A bit of background: I have "just" recovered from a BBQ road trip to the southern US three weeks ago with some foodie buddies (Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri/Kansas), and still had the taste on my brain, if not the odour of wood smoke in my skin. We sampled a baker's dozen different well-known 'cue joints as well as fried chicken, fusion, and just plain ol' Southern places. Kentucky bourbons and 'shine were had. So when a place advertises itself as "Southern BBQ", I am in.
The Food:
My son and I ordered their special, a beef brisket cheesesteak sandwich with a side ($14), as well as 1 lb. of their smoked wings and a side ($16). We chose their mac and cheese and their BBQ baked beans as the sides, although they have some healthier salad options (not typical for a BBQ joint!). The one side they don't have that I would've hoped to see was collards. The one side I regret not ordering was the hush puppies--that is a really Southern thing.... oh well, next time! I requested their Championship Original and Georgia Mustard sauces (I have acquired a love for mustard-based sauces from South Carolina/Georgia).
I know some other reviews have slighted the fact that the meats are smoked elsewhere and shipped in to be reheated sous vide on site here. This confuses me because I was told by Manon the co-owner that they do indeed have a wood based smoker on site. I wasn't able to confirm this, but I will ask to see it the next time I'm in. Either way, the results are what I'm really interested in:
Beef brisket cheesesteak--the brisket was juicy, had a nice, rich smoke ring to it, and was in no way overpowered by the carmelized onions or non-descript melted cheese (I believe it was a mild white jack cheese, but I could be wrong) in the sandwich. The bun was the right size and held in the juices without disintegrating, just like a proper burger bun. The smoke flavour could have been stronger, and I'd personally prefer the slices to be thicker, but it worked fine in the sandwich. Serving size was more than enough for me, had I been on my own. The mac and cheese side was creamy (my son prefers the baked version with some textural bite to it, but apparently they don't have a salamander on site to be able to do this--could be a good investment for many reasons!) and about average for portion-size.
Smoked chicken wings--meaty, plump and juicy--if these weren't made on site, I really couldn't have cared less. The rub was just right--I'd had smoked wings at Greenwood Smokehouse, and these were straight-up better. The smokiness was also on point, so much so that I ate most of my share without sauce. The baked beans were smoky, not too sweet, but just not that memorable--I think the best I've had was at the 17th St. BBQ in Murphysboro, IL, where they do a combo of different kinds of beans and there are bits of smoky meat in it.
The sauces: The Championship Original is thick, not overly sweet, for me a cross between what I'd found in KC and St. Louis. Manon also brought the Championship Hot, which was liberally sprinkled with black pepper (you can see it and taste it) to kick it up a notch. Black pepper doesn't register on the Scoville scale to me for straight-up capsaicin-acid burn, but it definitely affects the flavour. For me, it paired well with the wings, while the mustard sauce paired well with the brisket. Their Georgia mustard sauce was thinner than I was used to, but still had that savoury-sweet-hot mustard trifecta that I'm addicted to. Unlike some places in T.O. (and most in the States) that offer their sauces in large squeeze bottles, the three came in smallish paper cups--but there was enough for us. I'm sure if we needed more, we would've gotten it.
What made me happiest is that their sauces ARE all served on the side, so you can appreciate the meat for what it is. I've come to not like places that drown their meat in their sauces (I don't care HOW good that sauce is!), it feels like their masking some deficiencies.
The Drinks:
Their liquor selection, for a BBQ joint, is impressive. They have around 50 different whiskies, with more than 2 dozen of those being proper Kentucky bourbons--pretty much the best I've seen anywhere. They even offer a selection of whisky flights! As well, they have several selections of other spirits (tequila, gin, etc.), a modest wine selection, and a decent beer selection (both on tap and in bottle). I ended up having a Neustadt sour lager, which was light and went well with the heavy meats. If I came back with adults, whisky goes SUPER well with BBQ!
Service:
Great. Manon isn't a 'cue master, but she's not the one working the pit, so that doesn't matter! She knows enough to explain the food (I never got a chance to test her on the bourbons!), and was attentive, efficient and humble.
Is this place perfect? Certainly not (I would've given 4 1/2 if I could've, and a few tweaks on the sides would be nice), but it's pretty darn good. I will be back!