Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you that I am full of it ... er ... full of opinions! They’ll also tell you that I am not afraid to voice them! Now that I’ve been doing this for a while, I come to realize that having opinions and voicing them are two different things! Until a few months ago i mostly stayed with the “chain” restaurants - Famous Daves’s, Smokey Bones, etc. And while those guys do a good job, their food is very “commercial.” Now that I’ve started looking for those little local “holes in the wall” I’ve found a whole new level of BBQ! You’ll find that most of the restaurant reviews are positive - that’s because I ask the locals (usually my students) where to go. A technique I suggest you follow whenever you travel - you’ll get a few bad ones (they can’t all be gems,) but overall you’ll be happy!
My first reviews were unorganized, and to be honest, probably not all that helpful. I’ve put together a list now, and I’ll try to follow this as closely as possible so that there is some consistency in my approach. Everything is based upon the sauce “Splat” rating (based upon the thoery that the better the BBQ, the more sauce on the shirt...”
1 Splat - don’t bother, even the decor isn’t worth a stop!
3 Splats- I won’t go back, but at least you can eat the food.
5 Splats - This my ranking for “commercial BBQ” - Famous Dave’s, Smokey Bones, etc. would fit right here.
7 Splats - This is good food and definitely worth a visit.
9 Splats - If you don’t go here when you have the chance you are missing out on one of the local attractions!
10 Splats - This place is good enough to visit more than once during a trip ... doubling up on a restaurant when I’m out of town is a rarity!
Super Splat - It might actually be worth a plane ride *just* to eat here! (Rarely given, but this is a restaurant that goes above and beyond!)
Look to the left and you’ll see that there are links to restaurant, product, and book reviews. I travel quite a bit in my day job as a computer geek which affords me the opportunity to sample the local fare all over the US as well as the occasional international city. (This probably explains why I’m built the way I am, but I enjoy it nonetheless!)
When I’m home my cooking hobby helps to clear my head of all those technical headaches we geeks often bring home from work. I watch the various food/cooking shows, try their recipes and tips at home, and sometimes even buy their products. My goal is to actually start making a few bucks off my hobby — so I can write off all those stupid purchases :)