"Don’t be scared off by the giant, semi-menacing metal pig head mounted on the patio—we promise Feges BBQ is a friendly neighborhood spot. In addition to interesting art, the Spring Branch barbecue joint serves up some forward-leaning ‘cue thanks to marriage (both figurative and literal due to the chef-couple that owns Feges) of new school pitmaster technique mixed up with a little country barbecue nostalgia. Instead of hot line style service where meat gets sliced in front of you, Feges opts for a simple order counter—you can still make requests for lean or fatty brisket, don’t worry. And beautiful trays get brought out to your table, loaded with glistening cuts of brisket, black-pepper-flecked sausage, steaming gochujang stewed greens, and adorable mini cast iron skillets surround a fluffy mound of hog fat cornbread (say that three times fast). The folks in the kitchen obviously work hard to continually perfect not only the technique for smoking brisket and rendering fat, but also making sure the side dishes live up to the same standard and depth of flavor as any of the meat. We love dousing the whole hog and chicharrones with mustard sauce, pairing the braised greens with bites of moist turkey, and absolutely crushing both scoops of loaded cheesy potato mash. The food might be incredible, but the restaurant gives off sad strip mall bagel shop vibes with its drab-gray concrete, those metal chairs everyone still (unfortunately) puts in restaurants, and a barely visible order counter shoved against the back wall. Sometimes an uncomfortable or poorly-designed restaurant doesn’t matter, but here, it doesn’t make any sense. The food looks and tastes stunning, but the frankly kind of depressing space sort of downgrades the experience of eating there. Yeah, the inside and outside of the restaurant might be totally bland and forgettable, but everything about the food will stick in your mind. And like any good country barbecue joint, it's a family affair, so bring your kids and let them loose on the outdoor playground between bites of macaroni and cheese and bread pudding dessert. So show up for the weird pig head sculpture, for the $5 margaritas, or just go because you want excellent barbecue. " - Chelsea Thomas
