I’m meeting a valley buddy for brunch on Sunday @ Barrel & Ashes. If I remember correctly from prior BBQ threads—the food here is hit and miss. What’s worth ordering and what should I avoid?
Thanx!
Skip the banana pudding and pulled pork. Def get the ribs and Mac n cheese. Greens were decent too.
looks interesting. I’ve never had a hoe cake before. Is it a large fried pancake or corn bread?
beef or pork or both?
I was kinda indifferent about the hoe cake. definitely pass on the banana pudding, several steps below Magnolia Bakery’s version. The best part of the banana pudding is the mason jar you get (if you get it to-go)
i liked the pork spare ribs, very meaty.
I didn’t even know they had beef ribs? I have only had the pork ribs, and they were very good. Probably the best protein option they have IMO. Chicken was good too but tiny portion.
Chicken sandwich is very good, surprisingly. Skip the hush puppies.
I haven’t checked out their menu yet–I figured I’d ask everybody here first and look @ the menu when I get there. So it’s pork ribs only—which is fine by me (and seem to be the consensus so far!)
Their smoked chicken wings were OK but I thought their ribs were average and the brisket was even worse.
Save yourself and go to Black Market a block down. Much better food.
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It’s surprising to hear that this place still serves up mediocre food. At first, when a lot of mixed reviews were coming out, I think everyone just gave them the benefit of the doubt that it’s a new restaurant and they are still trying to figure things out. Now that they’re no longer a new restaurant and are still serving food that is hit or miss, what’s their excuse?
This on top of the mixed reviews of Otium, maybe it’s time to conclude that chef Hollingsworth isn’t all that great after all?
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They don’t have them on the menu but they are an occasional special, IIRC around $40 last time I was there.
bump.
I would, but my friend seems set on trying it out. He a meat and beer kind of guy.
The last couple of times we got together we went to Boneyard Bistro. He liked the 'que (I didn’t), but I thought their burger was pretty good. I also liked a beer that I got there (can’t remember the name) but it was from Van Nuys (of all places) and out of a nitro tap. very yummy.
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Sounds about right. lol
I agree Boneyard’s bbq is mediocre, and their burgers are good. Although if you get the 1/2 lb the bun disintegrates. Best things about the place are; they love Zinfandel (my favorite wine), and you can sometimes get Pliny the Elder (not the Younger unfortunately) on tap.
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I don’t think I could polish off a 1/2lb burger @ this point in my life (along w/ fries and beer). Zin is one of my favorite reds as well, but I usually get beer if i’m having a burger—I find it helps cut the fat/richness of the meat and works well w/ most burger toppings. The server that we had both times @ Boneyard was really great and very knowledgeable about beer.
The hoe cake was the most memorable item from a group lunch I participated in at Barrel and Ashes over a year ago. It is sort of a mix between a corn bread and a pancake, and for two I would definitely order it. If they are the same as the lunch portions, the pork spareribs (fairly large) and the crispy chicken sandwich (a bit small) would be great for two to share. Enjoy and please report back.
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yes they were.
we decided to keep it simple and split a full rack of pork ribs, tater tots and a couple of Hardtimes ambers. good thing we didn’t get a chicken sandwich or hoe cake–we were more than full from the ribs. I thought they were really tasty—meaty/fatty (not dried out and tough/stringy like some places), slightly smokey and the sauce was a good balance of sweet/spice (I’m not into overly sweet anything). The tater tots were great—light, perfectly fried (not greasy at all) with a great crunchy outside. Thankfully I made reservations for the patio as it was very crowded and really loud inside. All-in-all it was a nice lunch catching up w/ a good friend. Thanks everybody for the tips!
btw—has anybody tried the burger? They looked pretty good from a distance.
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I suspect this was probably something from MacLeod Brewing - they do almost exclusively English-style ales, always either on cask or on nitro. All of their stuff is smooth and mild and super drinkable. It’s a departure from the norm in the beer world, and while I admit I don’t love everything they put out I do like a fair bit of it, and I admire their attitude and goals. And the taproom is a fun place to visit, too.
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