I tried these three places on US1 to the left of 44 (north from inland downtown) on Wednesday afternoon. The first two I had at lunch. The third I got to go later in the day. As usual (part of the flawed or sadistic design or the Universe), the worse the place looked on the outside, the better the food was.
Sundown Smokehouse - They are on the right side of the road about a quarter mile down. They opened six months ago. I had their beef brisket sandwich with potato salad for $10. It was roast beef. No smoke flavor at all. No bark. No fat. No oil. And they sliced it thin. We know I disagree with that. It barbeque not delicatessen. They said they smoked it for 20 hours. That seemed odd to begin with. Either the help doesn't know enough or there has been a change in the practice of smoking meat. And if it was smoked that long, it just makes the results more perplexing. I won't say it was bad roast beef. Just not barbeque. The bun was also low grade. The potato salad tasted and looked like Publix potato salad. Over all a weak showing. They also sell pork, turkey, chicken, tri-tip, burnt ends and ribs. It appears that they hail from St. Louis. I haven't had true St. Louis style (in situ), but, this doesn't make me anxious. And I believe that St. Louis style ribs just refers to the cut. So, they may be bland too. The place is in a little shack. Around five table inside and a patio spot on the side. It is all new and clean. I think Monday was the only day they are closed.
The Taco Shack - Kind of like 'the" Ohio State University (who else was exactly causing the confusion?), this is "the" taco shack. And like the Buckeyes, they are pretty good at what they do. They are down the road a little bit on the left. In a covered patio attached to the take out window. It's like a food truck with attached seating. They have been here for nine years. It had a line! Parking was wait and see. I grabbed the 3 for $5 Shack Taco's ($2 a piece). They let me have one of each (ground beef, roasted pork and shredded chicken). I also selected hard corn tortillas. They were damn good. American style. Lettuce, cheese and tomato (not too hot sauce on the side). The ground beef had some kind of spice in it like turmeric or nutmeg. The roast pork was so oily good. The chicken was a bit bland. Still good. They packed them full of meat. They also sell steak, shrimp, fish and black bean filled tacos. The usual other Mexican options and some Latin options like tripleta, pastelon, mofongo, empanadas, Cubans, etc. Prices are great. They even do a puffy taco. Great find.
Uncle Chicken's - They are also on the left side. Diagonal from Sundown. They have a tiny space and sign that you can easily drive right by. There is a building next to it that they say will became a sit down adjunct one day. Attached, uncovered, picnic style seating is what they have now. I was stunned when I saw that the menu had creamy Pinot Grigio chicken and mushroom soup and Maine lobster for example. I don't trust any one really to deliver good lobster outside of the Northeast or Canada, so, I stuck to the soup and some barbeque (to contrast with Sundown). They also fessed up to using frozen lobster. However, they said they have relationships with other spots in town to help with the sourcing of certain things and to make sure the stuff the get is as good as it gets. It seems like they give a damn. The soup cost $5.75 for a bowl ($3.75 for a cup). It was almost very good. The chicken and little black mushrooms were plentiful and tasty. The wine in the soup was a bit overpowering. Either the alcohol hadn't burned off or it was old or it was cheap to begin with. Otherwise, very good and good on you for trying. I also had a Briskporken sandwich. That allowed me to try their pulled pork, brisket and chicken. It cost $12 and came with fries. All meats were properly done. They cut the brisket thick. It had smoke flavor and bark. They, also, said they smoked it for 20 hours. The smoker is in the front of the parking lot. The bun was good. The portions were large. The fries were very crisp. They also sell burgers, hot dogs, gyros, livers, gizzards, quesadillas, tacos, wraps, ribs, chicken, sandwiches, beer, wine and more. They even sous-vide. They have been open for 2 and half years. Great little snack bar plus.
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