barbecue center

decided to stop here on the way back to charlotte from chapel hill for some lexington style bbq. i ordered a small chopped bbq tray which came with red slaw and hush puppies. the chopped pork was tender and had decent flavor, but was nothing outstanding. the red slaw was pretty average and the hushpuppieswere as well. overall the food was pretty good but no better than many other barbecue joints i've tried.

tried the course chopped and half chicken combo with sweet potato fries and potato salad. there was no bark on the pork at all, but it was very tender yet not overcooked and the "dip" paired nicely with it, the chicken was a mealy mess, about an hour overcooked...yuk...but the sides, hushpuppiesand tea were very good.

posted fri, 06/21/2013 - 10:39 by smoke daddy tour:  north carolina tour joint:  the barbecue center, inc. history dates back to the 50's, and sonny conrad has been there for most of that time.  originally started as an ice cream stand that sold some barbecue on the side.  great atmosphere and lexington-style barbecue... oh, and save some room for banana pudding or a hand-dipped banana split (large enough to share with the whole family)! main fare: chopped (sandwich) - mmmmm... smoky.  the chopped here is a very nice mix of meat.  good texture.  chopped fine, but not mushy. sliced - nice pink smoke ring all the way through.  meat is firm, but flavorful. easily breaks into chunk, but doesn't shred.  darker pieces are wonderfully rich and tender. other fare: hushpuppies- good.  lighter outside coating, with more good cornbread on the inside. slaw - cocktail sauce over cabbage... with a kick. dip - this is really great stuff.  balance of flavors enhances the meat. banana pudding - very

solid lexington style bbq. never have felt this bbq joint was the best of lexington's bbq restaurants, but it does serve some pretty darn good bbq pork, and the bbq chicken is not a bad choice either. the pork here is consistently smoky, moist, and tender - it needs little help from any type of sauce.

the red slaw is typical, the fries are awful, and the hushpuppiesare good here. they serve some diner items - it is more like a diner inside than a nc bbq joint - and have some nice deserts, including ice cream sundaes. when gosnell first started this restaurant, it was both a dairy bar & a bbq joint, and still is to some degree.

the hot dog here ok, nothing special, i'd stick with the barbecue. i've tried their fried chicken a time or two, ande again i'd stick with the barbecue.

now this place is a little pricey, by lexington standards, and they have changed their portion sizes, and their baskets now have chips, rather than fries, but then again, the fries are not good.