Tennessee Mountain.....Ooofah

I was down in Soho...Actually, I was flat out depressed. But seriously, folks.....

I left my doctor's office and was on my way home and remembered that there's this bbq joint down there, so figured I'll surprise the wife with some take out. A few people mentioned to me how much they like Tennessee Mountain and this was a chance to check it out.

I ordered the special hickory smoked ribs and some bbq'd chicken (for the wife). The ribs came w/ a sauce called Blackjack sauce that I think had some bourbon in it. It tasted, predominantly like the adobo sauce that some canned chipotles are packed in-- spicy, peppery, slightly oily with a dark tomato-paste-like richness. Not a bad sauce, likeable even, but not all that impressive. The ribs themselves were (no other way to put this) not good--not well cooked, carved poorly-- there were several shiners in the bunch, relatively tough and dry, even mealy. Again, the poor carving-- they didn't trim away the thick bone that runs along the top edge of the rack-- which made pulling or cutting apart the ribs really difficult. In addition, they charged about $16 for what was like 5 or 6 bones-- ouch! They had a decent smoky flavor, on the upside. That's the best thing one can say about them....

The chicken was draped in a sweet and tangy sauce-- again, not a bad sauce, but not distinguished. The meat was moist enough but lacking in flavor. Decently cooked, but not a notable smoke flavor. Amy only ate a few bites of the chicken, which is one of her favorite dishes-- so I knew something was up.

I know it's been around since the 80's, but I can't see how. Maybe the drinks are good.

I won't be back.