BBQ THAT DEFINITELY DESERVES A BLUE RIBBON

Last night my sister and I had dinner at Blue Ribbon BBQ in Arlington. Now, many of you may be thinking that Arlington is some suburb that's all the way out there, but really, it's just a 15 minute drive from Harvard. And this restaurant is certainly worth the trip.

There are a few famous bbq places in Boston. Red bones in Davis Sq. is the one that immediately comes to mind, but I didn't like that place. It reminded me of a restaurant that frat boys would love to eat at. And there were very few choices for the non-pork or beef eating public. Blue Ribbon BBQ not only has better food, but I found the atmosphere much more pleasant. Located on Mass Ave. (yes, the exact same Mass Ave. that runs through Boston and Cambridge), it evokes the feeling and look of a 1950s diner. Like the tile floors and cool old seats. There isn't a whole lot of seating at the location, they mainly focus on take out, and there were certainly many people doing that, but my sister and I were gonna be eating in.

We placed our orders at the counter. I opted for the half bbq chicken platter with 2 sides- black eyed corn(I didn't know that was, but was willing to try it out- turns out it's corn and black eyed peas) and mashed potatoes. (that was the smallest portion I could get) while my sister ordered the rib platter with sides of coleslaw and baked beans. With 2 lemonades, it came out to $27, which may seem like a lot for a dinner for 2, but wait until you see the size of the portions.

Here's my dinner. Isn't it huge?? The chicken was totally juicy and not dry at all. And the bbq sauce is great, with a hint of spice and heat. (i opted for the sweet bbq sauce, rather than the hot one). All platters also come with pickles and cornbread. I do love cornbread. and the mashed potatoes were totally packed with butter and absoloutely great!Here's my sister's rib dinner. And yes, there really are a lot of ribs.
Needless to say, neither of us finished our meals and ended up taking most of it home. I enjoyed sitting in front of the big window watching traffic go by while feasting on my bbq. There were desserts available like pies and cookies and brownies, but we were so full there was no way that either of us could eat any more. Oh also, the staff there is super friendly. Even though you don't really have much contact with them, they asked as twice how we were doing and that made the meal really pleasant.

Overall, this place was without a doubt worth the drive. And really, it's just an extra 10 minute drive from Redbone's. And if you're getting food to go, there's a very extensive take out menu. I look foward to my next visit there, but for now, I'm looking foward to eating my leftovers at home.