Decent, but not the best
I just had my first excursion to Great American Barbecue Co. today. Being hungry and eager to try a variety of dishes, I got the three-way combo with St. Louis style pork ribs, brisket, and chicken, with sides of cole slaw and collard greens.

The ribs were good with traces of a dry spice rub, but not exceptionally tender; the brisket was mostly tender, but somewhat dry; and the chicken was moderately smoky and was not as dry as some chicken that is cooked by long and slow smoking.

All sauces are on the table in plastic squeeze bottles. I realized as I was eating my meal how much better I like it when the sauce is served warm on the side. It seems to make the meat seem more tender and flavorful, and actually meld with the meat instead of tasting like a separate component.

The sauce is a tomato and vinegar base, tangy and sweet, with smoke flavoring added- at least that's what I think I tasted. I really prefer to steer clear of these sorts of flavorings, and have the smokiness contained in the meat itself.

As for the sides, I found it very refreshing to get cole slaw that had a dressing base that was not purely mayonnaise. Personally, I love a vinegar base more than mayo. This one, at least, combined the two. The cabbage was cut by hand in long, thin shreds, but with enough texture remaining so that it had a nice crunch. While it was tasty, I still think the flavor could have been punched up a little- perhaps with a little black pepper, in the preparation. A little pepper added at the table was helpful.

My other side, collard greens, was flavorful with onion, a little red bell pepper, and a dash of vinegar added to the cooking liquid. The vinegar is a classic way to dress cooked greens in the south, and having it cooked in worked fairly well, too. Somewhat surprisingly, I felt the greens were undercooked for that style of food. Generally, I hate overcooked, mushy food, but in the south where a lot of barbecue originated, greens are cooked until very tender, and I have found that I actually like some greens that way- collards in particular. They are a hearty and downright tough green, and when eating southern-style food, I prefer to have them cooked southern-style-not to a mush, but to a tender silky texture.

Other offerings which I did not try were "creamy potato salad", bow-tie pasta salad, Memphis baked beans, garic mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and Texas wedge fries.

Platters also include white bread or a corn muffin. I chose the muffin which was quite small, and not as sweet and moist as some other local barbecue restaurants.

I had planned on getting peach cobbler for dessert, but after taking a look changed my mind...not that it looked particularly bad, but I was hoping for a really juicy cobbler made with fresh peaches, which this was not, and it was already in plastic carry out containers, which made it seem unappealing to eat warm- and I saw no mention of the option of getting it ala-mode, which I especially like with peach desserts.

I found my leftovers to be a little more flavorful than my actual meal, since I added sauce before leaving the restaurant, which help the flavor tenderness, and moistness of the meat.

Overall, not a bad place, but I can't help liking Everett and Jones in the Broadway location in Oakland better.    [08 Jun 2004 23:12:02]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: St. Louis style ribs, cole slaw

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