Last Tuesday we tried this establishment because apparently the food is pretty killer. Now I can say from experience, it is :)
First off, atmosphere. Very interesting...definitely puts you in the mood right away. The mood to chow down and not care if people see you licking your fingers. In fact, I got the vibe that it would be considered prudish to delicately disassemble one's chicken. A good place to go with someone you are comfortable seeing you with BBQ sauce on your cheek. You know, like how you save sushi places for the 3rd or 4th date because it's just not as fun if you're worried about talking through a mouthful of seaweed and sticky rice... been there, done that.
We had the baby back ribs and I was very impressed with the sauce/rub - it wasn't overpowering and had a nice sweet/spicy ratio. I personally loved the fact that we didn't get to choose a sauce. They know what they're good at and they stick with it.The meat was tender and not fatty at all, in part because of the cut we chose. And, just as they boast, incredibly smoky and delicious.
For our sides we got the Bourbon apple slices, the mac and cheese, and the hush puppies. The apples were super yummy and flavorful - not mushy at all! The mac and cheese was good as well - it didn't hold up as nicely as I'd like, and it did leave a puddle of oil at the bottom of the container, but it was good. We got a smaller portion and I am happy we did, otherwise we might have made ourselves ill. But the tasty cheesy crust on the top was killer. I have never has a hush puppy before and dang! were they awesome :) 'Nuf said.
Weston has sweet tea, something he can't get enough of when he comes to Virginia and it, too, was very good. In addition to sugar, you could also taste the tea which is a lot to say considering the varying degrees which we've tasted before.
Thanks to Emilija and Christina for coming out and making my last night in Richmond an awesome one - I can't wait for more fun times next year.