Nancy’s Bar-B-Q Sarasota, FL

Nancy’s Bar-B-Q Sarasota, FL 

 

So, it's my first day in Florida, and George tells me that we have to try this new BBQ restaurant in Sarasota.

Great; it is exactly what I am in the mood for.

Now, the place has what I like in BBQ: no thrills, picnic tables inside and out, customers walk right up to the counter, and you tell them what you would like before they put it together for you right there on a tray. Perfect.

George and I both order a combo plate with ribs, brisket, and some pulled pork, along with three sides. Now, the pulled pork was nothing special, but it was good enough.  The flavor was good, but overall, I was not too impressed. On the other hand, the St. Louis-style ribs were delectable! I would have given them 8 out of 10. Slow cooked, but not so much that they just fall off the bone; rather, the tender meat came off with a clean bite.  The brisket was cooked to perfection.  It had a nice bark on it, and it was extremely juicy.  You could tell that it was carved to order!

From my experience, sides are often overlooked. For our sides, we had collard greens with bacon, slow cooked baked beans with pork, and baked macaroni and cheese.

Out of the three, I would say I liked the collard greens the best. Collared greens are often too bitter for my taste, so it took me by surprise to have enjoyed them so much. But, these greens had a perfectly-balanced taste about them. They were most likely the best I have had!

Overall, I am a little jealous of George, who will get to have this meal again real soon.

Maybe he will bring some back for me?

Nancy’s Bar-B-Q

301 S Pineapple Ave
Sarasota, FL 34236
(941) 366-2271

http://nancysbarbq.com          

https://www.facebook.com/Nancys-Bar-B-Q

Fat Biscuit Southern Table and Taps

Fat Biscuit

Southern Table and Taps

335 Market Street, Lynnfield, MA 01940

781.342.5283

http://fatbiscuit.com

It is a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and we are getting ready to grill some steaks when the wife starts telling me about a restaurant that just opened at the Market Street in Lynnfield.

At first, she thinks it is a BBQ restaurant, based on its logo.

And after looking at it, I can see why.

But no, after reading the menu, we see it is southern food. (American cuisine with a definitive nod to the traditions and style of the South.)

Anyway, she starts reading the menu to me, and they have everything from a breakfast of biscuits and gravy to a dinner of shrimp and grits.

Long story short: we put the steaks away and take a ride.

At first glance, we were kind of shocked at the style and the look of the inside of the restaurant. I don’t know what I was expecting. Maybe I was looking for something more along the lines of southern comfort and charm.

Instead, it is the standard concept of an open restaurant with the high ceilings and an open kitchen. This is not a bad thing -- just not what I was expecting.

We are looking for the bar. At first, we do not see one, but the host shows us where it is. It is only like a 6-seat bar. They have a good selection of beer both on tap and in bottles, but they do not have a full bar. Again, not a bad thing -- just not a place you will hang at the bar.

So, we start talking with the Manager (Mark) who could not be nicer, and he explains the menu to us and answers all of our questions about the restaurant.

We now are ready to start making our selections. We start off with:

SAUSAGE BALLS $6.00

(House-made pork sausage rolled in cheddar cheese and biscuit dough).

They are served with a dipping sauce/gravy, so they taste like biscuits and sausage gravy.

Nice way to start.

The wife goes for the fried chicken supper. $14.00

(24-hour buttermilk brined, fried chicken breast and thigh served with some cheddar grits).

The wife did order this with two thighs in lieu of the breast and thigh.

Unfortunately, they did get the order wrong, but they corrected it right away.

Now, for my dinner. Anyone who knows me knows I like any kind of fried chicken (with one exception that I will not say here) so I was very happy to see they had chicken and waffles on the menu. (Yes Alex, I said chicken and waffles.)

So I had the FRIED CHICKEN & WAFFLE $11.00
(24-hour buttermilk fried chicken, scratch-made Belgian Waffle, and honey butter) 

My chicken was crunchy but not overdone, and the Belgian Waffle was pretty good, fluffy and light, with the added sweetness of the honey butter and a little of the maple syrup. This was exactly what I was hoping for. Oh, I cannot forget about the side of cheddar grits. These were good, fluffy grits.

*According to The Food Lover’s Companion, the word “grits” is really a shortened way of saying what it really means, “hominy grits.” Grits are derived from hominy. The Food Lover’s Companion further cites hominy as being one of the first foods that American Indians gifted to the colonists. Hominy is dried corn kernels with the hull and germ removed.

When this dried hominy is ground, it turns into what we know as grits.

Okay, we are now fat and happy, but the manager -- doing his job -- comes over and tells us to try the dessert.

BISCUIT HOLES $6.00
(cinnamon sugar Fat Biscuit donut holes, with maple apple or maple blueberry sauce) 

And, he was not wrong. These came fresh out of the fryer, and we were not disappointed.

To sum up our experience:

Good fresh food at a good price with good service.

And on a side note: I do not normally include the cost or the prices, but I thought it was important to show that I think for the price you are paying here, you are getting a good bang for your buck. We will definitely go back!