Chris R.
Yelp
Let me start off by saying I travel the country and have experienced BBQ in Texas, Carolinas, etc, so I think I know a thing or two about good BBQ. Especially smoked meats like brisket, pulled pork, sausages, and all the typical sides the accompany them. Most of the places I visit across the country sell out before noon. People arrive early and wait for hours. With that said, I didn't expect Embers to meet those expectations. Most don't. I am also not just a consumer. I smoke BBQ regularly at home on pellet smokers, offsets, weber smokey mountains, and also on weber kettles.
The service experience at Embers was too notch and extremely good. The servers were very prompt to fill drinks, take orders, bring the check, and check in occasionally on how things were. Probably one of the best service experiences I've had near home.
Now on to the food. The wings were very good. Seasoned well, smoked perfect and not overcooked. The accompanying sweet chili sauce was also good. My guest and I ordered 3 meats each with sides and a couple beers. The brisket was very tender to the point it was crumbling apart. Seemed more like it had been braised for a very long time as opposed to smoked. There was not a very noticeable bark and the seasoning was just very lite. The pulled pork was similar as it was very wet and lacking any bark and accompanying seasoning. Was more like a crockpot pulled pork than smoked. Pork belly was a little better, but pork belly has a lot of flavor regardless. I was not overly impressed with seasoning again as it was very lite and lacked smoke ring / flavor. The ribs were much of the same, so I won't repeat myself. The baked beans were way to ketchupy and again missing that sticky, smokey, sweetness I was expecting. They were pretty much kidney beans and ketchup. Mac and cheese was OK. Not bad, decent flavor, but nothing to rave about. The cornbread was very flavorful and was probably the best tasting thing we had. If I was to critique the cornbread I'd say it was a little too soft/mushy and fell apart way too easy.
The restaurant was clean and tidy. Again, the service was excellent and very attentive. I would think of this as a traditional restaurant with BBQ offerings as the menu is expansive. I just wouldn't rate the core BBQ brisket, pulled pork, ribs, etc very highly. If they lazer focused on these offerings I'm sure they could dial it in.
Overall, not a bad place. I was strictly focused on finding the best BBQ in my area. The restaurant was completely full and the service was still great, so I can see why the reviews are so good. The food was good, but just maybe not up to the standards that I am used to. My search continues.