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Show m ri p 1 1 5 f 1 Wt i' 'A I szr 3 XT? OuTAl V 7v 1 val.'.,( . . , r V. ! vi if ' Review: s, jL Werdict: 'Delicious' x 'X Sarah Kelly StaffWriter Sarah Kelly The S' 9 i I i- - V w&toK VC J ood barbecue is hard to find, especially in Salt Lake City. I have heard many people rave about Pats Barbecue, so I decided to check it S , , T best mashed potatoes ever! w WWMiaOlW X X out. My husband, Dave, and I went on a Thursday night. We got there about 5:30 in the evening, pretty early. When we got there, I noticed the neighborhood wasnt great and the building didnt look like a restaurant. In fact, I wasnt sure they were open. There were no neon signs indicating we were in the right place. The only thing confirming the location was the banner above the door that said, Pats... In your face B.B.QJ which had a half-nakdancing like I I this is it. it. on place sassy. Okay, thought, pig We pushed through the front door and the first thing I noticed was the sweet smoky smell of barbecue. I didnt realize I was hungry until I smelled the flavor in the air. We walked down the long hallway not sure what to expect. The first door on the right was where o orders are picked up. A few steps further down the hall, we looked into the kitchen. A few more steps and we came to the eating area. There was a big autographed picture of Guy Fieri, the host Sc Dives, hanging on of Food Networks Diners, Drive-In- s the wall. It was as if Fieri was welcoming us to the dining Pats is a very casual place and there is no seating hostess. Instead, a sign tells diners to take a menu and seat themselves. Following the direction, Dave and I grabbed a menus and found a picnic table near the couple yellow window. We sat down and only waited about a minute before our server, James, came over. We ordered drinks and looked at the menu. James recommended the pork ribs and the beef brisket. One of my favorite barbecue items is pulled pork, so I ordered a pulled pork sandwich and Dave ordered the ribs and brisket. Each meal came with one side and a piece of combread. There were several options to choose from ranging from coleslaw to red beans and rice to jambalaya. We ordered the mashed potatoes and gravy and the coleslaw. We didnt wait more than five minutes for the food. They had the meals out fast and it was nice and hot. Everything was served on heavy-dut- y paper plates. Plastic forks and knives were in a big bucket on the table along with a roll of paper ed to-g- i The pork ribs, brisket and awesome combread. tri-fo- ld f I . t s S ft j rI Some delicious, good offashion coleslaw. ,1 4 . ' , towels. S' s 4 James told us Pats offers three kinds of barbecue sauce. The red bottle was the spicy flavor, the yellow bottle was the mild barbarbecue sauce and the white bottle held honey-mustabecue sauce. rd I cut my sandwich in half and gave one half to Dave. He handed me a couple of pork ribs and a piece of brisket. I could not wait to dig in. Everything looked and smelled wonderful. I squirted some of the spicy sauce on my pulled pork sandwich. Wow, it was so good. There was a perfect balance between smoky flavor and spices. The sauce was spicy enough to add flavor, but not heat. The bun was soft and didnt detract from the pulled pork. I looked over and those mashed potatoes were calling my name. I took a bite with plenty of gravy. Yum! They were probably the best mashed potatoes Ive had at a restaurant. The gravy was and the potatoes were just like youd get at home, great buttery flavor and just lumpy enough that they had great texture. Dave was eating the brisket. Its really tender and has good flavor, he said. He put some of the mild sauce from the yellow bottle on it. The sauce makes the brisket better. Even though its not dry, it just makes it taste better, he said. The pork ribs were wonderfully tender. The meat had a spicy flavor from a dry rub Pats uses. According to Pats website, the dry rub recipe is so secret, that Pat Barber, the owner, wouldnt even share it with Guy Fieri. I didnt use any of the barbecue sauces on the ribs. I dont think they needed them. The last thing that was still tempting me was the combread. It was a golden square sitting the plate. I took a bite. It was moist and tender. It didnt crumble when I took my bite. I dont like it when combread just crumbles. Pats combread held together. Then the flavor hit me. It was so sweet and good. It was almost like having my dessert with my dinner. I looked at the table for butter, but there wasnt any. I knew why. It didnt need any. While I enjoyed the taste of the combread, James came by. This is the best combread Ive had, I said to James. He got a big smile on his face. The secret is lots of honey. Its what makes it so sweet, he said. A few minutes later, James came by to check on us again. How are you doing, everything okay? he asked. Dave and I nodded with our mouths full of the delicious food. Everybeef-flavor- ed thing was great. Pats has music on Friday and Saturday nights starting at 7:00 p.m. They are located on 155 W. Commonwealth Avenue (2125 S.) in South Salt Lake, only about a 10 minute drive from Westminster College. ! i h |