Restaurants

Restaurant or Bike Shop?

On a recent visit to the Lake Norman area of North Carolina, we were starving and desperate for some food. We had just finished touring Raceworld USA and right around the corner was this place called Mac’s Speed Shop. It looked like a restaurant based on the picnic tables outside, but the name made me question if it was a bike or auto shop. We let our grumbling stomachs lead us in and were delighted to confirm that it was in fact an eating establishment. Read More »

Jody Mace, author of the Charlotte on the Cheap blog, knows both a good deal and good BBQ.  And so when asked to share her favorite restaurant, she didn’t hesitate to tell me about Old Hickory House, a Charlotte mainstay located on Tryon Street.

“Just drive down the road and you’ll experience it before you even walk in,” she says.  “There’s just this smell that gets into your car, this sort of sweet and smoky smell that grabs your attention.  And once you smell it, you really have no choice.  You just have to turn into Old Hickory House.”

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People familiar with Sedona know that the main (and fun, touristy) part of town on Rt 89A has just about every type of store – from cheapo knickknack shops to high end art galleries – a traveler needs. One of my favorite restaurants in Sedona AZ is right here: The Cowboy Club is a terrific grub joint, with Southwestern specialties like cactus, bison and rattlesnake (in a tamale, tastes like chicken) along with entrees less threatening to the tender American palate. The owner of the Cowboy Club recently opened up a new restaurant down the road a stretch: The Barking Frog Grille is is beautiful restaurant, with some of the same menu items as the Cowboy Club along with standard all-American fare.

The Barking Frog is in a large, gorgeous series of dining areas, making for a much less crowded lunch or dinner that the smaller Cowboy Club. Plenty of drinks here, including Fat Tire Amber Ale (on tap) and the Prickly Pear and Horny Toad margaritas, add to the Southwestern ambience. It’s always a bit jarring to see seafood listed on a landlocked state’s restaurant menu, but the shrimp tamales (with green chilis and poblano sauce), grilled BBQ salmon, and even the grilled fish sandwich are great and still remarkably fitting. Just like the Cowboy Club, visitors to Sedona can order those cactus fries, buffalo burger (I love this) and even filet mignon. However, most of the menu items are unique to the Barking Frog here and in Park City.

Tom Gilomen, the owner of the two Barking Frogs and Cowboy Club, has a talent for running

Barking Frog's Filet Mignon

restaurants that impart a sense of place as well as great, I’ll-come-again food and drinks. Even though the Barking Frog in Sedona is down the road from the busiest part of 89A, it’s easily worth the 5-minute drive. But watch out – those mouth-watering churros for desert are over the top! Dieters, consider yourselves warned…It’ll take a big hike to work off those delicious treats. The next time I’m lucky enough to vacation in Sedona AZ, I’ll make a point of returning to The Barking Frog.

Barking Frog Grille
2620 W Highway 89A
Sedona AZ
(928) 204-2000

by Gudrun Enger of Kitchen Gadget Girl

KT BBQ in Boulder, Colorado

This is the first and best BBQ I have tasted in Boulder, and not that I have eaten a ton of BBQ, growing up in California as I have, but I am willing to declare this the best BBQ in Colorado!

We stopped by the KT’s BBQ location in Downtown Boulder, located in a little shopping area between Moe’s Bagels and Vic’s Coffee. KT’s is on the backside of the center, facing 13^th Street.

My favorite menu item is the June Bowl – a layered meal of all your BBQ favorites – on the bottom of the bowl goes a little meat, your choice of pork, chicken or beef. That is topped with a little sauce, Kirk’s Killer Beans, a scoop of Red-skinned Mashers, more meat, and finally, more sauce. If you are getting it to go, they cram a lid on and hope the sauce does not squirt through the vent hole.

The Counter at KT BBQ

KT’s has also realized that not everyone can eat ginormous portions of BBQ, so for the diner looking for something a little more modest, they offer a Light Sandwich, with about 3/4 of the meat of a regular sandwich, or the combo plate, Amy’s Light Basket, which includes a Light Sandwich, one side and a drink.

If you are feeding a family (which we were, but we still ordered separately!), KT’s offers a value package with meats, sides, buns, sauce and desserts, which sounds perfect for a picnic during the summer.

This is excellent BBQ, I highly recommend a visit next time you find yourself in Boulder, Broomfield or Denver, Colorado.

Plan your visit:
Store Hours:
Open Monday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Closed on Sunday.

Downtown Boulder
2675 13th St.
303-442-3717

East Boulder
7464 Arapahoe Rd.
303-786-7608

Broomfield
799 Highway 287
303-410-7333

Denver
4030 N. Colorado Blvd.
303-355-5483

Photos courtesy of Kurt Achtenhagen.

Famous Dave's warms up winter

I was a bit skeptical as I watched the construction crews turn what used to be Lonestar Steakhouse into another barbecue restaurant on U.S. 31 South in our Indianapolis suburb. After all, we’re not Kansas City and we already have a chain bbq joint just down the street. On the other hand, this one had a cartoon pig on the sign, so if the food didn’t stand out, it at least promised to be a rollicking atmosphere.

Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que didn’t let me down in that respect. They definitely stuck to the down-home, folksy feel complete with old license plates on the wall, bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, wooden tables and t-shirts bearing slogans like We Serve No Swine Before Its Time for the wait staff. Appropriately, they were playing Marc Broussard’s Home in the background as the hostess seated us in the bar. It’s a song I can’t help but wave my hands in the air to, even if I’m in public.

Nation’s Restaurant News doesn’t vote you “Hottest Restaurant Concept in America” if you don’t get the details right, right?

So as usual with a new menu to pour over, I was stuck. You don’t walk into Dave Anderson’s restaurant and not order BBQ ribs. But I love a good Texas beef brisket, too, and my husband picked now to want BBQ chicken, which is a once-a-decade craving on his part. As we negotiated who would eat what off whose plate, the waitress solved all our troubles by suggesting we just order a feast for two.

Hmm, all three meat choices plus corn-on-the-cob, cole slaw, baked beans, french fries, and corn muffins. Still, I dithered about deliberately asking for that much food until I saw they served it on a garbage can lid. Sold! I’m a sucker for gimmicks.

A man and his dinner

My husband wanted me to report that the Rich & Sassy and Sweet & Zesty sauces were his favorites. Or at least I think that’s what I scribbled on the notepad; it’s hard to read through the barbeque stains. The second I discovered the cole slaw was sweet, the corn muffin moist and the St. Louis style ribs packed with meat, I was too busy chowing to observe niceties like napkins. I can’t believe our waitress suggested dessert after that pig-out — did it look like I had any more room on my shirt for hot fudge brownies?

Not surprisingly, I spent the rest of the evening alternating between running on the treadmill and randomly bursting into song. “Hot damn you should have felt the groove like I was swimming in a sea of soul. The sun was rising and the day was hot, and we was all about to lose control…”

Famous Dave’s

8820 U.S. 31 South

Indianapolis, IN 46227

(317) 859-1102

Photographer credits: Julie Sturgeon

(Photo credit: Virgilsbbq.com)

Virgil’s Real BBQ is right in the middle of NYC, on 152 West 44th St – steps from Times Square. The Times Square area has been cleaned up considerably since since its famously grittier heyday, but it’s still often a congested mess. New Yorkers rush by in car or by foot, barking on their cell phones, while out-of-towners stroll and gawk at the neon sights (annoying those rushed New Yorkers). It’s quite a scene. How fun, then, to find such a great Southern-themed barbeque joint in the midst of all this madness. Virgil’s Real BBQ is one of the best American barbeque restaurants in the city.

Tourists and New Yorkers alike have a great time at Virgil’s Real BBQ. This is not the place to diet or even try to be reasonable – it’s a fun, calorie-filled night out, with a boisterous atmosphere that welcomes kids and messiness. My favorites here are the brisket, ribs, fried catfish, and chicken fried steak, while others rave about the Carolina pulled pork and Owensboro lamb. Virgil’s signature barbeque sauce is tangy, tomato-based, and not terribly spicy. Sides include what you’d expect at a Southern-themed BBQ restaurant: collard greens, mashed potatoes, biscuits, macaroni and cheese, etc. I’ve never been incredibly impressed by the sides, but they don’t detract from the entrees. Well, except for the hush puppies. They are delicious!

(Photo credit: Virgilsbbq.com)

The atmosphere is part of the equation here (as with all the best restaurants in NYC). While plenty of people do come here for lunch during work, or right after work wearing sports coats and ties, decorum is somewhat abandoned for a casual approach to dining. It IS barbeque, after all. Coats slung over chairbacks, ties flung over shoulders, and everyone dives right in. The noise level is notable here, even for a casual BBQ joint. On the whole, I’d say that Virgil’s is as much a tourist attraction as restaurant. Please choose another restaurant if you want a quiet, sophisticated dining experience. However, loud and happy parties are handily accommodated at Virgil’s Real BBQ. It’s big; two stories, in fact. This is unusual for a restaurant in the heart of New York City, but highly useful. The longest I’ve had to wait to get seated was 15 minutes on a weekend (reservations are a good idea).

If you can make room for dessert, I recommend the peanut butter pie. Decadent, sure, but the rest of the meal hasn’t exactly been a model of moderation, has it? You can be healthy tomorrow. Virgil’s Real BBQ is worth it.

Brio Tuscan Grille in Kansas City, Missouri

Mention Kansas City, and most people think of the world’s best barbeque. And it’s true; those of us who travel to this big city in Missouri nearly always enjoy BBQ beyond compare. However, anyone on vacation in Kansas City can’t survive on barbeque for every meal. My favorite classy, high-end Italian restaurant in Kansas City is the Brio Tuscan Grille, and the next time I’m in that fun city, I’ll be sure to eat there again.

Brio Tuscan Grille is part of a large chain with restaurants in nearly every state. In fact, there are two Brio Tuscan Grilles in Missouri alone. But this is no Olive Garden (nothing against Olive Garden, these restaurants are simply more upscale!) in several ways. The service is friendly yet professional, the wine list more than sufficient, and the food…Well. The entrees at this Italian restaurant are great, delicious traditionally Italian fare, and a perfect respite from the ribs and pulled pork for which Kansas City is more renown.

I went to the Brio in Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza, on Nichols Road. Country Club Plaza is a popular, great location in Kansas City, with a lot of luxury shopping and other restaurants for meals and drinks. Brio Tuscan Grille has competitors (Figla’s Italian restaurant comes to mind), but it more than meets the challenge. Specializing in Tuscan fare – hence the name – with beautiful decor and a warm, friendly ambiance, this restaurant has been popular with Kansas City residents for a long time. A reservation is needed on weekends, particularly for large groups.

Dining area, Brio Tuscan

Now, I was with a large group when we ate here: We sat in one of the six banquet rooms and shared large plates of traditional Italian food. There were also a couple of bottles of red wine on the banquet table, and the vino perfectly complemented our meal. Everyone was extremely pleased with all aspects of the restaurant. It’s hard to please everyone in a group! Clearly, the staff at Brio Tuscan Grille know what they’re doing. It’s one of the best Italian restaurants in Kansas City, Missouri.

Photo Credit to DiAichner3

My husband and I unexpectedly found ourselves in Berkeley this weekend. As I strolled down the city’s “Gourmet Ghetto” on Shattuck, I was amazed at how many fresh food markets, vegan eateries and organic, sustainable, high-quality ingredients I saw on the restaurant menus. This included, of course, the famous Chez Panisse owned by Alice Waters, the founder of the California slow-food movement.

Places like this are what make dining in California such a treat. However, for some reason, in the midst of all this beautiful produce, I just kept craving a big ‘ole plate of fatty, greasy, who-knows-where-the-cow-came-from, plate of meat. I’m talkin’ about Texas BBQ.

Maybe it was a case of ‘wanting what I couldn’t have’ but I really wanted to be outside in the Austin summer heat, sitting under an Oak tree with a cold beer and waiting for a table at the Salt Lick BBQ.

Let me give you a sensory image of this place- whirring ceiling fans, old creaky wooden benches, screened porch that lets in the smell of smoked meat and dry summer grass, large pitchers of cold iced tea and platters and platters of BBQ.

Photo Credit to Mccun934

You can bring your own cooler of beer and order ‘family-style’. This means they bring you potato salad, crisp coleslaw, peppery beans, soft bread, tasty ribs, tender brisket, smoked chicken, juicy sausage and pitchers full of their tangy signature BBQ sauce until the whirring fans and your full belly put you into a happy coma. If you are seriously trying to gain weight, you can order pecan pie or peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream to top it all off.

The Salt Lick is a ‘must’ for any visitor to Austin. It is about a 20 minute drive out of town on a winding country road. You can smell the smoking BBQ pits from miles away (ok, maybe not THAT far, but far). Eating here is about great atmosphere as much as it is about great BBQ. It’s Texas at its best. And I’ll admit, I don’t think about where the meat comes from or whether the cabbage for the coleslaw was grown on site with all natural fertilizers.

In Berkeley, I ended up eating organically prepared and quite tasty Ethiopian food…but, all the while I was dreaming of Texas BBQ!

Photo credits to Mccun934 and DiAichner3