Su K.
Yelp
The Short - fantastic carryout-only BBQ ribs and beef. Not exactly the best part of town and probably not worth a long drive, but excellent BBQ if you're anywhere near NE DC.
The Long -
In the beginning, God created animals, and He saw that they were good. Much later on, He told Peter, "Arise. Kill and eat." On the Eleventh Day of December in the Year of our Lord two thousand and eight, our hero heeded his Lord's call and sought out excellent BBQ once more*.
Having done his recon work earlier in the week, our hero had his sights set on Rosebud's in Capitol Heights, for it and Fat Face are both close enough for a lunch break. The website noted they were closed Mon-Wed, which our hero later found to be a lie and they are open Tue-Sun, so he had to wait until Thursday. It was worth the wait.
Food - immediately upon entering the tiny carryout, our hero's Piggy Senses were tingling. The smell of smoke and BBQ pervaded his senses - he knew he was home. The walls were adorned with Redskins posters and our hero's two favorite posters of all time (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Ym00fTOiIkmu_NElhj_o7A?select=4Xn9yENkqyLWzLL04U8ssQ & http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Ym00fTOiIkmu_NElhj_o7A?select=OOaHcPtjvOIa6Q9TKO3-3g ). And like Snow White, this beauty was encased in glass, only this glass was bulletproof. And rather than being poisoned by an apple, this beauty was smoked to death. Oh, but there was a beast in his path - the dreaded Creditcardicus Minimus! Thankfully, this beast was a pitiful LVL $10 and the hero easily disposed of it by ordering a beef sandwich ($5.75) and a rib platter ($11.59) with mac and cheese and burger beans (baked beans w/ ground beef). To make matters even more awesome, our hero was now in the land of Mary, and despite only being a stone's throw away from The Land of Taxation without Representation, where the overlord charges his peasants a lofty 10% tax, our hero only had to pay 6%! He considered a resounding, HUZZAH! but considering the surrounding area, a HOLLA would have been more appropriate.
Since it's carryout only, he loaded his substantial bounty into his noble steed, The Mighty Sienna, and headed back to his office. Driving through rain, wind, and speed cameras, our hero carefully returned his bounty to the office. He sat down, prepared his camera to take pictures, and opened the Styrofoam treasure chest. *chorus of angels* The smell? Intoxicating. Smoke rings? Stunning (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Ym00fTOiIkmu_NElhj_o7A?select=egsVaUdci1BqdWlhJFpjYw). He gave thanks to His God for creating animals and for commanding His subjects to arise, kill and eat.
The ribs were of very high quality. The fat melts in your mouth, the smoke flavor is clearly evident and the ribs can stand on their own without any sauce. These were probably the best home style ribs our hero has enjoyed in Maryland thus far. The platter was slightly smaller than a slab (5 bones) but was quite substantial for $12. The beef was also very good and reminded our hero of a Sloppy Joe made with chunks of smoked beef. The beef was a tad dry but the smoked flavor was excellent. Mama Rosebud likes to put little chunks of green peppers and onions into the chopped beef, which our hero really enjoyed. It almost made him think about how his own mother would try to sneak vegetables into his food in the days of his youth. The sides were just ok, but I thought the baked beans with beef were novel. Beef + beans? Who knew?!
Sauces - the sauces reminded our hero of the BBQ sauces served at Cluck U. Though he doesn't really know how they get that kind of texture/consistency/flavor, he doesn't care b/c he likes it. A lot. The spicy was not very spicy however, and along with the dryness of the beef, were the only disappointing things about the meal.
After the meal, our hero had to say grace again and thank the Lord for creating animals. He looked at the bones and other remains of the animals he had just laid waste to, and behold, he saw that it was very good.
* Yes, I realize that passage in Acts is symbolic, but this is Yelp, not Bible study, so chill.
--------
Location - if you're near NE DC, it's a short drive, and it's 0.7 miles from the Capital Heights Metro stop. It's certainly not the best area, and I probably wouldn't recommend heading out there late in the evenings. Owned by a DC police investigator and his wife, Google this place and you'll find several articles of how this business tries to make a difference in their neighborhood. Two parking spots are available on the side of the restaurant, and there's a small lot just before it - though I'm not entirely positive if you're allowed to park there.
Service - very friendly. The food took about 10 minutes. Catering is available.
Final note: There's a Redskins special on Gameday: 1/2 rack,1/2 chicken, 2 large sides = $20.08. So even though our team sucks, you can at least enjoy smoked meat to make the sadness go away.
