Out of the way BBQ Joint

[Hoorenga]

This was a road trip I took several years ago when my brother came out for a visit. We were taveling from Olympia, Washington to Redding California. It was a straight shot down I-5, a bit over five hundred miles. When we hit Oregon we decided to head east along the Coulmbia river to take in some of the beautiful scenery. As we headed East I realized that we would be able to take an alternate route down Highway 97 which runs noth and south and pass through Bend Oregon. This had always been a fabled destination for me because my boss who is an RV nut and is always looking for little out of the way reasturants had told me about a spectacular (according to him) BBQ joint in Bend. We had discussed it many times and our mouths would water as he described it. This was probably the only chance I would ever have to go there and to make it a double treat, I would be able to share it with my brother. We drove through Bend and didn't see it at first. After driving back and forth for about half an hour and asking people, we finely found the place. Unfortunatly we were too early for the dinner special which was some of everything for one low price. We had to pay twice that to get the same food because dinner wan't for another half hour. Our appetites were raging because we had been contimplating this meal for the last fifty miles. It was nothing like I had dreamed. There were ribbs but they wasn't much meat on them and they wern't very good. The other meat was in the form of a smoked turkey loaf and a ham that was also a formed meat loaf. It was pretty bad stuff. I guess I should have known because my bosses tastes are pretty mediocre. I know this for a fact because we have gone to lunch together and he will rave about food that I find unapetinzing. And to think he used to operate a Rib joint.

[qman]

Hoo,

I used to have a friend who always said "the worst beer I ever had was wonderful". Too bad this is not true of BBQ. Your story reminds us that there is some truly awful BBQ out there, in little hole-in-the-wall joints, as well as in big, bright national chains.
It also reminds us that a lot of people have not had the pleasure of knowing what true, good que is and so do not have a good basis of comparision.

This serves to keep us in the hunt for the next "holy grail" of a bbq place, and to keep spreading the word about real BBQ.

[Arlin_MacRae]

Such a pretty town, too...

[Hoorenga]

I find it interesting that my boss used to operate a rib joint and when I talk to him about good BBQ and the techniques to produce it, he hasn't a clue as to what I am talking about. We might as well be talking sushi. Another interesting coincidence is that there was a woman who used to work in this same office who’s father ran a restaurant in South Carolina that served BBQ pork, mostly pulled pork. Would you believe that they didn't own a smoker? She claims it was the best pulled pork in the county, and the customers would always swear it came out of a smoker. I guess it just shows you how bad the average person's taste are and what they will put up with when it comes to restaurant food. I think this is the reason there are so many bad restaurants out there.