$10, $20, $30: Columbus BBQ
By Amy Fisher |
|
$10
Holy Smoke
North Market
59 Spruce St.
(614) 223-0322
www.holysmokebbq.biz
Holy Smoke BBQ chicken
Photo: Christopher Atwood
Holy Smoke, located in the North Market, has a barbecue sauce worthy of the name. The sauce is rich and complex, with a strong smoky start that finishes with a vinegary tang. The tomato and sugar served as a backdrop for the almost scotch-like smoky quality. I enjoyed my sauce with the smoked chicken wings and two sides (8.99). Never have I thought to order poultry at a barbecue place, but the old Yoho's chefs know their way around a wing. I now understand what people are seeking when they ask for their wings extra well done. The smoker rendered the skin and fat just enough to give a tight crispy exterior, sealing in the juicy meat next to the bone. The crispy texture and smoky chicken would have left most sauces superfluous, but theirs is no ordinary sauce. The coleslaw, although runny, had a creamy quality that paired expertly with the barbecue sauce, and the cornbread was reserved in its sweetness, very moist and crumbly.
$20
City Barbecue
2111 W Henderson Rd.
(614) 538-8890
www.cityqbbq.com
City BBQ city sampler
Photo: Christopher Atwood
Once I heard some jerk say that you can't get any good BBQ North of the Mason-Dixon Line. I, In fact, was that jerk. Thank you, City Barbecue, for making me eat my words - and your delicious food. The former barbecue competitors created a home for fine slow cooked meats in Columbus. I visited the original location on Henderson Road. I recommend the City Sampler (13.99) for first time patrons. They give you a great value, especially considering the giant portions served of each featured cut. The beef brisket and pulled pork were equally tender. The crisp and flavorful dry-rubbed exterior was represented in equal proportion to the tender fall off the fork center cut. In true BBQ-purist fashion, none of the meats are drowned, or even tossed in, a sauce. Old High Life and Corona cardboard six packs sit at each table and hold six different sauces, located conveniently next to the roll of paper towels. I enjoyed the Carolina-styled vinegar and "Burning Bush" sauces the most. The Texas smoked sausage and smoked turkey breast were both surprisingly tender and moist. These people know meat. For best results dine in. Not only are these people serious about their food, they also cultivate the perfect ambiance. Each of their restaurants has a receiver for their house blues station, featuring legends such as the great Muddy Waters and Lightin' Hopkins. This is how you eat barbecue.
$30
Montgomery Inn
4565 W Dublin Granville Rd.
(614) 791-7427
www.montgomeryinn.com
Montgomery Inn slab o' ribs and Saratoga chips
Photo: Christopher Atwood
Ask someone from Cincinnati about Montgomery Inn, and you will probably see a glimmer of pride in his or her eyes. They love their barbecue sauce, and so does the Inn. How else would you explain the Saratoga chips (4.95)? Thick cut house-made potato chips with a bowl of their signature barbecue sauce on the side. Might sound crazy, but it works. A slab of ribs (25.95) is a generous meal. The ribs arrive at the table saturated in barbecue sauce, a fine example of what most people have come to think of as barbecue. The flavors all mingle well together in a rich warm harmony. The meat falls off the ribs, melting in your mouth with excellent fat-to-flesh ratios. The winning secret to the outstanding taste of the ribs are the small amounts of char that add texture and flavor as your taste buds traverse through the sauce and into the meat. Although, I wouldn't normally eat a thirty-dollar meal in a restaurant with large-screen televisions in the dining room, I can make an exception for a few nice beers and an exceptional rack of ribs.
Originally Published: June 1, 2009
