BBQ with Bravado
By Sandy Mitchell
Barbecued chicken, ribs, pork, and other foods are almost synonymous with summer in Cleveland. However, when the temperature is hovering in the 80s and beyond, it's difficult to get excited about standing over a hot grill. Not to worry. Northeast Ohio offers an array of BBQ eateries—each with its own special flair. Below are our choices for where to eat BBQ with a twist (in random order):
- Fat Fish Blue – This downtown eatery has been celebrating Mardi Gras since 1997. The Cajun-style restaurant is open for lunch, dinner, and late-night dining and is just steps away from events at Progressive Field and the "Q." BBQ here means pulled pork, chicken, or ribs with your choice of blueberry habanero, smokey red, or Carolina mustard sauce. All come with vegetables, corn bread, and candied yams. Live Blues music every evening gives even a simple dinner a festive air.
- Korea House – Located in the heart of Cleveland's Asiatown, this small, friendly eatery has an almost cult following among area foodies. Don't expect a lot of frills here, but the several BBQ offerings are great and come with a smattering of small dishes of pickled vegetables. Korean House is open for lunch and dinner daily.
- B D's Mongolian Barbecue – Yes, it's a franchise; yes, you have to go through the line to order your food, but don't let that stop you. This unassuming restaurant in Cleveland Heights' arty Coventry neighborhood has been wowing diners for more than a decade. At "Mongo's," you pick out the ingredients, the sauce, and the spices; the chef assembles your creation; and it is brought to your table. It's a great set-up for adventuresome eaters as well as those on special diets…and the fun atmosphere is a plus for all patrons.
- Quaker Steak & Lube – What's unique about Quaker Steak & Lube? Well, a couple of things. If you're looking for a good, affordable lunch in the Rockside Road/Valley View area, you can't beat Quaker Steak's luncheon buffet, a $7.99 value that changes every day, but usually includes their award-winning wings and other BBQ'd favorites. The other reason to visit Quaker Steak is for their Monday Classic Car drive-in (5pm – 10pm) and Wednesday Bike (that's motorcycle-type bikes) Night (4pm – 10pm). Both draw events a lively, interesting, and fun crowd. Oh and the food's good too.
- Bubba Q's – Remember Al "Bubba" Baker, the hard-hitting defensive end for the Detroit Lions and later the Cleveland Browns? Well, the retired Pro-Bowler is now winning awards for his cooking instead of his moves on the field. His Avon restaurant and catering business opened in 2005 and won "Cleveland Magazine's" Best BBQ award in 2008. The menu here is simple, yet delicious; choose from steak, ribs, chicken, and pulled pork, all with your choice of sides like baked apples, "Granny's" collard greens, sweet potato fries, and homemade cole slaw.
- Hot Sauce Williams – A local institution, this generations-old restaurant is a favorite among Cleveland's African-American community and beyond. It's even been featured on Chef Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" series, which called the fare a marriage of Southern soul food and Midwestern values with just a touch of Eastern European influences—in other words, pure Cleveland. You can dine in or carry your food with you. Choose from pulled pork sandwiches, a Polish Boy sandwich with BBQ sauce topped with cole slaw, and traditional BBQ chicken, among other dishes. Sides include house-made mac and cheese, collards, and roasted sweet potatoes.
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