Lights out for an old friend

How does one say goodbye expost?

Two weeks ago I was enjoying the Big Fix, a side of deep fried corn on the cob, and a cold Knoxville Corona, not a care in the world and without any hint of there being trouble in paradise.

Backroom BBQ is dead, and along with it my hopes for a quadruple bypass by the age of 30.

I've tried to come up with poetry, perhaps write a dirge or an aria, maybe some grand bit of prose to be worthy of the place that captivated my tastebuds imagination for so long.

No more horseshoes, no more bad pinball machines, no more watching socially inappropriate man-tv in mixed company. Backroom was a place I could go on a budget and be filled. It also had the best brisket in town. (No arguing that point here, it's impolite to speak ill of the dead.)

I'm really going to miss Backroom BBQ, it was a go to place for visitors in Knoxville and now its gone. If anyone has some words of encouragement this sad and hungry blogger covets them.

Cue Semisonic.





(Apparently Patrick Sullivans is also closed, honestly i only sat there to eat backroom when the bar side was closed and apparently the guy who ran it was a crook, at least in conjunction with the musical acts. Or so I hear.)

BBQ Quest: RouXbarbecue

Let me preface this post by saying RouXbarb is one of my favorite restaurants in Knoxville. I love the creativity of Bruce Bogartz's menus (and boy, does he come up with some tasty stuff), not to mention the quality of food you get for the price is amazing. Because I hold RouXbarb in such high regard, I had some serious expectations for RouXbarbecue. I mean, one of my favorite chefs tackles one of my favorite kinds of foods and promises to do some in a Memphis style? Fabulous!

Well the Modern Fiance and I paid our first visit to RouXbarbecue on Saturday and found it, well, disappointing.

Before I get into why I was disappointed, let me also say that Bruce did an amazing job transforming his space, previously the Hardees at Rocky Hill, into RouXbarbecue. It feels like a BBQ joint and looks nothing like a fast food restaurant. The aesthetic is perfect, the bar looks fun and his smoker set up out on the porch looks like a chef's dream. We sat on the patio, which was huge and also a nice touch.

But then there were the tables, which looked awesome but were hard to squeeze into, even for the 5-foot-4 Modern Gal, because they were kind of short (or maybe the benches were high) and had a lot going on on the ground to keep them propped up. I watched as a fellow diner in a wheelchair had to sit at his table at an awkward angle because he couldn't even begin to get his wheelchair to fit at the table.

Now the food, since that's what this BBQ Quest is all about. The pork was tender and the consistency was right with a little bit of the fatty stuff and a little bit of the tough stuff. But the taste was bland with no hint of smokiness to it. The bun was tasty, but the sauce was your typical North Carolina-style sauce that you find all over the place here. Runny and again, bland. I soaked my 'cue in it and still hardly tasted it. The Modern Fiance broke protocol and tried the ribs. They were Memphis-style dry rub, but I couldn't really taste the spices.


I had swooned when I heard he was offering mac and cheese with Benton's bacon mixed in. Seriously, who does not love Benton's bacon? Well, I think my serving had only two or three tiny bits of bacon, which I couldn't even taste. The mac and cheese itself? Also bland. I nibbled at the slaw, but won't pass judgment on it since I'm not much of a slaw fan. The cabbage bits were huge and it had a lot of mayo and a few spices -- the Modern Fiance approved. The fries were decent too.

The lemonade I had was tasty, and the meal came with a side of cheesy biscuity cornbready bread and dipping sauce (I think it was raspberry?) though neither blew me away. We didn't try any desserts, namely because there was no banana pudding, but I'm presuming they're similar to RouXbarb's fare and probably well worth it.


I should also note that the restaurant, which just opened on Thursday, is suffering from the typical new-restaurant service gliches, like servers forgetting to bring silverware to the tables until after the food had been served. I don't fault the restaurant for that since every new place tends to struggle with things until everyone's in a rhythm. Just be warned if you make your own visit sometime soon.

I'm not writing off RouXbarbecue completely, and for this reason: I know Bruce likes to tinker with his menus, so I *hope* he'll be working to improve his RouXbarbecue fare. I also saw some tasty-looking Po'boys at a nearby table that I'd like to try, and cajun is definitely among his talents.

RouXbarbecue
7426 S. Northshore Dr.
Knoxville, TN 37919
865-951-2880

What's cooking?

Before I mention anything about what's going on this weekend, I want to warn everyone that the weather gurus are predicting severe weather for Saturday afternoon/evening (we're talking possible tornadoes here). Please keep that in mind before you head out to any event this weekend. Better to be safe than sorry!

Now if the weather people are wrong, as they often are, then I want to suggest to you a barbecue event that's for a very good cause. Now for me, there's always a good cause for barbecue, but this one comes with an extra benefit. The Pork Knox Q-Fest at World's Fair Park is this weekend benefitting the Knoxville disABILITY Resource Center, an organization that helps make everyday life more accessible to people with disabilities while also working as an advocacy group. They perform a great service to the community, and supporting them is very worthwile.

It is a barbecue cooking contest (though a Kansas City-sanctioned one, so keep that in mind :), and there's a whole lineup of events (click that link) from now through tomorrow evening. From 6-9 p.m. today, you can participate in the people's choice sampling. Tomorrow there's a hot-dog eating contest and you can meet the Hard Knox Rollergirls.

You've probably also heard, but the Rossini Festival is this weekend too. Street vendors will line Gay Street tomorrow, and you can catch a performance of the Barber of Seville by the Knoxville Opera today and Sunday.

9th Annual Rossini Festival from Knoxville Opera on Vimeo.

So whatever you do this weekend, have fun. But more importantly, be safe and avoid any bad weather headed our way!

BBQ Quest: Dead End BBQ

I was heading out to West Knoxville on business the other day and looking for lunch on the way when it occured to me that I still had not tried Dead End BBQ on Sutherland Ave. It was a beautiful day, so it seemed like the perfect time to try out Dead End's patio.

The atmosphere is very nice if you're looking for something that isn't the typical BBQ dive. It reminds me a little of the Sticky Fingers franchise in Chattanooga and the Carolinas. There's a fancy-schmancy bar and the patio has a humongous flat-screen TV (though when we were there it was tuned to CNN without any closed-caption, so I'm not really sure the point there).

The menu kind of reminded me of Sticky Fingers too for its sheer variety. I spent probably 10 minutes gazing at the things I wanted to try while reminding myself that this BBQ Quest was focused on pulled pork sandwiches. I really wanted to try the BBQ nachos, BBQ sliders and the cheese dip w/ pulled pork mixed in (you get Fritos for dipping!). But, alas, I only have so much room in my belly so they'll have to wait for another time.

So, about the pulled pork for which I quest. It was good. It wasn't my favorite, but it's enough to satisfy a basic barbecue craving. It was mostly tender. It's already got some sort of seasoning or sauce mixed into it, which I was ambivalent about because while I liked the taste I felt like it masked the flavor of the meat a little too much. (If you accuse me of being picky, you won't be the first one).


Dead End offers three different kinds of sauces with the bottles right there on the table. They seemed to each be a variation of the same thin, vinegary sauce with increasing level of spiciness The flavor was decent, but again, not my preference.


The sides. like the nontraditional pork offerings, all piqued my interest. I ended up going with corn on the cob, which was oozing with butter and delicious -- hard to ruin corn on the cob. I also got the mac and pimento cheese. It was, well, very pimentoey. My dining companion got the beans and smoked sausage as a side. The sausage didn't do much to improve the beans, so I'd recommend going with the standard side of beans, known as the Mayor's Beans.

As I'm reading back over this post, it almost sounds like I didn't like Dead End. Please don't get that impression. Overall it's a nice package, and if I wanted to get barbecue with several friends with diverse tastes Dead End would be a great place to go. The service was solid, and I will be going back to try some sliders and nachos AND the peanut butter pie that's listed under desserts. But if my Memphis tastebuds need a barbecue fix, Dead End just isn't quite my style.

Dead End BBQ (that link has a menu and all the info you could want)
3621 Sutherland Avenue
Knoxville, TN 37919-4309
865-212-5655

A different kind of bbq quest.

Put your money where your mouth is.

Last Wednesday I saw someone do just that. The Wigshop was contacted by a gentleman to let us know of a very interesting monthly event that most people would never see or hear of. Mrs. The Pol and myself took off under the maze of overpasses between Western Ave. and Ft. Sanders in search of the Lost Sheep Ministries.

You may have heard of Lost Sheep before. They're the people who go to the homeless and needy, giving food and clothes trying to meet them where they are in their own environment.

That's where I met Joe. Joe is not a part of Lost Sheep, but piggy backs their mission. Joe is just a regular guy who saw a need, wanted to help, and stepped up.

Joe makes Barbeque, really, really good Barbeque and lots of it. He makes this Barbeque specifically for the homeless. Once a month he smokes close to 500 lbs of beautiful pork shoulders, the same he would cook for family, friends, or clients.


It was an impressive sight. Joe in his smoking trailer and cooking gear, working his heart out to serve people who would seem unlikely candidates for the first servings of great food, but that was his point. Joe told me he was convicted by the notion giving the needy the first portion, the best portion, not just the leftovers. In his mind, that is an important symbol for these people to see. That they are not just an afterthought getting whatever remain, but worthy of time and consideration and sacrifice.

There were hundreds of people there. The homeless and needy were streaming out of the woods and along the railroad tracks, there were volunteers with Lost Sheep and volunteers with Joe. They worked with the homeless to prepare the meal and set up everything, there was kindness in the chaos.

[UPDATE: For those wanting to help out, Joe says he will be continuing his barbecue with Lost Sheep the last Wednesday of every month for as long as he can.]

BBQ Quest: Sapphire's Barbecue Nachos

I found myself at Sapphire last night as part of a mini Tweetup happy hour with some lovely Knoxville ladies. Since I got off work late, I knew I had to fill my stomach if I was going to drink. By chance, one of my companions ordered the BBQ nachos appetizer and after trying a bit of what she left on her place (and there wasn't much by the time I got there), I knew I had to order my own.

CK mentioned trying Aubrey's barbecue nachos a while back, and I want to reiterate how wonderful it is to put pulled pork on things other than a white bun or plate. In the city of Memphis (I hear your collective groans), you can find pulled pork and many traditional fares like pizza (not to be confused with barbecue chicken pizza), nachos and salads.

Sapphire does a good job of making their barbecue nachos slightly upscale and Sapphire-like while still keeping them tasty. The restaurant gets its pork from Full Service BBQ in Maryville (which is still on my list). The nachos are also topped with your typical nacho toppings like sour cream, jalapeno peppers, a light cheese sauce but also comes with sweet, tangy, Memphis-style barbecue sauce on top too.

Delish, and a good barbecue option if you're either A. Downtown or B. Not in the mood for a full-out barbecue meal.

Sapphire
428 S Gay St.
Knoxville, TN 37902
865-637-8181

BBQ Quest: Ott's

Y'all probably think I've forgotten about the BBQ Quest. The quest has been kind of slow-going lately because I've gotten crazy-busy at work and I've almost knocked out all the restaurants in a 5-mile radius, which means it's hard to find enough time to visit some of the far-flung joints.

I am still working on it though, and some friends and I took a field trip out to Ott's Bar-B-Que in Farragut a while back. Ott's has what I gather is a newish place after relocating a couple of years ago. One thing about this place is it isn't your typical hole-in-the-wall barbecue joint. There was a fancy flat-screen TV on the wall over the counter which happened to be showing golf the day we were out there. As much as I like the hole-in-the-wall joints for their character, it's still nice to be able to kick back with a beer and some 'cue while taking in a sporting event. Yes, beer. They had your run of the mill variety of bottled beer, so there's that too.

Photos by The MG.

Now, about the barbecue. I've said before that the thing East Tennessee barbecuers seem to struggle with is smoking their pulled pork to perfection. Well, Ott's knows what it's doing. The pork was tender, juicy and smoky and in no way overdone. Very quality. When it comes to barbecue sauces, Ott's offers something like five or six different variety, so if you are one of those heathens who don't like the Memphis-style thick and sweet sauce or you're planning on dining with one of them, there's a chance they'll have a type of sauce you will like. Ok, I'm not being fair. I tried all the sauces and liked several of them. But to get my kind of sauce I had to mix two of their options together.


But as good as the pulled pork was, Ott's totally blew it on the sides. We tried potato salad that didn't look or taste like any kind of potato salad I've ever encountered. It was a sort of mayo/ranch combo that wasn't awful but was incredibly bland. The baked beans weren't memorable and the corn was a little too buttery.


One of my companions was impressed with the selection of ice cream novelties in a freezer right by the door. I don't recall there being any banana pudding to sample, but I can't remember for sure.

So while M&M may still be my favorite, I have no problem recommending Ott's for a good sandwich if you're way out Farragut way AND if you choose your sides wisely or if you just need a beer and some high-definition TV to go with your barbecue.

Editor's note: Before anyone says anything ... Yes, I do plan on trying Dead End BBQ very, very soon.

Ott's Bar-B-Que (Can't find a website)
12828 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, TN 37934
865-675-6887

BBQ Quest: M&M Catering

I've had several people tell me both before and since my barbecue quest began that M&M Catering would satisfy my every need for pulled pork 'cue. Before I started the quest, I made plans several times to head out Middlebrook and see if they were correct, but my plans kept getting derailed. After I started the quest I decided to hold off on visiting M&M until I'd visited several other places first. If M&M really was as satisfying as they claimed it was then I didn't want the rest to be judged based on my experience there.

That plan got completely derailed when a wedding I attended a few weeks ago (in which the groom was also a barbecue snob from Memphis) served M&M as the reception fare. I knew then that M&M had to become a regular feature in my life.

But to be fair, I knew a trip to the M&M establishment was in order, so The Pol, B, CK and a few of our friends made an event out of it last Friday as a kick off to the holiday weekend. Here are two things I've learned about M&M lately: 1. It's not where it used to be -- they picked up and moved down Middlebrook a ways; 2. It's another take it and go place but without the benefit of picnic tables like at F.A.T.S. or Dixson's.

photos by The MG

I knew something was right when we pulled up and I counted 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ... 8!!! smokers!!! Granted, it was the day before the largest barbecue consumption day of the year, but I choose to believe they ALWAYS have eight smokers smoking like a good barbecue place should. It wasn't all for pork, they had some tasty, meaty lookin' chicken wings going too.

Y'all, believe me when I say: this is real pulled pork barbecue. It's chunky and tender and just the right kind of smoky and flavorful. It goes down so well, aided by your choice of sweet or spicy barbecue sauces. (I tried the sweet, and it was just what I wanted). It is what my life has been missing since moving back to this city.
two of the eight smokers

Between the five of us we had beans, slaw, mac and cheese, potato chips, lemonade and fruit tea. The beans were good in a very unassuming way. They weren't spicy or overly sweet. They didn't have chunks of things in them. They were your classic baked beans. The slaw I gather was standard. The mac and cheese was thick and gelatanous, but in a good way. I'm guessing there weren't any complaints about the standard-issue chips. The lemonade and fruit tea were basically sugar with a side of liquid. (On the flip side, M&M sells all kinds of bottled options INCLUDING COKE ZERO, which is awesome).

Also, CK finally sampled his first Knoxville pig burger. I'll let him do his own review of that, but my preview is this: it looked like meatloaf.

I was a little miffed that M&M didn't at least have a picnic table outside to sit at, though the search for a picnic table took us Wigshoppers on an amusing trek through the Cedar Bluff area. Still, I'm about 99.9 percent certain it's going to be the ultimate winner of BBQ Quest. I won't conclude the quest just yet as no barbecue in this town will go unsampled by The MG, but please accept my recommendation of M&M.

M&M Catering (follow that link for hours and menu)
1039 Summerwood Rd.
Knoxville, TN 37923
865-692-1003

an ode to pulled pork nachos

Hello, CK here. I don't usually write for our "BBQ Quest" series, but last night I unwittingly stumbled on what I think is a dish worthy of blog consideration. I went to Aubrey's at Paper Mill Rd. with some of my more West Knoxville oriented friends. And apparently Aubrey's is the DTGB of Bearden on Tuesday nights- with $2 pints and outside seating, the bar side was packed and loud. We repaired to the quieter restaurant section and my eyes quickly found "Pulled Pork Nachos" on the appetizer side bar. Doth my eyes deceive me?! It wasn't really much of a decision. Skipping ahead, this is what came out a little later:


They were delicious! A sweetish BBQ sauce with sharp cheddar cheese and sour cream- c'mon! What's not to like here? The pork seemed good quality to me (really soft and disintegrating, MG) and made surprisingly good nachos. Since I'm not from God's BBQ Country, I'm all for reinterpretations of it (see "Fix, The" of Backroom BBQ fame). Think of it as the Deep South meets the Really Deep South. And while I found the atmosphere at Aubrey's inoffensively suburban 'meh', I'll be trucking back west just to get me some of these heavenly nachos.

BBQ Quest: Sweet P's

A few people suggested Sweet P's BBQ to be one of the stops on BBQ Quest, but at the time it was merely a catering business and I had plans on passing just because I wanted to find a place where I could sit down and indulge. Well lo and behold, Sweet P's opened its own establishment earlier this month, and after several more recommendations from commenters and a hard sell by our own Em, I decided it needed to be our next stop.

photos and original artwork by max.

Sweet P's is slightly off the beaten path but not too far away, located at Willow Point Marina on Maryville Pike. I don't know the rules at the marina, so I don't know if you can visit Sweet P's by water unless you already have access to one of the slips, but the restaurant does have an outside deck where you can eat and gaze at the boats. Thanks to yesterday's rain, Mr. and Mrs. The Pol, Max and I opted for inside, which was spacious and covered with World's Fair memorabilia. Thumbs up. There's a bar with a very random assortment of beers and the restaurant even has its own cornhole setup, which a few customers were taking advantage of Tuesday night.


The Pol and I grabbed what was described as chopped pork, which made me cringe a bit when I ordered. But don't be fooled, it really is pulled pork -- properly pulled pork -- and it is delish. The meat is tender, chunky and has a nice flavor. And, Sweet P's lets you sauce your own meat with your choice of thick, thin or hot sauce. The thick sauce, which had a hint of garlic, was good without being overwhelming. The Pol said the hot sauce had 'nice heat' to it as well.


Max and The Mrs. Pol both got the barbecue burrito, which came with pork, beans, slaw and cheese (I think). Max says the cheese overwhelmed the pork a bit, but I will give anyone props for trying to do creative things with barbecue.

One great thing about Sweet P's: the fried pickles. Fried pickles are a delicacy, my friends. Sweet P's does fried pickle spears in both a regular and a spicy version with a mustardy/mayo-y dipping sauce. Tasty. One not so great thing about Sweet P's: the beans. When I eat barbecue, I want bona fide baked beans oozing in sweet, worcestershirey sauce. These beans were a straight-up pinto/white bean mix. Good for a meat-and-three, not my choice for barbecue. The mac-and-cheese and slaw were good, but nothing to jump in the lake about.


I'll definitely recommend Sweet P's based on the pork and atmosphere alone. The people who work there were super nice and accomodating, and I've said this before: that goes a long way. The Pols and I gave it 7.5 wigs out of 10, though Max gives them 9 and even left Sweet P's with some of his original artwork. We hope to find it hanging on the wall when we return.


Sweet P's (follow that link to get to a menu)

3725 Maryville Pike
Knoxville, TN‎
(865) 579-0100‎

BBQ quest: Pup's Pit BBQ

This weekend was the annual World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in Memphis, and I was seriously craving some barbecue after hearing about it from all my hometown friends. I told this to the guy who runs Pup's Pit BBQ on Walker Springs Road, where I stopped for lunch on Saturday. He told me I'd come to the right place as his was one of the only barbecue joints in town that takes the time to appropriately smoke the meat. My interest was piqued, because that's been my biggest beef with the pork in this town: it's never smoked long enough.

photos by the MG.

You kinda have to know Pup's is there or you're gonna miss it. It's wedged between a used car shop and the interstate onramp at Walker Springs. Like F.A.T.S. it's either take it to the picnic tables outside or take it to go. Oh, and one of the best parts of the setup? Your only utensil option is a spork.

They have a diverse menu, which on Saturday included stuff like shrimp and catfish, but since I'm in search for the perfect pulled pork sandwich, that's what I got. Dude was right about smoking the pork. He smokes it a very long time. Perhaps -- and I hate to suggest anyone oversmokes their pork -- but I think it was a little too long. The hickory flavor was a little too pronounced and the meat was dry. The sauce was more or less ketchup. The mac and cheese tasted like it was out of a box. BUT the beans, ohhhhh the baked beans. They were perfection.

I don't want this to sound like a bad review -- The sandwich still hit the spot on a day that I was seriously craving some 'cue, and I think I prefer oversmoked to undersmoked. It's also a decent stop for someone who might be interested in F.A.T.S. but lives out west and doesn't want to drive all the way in to town.

Pup's Pit BBQ
112 Walker Springs Rd
Knoxville, TN 37923
(865) 690-9822‎

BBQ Quest: Scruggs

Click here for previous BBQ Quest entries.

Working downtownish, I've been looking for a barbecue place near my office to satisfy my midday barbecue cravings. Max and I aimed for Dixons on Magnolia last Thursday only to find they weren't quite open yet (here's a hint: Th-Sat but go AFTER 4 p.m.). Fortunately, Scruggs is just down the road, and it keeps a much more regular schedule.

Scruggs might be easy to miss unless you know this detail: it's attached to a liquor package store. Now let me tell you, Scruggs has the hole-in-the-wall barbecue joint ambiance down to a T, which I absolutely loved. Dark wood-paneled walls, pictures hung of UT football teams from the '50s, a (possibly inoperable) Shaq Attaq pinball machine and an overgrown plant that looked like a cousin of Audrey II's.

photos by max., who forgot to take photos of the actual food.

Upon ordering it occurred to me that I'd forgotten to stop by the ATM on the way over and only had three dollars cash to my name. Here's the Modern Gal's first tip in eating at hole-in-the-wall joints: always have cash. Fortunately, the lady at the counter told me I could pay with credit card. In paying by credit card, I had to take my bill, walk next door to the liquor store, where everything was encased in plexiglass, pay the lady behind the plexiglass and bring my bill back to the restaurant before they'd start putting my order together. Max ran into his own barrier in getting his order filled in that the Coke he ordered was locked in a cooler.

Now, about the food. It was another case of the pulled pork being more chopped than pulled, and it really didn't have the flavor I've been searching for. Or maybe it did have the flavor, but it was oozing with so much wonderfully thick, sweet, tomatoey sauce that I didn't notice. Seriously, Scruggs needs to bottle its sauce and sell it.

The baked beans were perfect too, cooked in the same sweet sauce as the barbecue and, as Max noted, absent of giant vegetables that didn't belong (a reference to F.A.T.S.' jalapeno-laden beans). Scruggs doesn't have straight-up mac and cheese, but they do have this amazing macaroni salad, prepared almost identically to potato salad and every bit as good. Max says the slaw was a smidge dry but still tasty.

Unlike some of the other places we've been we weren't overcome by the food coma by the end of the meal so we also tried some cookies -- a chocolate chip and an M&M. They were edible, but I think they may have also been a week old.

I'll probably go again just because it's a place that's close to work and open during lunch hours and not named Buddy's. The macaroni salad might be enough to bring me back, but I'll probably try either the ribs or the chicken next time.



Scruggs Bar-B-Que
920 E. Magnolia Ave.
(865) 524-4333

BBQ Quest: Back Room BBQ

I was a little worried for Back Room BBQ because all I'd heard about the food there from my friends was 'Texas style, Texas style,' and here B and I -- the two Memphis natives who reside here at the Wigshop -- decided we were going to have dinner there. I figured that meant Back Room was screwed from the get go. I was wrong.

As it turns out, Back Room, despite having a menu full of beef briskety options, also offers a few pulled pork sandwiches, which is what B and I both ordered. Holy smokes, that pork was tasty and thick. Exactly what was missing last week at F.A.T.S. You have the option of ordering your meat on either Texas toast or a kaiser bun. I love Texas toast very much, but it seems to suit chicken fingers better than barbecue so I stuck with the bun. The bun came soaked in butter and toasted, which was a nice touch EXCEPT the butter totally overwhelmed the tomato-based sauce, which was pretty runny and flavorless, even though I dumped nearly half the bottle on my sandwich. Back Room also offers vinegar sauce, if you like that sort of thing.

They have most of the traditional sides, like beans and slaw. B and I both got the country style green beans, which had a sort of sweet kick to them but were really good. I got the traditional Patrick Sullivan's fried corn on the cob, and oh my goodness. It was fried bits of heaven, but it will stick with you for a while.

Like the good Old City establishment that it is, Back Room has a bar, pool table room, darts and a patio. And because it's a bar/pool table/darts/patio kind of establishment, Back Room is the place to go if you just want to chill with a super-cheap PBR and catch up with your friends. It is not the place to go if you want to be waited on hand-and-foot.

B and I grabbed a spot on the patio just as dusk was approaching and the Christmas lights were being plugged in. There were basically two people working -- one at the bar, one floating around everywhere else -- and we had to keep stalking them out. It wasn't too bothersome since we were just chatting the evening away and there was always someone at the bar, but just keep that in mind.

So recommended? Absolutely, though if you're a snob about your sauce, you may want to sneak some with you in your purse (or that of your lady friend's). There's a cuban-style barbecue pork sandwich that has piqued my interest, and CK is already trying to get me to try something forebodingly called 'The Fix.' I gather I'm going to have to fast for three days before I tackle that one.

Back Room BBQ
100 N. Central St., Knoxville
(865) 637-4255

BBQ Quest: F.A.T.S. Barbecue

While my fellow Wigshoppers were busy chowing down on sushi last week, I was in Memphis splurging on good barbecue so I'd have a good base for comparison for my Knoxville barbecue quest. What can I say, I am nothing if not dedicated to this quest.

Max and I hit the ground running on Saturday afternoon, deciding to try F.A.T.S. barbecue on Whittle Springs in North Knoxville because, well, it was the first one that was suggested. They say first impressions count, and if that's the case F.A.T.S. does it right. It doesn't fuss with appearances, which usually means in the barbecue world that it's busy fussing over the food instead.

photos by max.

I particularly loved that it has a sign advertising a drive-thru which no car will ever access because the two smokers are planted in front of it. The smoker on the cinder blocks was an especially nice touch.

I was a little bit overwhelmed by the menu. It's plastered all over the counter and there are basically tons of ways to order the same four or five different things. The guy taking our order talked me out of the half-rack of ribs, saying it was probably too much for me, which was fine since it's good pulled pork that seems to be more elusive in this town. I ordered what I thought was a pulled pork sandwich, though it turned out to be kind of chopped, and Max did too. Between the two of us we got beans, slaw and mac and cheese as a side.


The pork was decent, but didn't knock me over. It was tender but not terribly flavorful and chopped a little too thin for my taste. But the sauce, boy howdy -- they got that one right. It's tomatoey and sweet. It's so thick it could be its own meal. The beans were pretty good too, though they come with humongous hunks of jalapeno, so eat at your own risk. The mac and cheese was garlicky and tasty but seemed to have been sitting around for a while, so it was a little stiff. And though I'm a barbecue snob, a slaw snob I am not for I am far too picky. Max says it would have been good had it not been drowning in mayo.

The best part of the meal was the ambiance, in which I mean the great outdoors. There's nowhere to eat inside. You either take it and run or you take it to one of the picnic tables in the parking lot. I love picnic meals, and sitting in the warm sun on Saturday afternoon was a perfect antidote for some spring fever. I'm guessing the experience would not have been quite as pleasurable if it had been raining.

So even though the sandwich didn't satisfy my search for good Knoxville barbecue, I'll still recommend F.A.T.S. on a beautiful sunny day.

F.A.T.S. Barbecue
2701 Whittle Springs Rd
Knoxville, TN 37917
(865) 524-1929

In search of good barbecue

If you've not read the Modern Gal's bio, you probably don't know that I spent my formative years in Memphis, which automatically qualifies me as a barbecue snob.

I'm sure y'all are familiar with the Memphis breed of barbecue snobs: only pork qualifies and the sauce is sweet with a tomato base. I guess I could be considered Memphis barbecue snob lite, because I like both wet and dry-rub ribs. Still, anyone who wants to argue with me on what real barbecue is, I ask you first how many World Championship Barbecue contests you've attended.

Anyway, my point isn't to be ornery. My point is this: Every time I move to a new city, I have to establish a relationship with the barbecue scene, and I've yet to do that with Knoxville. Don't tell me Buddy's is the place to go -- Buddy's is fast food NOT real barbecue (though they have amazing oatmeal raisin cookies). Yes, there's Calhoun's, and I give Calhoun's credit for having very good ribs, but their pulled pork is awful.

My Knoxville barbecue bachelorette days have gone on way too long, so I've decided instead to embark on a gastrological journey through Knoxville's barbecue scene to find the crown jewel. I've been asking around town, soliciting suggestions for the best barbecue joints to get an idea of where to start. My friends at the News Sentinel even helped me out with a poll, though it turned out to be useless as the majority picked Buddy's. So Wigshop friends I ask you too: where are the must-eat BBQ joints in our fair city?

In my dedication to spreading the good news of Knoxville, I shall report all of my findings back here at the Wigshop. Let the games begin!