- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Had a pretty disappointing meal at BRQ this weekend
Posted on 10/9/17 at 8:48 am
Posted on 10/9/17 at 8:48 am
Disclaimer: The word of the day is DRY
My fiance and I went to BRQ once a few months back and had a very positive experience. I even went so far as to defend BRQ when I thought it was getting some unfair criticism. After this Saturday, I doubt I will be returning until things pick up in the kitchen.
We went for 5:30 for my future mother-in-law's birthday. Plenty of TVs with the LSU game angled in all the right spots, so I was able to watch our Tigers beat the Gators.
Fiance and I split the blue crab deviled eggs. These were just okay. Crab meat that tasted like it was tossed in olive oil sitting inside an egg. Very bland. Other people had fried green tomatoes app and I had a bite and it was very good.
I really wanted ribs, so I ordered the half rack of spare ribs with jalapeno goat cheese corn grits as my side. Ribs were okay, but just very dry. The sauces they give you just aren't that great. All are too sweet. The cheese grits were terrible. Again, very dry and my friend who tasted them said it was more like cornbread than grits.
Fiance didn't know what she wanted so she ordered "The Sammich" and the Mac n Cheese. Mac n Cheese was good, but that should always be good. The "Sammich" was just terrible. Piled high with dry pieces of cubed brisket on a dry pretzel bun. That's it. Nothing else but meat and bread. You can add sauce to moisten in up, but it's a terrible and forgettable menu item that should be changed asap.
My future MiL also got ribs and a side of mashed potatoes. These too had the consistency of glue and were bland. Had a bite and didn't want anymore.
Other entrees were the babyback ribs (looked identical to my spare ribs) and the Smoked Brisket Pastrami Grilled Cheese, which my friend did enjoy.
Finished the meal with a slice of chocolate cake (dry) and lemon meringue, which was excellent. Both desserts are huge and were split between 5 people with leftovers to take home.
The service was good, and the staff were friendly and attentive. By the time we left at 7:00, the place was packed.
TL;DR version
BRQ is what I feared, a too ambitious restaurant that doesn't do anything great, but everything mediocre. BBQ isn't good enough for it to be a BBQ joint. Other options aren't good enough for it to go away from BBQ. It needs to find an identity and stick with it.
Pros:
Service
Lemon Meringue Pie
Fried Green Tomato App
Pastrami Grilled Cheese
Cons:
Dry, bland sides
Dry BBQ
Sweet sauces
My fiance and I went to BRQ once a few months back and had a very positive experience. I even went so far as to defend BRQ when I thought it was getting some unfair criticism. After this Saturday, I doubt I will be returning until things pick up in the kitchen.
We went for 5:30 for my future mother-in-law's birthday. Plenty of TVs with the LSU game angled in all the right spots, so I was able to watch our Tigers beat the Gators.
Fiance and I split the blue crab deviled eggs. These were just okay. Crab meat that tasted like it was tossed in olive oil sitting inside an egg. Very bland. Other people had fried green tomatoes app and I had a bite and it was very good.
I really wanted ribs, so I ordered the half rack of spare ribs with jalapeno goat cheese corn grits as my side. Ribs were okay, but just very dry. The sauces they give you just aren't that great. All are too sweet. The cheese grits were terrible. Again, very dry and my friend who tasted them said it was more like cornbread than grits.
Fiance didn't know what she wanted so she ordered "The Sammich" and the Mac n Cheese. Mac n Cheese was good, but that should always be good. The "Sammich" was just terrible. Piled high with dry pieces of cubed brisket on a dry pretzel bun. That's it. Nothing else but meat and bread. You can add sauce to moisten in up, but it's a terrible and forgettable menu item that should be changed asap.
My future MiL also got ribs and a side of mashed potatoes. These too had the consistency of glue and were bland. Had a bite and didn't want anymore.
Other entrees were the babyback ribs (looked identical to my spare ribs) and the Smoked Brisket Pastrami Grilled Cheese, which my friend did enjoy.
Finished the meal with a slice of chocolate cake (dry) and lemon meringue, which was excellent. Both desserts are huge and were split between 5 people with leftovers to take home.
The service was good, and the staff were friendly and attentive. By the time we left at 7:00, the place was packed.
TL;DR version
BRQ is what I feared, a too ambitious restaurant that doesn't do anything great, but everything mediocre. BBQ isn't good enough for it to be a BBQ joint. Other options aren't good enough for it to go away from BBQ. It needs to find an identity and stick with it.
Pros:
Service
Lemon Meringue Pie
Fried Green Tomato App
Pastrami Grilled Cheese
Cons:
Dry, bland sides
Dry BBQ
Sweet sauces
5
Posted on 10/9/17 at 8:56 am to LSUZombie
I went a little over a month ago... everything was good but the BBQ. I split a large platter with a few people... the ribs were severely overcooked, to the point where the meat was flaky. The brisket was dry and bland. The chopped brisket was better, but it had been in sauce all day most likely so it didn't dry out.
The pulled pork and chicken were alright, but nothing special.
And I didn't really care for any of their sauces.
The appetizers we split were perfectly fine though, and the sides were good, although unmemorable.
Just a real poor effort on the BBQ itself.
The pulled pork and chicken were alright, but nothing special.
And I didn't really care for any of their sauces.
The appetizers we split were perfectly fine though, and the sides were good, although unmemorable.
Just a real poor effort on the BBQ itself.
Posted on 10/9/17 at 9:04 am to LSUBoo
Kind of the same experience we had a few months ago. Split one of the platters and mostly enjoyed everything. Enough to be excited to return again but this latest trip soured us. Need to give the renovated Sonny's a try but if I crave BBQ, I'll be cooking it at home.
Posted on 10/9/17 at 9:19 am to LSUZombie
Everytime I have been I have found it good. I've just stuck with one of the lunch specials with chicken and pulled pork however.
Posted on 10/9/17 at 10:59 am to LSUBoo
quote:
The chopped brisket was better, but it had been in sauce all day most likely so it didn't dry out.
Not a good sign at all.
Posted on 10/9/17 at 12:06 pm to LSUZombie
I’ve gotten to where I won’t eat BBQ unless it’s lunch time. Seems like anywhere I go in the evening it is always sub par. Doesn’t matter where or what state I’m in. I wasn’t wanting to try that place but from the sounds of it I think I’ll pass.
Posted on 10/9/17 at 12:13 pm to Earthquake 88
quote:
I’ve gotten to where I won’t eat BBQ unless it’s lunch time. Seems like anywhere I go in the evening it is always sub par.
I definitely feel like there's some validity to this.
Posted on 10/9/17 at 12:46 pm to LSUBoo
quote:
quote:
I’ve gotten to where I won’t eat BBQ unless it’s lunch time. Seems like anywhere I go in the evening it is always sub par.
I definitely feel like there's some validity to this.
Well most places we know and talk about on this board are lunch places-cook all night and be ready for 11:00am. Anything left is dried out. Just have to find someone that is putting briskets in at 5:00am for dinner service and I can't think of any.
I eat leftovers as we had a house full of kids and my mother cooked every night and cooked a lot so we had them and they didn't go to waste and I like most of them. But leftover BBQ to me has to be chopped and sauced to be able to eat it. Just pulling a brisket at noon for service at 7 its bad.
One thing my mother did was freeze the end bits of roasts, rump, eye of round, short ribs even ham. And when she had enough she thawed them all out, cut up and made BBQ sandwiches which were good.
Posted on 10/9/17 at 2:41 pm to LSUZombie
Fair review. I still wish them luck. NoCarsGo will be here in minutes
Posted on 10/9/17 at 3:04 pm to Shingo
quote:
Fair review. I still wish them luck.
I sincerely wish them luck, and I was super excited when I read about them opening. I did voice concern about a very ambitious menu and the perception of "elevated" BBQ. So far, it's sadly going the way quite a few on here predicted.
For contrast, I went to Velvet Cactus for lunch the next day and while their tacos left much to be desired, their fried plantains and jalapeno cheese grits were both delicious.
Posted on 10/9/17 at 8:10 pm to LSUZombie
(no message)
This post was edited on 9/29/22 at 9:49 pm
Posted on 10/9/17 at 9:10 pm to Papercutninja
After my review of a terrible meal, I gave it another shot.... no dice.
Ridiculous that you cannot get a good brisket in a Baton Rouge restaurant.... especially considering one opened that is charging quality prices for the product its putting out.
If u cannot cook brisket that is tender and moist, dont cook brisket.
Ridiculous that you cannot get a good brisket in a Baton Rouge restaurant.... especially considering one opened that is charging quality prices for the product its putting out.
If u cannot cook brisket that is tender and moist, dont cook brisket.
This post was edited on 10/9/17 at 9:13 pm
Posted on 10/10/17 at 8:27 am to LSUZombie
Love it! Everyone is entitled to their opinion and we are all food experts, right?!! At the end of the day Baton Rouge is better to have a restaurants like BRQ than some BS chain.
Posted on 10/10/17 at 8:51 am to NoCarsGo
quote:
Everyone is entitled to their opinion and we are all food experts, right?!!
Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion, but when a someone who knows a lot about food (me) has the same exact opinion as my fiancee who knows little about food, it means the food wasn't very good.
quote:
At the end of the day Baton Rouge is better to have a restaurants like BRQ than some BS chain.
Locally owned restaurants trying to do new things are always welcomed in Baton Rouge. But at this moment, I could list several chains I would eat at before going back to BRQ.
Posted on 10/10/17 at 8:55 am to LSUZombie
I like couyons and tj ribs the best
Posted on 10/10/17 at 9:01 am to Shingo
Like a moth to the flame
Posted on 10/10/17 at 9:04 am to tigers1956
quote:
I like couyons and tj ribs the best
I like Sonny's and I'm glad they are back.
Also, because of the bad meal at BRQ, I threw a slab of spare ribs on the grill last night for a quick indirect cook with hickory smoke. About an hour and half later, fiancee and I were eating ribs that were miles better than the dry BBQ received at BRQ
Posted on 10/10/17 at 9:04 am to Shingo
quote:
Like a moth to the flame
What's his deal? He have a stake in the place?
Posted on 10/10/17 at 9:05 am to LSUZombie
Definitely
Posted on 10/10/17 at 9:07 am to Shingo
Well then instead of commenting with snarky quips, he should take some of the criticism to heart and address it. I know I'm not the only one who had a poor meal there and probably won't be returning.
Page 1 of 2
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News