If you know me, you know I dig BBQ. You also probably know that Rowdy BBQ is one of my favorite BBQ joints, if not the favorite. Different moods & days for different BBQ, right? I could eat from Rowdy BBQ every day. Health be damned!
Like I said, the pulled pork was absolutely delicious. But, I’m not gonna turn down free brisket twice. What am I, crazy? So, I emailed them.
Today, the mailman left a nifty surprise on our porch:
Rowdy BBQ – Gift Certificate & BBQ Sauce
Rowdy BBQ – Box in the mail!
Rowdy BBQ – Goodies!
Rowdy BBQ – Business Card
Thanks to “Rowdy the Rooster” & Steve for taking the time to go way beyond simple customer satisfaction!
Speaking of Rowdy… I hope he’s only temporarily headless? I noticed that the famous (infamous?) sign only had hands when I was there.
If you’ve never had the BBQ here, I recommend everything. Ha ha. Generally I go with the sampler so I get ribs & chicken or a brisket if I have a somewhat slightly smaller appetite. The Big Pig is also incredible, pulled pork & cheese sauce on a giant bun. I also like the pierogies. Mmm. I’m going to have to use this gift certificate pretty damn soon.
I look forward to using this sauce at home. Lately I’ve been using the Yuengling Black & Tan Honey Barbecue sauce, but this will be all kinds of delicious. I can say though that it can’t be nearly the same as when they cook it.
Thanks again, Rowdy BBQ!
Thanks to "Rowdy the Rooster" & Steve at rowdybbq for the awesome surprise in the mail today! Great… http://t.co/64BgXk9zJA
Last night before the band played a show in Bloomfield, my wife & I stopped with some friends at Yinzburg BBQ on Baum Blvd. in Bloomfield. Last time I was in that building it was a Roly Poly, and it’s certainly a different place now.
Yelp | Pittsburgh BBQ
I’m a huge fan of BBQ and I have been reading great reviews about the place online, so I was very anxious to check it out. (Also, I’ve been in a BBQ mood lately.) Of course with the whole shellfish allergy thing, I took a look at the menu online before we went down. My mouth was watering at all of the delicious prospects. Thankfully, there is no deathfish present on the menu. I’ve sadly gone to places before that have had daily specials or menu revamps that aren’t online… so I decided to send them an email. I was met with a quick, friendly & inviting reply from owner & chef Richard. His philosophy seems to be summed up in his email signature:
1. Barbecue is a cuisine; Barbecue sauce is a condiment!
2. The sauce is served on the side.
3. The love is in the rub!
When we walked in we were greeted by a woman with a sweet southern accent who asked us if we had ever been there before. We indicated that we hadn’t & got a lesson in the 4 main & 2 hot barbecue sauces. I liked the vinegar one & the signature red… And, I liked that you could get 2 different ones with your meal. Next time I might get the mustard sauce.
I had the brisket & pulled pork combo with the signature red & vinegar sauces (served on the side, so you can apply or dip however you like), the coleslaw, and a root beer from Natrona. I tried both meats sans sauce, and they were incredible. I found myself having a hard time deciding which sauce I liked better with which meat. The coleslaw was creamy and flavorful. I also had a sample of my wife’s mac n’ cheese (she got a delicious looking half chicken), and our friends’ collard greens. The mac n’ cheese was nice & creamy and the collard greens were delicious. I’ve sadly never had any until now. We even had a very satisfied vegetarian in our midst who seemed to really like the smoked tofu wrap. It’s not every day you find a BBQ place that serves vegan and vegetarian items.
There were two 2-seater tables outside, and 2 tables with standing room only inside. We stood as we dined,negotiating around the mountain of food in front of us. Halfway through the meal, I was already planning what to order for my next visit. Next time it’s chicken & ribs… maybe the black eyed peas on the side. Next time will also be soon! They asked us to tell our friends… and if you’re reading this… you’re my friend, and you need to go check this place out!
I was so enamored with the food… I forgot to take a photo to upload to UrbanSpoon… oh well, maybe next time!
Well, you probably know I like barbecue. I’m a big fan, and I’m always willing to try out new places. Well, new places that don’t have shrimp or other deathfish on the menu. I’ve scoped out the web sites three places I haven’t tried… perhaps they’re rather new? Can anyone tell me if they’ve been to any of these places & what they think? (Or if they have any stuff on site that’s not listed on the online menu?)
Perhaps, like movie nights, I can organize a Pittsburgh (& surrounding area) BBQ tour? Would anyone be interested?
I’d like to check out the following BBQ restaurants…
I love barbecue, or BBQ or Bar-B-Q or whatever you want to call it. This isn’t going to be a blog about what you think the “real” definition of barbecue is (wet/dry, smoke/no smoke, slow & low/fast & hot, sauce/no sauce, charcoal/gas, grill/pit)… the purists all claim to be right, and the term can be applied to the meat (or veggies I guess), the cooking, the spices, the sauce, or the gathering. If you want to argue/learn about the differences, check out Wikipedia.
Since I’m just a fan of barbecue, not a professional BBQ cook, and live in Pittsburgh not the south*… I won’t take a stand on the issue. I like all varieties. (Although, would chipped ham barbecue be “Pittsburgh Style” BBQ? I’d support that.)
I was inspired to write about BBQ today because I recently had an excellent dinner form the Pittsburgh Barbecue Company. It reminded me of my three favorite barbecue joints. I was just wondering what other people thought of them, and what other awesome local BBQ joints might not be on my radar.
Rowdy BBQ
Rowdy BBQ Tagline: “We think of you when we pull our pork!” – I swear this place used to be called Brentwood Express or have it in the name somewhere… but now the site’s commercial strictly says “Rowdy BBQ”, so we’ll go with that.
At any rate, this is my favorite barbecue sauce. I love this stuff! It’s a sweet yet spicy sauce. They have a killer menu with all kinds of fun things like “The Big Pig”, “The Whole Hog”, and the “Knuckle Sandwich”. I usually get the ribs/chicken combo with some fries and eat just enough to make myself almost sick. The ribs are always cooked perfectly, sometimes the chicken is dry, but not “ooh I can’t eat this” dry. The fries are awesome, and this is the only place out of my 3 favorites that even has fries. (They used to have excellent pierogies, but I don’t think they’re on the menu anymore.) I’ve had the Big Pig & the brisket sandwiches, they are awesome. I want to try the cheese steaks, but at pulled to the BBQ offerings every time I’m there. I want to buy the sauce to bring home, but then I won’t have an excuse to go there. The parking lot is chaos, and you’re eating about 5 feet away from the traffic on Rte. 51 when you’re on the one site… but I can never wait to get home to eat, gotta eat it there! (And, I’d miss the rowdy rooster!)
Pittsburgh Barbecue Company Tagline: “That place on Banksville…” – This place is the closest to home for me, and is pretty damn tasty BBQ. The sauce is a little more tangy than sweet. I go for the brisket or pulled pork here more often than the ribs… but the ribs & chicken are damn good. I like their mac n’ cheese. It’s got a tasty homemade feel. They have a pretty minimalist menu, but I really like that. They know what they do, and they do it well. My wife Bethany loves their baked apples side. The cornbread is excellent too. They seem to be a little expensive here, but again, it’s worth it. You definitely get what you pay for… the meat portions on the sandwiches are huge.
The sauce is nice & peppery. I get a spicy tingle every time we dine here. There’s also a nice outside dining area, and although sparse like Rowdy BBQ, you’re not eating amid exhaust like you are on Rte. 51. It’s got a nice little log cabin/shack feel inside. They also tout a bunch of “#1’s” on their site, most recent being Pittsburgh Magazine’s “Best in the ‘Burgh 2010”. This place is no secret, even if it is hiding back off of the main road.
Clem’s Cafe Tagline: “Home of the nice racks, big breasts, juicy thighs, and warm buns! ” – This one is way out there, but really worth the drive. They have an excellent tangy sauce… I can taste the vinegar in it, but it blends well with the overall flavor. The best part about Clem’s is that hands down the meat is always falling off the bone on the ribs… and always always juicy with the chicken. I like the mac & cheese here, and the ability to get the Boylan’s root beer or birch beer.
The dining facilities are great, it’s always a nice place to sit & eat. They have a concise menu, again not too much, you know exactly why you’re there… for the BBQ!
So, where else should I try? My #1 criteria in finding a cool new BBQ place is that they don’t have shrimp(or any other shellfish) on the menu… like Rib Cage BBQ. I like the BBQ places because of the limited menu & no chance of cross-contamination. It’s nice to be able to completely relax at an eating establishment.
I would love to be able to get some turkey at a BBQ place though… either deep-fried & topped with some sauce… or in a pulled-pork style or brisket-style sandwich… or turkey legs. Man, I love turkey legs.
So, flood me with commentary!
*There are a number of people around here that do indeed think we are a southern state… “Pennsyltucky” and all…
It’s simple, really. It’s a small, simple act that’s a symbolic gesture, and may be complete and total BS in all practicality or reality… but it made me feel comfortable today. I have discussed my shellfish issues before, and have been ridiculed for suggesting that the food service industry take any more action on allergy issues, awareness, and cross-contamination than they already are. I can’t explain why or how, but this one little sign put me at ease. Why? Because it was simply acknowledgment, I guess. Maybe that’s all I want or need. At any rate, kudos to you, Market District Cafe in Robinson! What am I making such a big fuss about? Not much really, just this…
That’s all. No biggie. But, to me, it means so much. I did happen to ask the guy behind the counter about what all was cooked on the grill that I can see, and he was happy to inform me that there is indeed no shellfish that touches said grill surface. It’s not a big deal to you most likely, but it is to me. So I blogged about it.
January 16, 2010 – Really likes it – I really never thought I’d be this excited about a grocery store. The team at Giant Eagle/Market District that put this place together are geniuses. It’s not the first time I’ve been to the store, but today was the first time eating in their cafe. Floor layout plan and traffic flow not withstanding, this is a great place to eat! It’s almost a cross between a food court and hospital cafeteria… with really really good food. You can choose form a bunch of little islands or counters of food… Pizza, Crepes, Rosti, Salad Bars, Hot Bar, Grill/Rotisserie station, and more that I haven’t really looked into yet.
My wife went for a really nice-looking Italian panini with the thickest slice of mozzarella, I’ve ever seen and a nice little side salad with assorted greens, and dropped it off with a Market District brand peach oolong iced tea. She really thought the sandwich was fresh and filling, and is looking forward to trying of the other options. (They had some nice-looking reubens there too!)
I went right to the rotisserie/grill/BBQ area (of course) and my eyes were drawn to the brisket. I got a combo which included the brisket & side… I chose the grilled vegetables… normally for $6, but I got $1 off with my Giant Eagle advantage card. I also snagged a roll (gotta get those carbs!) and a Boylan’s Birch Beer. I chose a St. Louis Style BBQ sauce with the brisket that was a perfect compliment t the juicy beef, and the grilled veggies were perfect. They were just vegetables, the taset wasn’t hidden with a sauce or too many spices. We got an excellent meal IMHO for just over $14.
The thing that impressed me the most was when I was asking the chef/cook behind the counter about what all was cooked on the grill due to my shellfish allergies, he was very patient, kind, and even double-checked with another employee. Then, when I got to the edge of the counter, I spied a sign noting possible cross-contamination listing all the major allergens, and how one should be sure to ask the staff about any cross-contamination. It’s an odd and very small gesture, but it means the world to someone like me who’s generally in a constantly worrisome state when dining out. I applaud their taking note, and to me it says a lot about the company & the people.
Photos of the sign & both our meals have been uploaded to the photo section.
And oh yeah… they have BEER! In a Grocery Store! in PENNSYLVANIA! Genius. I didn’t get any this time, but I saw 6-packs of Straub Special Dark for $6.97 and the wife was eying up the extra large bottles of Raspberry Lambic for only $12.99. We will be back to get some beer!
World (and Lunar) Domination 