food, but if you want real, traditional, smoky BBQ, this ain't the place.