…I’m a food critique, mostly because I’m pretty particular about what I put in my mouth (ha).
The other day, my husband and I tried a new BBQ joint on South Broadway called Gary Lee’s Motor Club & Grub. Him being from Mississippi and me from Texas, we know some good ‘Q when we eat it, so we were pretty excited to try this new (to us) spot.
On first glance: pretty sweet place. The décor is sorta motorcycle hipster chic, with lots of wood, exposed beams and ductwork, and a really nice, spacious patio facing Broadway. We sat right on the edge of indoor/outdoor, where the garage doors open up to the patio.
The service: was good. Not great, but good. The waiter mentioned eating BBQ from a place up the street for lunch; not exactly something I would admit if I worked at a BBQ joint.
The appetizer: We had the prosciutto-wrapped smoked jalapeño poppers to start. They’re marketed as “house smoked jalapeños stuffed with cheese and wrapped with thinly sliced prosciutto”. Let me tell you something: that prosciutto was most definitely NOT “thinly” sliced. I love prosciutto; this was more like thick-cut bacon. It was very smoky, and very flavorful, but I wish the prosciutto had been sliced thinner so that I could have enjoyed the stuffed jalapeños more. Instead, the overwhelming flavor of smoky meat was too much for me and I only ate one popper.
The main course: There was no bread*. We split the pulled pork with the Memphis BBQ sauce and the caramelized Brussels sprouts. The plating of the meat was a little sloppy, but hey, it’s BBQ so it doesn’t have to be neat. The Brussels sprouts were tasty, but a little al dente (I prefer the sprouts at Steuben’s). The pulled pork was on the moist side, which is great, but only if you have something to soak it up with (and Brussels sprouts don’t really do a good job at that). I was displeased with their side selections: the only potato option they have is mashed (meh), and there were no corn OR corn bread* options (which are kind of BBQ-side-staples in my book).
The drinks: I had a spicy Bloody Mary and my hubby had a beer (Avery IPA). Both were tasty and left us satisfied.
The leftovers: were even better than the 1st go-round! I made myself a BBQ sammich with some sliced Muenster cheese, chopped onions, and mayo on a bolillo bread roll. Cue chips and baby ‘maters and I had myself one yummy lunch.
The verdict: I wish they had bread. I would go back to try the tacos (which the waiter raved about, but… really? You’re a BBQ place, not a taco place, come on now) or maybe a sandwich and definitely another side. Depending on that experience, I might even go back to try their brunch.
Score: 3 out of 5 (I’d go back)
*Okay, sure – if you order a sandwich, you will receive bread. However, the dinner plate options do not come with a bread accompaniment & while this is not an ABSOLUTE necessity, I like to have some cornbread, a dinner roll, or SOME-thing with my BBQ.
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