Bud C.
Yelp
It's hard to see an old friend fade away.
As someone who has spent a lifetime in pursuit of the perfect barbecue, my first vsits to SR were back when they were on the east side if I85. Great food and a Brunswik stew on par with the then legenadary Harold's down by the prison.
They sold and the new owners tried to cut cost corners and made it a buffet with a lot of good banana pudding. That didn't work and the next thing I knew they traveled across the metro ending up in Roswell with yet again new ownership.
Was great for a time, but no longer.
You have to be more than a little suspicious when the food you just orered at the counter to a guy, arrives at your table before even you're firmly seated. Served in literally in less than three minutes.
The explanation? Why? How? The answer: The food is plated in advance. Plated (the term used by the guy taking our order) before you even came through the door, much less knew what you wanted.
So that's why Spiced Right's corn souffle, which used to be one of their great side dishes, comes out in a little container with the cnsistency of almost ready-to-be-poured concrete and the serving more than a lttle burned around the edges.
Brunswik stew? Watery, not great. The fries, still among the best in the city. The ribs on our combo order had a nice bark (good rub) but the meat fell off the bone as we picked one up. How does that happen? Likely either overcooked in an oven, finished over the grill and then left waiting to be ordered under a too warm heat lamp, or par boiled before being put on the grill and then under the warmer, or being left over from the day before and cooking again under the lamp.
In any instance, as real barbecue folks know, Ribs are to be eaten, bitten off the bone, not like stew meat with a fork, which is pretty much how the dollop of brisket on our combo plate order came. Dull, no flavor, could have come from a roast rather than as a low and slow cooked brisket. The pulled pork the guy across the able had was slightly better.
Sauces? Two. Table sauce is a little on the thin side (not a personal preference) the "hot" tastes much like the regular with flakes of pepper added.
Used to be the Spiced ight folks would fire up the smoker they have out on the edge of the parking lot and the hickory smoke wafting into traffic would always lure a few folks in for some 'cue.
Glad they no lnger do that. Given how the bottom asppears to have fallen out, most folks would likeld be disappointed.
One star in the hopes the current Spiced Right folks (whoever they may be) will go back to basics and get things Right again.