BBQ Thursday- Blind Pig, near Jackson

Blind Pig  BBQ- middle of nowhere, Butts County, GA

The family outside Blind Pig BBQ

Last weekend my family gathered at Jackson Lake to do some early season fishing and spend some quality time together. We could not have been more blessed with the weather or the company in my opinion. On Saturday, after fishing that morning, dad wanted to take me to Blind Pig (he’s a bigger bbq fan than me…check out his blog here). So we loaded up and went. The atmosphere at Blind Pig bbq was really good for a ‘cue joint. It has the look and the feel, which is somewhat rare. I was eager going inside.

Once in, you order at the front counter. They had a good menu selection and are not too bad on price. As always, I got the sandwich, stew and slaw. It did seem to take a little longer than I am used to waiting, but I was informed that it normally takes no time at all to get the food out, so I’ll chalk that up as an exception. They have peanuts on the table here, which I assume would please most folks.

First things first, the sweet tea was very good. Just sweet enough, I couldn’t find a flaw in it. I needed a second glass before I even got started due to their hurting hot bbq sauce. If you like hot you’ll like this. It was HOT! Their traditional hot sauce had heat as well. I liked the regular sauce (I’m a wimp I guess). It was a little sweet, but pretty good.

So, on to the bbq.

The sandwich, in my humble opinion, was good, but not great. Honestly it was just a little on the dry side. Adding some sauce to it made it better. There simply wasn’t anything overwhelming about it though, so it gets a 3.5 out of 5 on my personal point scale. I was expecting a little more from it.

The stew is a different story and was the best part of the meal. It was similar to other stews, but had a very nice consistency and taste. I proudly stand behind my 4.5 rating here.

The slaw was pretty good, but again, wasn’t really special. Like the ‘cue, it gets a 3.5.

I didn’t give much detail on the review here, because basically there wasn’t much to talk about for the normal review. The meal was good, but not great. I had higher expectations, but I wasn’t dissatisfied. I don’t want to sound negative, that’s no my intent at all. It just didn’t rank up there with the top class of bbq joints.

There are a few other items I’d like to highlight. As I mentioned, it was a family affair, so there were multiple portions ordered. Pictured below are the ribs that dad had (he has already had the traditional sandwich, stew and slaw.) According to him, the ribs get a 4 out of 5, ranking only slightly above the sandwich.

My wife is also quite the bbq fan. She actually liked the ‘cue a little more than I, which I can respect. However, she really liked their ‘taters. They were round, just like our friend MADIII cooks them. She eagerly gave them a 5!

This really was a great family outing. The company was great- any time you can get the whole family around a table is a blessing. Make it around some bbq and it’s even better! The service was fine, the food was good, and the atmosphere was outstanding.

Here’s the bottom line: I would go back to Blind Pig with a friend who has never been, but given the choice I’ll travel a few miles down the road and eat Fresh Air.

ucheedawg

BBQ Thursday Map

Here at the Grit Tree we hope everyone one enjoys the site and BBQ Thursday.  To try to make it a little easier and more organized we’ve created a map with all the locations we’ve reviewed over the past year, which can be found at the tabs at the top of the site.  On the map you can zoom into all the locations and will find each restaurant’s contact information and address.   The first link will take you to our BBQ review and the second will take you to their website if they have one.  Hope you enjoy and please keep giving us ideas on new places to try.

View Larger Map

BBQ Thursday – Hollis Famous Ribs

All All day Friday I had been thinking about eating BBQ and decided that it was about time I tried out that little rib shack on Broad just off of downtown Athens. For almost ten years now I’ve been driving by that little white building just down the road from the Varsity and wondered how it was. I’ve always seen the men standing around smoking grills on the side of the building and said “that place has to be good” but just keep driving by. Well I tried it out Saturday and let me be the first to say, Sonny’s Real Pit is four miles down the road.

Everything started out great. I came in the little shop and it had the feel of an old dinner or carry out stand. The girl waiting on me was friendly and the owner was sitting on a bar stool watching football. Since I knew there wasn’t much room to sit inside I got a half pound of pork and half rack of ribs to-go and as I was checking out, couldn’t resist the bag of fresh pork skins on the counter. $20 for more than two people can eat plus skins, this was starting out well. On the way home I dove into the skins and they were unseasoned but crispy fresh and almost buttery fatty. So far so good. Then I got home.

The bbq was dried out, had no sauce (which normally is fine), and the homemade sauce was a mix of ketchup, a little vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Way too sweet and just not good. The ribs were no better. They were drowned in the same ketchup sauce and weren’t even as good as the pulled pork. Now giving credit were credit is due, once you got through the dried burnt meat which reeked of smoke, cartilage, and fat there was some pretty good meat that the ketchup couldn’t reach near the bone. It was just a train wreck of poor quality meat that sat too long on a hot grill.

Sorry for being so critical but I just want to save anyone from making the same mistake I did. I have been told that when this joint was JB’s it was great but that it changed hands in ’09.  Now if you are a Hollis regular and love the place, feel free to rip me in the comments.

Granite

BBQ Thursday- Satterfield’s BBQ

Satterfield’s was everything that Georgia Bob’s was not. From food to atmosphere, Satterfield’s provided a most excellent bbq outing.

I have had Satterfield’s bbq catered on a couple of occasions and had eaten in the restaurant once before, but it has been several years since I had been in. The opportunity arose for corbin and I to make the short trip to downtown Macon to see what they had to offer. We both walked away very satisfied.

Located in downtown Macon, Satterfield’s is a true bbq joint. We walked in and were immediately greeted by very friendly waitresses. The tea was on the table as soon as we were seated. I give extra points here because, along with the glasses, they provided a pitcher of tea so the glass never ran out. I particularly liked the sweet tea, more so than corbin.

An interesting thing about Satterfield’s, they offered a large variety on their menu for a bbq joint. They also have boiled peanuts as an appetizer. We didn’t have any, but I thought that was a neat appetizer. I normally don’t have to make a decision when I sit down at a bbq joint- it’s typically a sandwich, stew and slaw. However, the waitress talked me into getting a plate, so I did. But the plate came with 3 sides, so I had to make the tough choice to go with beans, along with my ‘cue, stew and slaw. The entire plate and sweet tea was $9, which I thought very fair for the amount of food I was presented.

We didn’t have to wait very long for our food to arrive. When the food came, I dug in to the bbq immediately. One bite was all it took to know that we had found a gem. The ‘cue was very good; tender, well cooked, and needs no sauce! It was very moist and had obviously been cooked for several hours on a pit. Though I won’t go so far as to proclaim it the best barbecue I’ve had, it definitely ranks near the top. I give the bbq a 4.5 out of 5 on my personal point scale.

After taking a couple of bites of bbq, I moved on to the stew. I can safely say that the stew was the best I’ve had in middle Georgia. Though a touch on the soupy side, I can find zero fault with their creation. I give it an amazing 5 of 5 ranking! Please do yourself the favor of ordering stew when you visit Satterfield’s.

I had to force myself away from the stew, but I did get on to the slaw. Maybe it was because I was comparing it to the ‘cue and the stew, but I was not overly impressed with the slaw. It was just a little too sweet, and in my opinion was only OK. I give the slaw a 3.5 out of 5, which is just above mediocre.

The beans did make up for the slaw a little. They were a mix of sweet and spicy, if you can imagine, and I loved them. As you know, I typically don’t get beans with my bbq meal, but today I am glad I did. I put them away in no time, and give them a 4 of 5 ranking.

I mentioned that the ‘cue needs no sauce, and that’s a good thing. However, to give a good review it is important to note the sauces offered. They have two sauces, a mild and a hot. Both were very good to me. The hot is HOT, and while I typically shy away from hot sauce, this was very good. I only added a little of each to small bites, but could have easily had either on the entire sandwich if needed.

After we finished  the meal, our very friendly waitress convinced corbindawg to try some banana pudding. I’ve got a little more will power than he does, so I passed. However, she brought out two spoons, and I crumbled. The banana pudding was out of this world good. I’ll get my own serving when I go back.

I can summarize Satterfield’s very easily. The food is incredible, and I look forward to going back soon. However, it’s the atmosphere that really puts it over the top and gets this joint into my upper tier of bbq restaurants. The place is cozy and is exactly what I look for in a bbq joint. The decorations on the wall couldn’t be more fitting. Just behind us was a signed pic of Emmylou Harris. Robert E. Lee sat on the wall beside us, looking over us as we ate. A lot of sports paraphernalia hung on the wall, and every team was represented.

I have had some good bbq experiences, but this one ranks near the top. They have found a repeat customer in me, and I highly encourage you to stop by the next time you are in downtown Macon. I can’t say enough good things about Satterfield’s, and am very glad that corbin and I were able to stop in. I can promise that we’ll be back soon.

ucheedawg

BBQ Thursday- Georgia Bob’s Edition

Defining Southern BBQ- that’s what Georgia Bob’s claims as their slogan. I’ll begin by saying that I am glad they do NOT define southern ‘cue.

Let me preface this review by saying Georgia Bob’s in Macon has multiple personalities. I went to Georgia Bob’s about a year ago and, after dining, vowed to never eat there again. However, I went a few weeks ago with some friends who insisted the hamburger was great, and it was. A few days later, as it turns out, my dad is in town and wants to try Georgia Bob’s. I join him, and he has bbq while I have another burger. Corbin was with me that day, and he chose the burger as well.  My father- being a man who knows the ‘cue better than anyone in Georgia- really had high praise for the bbq that day. He even went as far as to call corbin and I out for not liking it, questioning our taste and expertise in truly judging what constitutes a good bbq. So….two days later corbin and I return to try the ‘cue. We took kensington along with us, and he had the chicken. For whatever reason, that day it was not bad at all. Wasn’t the best by any stretch of the imagination, but it sure wasn’t worth writing off forever.  

All of that brings me to today. I hope you, reader, don’t mind the story telling aspect of sharing a bbq experience. I am from the school of thought that it really helps put it in perspective. If you tire of the story, feel free to skip on down. So…on with the story. This week has really been an odd week. I was stuck in Atlanta for forever it seemed, due to snow and ice. I was finally able to get back to middle Georgia, but had not eaten bbq in several days, outside of Scott’s, of course. So today on a whim, corbin and I decided to go back to Georgia Bob’s to give a review. We went in with open minds, and I was prepared to give a good, honest review. Here goes:

Georgia Bob’s- Macon, Georgia

Georgia Bob’s is located conveniently across from the new mall, just off I-75. The outside appearance resembles a sandwich shop more than a bbq joint, but that’s ok.

We entered and both ordered the bbq sandwich, stew, slaw and a sweet tea.

Decent enough portion sizes, you shouldn’t leave too hungry. As usual, I started with a sip of my sweet tea. The tea was very good; the highlight of the meal in fact.

I tasted each of the three sauces first, just to get a taste. They had mild, sweet and spicy. I was a fan of both the mild and the sweet, but the spicy wasn’t very good. They weren’t homemade sauces, but bottled in nice little plastic Georgia Bob’s jars.

After assessing my plate, I dug into my sandwich. My first bite was a bit of a letdown. It was dry, as if it had been cooked a few hours too long, and was mixed with a sauce of some sort. I had another bite and was still un-impressed. I added some mild sauce to it, and that helped immensely. However, I’m of the thought that if you have to add much sauce, the sandwich must not be that good to start with. Think of drowning a ribeye in A-1; you just shouldn’t have to do it. Again, I’ve had Georgia Bob’s before, but two of the three times I was unimpressed. I give their bbq a very generous 3 out of 5 on my ranking. And that’s being very kind.

Their stew was also unimpressive. As corbin put it, the consistency was like that of oatmeal. Just not a very good stew at all. The flavor was ok, but was not great. I’ll give it a 2.5 out of 5, but again, that’s being generous.

The slaw. Oh, the slaw. I had hoped, after taking a bite of the sandwich and a bite of the stew, that the slaw would somehow redeem this trip. Unfortunately for me, it did not. The slaw had an odd taste to it that I can’t quite put my finger on, but it wasn’t good. It was crunchy, which is fine, but the mix just did not suit my taste. I give it an easy 2.5 out of 5, a very mediocre ranking for slaw.

The only redeeming quality of this lunch was the company. Don’t get me wrong, the company wasn’t great, as I prefer to eat bbq by myself so I can take in the surroundings. However, corbin did buy my meal, so that is where the redemption comes in. Were it not for that, it would have truly been a dismal bbq outing.

Listen, I hate to be so negative. The place was neat, and I like the decorations. There was a good crowd there, so obviously some people like it. It just doesn’t suit my taste. The owner of the joint is as nice as he can be, and the help was great. Southern hospitality was truly in place, it just didn’t have the food to go with it.

I will say that I won’t be going back to Georgia Bob’s. If I’m in Macon, there are other places you’ll find me eating bbq. Pig in a Pit and Fresh Air are both much better choices in my opinion. I don’t like to discourage anyone from going somewhere, so it’s worth a visit. However, I feel that most of the general public who  knows anything about bbq will share my feelings of disdain.

I really wanted it to be great. The more quality bbq places in my vicinity the better. But it wasn’t. Sorry Georgia Bob’s, you’ve lost this customer.

Open for suggestions for next week. I’ll be in the middle Georgia area for most of the week, so if you’ve got a suggestion let me know and I’ll make every opportunity to get that way.

ucheedawg

BBQ Thursday- Old Clinton BBQ

Old Clinton’s BBQ

Let me preface this edition of bbq Thursday by telling you how I wound up at Old Clinton bbq.

I spent much of Tuesday on the road. I talked to my friend corbin and told him I would be going through Milledgeville around noon and I wanted to try a new bbq joint. My wife had my gps, so I searched for bbq on my smart phone to see what results came up. Several new joints popped up, but being only somewhat familiar with Milledgeville proper, I had a difficult time finding my way to a few of these. So, back to Corbin. I asked him to help me out, but he fell asleep on his job and forgot to get back with me. So after spending a brief amount of time circling Milledgeville looking for a new bbq place, I decided to just stop in at Old Clinton.

Now, I have eaten at Old Clinton’s before, at the Gray location, but it has been 7-8 years since my last visit. I had never been to the one in Milledgeville, and though it’s not the original joint, I decided to stop in.

I was there before the lunch rush, so the parking lot was fairly empty. This was my view when I stepped out of the truck:

As you can see, it’s got a nice appearance on the outside. Not your typical dive joint where you can find hidden treasures, more of a nice place located directly off of 441.

I entered and was greeted  by a friendly waitress who promptly took my order. I went with the usual- a bbq sandwich, stew and slaw. Within a couple of minutes I had my plate. $7 for the plate and a tea. I didn’t mind that one bit.

Adequate portion size, so I was pleased. I asked the Lord to bless this hopefully delicious meal and prepared to dig in.

I had a sip of the sweet tea first, and was well pleased. Not too sweet, but sweet enough. I drank two glasses. I also noticed that there was only one sauce. I tried a bit of it on my finger- it was a vinegar based mild-medium sauce. Not bad, nothing special, so I decided to try the bbq without it.

One bite in and I instantly knew I had made the right decision. That first bite was something special. I don’t know exactly what I was expecting, but what I received was simply delightful. The meat was tender and not fatty. You could tell that it had been cooked slow, probably overnight in a pit. They had a touch of their sauce on it that accented the meat perfectly. I try not to hand  out too many over-the-top compliments when it comes to my bbq, because it takes a special place to match what I set the bar by- Fresh Air. But they had done it. On my personal point scale, they get a 5 out of 5.

There was plenty of meat on the sandwich. Just enough so that some falls out when you’re eating it and you’ve got a little dessert at the end. It was truly the first bbq I’ve tasted in several months that compares to Fresh Air. I had to restrain myself from eating the entire sandwich first (I’m the kind of eater who likes to take a bite of everything, not eat one portion, move on to another, then another.)

Still amazed by the bbq, I jumped into the stew. Maybe I was too high on the bbq still, but the stew wasn’t in the same league. The second bite was better than the first, and I continued to enjoy it. It was a touch soupy, but I can’t find anything wrong with the product. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Just not as much as the ‘cue. I gave the stew a 4 out of 5, which is still a pretty strong rating.

The slaw was the only part of the meal that was mediocre. I wasn’t crazy about it. First, it was a smaller portion that I would have liked, but I can live with that. It was finely chopped into little chunks. Not a great flavor, but it wasn’t the worst I have had recently. To add perspective, I ate the entire portion, but it only received a 3 out of 5 rating. It was a little dry and just wasn’t on the same level as the barbecue.

I tried to eat slowly so that I could relish the entire meal and give the sandwich the respect it deserved. It was really that good to me. I’ve had bbq a dozen times the past month, and this was the best I had tasted. I washed it down with my second glass of sweet tea.

Bottom line is this- if you are passing through Milledgeville and want a very good sandwich, don’t bother searching. Go to Old Clinton. I promise you won’t be disappointed. It’s located on 441 between Little River and downtown. Can’t miss it. We spend some time at my in-laws lake house on Lake Sinclair during the spring and summer, and I guarantee you that I will be stopping back soon. Again, I try to not go over the top with my praise unless it’s Scott’s or Fresh Air, but this was a special sandwich.

Overall, this was one of my better dining experiences. I love eating bbq by myself so I can enjoy the meal and watch my surroundings. This joint provided just what I was looking for. I am glad that corbin let me down and that my wife had the gps, or I probably would have chosen a different place. But when I take the guys to the lake in a few months, you can find us at Old Clinton. Stop by soon, then tell me thanks.

ucheedawg

p.s. If you have a place that we should try, let us know and we’ll stop by and do a review.

p.p.s. Here’s the view from the dock of my in-laws place. I had a few moments and decided to stop by. Lake Sinclair is without a doubt one of Georgia’s gems.

BBQ Thursday (on Friday)- The BBQ Shop, Memphis

It is very easy for me to understand why The BBQ Shop was rated by this website as the #1 bbq joint in Memphis, Tennessee. Without further ado, I’ll jump right in to the review.

 The BBQ Shop is one of those restaurants that is not like your dive joints you find scattered about the rural landscape. Its appearance on the inside is more of a Jim ‘N Nicks than a Scott’s BBQ. And it is a far cry from A&R BBQ that corbindawg and I ate at earlier in the week. The BBQ Shop is a restaurant, complete with a bar, exquisite prints and sports paraphernalia on the walls, and multiple seating rooms with your choice of booths and tables. Truth be told, I am not a huge fan of this type of bbq joint; I’d rather not have all the choices. I don’t like feeling that I need to be on my best behavior when dining at a bbq joint.

I quickly got past the initial impressions when our waitress brought out our sweet tea. Let me emphasize sweet. It was almost as sweet as grandma makes it. The menu was full of options. Since this was a one-time stop, we decided to go all out. Now, normally a bbq joint that serves appetizers raises a red flag, but we had heard good things about the bbq nachos, so we gave them a try.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          It’s hard to tell from the picture, but above you have nachos covered with bbq, bbq sauce, peppers and cheese. Regular nachos will never be the same. I recommend getting yourself an order if you’re ever in the neighborhood.

Splurging, we both ordered the combo, ribs and pulled. They split our ribs for us, half dry half wet. We both got slaw and beans.

 

In you can’t tell, that’s a PILE of food. The pulled pork or the ribs alone would have been enough to satisfy any grown man. It came with toast rather than white bread, which was kind of an oddity, but that’s ok.

Everything I’ve said already should be thrown out the window. This food was some of the best to ever touch my lips. The ribs were fat, with plenty of meat. In my opinion, the wet were better than the dry. Of course, corbin says the opposite, so you’ll have to make your own decision. Regardless, they were both outstanding. However, the ribs play second fiddle to the pulled pork. The cooks in the back know what they are doing when it comes to this. It’s hard for me to say that someone can compete with Fresh Air, but these guys can. The meat was tender and moist, with just the right amount of sauce to accent the pork. In a word, delicious. As corbindawg would say, that was some dang good hog!

To be honest, there was so much meat on our plates that neither of us were able to truly enjoy the slaw and beans. I did take the obligatory taste of each, and they were good, but I was so full trying to finish the meat that I am unable to give a very good review on those.

The meal was a little pricy; our bill was over $40. I wouldn’t typically pay that much for bbq, but it was the experience that we were looking for on this particular evening.

I would definitely recommend visiting the BBQ Shop if you’re ever in Memphis, but skip the meal before, because you’re going to get more than you bargained for. Great food, different atmosphere, and friendly service. I hope to go back one day.

ucheedawg

BBQ Review:: Memphis Ribs

Ucheedawg and I had the pleasure (?) of driving 12 hours together, through the state of Arkansas last week. 

I thought it couldn’t get any worse than Alabama. 

Then we entered Arkansas. 

I thought it couldn’t get any worse than Arkansas.

Then we entered Missouri. 

But, believe it or not, the bright light in the whole trip was the city of Memphis.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Memphis was the best part of the trip.

We ate BBQ passing through Memphis.  Good gawd almighty.  It was delicious.  We will recap our experience at the BBQ Shop at a later date, but today’s BBQ Review is on A&R BBQ.

Google led us to the “10 Best BBQ Places in Memphis.”  Payne’s BBQ, listed at #2, was both affordable and on the way.  So we decided to eat there.  However, being the Sabbath, Payne’s was closed.  We turned to the handy GPS, and found A&R’s was half a mile away. 

These restaurants were on Elvis Presley Boulevard.  Elvis Presley Boulevard isn’t a place I would want to end up after dark. 

There were two vacant lots beside the resturant.

But those types of places always serve the best BBQ.  We decided on RIBS.  All their ribs were moist.  He got a half rack with slaw.  I got a half rack with potato salad.  Each meal came with white bread.

Ummy

I got the feel when I walked in like I was at Peach’s in Athens.  At some places like that, they have a very precise way of ordering.  If you don’t follow the rules, the cashier can get nasty with you.  This wasn’t the case.  The young lady was very accommodating to our questions, and even checked on a souvenir T-Shirt for us (none in our size-we aren’t to a XXL yet, so we declined). 

I will go ahead and get to the lone negative:  the sweet tea was AWFUL.  It was like Peach flavored sweet tea.  It was so nasty.  It had an orange hue mixed with the brown.  I could barely get down my initial gulp.  Luckily, we were saved-this place offered Coke products instead of that Yankee bullcrap Pepsi.  Once again, Coca-Cola saved the day.

Now, onto the meat.  I have never had, nor will ever have, ribs that were this good.

They were a tad messy, but delicious.  They were fall off the bone tender.  While the sauce was not a traditional Memphis dry rub, the sauce wasn’t over powering.  It wasn’t too hot or sweet; it had had a nice basic flavor.  The sauce wasn’t too over powering, either.  You could still taste the pork through the sauce.  It had a delicious, tender, smokey taste.

After the meal, the white bread came in nice and handy.  Why waste a paper towel and moist towelette when you have good ol’ white bread to clean your hands and face with?

The potato salad and slaw were good, too.  But the meal was made by the ribs.  I have had my fair share of ribs and these stack up with any I’ve ever tasted before.

I will say it again:  I have never had, nor will ever have, ribs that were this good.

Corbindawg

***

On the return trip home, we ate at The BBQ Shop, the #1 BBQ in Memphis according to the site linked above.  It was delicious as well.  A full review is forthcoming…

Weekly BBQ Review

I am proud to say that Corbin and I ate more bbq than should be humanly possible this week on our journey through America’s heartland. Reviews of 2 of Memphis’ finest will be forthcoming. In the meantime, to get you by until next week, we hope you enjoy this bbq video, sent to us by friends of TGT.

Highly entertaining, yet probably pretty accurate. Don’t mistake them for Tennesseeans or Floridians, they’re from North Carolina. God bless those guys.

ucheedawg

TGT Weekly BBQ Review

I’ll admit, I was a little disappointed with Chris Brame’s answer when asked about his favorite bbq joint. However, he was accurate in his analysis of the bbq sandwich at 5 Star Day. So, as bad as it pains me to do a bbq review on a place that is not really a bbq joint, in honor of Chris Brame’s favorite sandwich I will take a stab.

It’s been nearly a decade since I have last eaten at 5 Star Day in downtown Athens. In fact, my relationship with 5 Star Day was quite strange. During my early days in Athens, I had a good friend who was a cowboy from southeast Georgia. This guy was a rodeo king, to say the least. His influence is a big part of why Texas country is the only music I listen to (besides Buffett of course.) We had this thing called Buffett Tuesdays, but that’s for another day. Anyway, this cowboy’s favorite restaurant in Athens was 5 Star Day. For one semester, we ate 5 Star Day in downtown Athens once a week. He moved on, and after he did I never ate there again. I guess when I moved into the fraternity house I didn’t make it downtown to eat as much, since we had a cook (God bless Frank). But, from what I can recall, 5 Star Day was worth the trip. I did have the bbq sandwich Chris Brame loves so much on numerous occasions, so while I may not be the most qualified to write this review, I’ll give it my best shot.

5 Star Day Café: Located in beautiful downtown Athens, 5 Star Day is kind of a retro-gourmet-soul food restaurant. It has the Athens feel, if you know what I mean. The atmosphere was very relaxing, as I’m guessing it still is. The last time I visited, it was very towny, to make up a word; a good mix of locals, college kids, and weirdo’s. But it was a great local eatery. The food was always outstanding. I remember they had these fried green tomatoes that were delicious. I always had them as my side. I branched out sometimes and tried a few different meals that were soul food specials, but my favorite was the Carolina bbq sandwich.

The sandwich: As Brame says, this sucker is huge. If a bbq sandwich can get too big, this one does it. They had this mega bun that was the size of a mini-basketball, and the pork fell out of all sides. If I recall correctly, it was a very moist bbq, and the bottom bun always fell apart. That’s not a bad thing at all, and if you’ve ever had it you’ll know what I’m talking about. Carolina bbq isn’t my personal favorite, but they do a good job of it here. I’m not a huge fan of mustard, so I prefer a more tomato based bbq sauce than mustard-based that you find in the Carolinas. However, in this sandwich, the sauce wasn’t overwhelming, so I liked it. The sheer portion size was enough to have my heart. As a 18-19 year old, eating a pound of pork was more of a challenge than a mistake, as it would be considered now. I am guessing that they slow cooked this pork, because it was always very tender, and very good. It wasn’t the chipped bbq you find some places, and it wasn’t sliced. It was somewhere in between. You didn’t have to add sauce to it; between the moisture and the Carolina sauce they added it was plenty moist.

Essentially, eating the bbq sandwich at 5 Star Day is a unique experience. You don’t go to this little café with the soul intent of having bbq, but if you’re in the area and are grabbing lunch and find yourself in the mood for some pork, then you order it. Eating bbq from 5 Star Day is a long way from Fresh Air in Jackson, but you have to understand that principal going in. If you’re looking for a unique Athens café and want to branch out from the norm, then I would definitely recommend it. One thing is certain: if you leave hungry, it’s your own fault. Even if you’re not a huge bbq fan, you should visit 5 Star Day next time you get a chance, if for nothing else than their fried green tomatoes. Everybody needs a little bit of soul, and you’ll get it here.

ucheedawg