smokin' with chris

we were planning on dining at a tapas restaurant, but found a sign on the door stating it would be closed that night so smokin' with chris turned out to be plan b.  having never been in the restaurant before, i was surprised to find the parking lot almost filled on a thursday evening, but in retrospect it may have been because it was ½ way to st. patrick's day.  in any case it was noisy in the dining room with almost full house plus a singer on stage.  after reviewing the menu, my wife and i decided to share a full rack of baby back ribs along with sides of collard green and mac and cheese.  the house made mac and cheese is supposed be prepared with a cheesesauceblended with chili powder and assorted peppers topped with a panko though we found it dry and tasteless.  perhaps we received the kid's version?  we fared only slightly better with the collard greens.  the ribs were tender with a nice smoke flavor, but suffered from too much time in the smoker and were very dry at the smaller end.  i normally don't use very muchsauceon dry rubbed ribs, but i spent much of my time with one of bottles of bbqsaucein hand.  overall, i feel the food was just okay and not on a par with some of the better bbq restaurants now open in ct.

better off dining at home.... it would be a great atmosphere if it weren't for the snooty, holier-than-thou waitstaff. this place needs maturity. the kids behind the bar were all hipsters, and the waiters didn't even bother to introduce themselves. got there, they told me "sit anywhere" but i couldn't find a seat, so i stood there like an idiot until they pointed out a small table in the corner... terrible service, very unprofessional.

food was mediocre. if you have dietary restrictions - such as diabetes - stay away. their barbecuesauceis nothing but sugar, brown sugar, molasses and corn syrup. my wife asked for the blackened chicken sandwich, but without the toppings; she got a piece of burnt chicken on a stale bun. they were out of most of the sides, so she couldn't get anything else but the dry abomination they gave her. i got the pulled pork sandwich. it was nothing to write home about. i honestly don't see what the fuss is about with this place.

it seems like if you know the owners, you have a great time. but if you're a stranger, you're treated like dirt. we were just about to leave when some kid told us that we had to clear out because he had a party coming in and they had a reservation. i told him he was being rude, and he went to his little bar buddies and laughed about it.

will never go back...

the good & the bad. i've never met a bbq joint i didn't like. that said - smokin' with chris makes an obvious attempt to give you a good meal. some reviewers got one, mine on the other hand had some serious flaws to overcome. i had a rib combo, baby backs and spareribs. the spareribs were good, though not top quality - but i'd eat them again, especially with that excellent house bbqsauceprovided. the babybacks came with a honey mustard type ofsauceand were a totally different story - dry, flavorless and tough as nails. i informed the waiter and he did return with another half (?) rack. the owner came over and apologized, saying "normally they're fall off the bone good" and i believe him. now for the best and brightest new ever! the meatloaf my wife had was outstanding! if you decide to take or treat friends, family, co-workers or yourself to dinner at chris'...have the meatloaf, it was hands down one of the best items on a menu...just under firm, moist, flavorful and the portion was more than enough -- and i like large portions when hungry. the service was great and overall, it was an enjoyable experience.