Showing posts with label Pork and Beef BBQ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pork and Beef BBQ. Show all posts

Thursday, January 1, 2015

The Blistered Pig Smokehouse

The Blistered Pig Smokehouse is a new, long awaited BBQ restaurant in Historic Downtown Apex. Located at 225 N. Salem Street, Apex NC, in the renovated Mule Exchange building, the long rumored dining spot became a reality in December 2014. Reservations are not taken, but if you want to call  to check on availability you may by dialing 919-446-3366.

When you decide to go, plan to search for it since it's located in the back end of the renovated Mule Exchange building across from the downtown depot. After you discover where it is, you will find adequate parking just outside the door with easy access.

Once inside, be prepared for a wait since there's usually a line. And be prepared to be directed to sit on a skinny bench in the busy walkway by the door with waiters and food delivery people zipping by inches from your face while you wait. Hopefully you won't be smacked in the face while you watch all the folks rush by. If you don't want to sit in the aisle you can go over and sit on the hearth by the fireplace to wait behind the hostess. Otherwise you can stand at the door or sit at the bar while you wait. In warm weather you can wait outside on the patio. 

Once you are seated, be prepared to be close to other customers, New York style, in the crowded space. In an effort to squeeze maximum revenue from the small restaurant the owners opted to pack in extra tables rather than allow room for customers to walk and have a little space to enjoy the experience. About half of the seating is at hi-top tables or at the bar with high-chair style seats - comfortable for some but does not work well with customers not able to climb up to be seated. If you need a standard table be prepared to wait.

Once seated, you can ponder the choices on the menu and select from several BBQ styles. Pulled pork (sans sauce), brisket with a dab of spicy red sauce, pork spare ribs, beef ribs and chicken. A small plate ($12.95) comes with one meat choice and two sides. A large plate ($15.95) has two meats and two sides. Sandwiches are also available. Sides are meant to somewhat like southern food choices but not necessarily with a taste you might expect for real southern eating. Be mindful of the beef ribs - some are overcooked and difficult to eat. Mac-N-Cheese (mushy), "yeller" or red slaw (spicy enough to burn), bland grits with cheese on top, collards with red pepper sprinkled in and lukewarm sweet potato fries are some of the sides available. Desserts are available if you have enough room left - banana pudding and other treats . Don't get the key lime pie - it has a left over taste and seems to be flavored with a taste absorbed from other foods in the cooler.

The restaurant offers tea, beer (cans only) and wine. Sorry, no draft beer. Beer ranges from $5.00 to $7.50. Be prepared for you check to go up by $10-15 for a couple of beers on top of the $28-32 for dinner for two, $50-60 for four. Unfortunately this is the only BBQ spot currently in downtown Apex so expect a little sticker shock and food a little different from real southern food you were expecting. 

Monday, November 14, 2011

Houndstooth Cafe

Houndstooth Cafe is likely the very best restaurant in central Virginia. Worth the drive to Hanover, VA, it is the perfect way to end a day of horseback riding, shopping or most anything else you might do in this scenic part of Virginia.

The restaurant is located in an old renovated gas station building in the heart of Hanover, the seat of Hanover County. Only a few miles from Richmond and Ashland.

Go early to avoid the regular crowd and the one hour wait, and be prepared to savor some of the best food around. While you wait, sit on the front porch sipping your favorite brew and watching the country drivers cruse by.

Menu choices range from traditional pulled pork or beef barbecue to a variety of Chesapeake Bay seafood items brought in fresh daily. Top off your dinner with a slice of one of several home-made specialty cheesecakes or truffle desserts made by the owner that very day. Dinner will run around $40-50 for two.

The owner and the cook have operated the restaurant for many years, and as you might expect, are well known for great food and hospitality. Every item on the menu has been time tested and is always at its best.

You can visit the restaurant many times and try new items each trip. Try them all - sauteed seafood, fried shrimp, soft shell crabs (in season), fish, oysters, fresh pulled pork BBQ, beef BBQ and a variety of sandwiches.