Before digging in to my ribs, I snuck a quick piece of the brisket which was juicy and flavorful — far above average for brisket in the Cincinnati area.  The ribs were served dry with sauce on the side, something I always appreciate.  The ribs were clearly dry-rubbed and upon pulling a bone off I discovered that these ribs were about as fall-off-the-bone as they come.  Ordinarily that would also be a warning sign that the ribs were going to be a mushy mess a la Montgomery Inn, but that was not the case here.  The meat still had wonderful texture with just enough chewiness.  The rub had a little heat to it — not overpowering, but definitely added some kick to the dining experience.  Most of the flavor seemed to come from the rub — there wasn’t much smoke flavor nor smoke ring evident.  If anything, the ribs were a little on the dry side, but that was nothing some judicious use of the bbq sauce provided couldn’t solve.   Overall the ribs were excellent and for me rank among the best to be found in the city.  The sides were all good, but none were outstanding.  The broccoli salad was a nice touch, bringing something a little different to the table.  It was composed of chopped broccoli, golden raisins, bacon, and sweet/vinegary mayonnaise-based sauce.  The combination of sweet, tart, and savory flavors along with the satisfying crunch that came with each bite made it a nice complement to the main course.

We were told during our meal the “grand opening” is to be this Saturday and will include a live band, so if you’re looking to try some new BBQ this weekend it’s definitely something to consider.  The restaurant, being brand new, is still a little rough around the edges, but the food is good enough to warrant repeat trips and given its proximity to downtown Cincinnati it’s an easy choice for downtowners looking for a lunchtime BBQ fix without having to drive out the suburbs to get it.

After the brief detour, we were back on the road and headed east on 32.  Once we hit Athens we checked into our hotel before heading over to Miller’s Chicken for dinner.  Miller’s Chicken is a little hole-in-the-wall dive that serves up really tasty fried chicken.  The Colonel would be jealous, nothing more really need be said.  After shoving more chicken down our gullets than was advisable we made the short drive up to Nelsonville and headed into the festival.  The festival grounds are on the campus of Hocking College and were really quite beautiful.  We spent some time wandering around, checking out the eats and chotchkes for sale before tucking into the “No-Fi” stage.  The “No-Fi” stage turned out to be a tiny one-room log cabin that could seat about 20 where artists would play acoustic sets.  We checked out a couple of tunes from Liz Pahl before grabbing a couple brews and heading to the main stage to see fellow Cincinnatians The Buffalo Killers.  The Buffalo Killers are a three piece band who turned in a solid set of 70′s style folk rock.  After they finished up we made our way over to the “Porch Stage” which is, fittingly enough, a porch on a log cabin.  Playing there was “Those Darlins” who immediately captured our attention with a high-energy set that was like a 60′s girl band managed by Sid Vicious.  They’ll be playing again tomorrow on the main stage, so we’ll be sure to check them out again.  Next we made our way back to the main stage where we caught about half of the Detroit Cobras show and stuck around for a raucous set of funky soul from Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears.  After they wound down we headed over to catch a few songs from The Ragbirds, then caught the end of a strange spectacle going on in the “No-Fi” cabin by Missoula Oblongata.  We capped off the night by listening to some kind of awful racket from a “band” called Weedghost and hung around for a couple of numbers from the unusually instrumented Man Man before heading back to the hotel to get some rest before a full day of music tomorrow.

Inside, Famous Dave’s is indistinguishable from any other chain restaurant with names like O’Fridlebees.  Or something like that.  You know…knick-knacks on the wall, spunky servers in uniforms, manufactured kitsch everywhere.  Still, we weren’t there to marvel at the decor so we quickly made our selections from the menu and waited for the ‘cue to arrive.  Service was relatively expedient — drinks were promptly refilled and the food arrived quickly and efficiently.  I ordered up a half slab of baby back ribs and some brisket, which came with cornbread, corn on the cob, and two sides.  I went with the mac-n-cheese and baked beans for my sides.

The brisket was an interesting case.  It was tender, but the flavor and texture was just…off.  A little rubbery, and tasting a little bit of liquid smoke.  I was never able to put my finger on it, but there was just something about the brisket that wasn’t right.  The fact that they were sliced into perfect little rectangles exactly the same size and width was a bit disconcerting and in no way helped my overall impression of it.  But, the ribs were actually pretty good.  They came sauced, but only with a light coating.   I enjoyed that the ribs had a little fight to them, having to gnaw a little bit to separate meat from bone.   Definitely a step above the ribs you usually find at the megachains and a pleasant surprise.  Famous Dave’s offered six sauces to choose from, all of which were entirely too sweet for my tastes, but none of which were truly horrific like the sauce we ran into at Hooligan’s.  The sides were all average, although the cornbread was better than most.  Just a hint of sweet, unlike the cake that passes for cornbread all too often these days.

So, after all that, how does Famous Dave’s stack up against its smaller competition?  Surprisingly well!  You’ll never walk out of a Famous Dave’s thinking to yourself, “Man, that was GOOD BBQ!”  But if you need a quick BBQ fix and there’s a Famous Dave’s nearby you could certainly do much worse.

With the mood set, it was time for some serious BBQ eating.  First off, BBQ Revue serves up the best back ribs in Cincinnati.  Good ribs can be had elsewhere, but all pale in comparison.  The ribs at BBQ Revue are full of smoky flavor and just the right kind of chewy, but it’s the rub that really sets them apart.   The rub has a little black pepper kick to it that accents the other flavors that permeate deep into the meat, making for an almost otherworldly wallop of flavor that hits you with every bite.  The accompanying sauce is vinegar based and thin, perfectly complementing the complex flavor of the ribs.  BBQ Revue also is a standout in the mac-n-cheese department.  Unlike most mac-n-cheese you find at other BBQ joints, at BBQ Revue the macaroni hasn’t had all its texture baked or boiled out of it, and the oh-so-creamy cheese blend maintains interest beyond the first few bites.  The chicken is excellent, but the pulled pork and brisket are merely average.

With one day left on this year’s BBQ Tour it seems likely BBQ Revue will be maintaining its stranglehold on “best Cincinnati ribs” for another year.

As there was nothing else BBQ-related on the menu, we all ordered up half slabs of ribs, bantered with the friendly wait-staff and eagerly awaited our ribs.  The ribs appeared after a short wait and we all dug in.  The first thing you notice about the ribs is the sauce, which is thick and sweet.  (Think Montgomery Inn.)  Sadly, the sauce was cloyingly sweet and nothing could remove the flavor from our mouths.  That’s a shame because the ribs were decent.  The ribs were clearly baked instead of smoked and were fall-off-the-bone tender.  The lack of smoke meant the rib meat didn’t have much flavor other than that provided by the slightly sickening sauce they were slathered in.  The texture was good, but just couldn’t compensate for the other shortcomings.  All-in-all, decent “bar food” ribs, but nothing to warrant a second visit.

We’re not sure what “The Great Ohio Rib Cook Off” is or was, but we imagine it might have been two guys in their backyard.  For my money, Hooligan’s doesn’t even have the best ribs in the neighborhood.  That said, we were impressed with the friendly service and overall atmosphere.  Hooligan’s Pub seems like a fun place to watch the game, have a few brews, and enjoy some bar food.  Just don’t expect much from the ribs.

KT’s had just reopened today after a three week hiatus for vacation and as such had only a limited menu to choose from.  Pulled pork, chicken, or brisket sandwiches with green beans or cole slaw were the only menu items available, although mac-n-cheese was “in the oven.”  We’ll have to return another time to try the full menu, but we walked out with two pork sandwiches, a brisket sandwich, and two orders of slaw.

My brisket sandwich was very good, especially with the thin, vinegary BBQ sauce provided separately in a small plastic tub.  It’s hard to really give the lowdown on KT’s given the lack of food available, but I can say without hesitation the sandwiches were excellent.  Service from two ladies at the counter was friendly and efficient, although the frequent intrusions by the owner to bark out reasons for the limited menu (no one was asking) suggest perhaps he could use another three weeks of vacation.

We were disappointed to discover they were out of back ribs for the day, but happily settled for some rib tips and, out of curiosity, “turkey ribs.”  Our orders were completed with sides of mac-n-cheese and “smothered cabbage.”    The rib tips were succulent and full of flavor, covered (but not drowning) in Ms. Helen’s own, excellent BBQ sauce.

Frankly we’re still not sure exactly what part of the turkey comprised the “turkey ribs,” all we know is that they were absolutely delicious.  Fall-off-the-bone tender and very flavorful.   The sides were of equally high quality — both the mac-n-cheese and the smothered cabbage received high marks from the whole group.  Ms. Helen promises they’ll have ribs if we stop back on a Friday, which we will definitely have to do.  For once, we had consensus — Ms. Helen’s Grille ranks among the best in our tour.

Know of a local (non-chain) BBQ place we’ve missed?  Drop me a note in the comments and we’ll try to check it out!

Upon exiting the car, we were greeted by the sweet aroma of BBQ as we made our way over to the trailer to place our order.  Wanting to sample as much as we could, we ordered up a full slab of spare ribs, some beef ribs, a whole chicken, some pulled pork, mac-n-cheese, collard greens, candied yams, coleslaw, and potato salad.  Hey, there were five of us!  Since J&W BBQ didn’t have anywhere to sit and enjoy our food, we went down the road a bit to Drake Park where we picnicked under the shelter and enjoyed the fine of view of beautiful I-71.  I started in on the beef ribs first.  Picking the massive rib bone up in my hands and gnawing the meat off the bone made me feel like I was in a Flintsones episode and thoroughly satisfied the carnivore in me.  The beef ribs were the only item we got in the mild sauce, which was a little sweet for my taste.  The beef ribs were very chewy and required a lot of effort to separate the meat from the bone.  Fun to eat, but not especially tasty — no surprise it isn’t offered at most of the BBQ places around here.

Next I started in on the spare ribs.  The hot sauce was a definite improvement over the mild, although it was at most a medium heat.  The spare ribs were a little on the chewy side and had little, if any, smoke flavor.  The chicken was a real bright spot — crispy skin on the outside and tender, juicy meat inside.  If there was anything wrong with the chicken it was the fact that it, like everything else, was absolutely drowning in sauce.  We each shared a bit of the pulled pork sandwich and all agreed that it was a step up from, say, JTM, but still nothing special.   I thought the mac-n-cheese was pretty good, but I was alone in that opinion.  The collard greens, potato salad, and slaw were all unremarkable.  Good, but not great.  We all found the candied yams to be delicious.

The general consensus was that of disappointment.  I was the lone “I liked it!” vote from our group.  While I did enjoy my meal there is no doubt that it comes in a distant 4th out of the 4 places we’ve visited thus far on this year’s BBQ tour.  It’s worth a stop if you’re in the neighborhood and craving BBQ, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to return.

The menu includes burger, coneys, fried chicken, fried fish, a plethora of Sunday dinners, and or course…BBQ.  Since our BBQ contingent dwindled to three die-hard BBQ hounds today, we ordered the full slab rib dinner which included two sides.  We opted for mac-n-cheese and baked beans as our sides, and got a slice of sweet potato pie to share.  The sides were both excellent.  The baked mac-n-cheese had a nice consistency and weren’t drowning in cheese.  The baked beans were sweetened with brown sugar and were easily the best baked beans we’ve encountered on this or any other BBQ tour.   But we didn’t go to Rachel’s Bar-B-Que And Soul for the sides, we were there to try the ‘cue.  The mountain of spare ribs we got were drowning in a sauce best described as average, but even that couldn’t cloak the pitch-perfect texture and flavor of the ribs.

These ribs fell off the bone with just a slight nudge from a fork or knife, something I’m used to seeing with back ribs, but never with spare ribs.  Despite receiving what appeared to be an absolutely gluttonous amount of ribs, the three of us had no trouble polishing them off, and still had room to split the piece of sweet potato pie which was moist and delicious with a nice cinnamon aftertaste.  The perfect way to polish of a fine BBQ lunch.

Upon entering the restaurant we were further disappointed to discover that it was decorated about like a conference room at the Marriott, complete with sleep-inducing smooth jazz emanating from speakers throughout the room.  Not exactly the motorcyles and blues we found at the Landen Smokehouse.  Still, while ambiance is nice, BBQ is king and we were there for BBQ.  We ordered up a whole mess of ‘cue with all the accoutrements.  Two slabs of spare ribs, a large order of rib tips, brisket sandwiches all around, mac-n-cheese, baked beans, and potatoes-and-onions, along with a couple of cornbread muffins.  (I saw some peach cobbler be delivered  too, but I’m pretty sure it was gobbled up before it hit the table.)

Everything was slathered in “Big Bob’s” BBQ sauce, made on location from a recipe that’s been in the Scott family for 80 years.  Ordinarily I prefer my BBQ with the sauce on the side so I can get a good taste of the meat before saucing it up, but this sauce was so good I can’t complain.  Scott’s BBQ owner Larry Scott was kind enough to drop off a bowl of their hot sauce as well which was an excellent addition to our spread for those of us who like things a little more on the spicy side.   As someone who prefers back ribs to spare ribs, I can honestly say these were some of the best spare ribs I’ve ever had the pleasure to encounter.  Just the right amount chewy, not too much gristle, with lots of smoky flavor.  The rib tips were, not surprisingly, of the same high quality as the ribs.  But the brisket sandwich, oh the brisket sandwich.  Full of flavor, not too dry — hands down the best brisket sandwich I’ve had in the Cincinnati area.

Easily the best stop of the tour thus far, and I suspect will give some of our favorites from our last BBQ tour a run for their money when we revisit our favorites at the end of this tour.  If you’re ever in the neighborhood, be sure to give Scott’s a try.