The Tender Rib BBQ

A new BBQ place opened up a few blocks from work and I had lunch there today. I thought I’d share the results in a quick note. It’s called The Tender Rib, so naturally I tried their namesake: 4 ribs, two sides, sweet tea.

I’ll work my way backwards. The sweet tea was very good, not too sweet but not lacking either. My sides were baked beans and potato salad, both of which were excellent. The beans were cooked well in a sweet sauce that was just the right amount of spicy. The potato salad featured potato chunks of just the right size and, thankfully, avoided large pieces of onion or celery.

Seeing that the restaurant was called ‘The Tender Rib’, I had opposing feelings with what to expect. It could work both ways. Either the cook is so confident in his smoking abilities that he names his restaurant to exemplify that, or, they’re trying their best but luring people in with a false promise. Sadly, it’s the latter. It was obvious the pork wasn’t cooked long enough and it was kind of a hassle to get the meat from the bone. To note on the positive, you could tell the pork itself was of good quality and there was ample meat on all three sides of the bone. It was served with a dry rub and the sauce on the side (big plus for following the rules) was a nice balance between sweet and vinegar.

The biggest disappointment of all would have to be the high prices. To compare, a full rack of amazing ribs with two sides, cornbread and a drink at Andy Nelson’s is $21; while a HALF rack of ribs with two sides and a drink (no cornbread) at The Tender Rib will run you $19. Ribs are the exception though, as sandwich combo options are more equal to those I’m used to.

One could assume that this was simply an off day for ribs. This is no excuse as you must cook to impress every day, regardless. I probably won't order the ribs again for quite some time, if ever. For the price, it's not really worth the gamble. But, I will definitely eat here again, instead ordering something a little less demanding, probably the brisket.

Overall, the restaurant staff was friendly and the dining area was just fine. Most importantly, they seem to have a pretty good handle on their food but I would definitely suggest refining their ribs.

p.s. I have no idea why the text is so dark. Oh well.