Richard R.
Yelp
Ever been such a food snob that if it doesn't immediately taste EXACTLY the way you expected... you deem it unworthy? That is my typical reaction to BBQ. As Antoine Ego said in Ratatouille:
"I don't like food I LOVE it, and if I don't love it... I don't swallow."
I have criticized BBQ joints across this great country for years because my opinion of BBQ is steadfast and true to the cause. Don't ruin a delicious pig, and you won't have to hear my mouth. A mouth which makes a determination of how good your BBQ is with the first bite. But every now and then the first bite (as well as the first look) can be incredibly incorrect.
THE SCENE
I happened to be eating at another restaurant and having a great conversation with the locals when the subject of BBQ came up. Out of 7 people in the restaurant, EVERY ONE of them singled out Randy's as the best in the city. Maybe it was because of it's close proximity to our current dining location. No matter, it was enough to spark my interest. So after enjoying the best Oxtails of my life at Sister's, I decided to drive over an get a to-go order of these so-called best ribs in the city.
THE EXPERIENCE
Located just across from the Department of Children and Family Services, this little blue shack had an impressive line of hungry customers. Being me, I didn't hesitate to jump in and ask the group "what's all the hub-bub about this place?" The reaction was the same as back in the restaurant where this conversation started. People love his place! Some mentioned they were surprised there was any food still available (particularly chicken) considering it was almost 1pm.
***TIP - Evidently this is a restaurant that cooks and serves only a certain amount of food. Once it's out, it's out! I was told by several customers by 3pm it's slim pickings.
I was waiting my turn in front of the pick-up window when the side door opened and out popped a fellow who pointed and asked what am I having. Dang it!!! I hadn't even looked carefully at the menu when this dude ambushed me by surprise. Without hesitation I said ribs, which he proceeded to explain come in small, medium and large. Not wanting to look like a tourist and ask too many questions, I asked for large.
THE FOOD
Randy's uses a Carolina style mustard based sauce, something that took me by surprise when I opened my styrofoam container. Another thing that surprised me were no sides (not even slaw) and the thin way they cut the ribs into individual pieces. Immediately my opinion began to formulate and I fully anticipated disliking this BBQ.
Sure enough, my mind took over and the first bite was not to my liking. The meat was dryer & tougher than I like, the orange glowing sauce looked sort of disgusting and the thin sliced ribs were just freakin' weird! Since I was already full, I just decided to save them for later and microwaved them that evening at the hotel for dinner.
THE VERDICT
To my surprise, after microwaving them using 40% power so as not to recook them, these turned out to be some of the best ribs I've ever had. Maybe I was just too full to appreciate the first bite or maybe I let the off-putting look of the sauce cloud my taste. Either way, the flavor of the ribs were sooooo tasty and the sauce only proved to compliment the flavor. Slightly tougher than I prefer, but still well within the boundaries of great BBQ. Here's to new experiences!
Yelp100[93]