Good barbecue

Lots of other Boston fans of BT's. ;-}

Unnecessarily harsh, no?

I like Sweet Cheeks a lot but I wish it were in a different location because then it wouldn't have the frat boy/Fenway crowd which kind of kills it for me. And yeah--the prices are bonkers. But I love her ribs and fried chicken and the sides--the crazy chunky-cut slaw, the $$$ but perfect biscuits, and the broccoli cheddar casserole are fantastic.

... and it's always been great. We have never gotten a seat inside, however -- which meant eating outside once when it was definitely a bit chilly and windy. ;-)

Yes - the original owners sold it to some of their employees, who have failed miserably without the direction of people who know anything about barbecue (or running a restaurant). We used to go there regularly but only did so twice after the owners left. The first time, the gravy, which used to be thick and smoky-flavored, was basically a cup of brown oil; the meat was poorly cooked. Second time they told me it was now policy to charge *a dollar* for each additional cup of barbecue sauce - that was the last straw. I hope they go out of business soon, and feel bad for anyone eating there who thinks they're eating good barbecue.

As for recommendations: We've switched to Soul Fire (the one in Brigham Circle), which I haven't seen mentioned above, unless I missed it. Although we mostly started going there for convenience, the head cook there is really good. The fried chicken is delicious, and hey, you can pump your own sauces, all you want!

I meant that there isn't one kind of "Southern BBQ" any more than there's one kind of "New England seafood".

It's not a single cuisine, but a rich, varied assortment of specific regional cuisines. They share some common ingredients and techniques and traditions, but the Hong Kong style live-tank seafood genre is pretty frickin' far off from Shaanxi cuisine.

You can say that South Carolina pulled pork shoulder with mustard sauce and Kansas City burnt ends of beef brisket with molasses/tomato sauce are both barbecue (slow-cooked using low-temperature hardwood or fruitwood smoke), but to a casual observer, they might as well be from different planets.

I recommend you check MC Slim JB's advice, then maybe head up to Seabrook for some lobster and steamers at Brown's. 8-)

The only thing I got there was brisket, which was well executed but served in an odd manner (like, have you ever gotten a brisket sandwich with slaw ON the sandwich?). I don't think they were there last summer, though.

There have been rumors for years and Eater Boston seemed to confirm last year that it is eventually happening.

My only concern with the expansion is that they seem to be modifying the menu more and more to fit local tastes instead of just being Dinosaur with each location. Kind of like what Wegmans did with Chestnut Hill.

You say that. Because I always read good "official" reviews, but I tend to get the same response from people who have actually eaten there: "meh"

I've had it exactly once, when my old job had them cater something. It was enough to make me not care about actually going there.

I normally get the catfish sandwich at Redbones which is pretty good. Perhaps it's not the best BBQ but at least it's a local, longtime Somerville place that isn't some corporate chain trying to seem hip and edgy like Sweet Cheeks. Also their beer menu is good and they have a lot of special events which are fun.